Chapter 23 Published

Two days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Aunt Zhao was on vacation, so Gu Xiuyi simply took Ji Ruan out for a trip.

A friend of mine owns a private villa on the outskirts of the city, which is not far away. If I go there, I can spend two days and one night there and even stay one night.

The two of them casually packed a few sets of clothes and didn't call a driver. Gu Xiuyi drove there himself, and Ji Ruan naturally sat in the passenger seat.

This feeling was a bit strange. The last time he sat in the passenger seat of Gu Xiuyi, he was sent to the hospital because of gastroenteritis. He didn't feel anything when he was dizzy and in pain, but now when they went out to play together, the weather was very good and cloudless, but no one was talking and the air seemed too quiet.

"Have you ever thought about taking a driver's license test?" Gu Xiuyi was the first to break the silence.

"Driver's license?" Ji Ruan retracted his gaze from the treetops outside: "Why are you asking this suddenly?"

Gu Xiuyi said casually: "If you can drive, you can go to many places by yourself in the future, without any restrictions."

That’s true, Ji Ruan thought about it, self-driving tour is indeed wonderful, you can take your time to see a lot of scenery along the way.

"But I heard it's difficult to pass the test." He scratched the tip of his nose. He thought self-driving tours were interesting, but also a bit troublesome.

This seemed to touch upon Gu Xiuyi's blind spot in knowledge. He frowned and asked, "Is it difficult?"

"It's difficult," Ji Ruan said seriously, holding up three fingers, "Han Xiaolin has taken the second subject exam three times, and he's a sports student, but he still hasn't passed it despite his well-developed athletic ability."

All the people in the dormitory are lazy, except Han Xiaolin who has been preparing for the driving test since the summer vacation. However, he still hasn't passed it even though school has started. He failed the second part for the third time last week and cried all afternoon after returning home.

The other three people, including Ji Ruan, were so scared that they refused to get a driver's license.

"Really?" Gu Xiuyi rested his elbow on the window frame, rubbing his lower lip with his index finger intentionally or unintentionally: "Maybe it was easier for us back then, but now it's more difficult. You have more exams now than we did back then."

Ji Ruan, who is in a period of rapid social involution, sighed when he heard this: "That's right, I have to start preparing for a lot of exams when I get back from vacation. University actually has midterms too."

Most of Gu Xiuyi's friends are of the same age, and he usually has to deal with experienced elders at work. He hardly has the opportunity to have long-term contact with people who are more than ten years younger than him. Naturally, he hasn't heard anyone complaining about midterm exams in person for many years.

Therefore, this little complaint became particularly cute because it was beyond Gu Xiuyi's familiarity.

"Well," he said with a smile in his voice, "We won't learn to drive if there are too many tests. We have a driver at home, so we don't have to drive ourselves."

Speaking of which, Gu Xiuyi should be a person who often travels with a driver and rarely drives himself. Ji Ruan looked at him silently for a while.

The man leaned lazily against the back of the chair, his hands loosely gripping the steering wheel. His posture was quite casual, but he drove really well, not worse than Uncle Zhang, a veteran driver with decades of experience.

Can someone who hardly drives a car maintain a high level of performance if he drives occasionally? Why doesn't he get rusty?

"Why are you looking at me?" Gu Xiuyi said, staring straight ahead.

Ji Ruan turned around immediately: "Ahem... nothing."

Before leaving, Aunt Zhao specially put the mooncakes she made yesterday into a snack box for Ji Ruan to take with her. Ji Ruan opened the lid of the box and asked Gu Xiuyi, "Do you want to eat mooncakes?"

Gu Xiuyi glanced at him and asked, "Did you do this with Aunt Zhao?"

"Yes," Ji Ruan suddenly thought of something funny and laughed, "I'll pick one for you to eat. Do you want to guess who made it?"

This kind of game is a bit boring and childish. Gu Xiuyi would never play it under normal circumstances.

