Chapter 63 Tsurune's Sister [VIP]

Chapter Summary: How stingy! You only let me see the sunset.

The two left Hong Kong Island on Sunday.

The plane tickets were for Sunday afternoon. Gu Linzhao would accompany her back to Beijing first, and then fly back to Beichuan from Beijing.

Fu Xianyin had been listless ever since she woke up in the morning.

I only ate a few bites of breakfast before taking a taxi with Gu Linzhao to the airport.

Throughout the journey, Fu Xianyin clung to the window, gazing at the scenery outside.

This is not her first time visiting Hong Kong Island.

But it was the time she least wanted to leave Hong Kong Island.

Or perhaps, what they don't want to leave is not Hong Kong Island.

It's the person next to you.

The taxi arrived at the airport. Gu Linzhao carried two suitcases down, and Fu Xianyin followed slowly behind her.

She walked slowly, and Gu Linzhao didn't rush her, but accompanied her as she slowly made her way to the boarding gate.

Looking at Fu Xianyin's listless appearance, he finally couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You were fine yesterday, why are you so listless today?"

Fu Xianyin said weakly, "The battery was completely used up yesterday, so we're switching to power-saving mode now."

On their flight back to Beijing, the two were finally able to choose seats together.

Fu Xianyin sat by the window, and Gu Linzhao sat to her left.

The sky outside the window was overcast, as if it were about to rain.

While waiting for their flight, Fu Xianyin couldn't help but pray in her heart: Please let it happen, please let it happen, preferably a big one, with the flight delayed so that they both have to stay in Hong Kong Island for an extra day.

pity.

Her wish was not fulfilled once again; the plane took off on time.

Yesterday morning I had an intense exam, and in the afternoon I spent the whole day at the amusement park.

Fu Xianyin fell asleep shortly after the plane took off.

When she woke up, she found herself leaning brazenly against Gu Linzhao.

It wasn't even the kind of tilting her head and resting it on his shoulder; instead, she just kept burrowing into his arms like she had no bones.

Upon realizing her posture, Fu Xianyin's head buzzed and instantly turned bright red.

She frantically tried to get up, but the position was so comfortable that she couldn't exert any strength. By sheer coincidence, the place where she put her weight on happened to be Gu Linzhao's leg.

"hiss"

A soft, muffled groan from the boy reached her ears.

Fu Xianyin was afraid that she had pressed something she shouldn't have, and for a moment she was at a loss and fell back down.

She nestled in Gu Linzhao's arms, her body tense, but she dared not move an inch.

A soft laugh reached my ears.

Gu Linzhao reached out to her to take over, and Fu Xianyin sat up awkwardly.

The next second, Gu Linzhao stretched out his finger and tapped her ear with his fingertip.

His voice still carried a hint of laughter: "Fu Xianyin, your ears are red."

Fu Xianyin retorted defiantly, "Then I'll pinch your ears until they turn red too."

She stretched out her paw, grinned, and pretended to pinch Gu Linzhao's ear. Unexpectedly, Gu Linzhao leaned back in his chair, adopting a "whatever" attitude, and raised his chin at Fu Xuanyin, saying:

"Okay, come on."

Fu Xianyin could even detect a hint of anticipation in his tone.

What's coming?

What the hell are you expecting?!

Fu Xianyin finally understood what it meant for the ruthless to fear the crazy, and the crazy to fear the reckless.

But things have already developed to this point.

Fu Xianyin was a person who was so concerned with saving face that she suffered for it.

She bit her lip, and a wicked thought crossed her mind. She grabbed one of Gu Linzhao's ears with each of her two hands.

That's how long my arm is.

Once the hand is extended, people naturally follow.

Perhaps it was because the clothes were thick in winter, or perhaps Fu Xianyin had no concept of distance.

The moment she pinched Gu Linzhao's ear, she felt that there was less than 20 centimeters between her face and Gu Linzhao's.

Even shorter.

