Chapter 60: Chapter 59 Breaking out of the Cocoon?
Today, she had to visit Old Grand Master of the Qin Family, and Shen Manru had told her to leave early with Qin Yize so as not to waste time.
So when the two of them came out, it wasnât even eight oâclock yet.
No one knew that last night, unexpectedly, it had snowed.
At this moment, the land was a sheet of silvery white.
Many homes hadnât had the chance to sweep the snow from their doorsteps.
...
When the wind blew through the snow-laden pines and cypresses, it was as if another light snowfall had begun.
The sun was exceptionally bright today, shining on the vast expanse of snow, somewhat dazzling.
Gu Qiaoqiao blinked happily, her lips curving into a smile unconsciously.
The Qin Familyâs home was only a few minutes away from the bus station, and the two of them walked forward, stepping on the accumulated snow on the road.
Their long and short silhouettes on the snowy ground seemed a bit ethereal.
Qin Yizeâs eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of danger in his gaze.
He watched Gu Qiaoqiao without a trace of emotion.
The contrast in Gu Qiaoqiaoâs behavior from before and after was too great.
Especially around Chinese New Yearâs Eve.
She was practically a different person.
No, it should be said, three different people.
In his memory, Gu Qiaoqiao, before marrying him, was very cheerful, loved to laugh, and had a pleasant laugh.
The kind of silvery laugh described in books, he had thought only existed in novels, but later, he came to know that some people truly have such delightful laughter.
Her gaze when looking at people was also bold and direct.
It seemed as if all her emotions were displayed within those bright and lively eyes.
And because of his good looks, girls liked him easily.
So he was very calm in the face of Gu Qiaoqiaoâs undisguised love.
Despite talking it through with her, she still insisted on marrying no one but him.
Perhaps he couldnât bear to shatter that radiant smile on her face, coupled with Grandpa Guâs helpless yet firm persuasion.
Eventually, he nodded in agreement.
Unexpectedly, Grandpa Gu, who had recovered from his illness, passed away quietly in his sleep, and a year later, on Gu Qiaoqiaoâs eighteenth birthday, they registered their marriage, followed by a wedding ceremony a month later.
On the day of the wedding, he had to leave in a rush, not even having the time to say goodbye to his family or to her.
Months later, he assisted the military in destroying a deeply hidden foreign biochemical research facility at the border, cleaning up the surrounding environment, and only then returning to Northern Border City with his team after ensuring everything was safe.
After that, he returned to the Imperial Capital once more.
Having been out of touch for months, his family had grown accustomed to it, but he didnât expect Gu Qiaoqiao to react so strongly.
Perhaps it was because it was her first experience with this.
He didnât explain, because this was the life Gu Qiaoqiao had chosen for herself, and he wanted her to get used to it, even to accept it.
Call him heartless or cold, he felt that everyone had to take responsibility for their choices.
But what he hadnât expected was that after a few months apart, Gu Qiaoqiao had changed so much, barely daring to look people in the eye, always looking troubled, often standing dazedly in one spot, seemingly oblivious to the busy figures of her grandmother and mother.
Her face no longer bore a smile, appearing somewhat suppressed.
The only constant was the fullness of love in her eyes when she saw him.
Although he was on leave, he had many matters to attend to, leaving early and returning late, which meant he seldom saw Gu Qiaoqiao.
And then there was Chinese New Yearâs Eve. In truth, he wasnât going to meet classmates; he had to go to the experimental base command center to report to his superiors.
But on that day, she tried to stop him from leaving as if she were mad. It was meant to be a joyous New Yearâs Eve, yet Gu Qiaoqiao ended up crying hysterically and threatened him with death.
He turned away indifferently, not expecting that Gu Qiaoqiao would actually throw herself fiercely against the wall.
He had never thought Gu Qiaoqiao had such courage and strength.
If it werenât for his quick response, catching her just in time, Gu Qiaoqiaoâs forehead would have been more than just bruised.
Afterward, his mother, overwhelmed by anger, fainted.
And Gu Qiaoqiao was also in a coma.
After which, she was taken to the Qin Familyâs hospital.
Her mother woke up quickly, but Gu Qiaoqiao still remained in a coma.
The examination results showed everything was normal; there wasnât even a slight concussion.
But she just couldnât wake up from the coma.
The attending physicianâs final words were that this was the patientâs self-protection in response to stimulation, a sort of hibernation.
He reviewed the report and basically agreed.
So, he took her and her mother, who had already woken up, back home.
By the time he finished reporting back at work and came home, he saw a transformed Gu Qiaoqiao, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
Her eyes no longer held a trace of affection; they looked at him with a certain distance and desolation, and with hatred.
She no longer stammered when she spoke; she was neither humble nor overbearing, standing there, like plum blossoms blooming in the cold winter, or like bamboo after the rain, fresh and carrying that unique fortitude of Gu Qiaoqiao.
She no longer sought to please him or his family members, except for grandma; it seemed she hardly gave anyone else a proper glance.
He hadnât even heard her call his parents âDadâ and âMom,â as she had a few days earlier.
Up to today, that bright smile that was hard to look at directly had never returned.
Her smile was very shallow, very faint.
It seemed that a gust of wind could scatter that smile completely.
After that, she had secrets.
Her secrets seemed to form a world of her own, the doors of which she had tightly shut, allowing no one a glimpse inside.
The entire person appeared to have undergone a complete transformation.
In her struggles with Bai Yun, she pressed Bai Yun down firmly.
But she cleverly placed herself at the moral high ground.
And chose such a time to bring up divorce again.
When he realized that Gu Qiaoqiao was serious, he agreed promptly.
A marriage without love, when the other half of the marriage scarcely even had time to stay by her side, it was better to let go.
That way, he would have one less concern.
And he, in turn, would compensate her during the divorce.
After all, it was he who had married her.
Thinking of this, Qin Yize watched the light-footed Gu Qiaoqiao walking ahead of him, his dark eyes shadowed.
At this moment, Gu Qiaoqiao was unaware that Qin Yize was pondering over her; she was in excellent spirits, like a bird that had flown out of its cage.
Therefore, she found Qin Yize quite more to her liking.
After getting off the bus, she obediently followed behind him, heading towards the entrance of the Qin Family Courtyard.
This was a scattered estate, covering a large area; it was the family business of the Qin Family. Although it was called the courtyard, it was much larger than the Qin Family Old Residence.
Here there was a garden and a natural lake, not big, but with clear water that sparkled in the sunlight during the summer.
It was built by the father of the Old Grand Master of the Qin Family in his early years. The old grand master liked it here, but for some reason, he didnât want to live with his family.
He had prepared separate houses for them while he lived here alone.
Only a young male secretary was at his side, responsible for his everyday living; of course, the secretary was a boy.
The routine affairs of the residence were handled by the descendants of the Qin Familyâs old household.
They lived in the back court.
This was actually her first visit here.
There were security guards standing at the entrance.
After routine registration, she walked with Qin Yize toward the three-story building at the end of the road.
The open space on the right should be a lawn, the snow from last night had already been swept clean.
The same was true for the road.