Chapter 105 Tender Affection [VIP]

Chapter summary: "At least, there were a few good days."

Upon hearing the teasing words, Fu Xianyin almost instinctively wanted to roll her eyes at him.

However, his mind gradually cleared up.

So she simply lifted her eyelids and glanced at him. Her gaze, which should have been fierce, had no intimidating power whatsoever. In Gu Linzhao's eyes, it looked more like she was being coquettish.

He laughed heartily, looked at Fu Xianyin, and asked, "Where do you want to go?"

Fu Xianyin simply gave up. She didn't even put up a last-ditch effort. She shrugged and said, "Where do you want to take me?"

Unexpected, yet perfectly logical.

Gu Linzhao took her out for a meal first.

He found a private room, which offered excellent privacy.

But it's a bit too good.

There were only the two of them in the huge room.

She hadn't felt anything amiss with the door open, but now that it was closed, Fu Xianyin suddenly felt the whole world become somewhat cramped.

Gu Linzhao handed her the menu directly, then leaned back lazily in his chair and said, "Order whatever you want."

Fu Xianyin looked at the menu and pointed to a plate of stir-fried pork with chili peppers.

Gu Linzhao chuckled and said, "It's rare for me to come back, why don't I order some things I can't get over there?"

Fu Xianyin: ...

She clicked her tongue and said, "Didn't you say I could order whatever I wanted? You're such a big boss, how can you go back on your word?"

Perhaps it was out of spite towards Gu Linzhao.

Fu Xianyin couldn't explain the reason.

In short, when it came time to order, she inexplicably added the stir-fried pork with chili peppers.

Stir-fried pork with chili peppers wasn't this restaurant's signature dish; in fact, it seemed to be one that very few people ordered. The waiter was taken aback when he heard her order stir-fried pork with chili peppers and said, "Miss, if you like spicy food, we have a new-style fusion twice-cooked pork that's actually quite good."

Fu Xianyin felt that Gu Linzhao's teasing gaze was piercing through her.

She forced herself to say, "I'll just order stir-fried pork with chili peppers."

The dishes were served quickly. Gu Linzhao took the serving chopsticks and used them to pick up some stir-fried pork with chili peppers for her as his first bite.

He said, "Try it, is it good?"

Fu Xianyin: ...

As long as the food on the plate isn't excrement, she'll say it's delicious even if she has to lie about her conscience.

As soon as she took a bite of the dish, Fu Xianyin said, "Delicious."

It really is quite delicious.

It's much better than what she did herself.

Gu Linzhao nodded, looking thoughtful, but his words were ruthless.

He said, "Then it seems you really don't have much good food there."

Fu Xianyin didn't want to argue with him, so she picked up her chopsticks and started picking up other dishes.

After eating for a while, she suddenly realized that Gu Linzhao was eating with her.

She paused with her chopsticks, then asked hesitantly, "You haven't eaten?"

It's almost 3 PM now, not a mealtime.

Gu Linzhao continued picking up food without pausing, saying, "I ate breakfast, but not lunch."

It's impossible that I didn't eat during my annual leave because of work.

Fu Xianyin suddenly wanted to ask him how long he had been waiting at the hotel.

Are we just going to sit there and wait?

The warm tea in the cup seeped into my skin little by little.

Fu Xianyin's fingertips pressed against the cup, feeling the lukewarm warmth gradually seep into her limbs and bones.

She suddenly asked, "What time did you go?"

Gu Linzhao said, "Eight o'clock."

His breath came in short, disordered gasps in his chest.

"Why."

She said.

Gu Linzhao chuckled and said, "Because I thought you wouldn't get up before eight o'clock."

Fu Xianyin said, "That's not what I meant."

Which one are you referring to?

The chopsticks were placed on the plate. Gu Linzhao moved them very gently, but the contact between the hard objects still inevitably produced a crisp sound.

Gu Linzhao turned to look at him, the faint smile on his face seemingly fading away.

He looked into her eyes and asked abruptly and earnestly, "Fu Xianyin, what kind of answer do you want to hear?"

"Do you want me to admit it, or do you want me to make excuses to deny it, or do you want to hear me give an ambiguous answer so that you can rework it to meet your expectations?"

His hand rested on the teacup, his fingertips lightly touching it, but his gaze remained fixed on her.

