Chapter 109 An Attempt to Cover Up the Truth [VIP]

Chapter Summary: That ambiguous red mark.

A blush rose on her cheeks.

As if her secret thoughts had been exposed, Fu Xianyin couldn't help but have tears welling up in her eyes.

She looked up in a panic, only to find herself staring right into Gu Linzhao's eyes.

He looked at her calmly.

But this left her nowhere to hide.

Fu Xianyin heard her own trembling voice ring out:

"I asked first, so you answer me first."

No sooner had she finished speaking than her lips were unexpectedly pecked.

Fu Xianyin instinctively tried to dodge, but somehow her brain quickly came to its senses and controlled her body, making her raise her chin to meet the next kiss.

"rogue."

She cursed under her breath.

But their bodies honestly pressed close.

She leaned on Gu Linzhao's shoulder, tilted her head back, and her lips just touched his Adam's apple.

Bad thoughts suddenly began to stir.

Fu Xianyin raised her head and brushed her lips against his Adam's apple.

She didn't kiss him, but her lips lightly touched his Adam's apple with subtle movements.

His Adam's apple seemed to move slightly beneath his lips.

It seemed that taking the initiative brought her a strange sense of pleasure, and in that instant, her heart was no longer tense.

She parted her lips and asked, somewhat stubbornly, "Answer me first."

Did you bring anyone else with you?

The scope has even expanded from Xu Aiya to the general public.

Fu Xianyin heard him say, "No."

"I've never brought anyone else with me; I came by myself."

Having heard the answer she wanted, Fu Xianyin retreated with satisfaction, a smile involuntarily appearing on her lips. But then she heard Gu Linzhao continue, "I come here often."

Fearing he might bring up something else, Fu Xianyin quickly interrupted him.

Her tone still carried the same crispness as before, but her voice lacked any intimidation, sounding more like a coquettish remark: "I didn't ask you any of that."

Gu Linzhao said, "Writing only the answer without showing the steps will result in a deduction of points."

Fu Xianyin pouted and said, "I've never lost points like this before."

She has always been cautious.

The road ahead was illuminated by Gu Linzhao's flashlight, and Fu Xianyin felt embarrassed to stare at him any longer, so she lowered her head and walked forward on her own.

My hand was being held again without me even realizing it.

Fu Xianyin didn't break free and just kept walking forward.

After taking a couple of steps, she heard Gu Linzhao ask, "I've answered your question, so can you answer mine now?"

His problem.

What's his problem?

Fu Xianyin's mind went blank for a moment, and before she could think about it, Gu Linzhao repeated the question again:

"Fu Xianyin, are you jealous?"

When he asked that question, the two of them weren't doing anything.

Whether you deny it or admit it, it doesn't really matter.

But after all that commotion she just caused—the kisses, the physical intimacy, and all her mischievous intentions—asking this question now suddenly seems a bit...

The attempt to cover it up only makes it more obvious.

Admitting it is like officially stamping a document, while denying it only makes it seem like you're trying too hard to hide something.

Fu Xianyin turned her head away and said softly, "Who said I have to answer just because you answered?"

Gu Linzhao laughed and said lazily, "Fu Xianyin, you're cheating."

Fu Xianyin, though unreasonable, was still defiant: "I'm just being unreasonable."

She broke free from Gu Linzhao's hand, quickened her pace, and the two missed each other by a few steps.

Gu Linzhao didn't follow, but the beam of his flashlight steadily shone in front of her.

Although the lights in the cabin were dim, they were still much better than a flashlight.

Seeing that the flashlight beam had been completely blocked, Fu Xianyin suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Before Gu Linzhao could even ask, "What's wrong?", Fu Xianyin turned back.

He raised an eyebrow, somewhat anticipating Fu Xianyin's next move.

The next second, Fu Xianyin picked up a flashlight and shone it directly on his neck. Then, she reached out and wiped his Adam's apple.

Her fingertips were very soft, and she rubbed them back and forth on Adam's apple with considerable force, sometimes even pressing so hard it hurt.

But the pain is not suffering.

Her breathing became heavy, and with a "snap," Gu Linzhao reached out and grabbed her wrist.

