Chapter 27.27 Free Love
Before leaving, He Peiru planned to return the suit jacket to Gu Zhaoqian and leave directly. However, the current situation is that it is her first time visiting the Gu family, and she will have to have dinner here as well.
Gu Zhaoqian seemed to see the doubt in her mind and replied, "You came to bring me clothes, I can't just let you put them down and go back, can I?"
"Besides," he smiled, "I've had so many meals at the Jiang family's house, it's only right that I reciprocate."
He Peiru followed Gu Zhaoqian somewhat awkwardly, unsure if there were any rules about seating at the Gu family restaurant, and naturally dared not choose a seat casually.
She looked at the man for help, and thankfully he immediately said, "You can sit anywhere, there's no need to be picky."
She replied, "Okay."
There wasn't enough time for her to react. Before she could even think about whether to create some distance between herself and Gu Zhaoqian, he had already pulled out the chair next to him and gestured, "Sit down."
Fortunately, the chairs were not arranged too close together, and there was some space between them.
Even after sitting down, they won't sit too close together.
The two Filipino maids who had been busy in the kitchen served the dishes one after another.
Although there were only the two of them, the ingredients they prepared were clearly not simple at all.
These dishes looked similar to what she usually ate at the Jiang family's house, and they were all her favorites.
Judging from Gu Zhaoqian's reaction, it seems that he had made thorough preparations beforehand.
He Peiru tried her best to suppress her excitement and make herself appear as normal as possible.
She was afraid that the man next to her would hear the rapid pounding of her heart.
Thinking of how natural Gu Zhaoqian was in the Jiang family, she decided to try to learn his frank attitude, so that she would at least appear less awkward.
Taking this opportunity, He Peiru inquired about Gu Zhaoqian, asking somewhat awkwardly, "You... went straight to the study after getting off work?"
He nodded and explained directly, "Sometimes I bring work back; I was finishing up in the study just now."
Knowing He Peiru's personality well, and to put her at ease, he added, "I was thinking of finishing my work, so I came out of the study a little late."
Gu Zhaoqian's explanation suited her perfectly, and she murmured softly, "That's good."
She asked the question precisely because she was worried about taking up his time.
He didn't hear him clearly, so he turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"
He Peiru didn't expect him to be so serious, and quickly shook her head: "It's nothing."
Gu Zhaoqian didn't press the matter, but instead started a new topic: "I heard you're planning to travel after graduation?"
"I've had this idea, but I haven't really made up my mind yet." She turned her head and asked, "Did your uncle tell you?"
"Uncle Jiang mentioned it casually." He spoke as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. "If you need any help, just let me know."
Looking for him?
It couldn't possibly be that she asked Gu Zhaoqian to accompany her on a trip.
He Peiru immediately dismissed this rather absurd idea and replied, "Thank you, Brother Qian."
He himself said that he had not mentioned anything related to Jiang Yici, yet he was the one giving this statement.
She couldn't help but wonder if she had overlooked something.
But at this stage, He Peiru wouldn't rashly voice her question. Instead, she took a deep breath and tried to steer the conversation towards a new topic: "Sophia said you sometimes stay in the city?"
Gu Zhaoqian nodded and replied, "Half and half. I live in the city for convenience. The drive back to Repulse Bay takes a bit longer, but the environment here is better."
He Peiru couldn't imagine the villa being empty, with only Filipino maids taking care of it, so she asked, "When you're not going back to Repulse Bay, won't this place be empty?"
"That's right." Gu Zhaoqian wasn't surprised by her reaction. He smiled slightly and asked, "What else do you want to know?"
He Peiru paused in her chopsticks and asked him for confirmation, "But didn't you say you rarely tell other people these things?"
“What I mean is, I can tell you these things.” Gu Zhaoqian chuckled at her words, leaned back in his chair, and asked seemingly nonchalantly, “Or do you actually not want to know these things?”
He Peiru shook her head vigorously, just like a rattle-drum, and muttered, "To be honest, I still want to know..."
In that instant, she felt that their relationship was no longer so ordinary.
"Then I'll just say whatever comes to mind." Gu Zhaoqian subtly curled his lips and, without waiting for her to continue, took the initiative to say, "I've known since I was a child that this family would eventually become like this."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, and not only his gaze but even his posture seemed to unconsciously lean towards her.
It was as if she was the only one in his eyes at that moment.
In He Peiru's subconscious, this gesture was clearly more intimate.
"So your father..."
She choked up, unable to think of a word to describe this person who was, to her, an elder, so she changed her question: "Did they get together because of an arranged marriage?"
“Yes.” Gu Zhaoqian answered without hesitation, “Perhaps she did have some hope, but usually the purpose of arranged marriages is to maximize benefits. I can only say… she probably came to terms with it.”
He had barely finished speaking when He Peiru said softly, "But it doesn't necessarily mean that free love will always have a good outcome."
“At least the decision to choose your own partner is in your own hands.” Gu Zhaoqian knew that He Peiru was thinking about her parents, but he still stated his opinion bluntly, “Once you get married, it’s no longer just a personal matter. You have to consider everything before you do anything.”
He Peiru clearly had a better point, and following up on that, she asked, "So that's why your mother didn't choose to divorce, but instead moved directly to Canada?"
“That’s right, that’s exactly it.” Gu Zhaoqian nodded. “At least for now, she hasn’t suffered any material losses.”
As expected, the stories in this circle are many times more complicated than He Peiru imagined, and these past events cannot be explained in just a few words.
I can't even imagine what choice she would ultimately make if she were the one facing reality and having to weigh the options.
