Chapter 50: Playing with him is fun – a rollercoaster of emotions, crying and calling him "brother"...
Gu Zeming slowly lowered the car window, and the cold air mixed with snowflakes rushed in instantly.
The interior of the car was dimly lit, with only the faint light from the streetlights.
Gu Zeming's gaze passed over Jiang Chuyu and fell on Li Sen beside her.
There was no expression, no anger, no warning, not even a trace of displeasure. That gaze was extremely brief, extremely cold.
His ungrateful girlfriend always likes to bring all sorts of shady people to him, challenging his bottom line, and she never tires of it.
He doesn't mind playing some erotic games with her occasionally.
However, since it's a game, there must be rewards and punishments.
He had already figured out how to punish her tonight.
Gu Zeming looked away, as if that glance had been just an unintentional sweep.
He looked at Jiang Chuyu, his voice steady and devoid of any emotion: "Get in the car."
Jiang Chuyu opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, and waved to Li Sen outside the window while brushing the snowflakes off her hair and shoulders: "Thank you, we're leaving, bye-bye."
Li Sen seemed to snap out of his daze, a slightly unnatural smile tugging at his lips: "Goodbye." He stood there, holding his umbrella, watching the car window slowly rise, separating the inside from the outside.
His life had been too smooth. Born into a wealthy family, he grew up surrounded by love and expectations, excelled academically, and was surrounded by good teachers, helpful friends, and kind people. The future seemed bright. He had everything: money, love, fame. The only thing he couldn't have was Jiang Chuyu.
He didn't lack Jiang Chuyu's love, but after losing her, he always felt something was missing. During his time abroad, he couldn't help but think of her eyes and the way she stumbled and struggled to survive.
She wasn't all that great; she loved money, was hypocritical, a habitual liar, and held grudges—a whole host of flaws. She was completely different from him. Yet, she was also intelligent, adorable, beautiful, resilient, and admirably courageous.
Jiang Chuyu punished him by making him personally deliver the person he liked to another man's car.
She was clever, but also ruthless, breaking the hearts of two men in one fell swoop.
The car was heated to a high level, making it feel like a completely different world from the icy, snowy landscape outside.
Jiang Chuyu fastened her seatbelt and breathed a sigh of relief: "Have you been waiting long? I just came out of the art studio and arranged a ride with Senior Brother Li Sen, so we caught up for a while."
"Hmm." Gu Zeming started the car, and the windshield wipers cleared the snow from the windshield, making the view clearer.
He was driving, his expression indifferent.
“Senior Brother Li Sen has gotten a new car again, I didn’t recognize it.” Jiang Chuyu said to herself, taking off her gloves and rubbing her fingers, which were red from the cold. “I really envy rich people. When will I be able to have my own car?”
Gu Zeming didn't reply, his gaze fixed on the snowflakes illuminated by the car headlights ahead.
The car was quiet for a while.
"Are you hungry? What are we having for dinner?" Jiang Chuyu turned to look at him, noticing he was quieter than usual. "Are you getting impatient?"
At this moment, the car drove to the intersection and encountered a red light.
Gu Zeze stopped the car, turned his head to look at her, and a slight smile seemed to appear on the corner of his mouth.
“I’m not impatient.” Gu Zeming reached out and gently wiped the snowflakes off her eyelashes with his fingertips, the movement so gentle it was almost eerie.
Jiang Chuyu trembled slightly as her cool fingertips touched her skin.
“But,” he continued in that steady tone, his gaze fixed on her eyes, “seeing someone else sharing an umbrella with you, it feels a little…” He paused, as if searching for the right words, while his fingertips lightly brushed against the corner of her eye.
"An eyesore."
He spoke the last two words very softly, yet they carried an unmistakable, chilling sense of oppression.
Jiang Chuyu was stunned.
She looked at Gu Zeming's face, which was so close to hers.
His face was expressionless, even calm, but there was something she couldn't understand churning in his eyes, dark and unfathomable, which made her heart tighten inexplicably.
The green light comes on.
Gu Zeming withdrew his hand, gripped the steering wheel again, and stepped on the gas.
"What do you want to eat?" he asked, his tone returning to normal. "I'm introducing you to someone today."
Outside the car window, the snow was still falling, swirling and fluttering.
Jiang Chuyu looked up from her phone screen: "Who is it?"
"Students my mother sponsored."
