Chapter Three: What Is Face?

When Gu Yan woke up in the morning, he stared blankly at the ceiling, as if he hadn't quite come to his senses yet.

He slowly sat up, looked around, and gradually began to recall where he was. Although he had been here for several weeks already, Gu Yan still felt a sense of displacement from time to time.

He had been living off takeout for the past few days, and now several empty containers had accumulated at home. He decided he’d take them downstairs to throw away when he went out for lunch.

Gu Yan couldn’t cook; before, there had been a housekeeper to prepare his meals, but lately, he’d been too busy. He was handling the transfer and the move himself, so hiring help had slipped his mind.

Last night, he’d stayed up late doing research, and since it was the weekend, he didn’t wake till almost noon. After tidying up and grabbing the trash, he headed downstairs, only to bump right into Wei Yabai.

“Good morning, Auntie!”

“Gu Yan, are you going to throw out the trash? Why are all these takeout boxes?” Wei Yabai immediately noticed the pile in his hands.

She never allowed Yu Sheng or Yu Chen to order takeout—it was unhealthy, and bad for the body. Whenever she saw someone with takeout, she itched to set them straight.

“Gu Yan, takeout isn’t good for you. If you can avoid it, do so,” she said earnestly.

“Ah… okay, Auntie.”

“Have you had lunch?”

“Auntie, I was just about to go eat.”

“Going out to eat? That’s not much better than takeout.” Wei Yabai paused, suddenly struck by a thought. “By the way, is there no one to cook for you at home?”

Gu Yan nodded helplessly. “I haven’t had time to find a new housekeeper lately.”

“That settles it, then. Don’t bother looking. From now on, you’ll just eat at my place!” Wei Yabai’s pronouncement took Gu Yan by surprise. For a moment, he was too stunned to respond.

“No need, Auntie. I don’t want to trouble you. I’ll call someone to cook starting tomorrow.”

“Nonsense. Why waste money? I already cook for Yu Sheng and Yu Chen—what’s one more?” she cut him off, grabbing his arm and pulling him upstairs.

“Come on, you’ll eat at my place today.”

“Auntie, wait—I haven’t thrown out the trash yet!”

Yu Sheng had never imagined she’d be seen by Gu Yan again in her pajamas, hair unkempt and face shiny with sleep.

Noticing Yu Sheng’s stunned face when Gu Yan came into their home, Wei Yabai suppressed a laugh. That’s what you get for sleeping till noon during holidays—serves you right for embarrassing yourself! she thought.

At this moment, Yu Sheng wished she could find a crack in the floor to disappear into. To have her classmate, the handsome Gu Yan, see her in such a disheveled state twice in a row—her dignity felt shattered.

Face, oh face, can I pick you up and reassemble you?

Gu Yan didn’t seem surprised by her appearance; he simply greeted her with a warm smile.

“By the way, Gu Yan, my brother will be back soon. You haven’t met him yet, have you?”

“I have, actually. We ran into each other downstairs.”

Speak of the devil—Yu Chen walked in just then, back from the library.

“Chen, this is Gu Yan from downstairs. He’ll be eating with us from now on.”

Yu Chen nodded quietly, without much reaction. It was Yu Sheng who, upon hearing this while washing up in the bathroom, rushed out in surprise.

“What!?”

“What’s with the fuss? Do you have a problem? It’s not as if you’re the one cooking,” said Wei Yabai.

“Well, I suppose not,” Yu Sheng admitted. It didn’t really involve her, but still…

“If not, go wipe that toothpaste foam off your mouth.”

Yu Sheng touched her mouth and, sure enough, found a spot of toothpaste at the corner of her lips.

Is this social death? Please advise, it’s urgent!

Wei Yabai had just bought groceries, so she told Gu Yan to wait on the sofa for a bit. As the host, Yu Sheng naturally took it upon herself to look after him, pouring tea and offering drinks.

“What would you like to drink? Lunch will take a while,” Yu Sheng said.

“Anything is fine,” Gu Yan replied, feeling a bit awkward under her attentiveness—she’d never treated him like this before.

“Then tea it is! Yu Chen, grab two bottles of green tea from the fridge!”

Yu Chen, engrossed in his book, glanced at Yu Sheng. “Get it yourself.”

“It’s not for me, it’s for your Gu Yan.”

Without another word, Yu Chen fetched a bottle of green tea and tossed it to Yu Sheng.

“You should drink plain water—less soda.”

Yu Sheng was so touched by her brother’s unexpected kindness that she was momentarily at a loss for words.

“So the other bottle of green tea? I drank it at the library this morning,” Yu Chen added.

What?

Before Yu Sheng could react and chase after him, Yu Chen had already slipped back into his room.

All right! Wait till Gu Yan leaves and you’re done for! Yu Sheng vowed.

“He usually talks a lot, but I guess he’s shy because you’re here today,” Yu Sheng said to Gu Yan, who was clearly enjoying the show.

“I thought you were going to hit your brother,” Gu Yan remarked, giving her a meaningful look.

“No, we’ve always been a loving family,” Yu Sheng replied.

“Oh, you certainly are,” Gu Yan said, smiling.

“Haha…”

Why do I feel like he’s teasing me? But I have no proof.

During lunch, Wei Yabai peppered Gu Yan with questions.

“Yan, can I call you Yan from now on? It rolls off the tongue.”

“Of course, Auntie.”

“So, Yan, what do your parents do?” She dove straight into the interrogation, causing Yu Sheng to choke on her food.

“Eat slowly, no one’s going to take it from you,” Wei Yabai reminded her, then turned back to Gu Yan with a kindly smile.

Gu Yan glanced at Yu Sheng and smiled. “Auntie, my parents are in pharmaceuticals—they’re researchers.”

“Oh, are your parents always abroad?” Wei Yabai pressed on.

“No, they were transferred overseas when I was in middle school.”

“So you probably don’t see them very often,” she said, her tone tinged with sympathy.

“It’s all right. They come back once or twice a year. I’m used to it,” Gu Yan replied lightly.

Hearing this, even Yu Sheng couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

“Auntie, why haven’t I seen Uncle around?” Sensing the atmosphere turning somber, Gu Yan quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, your uncle’s a neighborhood police officer. The station’s been busy lately—he comes home late or just sleeps at the station,” Wei Yabai replied breezily.

“Uncle’s a policeman!”

“What, are you interested in police work too?” Yu Sheng’s eyes sparkled at the mention.

“No, I just think being a police officer is a noble and demanding profession.”

“She’s got some kind of fascination with police work and insists on becoming one herself,” Wei Yabai said, unable to hide her exasperation.

“It’s wonderful! Being a police officer is admirable!” Gu Yan said, looking at Yu Sheng with encouragement.

At his words, Yu Sheng’s cheeks turned slightly pink.

“You’re blushing,” Yu Chen suddenly remarked, oblivious to the mood.

Yu Chen, are you out of your mind? He’s definitely doing this on purpose.