Crying Snowflakes

The first day of the banquet was nothing more than this.

One representative after another took the stage to speak, and after that, the performances began.

Some people exchanged business insights with each other.

Some swapped business cards, hopeful for future collaborations.

And then there were those... who focused solely on devouring the food.

Take Gu Yan’s table, for example.

"Qingqiu, have a little something. You didn’t eat dinner—don’t starve yourself," Gu Yan said with a tone of concern as he placed a few small cakes on Leng Qingqiu’s plate.

Honestly, humans are such complicated creatures.

If Qingqiu ate too much, it wouldn’t do. But if she ate too little, he’d worry about her going hungry.

Leng Qingqiu, for her part, was hesitating—would eating too much in such a formal setting be unseemly?

Yet, the sweet aroma of the desserts lingered temptingly under her nose.

She licked her lips lightly and cleared her throat. "Then... I’ll just have a small taste."

"Mm-hmm."

Gu Yan nodded with a smile.

Alright, now let’s see what’s happening on the other side.

Gu Yan’s gaze drifted toward a certain direction.

Meanwhile.

Gu Zihua was frozen in silence, unable to comprehend, unable to think.

Why hadn’t Gu Yan followed the script he’d laid out?

Why was Gu Yan living so well now that he wasn’t acting like a lovesick fool anymore?

How was this fair?

It didn’t make sense, did it?

How could things turn out like this?

His expression darkened as he glared at Gu Yan’s table. At such a high-class event, all they were doing was stuffing their faces?!

Disgusting. You don’t deserve to be the family head!

I won’t let you take that position!

But...

Gu Zihua lifted his wine glass and took a small sip.

But his influence had already crumbled. His former allies had all betrayed him.

How could he possibly manipulate the voting now?

It was impossible!

Was he really going to have to watch Gu Yan ascend to the position of the Gu Family head step by step?

No. Seeing him succeed would be worse than death.

Just then.

"Zi... Zihua-shaoye..."

A soft, joy-filled voice reached Gu Zihua’s ears.

Thud.

At the sound of that voice, his heart seemed to stop for a moment.

His grip on the wine glass trembled ever so slightly.

His expression stiffened unnaturally. That voice... it was...

Gu Zihua turned his head rigidly, only to see Xuehua—dressed beautifully tonight—gazing at him with hopeful eyes.

His own eyes darted around, searching for someone else. When he didn’t spot that person, he relaxed slightly.

Then, forcing a smile, he said, "Xue... Xuehua."

Xuehua didn’t notice anything amiss.

Her heart was already overflowing with happiness.

The weeks of restraint seemed to burst forth all at once.

"Zihua-shaoye, I can finally talk to you again."

Gu Yan, you’ve failed.

"Finally... what do you mean, ‘finally’?"

"Xuehua, what happened to you all these days?"

Gu Zihua couldn’t bring himself to look directly at her.

Whether it was guilt or something else, he didn’t know.

Xuehua shook her head, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She stepped forward and threw herself into his arms. "It was Gu Yan’s demand, but now everything’s fine."

Gu Yan’s demand?

A wave of nausea rose in Gu Zihua’s chest as he looked down at Xuehua clinging to him.

She seemed exactly the same as before.

And yet, for some reason, he felt nothing but disgust.

Especially...

He pushed her away, his expression strained, his eyes suppressing something dark. "Xuehua, listen to me. This is a banquet hall. You’re a maid. I’m a young master of the Gu Family."

"Eh...?"

Xuehua stumbled back, stunned. "W-what do you mean...?"

She seemed to realize she hadn’t explained her agreement with Gu Yan yet, so she opened her mouth to clarify.

But before she could speak, Gu Zihua took another step back. "What I mean is, Xuehua, don’t get so close to me."

"It’ll cause misunderstandings."

The moment those words left his mouth—

Thud.

Xuehua’s face paled. Her heart twisted painfully as she stared at Gu Zihua in disbelief. "Zi... Zihua-shaoye... what are you saying...?"

She tried to speak again, her eyes pleading. "No, no, shaoye, Gu Yan said—"

The mention of "Gu Yan" seemed to trigger something in Gu Zihua.

His face twisted in fury. "Don’t you dare mention him to me again!!!"

"!!!"

Xuehua froze, clamping her mouth shut in fear. The person before her now was so unfamiliar, so cold. Her face turned deathly white. "Zi... Zihua-shaoye...?"

Gu Zihua took a deep breath, his gaze icy as he stared at her. "Xuehua, there’s no future for us. After all these days, you’ve probably been... used by Gu Yan in ways I don’t even want to imagine."

Eh...?

What... what is Zihua-shaoye saying?

Xuehua’s mind went blank.

No... Zihua-shaoye wouldn’t be like this...

Then—

A curious voice cut in from the side. "Zihua-shaoye, who is this woman?"

At the sound of that voice, Gu Zihua’s expression softened.

Xuehua’s, however, stiffened completely.

She turned toward the voice.

There, walking toward them, was a woman with wavy golden hair. She naturally looped her arm through Gu Zihua’s.

And Gu Zihua didn’t resist—instead, he answered gently, "Just a family maid."

"Oh, a family maid." Alice nodded, then deliberately rested her head against Gu Zihua’s shoulder. "Zihua-shaoye, this place is so boring. Take me for a walk around the estate, won’t you?"

"Mm."

Gu Zihua affectionately ruffled Alice’s hair before leading her away.

Not once did he glance back at Xuehua.

Her mind was empty. Her ears rang.

She stood there, numb, watching as Gu Zihua walked away from her.

Xuehua couldn’t understand. Why would he say such cruel things?

She hadn’t... done anything with Gu Yan.

She had worked so hard... just to be with him...

So why...?

Her vision blurred as she stared at Gu Zihua and Alice’s retreating figures.

Plip. Plip.

Tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked.

How... could things turn out like this...?