Chapter 31. Chapter 31. He's finished. He's free now...

Jiang Luo returned to her post somewhat dazed.

He didn't know why Gu Shiyue would suddenly ask for a commission. His mind was in a mess. The answer seemed to be in his heart, but he couldn't sort out his thoughts.

I was completely led by the nose by Gu Shiyue just now. I agreed on a whim, and now I regret it a little. It's not for any other reason than that I simply don't want Gu Shiyue to spend this money.

After all, the commission fee isn't cheap.

Oh well, I've already agreed, so I'll just not take any money from Gu Shiyue later.

Not long after Jiang Luo returned to the front desk, another familiar face came into the shop—Xiang Qin. He only noticed Jiang Luo making coffee next to him after he had placed his order.

Jiang Luo didn't notice him at first, but the two only met when Xiang Qin came over to get the coffee.

Xiang Qin greeted him.

Jiang Luo was stunned for a moment, not reacting immediately.

Xiang Qin looked at Jiang Luo and chuckled inexplicably, "I knew it."

Jiang Luo works part-time at this coffee shop. Xiang Qin often comes here but rarely sees him. Gu Shiyue, on the other hand, rarely comes here but always finds him on duty.

Xiang Qin turned his head and scanned the area, but did not see Gu Shiyue.

"Senior, are you... here to see Senior Gu Shiyue?" Jiang Luo asked in a low voice.

Xiang Qin turned around: "Yes."

Xiang Qin and Gu Shiyue had something to do today. Gu Shiyue said he would wait for him here, and Xiang Qin also came here to order a cup of coffee.

"You saw him?" Xiang Qin smiled. "Where is he?"

"He's in the yard outside."

"So much leisure and refined taste."

Gu Shiyue was reading a book when he heard the sound and lifted his eyelids slightly.

Xiang Qin stood leaning against the door, holding a cup of coffee. He didn't have the leisure to sit inside and drink coffee; his coffee was already packaged. He smiled and asked, "Aren't you cold sitting outside?"

"It's quiet outside."

Xiang Qin smiled and said, "I was wondering why we suddenly met here."

Xiang Qin is a regular at this coffee shop, but Gu Shiyue rarely comes. What else could it be that Gu Shiyue would ask him to meet here?

Gu Shiyue didn't say anything, closed the book and stood up.

A moment later, Jiang Luo saw Gu Shiyue and Xiang Qin walk in from the backyard together. Gu Shiyue put the book back on the bookshelf, and Xiang Qin raised his eyebrows at him: "Let's go, junior."

Jiang Luo nodded, while Gu Shiyue remained silent, only glancing at him.

Jiang Luo exchanged a glance with him and watched them leave the coffee shop.

Jiang Luo had a busy day. After work, he went to the school cafeteria for dinner. After dinner, he didn't go back to his dormitory but went straight to the school team's lab. Their school's algorithm competition team was going to participate in the PC regional competition in December, so they were doing intensive training during this period. Whenever Jiang Luo had time after class, he would go to the lab to practice coding problems.

When Jiang Luo finished his practice questions and came out of the Computer Science building, it was already past ten o'clock. He glanced at his phone, opened WeChat and saw Gu Shiyue's profile picture. He couldn't help but think about what happened during the day and Gu Shiyue's "request".

Gu Shiyue only said that he wanted to make an appointment, but did not say when or what he wanted to make an appointment for. Jiang Luo suddenly suspected that he might just be mentioning it casually and not take it to heart.

He had been lost in thought all day, and the only time he could temporarily pull that person out of his mind was when he was doing algorithm problems. Now his time was completely occupied again.

Gu Shiyue was the one who made the offer, but Jiang Luo herself was secretly looking forward to it and a little impatient.

Jiang Luo clicked on Gu Shiyue's profile picture, typed for a long time in the chat box, then deleted it all and sent a cartoon puppy emoji.

Gu Shiyue was running when his phone got stuck in the treadmill's support. The screen lit up briefly, and a message from Jiang Luo popped up.

Gu Shiyue opened Jiang Luo's message and glanced at it—a cartoon puppy emoji with big, watery eyes, no text, just being cute, with no clear meaning.

Since Gu Shiyue couldn't type, he returned the call directly.

