Chapter 28 You're So Bad, Can I Hug You?
As they left the sample book library, Wei Xue couldn't help but complain, "He just held him like that, not letting him even glance at him? Just how precious is he to you?!"
The two forgot their library cards. They heard from the staff that Gu Zeming was in the sample book library, so they came to borrow one from him. Unexpectedly, they stumbled upon him being intimate with someone else.
Even they, with their vast experience and knowledge, were astonished.
It turns out that Gu Zeming, who was hailed as a god by everyone, could also love like this. Like a warrior, he disregarded all rules; pride, dignity, and image seemed less important than the person in his arms.
They saw an almost obsessive possessiveness in his cold, deep gaze.
Wei Xue turned her head to look at Meng Xiang.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, her brows were downcast, and her sadness was almost overflowing.
Therefore, Gu Zeming never takes the initiative, not because he is adhering to some damned pride, but because he doesn't love.
He doesn't love her, it's that simple.
Having witnessed Gu Zeming's affection for others, she was shocked to realize how cold he had been to her before.
＊
Jiang Chuyu nestled in Gu Zeming's arms, listening to the footsteps gradually fade away. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, Gu Zeming's voice suddenly came from above her head, his tone so calm it was infuriating.
Your heart is beating so fast.
Jiang Chuyu was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly jumped away from him, accusingly saying, "How come I never noticed before? You're really, really wicked!"
Gu Zeming mimicked her tone: "What's wrong with it?"
"From beginning to end, from left to right."
Gu Zeming chuckled lightly, neither confirming nor denying, and turned to tidy up the bookshelf.
After a while, he thought of something funny and suddenly asked, "How could you like me when I'm so bad?"
Jiang Chuyu secretly glanced at him and slightly curled her lips: "It was because you're good-looking at first, right?"
After thinking for a moment, she added, "She also has a good figure."
"Lust at first sight?"
"Don't put it too harshly, I call it pursuing beauty."
Gu Zeming nodded, his expression indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.
He took a stack of books from the bicycle basket and walked towards the bookshelf further inside.
Jiang Chuyu couldn't see him, but she could hear his voice coming from afar.
"Tell me, what happened at noon?"
Jiang Chuyu leaned against the bookshelf and remained silent for a while before speaking in a muffled voice: "I don't know if you've heard it from others, but actually my surname wasn't originally Jiang."
After many years, when she talked about her background again, she was much calmer and more composed.
“The two people at noon were my adoptive father and brother.”
“When I was born, the hospital switched the babies, and I lived with my adoptive parents in a small town for more than ten years.”
"Later, Ms. Jiang Shan, who is my biological mother, discovered that I looked exactly like her when I was a child while she was sponsoring a Hope Primary School in a rural town. So we both went to get a paternity test."
"The DNA similarity is almost 100%."
"After returning to the Jiang family, my adoptive parents discovered that I had money, and they harassed me repeatedly, asking me to send them money..."
Her tone was flat, as if she were telling him someone else's story, without a trace of emotion. She omitted the various injustices and oppressions he had suffered since childhood, and only briefly described the cause and effect of the matter.
Gu Zeming listened quietly.
After she finished speaking, he put down his book and walked over.
He grasped her shoulders with both hands, leaned down, and pressed his forehead against hers.
Jiang Chuyu looked up and was caught off guard by his dark, calm eyes.
He looked at her silently, their breaths mingling. She could hear their heartbeats, pounding so clearly.
Gu Zeming looked at her for a long time before finally asking softly, "May I hug you?"
It's not "want", but "can".
He was waiting for her to accept him.
Jiang Chuyu felt her forehead burning hot as he stared at her, her nose filled with his pleasant and reassuring scent.
She blinked and gave a muffled "hmm".
Gu Zeming wrapped his arm around her waist, cupped her head in his palm, and pressed it against his chest.
It wasn't exactly a gentle gesture.
Jiang Chuyu, however, did not feel any pain.
She naturally embraced his body with both hands.
A very hearty hug.
Gu Zeming's chest was indeed warm.
Jiang Chuyu closed her eyes, indulging in her moment of tranquility.
For a fleeting moment, she even had the thought of wanting to be with him forever.
Just then, the alarm clock in my pocket went off.
Jiang Chuyu seemed to wake from a dream and pushed Gu Zeming away.
"I have class this afternoon, so I'll be going now."
She avoided his eyes and walked quickly.
The door opened and closed again.
Gu Zeming lowered his hands and leaned against the bookshelf.
The vast library became empty and quiet.
＊
Jiang Chuyu never expected that Meng Xiang and Wei Xue would be such a loosemouth.
Within two days, news of Gu Zeming's relationship spread like wildfire, and some people even posted on the school forum offering a reward of up to 50,000 yuan for the identity of his girlfriend.
If it weren't for other reasons, she would have wanted to self-destruct.
Jiang Chuyu was filled with regret for losing 50,000 yuan.
Meanwhile, Gu Zeming's roommates have been on tenterhooks over his love life for the past two days, their curiosity bursting out like a cream cheese cake.
"Holy crap! Gu Zeming actually has a girlfriend!" Caiyan jumped out of bed, her phone screen almost touching Jiang Chuyu's face. "Did you see that? Isn't it super explosive!"
Jiang Chuyu chuckled twice and chimed in, "That's really explosive."
"Aaaaaah, I'm going crazy! Who on earth snagged Gu Zeming? Why isn't he coming forward to claim him? I'm dying to know! Can someone please tell me secretly?!" Caiyan scratched her head in frustration.
