Chapter 26, Unbelievable
He Peiru did not expect that the problem she chose to avoid would be so easily exposed by Jiang Yici in just a few words.
If the rumors come true, then that would be exactly what he wanted.
Jiang Yici pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you think it's unrealistic, or have you never even considered the possibility between you two?"
He Peiru slowly shook her head. Rather than letting his doubts grow, she decided to answer decisively, "That's certainly true."
The fact that a question that had never been faced before was revealed in this way was as if her answer would foreshadow a different course of reality.
She hadn't yet decided on her relationship with Gu Zhaoqian, but now, the question made her even more hesitant.
Jiang Yici didn't necessarily expect to get a definite answer from her, so he nodded slightly and said nothing more.
He Peiru really didn't want to be led by the nose by her uncle, so she took the initiative to ask, "Uncle, is there something wrong that you're asking this?"
He seemed to deliberately gloss over the question, answering rather vaguely, "It's nothing important, I'm just a little curious about your attitude."
"Huh? My attitude?" She seemed to be confused by Jiang Yici's words.
When her uncle first came in, his demeanor made her think he was trying to match her with Gu Zhaoqian, but after the conversation, it seemed that she was mistaken.
Jiang Yici was unsure whether to ask He Peiru for her opinion on Gu Zhaoqian's matter, but judging from her reaction, it seemed he needed to get straight to the point.
However, he was unsure how to phrase it appropriately, and at that moment he felt a rare sense of unease and frustration when facing a junior.
Compared to He Peiru's maturity, all the questions that were weighing on Jiang Yici's mind became difficult to express.
On the contrary, Gu Zhaoqian's carefree and outspoken nature suddenly seemed insignificant.
He sighed inwardly and could only ask, "So what do you think about maintaining this relationship with him?"
He Peiru nodded gently and replied, "I think this is fine."
That's good too.
Jiang Yici really didn't know how else to continue.
He had originally decided to help Gu Zhaoqian on a whim, but he didn't know whether He Peiru was completely unaware of Gu Zhaoqian's different feelings for her, or whether she was deliberately pretending not to know.
Worried that he might make things worse, Jiang Yici didn't show any further reaction and simply said, "I understand, you can leave now."
He Peiru was still completely confused even after leaving the study. If it was just a formality, Jiang Yici wouldn't have bothered to call her into the study.
In the end, it seemed like a meaningless conversation.
Could it be that they mentioned something downstairs?
Since it concerns Gu Zhaoqian, it would be more appropriate for her to ask him directly.
He Peiru: [What did you talk about with your uncle?]
Gu Zhaoqian replied very quickly as always.
Gu Zhaoqian: [What? At the Jiang family's house, all we talked about were company matters.]
He Peiru: [...Okay.]
She couldn't think of any reason why Gu Zhaoqian and Jiang Yici would react in the same way, so she simply assumed that Jiang Yici was overthinking things for no reason.
He Peiru tried to calm down after returning to her room.
Since Jiang Yici did not express any opinion on her relationship with Gu Zhaoqian, does that mean that her ideas can be put into practice?
Her feelings seemed to become more complicated in that instant.
Whether it was the two cakes he brought during the day, or the suit jacket draped over her shoulders, combined with all the little things that had happened since she returned to the Jiang family, it was impossible to deceive herself.
The conflicting emotions that had been lingering in He Peiru's mind for some time were finally awakened by Jiang Yici's question.
This time.
She finally felt truly relieved.
He Peiru thought she hadn't been greatly affected by Gu Zhaoqian late at night, but she overlooked the fact that her life had been constantly surrounded by things related to him recently. As a result, even in her dreams, she couldn't escape his presence.
However, when she opened her eyes at dawn, she had completely forgotten the contents of her dream, only knowing that it was closely related to Gu Zhaoqian.
Profound yet difficult to articulate.
He Peiru woke up very early from the dream. She couldn't fall back asleep no matter how much she tossed and turned with her eyes closed. She sighed softly and simply sat up in bed.
I felt completely dazed and confused while washing up.
She leaned against the railing and walked unsteadily downstairs. When she entered the restaurant, she found that Jiang Yici had not yet come out.
Recalling the conversation in the study yesterday, He Peiru paused almost imperceptibly, and after making sure to conceal it, said, "Uncle."
Jiang Yici looked over, clearly surprised, and asked, "Why are you up so early today?"
She brushed aside the reason, downplaying it as much as possible: "I didn't sleep well last night, so I woke up very early..."
"Okay." Fortunately, he didn't ask any further questions. "Then have breakfast first. If you want to rest, let Sophia not bother you."
She sat down in her seat and replied, "Understood."
The uncle and nephew acted so naturally as if the conversation in the study yesterday had never happened, which made He Peiru breathe a sigh of relief.
She deliberately slowed down her breakfast eating pace, and sure enough, it wasn't long before it was time for Jiang Yici to go to work.
After watching Jiang Yici leave, she immediately turned to Sophia and asked, "Has that suit jacket been dry-cleaned?"
“I was just about to tell you this,” Sophia took a step forward and replied, “The laundry room has already dry-cleaned Mr. Gu’s suit jacket. Should we send it back to Miss’s room first?”
Still haunted by the incomprehensible dream, He Peiru subconsciously replied, "Let's put it back in the dressing room and hang it up first."
