Chapter 306: 306. Su Xiaoliang’s Self-Strategy

Translator: 549690339

Last night, Su Liang, who hadn’t closed her eyes, was pondering a question while bathing: when did Gu Ling start to like her?

Recalling the bits and pieces of their lives together, it was impossible for Su Liang to see when this might have happened. Gu Ling had always been good to her, but never revealed any emotions that would make her think about their relationship in a romantic sense. The physical contact between them was, at most, the level of intimacy that she had with her friends and family in her previous life. That was why she was shocked by Gu Ling’s sudden confession last night, as well as his plans to take off his clothes and seduce her…

Prior to last night, Su Liang’s most profound impression of Gu Ling was of his cold and aloof demeanor. This was the first and largest label she had given him in her heart.

The illusion of the cold and aloof man had now shattered for Su Liang. She felt that his sudden and unexpected change of character had left her blindsided…

Unable to figure out when Gu Ling had started to like her and still unable to think about her own feelings towards him, Su Liang fell asleep amidst the warmth and drowsiness of the bath.

Gu Ling was sitting in the courtyard.

Lin’s servants brought breakfast, and Gu Ling ate first, knowing that if he waited for Su Liang, the food would become cold. He hadn’t slept last night either and had been running around, so he was hungry.

Gu Ling, guessing the usual time Su Liang took to bath, put down his chopsticks and went to knock on the door, “Su Liang?”

There was no response from inside, and Gu Ling knew that Su Liang had once again fallen asleep while bathing.

Thinking that the water hadn’t cooled yet, he decided to wait for another fifteen minutes before knocking again.

Su Liang was awakened by the knocking and responded subconsciously, “Oh, I’ll be right out.” It was only after she spoke that she realized she was still acting coy with Gu Ling…

Outside the door, Gu Ling heard Su Liang’s submissive voice and could imagine her drowsy look. He smiled and spoke gently, “The water is getting cold. If you’re still sleepy, get dressed, eat something, and then go back to sleep.”

Su Liang snorted lightly, thinking that Gu Lings sudden gentleness was just his desire to take advantage of her. Men…

Although Gu Ling’s strange confession had colored her view of him, she had never genuinely questioned his character. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to try dating him.

Those two wooden plaques had limited binding effect on Su Liang. In reality, they simply served to harmonize the inexplicable conflicts between the two of them, giving them an excuse to ease the embarrassment caused by the terrible confession that took place the night before.

In other words, those two wooden plaques were like “steps” that offered Gu Ling and Su Liang an opportunity to stand together, even after stepping down from the awkward “roof of embarrassment.”

By the time Su Liang had finished her bath and dressed, the bowls and dishes on the stone table in the courtyard had been taken away.

“Where’s my breakfast?” Su Liang asked. She had heard someone delivering breakfast earlier.

“It got cold and didn’t taste very good,” Gu Ling shook his head. “There’s a breakfast shop in Jiaye City that makes good food.”

“Alright, you lead the way.” Su Liang walked out, feeling somewhat uncomfortable and finding it a bit hard to look directly at Gu Ling. The next moment, Gu Ling walked up to Su Liang and asked, “Shouldn’t we hold hands if we are dating?

Su Liang immediately dodged two steps to the side, “That’s something that comes naturally. I’m not ready yet.”

Gu Ling looked at the distance Su Liang had put between them and silently moved closer to her, “Oh, I was just asking. Why are you so afraid?”

Su Liang could no longer hold back her sarcasm, “What do you think I’m afraid of? Do you think your confession was normal? Just because you’re exceptionally handsome and the most beautiful person in the world, does that mean I should feel honored if you say you want to sleep with me? Otherwise, I’m ungrateful and don’t know how to appreciate your advances?” Gu Ling frowned, “No, that was really a misunderstanding…”

“I know that wasn’t your intention, but the way you acted was too…” Su Liang couldn’t find the right adjective for a moment, “For me, it was too horrifying! You’ve always been so cold and aloof, then suddenly you become so passionate, and so exaggerated. Who can handle that?!”

