Chapter 32 Willingly
He Peiru quickly came to terms with reality.
It seems that no matter what she does, she can't escape Gu Zhaoqian.
Fang Xiaoxin continued rambling on, "I even thought about setting you up with Gu Zhaoqian before. If you hadn't been willing to tell me, I would have been kept in the dark the whole time."
She paused, then continued, "Is this what everyone calls fate?"
He Peiru paused for a moment, then replied, "Perhaps."
She dared not imagine how shocked Fang Xiaoxin would be if she knew the truth. She deliberately avoided continuing the topic, because once she put herself in Fang Xiaoxin's shoes, she knew that it wouldn't feel good.
Even though she could easily explain it afterward, she still felt guilty.
Fortunately, Fang Xiaoxin didn't dwell on the issue anymore.
He Peiru wasn't blind to her own feelings; it was just that reason was also telling her she couldn't do that.
She wouldn't be swayed by what Gu Zhaoqian said, nor would she waver over things that hadn't yet reached a definite conclusion.
For Gu Zhaoqian, perhaps it was simply that the hardships she had experienced in the past had transformed into his motivation to face reality.
But now everything is different, so how can she be sure whether Gu Zhaoqian's thoughts have changed?
Moreover, He Peiru now believes that family is the most important thing.
Before leaving, He Peiru reminded the jewelry store employees not to act rashly. She also called Sophia and said, "Someone will be bringing back the birthday gift I bought for my mother-in-law. Put it back in my room immediately, and whatever you do, don't let my mother-in-law know."
"No problem, I know what to do."
Sophia answered with unwavering conviction.
However, He Peiru couldn't help but feel anxious until she received a message from Sophia, at which point she finally felt at ease.
As she wished, apart from Sophia who was there to meet her, no one else in the Jiang family knew about it, for fear that they might accidentally reveal what gift she had prepared.
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Before we knew it, the day for the family banquet arrived.
He Peiru hadn't seen Gu Zhaoqian many times these past few days; the encounter at the jewelry store felt like an unreal thing.
In the end, these things closely related to Gu Zhaoqian always surrounded her.
He Peiru didn't want to think about it anymore; right now, she was more concerned about not encountering any questions at the family dinner that she didn't know how to answer.
She chose a simple yet elegant evening gown and planned to travel light, bringing only her phone and lipstick, along with a gift for Zheng Wanqiao.
Zheng Wanqiao and Jiang Yaozong seemed to have other plans and left early. Jiang Yici had to go back to the company, so she had to ask the driver to take her to the hotel in Central.
As evening approached, the roads became increasingly congested. Even though He Peiru had anticipated the potential time spent in traffic jams when she set off, she still arrived at the hotel later than planned. When she followed the hotel staff to the room that had been reserved for the Jiang family, she found that it was already nearly half full.
He Peiru was momentarily stunned. Before she could react and look for Zheng Wanqiao, she heard Zheng Wanqiao's voice: "Aru, come here and sit next to Grandma."
She quickly found Zheng Wanqiao by following the direction of the sound, and as she walked over, she noticed the other side of the empty seat that had been left for her.
Gu Zhaoqian was sitting there.
He Peiru paused, then quickly tried to cover it up, afraid that her unusual behavior would be noticed.
The people around her seemed completely unsurprised by this arrangement, but then she thought about it and realized that those present were not only insiders, but also most of them were shrewd and experienced, beyond what could be simply described as "well-informed."
Especially since this circle is destined to be complex, and what haven't the people present seen before?
Thinking about it this way, the close relationship between the Jiang family and Gu Zhaoqian is evident, no wonder there were rumors circulating before.
He Peiru had considered that if there were a marriage contract that appeared out of nowhere between them, and if her fantasy came true, she wouldn't have to worry.
She sat down as the waiter pulled out a chair, then turned to look at Gu Zhaoqian, which was tantamount to greeting him.
I want to simply ignore his existence.
But reality doesn't allow it.
Fortunately, Gu Zhaoqian didn't say anything.
The people sitting at this table were all elders, and the conversations revolved around the same topics. She couldn't possibly not answer them, so she could only try to minimize the potential impact Gu Zhaoqian might have on her.
