Cen Xiuzhi rested one elbow on his knee, raising an eyebrow as he asked Gu Jin, who was still kneeling in place, "If you understand, then stand up. What are you doing kneeling there? Is the ground cool or something?"

Upon hearing Cen Xiuzhi's words, Gu Jin was momentarily stunned. He quickly lifted himself off the ground, supporting himself with both hands. His eyes roamed around the room, taking in the sight of water splattered on the floor from the basins. The maid from the back room hadn't fetched him a new set of bed linen.

"The water on the ground doesn't need to be taken care of. Someone will clean it up tomorrow morning," Cen Xiuzhi flipped over and returned to the center of the bed, shifting inside and pulling back the covers. They patted the vacant bed and called out to Gu Jin like calling a puppy, "Come here."

Gu Jin stood still, not moving, only staring at Cen Xiuzhi. His knees and ankles were slightly aching, confirming the sudden and unexpected actions Cen Xiuzhi had just taken.

He had no way of determining what kind of person this young master of the Chu family in front of him was. Despite appearing gentle when they first met, the sudden moment just now was unexpectedly terrifying, so he hesitated and dared not approach.

"Don't just stand there, do you want to stand there all night?"

After Cen Xiuzhi finished speaking, Gu Jin took a few steps forward.

He hesitated as he approached the edge of Cen Xiuzhi's bed, reaching out to press down on the mattress. Slowly, he crawled onto the bed within Cen Xiuzhi's line of sight, but he huddled in the far corner, hanging on the edge as if about to fall. He was at least half a foot away from Cen Xiuzhi, and once on the bed, he stood there motionless like a zombie.

Cen Xiu sighed helplessly, finding the situation both amusing and exasperating. Leaning over Gu Jin, he reached out to switch on the lamp at the bedside.

In that moment that he relied on, Gu Jin's whole body trembled slightly.

Cen Xiuzhi lay down with a pillow supporting him, seemingly content. He reached out and placed a blanket over Gu Jin's body, a faint breath passing by his ear as he spoke.

"This scares you?"

Gu Jin's body grew even stiffer.

"Gu Jin, in the future, you will encounter even more terrifying people in the Gu family and Chu family. They won't reveal their angry appearance to you like I did. Some of them may greet others with a smile, but treat everyone as strangers. They put on a front in front of others and do something else behind their backs. When you are not paying attention, they will push you into the abyss of death without you realizing it. I will be your family in the future. We are a community of shared interests. Besides your biological mother, I am the only one in this world who will stand with you."

The blanket and mattress were both very soft, with a faint fragrance lingering in the air. The warm yellow light seeped in from the corridor, casting a gentle glow on Cen Xiuzhi's cheek, outlining a soft curve on his ice-like handsome face.

Listening to his words, for the first time, Gu Jin felt a indescribable and inexplicable emotion. It was like the time before he was accepted into the Gu family, before his mother passed away, when he lived together with his mother, that constant sense of security that filled his heart.

Seeing that Gu Jin didn't seem as nervous as before, Cen Xi reached out and gently held his hand. "Gu Jin, I will help you in the future, but I also want to see that you have the ability to become the successor of the Gu family."

Gu Jin wasn't accustomed to being so close to someone other than his mother for the first time. When Cen Xiuzhi touched him, his cheeks started to flush, and he couldn't help but move his fingers.

Cen Xiuzhi's hand was soft and warm, beautiful and slender. Gu Jin was held by his hand and felt reluctant to let go. However, he still had some fear towards the current Cen Xiuzhi, so he could only suppress the impulse to get closer.