Chapter 22/Xiu's Birthday Gift
After sending out the question, He Peiru stared at the screen, which seemed to have stopped, and dared not breathe.
It felt like every passing minute and second had become torture.
She just wanted to see Gu Zhaoqian's reply as soon as possible, and didn't dare put her phone down.
He Peiru watched as the minutes in the upper left corner of the screen changed three times before the man's reply finally popped up in the chat box.
Gu Zhaoqian: [That's right, I chose all three of these evening gowns and those high heels.]
The answer she received was completely different from what she had guessed.
She no longer cared about what was said in the chat box; once Gu Zhaoqian sent a new message, it would immediately become a read message.
He Peiru pursed her lips, the scene of Gu Zhaoqian choosing these dresses flashing through her mind, and she almost forgot to reply.
The numbers in the top left corner jumped twice more, and the new message notification finally brought her back to her senses. She looked down and saw his question.
Gu Zhaoqian: [Why are you suddenly asking me this question?]
He Peiru hadn't changed out of the glacier blue fishtail dress she was wearing yet. The feeling of the fabric rubbing against her skin reminded her that the reason it fit her so well must have been because her recent body measurements had been meticulously checked.
In other words, Gu Zhaoqian would need to contact her usual stylist separately to get the corresponding values. On the bright side, it's possible that his stylist is responsible for making the contact.
The thought that he might find out about such private information made He Peiru blush as she looked at her phone screen.
She dared not entertain any more thoughts about this issue. Finally, she remembered that not replying to read messages for an extended period might arouse Gu Zhaoqian's suspicion, so she hurriedly typed out a string of text.
He Peiru: [Because I felt you were usually quite busy and might not have time to prepare these things.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [...]
Gu Zhaoqian: [It's good that this is the reason. I was worried you would say that I don't have such good taste.]
She looked at her previous reply again, and in her panic, she accidentally blurted out her thoughts. She gasped and quickly tried to salvage the situation.
He Peiru: [That's not what I meant...]
He Peiru: [I misspoke.]
Little did they know.
Gu Zhaoqian chuckled as he read her reply.
The top floor of the Chiang Kai-shek Group building.
Gu Zhaoqian and Jiang Yici sat facing each other on either side of the desk.
The sudden laughter made Jiang Yici look up and ask, "What?"
Gu Zhaoqian slightly suppressed the smirk on his lips and told him, "Aru doesn't seem to believe that I prepared those dresses."
"You're something else." Jiang Yici chuckled, leaning back in his chair and placing the Hong Kong dollars back on the table. "The person in charge from the brand said they contacted you a few times before, wanting to send you some accessories and establish a relationship with you, but you rejected them all outright?"
He then changed the subject, saying, "This time they didn't expect you to speak up first. They said it was the first time they'd seen you do something like this, and they all came to me to ask what happened."
Gu Zhaoqian put down his phone, but did not deny what Jiang Yici had said. He smiled and said, "I never thought this day would come."
Jiang Yici continued the conversation, asking, "What does Aru think of those dresses?"
“She said she liked it very much.” He paused, “but I don’t know if it was just a polite remark.”
"I don't think so," Jiang Yici disagreed. "I doubt many people would say they don't like the styles of those dresses."
He glanced at his phone several times out of the corner of his eye and replied, "I hope so."
Gu Zhaoqian finally picked up his phone again and replied to the message she had just sent.
Gu Zhaoqian: [Then remember this: anything I send out will only be something I prepared myself.]
He might not give gifts to others, but he would only give He Peiru what he considered to be the best.
After Jiang Yici waited for him to finish typing and put his phone down, he slowly spoke again: "Aru may like it, but I'd like to know, did you really not expect to get any response from her?"
It's too early for Gu Zhaoqian to talk about this.
He shook his head and replied, "These things can't be rushed. If I rush them, the outcome will be unpredictable."
Jiang Yici couldn't understand why someone as aggressive in business as him would be so cautious about this kind of thing.
Jiang Yici made his intentions clear, telling him, "Anyway, I won't interfere in your affairs, but it seems you don't have a clear idea yet."
Gu Zhaoqian was certain that the person he was looking for could only be He Peiru, but he still wanted to get a definite answer from her and hear her admit it herself.
However, he dared not make any rash moves.
If he chose to probe indirectly, given He Peiru's personality, she would definitely have noticed something amiss from the beginning, but he didn't dare to ask her directly.
This leads to the inability to find a relatively suitable approach.
