Chapter 77: Sneak Peek

  If she were to be directly invited to the flower appreciation banquet, Gu Xiuyu would certainly not go. But this way of secretly watching, which is almost like a game and doesn't require her to show up in front of people, Gu Xiuyu probably wouldn't refuse!

  As expected, Gu Xiuyu's expression relaxed a bit.

  Ye Qinglan continued to tease her, smiling softly and saying: "Don't you want to see what talents the girls from various manors will be performing?"

  Of course, she wants to... Gu Xiuyu is afraid of crowds, but deep down, she yearns for close relationships and communication with others. This contradiction makes Gu Xiuyu's personality particularly unpredictable.

  After hesitating for a moment, Gu Xiuyu finally nodded slightly.

  Zhang Yue and Ye Qingning simultaneously let out a sigh of relief, looking at Ye Qinglan with admiring eyes. Reflecting on themselves, if they were in her shoes, they wouldn't have had the patience to coax and pamper Yu Xi like that.

  Ye Qinglan gave Ye Qingning a look, and Ye Qingning immediately understood. She smiled and nodded, then whispered to Zhang Yue: "Let's go over there first." The two of them couldn't just hide in the corner and peek like Ye Qinglan had said.

  Zhang Yue nodded with a smile, and the two of them left together.

  Ye Qinglan thought for a moment, then instructed several maids: "I'll sneak over with Xi Yu's sister to take a look. You few don't follow us for now, just stay here and wait for us."

  How can this be! Mo Xiang instinctively opposed: "Miss is used to having maidservants serving her, I'd better follow along too." Since being chosen as Gu Xiuyu's personal maid, she felt a great sense of responsibility and had been following closely, never leaving her side. Where would she dare let Gu Xiuyu out of her sight?

  Ye Qinglan smiled warmly: "If you all follow, I'm afraid it will alarm everyone far away. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Xiuyu sister."

  Mo Xiang hesitated and looked at Gu Xi Yu with a questioning gaze. Was this really okay?

  Gu Xi Yu didn't make a sound, but gave Mo Xiang a faint smile. Mo Xiang reluctantly nodded his head.

  Ye Qinglan's eyebrows and eyes curved into a smile, and she playfully winked at Gu Xizhu, excitedly shouting: "Xizhu sister, let's go together."

  A slightly immature and naive girl's face is full of smiles. It makes people feel happy from the bottom of their hearts too.

  Gu Xi Yu's lips slightly curved upwards, and her mood also became cheerful. She followed behind Ye Qing Lan's back as they walked.

  Mo Xiang and Fei Cui stared at Gu Xi Yu's happy figure, their eyes widening in unison. The change in the young lady was too great. Previously, she had been crying non-stop, but how did she suddenly become so happy and carefree after being "deceived" by Ye Qing Lan?

  Rui Xue seemed to have seen through their thoughts, and smiled as she said, "You two can rest assured, with our mistress here, Second Miss will definitely be fine." She paused for a moment, then smiled again, "At least, isn't Second Miss in high spirits right now?"

  This is also true. Gu Xi Yu has always been introverted and rarely had moments like this where she was so happy and carefree. Even if some trouble arose, what's the big deal?

  Ink fragrance suddenly opens, a face full of smiling intention.

  Ye Qinglan started walking quickly, but soon turned into a jog. Gu Xiuyu didn't think twice and chased after her in a sprint. At this moment, the gentle breeze brushed against her face, carrying the faint scent of flowers in the air. Taking a deep breath, she felt invigorated. Her body and mind relaxed and opened up.

  They soon arrived near the Lotus Pond. The sound of people's conversations could already be faintly heard in their ears.

  Ye Qinglan slowed down her pace, keeping an eye on Gu Xiuyu's expression out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that Gu Xiuyu did not show any signs of rejection or resistance, she finally felt at ease.

  It seems she was right, Gu Xiyu is indeed afraid of crowded and noisy places, but as long as no one notices her, she won't be nervous or scared. To make her recover quickly, we have to start from this point.

  Ye Qinglan secretly calculated in her heart, and whispered with a low smile: "We're almost there, let's quietly find a place to hide. We can see them, but they can't see us two, how interesting."

  Gu Xiuyu's eyes lit up, and her small face radiated an excited glow. She looked much more lovely and endearing than her usual dull self.

  Ye Qinglan quickly scanned her surroundings and soon found a good place to hide.

  Not far away, there was a small cluster of trees, unknown what kind of precious species. Both tall and large, just enough for the two to hide their figures. Moreover, the terrain was slightly higher. Can see the scene by the lotus pond at a glance.

  It's perfect, just tailor-made for the two of them! What a wonderful place!

  Ye Qinglan casually pulled on Gu Xiyu's sleeve: "Let's go hide over there."

  Although Gu Xiyu was very unaccustomed to others being so close to her, she couldn't care about that now. Together with Ye Qinglan, they quietly moved over like thieves, hiding behind trees and peeking out to look around.

  This feeling of being both tense and excited is simply wonderful!

  Gu Xiyu and Ye Qinglan exchanged a smile, without saying much, and gazed intently ahead.

  The lotus flowers had not yet bloomed, and there was only a clear pond. Beside the pond was a large empty space with neatly arranged tables and chairs, on which were piled all sorts of fresh fruits and tea snacks. The women sat in separate seats, either whispering to each other or chatting and laughing in groups of three or five, making quite a lively scene.