At this moment, Uncle Wu, whom He Peiru had met at her first auction, asked her, "I remember Aru was about to graduate. What have you been busy with lately? Are you preparing your graduation thesis?"
She nodded and replied, "Yes, there aren't many courses left. I mainly need to prepare my thesis."
Although she was only answering Uncle Wu's question, she had the urge to cover it up so that Gu Zhaoqian wouldn't hear it.
Uncle Wu smiled and asked again, "What are your plans after you get your diploma?"
Jiang Yici, who arrived late, overheard the question as he entered the room and answered for her, "Aru, do whatever you want. Don't have any worries."
He Peiru had originally planned to gloss over the issue, but Jiang Yici's appearance was just in time, so she didn't have to say anything.
Uncle Wu didn't seem surprised that Jiang Yici would answer for her. He smiled and said, "You're right. You should do as many things as you want to do while you're young."
He Peiru didn't quite know how to respond for a moment, so she nodded and said, "Okay."
The topic concerning her had barely come to an end, but Uncle Wu inexplicably focused his attention on Gu Zhaoqian beside her, as if both teasing and showing concern—
"Where's Young Master Gu? I heard you landed another new project?"
Whenever Gu Zhaoqian is mentioned, even if it's a topic that has nothing to do with He Peiru, she still feels like she's sitting on pins and needles, as if she's going through torture.
She had absolutely no interest in whether the man had noticed anything amiss.
He Peiru dared not move, so she was unaware of Gu Zhaoqian's expression at that moment. She only heard him say, "Uncle Wu, please stop joking with me. You know that it's not a key project."
He casually mentioned a project worth hundreds of millions, and she once again detected the arrogance in his tone.
Even though Gu Zhaoqian was sitting right next to her, He Peiru felt the distance between them more and more clearly.
If she only acts on impulse, even if she musters the courage to take the first step, it will not last long.
He Peiru lowered her eyes, but didn't forget to listen to their conversation.
"Not a key project?" Uncle Wu clearly disagreed with his answer, and said with a smile, "I can tell you've put a lot of effort into it."
She was completely clueless about business matters and never looked at the documents Jiang Yici kept in the study cabinet. Her limited understanding came from his conversations with Gu Zhaoqian at the dinner table.
Even though her curiosity was piqued at the moment, her delicate situation left her with no choice but to let her thoughts wander.
He Peiru wanted to know how Gu Zhaoqian would answer, so she forced herself to come back to her senses.
She could clearly hear the smile emanating from the man's lips, and then his voice came again in her ear: "It certainly took a lot of effort."
This statement sounded perfectly normal, but He Peiru trembled as if she had been electrocuted. They were talking about business, but she inexplicably felt that there was more to the conversation than met the eye, and that it contained many layers of meaning.
Before He Peiru could think it through, the other invited guests arrived one after another during this time, and it was time to start the meal, so their conversation naturally did not continue.
After the conversation abruptly ended, Gu Zhaoqian would only offer a few brief responses when other people at the table mentioned him.
This atmosphere made He Peiru even more awkward, and even her actions of picking up food seemed abrupt.
She put down the glass of juice she had just finished drinking. When she came in, she noticed that the waiter was standing in Gu Zhaoqian's direction, so she didn't turn away.
Hopefully, the waiter will notice her situation immediately.
Just then, a hand with distinct knuckles entered He Peiru's peripheral vision, picked up the glass jug that should have been on the cabinet next to her, filled it with juice to about eight-tenths full, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He Peiru felt as if she had just put down her glass when the man beside her had already gotten the juice jug in such a short time.
Even if it's a coincidence, the only thing that's certain is that Gu Zhaoqian was keeping an eye on her.
She, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of him, constantly trying to ignore his existence.
He Peiru quickly pulled herself out of her emotions, but she still didn't have the courage to turn her head. She tilted her head slightly and whispered, "Thank you."
"You are welcome."
The four simple words, perhaps because they were spoken too softly and the distance was too close, caused a tingling sensation in her ears that made her ears burn.
She pursed her lips, and for the rest of the time, she didn't have the courage to pick up that glass of juice again.