Gu Ling nodded slightly, “It’s my fault.” He fully understood and accepted Su Liang’s complaints. At that time, things had happened too suddenly, and he hadn’t expected that hiding his emotions for so long would lead to such an impulsive act and make the confession so chaotic. It was his first time contessing, and ne had no experience; as soon as ne opened nis mouth, everything spiraled out of control…

However, Gu Ling picked up on another key point from Su Liang’s complaints. He looked at Su Liang and asked, “If I had confessed properly last night, would you not be angry and accept me?”

Su Liang’s expression visibly stiffened for a moment, as she hadn’t had time to consider this question…

Gu Ling’s eyes were filled with anticipation, waiting for Su Liang’s answer.

Su Liang elbowed Gu Ling in the ribs and rolled her eyes at him, “Don’t think that you can just erase what has happened. Unless you can make time flow backwards, back to the past.”

Gu Ling: …She didn’t admit it, but it seems like she didn’t deny it either? And she even hit him? Her rolling eyes were so cute! Was this the so-called “flirting by hitting and scolding”? He suddenly had the feeling that they were really dating and it was incredibly wonderful.

Just as Gu Ling was about to continue with their previous topic, a figure ran towards them, “Su Xiaoliang!”

Gu Ling: … So annoying, I want to kick Lian Shun to the ends of the earth…

Lian Shun’s right arm was fixed with a wooden board and tied to his neck, but it didn’t stop him from running over and pulling Su Liang to one side, obviously wanting to whisper something to her behind Gu Ling’s back.

Su Liang glanced at the distance and thought that Lian Shun really didn’t understand Gu Ling. His hearing was extremely good, and with such a close distance, he could hear everything they said.

However, Su Liang didn’t remind Lian Shun, thinking that he must be showing off his mysteriousness and that there couldn’t be anything urgent.

Lian Shun looked at Gu Ling and asked Su Liang in a low voice, “Su Xiaoliang, do you know that Gu Xiaoling suffers from sleepwalking?”

Su Liang blinked and nodded, “I know.” It was her suggestion, and he had “sleepwalked” in both Liang Country’s Yao City and Qian Country’s capital city. But how did Lian Shun know?

“Really?” Lian Shun frowned, “This kind of illness, even you can’t cure it?”

Su Liang shook her head, “This is usually a psychological disease.”

Lian Shun’s eyes widened, looked at Gu Ling again, and said, “I understand now. ”

Su Liang was confused, “What do you understand?”

Lian Shun sighed deeply, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation this morning. You and Gu Xiaoling are newlyweds. I didn’t expect there to be such a big problem. You must not abandon Gu Xiaoling. As a man, encountering this kind of problem puts a lot of pressure on him, he can’t sleep at night, and then gets sleepwalking, running to my room in the middle of the night, scaring me to death! You must provide him with good guidance. I believe in your medical skills, and I am sure you can cure him!”

Gu Ling: … Heard it loud and clear, wanted to hang Lian Shun upside down on his citrus tree!

Su Liang initially felt strange, but as she listened, she remembered that Lian Shun only heard fragments of her conversation with Gu Ling, and combined with Gu Ling running to his room last night, made him think that Gu Ling couldn’t perform, and that’s why he sleepwalked?

“Su Xiaoliang, are you okay?” Seeing Su Liang not speaking, Lian Shun pulled her sleeve.

At the next moment, Su Liang burst into laughter, laughing while walking forward. She didn’t say a word to Lian Shun and showed no intention of helping Gu Ling clarify..

Too amusing! Su Liang couldn’t stop laughing every time she thought about how Lian Shun seriously said that Gu Ling couldn’t perform and sleepwalked due to pressure, thinking that she hadn’t encountered such a hilarious incident in a long time, haha!

Gu Ling stood there with a dark face.

Lian Shun found Su Liang’s reaction confusing. He walked over to Gu Ling, and the two of them watched Su Liane’s retreating figure. still able to hear her

laughter clearly.

