After playing cards for several hours, the group stretched and went for a stroll in the back garden of the old house.
The back garden of the Gu family's old residence was nestled against the mountains and by a body of water, featuring a large, beautiful artificial lake.
Qin He walked around for a while, and in the natural environment, her mood brightened considerably.
Gu Qichen always maintained a steady pace, trailing her by one step, while Yan Chen and Xiao Liyan lagged far behind.
Gu Ranran, who lived in the old house, was already tired of the scenery in the backyard. She lazily followed the two of them.
"Chen Ge, I can't walk anymore. Tell my brother later that I'm going back to my room first."
Yan Chen acknowledged her with a hum and then, with a gossipy expression, looked at Gu Ranran. "Ranran, has your brother mentioned what his relationship with Qin He is now?"
Gu Ranran gritted her teeth. "My brother said children shouldn't meddle and told me to focus on my studies!"
Xiao Liyan, standing nearby, watched the backs of the two people ahead.
"Then do you prefer Song Nuan or Qin He as your sister-in-law?"
"Song Nuan?" Gu Ranran scoffed. "She's not worthy!"
Xiao Liyan smiled. "So, you prefer Qin He then."
Gu Ranran remained noncommittal, her small face tense as she let out a hum.
Xiao Liyan and Yan Chen had grown up with Gu Qichen, and Gu Ranran was considered their half-sister. They understood her awkward and proud personality well.
"I think your brother intends to elope with Qin He. You could try to help him."
Gu Ranran's beautiful eyes flickered as she gazed at the figures ahead.
She remembered that some time ago, wild boars had come down from the mountain and damaged a flower bed.
The protective netting around the old house was old. Grandma wanted to modify a patch of woods in the front, re-do the protective netting, and dig a trench around the back garden—
Recently, no one was allowed in that area except for the workers.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Ranran smiled. "Chen Ge, Yan Ge, let's go back. We shouldn't be third-wheeling for my brother here!"
Qin He and Gu Qichen walked, both in silence.
The path was quiet, with each step revealing a new scene, complementing each other.
As they rounded a moon gate, Qin He stopped.
They were already at the foot of the mountain. She looked up at the mountain. "This mountain is so beautiful, it's a shame it's already afternoon." Otherwise, she would definitely have climbed to the top to see.
Gu Qichen walked up to her. "There's a small building on the mountain. If we go up now, we can see the sunset. There's a cable car at the foot of the mountain that goes up."
Qin He thought for a moment and touched her lower abdomen.
For the baby's safety, it was best not to.
As the two were about to turn back, Qin He's foot slipped, and she stumbled forward!
Gu Qichen's hand steadied her, pulling her into his arms.
Qin He was held in Gu Qichen's embrace, her face pressed against his chest, able to hear his strong heartbeat.
She took a few seconds to recover. "Thank you."
Gu Qichen smiled faintly. "Tripping on flat ground, you should be more careful."
"It's not flat ground, there's something in the grass," Qin He said, frowning as she lifted the patch of grass.
In the grass, a beast trap with serrated teeth glinted coldly.
Qin He: "..."
"Gu Qichen, is your family afraid of thieves? Setting such dangerous things by the garden?"
Earlier, she had wandered off the path and was now deep in a patch of grass. It was probably far from the house, and this patch of grass hadn't been maintained for a long time, growing taller than her ankles.
Gu Qichen frowned. "This is a beast trap. I don't know if there are more."
Qin He looked into the distance. The nearest path was several hundred meters away.
She clicked her tongue. "So, what now? Walk step by step through the grass?"
"Come here, don't move."
"What for?" Qin He was pulled closer by Gu Qichen.
Before she could react, Gu Qichen bent slightly, scooped her up with one arm under her knees, and lifted her steadily—
Qin He's heart leaped. She was stunned and struggled to get down. "I don't need you to carry me—"
"Be careful. I'll put you down when we reach the path," Gu Qichen said in a clear, indifferent tone.
Qin He inexplicably found the posture a bit embarrassing. It wasn't a princess carry, but more like carrying a child, with her half-sitting on one of his arms.
"Your arm strength is good," she coughed lightly, changing the subject.
Gu Qichen's lips curved slightly. "Yes, I work out often."
Qin He was silent for a moment.
As Gu Qichen carried her, his gaze swept sharply across the grass.
The grass wasn't too high, and upon closer inspection, the beast traps could be seen through the gaps.
He gently put her down when they reached the path.
Qin He could no longer maintain her composed expression and gave a somewhat sheepish smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
When they returned to the house, Old Mrs. Gu had already woken up and was talking with Yan Chen and Xiao Liyan in the living room, with Gu Ranran sitting beside them.
Yan Chen, the young master of Hai City's playboys, was very good at speaking to Old Mrs. Gu and was greatly liked by the elderly woman, making her laugh non-stop.
Xiao Liyan sat beside them, appearing gentle and refined, like a noble young master.
Seeing Qin He and Gu Qichen return, Old Mrs. Gu quickly waved.
"He'er is back, come, come over here."
"Grandma Gu," Qin He said obediently.
Hearing that Gu Qichen and Qin He had been alone in the back garden, Old Mrs. Gu was in a very good mood. When her gaze swept over Gu Qichen's shirt, she became even happier.
"You all chat, you all chat. I'm going to check on the kitchen." Her footsteps were noticeably lighter.
Gu Qichen sat down, and Yan Chen and Xiao Liyan also looked at his chest.
It was then that Qin He realized something was amiss and looked towards Gu Qichen. There was a red lipstick mark on his chest.
It must have been accidentally left by Gu Qichen when he pulled her away as she was about to be trapped.
Qin He was silent for a moment.
Xiao Liyan smiled faintly. Yan Chen, on the other hand, leaned closer to Gu Qichen and lowered his voice. "Qichen, what's wrong with your chest? Could it be that Miss Qin tried to assault you, couldn't reach your face, and settled for the next best thing?"
After speaking, Yan Chen heard a crisp sound of knuckles cracking.
He turned his head silently. Qin He had, at some point, sat opposite him and was casually cracking her knuckles.
Yan Chen silently straightened up and assumed the demeanor of a gentleman.
Gu Qichen's expression was indifferent, as if he disdained to associate with Yan Chen.
As they were talking, Gu Ranran glanced at the time. "My mother will be back soon—"
As she spoke, she also glanced at Qin He.
Mrs. Gu intensely disliked Qin He; this was something all members of the Gu family knew.
Previously, she had disliked Qin He's profession as an undertaker, considering it inauspicious, and also felt that Qin He lacked family background, making her unworthy of her son.
In Mrs. Gu's words, "Touching the hands of the dead during the day and touching my son at night, I can't feel comfortable no matter how I think about it."
Upon hearing Gu Ranran's words, Qin He also frowned slightly.
Mrs. Gu annoyed her, and she also disliked Mrs. Gu.
But she had previously agreed to have dinner at the old house tonight.
She sighed softly.
Immediately, Gu Qichen, who was beside her, said in a low voice, "Don't worry, no one will make things difficult for you."
Qin He raised her eyebrows slightly. "I'm not afraid of anyone making things difficult for me."
Gu Qichen gazed at Qin He, noticing her wariness and aversion towards him.
He couldn't rush things; it had to be done gradually, slowly conquering her defenses, first by dismantling her wariness—
Gu Qichen's deep ink-black eyes flickered as he pondered.