Chapter 23 Living in the Present
At this moment, He Peiru experienced what it meant to be flattered.
Gu Zhaoqian had previously given her three evening gowns and a pair of high heels, which was more than enough in terms of both quantity and sentiment.
I never imagined he would have made any extra preparations.
Gu Zhaoqian thought that everything would be fine once the explanation was cleared up, but seeing that He Peiru hadn't taken the gift bag yet, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Judging from the appearance alone, He Peiru couldn't tell what gift he had prepared, but she knew that whatever it was, it seemed inappropriate to accept it again.
She gently shook her head, refusing, "You've given me too much."
He Peiru had inevitably drunk some champagne tonight, and the impulse from her wildly beating heart surged into her brain. She looked up at him and asked, "If the Jiang family had recognized someone else, would you have treated her the same way?"
Gu Zhaoqian remembered hearing this familiar question not long ago. At that time, she didn't dare to wholeheartedly accept the Jiang family's kindness to her, and she was afraid that he would ask her this question again.
How could he not see it?
Gu Zhaoqian replied, "Not necessarily."
He wanted to say no directly, but a definite answer would only make her guess and choose to back down.
Even if he could resolve all the confusion by explaining the truth, he knew that He Peiru might get stuck on the issue.
He Peiru paused for a moment, then said bluntly, "I don't quite understand what you're saying."
These three words alone were enough to stir up ripples in her already troubled heart, like a stone thrown into it.
"Just take it literally." Gu Zhaoqian wasn't going to explain in detail anymore. He waved the gift bag in his hand to indicate, "It's a gift I prepared for you, and I have no reason to take it back."
He Peiru didn't understand why he was so persistent, especially since her guesses didn't seem to hold water.
As night deepened, a cool sea breeze blew gently in.
Seeing that her dress was too thin, Gu Zhaoqian didn't want to continue the standoff, and his tone became a little firmer: "Take it."
The next second, she returned to normal: "It's getting windy, you should go back to your residence."
However, He Peiru still didn't make any move. He simply stuffed the gift bag into her arms and added, "This is a gift I prepared for you. You can do with it however you want, and open it whenever you want."
After saying that, he turned and left with a flourish, as if he weren't the one who had just stood there with her because of the gift.
He Peiru picked up the gift bag and felt its weight; it was a bit light.
I had no idea what it would be.
After returning to her room, she first put the gift that Gu Zhaoqian had given her into the drawer of her bedside table.
She didn't know when would be the right time to demolish it, she only knew it wasn't now.
The birthday party didn't end too late so that He Peiru would have enough time to unwrap the gifts. The gifts she received that night, along with the list of gifts, were placed in the dressing room, and even the scissors she might need were prepared.
He Peiru stepped forward, picked up the list, looked at it carefully, and prepared to start working.
Just then, a message notification sounded on my phone.
Fang Xiaoxin: [Aru, are you free now? I'd like to call you.]
To make it easier to open the gifts, He Peiru chose to play the music directly in public.
As soon as the call connected, Fang Xiaoxin bombarded him with questions: "What did Gu Zhaoqian talk to you about?"
He Peiru didn't react immediately: "What?"
"It was when the birthday party was over..." Fang Xiaoxin's answer was somewhat vague, "I didn't mean to, I just happened to come out of the restroom at that time and saw the two of you talking there."
He Peiru immediately realized that she had been careless and had not paid any attention to whether there were other people around.
If others saw it, they would probably just think it was a normal scene, but it was different when Fang Xiaoxin saw it. Her imagination was too rich, and she didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
He Peiru quickly explained, "He didn't say anything, he just gave me another birthday present."
Compared to the incident with Gu Zhaoqian tonight, what He Peiru cared about more was her interactions with other daughters of prominent families tonight.
She seems to live too freely.
"I want to ask you something," He Peiru quickly asked before Fang Xiaoxin could speak, "Did my family plan out your future a long time ago?"
"Pretty much." She thought for a moment and continued, "I have older brothers and sisters, so my family doesn't really have high expectations of me. As long as I don't do things that are considered unacceptable by others, that's enough."
He Peiru murmured, "So that's how it is... What are your plans after you graduate from university?"
She answered quite clearly: "I'll go to England to study first, and then come back to do what I want to do."
"And you? What are your plans?" Just as I opened my mouth, a tearing sound came from the receiver. She asked again, "Are you unwrapping a gift?"
He Peiru answered the second question first: "Yes, I want to finish dismantling it before I go to sleep."
Since returning to the Chiang family, those around me seem to have been mentioning future plans, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
She got a clue during her conversation with Fang Xiaoxin, so she replied, "After I graduate, I want to go see other places, but I don't have any other ideas yet."
The Jiang family didn't need her to establish a firm foothold, and Jiang Yici's words undoubtedly moved her.
Fang Xiaoxin also thought the idea was good and replied, "That's good too, there are many places that are suitable for a good stroll around."
"Speaking of which," she didn't forget why she had called He Peiru, "how do you feel about Gu Zhaoqian?"
Her question was phrased with room for interpretation, but He Peiru immediately realized what she meant and carefully began, "First, try to put yourself in my shoes and imagine my situation after I was recognized and returned to the Jiang family, his existence..."
Fang Xiaoxin knew this question was difficult enough, but she couldn't help herself and interrupted He Peiru before she could finish, saying, "I understand what you mean. It's easy to be tempted in this situation, but..."
She paused, then changed the subject, saying, "This circle is very complicated, and it's normal for interests to be intertwined, but the Gu family and the Jiang family are the opposite."