What kind of answer does she want to hear?

Fu Xianyin also asked herself the same question.

The thick clouds dispersed, and the dense fog was also disappearing.

Those things she had once resisted to the death, refused to admit, and even preferred to deceive herself rather than face, were now clearly appearing before her.

She is selfish.

She couldn't bear to part with it, couldn't leave it, and couldn't let it go.

But they couldn't get what they wanted.

Even if she couldn't get what she wanted, she still wanted to look ahead.

Get closer, and even closer.

Even if it's just for a day, a moment, or a fleeting instant.

After the meal, Gu Linzhao led him to the car.

Unlike before, this time he drove himself.

This was the first time Fu Xianyin had ridden in his car.

She recognized some car logos and license plates and could tell that Gu Linzhao was driving an Aston Martin DBX today.

It strangely suits his temperament.

Gu Linzhao drives very steadily.

The accelerator is pressed smoothly, and the brakes are applied gently.

He drives much more steadily than she does.

Fu Xianyin didn't ask Gu Linzhao where he was taking her. She just silently followed Gu Linzhao into the car and watched him drive around Beichuan City aimlessly.

Taking a stroll is a nice thing.

Fu Xianyin didn't find it boring.

After driving for less than twenty minutes, Fu Xianyin felt that everything in front of her seemed to have become wrong.

The car gradually passed by one familiar place after another.

Beichuan No.1 Middle School, its affiliated middle school, the abandoned Astronomical Park, the coffee shop and library they frequented during their high school years, and even the neighborhood where she rented her dress.

But he really was just passing by.

Without stopping or even slowing down, the car continued straight ahead along the main road. In at most two seconds, this place would completely disappear from Fu Xianyin's sight, left behind by the speeding car and never to be seen again.

But the memory appeared in less than two seconds.

One by one, the past events rushed out.

Fu Xianyin saw the wall she had climbed over, the gate she had pleaded with the security guard while dragging her suitcase, the park where she first saw Gu Linzhao playing basketball, the shop where Gu Linzhao helped her answer Chen Huimei's call, and the astronomical park where Gu Linzhao took her to skip evening self-study on that lonely night.

In some places, she even thought she had forgotten, but the rapidly flowing memories told her otherwise.

She never forgot.

At another red light, Gu Linzhao turned on his left turn signal.

Just as Fu Xianyin was about to see where it was this time, her gaze suddenly shifted, and she suddenly saw several large, bold characters in front of the main gate on the right.

Beichuan No. 13 Middle School.

The car slowed down.

Gu Linzhao actually parked his car right in front of the No. 13 Middle School.

He spoke casually, as if he were merely asking about the weather, asking Fu Xianyin, "Have you been here before?"

"No."

Never?

"No."

With a click, Gu Linzhao unbuckled his seatbelt.

He opened the car door, and the cold wind from outside rushed in, making Fu Xianyin shiver.

She heard Gu Linzhao say, "That's perfect, let's go in and take a look."

As he spoke, he stepped out of the car, and another sentence seemed to be blown away by the wind, leaving only a few fragments that entered Fu Xianyin's ears.

"I've been here quite a few times."

Although it was during winter break, there were still security guards on duty at the school gate.

I don't know what Gu Linzhao said to the security guard, but the guard actually let the two of them in.

The layout of the No. 13 Middle School campus is quite different from that of the No. 1 Middle School. As soon as Fu Xianyin enters the gate, there is a small fountain, and the teaching buildings have to go around the fountain.

As she hesitated about which way to go, Gu Linzhao took the first step.

He didn't even have time to hesitate. He led her into a teaching building, and then climbed all the way to the fourth floor.

As she crossed the last step, Fu Xianyin held onto the handrail and caught her breath for a moment.

He saw Gu Linzhao turn out of the stairs and then stop in front of the classroom with the name of Grade 1 (22) written on it.

This is the examination room written on her college entrance examination admission ticket.

Books were scattered on the desks in the classroom, and the chairs were also placed haphazardly. Fu Xianyin looked out the window and could even see the school gate through the window outside the classroom.

It's as if I'm standing in the middle of a hot summer day, with torrential rain making the leaves tremble and rustle.

The security guards at the entrance maintained order as students filed out in a rush.

The torrential rain soaked their clothes and shoes, but everyone wore a relieved smile.

