love

"Jane, do you know what love is?"

In the afternoon, under a tree where they were resting in the shade, Zhou Lexing wiped his sweat and suddenly asked in a serious tone.

Gu Jiansheng paused for a moment, his face, already flushed from the sunlight, seemed to turn even redder. After a long while, he nodded and, under Zhou Lexing's encouraging gaze, hesitantly replied, "Two people should cherish each other, help each other, and live together."

Zhou Lexing put his arm on his knee, looked at Gu Jiansheng for a while, and felt that what he said was not wrong. However, He Huaizhi was the kind of person who would expect the other party to work for him for life after helping him once, and also wanted to take the limelight.

How should I put it?

He was, after all, clueless when it came to love, so he changed the subject: "I think you have to learn to love yourself before you can love others. What do you think?"

If Jian Sheng loved himself enough, he would have realized that He Huaizhi's love for him was merely a facade when He Huaizhi chose to disregard his safety.

Gu Jiansheng seemed not to have expected these words. The blush on his face faded a little, and he was finally able to look at Zhou Lexing after his heartbeat calmed down. However, he saw that there was no deep affection in his eyes, but rather a strange and meaningful look and a sense of sorrow.

Gu Jiansheng frowned slightly and did not respond for a moment.

Zhou Lexing didn't urge him. He put away the basket at his feet and lay down.

"Go home and rest this afternoon, there's no rush for this little bit of work." Zhou Lexing put his arms behind his head, closed his eyes after speaking, thinking that he should let Gu Jiansheng figure it out himself. Besides, he didn't know if it was because of preconceived notions, but he always felt that Gu Jiansheng's attitude towards He Huaizhi was unusual. He could help his brother fend off unwanted romantic advances, but he felt uncomfortable asking Zhou Lexing to directly break up his brother's arranged marriage. He thought he couldn't do it, so he could only try to persuade him indirectly. But unfortunately, his smooth tongue became a dud when it came to Gu Jiansheng, and Zhou Lexing was speechless.

Love is as fast as a tornado.

The two only met three times and didn't have any serious conversation, but they immediately became unusual. How can you reason with them like that?

Zhou Lexing sighed and fell asleep in no time. Gu Jiansheng, on the other hand, looked at him with an increasingly gloomy expression. His thoughts were in turmoil. Finally, his heavy eyes looked into the distance and he was certain of a certain idea once again.

As expected, He Huaizhi could not be kept.

.

"You're looking for me?" He Huaizhi was only surprised for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

Sure enough, Gu Jiansheng was just a pawn in his palm, and no matter what, he could never escape his grasp.

He Huaizhi had experienced countless rebirths and had complete confidence in the course of his destiny.

"Um."

Gu Jiansheng stood in the shadows with his head down. The afternoon sun made the ground appear white and distorted, but it couldn't penetrate the area where he was. The shadows descended, carrying a chill.

He Huaizhi smiled slightly, his voice gentle and magnetic, and took a step forward: "Is there something you need?"

Gu Jiansheng looked up, a fleeting emotion flashing in his eyes, and asked softly, "Would you like to come to my house for a while?"

He Huaizhi was stunned for a moment. Although he was absolutely confident in his charm, he was still somewhat surprised to hear the introverted and shy Gu Jiansheng make such a direct invitation.

After all, He Huaizhi hadn't had a chance to show off his skills in rescuing Gu Jiansheng in the city in this lifetime, but he quickly composed himself and smiled, "Of course, but it seems that the 'friend' staying at your house doesn't like me very much, is that alright?"

Gu Jiansheng lowered his head again, his handsome features concealed, and all that could be seen was him pursing his lips, his voice still very soft: "He doesn't live in my house."

He Huaizhi's eyes flickered, but he took a few more steps forward and came to the shadows where Gu Jiansheng was. He lowered his voice and said, "Well then, let's go."

.

Zhou Lexing sat in the shade of a tree by the drying ground, his head propped up in a daze, when he saw a familiar figure walking by in the distance. The figure looked completely different from the arrogant one he had seen before.

He sat up straight, raised his eyebrows slightly, thought for a moment, then stood up and followed.

That man was none other than Zhou Fugui, the eldest son of Zhou Laozhuang.

Zhou Lexing heard that their family had returned to the village, but he didn't have time to confirm it for the time being. There were only a few open areas in the village for drying rice, so it was impossible to avoid them.

What a coincidence today.

Zhou Lexing stretched his arms, yawned, and leisurely followed far behind Zhou Fugui.

Zhou Fugui had clearly just finished working in the fields; he was covered in dust, his sickle hung at his side, and his steps were sluggish. He looked extremely tired and walked straight home.

His door was open, and before he even entered, he could see several groups of relatives sitting in the yard and on the threshold.

"Fugui, you're back?" A woman in her fifties was the first to spot Zhou Fugui in the courtyard and immediately stood up.

The others followed closely behind, gradually surrounding the area without needing to say anything more.

Zhou Fugui seemed to have anticipated that there were outsiders at home, but he didn't expect there to be so many people. He instinctively tried to retreat, but it was too late.

"Fugui, your father is still pretending to be dead. If he won't make the decision, then you will!"

Zhou Fugui immediately waved his hand: "I can't, I can't make that decision! This has nothing to do with my family!"

