Flash Marriage: He is a Wife-pampering Addict

Chapter 1416: 1415 No Ifs

Bai Yiyi was startled at first, her drowsiness frightened away by Gu Kai’s voice, and she sat up from the bed abruptly.

“You, you’re at my house?”

“Yes, I’m outside your door now. Open the door.”

“I don’t believe you. How do you know where I live?” Bai Yiyi asked in shock. That day, he had only dropped her off at the town center, not at her doorstep, before driving away.

“Open the door.”

Gu Kai didn’t bother answering her foolish question.

“I’ll be right there.” Bai Yiyi frowned, hung up the phone, threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and walked out of her room. Hearing the sound of coughing from the room next door, her gaze stiffened slightly before she went to open the door.

Beyond the courtyard gate, Gu Kai’s tall figure stood in the cold winter night, his sharply chiseled features illuminated faintly by the light, accentuating his angular profile.

His deep eyes were like a bottomless pool—gaze that seemed impossible to fathom with just one look.

Their eyes met, and Bai Yiyi’s heartbeat faltered for a moment. She pressed her lips together and stepped aside to let him into the house.

Gu Kai’s gaze skimmed over her nightdress. His handsome brows furrowed slightly as he moved into the yard and closed the gate behind him with a reverse motion.

Leading him quickly through the courtyard and into the living room, Bai Yiyi asked, “Why did you come here in the middle of the night? Didn’t we agree I’d head back tomorrow on my own?”

From one of the rooms, a coughing sound echoed. Gu Kai glanced in that direction. Seeing this, Bai Yiyi softly explained, “After that snowfall, my mom caught a cold. Just wait here for a moment; I’ll go and let her know.”

“Alright.”

A flicker of hesitation crossed Gu Kai’s eyes as he began surveying the living room’s furnishings and décor.

The faint scent of incense in the air caught his attention, drawing his gaze to the altar. When his eyes landed on the photograph resting there, an icy glint surged abruptly in his expression.

It was Fu Jingyi’s photograph.

The altar held offerings such as fruit and incense.

He stared at the man in the photograph, emotions swirling into something complicated. He didn’t even notice Bai Yiyi stepping out from the room beside him.

Bai Yiyi looked at the man standing stiffly in front of the altar, her heart tightening involuntarily.

His handsome face was shadowed by a layer of ominous clouds, his cold eyes fixed on her father’s photo, exuding an aura of chilling tension.

Her hands, hanging by her sides, instinctively balled into fists. She walked cautiously over to him and gently called out, “Ah Kai.”

Gu Kai turned his head toward her, the icy determination in his gaze cracking slightly as his eyes settled on her delicate features. The sharp coldness in his aura slowly subsided.

“Go change your clothes. We’re leaving.”

His voice, low and resonant, carried a trace of repressed emotion. After speaking, his eyes drifted from her face as he turned and walked toward the door.

“Ah Kai… It’s cold outside; wait for me in the car,” Bai Yiyi said hastily as she saw him head for the door, her chest tightening involuntarily. She called out without much thought.

She had intended to ask him to wait inside the house, but when their gazes connected—when she saw the aloofness hidden in his eyes—her breath caught sharply. That stifling feeling made her change her words mid-sentence.

The quiet joy she’d suppressed upon seeing him at her doorstep dissolved completely.

Gu Kai’s gaze shifted briefly, fixing on her graceful face. After a long silence, he replied with a simple “Mm,” then strode out of the living room.

Bai Yiyi stared at the now-closed living room door. Just this one door between them seemed to widen into an unbridgeable chasm separating her from Gu Kai.

His steady footsteps resounded through the courtyard. Then came the sound of the gate opening and closing, each icy noise sinking her heart further.

“Yiyi, Ah Kai was here, wasn’t he? Where is he now?”

Behind her came Bai Yuqin’s voice. Bai Yiyi pressed her lips together, suppressing the emotions within her. She turned around to see her mother emerging from the room, draped in an outer coat.

Even though she tried to mask her sadness, Bai Yuqin quickly caught onto her mood. Her expression shifted several times—from an initial look of joy, to caution, then confusion, disappointment, and finally, deep guilt.

She turned her head toward the photograph on the altar and, with a self-reproaching tone, said, “Yiyi, I’m sorry.”

“Mom, I’m going to go change clothes. Please head back to your room and rest. Remember what I told you last night; take care of yourself while you’re here alone. Don’t trouble yourself about anything else.”

Bai Yiyi delivered her words calmly before turning into her room.

After changing into her clothes, Bai Yiyi came out with her luggage. Bai Yuqin was still standing in the living room, staring at Fu Jingyi’s photograph in a daze.

“Mom, why haven’t you gone back to sleep yet?”

Bai Yiyi walked toward her and softly called out.

Bai Yuqin turned to look at her daughter, a loving smile spreading across her face. “Yiyi, go on now. Take care of Tongtong and yourself.”

“Mm. I’ll come back to visit you whenever I can.”

Bai Yiyi nodded slightly, picked up her luggage, and walked toward the door.

“Yiyi.”

She had just reached the door, her hand hovering near the handle, when Bai Yuqin suddenly called out to her.

Turning back, Bai Yiyi faced her mother. “Mom? Is there something else?”

“Yiyi, tell me honestly—do you still love Ah Kai? Do you still want to be with him?”

Bai Yuqin’s gaze fixed intense upon Bai Yiyi, as though this question carried immense significance.

Bai Yiyi froze momentarily, her eyes stiffening before instinctively tightening her lips. She replied in a stiff tone, “Mom, you shouldn’t worry about things between him and me.”

“Yiyi, I know—I ruined your happiness. Just tell me the truth. Do you want to be with Ah Kai? If not him, would you ever marry someone else?”

Bai Yuqin stepped closer, determined to hear an answer from Bai Yiyi.

Bai Yiyi narrowed her eyes in confusion, feeling that something was distinctly wrong. An unsettling premonition stirred within her. “Mom, don’t overthink things, and don’t do anything foolish. The matters between Ah Kai and me—we’ll handle them ourselves.”

“Yiyi, I hope you’ll be with Ah Kai. If—”

“No ‘ifs.’ Remember, if you truly want me to be happy, then don’t do anything that would hurt me or make me suffer. Yes, I love Gu Kai, but I can’t abandon my mother for the sake of my love. No matter how many mistakes you’ve made, you’re my mother, and that fact won’t change.”

“Yiyi, I don’t want to see you and Ah Kai—so deeply in love—but unable to be together because of me.”

Bai Yuqin’s voice broke as she spoke, and tears began to fall from her eyes. Growing more emotional, she coughed again.

Suddenly, her face paled, and she raised her hand to cover her mouth. Her eyes dropped, avoiding Bai Yiyi’s gaze. Using her other hand, she gestured weakly. “Yiyi, leave.”

Unable to finish her sentence, her coughs turned even more intense.

Seeing her mother coughing so severely, Bai Yiyi couldn’t bring herself to leave just like that. Putting down her luggage, she hurried forward. As Bai Yuqin covered her mouth, she refused to let Bai Yiyi see, turning and heading toward her room.

“Yiyi, don’t worry about me… *cough*… go quickly… Ah Kai’s still waiting for you outside.”

Her words were muffled by her hand covering her mouth, but Bai Yiyi could still see the faint trace of red at the corner of her lips. Her face turned pale in an instant. “Mom!”