Lian Shun asked “Is Su Xiaoliang using laughter to cover up her embarrassment? It was really none of my business, but I thought as a doctor, she wouldn’t mind too much, after all, I was thinking of your best interest.” At the next moment, Lian Shun was once again kicked away by Gu Ling, his landing posture exactly the same as last time…

Gu Ling caught up with Su Liang and asked with a frown, “He’s talking nonsense, why didn’t you help me explain?

Su Liang countered, “Why didn’t you clarify it yourself?”

Gu Ling shook his head, “For this kind of thing, if I explain it myself, he might think I’m trying to cover up more. Unless I tell him the whole story.” But it involved too many secrets between him and Su Liang, and he didn’t want others to know.

Su Liang was still laughing, “Oh, you’re right. But sorry, I can’t help you explain either. After all, I don’t know anything about your situation.”

Gu Ling: … Really wanted to carry Su Liang back to the room for a good “talk”…

After Lian Shun’s misunderstanding and amusement, Su Liang’s mood improved a lot, and the awkwardness between the two overnight due to their complicated relationship had abated somewhat.

As they left Lin’s Family, Su Liang directly asked the question that puzzled her,

“Great God, when did you start to like me?”

Gu Ling thought about it and said, “It seems there was no specific time. I just slowly realized that I can’t live without you.”

Su Liang’s footsteps faltered, her heart feeling like it was being gently teased by a feather, quivering slightly.

She thought that if Gu Ling had said to her while looking at the stars last night, “I can’t live without you”, she wouldn’t have been angry, and maybe she would have seriously considered being with him…

Seeing that Su Liang wasn’t talking, Gu Ling thought she was dissatisfied with his answer. But he had thought about this question before, and there really wasn’t any particular moment when their feelings deepened, growing stronger as they lived together and spent time together. At first, it was very light, so light that perhaps he hadn’t noticed it himself, but slowly it became more and more obvious.

If he had to pick a time, Gu Ling believed it was love at first sight with Su Liang. Because he could now clearly recall that night in Su Family Village, those clear eyes that looked at him when she lifted the veil. He loved every moment of Su Liang from their first meeting to the present, each one a precious gift from heaven.

But Gu Ling didn’t dare to say it, as Su Liang might think “love at first sight” was too fake. He also thought so himself. Feelings come from one’s own emotions.

Su Liang continued walking and replied to Gu Ling, “I’m not quite sure yet if I can live without you.”

Su Liang didn’t say she thought she could live without Gu Ling.

It’s different.

From a practical perspective, either of them could live without the other, as they were living separately before they met. Many of the problems she encountered after transmigration were resolved by Gu Ling, but without him, it might not have been as smooth, but she would have found a way to survive.

Now they were talking about the desire to spend the rest of their lives together.

And this was the reason Su Liang had originally planned to part with Gu Ling. Everything happened so suddenly last night, she didn’t have time to digest it and sort out her feelings for Gu Ling.

Her idea of separation was not breaking up completely, or she wouldn’t have thought of coming back to let Gu Ling know where she was going when she went to patrol the South City Building, so he wouldn’t worry about her. She just wanted to go to a place without Gu Ling to calm down.

Of course, Gu Ling’s two wooden plaques had disrupted her plan, causing the two of them to become “promised” lovers after three fake weddings.

If had not asked Su Liang to date him using those two plaques, perhaps Su Liang would have thought it through after cooling off for two days and decided to be with him.

But rivers won’t flow backward, time can’t go back, and Gu Ling will never know if those two plaques helped him or added obstacles to their relationship…

As for the present, Gu Ling was not disappointed when he heard Su Liang calmly saying that she was “not sure” about her feelings. He was willing to wait until she was sure.

The two of them walked side by side on the main street of Jiaye City.

Although the war had just ended, life in the city quickly returned to its former bustle.

As the southernmost city of Qian Country, the local customs and habits here were quite different from those in the capital city. The clothes worn by the common people were also more diverse, with many elements similar to the Yin Country that Su Liang had seen before.