The car was driving at a steady speed on the asphalt road leading to the villa. Gu Xiuyi was silent for a moment: "Okay, but——"

He seemed to be in some distress. He secretly put down his left hand that was resting on the window frame and held the steering wheel seriously: "It's not convenient for me to eat while driving. How about you help pass it to my mouth?"

"Oh, yes," Ji Ruan suddenly reacted and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I chose to ignore that you were driving. Then I'll feed you."

The corners of Gu Xiuyi's lips slightly raised, but he quickly suppressed them by pursing his lips and said seriously, "Thank you."

"Hey...what's there to thank me for..." Ji Ruan stretched out the last syllable, as if she was acting coquettishly unconsciously.

He picked up a mooncake wrapped in a napkin and tried to carefully pass it to Gu Xiuyi's mouth without affecting his driving. Even so, he still emphasized with concern: "Look ahead carefully, don't look at me."

"I know." Gu Xiuyi took a bite, and the sweet taste of the bean paste spread between his lips and teeth, making people feel even more happy: "Good boy."

"ah?"

Ji Ruang had just withdrawn his hand and was about to pick a piece for himself to eat when he looked up in a daze.

"..." Gu Xiuyi remained calm: "I said it was delicious. You made it, right?"

Ji Ruan was a little surprised: "How amazing! How did you guess that?"

It was just an ordinary red bean paste mooncake. The skin and filling were made by Aunt Zhao. Ji Ruan just learned how to wrap it. Logically, there shouldn't be any difference. If the piece for Gu Xiuyi didn't have a small chip on the corner, it would be a production error. Ji Ruan himself might not be able to guess who made it.

His eyes curved. "You guessed blindly and got it right, right?"

Gu Xiuyi shook his head and said calmly but confidently: "Too much bean paste, it's sweet."

“…”

Ji Ruan looked at it carefully and it seemed that the filling he made was indeed much larger than that of Aunt Zhao.

"Well..." Ji Ruan was a little embarrassed and tried to make amends: "Originally, any food with stuffing is more delicious the more stuffing it has."

"Oh, really?" Gu Xiuyi seemed to be hearing this for the first time and was very curious.

"Of course." Ji Ruan tried to brainwash the other party.

"Hmm..." Gu Xiuyi nodded thoughtfully: "Then I'll try it again."

"Okay." Ji Ruan wrapped it in paper and handed it to Gu Xiuyi, but halfway through, his hand suddenly stopped.

Why does it seem a bit strange?

·

The villa is built in a grand style and looks like a manor in a British TV series, with endless green lawns and majestic castle buildings.

After the car was driven away by the waiter, Gu Xiuyi led Ji Ruan and walked slowly inside along the pebbled path in the middle of the lawn.

"Will there be a lot of people this time?" Ji Ruan asked.

"Not many," Gu Xiuyi gave Ji Ruan a hand and said, "Except for the owner of this place, you know the others, Song Ling and Li Suian."

Ji Ruan relaxed a little when he heard the familiar name. It was more comfortable to play with fewer people: "That's good."

There were several people drinking afternoon tea in the small garden in front of the castle. When they saw them, they all stood up to greet them. The man walking in front was not tall, but had a very honest face. Following behind him were Li Suian and another unfamiliar face.

"Old Gu, you're late!" The man greeted Gu Xiuyi familiarly.

Gu Xiuyi glanced at his watch and said indifferently: "It's not too late."

The man laughed: "Really? What's wrong with being polite?"

Li Suian was still elegant and graceful. He greeted Ji Ruan first: "Long time no see, little friend Ji Ruan."

Gu Xiuyi coughed and said, "Who are you calling little friend?"

"..." Li Suian was speechless: "Okay, little patient Ji Ruan?"

Ji Ruan only knew Li Suian among the three people, so he smiled generously and said, "Long time no see, Doctor Li."