Jiang Luo stared at her phone screen, but instead of receiving a message from Gu Shiyue, she received a call from him.

Jiang Luo's hand trembled, and he almost dropped his phone. He answered the call: "...Hello?"

"What's wrong?" Gu Shiyue asked on the other end of the phone.

"I..." Jiang Luo lowered her voice, "Aren't you asleep yet?"

"No." Gu Shiyue was running, his voice slightly panting.

Are you running?

"Um."

Jiang Luo couldn't help but recall the scene of bumping into Gu Shiyue at his house that day. The image of Gu Shiyue, covered in sweat after a run, also appeared in her mind, and her ears gradually turned red.

Jiang Luo coughed lightly, zipped his jacket all the way up, held it close to his nose, covered his mouth behind his collar, and said in a muffled voice, "Then... I won't disturb your run."

"They didn't bother me."

Jiang Luo blinked.

"What does it mean to send a picture of a puppy?" Gu Shiyue asked.

"No...it doesn't mean anything." Jiang Luo lowered her head, her face flushed. "I just...I'll send it to you to see."

"Hmm. And then?"

"...That's all."

"Are you sure?"

Jiang Luo hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes and said, "Yes."

Gu Shiyue hummed in agreement and waited for him to speak.

"Senior, do you... still remember what happened during the day?"

Gu Shiyue asked knowingly, "Which matter?"

"Well... you said you wanted to schedule a service appointment. I wanted to confirm with you again."

Gu Shiyue replied, "Confirmed."

"So...when would you like to schedule this commission?"

"You can schedule it whenever you're available."

"Next weekend? I have to go back to see my brother this week, I don't have time."

"Um."

"Which role do you want to cast, senior?"

"what ever."

Jiang Luo rubbed her nose and chuckled, "So hasty... So, what anime do you like to watch?"

"No."

"Has anyone seen it?"

Gu Shiyue doesn't watch anime much, but he mentioned a few anime he watched when he was a child that he still vaguely remembered.

Jiang Luo picked a character from the anime he mentioned: "Can I cosplay Natsume?"

"Can."

The timing and roles for the commission were thus finalized.

This Friday, Qi Xueying came to visit an art exhibition near Jiang Luo's school. Since it was a rare opportunity for her to come here, she invited Jiang Luo and Cheng Jiashu to have dinner together. She also invited Gu Shiyue and sent him a WeChat message. Gu Shiyue replied with two words: "Not coming."

The three of them were already on their way to the restaurant. Qi Xueying was sitting in a taxi, and Jiang Luo was next to her.

Qi Xueying looked down as she reviewed Shi Yue's message: "Are you too busy to come, or do you just not want to come?"

Qi Xueying: Your junior will be here too.

Gu Shiyue didn't reply to the message. Qi Xueying turned to look at Jiang Luo, pressed the record button, and said, "I can't get your senior to come."

Jiang Luo blinked and whispered, "He's not coming?"

“Yes.” Qi Xueying smiled, her finger still pressed on the record button, which Jiang Luo didn’t notice.

"Is something wrong?" Jiang Luo's expectations were dashed, and she was actually a little disappointed.

"I don't know, they didn't say." Qi Xueying said, releasing the record button.

A short while later, Gu Shiyue sent a message: Location.

Qi Xueying: [Location Sharing]

Qi Xueying: It's still the junior who has the most influence.

Qi Xueying chose a private kitchen restaurant with a French country style decor, which was very stylish. There was a small garden outside the restaurant, and after passing through the garden, the waiter led them into a private room.

The private room wasn't large, but it was decorated with a great atmosphere.

"I've had another fancy meal with Boss Ying." Cheng Jiashu pulled out a chair, sat down, and glanced at the garden outside the window. "So elegant."

"This place is delicious." Qi Xueying wiped her hands with a wet wipe. "It's rare for us to get together, so I have to treat you to a nice meal."

Cheng Jiashu nodded seriously: "We usually eat very rough food and treat ourselves too badly. Today, thanks to General Ying, we can be elegant people for once."

Qi Xueying laughed and said, "You're too kind, young master. Who can cherish themselves as much as you do?"

Cheng Jiashu picked up the menu on the table and looked at it: "When you're alive, you have to cherish yourself and take good care of yourself."

