Chapter 16, Number 16: Very Few
He Peiru tried to suppress her lingering thoughts and explained to Gu Zhaoqian as briefly as possible.
Especially because of this misunderstanding, she subconsciously felt that there was no need to tell him too much.
"Hmm? Why don't you want to bother me?"
Gu Zhaoqian couldn't help but frown; He Peiru's behavior was clearly more unusual than usual.
On the surface, she appears gentle and harmless, but the words she speaks are actually quite unfamiliar.
He Peiru never expected to see Gu Zhaoqian again today, let alone that he would ask her such questions.
I opened my eyes, and suddenly I didn't know how to respond.
“Don’t feel like you’re bothering me or that you’re embarrassed.” He turned his head, and He Peiru could feel his straightforward gaze. “It’s not a difficult thing.”
Jiang Yici happened to come out of the study and didn't miss Gu Zhaoqian's one-sided statement. He immediately echoed and agreed: "That's right, he's practically treating this place as his own home. Why are you being so polite with him?"
Because of what Fang Xiaoxin told her, even though He Peiru was full of questions, she swallowed the words she wanted to say.
She knew that if she didn't respond, she would not only seem abrupt but also give herself away, so she quickly replied as if to cover it up: "I've already written the speech. I'll ask Brother Qian for help next time if I have other things to do."
As for when the next time will be, that's entirely up to her to decide.
“No wonder you don’t need Ah Qian’s help.” Jiang Yici smiled and sat down on the single sofa next to him, jokingly saying, “If Ah Ru can do it herself, then Ah Qian really won’t be of any use.”
Her uncle's words indirectly rescued He Peiru from her embarrassment and helplessness. She replied, "Don't worry, I can manage on my own."
She had never longed so much to immediately change the subject of Gu Zhaoqian, nor did she wish to feel so uncomfortable with his attention.
Just then, her phone received several new messages, which seemed to give her an excuse to escape. She said to the two people sitting on the sofa, "I'm going to the bathroom."
However, He Peiru felt uneasy, as if a gaze was firmly following her from behind.
Only after closing the bathroom door did she take out her phone; it was Fang Xiaoxin.
Fang Xiaoxin: [Oh right, I was too excited this morning and forgot to ask you.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [Do you know what your uncle plans to do with that pink diamond?]
He Peiru: [How did you know that was what my uncle wanted?]
Fang Xiaoxin: [There were rumors like this before the auction even started. Since you went to the auction representing the Jiang family, that definitely fits the story.]
Her guess was correct.
He Peiru had also been curious about this question, but Jiang Yici had never mentioned it, so she naturally couldn't ask.
He Peiru: [I don't know what he intends to use it for.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [Your uncle is really mysterious; that was the biggest pink diamond ever auctioned recently.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [Is it possible that he intended to give it as a gift to a woman?]
He Peiru: [I also think my uncle is very mysterious...]
He Peiru: [But it seems that since I returned to the Jiang family, I haven't heard anything about his love life.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [That's a pity. I'll look into it and let you know later.]
He Peiru didn't dare stay in the bathroom for too long. After hurriedly replying to Fang Xiaoxin's message, she washed her hands and pretended to be normal as she walked out.
The Filipino maid had already prepared dinner, and it seemed perfectly normal for Gu Zhaoqian to stay at the Jiang family's house for dinner. She immediately decided to minimize her presence.
To her surprise, Jiang Yici intentionally or unintentionally steered the conversation towards her, asking, "How did you think of last night's auction? We all feel confident entrusting you with participating in auctions from now on."
He Peiru smiled slightly and replied, "The auction was quite interesting, and I could learn a lot from it."
She had barely finished speaking when she remembered the message Fang Xiaoxin had sent her and secretly glanced at Jiang Yici out of the corner of her eye.
She knew very little about Gu Zhaoqian, but because of his family background, she forgot that Jiang Yici and Gu Zhaoqian were evenly matched.
Besides their illustrious success in the business world, they keep their private lives completely private.
After Fang Xiaoxin reminded her, she was also curious about the purpose of the pink diamond and who she planned to give it to, but she didn't dare to ask.
This eased the tension between He Peiru and Gu Zhaoqian, and she quietly listened to their conversation while eating dinner.
Fortunately, none of this affected her appetite. She even finished the dessert completely.
-
What He Peiru didn't know was that her silence today did not escape the eyes of these two men, who easily sensed that something was wrong with her based on the slightest clues.
Jiang Yici exchanged a puzzled look with Gu Zhaoqian, and after receiving a tacit response, they refrained from bringing it up immediately.
Instead, when the opportunity was less abrupt, Jiang Yici stood up and said, "Qian, come to the study."
"good."
Gu Zhaoqian followed.
The reason he appeared at the Jiang family's house today was simply to take away the project documents he had worked on with Jiang Yici, but he didn't expect to notice He Peiru's unusual behavior.
He had just closed the study door when he heard Jiang Yici say, "Aru is acting a bit strange today."
The tone of the statement was clearly not a guess, but an affirmation of the claim.
"But she was perfectly fine from the beginning to the end of last night's auction," Gu Zhaoqian speculated. "Could something have happened today?"
Jiang Yici shook his head and asked, "First think about whether something happened last night? Are there any details that you missed?"