  For the noble ladies who rarely go out on ordinary days, such a carefree and relaxed occasion is indeed rare. Therefore, everyone's face was filled with joyful smiles. Even from a distance, that relaxation and joy were clearly visible.

  Before long, the flower appreciation banquet officially began.

  Xu Shi smiled and stood up, saying something that made everyone cover their mouths in laughter. Then, a pretty maid brought out a bamboo tube filled with wooden slips and walked to the front of the crowd. Each person laughed as they drew one out. No one knew what was written on it, but another burst of laughter erupted.

  Then, a slender teenage girl stood up with ease and walked to the empty space in the middle, placing the flute horizontally on her lips. After a moment, a clear and melodious flute sound began to ring out.

  In the warm sunshine of a spring afternoon, people were enchanted by the beautiful sound of the flute by the lotus pond. After a while, the flute stopped, and everyone applauded in praise. The delicate girl blushed slightly, but her eyes were full of excitement.

  Next, a slender girl in green clothes and white skirt appeared. She didn't play the piano or blow the flute, but stood still in front of a desk with snow-white rice paper laid out, then wielded her brush to splatter ink. From such a distance, Ye Qinglan couldn't see whether she was writing words or painting, but her posture while holding the brush was very elegant and beautiful.

  After a while, the girl stopped writing. The ladies all gathered around, pointing and discussing for a moment. The girl also smiled and returned to her seat.

  ……

  Gu Xi Yu silently watched all of this, her eyes involuntarily flashing with longing.

  Ye Qinglan quietly observed Gu Xiuyu's changing expression, taking advantage of Gu Xiuyu's fluctuating emotions, and whispered: "Xiuyu sister, it's lively over there."

  Gu Xiyu nodded, her eyes still fixed intently on the crowd in the distance.

  Yè Qīnglán seemed to be muttering to herself, but her voice somehow carried into her ears: "It's just a pity that we're too far away and can't hear what they're saying. Actually, everyone doesn't have any malicious intentions. When they see a tall and beautiful girl, who wouldn't want to take a few more glances? As long as you relax and don't get nervous, everything will be fine."

  Is... is this about her?

  Gu Xiuyi was dazed for a moment, and didn't know what she was thinking about.

  "If you don't want to talk, just smile. No matter what others say, as long as you smile, everyone will naturally accept you. And they'll definitely think you're a very well-behaved and lovely girl."

  "Really?" Gu Xiuyu murmured in a low voice.

  Ye Qinglan smiled and nodded without hesitation: "Of course it's true. As long as you muster up the courage to try, you'll find that it's actually not difficult at all. Everyone will like you."

  Gu Xiuyu was visibly shaken, her eyes flashing with hesitation and struggle. She wanted to walk over, but she was still a little afraid, which was a great contradiction.

  With such obvious progress, Ye Qinglan naturally didn't want to give up and gently coaxed: "Xi Yu sister, I know you actually really want to go, right? Anyway, we've already come this far, walking a few more steps won't make a difference. If you're really afraid of everyone looking at you, then the two of us can just quietly pass by. I promise you, it definitely won't attract everyone's attention, okay?"

  This decision is crucial for Gu Xiuyu.

  She had always locked herself in her own world, unwelcoming to anyone and refusing to come out. Mrs. Zheng's forcing her to get close to the crowd only made her resistant emotions reach a boiling point. That's why she would lose control and shriek loudly at the scene due to Zheng Min's unintentional touch.

  But it's different now.

  Ye Qinglan took her to the first psychotherapy session and deliberately brought her here to watch the flower banquet, which triggered her desire to contact people. As long as she takes this step again, Gu Xiyu's life will be a miracle.

  Gu Xi Yu stared blankly at Ye Qing Lan, her eyes extremely complex.

  Ye Qinglan smiled back at him, her eyes warm and firm.

  Time drips away bit by bit, as if a long time has passed, yet it seems like only an instant.

  Gu Xiuyu nodded slightly, her movements extremely slight, and if one didn't look carefully, it was almost impossible to see that she had nodded.

  Ye Qinglan smiled, her smile radiant to the extreme, her eyes flashing with dazzling light, even more captivating than sunlight: "Great, Xiuyu sister, I'm really proud of you."

  After making this decision, Gu Xiyu immediately regretted it. But now it's too late to regret, Ye Qinglan has already walked over with great interest, pulling her sleeves towards the lotus pond.

  Ye Qinglan didn't turn her head, but she could guess that Gu Xiuyu's mood at this moment must be very complicated, and even started to retreat. Smiling and chatting to distract Gu Xiuyu's attention: "Xiuyu sister, shall we go find Aunt first? She'll definitely be delighted to see you."

  Yes, she made a mistake just now and her mother was heartbroken and sad, even crying. If her mother saw her taking the initiative to go over, she would definitely be very happy...

  Thinking of Mrs. Zheng's surprised face, Gu Xiyu's unease and fear in her heart suddenly dissipated a lot, and an unprecedented courage suddenly arose in her heart.

  Thank you everyone for the pink tickets, thank you book friends for the rewards~ Hugging each of you one by one ╭(╯3╰)╮ Although I'm very tired from working every day, although writing 6,000 words a day is exhausting, seeing so many book friends subscribing to the official version really touches my heart and makes me happy~ This month no matter how busy or hard it gets, I will still update twice a day~