Chapter 64 Taking an Inch and Wanting a Mile

“Qian just finished his work, so I simply invited him over for dinner.” Zheng Wanqiao explained to He Peiru why Gu Zhaoqian was here, and then continued, “Speaking of which, we have to thank Qian for this, otherwise Aru’s return might not have been so smooth.”

That's exactly what Zheng Wanqiao said.

Not only did it make the journey much more convenient, but Gu Zhaoqian's presence also kept her on her toes, leaving her no time to think about anything else.

If she had only come back with Sophia, it would have been hard to say how far her thoughts would have wandered along the way, or how many random things she might have thought of.

He Peiru nodded obediently and replied, "Thank you for your help along the way, Brother Qian."

“However…” Zheng Wanqiao changed the subject and asked, “Didn’t you say there was still a lot of work on the project? Why are you going back to Hong Kong now?”

Gu Zhaoqian smiled and replied, "I did have some things to deal with when I came back, but they weren't very important, so I kept putting them off."

Zheng Wanqiao nodded understandingly: "No wonder."

He Peiru grasped the key points from this conversation.

In other words, Gu Zhaoqian could have chosen not to return to Hong Kong, but at this moment he is sitting here.

“I was originally thinking of borrowing your private jet,” Jiang Yici joked at this moment, “but now, you’ve come back too.”

Gu Zhaoqian simply chuckled and replied, "It's just something that happened on the side."

By the way?

He Peiru was unsure.

After all, this topic didn't require her participation; she only intended to listen quietly and respond only when necessary.

In her view, Gu Zhaoqian's actions had a fairly clear purpose, but he seemed to have restrained himself quite a bit, or at least didn't seem to want to reveal it directly.

Time flew by as we chatted, and before we knew it, it was dinner time.

He Peiru sat down in that familiar spot, where the layout and furnishings were exactly the same as before she went abroad.

Sitting next to her, Zheng Wanqiao served her food while saying, "It's rare for us to sit down and eat together. Tonight, I asked the kitchen to make all the dishes that Aru and Aqian like."

This long-awaited scene immediately brought tears to He Peiru's eyes.

Moreover, she was already used to eating at the same table as Gu Zhaoqian, and one of the benefits of this was that she didn't feel uncomfortable sitting on pins and needles.

Dinner ended peacefully.

He Peiru deliberately avoided paying attention to when Gu Zhaoqian would leave. Thinking that she hadn't been back for a long time, she wanted to go for a walk. So she said to the others, "You guys continue chatting, I'm going to take a walk on the beach."

“Okay.” Although Repulse Bay is very safe, Zheng Wanqiao was still worried about her going out alone, so she turned to Gu Zhaoqian and said, “If you’re free tonight, how about you accompany Aru for a walk?”

"no problem."

Before He Peiru could speak, Gu Zhaoqian had already answered the question.

If she were to refuse at this point, it would only seem abrupt and inappropriate.

It would be better to wait until after we leave the house and explain things to Gu Zhaoqian when the elders can't see us.

He Peiru changed her shoes at a leisurely pace, thought about what she wanted to say, and waited for an opportunity to speak when she went out.

However, as if Gu Zhaoqian knew what she was thinking, he said as soon as they stepped out, "It's been a long time since we've taken a walk together like this."

"..." The words she had prepared immediately caught in her throat. After taking a deep breath, He Peiru replied, "It has been quite a long time."

Because she had something on her mind, she could only give simple and casual answers.

"Those things I told you before..." Gu Zhaoqian continued, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary, "Have you thought it through? Are you going to give me a chance?"

His directness and frankness made He Peiru feel that this was the kind of thing Gu Zhaoqian would do.

"I don't want to wait any longer." Gu Zhaoqian said again, lowering his voice to emphasize before she could answer, "I regret it."

The two unknowingly walked to the beach.

Although it's still the first month of the lunar calendar, it's not cold outside at all; on the contrary, it's as cool as autumn.

He Peiru didn't want to get bogged down in this endlessly. Since she had decided that they couldn't continue like this, it was time to make a decision and take action.

She bit her lip, as if she had mentally prepared herself before speaking: "I can give you a chance, but..."

Finally hearing that her attitude had softened considerably, Gu Zhaoqian pressed on urgently, "But what?"

After a long while, He Peiru sighed softly and continued, "Don't send me any more gifts."

And as if afraid of not being able to stop Gu Zhaoqian, he even emphasized, "Those things you gave me before... I've always wanted to find a chance to return them to you."

Gu Zhaoqian seemed surprised by her words, and his expression showed obvious compromise as he replied, "I understand, but I've already given you the gift, and even if you insist on returning it, I can't accept it."