In the past few days, Gu Zhaoqian had already considered countless possibilities for what He Peiru might do if she found out. In the end, he summarized it into one sentence: "I think maintaining the current relationship is not a bad thing. If we scare Aru, many things will not be as simple as they seem."
Gu Zhaoqian worried that the person he was looking for might not be doing well, and he also thought that the hardships of reality would eventually make her unable to hold on. However, the resilience he felt at that time made him never give up the search.
When he first met He Peiru, he noticed that every aspect of her overlapped with the image in his mind, but he never thought of it in that direction.
Perhaps even Heaven couldn't bear to watch any longer, which is why Yu Yin appeared to remind him.
Given the current situation, Gu Zhaoqian doesn't have the courage to choose an overly radical approach.
Jiang Yici didn't speak too hastily, as if every conversation had triggered Gu Zhaoqian's thoughts. He let Gu Zhaoqian be lost in thought, and even delayed speaking.
“Yes, I understand what you mean.” He also understood He Peiru’s personality and, following Gu Zhaoqian’s line of thought, assumed, “Aru might even choose to avoid him.”
"Yes, I think so too."
Their ideas coincided, and all of this stemmed from Wei Peiru.
Both Jiang Yici and Gu Zhaoqian have been immersed in this circle for a long time, and over time they have naturally developed the ability to judge people very accurately.
They don't easily overlook even the smallest details.
"Fate is truly unpredictable," Jiang Yici couldn't help but sigh. "Ayin was also surprised that you two had a story, but... didn't you visit Wuyang back then?"
Bringing up what happened back then undoubtedly opened up a floodgate of conversation for Gu Zhaoqian.
“No,” he replied, now that he thought about it, it seemed like a long time ago. “It was when my old man’s illegitimate children were making trouble behind his back. I hadn’t figured out what to do, and I didn’t think of asking you for help, Uncle Jiang, so I went to Cui Haonian’s bar every day.”
"No wonder. I was wondering why you seemed to visit Haonian's place less often after the company started up."
Jiang Yici knew about the Gu family's situation at the time, but he wasn't sure when Gu Zhaoqian, who was so dejected, made up his mind to take control of everything in the Gu family.
Gu Zhaoqian smiled and said, "It's all because of Aru."
He briefly recounted the circumstances of meeting He Peiru in that back alley, and briefly touched upon the secret that only he and He Peiru knew.
Gu Zhaoqian dared not speak.
This is also what he is most wary of when facing He Peiru now.
Having finally obtained the truth he wanted, he could then use the birthday party as an excuse to choose his own course of action.
He and the others agreed that one person would prepare some of the things needed for He Peiru's birthday banquet. This could be considered a subtle and pervasive way of making her feel at ease accepting everything he might do for her now or in the future.
Jiang Yici's doubts were finally answered, but his expression remained calm: "I didn't expect that the person who had the deepest influence on you would be Aru."
Normally, Gu Zhaoqian can easily figure out the mentality of different people. If his emotions take over, he can take a radical approach.
However, when he faced He Peiru, the subtle distance emanating from her made him more inclined to let He Peiru become dependent on him over the years, and thus give rise to a sliver of other thoughts.
Gu Zhaoqian had already calculated everything, but he dared not gamble.
What if He Peiru never wanted to mention that secret? What if she knew Gu Zhaoqian was aware of it, but still chose to stay away in the end?
He Peiru gave him the courage to fight his way out of the complicated environment of the Gu family, but now he does not have the courage to tell He Peiru everything.
It's like comparing the predicament he faced back then to the one he faces now.
It seems insignificant.
If it weren't for that incident they believed couldn't mention to anyone else, which was their only secret, Gu Zhaoqian would even want to laugh at his own cowardice.
-
Upon seeing Gu Zhaoqian's reply, He Peiru felt not only embarrassed, but her heart was also pounding wildly, as if it were about to jump out of her throat.
Perhaps this reply was just a polite gesture for him, but He Peiru couldn't help but overthink it.
His words seemed to convey a sense of solemnity, and He Peiru didn't even have the courage to look up at herself in the mirror, still wearing her evening gown.
She regretted her impulsive question when she was caught up in the moment, as the conversation had escalated to a point where she didn't know how to end it.
She couldn't think of a proper reply, so she could only hastily and mechanically type out common phrases.
He Peiru: [Okay, thank you, Brother Qian.]