Jiang Chuyu asked curiously, "Male or female?"
Gu Zeming: "Girl."
Jiang Chuyu let out a "Wow!"
Gu Zeming glanced at her out of the corner of his eye: "What does 'Wow' mean?"
Jiang Chuyu: "It means I'm very amazed."
She always has some wonderful ideas in her little head that are hard for others to understand.
Gu Zeming was silent for a while, then said, "She just started college this year, she's eighteen, and she earned her first paycheck from a part-time job. She wants to treat us to a meal."
"You're a good person, you know how to repay kindness." Jiang Chuyu praised, then said, "But it's not easy for this young girl to earn money. I haven't helped her with anything. Wouldn't it be shameless for her to come along with you and freeload?"
Gu Zeming chuckled: "When have you ever cared about such a thing as shame?"
Jiang Chuyu rolled her eyes at him: "I care about my image too, okay?"
She used her phone as a mirror to tidy her appearance, then asked Gu Zeming, "By the way, what's her name?"
"Chen Dongyue".
＊
The restaurant is located in a hutong (traditional alleyway), with a nice ambiance, warm yellow lighting, and the aroma of food and hot soup wafting in the air.
When they arrived, the girl named Chen Dongyue was already sitting by the window waiting for them.
Upon seeing Gu Zeming, Chen Dongyue's eyes lit up, and she almost immediately stood up: "Brother Zeming!" Then, she saw Jiang Chuyu holding Gu Zeming's arm, and her eyes visibly flickered before quickly dimming, and she became somewhat flustered and reserved.
"You've come..." she tried to smile.
"Yeah, we were delayed a bit on the way." Gu Zeming's voice was gentler than usual, but he still maintained a distance. He gestured to Jiang Chuyu beside him, "This is my girlfriend, Chuyu."
Chen Dongyue's gaze fell on Jiang Chuyu, she quickly looked her up and down, and then forced a sweet but somewhat forced smile: "Sister Chuyu, you are so beautiful."
"Thank you, you're cute too." Jiang Chuyu replied with a smile, feeling the girl's gaze darting between her and Gu Zeming like a startled fawn.
The three of them took their seats.
When the menu was handed over, Chen Dongyue had clearly done her homework, or rather, she already knew Gu Zeming's preferences by heart.
“Brother Zeming, I remember you like to eat light food. This steamed sea bass looks good.”
"And this golden spinach soup, you said you liked it before."
"This... um, stir-fried cucumber and shrimp, should suit your taste too."
She ordered a bunch of dishes, one of which was called "Snow Under the Volcano," which sounded quite eerie. Jiang Chuyu casually asked, "What kind of dish is this? The name is quite unique."
Chen Dongyue immediately chimed in, "It's tomatoes with sugar. It tastes great, and Brother Zeming really likes it. Aunt Gu used to make it for him often when she was around. Sister Chuyu, didn't you know?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Jiang Chuyu paused, holding the menu, and looked up to meet Chen Dongyue's inquisitive gaze.
She really didn't know.
Gu Zeming rarely mentions his mother to others.
If he didn't want to talk about it, Jiang Chuyu wouldn't bother to ask. The more she knew, the harder it would be to leave.
Besides, she rarely cooks and usually relies on takeout to survive. What good is it if Gu Zeming likes to eat it? She can't cook it anyway.
Jiang Chuyu opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words. Admitting she didn't know would seem to confirm that she "didn't care enough" about Gu Zeming, while insisting she knew would appear hypocritical.
At this moment, Gu Zeming picked up his teacup, blew on it gently, and said, "The name sounds fancy, but the taste is just so-so. Your sister Chuyu doesn't usually like bland food like this." He looked at Jiang Chuyu with a cold gaze, "Just order what you like, I'll pay the bill later."
Jiang Chuyu chuckled and ordered a plate of roast duck.
Chen Dongyue looked at Gu Zeming, her lips slightly pursed, then lowered her head and whispered, "How could I let you spend so much?" The secret energy that had been throbbing in her body just moments before deflated like a balloon punctured by a needle, leaving only a sour and astringent feeling in her chest.
The dishes were served one after another.
Chen Dongyue tried to compose herself, raised the juice in front of her, and looked at Gu Zeming very solemnly: "Brother Zeming, thank you so much, and Aunt Gu too. If it weren't for your help over the years, I definitely wouldn't have been able to study in peace, let alone get into A University... I will definitely work harder in the future to repay your kindness."
