Chapter 36 36 Handling with Ease
Gu Zhaoqian's words made He Peiru unconsciously tighten her grip on the toy pony he handed her.
He Peiru knew that Jiang Yici was always too busy to get away from such social occasions, and Gu Zhaoqian could do the same.
But ever since she met him at the horse farm, he has always spent time with her.
He Peiru not only felt bad, but the feelings that had been welling up in her heart were also touched, and she said softly, "Thank you."
He could tell that this time the distance was different from before; the gratitude was heartfelt and without any ulterior motives, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
However, He Peiru was completely unaware of the man's thoughts. She could only see that he seemed to be amused by her. Just as she was about to speak, Gu Zhaoqian raised his hand and gently patted the top of her head, replying, "You're welcome."
Both the sudden movement and the slightly unfamiliar touch made her heart race.
She was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized that if she showed any different attitude, Gu Zhaoqian would probably notice something amiss.
He Peiru quickly composed herself and changed the subject: "I want to win the rest of the pony plush toys."
"good."
Gu Zhaoqian quickly withdrew his hand and then handed her a coin.
He Peiru was somewhat puzzled.
There were only two coins left, which Gu Zhaoqian could have easily given to her all at once, but he didn't.
But she only paused in confusion for a moment, then stopped worrying about it and turned her attention to another style of pony figurine after taking the coin.
This time, she picked it up easily just like before.
He Peiru took the little horse from Gu Zhaoqian's hands once again.
The moment their fingertips touched, she suddenly realized that it wasn't right for Gu Zhaoqian to just stay with her. She turned her head and tentatively asked, "How about you take the last coin?"
Gu Zhaoqian did not refuse. He raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, replying, "That works too."
She quickly stepped aside to make room for the man, which coincidentally led to the two of them standing side by side in front of the claw machine.
He Peiru could see their figures reflected in the glass with just a slight lift of her eyes, as if she would touch Gu Zhaoqian if she moved even slightly.
This further highlights how close the two seem to be.
Her focus gradually shifted, her thoughts drifting far away, yet she still couldn't determine the closeness of her relationship with Gu Zhaoqian.
He Peiru was lost in thought when the man's voice suddenly rang in her ear: "Alright."
It seemed like only a blink of an eye; in her surprise, she blurted out, "So fast!"
Time flies by in the blink of an eye when she's lost in thought, especially since she's already won a 100% success rate with this doll.
Gu Zhaoqian didn't think much of her reaction, simply taking it as a compliment, and smiled, saying, "I'm not happy."
At this moment, a staff member who had been waiting for a long time stepped forward and whispered to them, "Mr. Gu, Ms. He, the awards ceremony will begin after this match. You may go down to the venue to prepare."
"Understood." Gu Zhaoqian nodded, then slowly took out the pony plush toy from the cave entrance again, turned to He Peiru and asked, "Do you want to hold them or have someone put them away?"
This question did remind He Peiru.
She could easily imagine that if she were to hold these pony plush toys at an awards ceremony, regardless of whether anyone would notice, she herself already felt that it would be inappropriate.
She bit her lip and replied, "Keep it."
"Okay." Gu Zhaoqian asked this because he was afraid she would find it troublesome and not speak up. So after giving a few brief instructions to the staff, he continued to say to her, "Let's go."
He Peiru nodded slightly and walked towards the venue for the awards ceremony under the guidance of the staff. As soon as she got close, she could hear the exciting background music and lively voices through the glass doors.
They went out without stopping.
The stands were already packed with people, with only a few empty seats remaining. In addition to the awards ceremony area, a large area was also designated in the center of the venue.
He Peiru had just noticed that someone was already standing on the side, and could watch the awards ceremony from the closest distance.
It seems like she could do that too.
At this moment, Gu Zhaoqian turned around and asked, "Does Aru want to watch here or go into a private room?"
He added his considerations: "Private rooms have air conditioning and aren't as sunny as outside."
"No need for that trouble." He Peiru shook her head. If they went into the private room, their view might not be as good as if they were standing outside.
She continued, "I'll stand here."
"Okay." Gu Zhaoqian seemed a little uneasy and added, "If you have any questions, just talk to the staff next to you."
She nodded: "...Okay, go and prepare for the awards ceremony."
It was obvious that the staff in the center of the venue were setting up for the upcoming ceremony, the host was checking the script, and even the honor guard was entering in an orderly manner.
But Gu Zhaoqian is still here.
It would be inappropriate for them to be noticed by others who knew them in such a setting.
Fortunately, Gu Zhaoqian seemed to realize this as well. After glancing at her again, he finally followed the staff into the waiting area.
He Peiru remained where she was.
Before the awards ceremony began, she turned around and surveyed the audience again. All the remaining empty seats were now occupied, and even behind the railing at the highest point of the stands, people were packed together.