She then tossed her phone onto the bed as if it were a hot potato, but her gaze remained involuntarily fixed on it, making the action seem redundant.
She didn't dare to go closer to pick it up, her eyes glued to it, silently praying that he wouldn't reply.
Let's put this topic behind us.
He Peiru went into the dressing room to change out of her formal dress, and then sat on the sofa by the balcony to look out at the sea.
Whether it was the gorgeous dress or Gu Zhaoqian's words that stirred her heart, she couldn't help but wonder if she could put aside all her worries and get closer to Gu Zhaoqian.
Just then, her phone beeped several times with new message notifications, and He Pei immediately knew it couldn't be Gu Zhaoqian.
He doesn't usually send messages this frequently, and based on their conversation just now, there didn't seem to be any reason for him to reply to so many messages.
He Peiru mustered her courage, picked up the phone lying in the middle of the bed, and carefully unlocked it to find that it was Fang Xiaoxin.
Thanks to Fang Xiaoxin, she realized just how hard-won those three dresses Gu Zhaoqian had prepared were.
She opened the message and saw that it contained news about celebrities who had repeatedly encountered obstacles when trying to borrow dresses from this brand.
Fang Xiaoxin: [I just looked up some news from a while ago, and it seems that whenever there's a red carpet event, news related to this brand always comes out.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [It's really beautiful, but it's a hassle to borrow or buy it.]
This record seems to confirm these seemingly exaggerated claims.
The difficulty had reached a level that was well-known to the outside world. He Peiru couldn't help but wonder if she could succeed in buying this brand's haute couture dress in the name of the Jiang family.
He Peiru: [It seems I need to learn more about formal wear in the future.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [If your family can help you, you just need to choose the style you like.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [I just saw this while looking for news. Whenever celebrities wear dresses from this brand in public, their fans shower them with praise.]
He Peiru: [It's unbelievable how exaggerated it is.]
She turned to look at the three formal dresses that Sophia had neatly hung up in the middle of the dressing room.
He Peiru: [Then wouldn't my three points be...?]
Fang Xiaoxin: [Let alone others, I'm envious too.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [Can I show the photos to my stylist? I really like this style and would like to inquire whether this brand will release similar styles in the future.]
He Peiru: [Of course you can, just take my photo and ask.]
Fang Xiaoxin may have contacted her stylist, but didn't reply to He Peiru for the next few minutes. Looking at the message above, it seemed the combined value of those three dresses was incalculable. Did this indirectly reflect Gu Zhaoqian's attitude towards her?
But that was all she dared to guess.
About five minutes later, Fang Xiaoxin came back and sent her another message.
Fang Xiaoxin: [By the way, about what I asked you about your uncle last time, I found out some inside information, but I guess you probably already know?]
She quickly recalled that Fang Xiaoxin had only mentioned one thing about Jiang Yici to her.
He Peiru: [Are you referring to the pink diamond?]
He Peiru: [I did meet his girlfriend not long ago, and I actually know her.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [Is she in the entertainment industry? Did you meet her at the banquet?]
He Peiru: [Yes, but I met him when I was working at a middle school.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [What a coincidence!!!]
Fang Xiaoxin: [Did you know that Gu Zhaoqian was looking for a woman recently?]
He Peiru: [What? I don't know.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [Wait, the stylist called me back.]
He Peiru sat back down on the sofa and waited patiently for a few minutes before Fang Xiaoxin's messages came in one after another.
Fang Xiaoxin: [My stylist said it's all over the brand's news that Gu Zhaoqian, the person who bought it, said he wanted to give it away.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [So the family you were talking about is actually Gu Zhaoqian!?]
Fang Xiaoxin: [Aru, did I accidentally find out some secret...?]
Fang Xiaoxin: [[...You really didn't mean to want to know, you're not angry with me, are you?! ...
Looking at the series of messages she sent, He Peiru was a little confused as to why she was so agitated. At first, she didn't want to explain the complexity behind it, but she didn't expect her selfish motives to be exposed under these circumstances, so she still replied seriously.
He Peiru: [I forgot that the fact that someone bought the dress and someone borrowed it isn't really a secret...]
He Peiru: [He's close to the Chiang family, and my uncle said he watched him grow up. He did this because of the Chiang family, so he directly told you they're family.]
Fang Xiaoxin immediately denied her statement.
Fang Xiaoxin: [No, I still find it very suspicious.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [The rumors about your two families getting married last time just fizzled out, but there was never any official clarification.]
