Chapter 23 (Third Update)

"What do you want to do?" Gu Shiyue asked Qi Mu in a cold voice.

"I..." Qi Mu paused, "I didn't intend to do anything."

This was the first time Jiang Luo had seen Gu Shiyue with such a noticeably cold expression; his jawline was taut, and even his profile exuded a sense of oppression.

Gu Shiyue grabbed Jiang Luo's wrist and shifted his gaze to Jiang Luo's face.

"Is it over?" Gu Shiyue asked him. "Your commission."

Jiang Luo paused for a moment, then nodded: "...Mm."

Gu Shiyue released Jiang Luo's wrist, his expression still a bit cold, but his tone was very calm: "You should go back."

Jiang Luo nodded. Gu Shiyue turned and walked towards where the car was parked. Jiang Luo followed him and heard Qi Mu say "Sorry" behind her.

Jiang Luo didn't turn around.

That kind of hug was essentially a breach of boundaries. It was the first time he'd encountered something like that, and he felt a little uncomfortable. Besides, he'd had a very good impression of this client all day, and he hadn't expected the other person to suddenly act so inappropriately. He hadn't even had time to react.

What surprised Jiang Luo even more was Gu Shiyue's sudden appearance. After asking where he was, Gu Shiyue didn't reply to any more messages, and Jiang Luo didn't even know when Gu Shiyue had arrived.

Gu Shiyue walked ahead silently, his expression no longer as cold as before. Although he showed no emotion on his face, Jiang Luo could still keenly sense that he seemed to be angry.

Gu Shiyue walked to the car and opened the passenger door for Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo got into the car. He had never seen Gu Shiyue like this before; he didn't even dare to breathe. He was even a little nervous, so nervous that he forgot to fasten his seatbelt.

After Gu Shiyue got into the car, he turned to look at Jiang Luo. Jiang Luo stared at him without blinking, her hands resting on her knees, sitting there obediently but stiffly.

Gu Shiyue looked at him for a moment, then leaned over to help him fasten his seatbelt without giving him a verbal reminder. Jiang Luo was startled and instinctively leaned back. His back was pressed against the seat, and he held his breath as he looked at Gu Shiyue's face so close to his.

In just a few seconds, Jiang Luo came to his senses and the seatbelt was already fastened to him, but Gu Shiyue hadn't sat back down yet. His fingers were on the seatbelt buckle as he looked closely at Jiang Luo.

Before the car lights dimmed, Jiang Luo's eyelashes trembled slightly, casting two faint shadows on her face.

His cosplay outfit today was more casual, with simple makeup and hairstyle. He wore colored contact lenses, but they weren't as pretty as his natural eyes.

Jiang Luo's breathing was very light, and his lips were tightly pursed. He had been in this tense state since just now.

Gu Shiyue could tell that Jiang Luo's current state was caused by him.

"Why are you so flustered?" Gu Shiyue asked him. "Are you afraid of me?"

Jiang Luo immediately shook his head.

Gu Shiyue stared at him for a while, then sat back down and started the car.

Jiang Luo asked softly, "Senior, are you... angry?"

Gu Shiyue remained silent.

"Are you angry with me?" Jiang Luo asked again.

"No," Gu Shiyue said.

Jiang Luo didn't actually know why Gu Shiyue was angry, but he would subconsciously try to coax him: "But you don't look very happy..."

Gu Shiyue remained silent for a while before speaking, his voice deep: "Don't you know how to be careful when you're with strangers? Are you so unguarded with everyone?"

Jiang Luo suddenly realized that this was why he was unhappy. He said to Gu Shiyue, "This is the first time I've encountered this situation. I will definitely be more careful in the future."

"In the future?" Gu Shiyue narrowed his eyes.

"What... happened?" Jiang Luo asked in a low voice, her mind sluggish.

Gu Shiyue remained silent, and the car was eerily quiet. Jiang Luo, unsure of what he had said wrong, turned to look at Gu Shiyue: "Senior, you—"

Gu Shiyue interrupted him: "Why are you hugging him?"

Jiang Luo paused for a moment, then explained, "It's just a hug to say goodbye..."

"Do we need a hug to say goodbye?" Gu Shiyue looked straight ahead, his tone flat. "When you take on a commission, you just do whatever someone tells you to do, right?"

Jiang Luo shook her head: "I didn't... I... it's not what you think."

