The night was deep and still.
Gu She pushed open the door and entered the room, immediately frowning. A snore even deeper than the night itself drifted from within.
The entire room was filled with the smell of alcohol, completely at odds with the fragrance of orchids.
His footsteps paused at the threshold before he turned around to light a lamp.
As the room brightened, the thunderous snoring seemed even more earth-shaking.
Carrying the lamp, he walked to the bedside.
The person on the bed had his back to him, sleeping soundly while hugging the blanket. One foot was propped against the headboard, while the other hung off the edge of the bed.
The silhouette looked strangely familiar. Gu She reached out and turned him over.
“Urgh!” Tao Mo’s throat produced a choking sound.
Startled, Gu She thought he was having trouble breathing and immediately patted him lightly on the chest.
Tao Mo let out a long breath at once, smacked his lips twice, turned his head to one side, and promptly fell back asleep.
“…”
Gu She stood by the bed and silently watched him for quite some time. Only after the snoring resumed did he set the lamp aside, turn around, and leave the room.
Before being summoned to the courtyard, Gu Xiaojia had been eating shelled soybeans. Because he had rushed over so quickly, he was still holding one in his hand when he arrived before Gu She. Noticing Gu She’s gaze drifting toward the soybean, he laughed awkwardly and hid his hand behind his back. “Young Master, are you preparing to bathe?”
Gu She said nothing and merely pointed toward the room.
Gu Xiaojia froze for a moment and took two steps toward the house. Before he had even climbed the stone steps, he heard the thunderous snoring. Shocked, he rushed inside, then cried out, “Ah! Who are you? Ah, y-you—how did you end up here?”
Gu She frowned and followed him in, only to find Gu Xiaojia shaking Tao Mo vigorously.
Drunk beyond reason, Tao Mo waved both arms wildly, desperately trying to break free of his grip.
“Stop,” Gu She said.
Gu Xiaojia immediately froze and turned around. “So I wasn’t seeing things this afternoon after all. I saw that Adviser Mu from the county yamen jump down from the roof carrying someone in his arms… Could he have been the one who brought him here?”
Gu She frowned. “Mu Chun?”
“That’s him!” Gu Xiaojia popped the soybean into his mouth. “I never imagined he was actually a martial arts expert. But why would he put Tao Mo on Young Master’s bed?”
Gu She remained silent. He already knew Mu Chun was no ordinary man, but he could not figure out what his motive was.
After spitting out the soybean skin, Gu Xiaojia suddenly realized what he had just done and hurriedly hid his hand behind his back, forcing himself to appear composed. “Young Master, what should we do now? Send him to an inn? Or send someone to notify the county yamen?”
After a moment’s thought, Gu She suddenly said, “Clean up the outer room.”
“…Huh?” Gu Xiaojia stared blankly at him.
“Put out a fresh set of bedding.”
“Oh.” Gu Xiaojia slowly took two steps toward the door, then could not help turning back. “Young Master, you’re not actually planning to let him stay here, are you?”
“I am.”
Gu Xiaojia had become somewhat more timid after being exiled to kitchen duty by Gu She. Even so, a starved camel was still larger than a horse. He could not resist asking one more question. “Young Master, aren’t you worried about a honey trap?”
Gu She raised an eyebrow. “For him or for me?”
Caught off guard, Gu Xiaojia scratched his head. “I forgot he’s a man too.” Though reluctant, he still followed Gu She’s instructions, clearing out the outer room that no one had ever used before and calling over two servants to carry Tao Mo there.
Because of all the commotion, Tao Mo woke up halfway through the move. His eyes opened groggily, and he stared at Gu Xiaojia, who was directing the servants nearby, for quite a while.
Gu Xiaojia glared back and was just about to explode when Tao Mo tilted his head to one side and fell asleep again, forcing all that pent-up anger back into his stomach. He glowered viciously at the peacefully sleeping Tao Mo and barked at the servants, “All of you, be rougher with him.”
The servants assumed he was speaking ironically and immediately became even more gentle and careful.
Gu Xiaojia: “…”
After finally finishing the ordeal, Gu Xiaojia still felt uneasy and asked Gu She, “Young Master, how about I sleep on the floor here tonight and keep watch?”
“No need,” Gu She replied.
“But…” Gu Xiaojia unwillingly glanced toward the outer room.
“I know what I’m doing.” A trace of impatience entered Gu She’s voice.