People they encountered on the road gave both Su Liang and Gu Ling friendly and respectful looks. It was because of them that the people of Jiaye City could peacefully have their homes back and return to their normal lives.

Being liked always made one happy, as long as it wasn’t through improper means…

Gu Ling brought Su Liang to a breakfast shop located in an inconspicuous alley, run by an old couple.

Since it was already late for breakfast, there were no customers. When Gu Ling and Su Liang entered, the old woman looked at them in surprise, “You’re not locals, are you?”

Su Liang smiled and chose a table to sit at, “We’re just visiting.”

Gu Ling took a seat and ordered the shop’s specialty without waiting for the old woman’s introduction.

“Have you been here before or heard about it from someone else? If you had visited before, we wouldn’t have forgotten such a handsome man. Wait a moment, your breakfast will be ready in no time!” The old woman said with a smile as she went into the kitchen.

Gu Ling asked Su Liang, “What do people do when they date where you come from?

After thinking for a moment, Su Liang said, “Go to parks, watch movies, travel… There are no set rules, everyone has different preferences. As long as both parties are willing and it doesn’t affect others, do whatever you like.” Gu Ling then asked, ‘What do you want to do?”

Su Liang shook her head, “You don’t need to ask me. You didn’t give me time to think. I’ve never thought about what to do to date you. You can tell me directly what you want to do, and I’ll consider it. But let me make it clear in advance, don’t touch me without my consent, I don’t like it. Our previous interactions were completely different from this.”

Listening to Su Liang’s words, Gu Ling suddenly felt a little regretful. Maybe he shouldn’t have used the “anything you ask for” token to ask her… She used to be quite relaxed and carefree, and when he brought up the topic of dating, she didn’t show any resistance or rejection, but seemed a bit indifferent and uninterested, was it because she was subconsciously unaccustomed to such a change?

To be honest, Gu Ling also felt that what he did these two days mostly backfired. He had imagined dating would come naturally, rather than being wrapped up in an agreement.

But things had already come to this point, they could only let it unfold naturally.

The freshly-made breakfast was served steaming hot, and since Gu Ling hadn’t eaten much at Lin’s place, the two of them enjoyed the delicious breakfast, but they were quieter than before, and rarely practiced the rule of “not talking while eating.”

After breakfast, Su Liang asked Gu Ling if he had any plans for her today. If not, she wanted to visit the wounded soldiers in the military camp. naturally said he would go with Su Liang and help her out.

They went back to Lian Mansion first to get a medical kit and saw Lian Shun in their courtyard with a piece of paper, saying, “As a local-born and raised in Jiaye City, I have prepared a perfect and interesting travel plan for you!” Gu Ling took the paper, folding it and putting it in his sleeve, “Thanks.”

Lian Shun told Gu Ling to take it out, “Why did you put it away? I want to explain it to Su Xiaoliang!”

“No need, if you tell her in advance, it won’t be a surprise.” Gu Ling shook his head, “We’ll follow your plan. You should rest and heal.”

Su Liang went past them to get the medical kit from the room.

Unexpectedly, Lian Shun’s well-planned tour ended up with himself being abandoned. He immediately objected, saying, “My mother will blame me if I don’t entertain you properly!”

“Tell your mother we don’t like being disturbed by a third person.” Gu Ling spoke his mind.

Lian Shun scoffed, “So that’s how it is, Gu Xiaoling. You find me annoying, don’t you? I remember you kicking me twice! If it weren’t for considering the pressures you must have been under due to your poor health, I would have asked Su Xiaoliang to help me beat you up!”

Gu Ling’s gaze was cold, and Lian Shun silently distanced himself to avoid being kicked again…

But when Su Liang came out with the medicine box, Lian Shun finally brought up what he had been thinking about since last night, “Su Xiaoliang, from now on, when you sleep at night, make sure Gu Xiaoling sleeps on the inside! Block him from sleepwalking, it’s terrifying!”

