Chapter 17, Section 17: Lingering Resentment
Gu Zhaoqian stopped in front of He Peiru, lowered his head and asked, "Did something happen that made you say you didn't want to trouble me?"
She hadn't expected Gu Zhaoqian to pry so deeply, but his tone wasn't aggressive; instead, it remained as arrogant and aloof as ever.
It sounds like they don't care about the answer.
He Peiru only wanted to back down.
It seemed that no matter how she answered, Gu Zhaoqian could respond effortlessly.
"Don't you have a fiancée?" Reality didn't allow her to mess around, so she gritted her teeth, mustered her courage, and answered decisively, "I'm worried about being misunderstood by others, so I'd better not bother you."
Since it wasn't too different from what she had guessed, Gu Zhaoqian was amused by her and asked again, "So you believed what the other people said?"
He Peiru was completely unprepared for his persistent questioning, and widened her eyes to ask in return, "...But didn't you mention it to your uncle yourself?"
Gu Zhaoqian realized that she had completely misunderstood him, and he tried to tell her calmly, "Because I don't care what others say, and I don't plan to find a so-called marriage partner, I rarely care. But I overlooked the fact that it would affect you, and I will try my best to resolve it."
He Peiru never expected him to offer an explanation, and her seemingly considerate approach made her instinctively resistant: "Actually, you don't need to tell me these things."
He replied, "Yes."
I'm afraid she'll be constrained by all sorts of opinions.
Since He Peiru returned to the Jiang family, it is not hard to see that she is cautious in everything she does.
Gu Zhaoqian didn't want to affect He Peiru because of him, especially since he had gotten used to helping her solve all sorts of problems.
He Peiru gripped the cup tightly, wanting to continue refusing Gu Zhaoqian, but her mind went blank.
He didn't dwell on the topic any further, and added, "I'm going back now. Don't take those things to heart."
After leaving the Jiang family, Gu Zhaoqian did not rush to leave. Instead, he sat in the car for a moment, pondered, and then picked up his phone and dialed Li Jiale's number.
Gu Zhaoqian: [Assistant Li, send me a copy of the information you collected about Aru back then.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [Use your resources to find me someone else. The reward will be three times the salary Uncle Jiang gives you.]
Li Jiale: [Okay, I'll send you Miss's information now.]
Li Jiale: [Who are you looking for? Should we tell Mr. Jiang?]
Gu Zhaoqian: [No need.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [Five years ago, I worked part-time at a restaurant called Wu Yang in Sheung Wan. I estimate I'm about a year older than Ah Ru.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [I've investigated this several times over the past few years, but there's been no progress.]
Li Jiale: [Understood, but I might not be able to guarantee the timeframe.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [It's alright, you did your best.]
Only then did he open the file sent by Li Jiale and carefully read through the details of what had happened to He Peiru.
Her academic experiences were described in great detail, including her grades, awards, and even the fact that He Zhong had embezzled her financial aid.
However, apart from that, the part about her off-campus work only simply states that she worked part-time to earn a living, but it doesn't even know when, where, or where she did her part-time jobs.
As Gu Zhaoqian read on, he increasingly felt that He Peiru's experiences overlapped with those of the person he was looking for, but there were also too many unknowns.
There are differences in age alone.
He was suddenly filled with confusion, and the investigation came to a standstill. He didn't know where to start with He Peiru's past, or whether he should ask her herself.
Gu Zhaoqian leaned back in the driver's seat, took out a lighter from his inner pocket, and habitually stroked the string of English letters engraved on the bottom.
The marks of time have blurred the inscriptions, and even if he is curious about their meaning, he has no clue what to do with them.
He glanced down at it, and in the end, he could only put the idea aside for the time being.
Unless he has another chance to see the girl who gave him the lighter, he will never know its meaning.
-
It wasn't until He Peiru was startled by the sound of the door closing that she realized Gu Zhaoqian had left in a daze. She turned around and saw that the study door was still closed. She could only clutch her water glass and return to her room in a daze.
Gu Zhaoqian's words seemed to echo in her ears again, as if he was telling her more and more things, but she was still in a state of disbelief.
He Peiru leaned against the door, her thoughts drifting to whether she was somewhat different to Gu Zhaoqian.
However, the ripples in her heart made her emotions increasingly subtle. She wanted to get closer to him, but she didn't know where to find the courage.
She seemed to have forgotten how she used to get along with Gu Zhaoqian.
He Peiru knew that all of this was because after she escaped her suffering, she transformed the kindness she felt from Gu Zhaoqian into a different kind of emotion.
As for where the differences lie...
She understood even more clearly that it could not be explained in just a few words.
If she continues to be trapped in this emotion, Gu Zhaoqian will likely only see countless flaws in her.
She closed her eyes and decided to focus on what she needed to do first, otherwise no matter how complicated her feelings were, they would be meaningless.
-
A peaceful afternoon.
Suddenly, voices came from downstairs. He Peiru assumed that a guest had arrived, so she went downstairs without looking around too much.
I then realized it was Li Jiale.
"I've brought back the jewelry Mr. Jiang ordered. I'll go back to the company after I've put it away," he explained to the Filipino maid in the living room, holding a jewelry box in his hand.
He Peiru walked towards them step by step and asked, "Was it made from the pink diamond that Uncle bought last time?"
“Yes,” Li Jiale replied, “It’s the one you photographed last time, Miss. Would you like to see the final product?”
She wanted to see it, but just to be on the safe side, she asked, "Is it alright? These are my uncle's things, wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
“Of course not,” Li Jiale replied. “Mr. Jiang also said that if Miss has any ideas after seeing this, she can also take some photos for custom jewelry.”