Gu Zhaoqian thought about it seriously, and the more he thought about it, the narrowed his eyes involuntarily. He muttered a curse under his breath and replied, "I understand."
He paused, then corrected, "To be precise, it happened this morning."
"Um?"
Jiang Yici was somewhat puzzled, realizing that his focus seemed to be different from what Gu Zhaoqian had said.
In addition, he rarely paid attention to matters concerning the younger generation, not to mention some who relied on their family background to cause trouble and were simply not respectable. In the end, most of them were just minor squabbles, so he naturally didn't need to care about them.
Now that he has recognized He Peiru, he realizes that if he doesn't know enough about her, he might miss what Gu Zhaoqian is about to say.
“Hasn’t everyone in the industry known lately that my dad is going to find me a marriage partner? Last night, Aru and I were sitting together, and I guess the people who saw us misunderstood.” Gu Zhaoqian said, frowning slightly. “Could someone have said something to her?”
He briefly recounted to Jiang Yici what he had vaguely heard that morning.
He generally doesn't pay attention to gossip or rumors from the outside world.
Over time, some people figured out his attitude and realized that even if some of it reached his ears, it wouldn't have any impact.
Although it could be said that the entire Jiang family was involved, no one dared to subtly probe Jiang Yici.
That's why they overlooked He Peiru's thoughts.
Although Gu Zhaoqian spoke cryptically, Jiang Yici understood easily. The Filipino maid brought in the brewed tea, and he sighed, "I'm afraid someone asked Aru, but given her personality, she'll probably just keep it to herself."
The Filipino maid vaguely guessed what was going on from their conversation and quickly told Jiang Yici what had happened during the day: "Mr. Jiang, the Fang family's daughter came to see the eldest young lady today."
He asked, "Do you know why you're looking for Aru?"
The Filipino maid clearly explained, "Because Sophia is in charge of the young lady's daily life, I only heard about the auction being mentioned."
Even though everyone living in this house is a member of the Jiang family, Jiang Yici is now in power, so it is only natural that he should be told everything that happens here.
Jiang Yici nodded, having roughly understood the whole story: "I understand, you can go out now."
In the study, the two resumed their conversation.
Gu Zhaoqian rarely dealt with these unfounded remarks, but now that they were affecting He Peiru, he pondered for a moment: "Shall I explain things to Aru?"
Jiang Yici countered, "How do you plan to explain things to her? And how do you plan to deal with the people outside?"
He didn't expect Gu Zhaoqian, the powerful heir, to give He Peiru a complete account from beginning to end, not to mention that he sometimes felt he couldn't see through Gu Zhaoqian.
When it comes to matters involving two families, every action should be carefully considered.
Jiang Yici suddenly remembered hearing that Gu Zhaoqian had tried to find someone, but it seemed to have come to nothing in the end.
He paused, then continued, "Are you going to clarify that you have no other intentions towards Aru, or are you going to explain your own situation?"
"...What do you think?"
Gu Zhaoqian was stumped by this choice between the two options.
Jiang Yici fiddled with the pen that was originally on the table, looked at him, and said, "Actually, it's not surprising that outsiders would guess that way. The Jiang family and the Gu family have always been close, so there is indeed a possibility of a marriage alliance."
Gu Zhaoqian smiled and said, "That's true. Everyone knows that Uncle Jiang has been taking me to work on different projects since the beginning."
Jiang Yici only wanted to help him out at first, and he got what he deserved later through his own efforts. He never expected things to turn out this way. So he said, "When I brought Aru back, I decided that she didn't need to be married off. She suffered so much outside. Now that she's back, the most important thing is for her to be happy."
Even though Gu Zhaoqian was present on the day He Peiru returned to the Jiang family, what he learned seemed to be only a superficial understanding of the past.
His curiosity about the hardships Jiang Yici had endured was piqued by her words.
What exactly did she go through that made her unable to accept all kindness with a clear conscience?
“I don’t intend to get involved in this matter. Aru will have her own considerations, and you will have your own choices. What I need to do is leave it to you to handle.” Jiang Yici continued, “Besides, Aru’s attitude may not necessarily be because of this matter. Maybe we are overthinking it.”
His wording was even more euphemistic.
Gu Zhaoqian leaned back in his chair and replied, "I know, I'll think about it."
"However..." Just to be on the safe side, Jiang Yici asked, "You attend the Jiang family scholarship award ceremony every year, what are your thoughts this year?"
"Don't worry, I will go."
A thin veil seemed to veil his mind, and he remained completely clueless about what to do.
-
When He Peiru returned to her room, she found that her water glass was empty and her water bottle, which was usually full of water, was also empty.
Standing at the top of the stairs and confirming that it was still quiet downstairs, she decided to go downstairs to get water herself.
Unexpectedly, just as they stepped down the last flight of stairs, the door to the study not far away opened from the inside, and Gu Zhaoqian walked out.
His appearance was so sudden that He Peiru didn't know how to react, and felt as if she was nailed to the spot and unable to move.
While she was still in a daze, Gu Zhaoqian was walking towards her step by step.
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Author's Note: I'm late!
Happy New Year, my darlings!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:59:59 on February 7, 2024 and 01:16:47 on February 11, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: "Don't put cilantro in the offerings!" 5 bottles; 1 bottle for the 24th.
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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