THIP Chapter 52 V1

Years of growing up in an orphanage had made Gu Changran very skilled at hiding her emotions. As long as she didn’t want others to know how she felt, almost no one could see through her.

Mu Liuyin certainly hadn’t noticed anything different.

Their daily routine was simple: being lazy in the office and teasing Gu Changran during downtime.

Although Xiao Jiu handled most of the paperwork, social events still had to be attended in person.

And with an uptick in social engagements lately, Mu Liuyin had been coming home quite late.

Some things, once the seed of doubt is planted, grow wild like weeds.

Even though Gu Changran tried hard not to overthink the whole heart transplant issue, it was far easier said than done.

It was Friday. Gu Changran was sitting on the living room couch, waiting for Gu Changxi to return.

Mu Liuyin came back a bit later than usual.

When Gu Changran opened the door, a soft breeze carried in the faint smell of alcohol from Mu Liuyin.

Normally, Mu Liuyin didn’t drink much, and even her original body hadn’t had a great tolerance. But tonight, just drinking a little more than usual already had her feeling tipsy.

The corners of her eyes were slightly red, and there was a hazy drunkenness in her gaze. She blinked at Gu Changran and asked, “Why are there two of you?”

It was the first time Gu Changran had seen her brother drunk. She smiled faintly, thinking, So cute.

“There’s only one,” Gu Changran said as she helped her out of her coat with a smile. “You’re just drunk.”

Mu Liuyin blinked again and let out an “oh,” then added, “Changran, I’m sleepy.”

That expression was strangely well-behaved.

After days of gloom, Gu Changran finally felt her mood lighten. She told the butler to have the kitchen prepare a soothing soup and led Mu Liuyin back to her room.

Mu Liuyin sat obediently on the bed, her gaze dazed and unfocused from the alcohol.

Gu Changran looked at her and asked, “Brother, can you wash up on your own?”

Judging from how drunk she seemed, probably not. Gu Changran fought the sudden, ridiculous urge to help him bathe.

Mu Liuyin’s handsome, slightly flushed face took on a thoughtful expression… and then she yawned.

Gu Changran looked at her in amused exasperation.

The next second, Mu Liuyin—her eyes misty from sleepiness and drink—flipped the covers open and crawled straight into bed, shutting her eyes.

The motion was smooth and fluid.

If not for everything before that, no one would have guessed she was drunk at all.

Gu Changran chuckled silently.

She helped Mu Liuyin remove her shoes and socks, then tucked her in properly.

“Miss, the sobering soup is ready,” came the butler’s voice with a knock on the door.

Gu Changran opened the door, took the soup, and told the butler to go rest—she would take care of it.

Her gaze lingered on Mu Liuyin’s peaceful sleeping face. The thought she’d had earlier—to take advantage of the drunkenness and get answers—quickly faded.

After all, she couldn’t be sure her brother would even remember any of it the next day.

But she still needed to wake her up. If she didn’t drink the soup, she might have a terrible headache in the morning.

“Brother, wake up,” Gu Changran said. “Drink the soup before you sleep.”

The sleeping figure didn’t move an inch.

Gu Changran sighed. She set the bowl on the nightstand and poked Mu Liuyin’s cheek.

Mu Liuyin stirred from the poking, grabbed Gu Changran’s fingers, and opened her eyes, teary with drowsiness, staring at her with a wronged expression—as if asking why she had to be woken up.

Gu Changran: !!!

So adorable!!!

Seeing Mu Liuyin release her fingers and prepare to go back to sleep, Gu Changran quickly said, “Brother, don’t sleep yet! Drink the soup first!”

Her voice rose slightly with urgency, and Mu Liuyin’s eyes looked even more aggrieved.

After much effort, Gu Changran finally got Mu Liuyin to sit up. She picked up the bowl and spooned the soup into her mouth one spoonful at a time.

Mu Liuyin, brain fogged by alcohol, was slow to react and didn’t question it. Gu Changran fed a spoon, she drank a spoon. After finishing the bowl, she even scrunched her nose and complained, “Tastes awful.”

“…”

Gu Changran held back a laugh. A drunk brother… is too cute.

Seeing Mu Liuyin staring at her like a puppy, Gu Changran smiled and said, “Brother, you can sleep now.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Liuyin rolled under the covers and closed her eyes.

Gu Changran blinked. This version of her brother was just… so sweet.

She tucked the blanket in again, picked up the empty bowl, and turned to leave—only for her gaze to suddenly catch a glimpse of white paper peeking out of a file folder on the nightstand.

Her heartbeat quickened as she set the bowl back down.

She picked up the file and pulled out the sheet of paper.

On the paper was a heart compatibility chart, with two painfully familiar names printed: Bai Qi and Gu Changran.

Gu Changran’s breathing became unsteady. Her lips slowly pressed into a tight line as she pulled out a few more sheets from the folder. They were all heart compatibility charts, each one bearing Bai Qi’s name. The others were strangers.

And among them, the highest match—the most likely candidate for a successful transplant—was undeniably Gu Changran.

Looking at it this way, it was clear that Gu Changxi had, at some point, seriously considered transplanting Gu Changran’s heart into Bai Qi.

Gu Changran closed her eyes, then opened them again. Her long lashes trembled as she silently slid the papers back into the folder, one by one.