She spoke sincerely, her eyes even slightly red.
Gu Zeming clinked glasses with her, his tone still indifferent: "It was nothing, you don't need to worry about it."
The two chatted for a while about school and major, mostly Chen Dongyue talking, with Gu Zeming responding occasionally.
Jiang Chuyu quietly ate her roast duck.
Just then, her phone rang; it was Yang Xiuling calling.
A few days ago, Jiang Chuyu talked to Yang Xiuling about studying abroad and asked her to help introduce some reliable agencies.
"I need to take this call." She gestured to Gu Zeming, picked up her phone, and headed to the restroom.
Watching Jiang Chuyu's figure disappear around the corner, Chen Dongyue seemed to have mustered up her courage, clasped her hands tightly together under the table, and cautiously asked, "Brother Zeming... do you really like Sister Chuyu?"
Gu Zeming looked up at her and replied without hesitation, "Yes."
This straightforward answer landed heavily on Chen Dongyue's heart like a stone. She felt sorry for Gu Zeming; the bitterness overwhelmed her reason, and Chen Dongyue blurted out, "But she doesn't even know what you like to eat. She doesn't understand you at all, and she doesn't care about you enough..."
"That's enough." Gu Zeming's voice suddenly turned cold.
He looked at Chen Dongyue, the last trace of gentleness gone from his eyes. "She doesn't need to understand or do these messy things."
She just needs to live carefree and breathe.
Chen Dongyue shuddered at the coldness in his eyes and suddenly came to her senses.
Realizing she had overstepped her bounds and said something she shouldn't have, she hurriedly lowered her head and apologized softly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way... I, I'm going to the restroom." After saying that, she practically fled from her seat.
In the restroom, Jiang Chuyu was speaking in a low voice to Yang Xiuling.
"Yes, I'm preparing for the exam. Could you please keep an eye on the agency for me? ... I know time is tight, don't worry, I'm fine..."
As they were talking, she saw Chen Dongyue walking in with her head down in the mirror, so she quickly stopped talking and said into the phone, "Okay, I'll stop now, we'll talk later," and hung up.
Chen Dongyue walked to the sink, turned on the tap, and silently washed her hands.
The water was splashing loudly.
After a while, she turned off the water, looked up, and looked at Jiang Chuyu, who was fixing her hair, in the mirror.
"Sister Chuyu," she called out to Jiang Chuyu.
Jiang Chuyu turned her head. "Hmm?"
"Do you like Brother Zeming?" Chen Dongyue asked directly, seemingly with a desperate courage.
Jiang Chuyu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, but still answered frankly, "I like it."
Chen Dongyue turned around to face her, her eyes pleading like a helpless little animal: "Then... could you be nicer to him?"
Jiang Chuyu looked at her young and stubborn face, suddenly smiled, and instead of answering the question, said, "Let's go out, don't keep him waiting."
The two returned to the dining table one after the other.
As soon as Jiang Chuyu sat down, Gu Zeming asked, "Whose call was that?"
Jiang Chuyu chuckled: "A friend, don't be so suspicious."
The two spoke softly, yet all their actions and conversations were so natural and familiar, so familiar that they couldn't be disturbed.
Looking at them, Chen Dongyue suddenly felt relieved.
She had followed in Gu Zeming's footsteps since junior high school, filling her diary with his name and working hard to get into the same university as him, hoping to be closer to him. But those feelings that she couldn't express before because of her age and status remained unspoken to him during this long winter.
In the end, Gu Zeming didn't let Chen Dongyue pay the bill. Before leaving, he even transferred some living expenses to her.
Back in the apartment, the heating instantly dispelled the chill.
Jiang Chuyu kicked off her shoes, stepped barefoot onto the carpet, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it while watching Gu Zeming hang up his coat, a playful smile in her eyes.
“Brother Zeming—” she deliberately drew out her words, “I only found out today that you’ve supported quite a few people by collecting garbage. That little girl has been thinking about you for so many years and even worked hard to get into A University, and you still can’t be a little kinder to people.”
Gu Zeming unbuttoned his shirt slowly and deliberately. He glanced at her upon hearing this, "She's just a fledgling; she can't distinguish between gratitude and love. She'll be fine when she meets someone her own age."
