Chapter 39 (Increasing the Difficulty)

In less than two days, He Peiru received the specific information from Jiang Yici's assistant.

She opened the file, scrolled through it briefly, and found the contents to be more detailed than she had expected.

From the country's culture and culture at the beginning, to the climate in different months, to the ranking of local schools and majors, and even the corresponding information, everything is available.

It was as if they were afraid of missing even the slightest detail.

However, a closer look reveals that the content is not complicated or messy at all; it is mostly presented in concise language.

The most important and primary hurdle is the language barrier, which He Peiru has no problem with.

Given that she was able to get into the University of Hong Kong under such terrible conditions, there was absolutely no need for her to spend extra energy worrying about her studies.

As for the other materials, she needs to think carefully and clarify her own ideas before preparing them.

Since she had no other plans recently, He Peiru could look through materials in her spare time while preparing her thesis, in addition to going back to school to attend classes.

This plan reminded her.

She hadn't seen Gu Zhaoqian for almost a week and had no idea what he'd been up to lately.

They rarely exchange messages normally, let alone without an opportunity, she simply cannot bring herself to awkwardly find topics to talk about.

On the contrary, Fang Xiaoxin kept asking questions every one or two days, as if it were a daily routine.

Fang Xiaoxin: [Daily question: How's your relationship with Young Master Gu going?]

He Peiru: [Still the same...]

Fang Xiaoxin: [I refuse to believe it!!!]

When she asked for the third time, He Peiru simply revealed the truth.

He Peiru: [Our current progress is 0%.]

He Peiru: [I haven't seen him since that day at the horse farm...]

During this period, she did receive messages from Gu Zhaoqian.

I was asking her about her thesis.

Gu Zhaoqian: [How's the thesis preparation going?]

Gu Zhaoqian: [Your uncle asked me to ask if you need any help from me?]

He Peiru: [Not needed at the moment, thank you, Brother Qian.]

The simple question-and-answer session, coupled with his later explanation, clearly made the conversation seem somewhat formulaic.

He Peiru felt a little annoyed after replying. She should have used this opportunity to start a conversation instead of letting the conversation come to an abrupt end.

If she weren't the person involved, based solely on their conversation, one would only think their relationship was ordinary, barely qualifying as a brother taking care of his sister.

Fang Xiaoxin seemed incredulous at the content of her reply.

Fang Xiaoxin: [?]

Fang Xiaoxin: [I don't quite understand you two...]

Not to mention her, even He Peiru herself seemed to be in a predicament, and she could only try to comfort herself by looking on the bright side.

He Peiru: [But this is for the best; I think I need some space to calm down.]

He Peiru: [We need to think about what to do next.]

Fang Xiaoxin: [That's true, what if something suddenly happens...]

Fang Xiaoxin: [Or perhaps one day Young Master Gu will come to his senses and realize that he should treat you as a younger sister and not something else?]

Their current awkward situation prompted Fang Xiaoxin to make a joke.

Ultimately, it's because she can't see through Gu Zhaoqian's intentions that He Peiru finds any of his actions possible and reasonable.

He Peiru: [Let's talk about it when the time comes.]

Gu Zhaoqian would often appear in their conversations, but in reality, it was difficult to catch a glimpse of the man.

-

It's rare for the younger generation in the Jiang family to have to worry about their studies in all these years. The elders not only find it novel, but they also value this matter more than anyone else.

Fearing that excessive concern might unintentionally put pressure on He Peiru, the Jiang family members often hesitated to speak in front of her, swallowing back the words they wanted to say after some thought.

He Peiru spent several days reviewing the materials that Jiang Yici had prepared.

A few days later, Zheng Wanqiao, seeing that the time was right, tentatively asked, "How is Aru doing with those documents?"

As if afraid she wouldn't know what to say, he added with a smile, "For example, your major. Do you want to continue studying what you're currently studying, or do you want to switch to a different major?"

He Peiru did indeed spend the most time on choosing her major.

This time she has a chance to start over, and she can choose according to her own preferences, but after careful consideration, she plans to choose the most practical one.

She pursed her lips, mustered her courage, and said, "What do you think if... I want to study law?"

I also wanted to hear their opinions.

“Of course you can, but it’s a different major…” Jiang Yici, who was sitting on the sofa reading documents, said, “The most important thing is that Aru is prepared and not afraid of hard work.”

She quickly replied, "I think I can do it!"

He was afraid that even the slightest hesitation would make Jiang Yici lose faith.

Jiang Yici nodded: "Since you put it that way, then everything will be arranged according to your idea."

Regardless of He Peiru's intentions, there is always a great deal of room for maneuver in the school application process, and she can even seek external help to ensure that the application is successful if necessary.

Then he added, "I'll be going to Australia next. If you've made up your mind, Aru, contact my assistant."

Even though Jiang Yici cared deeply for her, it was difficult for him to personally oversee everything at all times. He Peiru understood this and naturally asked, "Uncle, are you going on a business trip?"

Jiang Yici thought she knew, paused for a moment, then quickly realized what she meant and continued, "Yes, we're going to talk about some things."

He paused deliberately before continuing, "Ah Qian went there a few days ago."

He glanced at his niece's expression with amusement.

The affair between her and Gu Zhaoqian at the horse farm caused quite a stir, and given that this wasn't the first time they'd encountered such a situation, the rumors circulating behind their backs intensified.

However, she, the person involved, seemed completely unaware of the situation, especially since her reaction just now showed no trace of acting.

Jiang Yici believed that their relationship was developing rapidly in places she was unaware of.

But now it seems that He Peiru not only doesn't know his whereabouts, but also...

I don't care.

Jiang Yici seemed to have inadvertently caught Gu Zhaoqian in a compromising situation, so funny that he had already planned how to mock Gu Zhaoqian when they met.