The family dinner was finally coming to an end, but it felt agonizing and long in He Peiru's complicated state of mind. It was only when everyone gave their gifts to Zheng Wanqiao that it truly ended.
He Peiru weighed the gift bag behind her. Even though Zheng Wanqiao was the granddaughter, she didn't know the usual procedures for the family banquet, so she had to wait for others to speak.
Zheng Wanqiao looked at her immediately, her eyes filled with genuine expectation. Before Zheng Wanqiao could speak, Gu Zhaoqian leaned closer and said, "You can give the gift to your grandmother now."
He Peiru did indeed do that.
She decisively handed over what she was holding, saying, "Grandma, this is a birthday present I prepared for you."
“My dear girl.” Zheng Wanqiao’s smile deepened. “Let’s start with Aru’s gift.”
"good."
She felt confident that the bracelet she had chosen was perfect; her only concern was whether Zheng Wanqiao would like it.
The gift box was opened amidst countless gazes, and the translucent bracelet shone brightly under the magnificent lights. Zheng Wanqiao picked it up and put it on her wrist, looking delighted: "What Aru prepared is exactly what Mother-in-law wanted."
Zheng Wanqiao's reaction immediately put He Peiru at ease, and she grinned and said, "I'm glad you like it, Mother-in-law."
This was also the most relaxed moment for her tonight.
Happy birthday, Grandma.
He Peiru heard Gu Zhaoqian's voice again. He stretched out his arm and handed a similar gift box to Zheng Wanqiao over her.
Zheng Wanqiao smiled and accepted it: "Let Mother-in-law see what gift Ah Qian has prepared this year."
She fled the jewelry store that day as if in a panic, so she naturally didn't know what Gu Zhaoqian ultimately chose for Zheng Wanqiao, or perhaps she didn't find any jewelry that he thought was suitable and went to other places instead.
As He Peiru pondered, her gaze involuntarily fell upon the jewelry box, her subconscious yearning to know what was inside.
But Zheng Wanqiao's movements were unhurried, making her heart leap into her throat. In the end, she saw that there was also a jade bracelet inside.
And it looks familiar.
He Peiru looked closely and realized that this was the other bracelet she had chosen when she was choosing between two options at the jewelry store.
Knowing Gu Zhaoqian as she did, how could he possibly settle for that one?
But as Zheng Wanqiao picked up the bracelet, she was certain she hadn't misread it.
Just then, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Uncle Wu said, "Why does it look like it's a pair with the one Ah Ru gave you, and the one Aunt Zheng is wearing on her wrist now?"
He Peiru knew that she couldn't rush to speak at this moment, otherwise people would notice something was off.
Gu Zhaoqian remained silent.
Zheng Wanqiao remarked, "It seems they both know which style I like."
Regardless of what others think, He Peiru felt it was obvious.
Gu Zhaoqian did it on purpose.
At this moment, she almost subconsciously turned her head to look at Gu Zhaoqian. Even though her mind was filled with confusion, she couldn't possibly ask him why he did this.
Gu Zhaoqian didn't miss her movements and expressions, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
The reason I did this on purpose was to see how she would react.
He feigned ignorance, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What's wrong?"
He Peiru hadn't forgotten her surroundings. She shook her head and replied, "It's nothing."
He immediately turned his head back.
She then paid no attention to what gifts others had given Zheng Wanqiao. If reciprocity was required, the Jiang family would have someone specifically responsible for keeping a record.
Even after the family dinner ended and Jiang Yici was about to greet the guests to leave, Zheng Wanqiao was still surrounded by many people. So he simply arranged for the driver to take He Peiru back to Repulse Bay alone, just like when they arrived.
She took a few steps outside and felt a gaze following her closely from behind, but when she turned around, it vanished without a trace.
All that could be seen was Jiang Yici and Gu Zhaoqian beside him exchanging pleasantries with others.
He Peiru continued walking out.
She stood at the hotel's main entrance, looking up at the towering buildings lit up with lights, and the city's ethereal nature seemed magnified in that instant.
Just like her own heart, she was confused, yet willingly wanted to fall into it.
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