When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse.

He said, "Are you planning a murder?"

Fu Xianyin raised her eyes slightly, twisted her wrist in his hand, and tapped his Adam's apple with her cool fingertips, saying:

"There's lipstick on it."

"I accidentally brushed against it just now."

Gu Linzhao's eyes were dark, and his voice was deep and hoarse.

He said, "So what?"

Fu Xianyin said somewhat anxiously, "They will see."

Gu Linzhao suddenly tilted his head, avoiding the hand.

He leaned down, looked directly at Fu Xianyin, and asked, "So what if you saw it?"

Looking into her eyes, one sees a deep, unfathomable depth.

For some reason, Fu Xianyin felt a little nervous.

She swallowed hard, instinctively avoiding the intense, aggressive gaze.

"It wouldn't be good if they saw it."

The lipstick was of good quality; no matter how much she wiped it off, she still left an ambiguous red mark on Gu Linzhao's Adam's apple.

The skin in that area even turned slightly red from the repeated rubbing.

It's almost like trying to hide something while still showing it.

It can't be wiped off, and Fu Xianyin's handbag is in the car. She only has her phone with her, and going back to the car to get it now would mean going around in circles again.

Moreover, judging from Gu Linzhao's current attitude, he clearly doesn't want to go back to her again.

The commotion of the crowd seemed to be right next to his ears. Gu Linzhao looked down at her, as if to see what other tricks she could come up with.

Suddenly, Fu Xianyin took off the scarf around her neck.

The moment the red cashmere scarf was taken off, the exposed neck was assaulted by the cold wind.

Fu Xianyin flinched, then took the scarf and wrapped it around Gu Linzhao's neck, one circle at a time.

The scarf still retained her body heat, warm, and pressed against Gu Linzhao's neck.

And there was that faint fragrance she carried.

Fu Xianyin put her hands in her pockets, adjusted the collar of her coat, and said, "Let's go."

...

I wonder if the cold wind had made her brain stiff.

It wasn't until she noticed the three men's gazes lingering on the red scarf around Gu Linzhao's neck that Fu Xianyin realized how stupid she had been.

Not to mention that the lipstick mark on her neck was barely noticeable, and the place where she was looking at the stars was poorly lit, so she couldn't see it at all.

Even if you could see it, Gu Linzhao was wearing a down jacket today, and the collar was all turned up, completely covering his face.

She even went so far as to wrap her red scarf around her neck.

Not saying a word when someone comes is just trying to cover it up.

Gu Linzhao had a faint smile on his face, and didn't even bother to explain.

Cheng Zhaozhao looked at the two of them suspiciously and asked, "Your scarf..."

Before she could finish her question, Fu Xianyin interrupted her: "He's cold, wrap him in something."

"Really?" Cheng Zhaozhao frowned at Gu Linzhao: "Are you that cold? And you even took Yinyin's scarf to wear."

Gu Linzhao thought for a moment and then said, "It's not very cold, so how about I return it to you?"

His tone was slightly raised, and Fu Xianyin felt her heart about to be lifted.

Seeing that he was about to take off his scarf, Fu Xianyin quickly stopped him.

“Just keep looking around,” she said, her words tumbling out in a daze. “Give it to me later, later.”

There was still some distance between the cabin and the campsite, and the lights in front of them grew increasingly dim, so the group shone their flashlights on the road.

Fu Xianyin and Gu Linzhao unknowingly fell to the back. Seeing that all the lights were off, Fu Xianyin felt a warmth on her neck, and then heard Gu Linzhao say, "You can wrap yourself up, aren't you cold?"

Fu Xianyin subconsciously looked up, only to see Gu Linzhao bending down and wrapping the scarf around her neck.

His fingers moved along her neck, occasionally brushing against it and sometimes rubbing against her ear.

Fu Xianyin felt her ear tips getting hot from his rubbing.

She spoke, but her voice was muffled as it was muffled by her scarf: "You will get back to me."

"Is this considered retaliation?"

Gu Linzhao raised his voice slightly and chuckled.

The next second, Fu Xianyin felt her earlobe being pinched lightly.

There is pain, but it is very mild.