At this time, Song Ling finally arrived. He was no longer wearing a suit and looked much more cheerful. He bumped fists with Li Suian and said, "I'm not that late, am I?"

Li Suian said casually: "Everyone is the same."

The short man looked at Ji Ruan and spoke enthusiastically: "You are Ji Ruan, the legendary figure. Today I finally meet the real person! My name is Duan Zeping, just call me Brother Duan. This is Lin Qing..."

He said as he pulled over another stranger next to him, with a hint of shyness on his face: "I'm pursuing him."

Lin Qing looked very literary and didn't talk much. He smiled at everyone and said, "Hello."

"Wow, that's good, Brother Duan," Song Ling joked, "When did it happen? So I'm the only one without a partner now?"

Li Suian has a girlfriend, Duan Zeping has someone he's pursuing, and his damn boss even led the pack and is already married, leaving him all alone. Song Ling feels a little bitter for some reason.

Li Suian curled his lips: "What do you know? I've been chasing you for several months."

Lin Qing turned his head away and said nothing.

Duan Zeping looked at Lin Qing's face and smiled awkwardly: "Shut up, Qingqing is shy, don't make trouble."

It was autumn at the end of September, and the temperature was still a little high when the sun came out, with the power of the autumn heat faintly visible. Ji Ruan was not resistant to the sun, and his lips dried after standing for a while.

Gu Xiuyi frowned and interrupted the group of people who were talking about something else: "What about this afternoon?"

Li Suian was the first to be pulled back: "Let's go fishing. We'll have a fish feast tonight."

Gu Xiuyi didn't comment and looked at Ji Ruan: "Will fishing be boring?"

After all, fishing is something that people of their age and above like, and Ji Ruan is a brand new young talent who has been to nightclubs with Han Xiaolin. Gu Xiuyi doubts whether he can sit still.

"Sure," Ji Ruan licked his lips and squinted his eyes in the sunlight: "I like to eat fish."

I am also good at this kind of sitting and doing work.

"Okay," Gu Xiuyi didn't intend to let Ji Ruan continue to bask in the sun, and said briefly: "Let's go put the luggage away first."

Duan Zeping smiled graciously: "Okay, okay, let's go first and see you at the fishing ground."

The interior decoration of the castle building also has the flavor of ancient Europe, it is exquisite, simple and beautiful.

Ji Ruan and Gu Xiuyi's rooms are on the fifth floor. When they open the window, they can overlook the mountains in the distance. The view is quite broad.

Gu Xiuyi took out a thermos from his luggage, unscrewed it and handed it to Ji Ruan: "Your lips are dry, don't you know how to drink some water?"

Ji Ruan was so focused on the scenery that he didn't notice anything. When he saw the cup that was handed to him, he showed his dimples and said, "Thank you."

Gu Xiuyi stared at Ji Ruan's dimples for a few seconds before looking away: "I'm going to the bathroom, you clean up and we'll go fishing later."

"Yeah." Ji Ruan nodded with a smile.

The cup contained the sugar water that Aunt Zhao had prepared for him. It didn't contain much sugar and had a light sweetness. Ji Ruan drank it in small sips, his throat moistened, and the breeze outside the window soothed his soul, making him feel refreshed.

When asked to clean up, Ji Ruan really cleaned it up carefully.

After washing his hands, Gu Xiuyi came out and saw Ji Ruan wearing a black fisherman's hat and sitting obediently by the bed waiting for him.

I don’t know where that hat came from. The brim is very wide and a bit big. It might also be because Ji Ruan’s head is too small. In any case, it is a bit unstable when wearing it. Ji Ruan lifts the brim of the hat from time to time, and pushes the bangs that are blocking his eyes from time to time.

From Gu Xiuyi's perspective, Ji Ruan lowered his head slightly, with his eyebrows and eyes completely covered, revealing his snow-white pointed chin and a little bit of cheek flesh, making him look more like a child who was going on a spring outing.

