Destined

Gu Jiusi was still groggy from a night of heavy drinking when the Madam burst into his room, anxiously exclaiming, "Young Master Gu, wake up quickly! Someone from your family is here!"

Half-asleep, Gu Jiusi waved his hand impatiently. "Stop bothering me."

"You really need to wake up," the Madam insisted, slapping the bed frame in frustration at his deep slumber. "Your family came armed with a blade—they clearly mean trouble. Wake up now!"

"Shut up!" Gu Jiusi snapped irritably. "I'll handle whatever happens. Get out!"

Cowed by his outburst, the Madam fell silent and slipped out the door. As she left, she saw Liu Yu Ru ascending to the third floor, blade in hand, and quickly hid her face with a handkerchief before scurrying away. Upon reaching the door, Liu Yu Ru knocked politely. "Husband."

There was no response from Gu Jiusi.

Liu Yu Ru had confirmed this was the right room. His silence meant he was either dead asleep or had already fled.

She began pounding on the door. "Gu Jiusi!"

Inside, the noise throbbed in Gu Jiusi's aching head. He covered his ears with his hands, pulled the quilt over his head, and turned away, pretending not to hear.

Liu Yu Ru's anger flared. Having come this far, she had no intention of preserving her reputation. She took two steps back, then delivered a powerful kick—the door shuddered.

Another kick, and the door loosened.

Finally, after a running start, she slammed into it with a loud "BANG!"—the door swung open.

There lay Gu Jiusi, sound asleep in bed. Fury boiled within her, and she could no longer restrain herself. "Gu Jiusi, get up this instant!" she roared.

The shout of "Gu Jiusi!" echoed through the entire building, jolting him awake. Dazed, he heard rapid footsteps approaching from behind. Sensing danger, he instinctively rolled aside—just as a blade whistled past his face and embedded itself beside him with a "CLANG!"

He was wide awake now.

Liu Yu Ru stared coldly at him. Gu Jiusi's heart raced as he felt her murderous resolve. Swallowing hard, he tremblingly grasped her hand on the hilt and stammered, "C-calm down... L-let's t-talk this through..."

"Get up." Her tone was icy.

Gu Jiusi nodded frantically. "Up, up, I'm getting up right now."

Liu Yu Ru yanked the blade free, turned, and closed the door. Gu Jiusi sluggishly rose, reeking of alcohol, and slumped into a seat opposite her. Yawning, he grumbled, "What are you doing here?"

"Not knowing when you planned to return home, I came specially to fetch you," Liu Yu Ru replied with feigned deference.

Gu Jiusi's eyes fell on her blade, and he snorted derisively. "Fetch me with a knife? What a brilliant idea."

"You've been wandering outside for days now. It's time to return home, focus on your studies, and strive for a respectable official rank."

Gu Jiusi stared at her as if she were insane. "What? You want me to go back and do what?"

"Study." Liu Yu Ru enunciated clearly.

He sucked in a sharp breath. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Husband," she said earnestly, "you're nearly eighteen now. In two years, you'll be of age. You must consider your future. Your father is already a Yangzhou tycoon, counting on you to earn an honorable title...""Stop, stop, stop," Gu Jiusi raised his fan, his face pained. "Enough already, I've heard this lecture of yours hundreds of times. Listen, Liu Yu Ru," he said, sitting cross-legged and looking at the woman kneeling before him, adopting an uncharacteristically serious tone as he negotiated, "I'm also a victim in this marriage arrangement. I've married you, given you status, provided money—whatever you wanted, you got. From now on, why don't you live your life and I'll live mine? How does that sound?"

Liu Yu Ru lifted her gaze to him, entirely unsurprised by his words.

Gu Jiusi rested one hand on his knee, poured himself some tea, and spoke earnestly: "You know exactly what kind of person I am. I've always hated people who preach. Those scholars at the private school would listen to your moralizing. What's the point in telling me? Let's be practical—my father is Yangzhou's richest man, my uncle is the Minister of Personnel, my cousin is the Concubine of Prince Liang. Even if I do nothing my whole life, just collecting rent from our lands and interest from our loans, I'd have enough to live comfortably. Why should I suffer through studying? What for?"

Liu Yu Ru took a sip of tea while Gu Jiusi laid out his calculations: "Let me break it down for you. Our money house lends out at double the principal annually. We loan at least two hundred thousand taels each year, netting two hundred thousand in pure profit. When I take over, if I'm generous and reduce the interest to fifty percent, that's still a hundred thousand yearly. Besides the money house, we have land and shops. Even if all our businesses fail, the interest and rent alone would sustain us for life. Liu Yu Ru, you might look down on me, and I get that—but financially, you're definitely not losing out. Let's each live our own lives and enjoy ourselves. Deal?"

"What if 'for life' doesn't happen?" Liu Yu Ru asked calmly. Gu Jiusi looked confused: "What do you mean?"

"Why can the Gu Family lend money without defaults? Why do we hold so much land without envy? It's because your uncle holds high court office. If the political winds shift and the Gu Family's backing falls, 'wealth invites crime'—what end do you think awaits us then?"

Liu Yu Ru sneered: "All that silver—do you think a mere rich man with no real power could protect it?"

Gu Jiusi froze. For years, no one had ever dared suggest his uncle might fall from grace to his face.

Yet in that moment, he realized she might be right.

His heart fluttered with panic, but his expression remained steady. He cleared his throat lightly and said, "Then there's nothing to be done. If it comes to that, we'll adapt as circumstances allow."

