Su Cheng's mother, being a wife of the manor, was finally with child, which was a great joy for the household. His father also showed great care and concern for Su Cheng's mother because of this.
After ten months of pregnancy, Su Cheng's mother had always hoped for a daughter, but when the baby was born, it turned out to be a son.
Perhaps her longing for a daughter was so intense that she bribed the midwife to tell the master outside that a daughter had been born.
It wasn't until Su Cheng reached the age of manhood that his true gender could no longer be concealed.
As a result, his mother was stripped of her position as the main wife, and the second concubine, who had given birth to a daughter, ascended to become the lady of the manor. Su Cheng, who had been a pampered young lady, transformed into a young master bullied by everyone.
Hearing this, Gu Qianying couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for his plight.
No wonder, since she had met him, the three young ladies of the Su family had been the most ruthless in their abuse of Su Cheng.
Even though the Nanyi Kingdom favored men over women, their attitude towards males was no different from that towards the lowest-ranking slaves.
Having finished recounting his experiences, Su Cheng let out a long sigh as if a great burden had been lifted.
"Besides the people in the manor, no one else knows these things about me. The year I came of age, my father announced to the outside world that the fourth young lady of the Su family had passed away due to illness, and the young master who suddenly appeared was said to have grown up outside and was only then brought back to the manor."
Though Su Cheng spoke these words lightly, Gu Qianying could sense his misfortune. Because of his mother's obsession, he hadn't even had the chance to be recognized for his true identity.
"Everyone has a past that is not entirely happy, but from our time together, I know you are sensible and kind. Even after enduring all this, you will surely not become as obsessive as your mother in the future."
Gu Qianying didn't offer any words of comfort, but felt that these were the words that came from her heart.
Given Su Cheng's status, it was not just about being recognized; even actions that went against his true nature would be forcibly attributed to him as a label.
He clenched his fists within his sleeves and cast a grateful glance at Gu Qianying.
The moonlight tonight was exceptionally bright, and Gu Qianying felt a little uncomfortable under his intense gaze, so she quickly got up to leave.
Perhaps because she had been sitting for too long, she had only taken two steps before her footing faltered, and she stumbled.
As her shoe slipped off her foot, her balance was lost, and she fell directly to the side.
Although Gu Qianying had inner strength, without a point of support, her body would still sway.
Just as she was about to fall into the water, a pair of hands caught her. Instinctively, Gu Qianying also wrapped her arms around the person leaning in front of her.
By the willow-lined lake, their bodies were pressed together.
The moon shyly hid behind the clouds, and the surroundings suddenly darkened.
Although the two did not immediately separate, the unspoken intimacy between them had already surfaced.
Feeling Gu Qianying's gentle breath on his face, Su Cheng was momentarily lost in thought and did not realize he was already overstepping.
And Gu Qianying, due to her loss of balance, was now awkwardly hugging the man's neck and leaning on him.
"Ahem, well." A gust of wind blew, pulling their thoughts back. Gu Qianying cleared her throat, which brought Su Cheng back to his senses.
"Miss Gu, it was my carelessness. I sincerely apologize." He quickly straightened up and helped Gu Qianying stand upright.
At this moment, their hands were still clasped together. Even though they were standing straight, the unspoken tension between them had already formed.
Gu Qianying quickly withdrew her hand, and Su Cheng also felt it was too forward. He quickly picked up the shoe that had fallen nearby and, with a soft sound, knelt on the ground.
He carefully held Gu Qianying's delicate foot and gently put the shoe back on her.
Such an action was too intimate, and Gu Qianying's face instantly flushed red. Her eyes darted away, not daring to look at the person before her.
Her feet, apart from Nangong Mo, had never been touched by anyone else. But at this moment, she felt as if that person was by her side.
The moon reappeared from behind the clouds, and the two were now standing apart, having created distance between them.
"Miss Gu, is your foot alright?" Su Cheng knew he had been impulsive. Even though he had already stood up, he still kept his head down, not daring to look at Gu Qianying.
Seeing him like this, as if he hadn't been the one to put her shoe on just moments ago, Gu Qianying suddenly felt like teasing him.
"My foot is sprained and it really hurts. I probably can't walk." Her voice was laced with a hint of tears, which made Su Cheng flustered for a moment.
"Then this, you wait here first, and I'll go find someone." His thoughts suddenly became more reserved, and he thought of the impropriety of men and women touching.
However, Gu Qianying did not intend to let him off so easily. She leaned on the long bench and sighed.
"Alas, my foot injury is probably quite severe. If someone were to take advantage of me at this moment, I might not be able to use my martial arts effectively."
Hearing this, Su Cheng suddenly felt it made a lot of sense. Gu Qianying was injured now, how could he abandon a woman alone in the dark night? Especially since they were on the outskirts of the city, what if they encountered bad people.
Thinking this, Su Cheng scratched his head, his brow furrowing in renewed difficulty.
Seeing his somewhat slow-witted demeanor, Gu Qianying rolled her eyes and put on a reluctant expression.
"How about you carry me back?"
Hearing her suggestion, Su Cheng's face suddenly flushed.
His actions just now were sudden, but now they were both clear-headed. If he were to carry her, their bodies would be pressed together.
Even though he was a man, he had never been in such close physical contact with a woman before.
Seeing him act shy like a young lady, Gu Qianying felt a surge of joy in her heart. It seemed her little plan had succeeded. She hadn't expected this man to have such a cute side.
She said nothing further, but instead crouched down, rubbing her foot and putting on an expression of pain.
After a moment of hesitation, Su Cheng still did not refuse. He bent down, instructed Gu Qianying to be careful with her injured foot, and then gently lifted her onto his back.
On the way back, neither of them spoke, but Gu Qianying, resting on his back, felt a faint sense of familiarity with Su Cheng.
If it was just a flutter of emotion when he put on her shoe earlier, then this prolonged, close contact now made her heart involuntarily think of Nangong Mo, as if this person were him.
The city gate was not too far from the imperial palace. Although Su Cheng had been whipped repeatedly in the past few days, with Gu Qianying having applied medicine to him, his body had recovered quite quickly. He walked swiftly even while carrying someone.
Before long, the two returned to the palace.
Upon arriving here, Gu Qianying asked him to set her down.
After all, they were in the palace, where eyes were everywhere. Gu Qianying was not afraid of what people might say about her, but she was worried that someone might use this opportunity to trouble Su Cheng.
The people below nodded. However, as Gu Qianying dismounted, Su Cheng felt a sense of emptiness.