What's more noticeable is the tingling sensation that travels through the nerves to the brain when the earlobe is being kneaded.

Gu Linzhao's lazy voice drifted into her ears: "At least this way, it can be considered retaliation."

A large crowd had already gathered in front of the Starry Sky Camp. Cheng Zhaozhao managed to snag a telescope and hurriedly called them over to look.

Lin Anxu leaned closer to look, and after a while exclaimed, "Holy crap, so many stars!"

Cheng Zhaozhao pouted and said, "You're so uncultured. What else can you say besides 'fuck'?"

Lin Anxu thought for a moment and said, "Damn, that's much better."

Cheng Zhaozhao:......

She rolled her eyes, which Lin Anxu noticed. He couldn't help but defend himself, saying, "Hey, I'm a science student. It's already pretty good that I can still maintain this level of Chinese language skills after all these years since graduation, okay?"

Without even thinking, Cheng Zhaozhao retorted, "Is being a science student an excuse? Yinyin is a science student too, and she still got 139 in high school Chinese, didn't she?"

Lin Anxu exaggeratedly said, "No, sis, what's the difference between this and sending a newly cultivated demon to capture Tang Sanzang? Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

Cheng Zhaozhao said, "What? We're all in the same class, taught by the same teacher, so why can't we compare?"

“You’re comparing me to her,” Lin Anxu pointed to himself, then to Fu Xianyin, “you should ask her why I wasn’t nominated for the Nobel Prize this year.”

Fu Xianyin burst out laughing.

Lin Anxu exclaimed as if he had found a savior, "Sister, look at her. Isn't my reaction normal?"

Fu Xianyin said, "Yes, I have a friend who saw the stars for the first time around the same time as you."

Lin Anxu asked curiously, "So what did he say? Did he just say 'fuck' too?"

Fu Xianyin smiled and said, "More or less."

Lin Anxu felt confident: "Look, even professionals do this, so what if I'm not a professional?"

Cheng Zhaozhao wasn't going to miss any opportunity to criticize him, saying, "Who said he's a professional? Yinyin, is he a professional?"

Fu Xianyin thought for a moment and said, "It's Alex, not exactly a professional, is it?"

Cheng Zhaozhao remembered Alex and was shocked for a moment upon hearing this: "No way, that handsome guy is like that too, coming up here and saying 'fuck'?"

Fu Xianyin said, "Pretty much. I showed him some professional equipment, and the first thing he said was 'Holy Shit'."

Just as she was about to say something more, a voice beside her asked indifferently, "You even took Alex to see the stars?"

Fu Xianyin's movements faltered.

Turning her head, she saw Gu Linzhao looking at her with a half-smile.

Fu Xianyin felt so guilty she felt like she was going to explode.

Just now, she was being unreasonable and asking Gu Linzhao if he had brought anyone else to see the stars.

Gu Linzhao denied it, but then he discovered that she had taken other people to see the stars.

Gu Linzhao's smile didn't reach his eyes as he said, "Fu Xianyin, is it a case of 'the magistrate is allowed to set fires, but the common people are forbidden to light lamps'?"

Lin Anxu was completely baffled and asked, utterly confused, "What do you mean by setting fires and lighting lamps?"

Fu Xianyin quickly explained, "Alex is my mentor's son. Once, he needed to go to the field for observation. It would take several hours to drive there from the school. My mentor is not young and was worried about him driving at night. I was also very busy with the project at that time and only slept for two or three hours in total, so I couldn't drive and asked his son to do the hard work."

Lin Anxu sighed, "I only get two or three hours of sleep in total. This is too busy."

Fu Xianyin seemed to have regained some confidence, and her voice became more assertive.

“Yes,” she glanced at Gu Linzhao, her voice light and airy, “I’m busy with President Gu’s projects.”

Gu Linzhao smiled but remained silent.

Fu Xianyin's words were actually a bit of an exaggeration. She was working late into the night partly to catch up on the Xingfan Technology project, but she was also busy with other projects.

Gu Linzhao certainly knew the reason, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he smiled and accepted the condemnation.