Gu Zhaoqian's few words at the time had made her forget about the matter, but now that Fang Xiaoxin brought it up, she couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
But Fang Xiaoxin's messages kept popping up.
Fang Xiaoxin: [Isn't it a bit inappropriate to say this to your face...?]
Fang Xiaoxin: [But I can't control my gossipy nature.]
Perhaps she had been looking at it for too long, but the sea view made her feel dizzy. She closed her eyes and wondered if she, as the person in question, might have overlooked these details.
He Peiru: [I didn't say whether it was good or bad.]
He Peiru: [But now that you've said it, I feel a bit uneasy.]
After Fang Xiaoxin reminded her, she couldn't help but start to have doubts as well.
Gu Zhaoqian has helped her time and time again. Can he really go to such lengths because of his relationship with the Jiang family?
The fog that had just dissipated recently has once again enveloped her heart.
He Peiru needed something else to distract her at that moment, and Feng Shiqi, like a mind reader, chose this time to contact her.
Feng Shiqi: [I'm worried that since we don't know anything about this, if something happens at the birthday party, will it affect you?]
He Peiru: [Absolutely not!]
He Peiru: [If you say that, my uncle will also wonder if we haven't been hospitable enough.]
Feng Shiqi: [No, no, no, it's my fault.]
Feng Shiqi: [I know the Jiang family treats you very well, but it's my first time attending an event like this, so I'm inevitably a little worried.]
He Peiru: [Don't worry, just think of it as coming to celebrate my birthday.]
He Peiru: [Your uncle had already arranged for a driver to pick you up and help you prepare. Also, since you're graduating soon, he said he could help you find a suitable job.]
He Peiru: [So this time I can't refuse, I absolutely have to come.]
Before we knew it, it was time for the birthday party.
He Peiru had the stylist deliver the dresses prepared for Feng Shiqi and her mother to the dressing room in advance, so that they could immediately choose the right style and make adjustments upon their arrival.
The two hadn't seen each other for a while, and Feng Shiqi forgot her previous concerns on the phone and started chatting non-stop about her recent situation.
Finally, the stylist, seeing that they could no longer postpone the time, forcibly interrupted their conversation.
To match this glacier blue fishtail dress, the stylist chose a light and airy makeup look for her, and her hair was styled into big, wavy curls that fell casually over her shoulders.
Feng Shiqi, who was getting her hair done next to her, looked over in the mirror and exclaimed, "Aru, you look like a mermaid princess!"
Feng Shiqi, who was dressed in a similar style, surprisingly looked very good in a simple dress. He Peiru replied, "It's good that you came. This kind of outfit suits you very well."
After getting her hair and makeup done, He Peiru didn't stay in the room any longer. Instead, she took Feng Shiqi and her mother and headed to the banquet hall.
As soon as I entered, I saw that the area in the banquet hall where gifts were displayed had been piled up into a small mountain.
The display was as if it were making up for all the gifts she had missed over the past twenty-one years.
When He Peiru entered, she saw several elders who had dealings with the Jiang family, but were not particularly familiar with her.
Regardless of how much she actually returned to the Jiang family, her status as the eldest daughter of the Jiang family was undeniable, and no one dared to treat her with disrespect.
She had confirmed with Jiang Yici beforehand that she didn't plan to open the gifts at the birthday party. No matter who gave the gift, she preferred to keep the surprise hidden.
Instead of having every expression they show in front of outsiders meticulously analyzed.
Jiang Yi let her decide for herself, but perhaps worried that she might forget later, he came over and reminded her while she was standing there watching the Filipino maids arrange the gifts after she entered the banquet: "I have arranged for someone to record who gave the gifts and what they were. When you open them at home, you should write them down carefully. If you find it troublesome, ask Sophia for help. If you have any questions, you should also tell me."
Jiang Yici further explained why he asked her to do this: "I asked you to record it not so that you could compare or judge the value of the gift you received, but so that you could give back a gift of equal value when you are invited to someone else's birthday party in the future."
He Peiru quickly understood what he meant and nodded, saying, "I understand. I'll make sure it's ready when we open the gifts."
It is indeed important to be mindful of the social etiquette of reciprocity; otherwise, it can easily give others cause for gossip.
After explaining things to her, Jiang Yici immediately turned around to chat with Feng Shiqi's mother. She wanted to stop and listen to their conversation, but she was quickly called away by Zheng Wanqiao.
This was her birthday party, and seeing other people was no longer as unfamiliar as last time, so getting away naturally became more difficult.
