His heart quickly found the answer. He believed Gu Yitong to be a person of integrity who would not seek pleasure in brothels. Furthermore, a large group of soldiers had left with her, indicating that the matter was far from simple.
Connecting this to the news heard that morning about Ren Kang Tang suddenly closing after receiving a letter, it was clear that someone was in trouble.
Shen Xuan was the first to be ruled out. If it were Shen Xuan, Lu Yu would have come personally, and it would not have been Gu Yitong's turn to hold that man.
Gu Yi was ruled out next. The soldiers being deployed must have been by Mayor Zheng Yu, and the person who could make Mayor Zheng Yu so nervous was likely Gu Yi. However, if that were the case, Mayor Zheng would not have only sent soldiers without coming himself.
With Shen Xuan and Gu Yi ruled out, only Afu remained. Although there had been no signs between them a month ago, who could guarantee that they hadn't developed feelings within that month?
Now, seeing Gu Yitong and Afu together at the Shen residence, his suspicions were further confirmed. It seemed Gu Yitong truly had feelings for Afu, otherwise, she wouldn't have come to accompany Afu alone instead of looking after Lu Yu.
This morning, Zisu had specifically taken a day off, wanting to visit a few people at the medical clinic. However, at the clinic's entrance, she met Wu Shao, who was returning from his hometown. Zisu understood Wu Shao's feelings, but her heart had always belonged to someone else.
For the past month, Wu Shao had come to see her at the brothel whenever he had time. Sometimes, fearing she would be annoyed, he would sit and watch her performances. Every time he visited, he brought gifts.
Sometimes it was pastries, sometimes jewelry, and even some small trinkets he made himself. Each item showed his thoughtfulness.
However, she could not accept his overly passionate feelings. It was true that she had been secretly in love with Gu Yitong, but she also knew that she was not good enough for her. Moreover, it was now clear that Gu Yitong had feelings for Afu, so she should not interfere.
Even if this love could only be buried deep in her heart, she would not regret it, for she wished her happiness.
Gu Yitong took Wu Shao to her home to visit Lu Yu. Zisu then offered to stay behind to accompany Afu.
After all, Miss Lu was being cared for by many people, and her presence was not essential. As long as she heard that Miss Lu and Young Master Shen Xuan were safe, it was enough. But if she left, Afu would be left alone in the residence.
"Young Master Zisu, please come in and sit," Afu invited Zisu into the room and personally poured him tea.
"I heard yesterday that you were injured?" Zisu nodded, taking the tea from Afu's hand. It was hot, likely freshly brewed by Miss Gu for Afu.
"No, I'm fine," Afu smiled and poured himself a cup of tea.
Afu didn't want to talk about it, so Zisu continued to pretend not to know. He understood Afu; after all, it was best not to let others know about such matters, as it would be bad for one's reputation.
"This tea is hot," Zisu suddenly didn't know what else to say. After thinking for a moment, he decided to push them forward, "Miss Gu just brewed this for you, didn't she?"
"Mm," Afu didn't know what Zisu was trying to say and didn't continue.
"Miss Gu cares about you a lot. She..."
"Thanks to her care these past two days, I am truly grateful," Afu interrupted Zisu's next words and quickly changed the subject.
"I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been lately?"
"I've been well. With the New Year approaching, there are more programs to prepare, so I haven't had time to visit you all recently."
"Afu! Xuan'er is giving birth!" As they were about to continue talking, they heard Ada's voice from outside.
"Giving birth? So soon?" Afu hastily put on his outer clothes and went to Ada.
Zisu hadn't fully understood and followed behind Afu.
"This is... Xuan'er?" Zisu smiled rarely as he looked at the two small cats in front of him and asked.
"These are the names the young master gave them."
At first, when everyone learned that the two cats were named Xuan'er and Yu'er, they were hesitant to use these names. Later, they gradually got used to them. They didn't know what the young master was thinking when he named two cats like this.
"Ada, what do we need to do now?" Afu was completely clueless about small animals. Seeing the cat lying there with blood underneath, he was at a loss and didn't know what to do.
"No need. It can do it itself. Go prepare some food for it first, to replenish its strength later. I'll watch it here."
About two hours later, the cat finally finished giving birth. It had four kittens, who were now taking turns lying on Xuan'er and nursing.
The sky had darkened again, but Lu Yu still hadn't woken up.
Shen Xuan hadn't slept all night yesterday, and coupled with the injury sustained yesterday, he was too exhausted to stay awake and fell asleep beside Lu Yu.
"Cough..."
A faint sound from the bed instantly woke Shen Xuan, who was by the bedside.
Seeing that Lu Yu had finally woken up, he fumbled to pour water for her, but his hands trembled incessantly, spilling a lot, and he couldn't pour it in.
"Xuan'er, come here."
A weak voice came from the bed. Shen Xuan froze abruptly and quickly returned to the bedside. Thinking she might be experiencing discomfort elsewhere, he reached out to check, but then his hand stopped in mid-air.
Her body was covered in wounds. Fearing he might hurt her by being too rough, he could only scan her with his eyes. Lu Yu couldn't help but feel distressed by his flustered gaze.
"Help me sit up," Lu Yu, unable to bear seeing Shen Xuan's expression, finally gave the order.
Hearing Lu Yu's command, Shen Xuan quickly supported Lu Yu's raised arm and carefully helped her sit up, but his eyes dared not look at Lu Yu.
Looking at his little husband, whose eyes were darting around and avoiding his gaze, Lu Yu pulled him into a hug and constantly soothed him, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm alright now, and I'll recover soon."
She knew how much this injury had impacted Shen Xuan and could only continue to comfort him.
Suddenly embraced by Lu Yu and feeling her warmth, Shen Xuan's fears, worries, and self-blame from the past few days surged like a tide, inescapable.
Shen Xuan could no longer hold back and buried his face in Lu Yu's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.
This was the first time Lu Yu had heard Shen Xuan cry so loudly. Although he used to cry often, he would always shed silent tears. This showed how badly he had been frightened this time.
Shen Xuan's body trembled as he curled up in Lu Yu's arms, still sobbing.
"Don't cry, I'm fine now, aren't I? Don't worry, my constitution is good, I'm resilient," Lu Yu said with a smile, patting Shen Xuan's back.
"How can you be fine? You've been unconscious for so long," Shen Xuan emerged from Lu Yu's embrace, pouting as if he were about to cry again.
"Don't cry, don't cry. Your wife will be worried. Your wife has just recovered, and you don't want me to worry about you right after I've recovered, do you? Hmm?" Lu Yu pinched Shen Xuan's cheek as if coaxing a child.
He had lost weight; his cheeks felt less fleshy in her hands. It seemed she needed to feed him more.