It was so short that she could feel Gu Linzhao's breath and see herself reflected in his eyes.

Fu Xianyin unconsciously swallowed.

She lost control of her grip, gave it a quick squeeze, and then let go.

Before letting go, she seemed to see Gu Linzhao's Adam's apple bob.

But the time was too short, so short that before Fu Xianyin could even confirm, her body had already retreated.

She pointed to Gu Linzhao's ears and said with satisfaction, "Look, your ears are red now too."

Gu Linzhao chuckled softly but didn't say anything.

Fool.

With that little force, you couldn't even kill a mosquito.

Could it be that her pinched his ears until they turned red?

Gu Linzhao only had one hour to stay in Beijing.

Fu Xianyin took him to the airport for a quick meal.

Two bowls of noodles were served, with only a few pitiful pieces of meat floating on top.

Gu Linzhao pointed and said, "Is this why you don't eat on the plane?"

Fu Xianyin pouted: "Airplane food is awful, it's not fit for human consumption."

That's not actually the reason.

She has very low requirements for food now; as long as it's not something she absolutely hates, she'll eat anything that can fill her stomach.

She just wanted to find an excuse to spend more time with Gu Linzhao.

But unexpectedly, Gu Linzhao remained quiet.

He just ate quietly.

Fu Xianyin couldn't stand it after eating for a while. She put down her chopsticks, nudged his calf with the back of her foot, and said, "Say something."

Gu Linzhao said, "One should not speak while eating."

Fu Xianyin pouted, thinking to herself that she hadn't noticed how quiet he was when they ate together before.

She sighed and spoke up: "After I get back, I have exams on Wednesday. The TOEFL listening and reading scores come out immediately, and I can roughly guess my total score from those two. Then the SAT scores come out on Friday."

Gu Linzhao asked, "Then you go back to school to continue your studies?"

Fu Xianyin shook her head: "I still have competitions to compete in, so I probably won't be back at school until mid-January or next semester."

Gu Linzhao asked, "Are you going to the competition alone?"

Fu Xianyin said, "It should be, anyway, it's just going to take an exam."

Gu Linzhao looked at her without saying a word.

Fu Xianyin lowered her eyes and said, "You don't need to come with me. I'm a grown woman, it's not like I can't handle going to another city for a competition or something."

Gu Linzhao asked, "Are those competitions held domestically?"

Fu Xianyin: ...

She said, "Abroad."

Gu Linzhao said, "You're not even an adult yet. It's one thing to take the exam in China, but why are you going abroad alone?"

Fu Xianyin said, "But aren't you also underage?"

Gu Linzhao said, "I'll be there soon."

Fu Xianyin suddenly looked up.

She suddenly realized that, despite knowing Gu Linzhao for so long, she still didn't know when his birthday was.

She didn't even know... whether she was older or Gu Linzhao was older.

She asked, "When?"

Gu Linzhao said, "12.20."

"And you?"

He countered with a question.

Fu Xianyin said, "New Year's Eve."

Gu Linzhao suddenly smiled.

He said, "Then you're younger than me, little sister Xianyin."

He seemed to deliberately emphasize the words "Xuanyin Sister".

The way he said it seemed to carry a slightly different meaning.

Gu Linzhao asked, "So you've always celebrated your birthday according to the lunar calendar?"

“No,” Fu Xianyin sighed, looking at Gu Linzhao and saying honestly, “I’ve never celebrated my birthday.”

Gu Linzhao: ...

He opened his mouth, about to say something to make amends, but Fu Xianyin spoke first:

"I was born prematurely. To be precise, my mom had a C-section before the due date so that I could be born on New Year's Eve. She just wanted my dad to be able to come home for the New Year every year, but it turned out to be useless."

"Also," Fu Xianyin took a breath, not giving Gu Linzhao a chance to interrupt, she said, "Don't feel that mentioning my sad things or anything. I'm already seventeen, almost eighteen, and I've lived like this for so many years. It's not like I'll be heartbroken just because you mention it once or twice."