“So,” He Peiru replied after taking a deep breath, “I don’t know if I should overthink it.”
Chatting with Fang Xiaoxin like this helped her realize her own feelings for Gu Zhaoqian.
He Peiru seemed to hear Fang Xiaoxin sigh, her tone softening as if she were lamenting, "Actually, you don't have to care about these things. I just wanted to tell you about the current situation, but it's more important to live in the present. There's really no need to look back and worry about the future..."
She quickly grasped the meaning behind Fang Xiaoxin's words, which immediately stirred her thoughts, and she murmured, "Living in the moment?"
This word was completely unfamiliar to her.
She seemed to have been successfully persuaded, and now she wanted to muster the courage to step out, simply because she didn't care about the consequences.
Seeing her silence, Fang Xiaoxin knew she must have taken it to heart, and continued to persuade her: "Anyway, the relationship between your two families is there, and no one will dare to make a fuss about the final outcome. If you really have other ideas, why not give it a try?"
These words struck a chord with He Peiru.
She stood up and looked around at the gifts she had opened, surrounded by countless wrapping papers and gift bags.
Now that she was in this environment, she seemed unable to remain indifferent any longer.
-
Dinner the next day.
Jiang Yici looked at the notes He Peiru had made while unwrapping gifts on the list and nodded in satisfaction. He then said to her, "I received an email today inviting you to a charity gala, but hasn't Aru attended a charity gala before? So I'm thinking of having Aqian go with you, what do you think?"
This kind of activity was commonplace for her, and she answered without hesitation, "No problem."
There are many types of banquets in this circle, so it's common to attend a similar or related event for the first time.
Since Jiang Yici made this suggestion, her heart has always leaned towards Gu Zhaoqian.
However, to He Peiru's surprise, the charity gala was like sitting in a school auditorium listening to a boring and tedious speech.
From the moment she and Gu Zhaoqian took their seats at the round table arranged by the organizers, people on the stage were giving speeches on different topics without interruption.
Aside from Gu Zhaoqian, she didn't really know anyone else sitting at the same table. When she inadvertently made eye contact with someone at the table, she didn't know if the other person wanted to talk to her because of Gu Zhaoqian's presence or because of the Jiang family.
But he hesitated to speak.
It could also be that they are several seats apart, and they want to talk but it's inconvenient.
He Peiru quickly looked around and found that they were all chatting quietly with the people next to them. Perhaps because they were experienced, they concealed their actions very well.
She tried to concentrate on listening to the speech, but kept getting distracted because it was boring, and even found the desserts on the table more appealing.
Her gaze eventually fell on the dessert shelf, but she couldn't decide which one to eat first.
Just then, He Peiru heard Gu Zhaoqian's voice: "Feeling bored?"
She didn't feel the man getting closer at all and subconsciously turned her head away.
Even though the distance between them was about the same as that between the other people talking, she felt so close that she couldn't breathe.
“A little.” He Peiru turned her head back, feigning indifference, and focused her attention on the desserts again. “They’re not as good as these little cakes.”
Gu Zhaoqian was amused by her and chimed in, "I also think it's not very interesting."
Jiang Yici simply told her to donate money in the name of the Jiang family, but this part is currently scheduled for last, which means that she still has to sit here properly no matter what.
He Peiru felt that time was passing very slowly. Thinking that Gu Zhaoqian had a lot of experience, she quietly turned her head and asked, "How much longer will this part last?"
This topic was rather impolite, so she naturally spoke as softly as possible, which meant that the distance between her and Gu Zhaoqian was shortened once again.
He glanced at the stage, then at the time displayed on his phone screen, and replied, "There should be two or three more people."
"And," he couldn't bear to remind you, "the Chiang family's donation is a large amount, and you'll be going on stage later, usually last."
The light that had just appeared on He Peiru's face suddenly dimmed.
Gu Zhaoqian smiled and said, "You'll get used to it. Some organizers are keen on lengthy sessions."
"I can tell."
No wonder the others seem to take it for granted and have their own ways of passing the time.
Every dessert in front of her looked delicious, and even though she already had several favorites, He Peiru just couldn't choose one.
She decided to put aside her reservations and asked, "So what did you usually do when you attended these kinds of charity galas?"
"Me?" Gu Zhaoqian raised an eyebrow and replied nonchalantly, "I usually come when it's almost over."
"...So tonight."
The implied meaning is self-evident.
Whether it was because they were too close or not, He Peiru only knew that her breathing became erratic, and she asked, "Did you sit here to keep me company?"
Instead of answering directly, Gu Zhaoqian countered with, "Do you want to sit here all by yourself?"
He Peiru stuck out her tongue, and could only acknowledge that he had asked the right question.
She didn't want to.
Just as I was about to speak, the host's voice suddenly became clear.
She had no choice but to stop talking and listen carefully—
"Next, please welcome the chairman of the Gu Group to the stage to speak."
"Tsk."
The man's tone was somewhat impatient.
He Peiru looked at him curiously: "Are you going to speak on stage?"
As Gu Zhaoqian stood up, he told her, "The organizers contacted me several times, and I couldn't refuse, so I could only agree to go up and say a few words."
Watching him being surrounded by several people whose names she didn't know as he walked forward, He Peiru forgot the boredom she had just experienced and instantly became fully alert.
The man who was whispering to her just a moment ago is now walking into the spotlight. All eyes are on Gu Zhaoqian. He is the center of attention but remains calm and composed.
He Peiru immediately realized that the reason she had found the speech so boring was entirely due to who was standing on the stage.
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Author's note: They're getting closer and closer, lol
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