"And what about me?" Liu Yu Ru's voice turned icy as she stared at him. "You'll have enjoyed a lifetime of luxury, then close your eyes and it's over. What about me?! Your parents?! Have you ever considered us?"

"That's just fate," Gu Jiusi sighed, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't overthink it. My parents will figure something out when the time comes."

Liu Yu Ru closed her eyes, her grip tightening on the dagger at her waist. She suppressed the urge to draw it, taking deep, controlled breaths.

Gu Jiusi cleared his throat again, poured tea for Liu Yu Ru, and pushed the cup toward her: "Don't be angry. Calm down.""Gu Jiusi..." Liu Yu Ru's voice trembled as she spoke, "Do you know, I could have married Ye Shi'an."

Gu Jiusi froze momentarily.

At that moment, Ye Shi'an had just arrived outside the door.

Having heard Liu Yu Ru kick the door, he had thought it over and decided to come check on the situation. After all, the Ye and Liu families were old friends, and Liu Yu Ru was not only Ye Yun's close friend but also his... potential former fiancée. Knowing Gu Jiusi's troublemaking nature and his reputation as a local bully who loved to fight, he feared Gu Jiusi might actually resort to violence and cause Liu Yu Ru harm. But just as he reached the doorway, he overheard those words.

He stood stunned, feeling somewhat awkward, but before he could retreat, Liu Yu Ru continued, "Do you know how much effort I put into marrying into the Ye family, into marrying him?"

"Since I was under ten years old, I've been learning how to become someone the Ye family would approve of." She opened her eyes, their rims slightly red. Gu Jiusi stared blankly at Liu Yu Ru, watching this girl whose tears fell freely yet who maintained her elegant composure, listening as she said, "I read every book he ever read, I copied every letter he sent to Ye Yun, I memorized all the Ye family rules, I secretly studied music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I forced myself to act like a proper young lady from a noble family. I spent all those years striving, thinking I was about to succeed—that I would marry an ideal husband, that my life would have a happy ending."

"I would have lived in mutual respect and harmony with my husband..."

She broke down sobbing: "But you, your Gu family, destroyed all of that!"

"I..." Gu Jiusi began to speak, but Liu Yu Ru cut him off: "I know, you're innocent."

"I know I should hate my mother for her weakness, the concubine for seizing power, my father for his greed. Your Gu family didn't know—you knew nothing. But wasn't it you who said you would marry me?"

She stared fixedly at him. Gu Jiusi's face instantly turned pale.

"It was you who said you'd marry me, Gu Jiusi."

She looked at him earnestly: "You're unconventional, you think everyone in the world is like you, not caring about gossip. But when you said those words, did it never occur to you that if the Ye family heard them, it might ruin this marriage arrangement? If your family heard them, they might come to propose to me? If others heard them, wouldn't they think I was improper?"

"You thought it was just a joke to laugh off, but what you destroyed was my entire life."

She spoke through gritted teeth. Finally, Gu Jiusi lost his usual smirk, quietly gazing at the weeping girl before him.

He suddenly realized that there were people in this world struggling so desperately to survive. He recalled a story he'd once heard about an emperor who asked his starving people, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"

"I'm sorry..." he murmured, lowering his gaze. Liu Yu Ru raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"Does apologizing help?!"

She shouted: "All those years of effort, all those years of planning—ruined by your careless joke. Do you think a simple 'sorry' is enough?!""Listen carefully," she grabbed his collar, pulling him close until their faces were nearly touching. Her tears had smeared her makeup, yet she resembled a young leopard—her eyes bright and resolute, brimming with the courage to tear through all the world's malice. "Gu Jiusi, I don't care whether you're willing or not. You said those words, your Gu Family brought me into your home, you made me your wife—and you will take responsibility for it."

"Since my life is now bound to yours, everything I rightfully deserve, you must give me! I want a husband who can stand tall and shoulder the family's legacy, one who can protect me and our children for a lifetime. What I want is not a coward like you, who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun, relying on your parents whenever trouble arises!"

"However well Ye Shi'an can do, you must do just as well. Everything I've lost, you will repay me. Starting today, you will go home. If you dare step into places like gambling dens or brothels again," Liu Yu Ru stood on the table, drew a blade with one hand, gripping Gu Jiusi's collar with the other while pressing the knife to his throat, "if I can't kill you, I'll use this blade to slit my own throat and die right at the entrance of your Gu Family estate! Do you understand?!"

"Calm down..." Gu Jiusi stared at Liu Yu Ru, whose eyes were completely bloodshot, and swallowed hard. He didn't dare say another word, only managing to stammer in a trembling, desperately calm voice, "You... calm down."

Meanwhile, Ye Shi'an, standing outside the door, came back to his senses.

He let out a long, deep sigh.

He knew clearly that he needed to leave—quickly.

For him, this conversation contained far too much information, far too terrifying.

There was no need to worry about the delicate Yu Ru he remembered being beaten to death by Gu Jiusi. What he needed to worry about now was whether Gu Jiusi would end up bleeding out in the Brothel today.

And then he thought, if Gu Jiusi were to bleed out in the Brothel... so be it.

If he were killed by his own wife, it would be a deserving death—

Author's Note:

Ye Shi'an: So terrifying, glad I didn't marry her.

Gu Jiusi: Mom, I'm going home to study, I don't want a wife wuwuwu... It's too scary wuwuwu...