"It's really not that bad."

She shattered it all before the air could freeze.

She couldn't bear the thought of Gu Linzhao feeling guilty or apologetic towards her.

This would intensify her already meager sense of morality.

Gu Linzhao shouldn't feel sorry for her.

In any aspect, at any time, under any circumstances.

He shouldn't have done that.

If anyone should apologize, it should be her.

Even if we were to calculate it.

That's something she owes him.

Gu Linzhao was stunned for a few seconds, then chuckled and said, "I'm not pitying you, I just..."

“People with a high sense of morality are all like this,” Fu Xuanyin said, taking a bite of noodles and speaking indistinctly. “A heartless bastard like me wouldn’t do that.”

She raised her chin and said, "See? Learn from this."

Fu Xianyin uttered a few words between her tongue and lips, her voice light and flirtatious:

"Brother Lin Zhao".

I only realized it later because of shyness.

Fu Xianyin didn't understand why Gu Linzhao could call her "Xianyin Sister" so naturally and smoothly, but when it was her turn to call him "Linzhao Brother," she would become completely flustered.

That won't do.

Fu Xianyin's back was stiff, her gaze fixed on Gu Linzhao, not even moving away.

She had only one thought in her mind.

She couldn't let Gu Linzhao discover her shyness.

So she just stared at Gu Linzhao like that.

She saw his Adam's apple bob, and she saw his hand holding the chopsticks seem to loosen slightly, with one end of the chopsticks disappearing into the bowl. Gu Linzhao licked his lips.

Then he looked away.

Relieved, Fu Xianyin continued eating her noodles with a strong and calm demeanor.

The noodles, picked up by the tips of chopsticks, looked increasingly tasteless.

Fu Xianyin escorted Gu Linzhao all the way to the boarding gate.

She hesitated whether to suggest a hug to Gu Linzhao, but the words lingered on her lips and she ultimately didn't dare to say them.

In contrast to her silence, Gu Linzhao became more talkative.

Like an elder parent about to leave, he instructed Fu Xianyin: "Eat three meals a day on time, don't forget to eat. Don't stay up too late at night, and you can call me if you can't sleep."

Seeing that Fu Xianyin didn't respond, Gu Linzhao asked, "Did you hear me?"

Fu Xianyin asked, "Can I only call you when I can't sleep?"

Gu Linzhao laughed: "You still remember me when you're no longer useful?"

Fu Xianyin pouted and muttered under her breath, "Ungrateful."

Gu Linzhao laughed.

The feeling of parting seeped into Fu Xianyin's heart, and she felt her heart pounding heavily.

She pointed to the boarding gate and said, "You'd better hurry up, or you'll miss your flight."

Gu Linzhao said, "Okay."

He looked at Fu Xianyin one last time and suddenly said, "You can call me anytime you want."

Fu Xianyin suppressed a smile, waved at him, and stubbornly said, "I don't want to call you."

The boy was still wearing the same windbreaker he wore yesterday, and even just the back of his head looked incredibly handsome in the crowd.

Fu Xianyin watched the black figure gradually disappear around the corner, and then remained stunned for a while before leaving.

Many days after returning to Beijing, Fu Xianyin still wondered if those two days in Hong Kong were just a beautiful dream.

She repeatedly opened her phone's photo album to confirm that her memory was not an illusion.

The monthly exam has been scheduled for December 29th, and after the exam, there will be a three-day New Year's Day holiday.

I took the TOEFL on Wednesday and got my listening and reading scores right away. I got 29 in reading and 26 in listening. I'm pretty much guaranteed a 90. If I do well in speaking and writing, I could even get 100.

The SAT scores for last week's test came out this week. Qin Yi checked her scores: 800 in math and 720 in reading.

Qin Yi was somewhat shocked by this result.

Having been a teacher for so many years, Fu Xianyin was the first student she had ever seen.

To be honest, her foundation wasn't very good when she first came to study. Qin Yi had taught many students with better foundations than her, but none of them could compare to Fu Xianyin in terms of learning ability and efficiency.