"That's right."

Jiang Luo remained silent, sitting to the side absentmindedly staring at the vase on the dining table. He didn't react when Cheng Jiashu handed him the menu.

"Luo Luo?" Qi Xueying called out to him.

"Huh?" Jiang Luo came back to her senses.

"Let's order." Qi Xueying glanced down at the menu on the table.

Jiang Luo pushed the menu in front of her: "You order."

Qi Xueying handed the menu back: "I don't know what you like to eat. You guys order whatever you want. Don't try to push the ordering onto me."

Jiang Luo smiled and took the menu: "Okay."

Jiang Luo looked down at the menu when the waiter opened the door to the private room from the outside and led someone in.

"Brother Yue?" Cheng Jiashu looked at the doorway in surprise.

Jiang Luo suddenly raised his head, and Gu Shiyue looked at him. Their eyes met.

"You arrived quite quickly." Qi Xueying smiled.

Qi Xueying didn't say that Gu Shiyue would come, so Cheng Jiashu said, "Brother Yue, didn't President Ying say you weren't coming?"

Gu Shiyue looked at him: "Ask her about that."

Qi Xueying rested her chin on her hand and smiled faintly: "Why are you asking me again? You did say you weren't coming from the beginning."

The seat next to Jiang Luo was empty, so Gu Shiyue walked over and sat down. Jiang Luo called out "Senior" and handed him the menu.

"You order." Gu Shiyue took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack next to him.

Cheng Jiashu held out his hand: "This menu is too hot to handle, isn't it? Here, give it to me, if you're not going to order, I'll order."

Jiang Luo refused to give it to him: "I haven't ordered yet."

Cheng Jiashu laughed in exasperation: "I give up. What did you order after all that time? You were so slow and indecisive."

"It's on fire, isn't it?" Jiang Luo's mood changed noticeably; she hadn't said a word just now, but was now clearly more lively.

The restaurant served the food quickly, and not only was the presentation beautiful, but the taste was also really good. During the meal, Qi Xueying suddenly asked Jiang Luo, "By the way, Luo Luo, have you finished accepting all your commissions?"

Qi Xueying had previously arranged a commission with Jiang Luo, but she couldn't make it that time due to other commitments. She had been wanting to reschedule, but Jiang Luo's schedule was too full, and she could only schedule it much later, so the matter was put on hold. Qi Xueying had previously heard Jiang Luo mention that he would probably finish all his commissions by the end of November.

Jiang Luo was eating when she heard this and bit her chopsticks, startled.

He has completed all his previous commissions, but he has just taken on a new one. Moreover, it is not a regular commission; the client's identity is quite special, so it cannot be compared with his previous commissions.

Qi Xueying smiled and winked: "Have you scheduled a date for me yet?"

Jiang Luo didn't know how to reply, so she just bit her chopsticks and made a soft "Mmm".

Cheng Jiashu glanced at Qi Xueying: "Are you going to commission another job?"

Qi Xueying smiled and said, "Yes, the last request fell through, and we didn't even get to take any photos. I'd like to reschedule."

Cheng Jiashu said to Jiang Luo, "Then why don't we hurry up and pick a date for our film director?"

"I..." Jiang Luo swallowed what was in his mouth.

"Has it not finished yet?" Qi Xueying asked him.

Cheng Jiashu blurted out, "He's already free after we picked him up."

"Are you free next Saturday?" Qi Xueying asked Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo was unavailable because he had accepted Gu Shiyue's commission. He could have simply told Qi Xueying that he was busy and arranged another time with her, but perhaps because Gu Shiyue was involved, his mind suddenly went blank, and he seemed guilty, stammering.

Gu Shiyue, who was standing next to him, spoke up for him: "He's busy."

Qi Xueying glanced at Gu Shiyue.

That would have been enough, but Gu Shiyue added, "He accepted my commission."

Jiang Luo's breath caught in her throat, and her mind, which hadn't quite caught up yet, suddenly went completely blank.

Cheng Jiashu almost spat out the grapefruit juice he had just drunk. He turned his head sharply and looked at Gu Shiyue with a look of utter disbelief.

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Author's Note: Fake Tree: [Question Mark] Don't make a sound, I'm barbecuing.