As for He Peiru.

She was afraid that her breathing might quicken at any moment and reveal her inner tension.

-

He Peiru has already finalized her plans, while Fang Xiaoxin had previously told her that she planned to go to France.

Fang Xiaoxin had already started preparations, and in order to catch up with the normal pace, she simply took expedited measures for everything.

That's why He Peiru doesn't have many things to do personally; the rest are mostly casual tasks, such as choosing a place to live.

The day after Jiang Yi resigned from her job in Australia, she had her assistant send her a list of residences. It included apartments, detached villas, and even townhouses, along with a note—

[If you don't like any of them, just buy the one you like.]

The residences on the list already have top-of-the-line amenities, and even if she were to pick a new one, it might not be able to match these.

He Peiru naturally had no need to create trouble for herself.

The matter of going abroad has finally been settled.

Fang Xiaoxin's curiosity swelled at this moment, and when she met He Peiru, she couldn't wait to ask, "By the way, does Young Master Gu know that you're going abroad?"

She shook her head, answering rather uncertainly, "He probably doesn't know. I haven't seen him recently either."

He added, "I only found out he went to Australia because my uncle told me."

"How could you do this! But..." Fang Xiaoxin seemed to have thought of something and asked in surprise, "You didn't ask him either, did you?"

He Peiru was silent for a moment before answering softly, "After all, I can't find any excuse to contact him."

"What happened to taking the initiative?!" Fang Xiaoxin felt a sense of disappointment at this moment. After thinking for a moment, she said, "But I think given how familiar he is with your uncle, he must know something, more or less."

The close relationship between Gu Zhaoqian and the Jiang family has been witnessed by countless people, so once you delve deeper, you'll find that Fang Xiaoxin's words are not without merit.

She might as well continue to pretend she knows nothing.

He Peiru wanted to take the initiative, but she couldn't guess Gu Zhaoqian's thoughts at all, making it extremely difficult to put them into practice.

She clicked on the developer message page several times, but each time she just stared blankly at it, unable to come up with a complete sentence to send.

Fortunately, the arrangements for the graduation ceremony were put on the agenda, and the ensuing busyness lessened Gu Zhaoqian's influence on her.

-

Australia.

A gentle autumn breeze caressed the golden land. Melbourne's autumn was not as desolate as Gu Zhaoqian had anticipated; instead, it was warm and vibrant.

There is a four-hour time difference between here and Hong Kong.

Adjusting it wasn't difficult, but it inevitably disrupted Gu Zhaoqian's plans.

The project being discussed is the most important one this year, and the person who has the core technology is settled in Melbourne, so he has to come here no matter what.

The scenery here is hard to describe with words. Gu Zhaoqian looked out the window, but his thoughts had already flown back to Hong Kong.

These days, he can only find out what He Peiru is doing from Jiang Yici.

"Mr. Gu."

His chaotic thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the person beside him. Gu Zhaoqian snapped out of his reverie and asked, "What is it?"

His assistant spoke, reporting the upcoming arrangements clearly and quickly: "Tonight, the local Chinese community has organized a cocktail party and invited you and Mr. Jiang to attend."

"Mr. Jiang's plane is about to land, and he will come directly to the venue to meet you."

"Understood, arrange it as needed."

It's better to be busy, so he won't unconsciously think of He Peiru.

Gu Zhaoqian glanced through the materials prepared by his assistant. These kinds of social gatherings often require more effort, especially in foreign countries, where it is even more important to avoid any oversights.

After changing his clothes at the hotel, Gu Zhaoqian headed to the venue for the cocktail party. He ran into Jiang Yici, who had just arrived, when he got out of the car.

But he felt that Jiang Yici's expression carried a meaning he couldn't understand.

Ever since his conversation with He Peiru that day, Jiang Yici had been waiting to mock Gu Zhaoqian to his face.

If you're looking through a screen, it naturally takes away some of the fun.

He had barely stopped walking when, without giving Gu Zhaoqian a chance to speak, he said with a half-smile, "We've been handing you all the opportunities, so what's going on between you and Aru?"

"..." Gu Zhaoqian took a sip of red wine and replied after a while, "I don't know either."

He had finally managed to put that name out of his mind, but Jiang Yici brought it up again.

For Gu Zhaoqian, this is a problem for which he currently has no answer. He is fully aware of He Peiru's movements, and even his daily care for her is meticulous.

Last time at the horse farm, with so many cameras around, it was easy for him to find out the specifics.

He even began to wonder whether He Peiru was too timid or whether he himself hadn't done nearly enough.

He sighed and said, "I'm still afraid I'll scare Aru."

"Tsk." Jiang Yici laughed unrestrainedly and said mercilessly, "I've finally waited for this day to come."

Whether as He Peiru's uncle or Gu Zhaoqian's elder, both of these roles made him happy to see such a scene.

As if suddenly remembering something, Jiang Yici continued to stab Gu Zhaoqian in the heart: "So, there's something you don't know."

"What's up?"

Gu Zhaoqian asked.

"I'm not telling you." Jiang Yici kept her in suspense, then added insult to injury, "If you want to know, ask Aru yourself."

It's obvious that Jiang Yici is trying to make things more difficult for him.

Gu Zhaoqian smiled, not insisting, but instead took out his phone and quickly typed a sentence.

Gu Zhaoqian: [Uncle Jiang asked me to ask if you have any souvenirs you'd like?]

Jiang Yici couldn't help but laugh when he caught a glimpse of the screen, and said, "You're quite good at making excuses for yourself."

People started coming up to greet them, and Gu Zhaoqian couldn't wait for He Peiru's reply any longer. He could only put away his phone and mutter to himself, "I have to think of a way for myself."