In just three weeks, you've managed to get this much commission.

They've become a living advertisement.

Fearing that Fu Xianyin's SAT score wouldn't be high enough, Qin Yi enrolled him in all the competitions available in December and January.

Among them, a math exam on December 18th and a physics exam on December 22nd were both held in the National Civil Service Examination held on the other side of the ocean.

With only a few days between the two sessions, Qin Yi suggested to Fu Xianyin that she stay there and wander around if she wanted, or stay in the hotel and study diligently if she didn't.

But after some hesitation, Fu Xianyin decided to make one last trip back to China.

December 20th is Gu Linzhao's birthday.

It is a once-in-a-lifetime, and profoundly meaningful eighteenth birthday.

She wanted to be with Gu Linzhao.

No matter what the future holds, no matter what happens, she at least hopes that there will be an important part of Gu Linzhao's memory that is related to her.

Even if it only happens for a short while, it's fine.

As long as it exists, that's enough.

The flight to the United States was on Friday afternoon. When Fu Xianyin was carrying her suitcase out of the hotel, she saw Shao Yang downstairs.

Shao Yang stood in the hotel lobby, smiling at Fu Xianyin, and said, "I've come to take Miss Fu to the airport."

The last time he was at the bar, he was indeed fooled by Fu Xianyin again.

But after finishing a cup of black tea, Shao Yang understood the reason.

While Miss Fu did reveal some truths in what she said, it wasn't a deep, heartfelt confession. It was more likely just an outlet for her emotions.

Let him waver a little over Miss Fu.

After working for so many years, I was still fooled by a little kid.

Shao Yang felt somewhat embarrassed.

But that's Miss Fu.

Thinking about it this way, Shao Yang realized that he wasn't actually that ashamed.

The moment Fu Xianyin saw him, she knew he had figured out what had happened last week.

She walked over with her suitcase and said, "Let's go then, we can talk about it on the way."

Shao Yang reached out his hand to her. Fu Xianyin was taken aback for a moment. Shao Yang looked at the suitcase behind her and said, "Let me do it, Miss Fu."

Fu Xianyin said awkwardly, "No need."

Shao Yang is Fu Dongyuan's secretary. Fu Xianyin thought it was fine for Shao Yang to book her plane tickets and hotels and even pick her up and drop her off, but she always felt a little strange about Shao Yang carrying her suitcase.

Perhaps because she wasn't a capitalist who enslaved others, Fu Xianyin was somewhat unaccustomed to this unusual way of being served.

Shao Yang said, "It's alright, Miss Fu, Mr. Fu pays my salary."

Fu Xianyin: "..."

She tossed the suitcase to Shao Yang and said, "Then you push it."

The car stopped at the door, and Shao Yang opened the back door for her. Just as he was about to wait for Fu Xianyin to get in and close the door, he saw that Fu Xianyin had closed the door herself first.

Before he could speak, Shao Yang saw Fu Xianyin open the front door.

She said, "It's easier to talk when you sit in the front."

After saying that, without waiting for his reaction, she bent down, got into the car, and slammed the door shut.

Shao Yang was speechless. After putting his luggage in the trunk, he went back to the driver's seat and started driving.

He said, "Ms. Fu, Mr. Fu has decided to speak with you personally."

Fu Xianyin said, "I'm busy."

Shao Yang said calmly, "Ms. Fu, communication is not an option. Mr. Fu knows that you are quite firm in your stance. He asked me to come here to talk to you. He is willing to communicate and negotiate with you."

Fu Xianyin: "I didn't say I wouldn't communicate, nor did I refuse to communicate, but I have a competition to compete in and I don't have time right now. And if we're going to talk, I want to talk to Fu Dongyuan in person."

Shao Yang suddenly said, "Miss Fu, your mother hasn't contacted you recently, has she?"

His tone was casual, but Fu Xianyin immediately became alert.

She said, "No."