Su Liang nodded casually, “Got it, I’ll tie him up.”

Lian Shun looked surprised, as if to say, “You two really know how to have fun,” he sneered, “If that can really cure Gu Xiaoling, I totally approve! Have fun, I’m going back to heal!” As soon as he finished speaking, he ran off without a trace.

Gu Ling carried the medicine box, and together with Su Liang, they left Lin’s Family for the Military Camp to treat the wounded soldiers. He liked doing this kind of thing.

However, on the way, Su Liang suddenly enlightened Gu Ling with the special knowledge about “tying up.”

“Aren’t you interested in the affairs between men and women?” Su Liang asked with a calm face. “Some people have special preferences for being hit or abused in order to obtain real pleasure. When you blocked me last night, it looked like you wanted to be taken advantage of.”

Gu Ling coughed, subconsciously adjusting his collar, “That was an illusion, I’m not, I didn’t.”

“Really?” Su Liang looked Gu Ling up and down.

Gu Ling suddenly felt like he was being teased…

The next moment, Su Liang laughed, “You dared to seduce me, why pretend to be innocent? Honestly.”

Gu Ling: … Sure enough, Su Liang was teasing him.

When Gu Ling silently moved next to Su Liang, he heard her ask, “Did you secretly read a lot of erotic books behind my back?”

The reason she said “behind my back” was because they lived together, and their books were shared.

Gu Ling immediately shook his head, “Can we not talk about this topic?”

Su Liang looked at Gu Ling’s suddenly reddened ears and smiled slightly, “Great God, if I had agreed when you tried to seduce me last night, would you really know how to do it?”

Gu Ling: .

“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore.” Su Liang chuckled, “I just wanted you to experience what I felt like last night. If you feel embarrassed, then it’s right.”

“Can we call it even?” Gu Ling had a hint of pleading, sighed, “It was my fault last night.”

“How could you be wrong, Great God? You were absolutely right, imposingly so, even with a token targeting me.” Su Liang snorted lightly.

“You’ve forgiven me.” Gu Ling realized that he had said the wrong thing as soon as his words fell. He was forgiven because of the token.

“Just because you don’t look good enough today, I’m mad again. Is that okay?”

Su Liang said and kicked Gu Ling lightly.

Gu Ling nodded, “Of course it’s okay.”

Su Liang shook her head. She was too used to Gu Ling’s cold demeanor. When he suddenly became gentle and considerate, it felt so strange to her. She suddenly understood what it meant for an “idol’s image to collapse.” Her mind could not accept it for a while…

When they arrived at the Military Camp, Su Liang treated the wounded soldiers while Gu Ling assisted her. Their cooperation was naturally seamless. At this time, to outsiders, they really looked like a perfect couple.

By the time they left the Military Camp, it was already noon. Lian Shun, knowing that they hadn’t had the carp from Liuxian River yesterday, specifically instructed his servants to catch some fish this morning and invited them to come back for lunch.

The carp was indeed delicious, and as Su Liang ate, she recalled her promise to let Gu Ling order food for three days. If she now asked Gu Ling to cook for three days, he would definitely agree.

After lunch, Su Liang yawned, and Gu Ling volunteered to accompany Lin’s father to play chess. He asked her to go back and rest. He had already felt that being too clingy would backfire.

So, Su Liang returned to the guesthouse alone.

Having learned from Lian Shun that Gu Ling had gone to see him last night, Su Liang realized that she had misunderstood him. Gu Ling hadn’t slept after she left.

The bed was neatly arranged, and it wasn’t the way Gu Ling folded the quilt. He hadn’t slept at all.

Su Liang took off her coat and lay down, looking at the delicate carvings on the bed frame, sighed, “How did the cold and lofty Great God turn into a gentle, smiling, and even blushing, pure awkward man overnight?”

As she thought about it, Su Liang closed her eyes, sleepiness had yet to completely overwhelm her brain when she suddenly opened her eyes again, speaking in a melancholy tone, “It’s all my fault, I have to take responsibility….”