Lin Yun felt uneasy and sullenly guessed, "Could it be Sister Meng Xiang? I heard she's liked Gu Zeming for a while now, and I think they're quite a good match."
"Impossible! If it were Meng Xiang, Wei Xue would have already made a scene everywhere. How could she possibly keep it a secret!" Caiyan retorted to Lin Yun, then added, somewhat puzzled. "I really don't understand. Gu Zeming, such a handsome guy, acts like he's having a secret relationship. Is he afraid someone will steal his girlfriend?"
Shi Qing, who had been quietly observing the situation, also joined the discussion, saying, "Senior Gu is great in every way, but he's a bit too thoughtful, and it's hard for others to guess what he's thinking."
Caiyan's eyes darted around, and seeing Jiang Chuyu remain silent, she grinned and said, "Chuyu, you're heartbroken and speechless because you saw Gu Zeming dating someone else? Your reaction is so calm, there's something fishy going on!"
"Please stop hurting me. Can't you see I'm heartbroken and about to suffocate?"
As Jiang Chuyu spoke, she silently pulled the blanket over her head, pretending to be asleep. She quietly reached for her phone, turned on the screen, and sent a message to Gu Zeming.
【It's all your fault, now so many people know.】
Gu Zeming quickly replied: 【Although some people have discovered I'm in a relationship, they don't know it's you. Don't worry, I'll keep you well hidden.】
Jiang Chuyu's cheeks flushed, and after a long pause, she suggested, "How about we avoid each other for the next couple of days?"
[It's only seven days in total, are you planning to just coast along until the end?]
That's not what I meant.
Then focus on preparing for tonight's date, don't overthink it, see you in French class.
Jiang Chuyu stared at the last line of text and sighed softly.
French class was one of the few occasions where they could meet openly.
However, given that Gu Zeming is still in the spotlight, she is worried that their relationship will be exposed.
At 7 p.m., when Jiang Chuyu and Caiyan walked into the classroom together, Gu Zeming was already sitting in the last row.
He was wearing a simple white shirt, yet he was so handsome that it was impossible to look away.
People around him would occasionally cast curious glances at him, but he kept his head down, engrossed in his book, completely oblivious.
Jiang Chuyu walked to the third row, a window seat, about two meters away from him, not too far, not too close either.
Gu Zeming frowned almost imperceptibly.
The phone buzzed.
Jiang Chuyu glanced at it.
There were only three short words on the screen.
Come sit here.
Jiang Chuyu hesitated for a few seconds, preparing to reply, when Caiyan suddenly leaned close to her, her voice brimming with excitement, "Hey, why don't we go and ask Gu Zeming who his girlfriend is ourselves?"
Jiang Chuyu almost choked on her own saliva. She quickly put away her phone and said righteously, "Isn't it inappropriate to pry into other people's privacy?"
Caiyan clicked her tongue lightly, looking down on her: "When did you become so fussy and hesitant?"
Jiang Chuyu stammered, "I've always been like this."
Caiyan was speechless at how timid she was.
The school bell rang, and the lecture hall gradually filled with people.
"Today we'll be discussing French poetry," the professor said, adjusting his glasses. "Would anyone like to volunteer to read this passage aloud?"
The classroom was completely silent.
Jiang Chuyu lowered her head and pretended to take notes, but she heard the professor say, "Gu Zeming, come here. I heard your spoken English is very good."
A commotion clearly arose in the vicinity.
Jiang Chuyu looked up and met Gu Zeming's ambiguous smile.
He stood up calmly, his slender fingers opening the textbook, and began to read aloud.
The pure French echoed in the classroom, the voice deep and with a slightly cold quality, making it impossible not to be immersed in it.
His voice is naturally pleasant, that much is undeniable.
Jiang Chuyu listened attentively until the very end, when Gu Zeming inserted a passage in French that was not in the original poem:
Light three matches in the night.
The first one let me see your face.
The second one lets me see your eyes.
The third one lets me see your lips.
The surrounding darkness reminded me of everything.
When I hold you in my arms
The reading has ended.
Jiang Chuyu's heart skipped a beat.
The whole class erupted in uproar.
"Did he read an extra paragraph just now?" someone wondered.
“It sounds like… a love poem by Jacques Prévert?” another student whispered.
The professor coughed and said meaningfully, "It seems that Gu Zeming has his own understanding of poetry."
He glanced around and asked with a smile, "Did anyone understand the extra few sentences he added?"
Several students raised their hands.
The professor nodded in satisfaction: "It seems that good poetry can resonate with people. I'm sure the girl in Gu Zeming's heart heard it too."
As soon as he finished speaking, the whole class erupted in another wave of excitement.
The students whispered amongst themselves, their eyes scanning the classroom for any suspicious individuals.
Jiang Chu felt her ears burning hot and wished she could crawl under the table.
She had always wanted to hear Gu Zeming recite love poems to her in French, and he actually fulfilled her wish in front of everyone.
She was both delighted and surprised, completely unsure of what expression to make, so she could only helplessly hold a French book and pretend to be eager to learn.
For the next few hours, she felt extremely uneasy, as if a gaze was constantly fixed on her from among the vast crowd.
As soon as the bell rang, Jiang Chuyu packed her schoolbag as quickly as possible, ready to escape the scene.
At that moment, the phone vibrated and the screen lit up.
[Waiting for you at the back door of the teaching building.]
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A note from the author:
Light three matches in the night.
The first one let me see your face.
The second one lets me see your eyes.
The third one lets me see your lips.
The surrounding darkness reminded me of everything.
When I hold you in my arms
—The above is quoted from Jacques Prévert's *Paris at Night*.
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