Shao Yang said, "That's good. Ms. Chen is now in a mental hospital. The last time Ms. Chen caused trouble at your school, it was quite a big deal. It took Mr. Fu a lot of effort to suppress it. Mr. Fu is also working on the divorce now."

Fu Xianyin tilted her head and said, "What do you mean? I'm seventeen now, I haven't received any systematic legal education, I'm legally illiterate. I don't understand what you're saying. All I know is that I have evidence that Fu Dongyuan cheated on his wife, and even has an illegitimate child. He's the one at fault, and..."

She paused for a moment and said, "As far as I know, Chen Huimei is a graduate of a reputable university. When he married Chen Huimei, she should have been working with him at the company. Now that the company has been established for so long, can he guarantee that Chen Huimei has not contributed anything at all?"

Fu Xianyin turned to Shao Yang and said seriously, "Secretary Shao, the reason I want Fu Dongyuan and Chen Huimei to divorce is not only because I can't stand Chen Huimei, but more importantly because I can't stand Fu Dongyuan."

Unlike the previous times, Fu Xianyin's tone was unusually gentle when she spoke to Shao Yang this time.

Shao Yang said, "I will pass on this information to Miss Fu."

Fu Xianyin smiled and said, "Thank you, Secretary Shao."

For the international flight, Shao Yang bought Fu Xianyin a first-class ticket.

Shortly after takeoff, all the cabin lights were turned off.

Fu Xianyin looked at the questions on the computer for a while, then felt sleepy and took a nap.

The flight time of more than ten hours was not too difficult to endure.

I arrived in the afternoon, which, if you do the math, was exactly in the early hours of the morning in China.

In the small group chat, Cheng Zhaozhao kept telling Fu Xianyin to report wherever she went. Although they mostly couldn't use their phones at school, Cheng Zhaozhao said it would be reassuring to have one.

Fu Xianyin didn't expose her because Gu Linzhao was still watching in the group chat, which is why she said she couldn't look at her phone at school.

In fact, apart from Gu Linzhao, the other three often secretly looked at their phones during breaks or evening self-study.

It was dusk, and Fu Xianyin took a picture of the sunset and posted it in the group as a notification.

She took a taxi back to the hotel, and while she was still on the way, Gu Linzhao sent her a message.

Gu Linzhao: [Have we arrived?]

Gu Linzhao: [Let me know when you arrive at the hotel.]

Fu Xianyin: [I'm in the car.]

Fu Xianyin: [The sunset here is absolutely beautiful.]

Gu Linzhao: [Then let me see the video too.]

When her secret thoughts were discovered, Fu Xianyin couldn't help but laugh.

She put on her headphones, turned on the video, and even turned the camera around to face out the window.

Gu Linzhao answered the call quickly.

It was pitch black on his end, with only a few blurry steps clearly visible. He heard Gu Linzhao's heavy breathing through the earphone. After about ten seconds, the camera shook, and Gu Linzhao's face appeared in the dim night.

It's five o'clock in Beichuan now, and it's still dark.

Gu Linzhao's face was hidden in the darkness. It took Fu Xianyin a few seconds to adjust the brightness of her phone before she could see Gu Linzhao's somewhat blurry face.

Fu Xianyin asked, "What time did you get up?"

Gu Linzhao said, "Five o'clock."

Fu Xianyin said, "You got up so early?"

She remembered that Gu Linzhao usually got up around six o'clock.

Gu Linzhao said, "Weren't you supposed to arrive at this time?"

He said it casually and naturally, but Fu Xianyin couldn't help but feel a little happy.

She coughed lightly, suppressing a laugh as she changed the subject, pointing to the sky outside the window and saying, "Look, the sunset, isn't it beautiful?"

"It looks good." Gu Linzhao's voice was still a little hoarse because he had just woken up.

He stared at the magnificent sunset on the screen, and at a small, jade-like fingertip that appeared in the shot.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly said:

"How stingy! You only let me see the sunset."