It seems that the awards ceremony was even more grand than she had imagined.
However, before He Peiru could continue to sigh, music started playing in the venue, and she quickly turned around and focused intently on the awards stage.
The guests attending the award ceremony lined up in two rows on the stage.
He Peiru looked closely and found that most of them were familiar faces, whom she had seen at various banquets before.
Jiang Yici and Gu Zhaoqian stood slightly to the left, surrounded by political figures in the center.
She was somewhat surprised, but then she thought that everyone present was from this circle, and their status and position could only be higher than the last.
He Peiru stared intently at the awards podium.
Each of the invited guests was responsible for presenting an award, but her gaze always involuntarily fell on Gu Zhaoqian.
Compared to Jiang Yici, who is always sharp yet gentle, Gu Zhaoqian exudes an unrestrained and unconventional aura in this situation.
It's as if he can handle even the most serious and important occasions with ease.
That ease and skill alone is enough for her to learn.
While sighing inwardly, He Peiru did not forget that many eyes were probably watching her silently.
When it was Gu Zhaoqian's turn to present the award, a deafening barrage of camera shutters erupted behind him, a spectacle that was beyond imagination.
He Peiru knew that an event of this caliber would definitely require news photos, but according to her observation, the media area was not on this side.
Gu Zhaoqian is probably the kind of person who is surrounded by admirers and the center of attention.
The sound of camera shutters kept coming, prompting He Peiru to raise her phone.
He quickly snapped a photo in Gu Zhaoqian's direction.
She hurriedly put away her phone, without even having the courage to check how well the photo was taken.
She was afraid that others would notice something was amiss, and she was also worried that the person behind her would see what was happening on the screen. She subconsciously straightened her back, trying to hide her unease.
He Peiru refocused her gaze on the awards stage, and just as she was about to look at the next presenter, a sound came from behind her—not too loud, not too soft, but just right for her to hear—
"That guy in the black shirt is so handsome!"
"I didn't hear your name just now. Will they repeat it later...?"
"It's okay if you don't know, I took a picture."
She instantly tensed up, afraid that her actions just now might have been seen by someone unintentionally.
He Peiru recalled it once.
She was certain that there was no one else standing behind her, but rather an audience section with seats, and since they didn't know Gu Zhaoqian's name, they were probably not in the entertainment industry.
I can only tell myself to try to stay out of it.
Fortunately, the award ceremony was brief and free of unnecessary steps.
After the awards were presented, the ceremony concluded with the playing of the national anthem by the honor guard.
The audience members sitting behind her didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave, but instead watched the guests on the awards stage.
At this moment, the people who were just in the VIP room came out and surrounded Jiang Yici as if they wanted to strike up a conversation.
The area around Gu Zhaoqian was equally lively.
It looks like she'll have to wait a while before she can leave.
While He Peiru was glancing at Jiang Yici, she was actually keeping an eye on Gu Zhaoqian out of the corner of her eye.
She had considered whether she could join their conversation, but for her now, even if the people talking were accommodating, she clearly couldn't easily blend in.
Gu Zhaoqian's conversation with the others did not last long; it seemed that after exchanging a few words, he slipped away from the crowd.
And it seemed to be walking in her direction.
He Peiru quickly looked away. In such an uncertain situation, she couldn't confidently assume that the man was walking straight towards her.
The two voices that had been behind me suddenly rang out again.
"Ah—that person is walking this way!"
"Maybe they're here to look for someone?"
Then the volume suddenly dropped.
"This girl has been standing here from the very beginning..."
"You know what, they actually look quite well-matched."
He Peiru's heart skipped a beat; she had never imagined she would be involved. She glanced up and realized she couldn't convince herself with the excuse that he had found someone else.
really.
Gu Zhaoqian stopped in front of her and asked first, "Is it over? Uncle Jiang said we can go back first."
The two voices that had briefly fallen silent behind He Peiru rang out again, and she heard one of them exclaim in a low voice, "I knew it—"
She was certain that Gu Zhaoqian wouldn't have heard the conversation, and even if he had, he wouldn't know the backstory.
Without hesitation, they chose to pretend nothing had happened.
However, He Peiru couldn't ignore the gazes from the awards podium; people kept turning to look in their direction. She didn't immediately agree to the man's suggestion, asking with some unease, "But are you really sure it's okay for you to come over like this?"
Gu Zhaoqian followed her gaze and immediately understood where He Peiru's doubts came from. He shrugged and replied, "If it were really something important, they could have gone to the company to find me, instead of ambushing me here."
He Peiru understood and said, "Then let's go back."
At the same time, the voices behind them, no matter how hard they tried to suppress them, couldn't hide their excitement: "They're definitely a couple!"
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