Zhou Lexing crossed his arms and leaned against the earthen wall not far away, watching the commotion.

"Pah! Nephew, how dare you say such heartless things! It was your family that suggested causing trouble for Yuanxiang's family! We, their relatives, didn't hesitate to send the men of our families to support you! And now?"

"Yes! Fugui, your cousin and uncle are still lying in the hospital! The medical expenses are like burning money every day. Since Yuanxiang's family won't take care of it, then your family will have to!"

"That's right! There's no use dragging this out any longer! This is all your fault! Your family has to take responsibility!"

Zhou Fugui was attacked by the group, his face covered in spittle. He shouted, his face red, "You all went with him for his family's benefit! It was a consensual affair, so why blame us when something went wrong?!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd became even more hostile, hurling insults and even physically assaulting Zhou Fugui, who fled in terror but was unable to break through the encirclement.

Zhou Lexing watched with great interest. Seeing that Zhou Laozhuang hadn't come out for a long time, he knew that the old man was still pretending to be dead.

He watched for a while, thought about it, and then left without lingering.

.

"Have some tea."

Gu Jiansheng placed the chipped cup on the table.

The small teacup held dark brown tea, which rippled as it was placed on the table.

He Huaizhi smiled and placed his hand on the rim of the cup, pretending not to notice the broken glass: "Are you alone at home?"

He remembered that Gu Jiansheng's mother had given him many opportunities, and even Zhou Lanhua had helped Gu Jiansheng recognize the Gu family. She was a relatively important supporting character in his life.

But the room was quiet at this moment, and the silence of the afternoon nap gave off a sense of unease and death.

Gu Jiansheng didn't answer at first, but seeing that he wasn't drinking tea and was looking at him, he nodded and said, "Have some tea."

He Huaizhi smiled and picked up the teacup, but before the cup even touched his lips, he felt a fine, dense itching sensation on his feet.

He Huai was taken aback. When he saw Gu Jiansheng staring intently at him with his light-colored eyes, his heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that Gu Jiansheng was flirting with me under the table?

Is Gu Jiansheng ever this proactive in his life?

While surprised, He Huaizhi was also somewhat pleased with his own charm. He smiled slightly at Gu Jiansheng, lifted his foot, and tried to rub against Gu Jiansheng, but he didn't touch Gu Jiansheng's foot. However, the itching sensation was still creeping into his trouser leg.

He Huaizhi's face suddenly turned extremely ugly.

Gu Jiansheng stared intently at He Huaizhi. When he saw He Huaizhi's unusual expression, his heart sank. Just as he was about to make a move, He Huaizhi suddenly jumped up, which startled Gu Jiansheng, who was already on edge.

"Insects! There are insects!" He Huaizhi was so frightened that he dropped his cup. He jumped up and down several times like he was tap dancing before bending down and slapping his trouser leg. His fingers quickly found a hard, thumb-sized, shell-like object that was trying to crawl up his leg.

He Huaizhi almost forcibly suppressed the scream that was escaping his throat.

He Huaizhi, who kills without blinking an eye, is most afraid of multi-legged insects. He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and wished he could just cut off that leg!

Gu Jiansheng looked at He Huaizhi with a strange expression as he jumped around almost frantically, his hands slapping his calves repeatedly, trying to suppress the strange hoarse breathing sounds coming from his throat, his face turning red with anxiety.

The cup of tea that Gu Jiansheng had poured for him had long since rolled onto the ground, wetting a small area. The already chipped rim of the cup had a few new cracks. It took a long time before He Huaizhi calmed down a little.

The cockroach carcass, smashed into pieces on the ground, swayed its antennae in the wind blowing in from outside. He Huaizhi's face quickly turned from red to pale, and he couldn't even maintain his smile. After a long while, he managed to force a smile and said, "I... I thought it was some kind of poisonous insect..."

Gu Jiansheng knew that He Huaizhi hated insects, but he didn't know that this hatred was actually a synonym for fear. However, what Gu Jiansheng was concerned about now was not this trivial matter, but the timing that was so coincidental.

Gu Jiansheng: "It's alright, I'll pour you another cup."

"No!" He Huaizhi felt uneasy at the thought that cockroaches might have crawled on the things in the house.

He had never had such a terrifying experience in his life, and his tone became serious for a moment. Only after the words left his mouth did he think of making amends.

"It's okay, I'm not thirsty right now." He Huaizhi forced a smile, revealing a somewhat distorted expression.

A brief silence fell over the room. One person looked at the dead cockroach and felt nauseous, while the other stared at the broken teacup, lost in thought.

"Why don't we go for a walk outside? The weather is so nice today."

He Huaizhi made the difficult suggestion.

Looking at the dead cockroach, he simply couldn't bring himself to sit back down.

The weather is indeed very nice today.

The midday sun looked like it was melting the ground; from a distance, the ground appeared white and distorted, and even the wind blowing was scalding hot.

Gu Jiansheng reached into his pocket, touched the rough handle of the knife, remained silent for a moment, and nodded in agreement.

"Okay. I know a good place where no one will bother us."

He Huaizhi breathed a sigh of relief. After leaving the room with the insects, he couldn't help but feel proud of his growing charm. Seeing that he was about to max out Gu Jiansheng's favorability, he naturally followed behind Gu Jiansheng without any objection.