Deadly Trap.

Chapter 14. Breaking Down the Door
In response, Su Li's mother smiled slightly: "Xiao Li, you're too serious. This isn't something to make a fuss about."

While speaking casually, the woman in front of her completely glossed over her own situation. At the same time, she stretched out an almost skeletal left hand from under her tightly wrapped shawl and fumbled for the lamp on top of the piano to turn it off.

The lights went out. Her face, which had just appeared gentle, now revealed an undeniable decay.

Her body beneath her dress was extremely thin, like a withered twig; her life had been tormented away. Her hands, hidden beneath her shawl, were nothing but bones and veins, yet they still appeared strong and powerful.

Her voice is the only channel through which the blind can express themselves freely.

The voice was clear and full, like a spring in the mountains, still gurgling with fresh vitality.

At this moment, everything happening in Gu Mufeng's eyes was too real:

From the neatly arranged humble dwelling to the blind man's composed action of closing the piano lid, and the positive tone that contrasted sharply with his weathered body, all of these things left him with a lingering sense of unease.

Still standing motionless in the shadows, Gu Mufei simply pursed his lips.

"Are you... Xiaoli's classmate?" The blind woman in front of her turned her head gracefully. Her sunken eyelids accurately pinpointed Gu Mufeng's location, and she "looked" straight at him.

Although Gu Mufei had been extremely cautious since entering the room, he had not made a sound.

"I am Xiaoli's mother. Su Yan, the 'Yan' in 'wild goose.' May I ask who you are?"

"Gu Mufeng".

Gu Mufeng slightly raised his chin, his expression calm:
"I am Su Li's boyfriend. I hope you will support our relationship. This is a small gift for our first meeting, and I hope you will like it."

Completely expressionless, he casually adjusted his suit collar, his gaze sweeping over Su Yan's equally calm and unwavering face, his fingertips pausing slightly in front of his chest.

As if he had finally waited for this moment, he slowly took out a narrow, dark blue velvet box.

Just as she was angrily clenching her teeth, Su Li's eyes widened. Without even looking at her, Gu Mufeng directly handed the narrow box to Su Li. His voice was cold and crisp, resounding with determination.

Su Li could hardly believe her eyes and ears: how dare he say he was her boyfriend in front of her mother?

Are there really shameless scoundrels like Gu Mufeng in this world?
Su Li felt a chill run through her, and the instinctive, phantom pain in her wrist made it hard to breathe. She glanced nervously at her mother. But Su Li still tried her best to suppress her emotions, afraid that her mother would notice something was wrong.

She longed to snatch the narrow box and silently smash it into Gu Mufei's handsome face.

Inside the box, the exquisite pearls gleamed with a soft white luster, enough to silence even the most discerning mother-in-law. The pearl's luster reflected on Su Li's already deathly pale face. But she had no time to appreciate it.

Clenching her teeth in fear, Su Litao's eyes were like knives, as if she wanted to stab Gu Mufeng into a sieve:

Do you know how much trouble you've caused me?

Su Li bit her lip bitterly. What kind of tricks was this seemingly calm madman up to?
Gu Mufeng, however, remained completely unmoved.

"That's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to my humble abode."

As if completely unaware of the turmoil in Su Li's heart, the frail Su Yan, still as graceful as an empress beside the zither, smiled gently and continued her previous words.

Suddenly, she extended a withered hand to Gu Mufeng.

Under Su Li's surprised gaze, Gu Mufeng stepped forward. He was extremely cautious, deliberately tilting his palm outward to avoid the calluses on his index fingertips and the base of his thumb, and steadily took Su Yan's hand.

"Please forgive my rudeness." It seemed that Su Yan's fingertips fell into the burn on his palm.

Feeling a slight sense of disgust, Su Li twisted her fingers. An observer could see clearly: her mother and daughter's tricks were cut from the same cloth. When she first met Gu Mufeng, Su Li had also used this method to test his true intentions.

At this moment, Su Li couldn't help but notice that Gu Mufeng's cold eyes suddenly narrowed as if in retaliation, and the resistance in his eyes was like a sharp blade being drawn from its sheath.

but……

In an instant, he sheathed his sword again, returning to his gentle state.

Did he do the same when she held his hand?

Finally, Su Yan's withered hands clenched. With all her weight on her body, she stood up, trembling, and smiled apologetically:
"I'm sorry, I have trouble walking and I always trouble others."

Before Gu Mufei could respond, Su Yan interrupted him again:
"Since you've been taking care of Xiaoli all this time, please come into the living room and sit down. It makes me, as an elder, seem impolite to speak while standing in the entryway."

"Little Pear, make some tea. The tea leaves are in the second compartment of the kitchen. Don't use the wrong one."

Su Yan spoke in a gentle tone, but Su Li's body inexplicably tensed up, as if she had been hit with a ruler.

Seeing her mother's sudden and enthusiastic invitation to Gu Mufeng, Su Li was filled with suspicion: Gu Mufeng was suddenly pretending to be her boyfriend. What was he up to? And when did he prepare this necklace?

In case her agreement with his mistress is exposed.