Apart from one figure waiting at the door.

The torrential rain soaked half of the boy's shoulder. He held an umbrella and, through the rain, tried to make out yet another person walking out of the school.

Until the sun set and night fell.

His shoulders slumped completely.

Fu Xianyin blinked, and then her vision was once again enveloped in white.

She took a breath, her trembling, unsteady breath swirling in her nostrils.

In her panic, she saw the huge school rules and regulations posted in the classroom.

She looked down at each of the four, her gaze lingering on the fourth one.

Fourth, early romantic relationships are strictly prohibited at school; violators will be notified to their parents.

For some unknown reason, Fu Xianyin chuckled softly.

Gu Linzhao said, "What are you laughing at?"

Just as Fu Xianyin was about to say it was nothing, Gu Banxian saw through her.

Gu Bansian said, "Are you laughing at them for not allowing early relationships?"

Fu Xianyin neither admitted nor denied it, but simply let out a soft hum through her nose.

Gu Linzhao suddenly said, "No. 1 High School doesn't allow early relationships either."

Fu Xianyin turned to look at him and asked, "You won't allow it?"

Gu Linzhao said, "Things that affect learning are generally not allowed."

He said, "After all, it's easy to interfere with studies."

Fu Xianyin shifted her gaze to the side again, and this time the slogan she saw was even more direct.

You can fall in love anytime. Can you wait for love to happen, or for the college entrance exam?

Early romantic relationships are irresponsible to oneself and to one's life.

She said, "It seems like someone in this class was caught dating too early, otherwise there would be so many slogans."

"She's probably not a good student either," she added.

Gu Linzhao said lightly, "Why are you still discriminating based on grades?"

Fu Xianyin said, "Was it me who did it? Let me put it another way, it depends on who does it, is that okay?"

She was about to say something more when she turned her head and unexpectedly met Gu Linzhao's eyes.

He leaned against the door frame, one leg slightly bent, his gaze fixed intently on her.

Fu Xianyin had no idea how long he had been watching.

Fu Xianyin had seen those eyes many times.

Even when they were young, Gu Linzhao had always stared straight at her like that.

At that time, his eyes were like a spring, clear and cool, full of youthful spirit and vitality.

Now, Fu Xianyin suddenly realized that his eyes seemed to have changed a lot.

It became deeper and more unfathomable.

Just one glance is enough to feel as if you've been hooked and fallen into the darkness, plunging into oblivion and darkness, yet never quite reaching the bottom.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

When it started running again, it stirred up a strong wind.

They were looking at the classroom from the same doorway, and were very close to each other at that moment.

Fu Xianyin's sleeve brushed against his arm.

Fu Xianyin was so close that she could clearly feel the oppressive presence of the tall man beside her.

Fu Xianyin felt the air around her thicken.

Gu Linzhao, seemingly oblivious, kept his eyes on her and said, "However, it seems that No. 1 High School doesn't strictly prohibit dating like this."

"Generally speaking, the stricter the high school is, the more students will start dating immediately after the college entrance examination."

"On the other hand..."

Gu Linzhao chuckled softly: "That seems to make sense too."

Fu Xianyin suddenly said, "So do you think it's better for high school to be stricter or more lenient?"

Gu Linzhao countered, "What do you think?"

Fu Xianyin raised an eyebrow and said, "Didn't I ask you first? You should answer first."

A gust of wind blew through the corridor, making Fu Xianyin feel a little cold. She subconsciously huddled in the corner of the door frame.

Gu Linzhao also seemed to take a slight step forward.

Right now, most of her shoulder is in front of Gu Linzhao.

His arm was casually resting on the door frame, and his body was leaning slightly forward.

It looks like a half-hearted hug.

Gu Linzhao said, "If we have to choose, it seems better to be more strict."

His gaze fell, his eyelashes drooping, and he spoke softly, "What do you think?"

Fu Xianyin smiled and said, "It depends on the person."

This is a very perfunctory answer.

Gu Linzhao was clearly not fooled.

He squinted, his gaze languid.

"And what about you?"

"For me?"

Fu Xianyin's voice was soft and gentle. Whether it was because of the close proximity or the classroom door acting as a barrier, the sound was reflected back after it was sent out, giving it a strangely tender quality.

She said:

"Then it seems better to loosen the controls a bit."

"At least, there were some good days."