Rather than waiting for Gu Zhaoqian to come to the Jiang family to take his suit jacket, she might as well take the initiative this time.
She continued, asking Sophia, "How long does it take to get to Gujia from here?"
Sophia hesitated, as if trying to probe, and asked, "Miss, are you going to deliver a coat to Young Master Gu? You can arrange for the driver to deliver it to you."
He Peiru shook her head and said firmly, "It's better if I deliver it myself."
Sophia didn't say anything more, and followed her decision by asking, "Understood, what time does Miss plan to leave?"
It's a workday, so Gu Zhaoqian must be back at the company by now. She couldn't possibly visit him without permission. She then asked, "Do you know which other residences Brother Qian goes back to besides Repulse Bay?"
She can't get the answer to this kind of thing by guessing; asking directly is the most practical thing to do.
Sophia thought for a moment and replied, "As far as I know, he sometimes stays on Hong Kong Island, but I don't know much else."
She simply asked Gu Zhaoqian directly.
Ho Pui-yu: [Brother Qian, do you go back to Repulse Bay after work?]
Gu Zhaoqian: [What's wrong?]
Gu Zhaoqian's speed in replying to messages these past few times was unbelievably fast.
He Peiru: [I'd like to return your suit jacket to you.]
However, after the message was sent, Gu Zhaoqian seemed to fall into a long silence, which made her lower her eyes to confirm whether the message had been successfully sent.
Finally, about ten minutes later...
Gu Zhaoqian: [Okay, I'll be home around 5:30.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [Just tell Uncle Zhang to go to the Gu family; he's very familiar with the place.]
He Peiru: [Okay.]
Now that it was settled, she quickly asked Sophia to put on the suit jacket.
She remained anxious until evening.
Uncle Zhang drove his car onto a road that He Peiru had never traveled before. As she grew more and more curious, she suddenly realized that she had overlooked the complicated situation of the Gu family and had forgotten to consider whether her actions were presumptuous.
Could it be that Gu Zhaoqian didn't reply to the message immediately because he was considering the issue?
Before he could even figure it out, the car had already stopped. Before she could react, someone came forward to open the car door for her and said, "Are you Miss He? I am the Gu family's butler. You can call me Uncle Ye, just like Young Master Gu."
He Peiru didn't rush to hand over her suit jacket to anyone else. Instead, she carried the bag and followed Uncle Ye inside.
Freshly brewed tea was already laid out on the coffee table. Uncle Ye gestured towards the sofa and said, "Miss He, please have a seat. I'll go to the study to call the young master."
She nodded, and as Uncle Ye turned around, she began to examine the interior decoration.
She felt a sense of tranquility the moment she entered the room.
If it weren't for the fact that Gu Zhaoqian often stayed here, and that it was so tidy that you might not even see any signs of life living here.
He Peiru took a sip of the tea in her cup and could easily taste its superior flavor.
However, one could sense that the atmosphere inside the house was not as lively as that of the Jiang family.
He Peiru only had a vague idea of the Gu family's situation, only that it was about the struggle with the illegitimate child, and no one would be kind enough to tolerate those people moving in.
In contrast, it's no wonder that the Chiang family is described as a breath of fresh air by different people.
Turning my head, I saw two Filipino maids busy in the kitchen, and then I saw Gu Zhaoqian and Uncle Ye coming out of the study.
Uncle Ye walked quickly outside, and He Peiru asked softly, "I forgot to ask, will this visit disturb you?"
Gu Zhaoqian shook his head dismissively, as if he were used to such questions, and replied, "There are no 'we,' only I live here."
He Peiru tilted her head, unable to process what he had said, unsure of what to say next.
Gu Zhaoqian found her reaction amusing and asked, "What's wrong? You should have heard something about the Gu family."
“…Yes,” He Peiru replied, speaking the truth, “but it doesn’t seem appropriate for me to ask like this.”
Gu Zhaoqian smiled and took it upon himself to explain, "My dad... has several homes outside, and he comes back here at most once a month."
He Peiru was taken aback when she first heard him say this, but then she realized that this kind of thing happened all the time.
Her curiosity was piqued, and she asked, "And what about your mother?"
He Peiru had never heard of this before, and only after asking did she realize belatedly that this question was not appropriate to ask.
She pursed her lips and quickly added, "Was I too talkative...?"
"It's okay." Gu Zhaoqian had an indifferent expression on his face. "They didn't get divorced, it's just that my mother settled in Canada."
He Peiru bit her lip and said, "I really shouldn't have asked."
“I rarely tell these things to other people,” he chuckled. “But if it were really as you say, I wouldn’t have answered at all.”
Gu Zhaoqian's words were complicated, which inadvertently gave He Peiru room for imagination.
Not knowing what to say, she hurriedly brought up the important matter in her panic: "Oh, right... your suit jacket."
Gu Zhaoqian took it and placed it beside him, asking casually, "Do you want to eat before going back?"
Now that she had the opportunity to be alone with him, He Peiru answered without hesitation, "Okay, I'll tell Sophia first."
“No need,” he said, stopping him. “I’ve already spoken to Uncle Jiang.”
"You've already told your uncle?"
He Peiru looked surprised. She had just agreed to Gu Zhaoqian's proposal, but now he was telling her with certainty that he had already spoken to Jiang Yici.
It all seemed unbelievable to her, no matter what.
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