Gu Zhaoqian's words made her stare wide-eyed in surprise, and she waited for him to continue: "Because I'm used to it, I'm used to this kind of thing. You could say it's the dark side of vested interests."
“But…” He Peiru firmly believed that the truth was far more complex than he made it sound, and asked, “How do you process all of this?”
He lowered his eyes and smiled, saying five words: "Thanks to Uncle Jiang."
The rest seems to be left unsaid.
She knew that Gu Zhaoqian would later become inseparable from Jiang Yici's care, but the tranquility here made her unable to help but say, "But like this, you're all alone..."
He looked up and replied, "I'm used to it."
Reality also showed that it wasn't her place to worry about Gu Zhaoqian. He nodded: "Hmm, that's true."
The two of them were supposed to be having dinner, but the topics they were discussing were incredibly serious. He Peiru had completely forgotten why she was there in the first place.
The conversation about the Gu family had finally come to an end, and her attention returned to the dishes on the table. But then she heard the man's voice again: "You haven't opened your birthday present yet?"
He Peiru paused, remembering that the gift was still untouched in the bedside table. Gu Zhaoqian probably had his reasons for asking, and she didn't know what was inside that made him so certain.
He simply admitted, "Not yet."
He replied, "Yes, I knew it."
The facts seemed to be largely as she had guessed, but they immediately piqued her curiosity.
He Peiru turned her head and looked at Gu Zhaoqian, asking, "Why would you say that?"
Gu Zhaoqian met her gaze, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I'm not telling you."
Then, seemingly intending to change the subject, he said, "Let's finish our meal first, and it'll be about time for Uncle Zhang to take you home."
"All right."
Gu Zhaoqian didn't give her a chance to ask what the gift was, so she could only focus on eating.
After dinner.
He Peiru glanced at the time on her phone screen and realized that she and Gu Zhaoqian had been chatting for a long time without realizing it. No wonder he urged her to hurry up later.
Gu Zhaoqian, true to his word, reminded her before she could even speak, "Let's go back, otherwise Uncle Jiang might come and ask me what's going on."
Uncle Zhang arrived at the Gu family's house at this time. He Peiru picked up her phone and replied, "Okay, then I'll go back."
She thought Gu Zhaoqian would just watch her walk out, but to her surprise, he got up and followed behind her.
Until I watched her get into the car.
He Peiru sat down in the back seat as usual. Gu Zhaoqian helped her close the car door before realizing that she seemed to have forgotten to say goodbye to him.
He hadn't turned back inside yet, and if she rolled down the car window at that moment, it would seem rather ambiguous.
Before she could finish her thought, Uncle Zhang had already opened the rear window via the central control and said, "If Miss has nothing else to say to Young Master Gu, we'll head back."
He Peiru turned her head to meet Gu Zhaoqian's eyes, her heart trembled involuntarily, and she waved her hand at him in a flustered manner: "Then let's go back."
She opened her mouth and said "bye-bye" to him from afar.
Gu Zhaoqian made no other move, only nodded: "Bye, be careful on the road."
Uncle Zhang then closed the car window, but said to himself, "It must be tough for Young Master Gu to be the only one guarding the Jiang family's estate. He lives alone in the empty villa of the Gu family."
"Hmm..." He Peiru looked out the car window with a heavy heart. The road was built along the mountain, and the lights of the yachts on the sea could be seen twinkling.
A sudden wave of loneliness washed over her, and she whispered, "I can feel it."
He Peiru spoke as if asking Uncle Zhang, or perhaps talking to herself, "So that's why he often appears at the Jiang family's house?"
Uncle Zhang did not reply.
When He Peiru entered the Jiang family villa, she did not see the two elderly people, but Jiang Yici seemed to be in a good mood, sitting on the sofa with a smile on his face and holding his phone.
He looked over after hearing the noise and saw it was He Peiru, so he asked directly, "Is Aqian the only one in the Gu family?"
She replied, "Yes, besides him, there's only the Filipino maid and the housekeeper."
Jiang Yici was not surprised and said in a matter-of-fact manner, "But that makes sense. If we were to see anyone else at the Gu family's house, the sun would probably rise in the west."
He Peiru sensed sarcasm in her uncle's words.
Her heart had long been tipped in favor of Gu Zhaoqian, and she smiled and stuck out her tongue in agreement with her uncle's words: "I'm actually a little curious about the other members of the Gu family."
Jiang Yici smiled and shook his head, telling her, "There will be more occasions to attend in the future, and there will always be opportunities to meet."
He Peiru's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked, "Will you even see those... illegitimate children?"
He didn't answer the question, but only said, "You'll find out when the time comes, but Ah Qian basically doesn't take them seriously."
She wanted to hear more about the Gu family from Jiang Yici, but his phone rang at that moment, and he immediately went outside.
He Peiru had no choice but to go upstairs to her room.
She was still bothered by Gu Zhaoqian's reaction when he mentioned the birthday gift, and felt there was no need to delay any longer. Perhaps this could also be considered an opportunity to open the gift.
Upon entering, she went straight to the bedside table, opened the drawer, and saw the gift, perfectly wrapped.
She took it out and began to examine the outer packaging.
No matter how she considered it, she had no idea what was inside. It seemed that only by opening it could she find the answer to her question.
Whether Gu Zhaoqian's question tonight was a reminder or had some other meaning, his resolute response left her completely puzzled.
Since that's the case, whatever it is, it's time for her to open it.
He Peiru, having gone this far, went straight to the point and found the scissors she had placed in the small compartment after unwrapping the gifts last time. She then solemnly moved them to the sofa, ready to begin her work.
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