“If you really don’t like it, you can dispose of it however you want.” He continued, as if it were a matter of course, “Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”

Although she was mentally prepared, when He Peiru heard him say that, she turned her head away somewhat awkwardly and said, "No, that's all."

“Okay.” He nodded slightly, then added, “Remember, you can make any request here.”

He Peiru quickly seemed to realize something and, without further hesitation, immediately said, "Let's keep a proper distance between us. Besides, I don't want my uncle and the others to know about you and me."

"The second sentence is definitely fine." He paused, then abruptly changed the subject, "But the first sentence... I can't guarantee it."

He Peiru couldn't help but mutter, "Then why did you ask me if I had it?"

As far as I can remember, Gu Zhaoqian would always take advantage of any opportunity to push his luck.

Just like that, they started acting like scoundrels.

She didn't want to give the man any more opportunities in the conversation, since Gu Zhaoqian would definitely follow her anyway, so she simply started walking towards the beach.

The gentle breeze brings comfortable weather, and the sound of waves slowly lapping against the shore creates a relaxing feeling that can only be experienced in Hong Kong.

He Peiru chose a nearby bench to sit down and looked up at the sea.

The distant twinkling lights were particularly striking in the darkness; she couldn't tell whether they were from yachts or fishing boats, but they seemed to be serving as beacons at sea.

Gu Zhaoqian sat next to her.

The two looked ahead together, but neither spoke, each harboring different thoughts.

The silence didn't last long. Gu Zhaoqian spoke softly, "He Zhong is gone now, and those who bullied you are no longer here."

He Peiru never expected him to say such a thing, and it seemed that he felt it even more deeply than she did.

She didn't want to say too much, and after pressing her lips tightly together, she said, "...I just hope I can forget him."

“Then let’s not talk about him.” Gu Zhaoqian ended the topic decisively and asked, “When do you want to go back to England?”

"Let's wait a couple more days." He Peiru hadn't considered this issue yet, and besides, since she was already back in Hong Kong, the school wouldn't have any trouble making arrangements, so there was no need to rush to leave.

She turned her head and asked, "And what about you?"

“Me?” Gu Zhaoqian raised an eyebrow and replied, “Let’s wait a few days. I need to finish up the work first.”

Since returning, He Peiru has been preoccupied with many worries and has naturally forgotten about Gu Zhaoqian's important business.

She replied somewhat blankly, "I see..."

Gu Zhaoqian had no intention of trying to get He Peiru to talk; there was no need to force a meaningless conversation.

The two of them sat there quietly, enjoying the sea breeze, and that seemed to be enough.

He Peiru sat for a while longer before telling him that it was time for her to go back, and that precisely because Gu Zhaoqian was also there, she shouldn't stay any longer.

The two strolled back to the Jiang family home. This time, Gu Zhaoqian didn't go in. The Filipino maid who greeted them told her that the two elderly people had already returned to their rooms to rest, while Jiang Yici had left.

She simply went back to her room.

The room was still tidy; during the days she was away from Hong Kong, the other Filipino maids had been taking good care of it for her.

She was completely unaffected by jet lag and slept soundly until dawn.

The next morning, He Peiru was completely unaffected by jet lag.

She got up early as usual, and when she went downstairs, she saw the two elderly people having breakfast. Jiang Yici hadn't left the house yet either, and...

Gu Zhaoqian was there again.

Seeing her come downstairs, Zheng Wanqiao immediately looked over and said, "Aru, go out more these few days. Even if you have to go back to England, a few more days won't make a difference."

Although I knew perfectly well that He Zhong was an insignificant person, I couldn't help but worry about her feelings and could only think of ways to distract her.

Before she could even open her mouth, she had become the center of attention. Without thinking too much, He Peiru replied, "Okay, I can arrange to meet with Xin Xin and the others."

Gu Zhaoqian then spoke up, asking her directly, "How about we go to Happy Valley tonight?"

She instantly remembered something this man had once said.

At that time, because the horse racing season had ended, the matter was put aside.

And then...

He Peiru thought this would not happen, so she simply chose to forget about it.

Moreover, she never mentioned it again, so she didn't expect Gu Zhaoqian to still remember it.

She was surprised, but quickly realized that these were things only he would do.

He Peiru didn't hesitate any longer and quickly replied, "Okay."

This time, she didn't intend to refuse, especially since it was already agreed upon and she should keep her promise.

Although the arrangement was sudden, fortunately there was still plenty of time, and she had enough time to prepare.

He Peiru had just sat down to eat breakfast when Gu Zhaoqian and Jiang Yici, seemingly having work commitments, got up to leave.

However, before walking out, Gu Zhaoqian turned back to her and said, "I'll tell you the departure time for tonight before noon."

"good."

She was caught off guard, and even paused in her breakfast eating.