But her mother had already given the order. Almost exactly as yesterday had happened, Su Li instinctively mumbled a reply. She fled, quickly slipping into the kitchen in only her stockings, not caring whether the tiles were cold or not. From behind the simple door, the sound of carefully arranged porcelain immediately came from within.

Seemingly indifferent to Su Li, Su Yan nodded slightly, almost hesitating for a moment. But in the end, she smiled and nodded: "Then... come with me."

With her head held high and eyes vacant, Su Yan arrogantly led the way, guiding Gu Mufeng to the humble room behind the piano. The living room was desolate. But it was clear that the owner of the house was too obsessed with Ming-style furniture. Even though there was nothing else, Su Yan had made a great effort to preserve the style of this set of eight throne pieces, despite their worn-out condition and their excessive size.

At Su Yan's gesture, she and Gu Mufeng sat down together.

Before the two could speak, Su Li, carrying a large tea tray and arranging the coarse porcelain tea set, followed them into the living room.

She carefully poured three cups of warm tea, forcing herself not to spill a single drop. She glanced quickly at her mother's face, then silently sat down at the farthest point from Su Yan.

"Xiao Li, why did you suddenly come back today?" Su Yan asked first, startling Su Li.

The mother gently picked up the teacup. The faint aroma of tea touched her lips. As if checking Su Li's tea-brewing results, Su Yan only took a small sip.

“Uh…” Su Li didn’t look at her mother.

She turned her head wearily, as if looking for an excuse. She held her throbbing temples in her hand, inwardly blaming Gu Mufeng for causing her such a huge problem.

Su Li gave a vague answer: "The dormitory is under maintenance. I'll only be back for two or three days."

"Oh, I see." Su Yan nodded, neither confirming nor denying, and slowly sipped the warm tea in her palm.

A moment later, she quickly turned to Gu Mufeng, her tone suddenly taking on a parental tone of questioning and probing: "So... you go to the same school as my Xiaoli?"

Clearly, Su Yan has no liking for student romances.

“No. I graduated from Minzhou University of Finance and Economics.” Sitting upright in front of Su Yan, Gu Mufeng was unusually obedient and serious today.

Su Li felt a strange jolt in her heart. Looking down, she couldn't help but use her teacup to cover her lips: This guy, when he's pretending to be serious, is surprisingly…cute?
"Oh? You've graduated? Well, as a parent, I'd like to ask about your profession. You won't mind, will you?"

Clearly, unlike Su Li, Su Yan was unmoved by Gu Mufeng's exceptional good looks and upright demeanor. She pressed him further.

"There's a small business at home, but I mainly work in finance now." As if he had already thought it through, Gu Mufeng sat up straight with a slight smile.

At this moment, he seemed to perfectly embody the ideal boyfriend: considerate, obedient, gentle, even a little silly, and with top-notch financial resources.

Su Li was stunned and couldn't help but think to herself: Gu Mufeng is really a better actress than her.

And clearly, he doesn't even blink when he lies.

Mingming, the boss of the gray market in Minzhou, actually speaks very seriously about "doing finance"?
However, given how easily he handles things, it wouldn't be too surprising what he does on a daily basis.

In the blink of an eye, Su Li's forced return "home" had inexplicably turned into introducing Gu Mufeng to her parents. Su Li found it all absurd.

Uncomfortably, she leaned back in the hard "throne," silently sipping her tea. She decided to see how long Gu Mufeng, with his unruly personality, could keep up the act of being the perfect boyfriend.

"Finance...I see."

On the other side, Su Yan relaxed and put down her teacup. This time, she was clearly very satisfied with Gu Mufeng's financial strength. A sly smile appeared on her thin lips.

"But I thought you were a professional violinist."

Hearing her mother's abrupt monologue, Su Li suddenly remembered:

In her beautiful memory from last night, there was indeed a violin in Gu Mufeng's bedroom.

The violin was antique, a deep chestnut color, not exactly new, but spotless.

She thought it was just a decorative item for show.

"It's just a hobby."

Even though Gu Mufei was momentarily surprised by Su Yan's speculation, he let it pass quickly.

With a composed smile, Gu Mufeng said, "I suppose you could tell from my hands."

Having said that, he used the hand that had only briefly touched Su Yan once to pick up the teacup in front of him, which had long since gone cold.

"Not bad...very perceptive."

Upon hearing Gu Mufei's answer, Su Yan, who was over fifty years old, giggled like a little girl who had just won a competition.

>>>>>
Next chapter: Beneath the Black Water
[Author's Note | Chapter Seventeen]

Mr. Gu practically burst through the door! Not only did he upgrade himself to Su Li's "boyfriend," but he also confronted his future mother-in-law head-on?

Why do you think Su Li is so nervous?
Did Su Yan notice anything amiss?
Let's discuss:

1. Guess if Gu Mufeng has ever imagined meeting the parents?

2. How many points would you give Gu Mufeng for this "pretending" boyfriend act?
See you in the comments!
Thank you to every reader for adding this to your favorites, following the story, and voting!
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(End of this chapter)