Jiang Luo was a little anxious. He wanted to explain, but his language system suddenly became very chaotic. He was afraid that Gu Shiyue would misunderstand and think that he would do something improper after accepting the commission.

The more anxious she became, the less she could utter a complete sentence. Jiang Luo's eyebrows furrowed: "I didn't do that..."

His voice was so anxious that it was a little unsteady. Gu Shiyue turned his head and glanced at him. Jiang Luo's beautiful face was already scrunched up like a little bitter gourd.

Gu Shiyue naturally knew that the actual situation was not as he described. He pressed Jiang Luo for answers simply because he couldn't control his emotions.

The car slowly came to a stop at the traffic light intersection, and Gu Shiyue said, "I understand."

Jiang Luo continued to explain to him, "At most, I'll hug the client when the job ends... there won't be any other physical contact. I've told you before, I don't take on jobs for anything improper."

Gu Shiyue hummed in agreement: "I know."

Gu Shiyue disliked Jiang Luo accepting commissions, but he had no right to interfere. He remained silent, knowing that silence helped him control his emotions.

Gu Shiyue dropped Jiang Luo off at the school gate. Jiang Luo unbuckled her seatbelt and said, "Thank you, senior." Gu Shiyue didn't say anything. He had been almost silent the whole way, even though he wasn't a talkative person to begin with.

"...I'm leaving, senior." Jiang Luo opened the car door. "Bye-bye."

"Um."

Jiang Luo sat in the car, her hand on the door handle, not getting out immediately. After a moment of silence, Jiang Luo murmured, "...Senior."

Gu Shiyue turned to look at him.

Meeting Gu Shiyue's gaze, Jiang Luo lowered her eyes and gently tapped her fingers on the doorknob.

Gu Shiyue remained silent, waiting for him to speak.

Jiang Luo hesitated for a moment before raising her eyelids to look at Gu Shiyue again. Her fingers had moved to her leg, and she was picking at her pants.

The last time Jiang Luo met Gu Shiyue was during the National Day holiday, almost ten days ago. It was a rare treat for them to meet, and the atmosphere wasn't very pleasant. Thinking about when they might not be able to contact each other again after this, Jiang Luo took the initiative to ask Gu Shiyue, "Senior... are you going to feed the cats tomorrow?"

Gu Shiyue is going hiking with his friend tomorrow, but he won't be back too late, so theoretically Jiang Luo doesn't need to go over to feed the cat.

Gu Shiyue didn't speak at first, then hummed in agreement.

Jiang Luo's eyes lit up: "Okay!"

"I'll feed your cats for free from now on. Just call me if you need anything." Jiang Luo got out of the car, her tone becoming cheerful. "Bye-bye, senior. Drive carefully."

The next afternoon, Jiang Luo went directly from the coffee shop to Gu Shiyue's house after get off work.

As soon as Jiang Luo entered the house, she saw a note on the entryway shelf. It read: "[There's a cake in the fridge. —Gu Shiyue]"

Gu Shiyue's handwriting was beautiful. Jiang Luo picked up the note and admired it carefully, finding it more and more pleasing to the eye the more she looked at it.

Suddenly, Gu Shiyue's handsome face appeared in Jiang Luo's mind. She thought to herself that this must be what it means to have one's handwriting reflect one's character.

He carefully folded the note and put it in his coat pocket.

Jiang Luo opened the kitchen refrigerator and saw a box of chocolate cake. Gu Shiyue's refrigerator was filled with fresh vegetables and mineral water, all neatly arranged, making the small box of cake stand out conspicuously.

Jiang Luo felt a pang of tenderness in her heart and couldn't help but open her WeChat app and send Gu Shiyue a crying puppy emoji.

Gu Shiyue must be busy, as he didn't reply to the message.

Cotton Ball hadn't seen Jiang Luo in a long time, and it was still very affectionate towards him. When Jiang Luo returned after taking it for a walk and was about to leave, it even followed him to the door, meowing softly.

Jiang Luo sat in the entryway putting on his shoes, while Mian Tuan rubbed against his legs and meowed.

Who could stand that?

Jiang Luo hadn't even put her shoes on properly when she bent down, picked up the cotton ball, buried her face in the cotton ball's neck, and started sucking hard.