Chen Dongyue is a left-behind child, and it wasn't easy for him to go from the mountains to a prestigious school in Beijing. Before his mother passed away, she asked him to help look after those students, as he didn't want Chen Dongyue to waste her energy on him.
"You," Jiang Chuyu put down her water glass, walked up to him, and poked his chest, "you're really stubborn and cold-hearted."
Gu Zeming grabbed her mischievous fingers, held them in his palm, looked down at her, and said with a half-smile, "When it comes to ruthlessness, Jiang Chuyu, I am still far behind you."
Jiang Chuyu paused for a moment, trying to pull her hand back, but failed. She could only mutter, "You're being sarcastic to me again."
Gu Zeming didn't speak again, but lowered his head and gently pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling.
His eyes were like a deep pool, unfathomable, churning with emotions that Jiang Chuyu couldn't quite decipher.
She quickly changed the subject: "By the way, it's almost Chinese New Year in a little over a month."
Gu Zeming: "Hmm?"
Jiang Chuyu: "Every year during the Spring Festival, Beijing is especially cold and the smog is severe. My mother also likes to drag me around to visit relatives, which is very annoying."
Gu Zeming chuckled softly, "Then let's go somewhere warm. Just the two of us."
As he spoke, he lightly kissed the corner of her lips. His hand slipped inside the edge of her clothes and unhooked her bra.
Jiang Chuyu trembled and asked warily, "What are you doing?"
Gu Zeming pulled her close, his lips brushing against her ear, his breath warm: "You don't think I'll let you off so easily tonight, do you?"
Jiang Chuyu's heart skipped a beat, but she pretended not to understand his hint.
I don't understand what you're talking about.
Gu Zeming didn't reply, but simply reached out and gently pinched her earlobe. His cool fingertips slowly and deliberately kneaded that soft flesh, as if he were playing with some interesting object.
My ears started to feel hot uncontrollably; they must be turning red.
Jiang Chuyu wanted to hide, but dared not make any big movements.
"After so many times, are you still afraid of me?" he asked in a low voice, his breath brushing lightly against her temple.
Jiang Chuyu stubbornly replied, "No."
Gu Zeming chuckled very softly, a laugh that seemed to resonate from his chest, carrying a hint of mockery that was hard to define. No longer satisfied with her touching his ear, he slid his fingers down her jawline to her chin, applying slight pressure to force her to lift her head and meet his gaze again.
"No?" he repeated her words, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Then why are you trembling?"
Jiang Chuyu swallowed, her throat feeling dry.
His gaze was so intense that she felt completely exposed.
She tried to break free from his grip, but he held her even tighter.
Do you know what I was thinking on the way to the restaurant?
Gu Zeming picked her up and carried her to the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.
Outside the window, snow was falling heavily, blurring the outline of the city with its towering buildings.
The glass blocked out the cold air, but you could still feel the refreshing chill when you got close.
Gu Zeming embraced her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her tightly in his arms.
His chest pressed against her back, his body heat passing through her thin sweater.
“I was thinking,” he whispered in her ear, his lips almost touching her earlobe, his voice slow and agonizing, “I should run over Li Sen.”
"And then."
"Hold."
"I'll cry for you."
Jiang Chuyu's eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes wide in disbelief.
Gu Zeming liked to tease her when they were being affectionate, but he rarely said anything too direct or explicit.
On the contrary, she usually liked to use those words to curse and insult him.
But everything is in chaos tonight.
Jiang Chuyu was stiff as he held her in a small space, with cold glass in front of her and his warm embrace behind her.
A world of extremes.
She couldn't help but cry out loud.
"You bastard! You're so despicable!"
Gu Zeming ignored her insults, his lips lightly brushing against her earlobe before moving down to her neck.
The breath was warm, pressing against the skin, causing a subtle shiver.
Jiang Chuyu heard him say, "Say the same thing again."
Jiang Chuyu shrank her neck, instinctively trying to avoid his overly intimate contact.
"Cold..." she muttered softly, with a hint of pleading, but she refused to call him again.
Gu Zeming chuckled, his breath hotter against her sensitive ear and neck: "Be good, let me in and you won't be cold."
These words came out of nowhere and carried a malicious mockery.
Before Jiang Chuyu could fully understand what he meant, she felt his icy fingertips lift the hem of her sweater.
"Ugh..." Jiang Chuyu took a deep breath, her body tensing instantly, and then blurted out, "Brother Zeming!"
Waaaaah, she's such a coward.
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