Daring not to say more, Gu Xiaojia silently retreated to the doorway. Even then, he did not leave immediately, apparently hoping Gu She might change his mind. But after waiting and waiting without hearing another word, he finally gave up and left, closing the door behind him.
Once the door was shut again, Gu She sat at the bedside. Listening to Tao Mo snoring contentedly in the other room, he suddenly experienced a peculiar feeling, as though he was no longer alone in the darkness. Since the age of three, he had always slept in a room by himself. Although maidservants attended him in the outer room, they never dared make a sound, even breathing as quietly as possible. As a result, once night fell, he often felt as though he were the only person in the world. Tao Mo’s snoring was undeniably noisy, yet every moment it reminded him that another person shared this room with him.
“Urgh!” Tao Mo choked again, followed by the sound of turning over.
Gu She listened for a while, and the corners of his mouth silently lifted.
At dawn the next morning, Tao Mo suddenly felt thirsty. Half-closing his eyes, he got up to pour himself some water. After only a few steps, however, his knee struck a stool, and he pitched forward onto the table.
It took him quite a while to recover. Clutching his chest, he stood up and looked around with wide eyes before freezing. “Where… am I?”
“At the Gu residence.”
Gu She’s voice came from the inner room, startling Tao Mo so badly he nearly jumped onto the table.
“Gu… Gu She?” he exclaimed. “Why are you here?”
“This is my bedroom.”
“…Then why am I here?”
“I don’t know.” Gu She had no intention of exposing the fact that Mu Chun was a martial arts expert.
Tao Mo realized he had asked a foolish question. Yet no matter how hard he racked his brain, he could not remember how he had ended up here. “Yesterday I clearly went to attend Liang Wenwu and Second Miss Qiu’s wedding banquet in the neighboring county…” Remembering that this case marked Gu She’s first defeat, and assuming he would not enjoy hearing about it, Tao Mo quickly stopped talking.
“And then?” When Tao Mo failed to continue, Gu She actually prompted him.
Hearing no displeasure in his tone, Tao Mo continued, “Then I saw… well, I drank a little too much, and after that I don’t remember anything.”
“What did you see?” Gu She had not missed the unfinished thought in Tao Mo’s words.
Instinctively unwilling to mention Young Master Yiyu in front of Gu She, Tao Mo answered vaguely, “An old friend.”
Silence came from the other side of the room.
After that exchange, Tao Mo no longer felt quite so thirsty. He turned and began searching for his clothes.
His clothes reeked of alcohol, and Gu Xiaojia had already taken them away to be washed the night before. After searching all around, Tao Mo found nothing except a tablecloth. Although there was a brazier in the room, the weather was still cold. After hesitating briefly, his desire for warmth ultimately won out, and he climbed back into bed. “Gu She, are you asleep?”
Gu She tapped the edge of the bed lightly with his finger.
Gathering his courage, Tao Mo asked, “May I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Where are my clothes?” His voice immediately weakened until it was barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
Gu She seemed not to hear him clearly. “What?”
“My clothes.” He raised his voice slightly.
“I don’t know.”
“…” Tao Mo froze for a moment before covering his mouth. “I-I appeared at the Gu residence last night dressed like this?”
Gu She remained silent.
Mistaking his silence for confirmation, Tao Mo’s face instantly turned so red it looked ready to drip blood. “I… this… how could…” He stammered for a long time before finally asking in an even smaller voice, “Could you lend me a set of clothes?”
“What?”
“Could… could you lend me a set of clothes?” Tao Mo pricked up his ears nervously, listening for movement from the other side of the room.
Gu She answered without hesitation. “No.”
Just as Tao Mo was considering whether he could ask someone to deliver a message to the county yamen, Gu She continued, “I never lend my clothes to anyone.”
Remembering how expensive Gu She’s clothes appeared to be, Tao Mo felt even more ashamed.
Then Gu She added leisurely, “I can give you some, though.”
Overjoyed, Tao Mo exclaimed, “Thank you. Ah, well, they don’t have to be new. Old ones are fine. Dirty ones would be fine too. Even the set you wore yesterday would be—”
The other side of the room fell silent.
In the end, it was the worried Gu Xiaojia, who had risen unusually early, who rummaged through Gu She’s discarded old clothes and found one for Tao Mo to wear.
Upon learning from Gu Xiaojia that he had arrived at the Gu residence wearing his outer robe, Tao Mo let out a sigh of relief. But when he then learned that he had appeared on Gu She’s bed, he immediately sucked in a sharp breath.
Futile Devices Scans 
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