But during conversations with other people, He Peiru couldn't help but look away.
Since their last conversation about the dress, she hadn't contacted Gu Zhaoqian for several days. Even when she saw him at the Jiang family's house, they only exchanged brief greetings and had no further contact.
Today is her birthday, I should be able to talk to him somehow.
While repeatedly engaging in social interactions and trying to find Gu Zhaoqian in the crowd, the time for the birthday banquet to begin arrived before they knew it.
Although the guests attending the birthday party were carefully selected by Jiang Yici, the number of attendees was still quite large.
After discussing with the designer, the birthday party was decided to be a buffet, which would not restrict the guests' movement and would make it much easier for her to entertain them.
He Peiru was led by Zheng Wanqiao to the stage that had been set up.
As soon as she stood still, the lights went out, and a small door near the kitchen was opened from the inside. Then someone pushed out a food cart covered with a white cloth.
Although the design was not very clear, He Peiru could still quickly identify that what was placed on top was a blue and white eight-tiered decorated cake.
The color scheme seemed to subtly match the dress she was wearing.
As He Peiru watched the cake being pushed toward her step by step, she felt a heavy weight pressing down on her head.
She turned her head in surprise and found that Zheng Wanqiao had helped her put on a piece of jewelry when she wasn't paying attention.
He Peiru bent down slightly to make it easier for Zheng Wanqiao to adjust. She gave a kind smile, seemingly quite satisfied with the effect, and clapped her hands: "Put the crown on our Aru. You are the undisputed star of the night."
Sophia, as if she had been expecting this, handed over a magnificent mirror. The diamond crown that Zheng Wanqiao had just put on her head was dazzlingly sparkling even in the dim light.
This gift became the perfect finishing touch to her outfit tonight.
The trolley stopped beside He Peiru, and Sophia quickly moved the mirror away. The lights in the banquet hall then came back on, and the birthday song began to play.
She then realized that all the faces standing in front of her were familiar, and she finally saw Gu Zhaoqian standing to one side.
After a packed birthday party, He Peiru was deeply moved and her eyes welled up with tears.
It turns out her birthday can be so lively.
It turns out she can receive so many birthday wishes.
Everything made her feel like she was in a dream.
The birthday party didn't last too long. Before leaving, Feng Shiqi somewhat shyly stuffed the gift bag in her hand into He Peiru's hand and whispered, "I didn't think of what to give you when I was in your room. I was afraid you might not need other things, so I made a handmade book. It's full of our past memories."
These words prompted He Peiru to hug Feng Shiqi as a reflex. The sudden changes in their lives reduced their opportunities to meet, but they would always remember this friendship.
"Don't think about those things." He Peiru just wanted to minimize the impact of the changes in reality on their relationship. She let go of Feng Shiqi, clenched the gift bag in her hand, and said, "It's getting late. The driver will take you and Auntie home. After the first time, you can't refuse to attend banquets again in the future."
After seeing Feng Shiqi off, He Peiru turned around and met Gu Zhaoqian's gaze. She was stunned for a moment: "Brother Qian?"
Although she had been searching for Gu Zhaoqian all night, she kept thinking about what Fang Xiaoxin had told her about him looking for someone, and suddenly all her words became stuck in her throat.
Therefore, it is more likely that everything Gu Zhaoqian did for her was based on the Jiang family.
Sure enough, she could only hope for more.
It would be better to maintain the status quo with Gu Zhaoqian.
After several days of reflection, He Peiru has managed to control her emotions in front of Gu Zhaoqian, but she doesn't know if he will notice anything amiss.
She smiled and pointed clearly: "Thank you, I really like these dresses you gave me."
"I'm glad you like it." He smiled back and asked, "Was that a friend from before?"
Ho Pui-yu nodded, but still said a bit more: "We've lived together in the public housing estates of Hung Hom since we were little."
"Why didn't I see them at the banquet last time?"
She didn't expect Gu Zhaoqian to ask so many questions, nor did she expect him to pay such close attention.
He Peiru gestured with her chin and told him, "They refused last time, but thankfully they came this time."
"It's nice. I didn't see you earlier, so this is a birthday present for you." He Peiru thought Gu Zhaoqian hadn't prepared any other gifts, but then he handed her a gift bag.
She didn't accept it immediately, hesitating slightly: "Eh...?"
Gu Zhaoqian maintained the same gesture: "This is a formal birthday gift."
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