Gu Xiuyi stood there motionless and looked at him for a while, and the next second he met the eyes of the child who tilted his head back and tried to expose his eyes.

Ji Ruan seemed a little impatient, his brows were slightly furrowed, and the corners of his eyes were scratched red by his bangs, making his eyes look very obedient and coquettish.

Gu Xiuyi's fingers trembled instantly and his heart felt hot.

He stepped forward and gently pressed Ji Ruan's head: "Are you wearing a fisherman's hat because you want to go fishing?"

"No," Ji Ruan took off the hat that didn't fit him anyway, his cheeks puffed up: "I'm afraid of the sun..."

He has a lot of hair, and when it's messy, it looks very sloppy, like the long-haired cat like Xiao An whose fur was always frizzy when it was young.

Gu Xiuyi restrained his smile and straightened Ji Ruan's hair: "It's okay, you can sit under the parasol and fish."

Ji Ruan raised his head suddenly, his eyes filled with anger for having worked in vain: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

·

"Hey, do you think Ji Ruan... looks a bit like that guy?" At the fishing ground, Duan Zeping whispered in Li Suian's ear.

"Which one?" Li Suian responded casually while he was busy choosing fishing gear and bait.

Duan Zeping said, "That's the one with the surname Bai."

Li Suian paused and immediately looked around. Lin Qing was in the bathroom, and the other three hadn't come yet. "Don't talk nonsense. It doesn't look like that."

"Well, I'm not saying they look alike," Duan Zeping frowned, racking his brains to think of words, "It's just that feeling, you know... it's hard to describe, and the height and body shape are also a bit similar."

Li Suian put down his fishing gear and said seriously, "Aren't all boys of 18 or 19 shaped like that? You're still talking about someone who's been gone for so many years. Do you know what he looks like now?"

"It's been more than ten years since we last met..." Duan Zeping said awkwardly, "I didn't mean anything else, I just mentioned it casually..."

"What were you guys talking about?" Lin Qing came out of the bathroom and saw that the atmosphere between the two people outside was a little tense.

Duan Zeping quickly laughed and pushed Lin Qing away: "Nothing, let's go Qingqing, let's go fishing."

To some extent, fishing is indeed a boring and extremely patience-demanding activity in the minds of many people, but Gu Xiuyi discovered that Ji Ruan could really sit still and even enjoyed it a little.

This was probably due to the skills he developed while staying at home every day during the summer vacation.

The two of them used a fishing rod and sat under a parasol. Gu Xiuyi was responsible for fishing, while Ji Ruan was responsible for being the mascot and eating snacks at the same time.

He ate quietly and politely. He would scoop out a small piece of cake with a small spoon and eat it for a long time.

Fishing is a slow process and most of the time there is little movement on the water surface. Gu Xiuyi would just hold his head with his hand and watch Ji Ruan eat quietly.

The magical thing is that although Ji Ruan ate very little at each bite, his cheeks were still puffed up, like a contented little squirrel that had eaten a lot of nuts, and occasionally the tip of his pink tongue would stick out.

As Ji Ruan was eating, a burning gaze would appear from time to time. At first, Ji Ruan tried hard to ignore it, but the longer it went on, the longer this gaze stayed on his face.

It wasn't until it became so strong that it affected Ji Ruan's eating that he couldn't stand it anymore and put down the spoon: "Why are you staring at me?"

Gu Xiuyi still had his hand on his forehead, his expression was very casual, without the slightest embarrassment or avoidance of being caught, he said calmly: "Because the fish hasn't taken the bait yet."

The fish didn't take the bait so do we need to watch him eat?

He is not a fish!

Ji Ruan poked the cake with a spoon and said stiffly: "Don't look at it."

Then he heard a very light laugh, and Gu Xiuyi seemed to have really turned his head.