Since he said so, He Peiru saw no need to refuse and said, "Then I'll take a look."
Li Jiale opened the jewelry box, and what came into view was an exquisitely crafted necklace.
The pink diamond, already dazzling enough on its own, now looks even more radiant with a ring of diamonds around its outer edge.
He Peiru couldn't help but sigh, reluctantly shifting her gaze. Remembering Fang Xiaoxin's question, she asked Li Jiale, "Do you know who Uncle plans to give the pink diamond he bought and designed?"
He looked troubled and scratched his head, saying, "Actually, I'm not quite sure either."
"...Oh, I see. Never mind then."
Sure enough, everything related to Jiang Yici was anything but mysterious.
Li Jiale added, "However, Young Master Gu might find out."
"Him?" Having not seen Gu Zhaoqian at the Jiang family ancestral home for the past few days, He Peiru asked casually, "Do you know what he's been up to lately?"
“Young Master Gu?” Li Jiale suddenly remembered the message Gu Zhaoqian had sent him, omitting the part he couldn’t say, and replied, “He seems to be looking for someone recently.”
Who is it?
"I'm not entirely sure yet, I only know it's a woman around your age, Miss." He carefully chose his words in his reply, "You can ask Young Master Gu for details."
He Peiru immediately shook her head like a rattle-drum, refusing, "No need, I was just asking."
"Okay." Seeing that it was getting late, Li Jiale quickly said, "I'll help Mr. Jiang put the jewelry away first, it's almost time to go back to the company."
She nodded: "Okay, you can go ahead and get busy."
He added, "Don't tell anyone else about what I asked you."
The day finally arrived for the Chiang family scholarship to be awarded.
He Peiru keeps track of which scholarships she can apply for every year, because there are different conditions and restrictions, so she has to check each scholarship individually.
She vaguely remembered that she did not meet the requirements for the Chiang family scholarship, but now, she was about to stand on the stage in a different capacity.
Ultimately, it still feels somewhat unreal.
The scholarship award ceremony was scheduled for the afternoon. Coincidentally, He Peiru had to go back to school for classes that morning. She felt there was no need to go back to the Jiang family after class, so she planned to meet Jiang Yici and the others at the school before the ceremony began.
When He Peiru arrived at the hall where the award ceremony was to be held, she saw Jiang Yici surrounded by senior executives from the school and the Jiang Group as soon as she walked in. When she looked closer, she found that he was accompanied by Li Jiale.
Surprisingly, Gu Zhaoqian was also there.
She had no prior knowledge of this, but upon reflection, it seemed perfectly normal for him to be here.
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been the occasion for him to give a speech in previous years.
Jiang Yici quickly noticed He Peiru and gestured to her, "Aru, come here."
He then introduced her to all the people present.
He Peiru greeted some of the people she had met before.
However, when she turned to the side, she caught a glimpse of Gu Zhaoqian seemingly looking at her out of the corner of her eye. She didn't dare turn her head to confirm it, and quickly suppressed the strange feeling that arose in her heart, taking it as a coincidence or perhaps an illusion.
After getting to know most of the unfamiliar elders, He Peiru finally had some free time to think about other things. Although she could give a speech without notes, she still wanted to double-check the content of her speech.
I just hope that everything will go perfectly.
Guided by Li Jiale, she entered the backstage dressing room, silently reading the text on her phone screen, when Gu Zhaoqian's voice suddenly rang in her ears: "Preparing for a speech?"
He Peiru turned her head at the sound of his voice, not knowing when he had come in. She looked at him as calmly as possible and replied, "Yes."
She stopped abruptly, restraining herself from saying anything more.
As long as Gu Zhaoqian doesn't start a new topic or feels that he's making a fool of himself, he will naturally leave the lounge.
But even after she read the speech over and over again, the man in the lounge showed no sign of leaving, and the ever-growing silence made her feel suffocated.
They couldn't wait for someone else to come in.
finally.
Li Jiale knocked lightly on the door, then walked inside, reminding her, "Miss, it's almost your turn to go on stage."
"good."
She got up and walked out without looking back, as if fleeing in panic.
Ultimately, she was conflicted. After learning from Assistant Li that Gu Zhaoqian had been looking for someone recently, she couldn't help but feel resentful about the whole thing.
He Peiru couldn't figure out what she should do to be right, but she realized that her feelings would be exposed to Gu Zhaoqian sooner or later because of her unnatural attitude. The best thing to do was to change her attitude as soon as possible.
She took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and then walked onto the stage to begin her speech.
The award ceremony ended quickly, but what followed was destined to be another social occasion among the elders, and dinner was bound to be eaten out.
He Peiru had already prepared herself mentally enough; running away wasn't an option. So she took the initiative to bring up the topic and asked, "Does Brother Qian attend the award ceremony every year? So he's the one who gives the speech?"
“Yes,” Jiang Yici replied. “Anyway, he participates every year, so we might as well invite him this year too.”
"So that's how it is."
He Peiru simply repeated what she had guessed.
Tonight's dinner was all about school-related matters. For a moment, He Peiru hoped that things could stay as they were and that no more complications would arise.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Jiang Yici abruptly changed the subject, saying, "Aru, do you want to go check on He Zhong?"
"See him?" Since moving into the dormitory after getting into university, He Peiru had hardly seen He Zhong even once a month, and had almost forgotten that he existed. "What happened to him?"
“His condition has been getting worse lately, and he doesn’t want to go to the hospital,” Jiang Yici told her. “His family doctor says he may not have much time left. If you’d like, you can go see him.”
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 01:22:22 on February 11, 2024 and 16:39:30 on February 14, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution: "Don't put cilantro in the offerings!" (3 bottles); Wang Chuqin's healthy growth (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