Lin Anxu exaggeratedly said that Gu Linzhao was an unethical boss, and then asked him in a cheeky way whether he would give her a year-end bonus.

Fu Xianyin stood still, her sleeve being tugged.

She turned her head and saw Cheng Zhaozhao looking at her with a suspicious expression.

She lowered her voice, her tone full of inquiry.

She asked, "What's going on between you two?"

Cheng Zhaozhao poked her scarf with her finger and said, "We're wearing the same scarf, don't tell me there's nothing going on."

She bombarded him with questions: "You've made up? You've talked it out? You're planning to stay in China?"

Fu Xianyin shook her head, her voice dry and hoarse.

She uttered only one word: "No."

Cheng Zhaozhao didn't believe it: "It's nothing."

Fu Xianyin said, "We haven't made up, we haven't talked things out, and I—" She paused, looked at Cheng Zhaozhao, and said calmly, "I also don't plan to stay in China."

Cheng Zhaozhao fell silent.

She spoke up, offering advice: "I'm not blind, and neither is anyone else. Everyone can see that Gu Linzhao... even if we don't say he still has feelings for you, he still has lingering feelings. Besides, what happened back then wasn't your fault. You don't need to keep torturing yourself until now."

Fu Xianyin burst out laughing at her: "Not my fault? Cheng Zhaozhao, if I were to commit murder and arson one day, would you also think that others deserved to die?"

Cheng Zhaozhao snorted and said, "Of course."

Fu Xianyin sighed, "The filter is so heavy."

Her voice was so low it sounded like a sigh: "If it's not my fault, then is it Gu Linzhao's fault? If we have to pick someone out, then it's still my fault."

Chen Nianke suddenly blurted out, "Why do we have to single one out?"

Fu Xianyin was stunned.

Chen Nianke had been staring at the stars through the microscope the whole time, and Fu Xianyin even thought she hadn't heard their conversation.

She watched as Chen Nianke straightened up, raised her head, and looked at her, repeating, "Why must we find someone to be at fault between the two of you?"

She said calmly, "Fu Xianyin, you didn't break the law. The law won't go to the bottom of things and find someone to hold accountable. You had no choice back then, someone forced you, you had no other option."

"So why do you insist on taking this all on yourself?"

Fu Xianyin's gaze became distant, her voice very soft: "I don't know either. Actually... all these years, I've always thought I've come to terms with it. If I had to do it all over again, I would still do the same thing. I can only do it this way, so I have no regrets. That's just who I am."

She paused for a moment and then said, "I just feel that I should tell him, but there's something I can't get over in my heart."

Her gaze fell on Gu Linzhao not far away, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips.

Chen Nianke stretched and said, "That's none of my business. Of the three of us, I'm the one with no romantic experience."

Cheng Zhaozhao snorted: "As the saying goes, those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly."

Chen Nianke pointed at Fu Xianyin and said, "She's quite clear-headed, but you are." She pinched Cheng Zhaozhao's ear and said, "I think you're completely infatuated with her."

Cheng Zhaozhao: "Hey, why are you suddenly attacking me? That's not fair of you, Chen Nianke."

As she spoke, she reached out to pinch Chen Nianke's cheek, but Chen Nianke dodged her with a laugh: "Hey, look, look! What's that constellation? Is it Centaurus?"

Cheng Zhaozhao: "What centaur? Isn't it Capricorn?"

The two were comparing their phones when Lin Anxu joined in the fun, saying, "Hey, let me see, let me see, what good stuff are you hiding?"

Fu Xianyin's lips curved into a smile.

When she realized she was laughing, she turned her head away somewhat embarrassed. However, the moment she turned her head away, she met Gu Linzhao's gaze.

He stood there, watching her for who knows how long.

At that moment, Fu Xianyin felt a warm glow in her heart.

Suddenly, she didn't want to think about the future anymore.

Some people make you want to plan your future with them every second your heart beats.

However, some people standing in front of you make you feel that this moment is the most beautiful, and that the future and everything else are unimportant.

They should be considered lucky.

Both of these thoughts of hers came about in connection with him.

[Author's Note]

I don't know if everyone can tell, but I'm already wrapping it up!

The countdown to the end is on!