“Old Gu! Come here quickly! There’s something going on here, hahahaha——”

Duan Zeping's boastful laughter could be heard from outside.

Gu Xiuyi pressed his palm on Ji Ruan's head and whispered, "Eat slowly, I'll go take a look."

Not long after Gu Xiuyi left, Lin Qing came over. Ji Ruan was a little surprised because they had never even spoken to each other.

Lin Qing pointed to the seat next to him: "Can I sit here?"

Ji Ruan nodded: "Whatever you want."

After Lin Qing sat down, Ji Ruan did not take the initiative to talk. The other party seemed to hesitate for a moment, and suddenly asked Ji Ruan: "Can I ask how you and Mr. Gu got together?"

It was obvious that Lin Qing didn't know about their marriage agreement. Ji Ruan pursed his lips and put down the spoon: "Why are you asking this?"

Lin Qing and Ji Ruan looked at each other and smiled awkwardly: "It seems inconvenient to say..."

He clenched his fingers on his knees, as if he was troubled by something. After a while, he took a deep breath and looked at Ji Ruan: "When you were with Mr. Gu, weren't you afraid that others would say you were after his money?"

Ji Ruan was stunned, and suddenly he felt like he was in a melodramatic and abusive novel. In ancient novels, the most common character was Lin Qing.

"Hmm..." Ji Ruan pondered for a while and asked tentatively: "Do you mind other people saying this?"

"Of course." Lin Qing rubbed his arms, and his disgust could be seen from his body movements.

Ji Ruan thought for a moment and asked, "It may be a bit presumptuous to say this, but do you like Brother Duan?"

Lin Qing suddenly looked at Ji Ruan, his eyes were somewhat complicated, but he did not show the kind of emotion he had when he mentioned someone he liked.

Ji Ruan roughly understood that Lin Qing was not the most innocent type of girl.

Since you don't like him that much and you hate being talked about by others, why did you agree to the invitation to the villa? Why did you let the other person pursue you for several months without rejecting or responding?

Of course, Ji Ruan couldn't say these words out loud.

He put the plate of cake back on the small table. "I'm sorry, I can't answer your question."

He smiled again: "I'm not afraid of others looking at me like that."

Their relationship was not based on emotions from the beginning.

After saying that, Ji Ruan got up and went to Gu Xiuyi, and they caught a lot of fish.

Lin Qing saw Gu Xiuyi helping Ji Ruan tidy up his hair, and asked him with a smile what flavor of fish he wanted. It was unclear what Ji Ruan said in response, but that sentence undoubtedly made Gu Xiuyi even happier.

·

After the whole fish feast for dinner, there were still a few fish left over, so Song Ling suggested having an outdoor barbecue as a midnight snack, with grilled fish as the main dish and some side dishes.

Ji Ruan had not fully recovered from his cold, and Gu Xiuyi thought the barbecue was too spicy and didn't want Ji Ruan to eat it, so the two of them did not go with the group.

Gu Xiuyi went to swim in the indoor swimming pool, and Ji Ruan sat on a lounge chair on the shore, drinking orange juice, watching Gu Xiuyi swim from a distance.

The man has a really good body. He has a natural skeleton advantage with broad shoulders and long and straight legs. His long-term fitness habits have left him with no excess fat on his body. When he swims, the lines of his arms and back muscles are quite tight and smooth.

He swam back and forth a few times and retreated to the shore: "Ji Ruan——"

Seeing this, Ji Ruan put down the orange juice and walked to him and squatted down: "Do you want me to help you get something?"

"No need." Gu Xiuyi put his arm on the snow-white tiles: "Can you swim?"

Ji Ruan hugged his knees and shook his head honestly.

Gu Xiuyi nodded thoughtfully, and when he wiped the water off his face, a few drops splashed onto Ji Ruan's instep.

The cold water droplets made Ji Ruan shiver.

Gu Xiuyi looked calm and asked casually, "Do you want to come down and try it?"