With a "beep," the door opened from the outside, and Gu Shiyue immediately witnessed Jiang Luo petting the cat.

Jiang Luo paused, then suddenly raised her face, staring wide-eyed at Gu Shiyue outside the door. A few white cat hairs were still stuck to the hair sticking up on her forehead.

Jiang Luo quickly put the cat down: "Senior, why are you back so early?"

Gu Shiyue walked in: "I never said I would be back late."

Gu Shiyue was wearing a black windbreaker, carrying a backpack and trekking poles, clearly having just finished outdoor activities. Jiang Luo had seen him dressed similarly the first time she met him; he looked both cool and handsome.

The cotton ball rubbed against Gu Shiyue's feet, and Gu Shiyue glanced down at it.

"Did you go hiking?" Jiang Luo asked him.

"on foot."

Jiang Luo smiled and said, "I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like it should be very interesting."

"Want to go?"

Jiang Luo was taken aback: "Huh?"

"I'll be going again next week. If you want to come, come with me." Gu Shiyue changed his shoes and entered the room. The two stood facing each other.

Jiang Luo was clearly hesitant. Gu Shiyue raised an eyebrow: "Don't you want to go?"

Jiang Luo quickly said, "What I was thinking was... I don't have any hiking gear..."

Forget trekking poles, Jiang Luo doesn't even have a proper hiking jacket or boots.

Use mine.

"No need, no need. I've used yours, what are you going to use? I'm not going."

"I own more than one set."

"Ah..." Jiang Luo nodded and asked Gu Shiyue rather honestly, "Then, senior, can I wear regular sportswear? I don't have any clothes specifically for outdoor sports."

“Wear mine,” Gu Shiyue said.

“…Huh?” Jiang Luo was stunned.

Gu Shiyue walked around him and went inside, while Jiang Luo was still standing there in a daze. Gu Shiyue turned around and looked at him, saying, "Come here."

“…Oh.” Jiang Luo didn’t wear slippers and went over barefoot, though not completely barefoot, as he was wearing white athletic socks.

Jiang Luo followed Gu Shiyue into a huge walk-in closet. Gu Shiyue took out a new windbreaker from the closet and turned to hand it to Jiang Luo, only to find that he wasn't wearing shoes.

The floor in Gu Shiyue's house was so clean it was reflective, but it would definitely be cold to walk on barefoot.

"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" Gu Shiyue said.

Jiang Luo looked down and smiled sheepishly, "I forgot."

Gu Shiyue handed him the clothes, said "Try them on," and then went out.

This was a complete set of outdoor sportswear, including a brand new, unworn quick-drying shirt underneath. Jiang Luo unfolded the quick-drying shirt and held it up against his body. Gu Shiyue was taller than him, so the shirt size was naturally larger, and the sleeves of the quick-drying shirt were a bit long.

When Gu Shiyue returned, he was carrying a pair of slippers. He walked over and threw them in front of Jiang Luo: "Put your shoes on."

Jiang Luo obediently put on her slippers.

"Haven't you tried on the clothes yet?" Gu Shiyue glanced at the coat in his hand.

"Let's try it on." Jiang Luo put on the windbreaker, which hung loosely on his body, the sleeves so long that they covered his hands.

Although the clothes were brand new, they still carried Gu Shiyue's scent, that faint, fragrant aroma. Jiang Luo's fingers emerged from the sleeve, and she bent down to pull the zipper, but the zipper seemed to be stuck in the fabric, and she couldn't pull it up no matter what she did.

Jiang Luo tried everything he could, but the zipper wouldn't budge no matter how hard he fiddled with it.

Gu Shiyue walked up to Jiang Luo and directly pushed his hand away.

Jiang Luo paused, her movements halting, and stood frozen in place.

Gu Shiyue grabbed the zipper, pressed the clasp, and pulled it open easily. He pulled the zipper all the way up, and due to inertia, his collar was pulled up. Jiang Luo couldn't help but lean towards Gu Shiyue, his face directly facing his.

Their eyes met, their breaths mingling.

Jiang Luo tilted her head back, her eyes widened slightly, and her ears visibly turned red.

Gu Shiyue didn't let go of his hand, looking down at him: "Is it suitable to wear?"

A question that is obviously asked without actually knowing the answer.

Jiang Luo lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling violently: "It's... a bit big."

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Author's note: Update will still be at noon tomorrow~