Chapter 42 A Twist of Fate
The current situation is different from what He Peiru imagined.
She even detected a provocation in the question Jiang Yici asked.
I have a vague feeling that something is wrong.
He Peiru assumed that Jiang Yici had already told Gu Zhaoqian about her going to study in the UK, but judging from their conversation just now, Jiang Yici also thought that she had told Gu Zhaoqian.
Was this an unintentional blunder?
He Peiru first glanced at Gu Zhaoqian out of the corner of her eye. The man's expression didn't seem to change much. She bit her lip, and the subtle feeling in her heart prompted her to tell the truth: "I'm going to study in England in September."
Gu Zhaoqian nodded slightly and said, "It's fine."
However, after he finished speaking, He Peiru felt the air pressure in the dining room suddenly drop.
Although their relationship hasn't progressed much, the atmosphere now is clearly different from the beginning.
Is Gu Zhaoqian unhappy because he didn't know about this?
He Peiru turned her head to look at Jiang Yici, then at him; both of them acted as if nothing had happened.
She wanted to ask Gu Zhaoqian if he was angry about this, but considering that Jiang Yici was present, she had to swallow her words.
He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but didn't know what to say.
They could only remain silent.
Gu Zhaoqian didn't let the situation last too long, nor did he dwell on the topic. Instead, he calmly continued talking to Jiang Yici about the project.
It wasn't much different from when I was at the Jiang family's house.
But she felt an inexplicable awkwardness.
He Peiru shook her head inwardly, but outwardly remained calm, pretending that the thoughts that popped into her mind did not exist.
I listened to their conversation and ate my dinner quietly.
However, she was only half full when she lost her appetite and couldn't muster any interest in the delicious food on the table.
Just sitting here feels incredibly agonizing.
"I'm full, you guys take your time eating," she said after a quick thought, so that her standing up wouldn't seem abrupt. "I'm going back to my room now."
Gu Zhaoqian looked up at her, his eyes filled with emotions she couldn't decipher. Jiang Yici, however, didn't nod, but simply replied, "Okay."
She didn't want to feel the gaze behind her while waiting for the elevator again, so this time she simply chose to take the stairs.
You can move forward without worrying about anything else, at least you won't feel tormented by waiting.
-
From the moment He Peiru turned around, Gu Zhaoqian's eyes followed her closely.
As long as she turns around, she will notice the movement behind her, and they will inevitably make eye contact.
However, Gu Zhaoqian was certain that she wouldn't.
She was visibly tense, as if she couldn't wait to start jogging.
It wasn't until she turned the corner on the stairs and heard the sound of a door closing on the second floor that Jiang Yici broke the silence with a smile: "What? You're not happy anymore?"
"No, Uncle Jiang." Gu Zhaoqian put away his usual arrogant demeanor and adopted a serious attitude when discussing important matters. "Why didn't you tell me about something so important?"
Jiang Yici was unfazed by his reaction, and even seemed to be in a good mood, continuing, "I just thought Aru had already told you?"
This question left Gu Zhaoqian speechless. He leaned back in his chair and sighed, "I think you did it on purpose."
Jiang Yici not only did not deny it, but also deliberately said, "You might as well reflect on why Aru did not tell you on her own initiative."
That's actually true.
Rather than saying he was unaware of the matter, it's more accurate to say that the root cause was that He Peiru never mentioned it to him.
As for why she didn't mention it, Gu Zhaoqian really couldn't figure out the reason.
Is it true, as Jiang Yici said, that he really needs to reflect on himself?
He never imagined he would be so helpless one day.
All he could do was use the methods he could think of to coax the girl.
Gu Zhaoqian thought for a moment, then sat up straight and raised an eyebrow at Jiang Yici, asking, "Is it too much for me to treat this place like my own home, just like always?"
"What?"
Jiang Yici didn't understand what he meant by asking that question.
Before he could react, Gu Zhaoqian had already stood up and headed straight for the stairs.
It's as if no one can stop it.
Watching his swift and decisive movements, Jiang Yici finally understood his plan and exclaimed, "You're quite bold."
He has no intention of interfering.
Now that Gu Zhaoqian has chosen this approach, he wants to see how He Peiru will react.
-
He Peiru wished she could walk as fast as she could when she got back to her room. Once the door was closed, she leaned weakly against the wall and quickly took her phone out of her pocket.
I opened the pinned group chat for three people and tapped the screen rapidly with my fingers.
Ho Pui-yu: [My uncle returned to Hong Kong from Australia today. He went straight home after getting off the plane. Brother Him came with him to the Chiang family home. They prepared a lot of souvenirs for me, which made me very happy, but!]
He Peiru: [During dinner just now, my uncle mentioned the plans to go to England. I thought it was a normal conversation, nothing out of the ordinary, but then he suddenly asked me what I was going to England for.]
He Peiru: [I was completely stunned. I thought my uncle must have told him about this before, but it turns out he hadn't... The main thing is that my uncle's reaction seemed like he thought I had already told him! So I didn't want to stay downstairs before I even finished my meal; I just wanted to get back to my room quickly and tell you all about it.]
She typed as if she had forgotten to breathe, eager to explain the whole story clearly.
I took photos of the pile of souvenirs that I had just sorted out and sent them to them.
He Peiru: [I don't know what to do now.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [Wait... how could he not know you were going to study in England?]
Feng Shiqi: [Yes, it's a pretty important matter, but why is he the only one who doesn't know about it?]
He Peiru: [But I never expected he wouldn't know...]
He Peiru: [After all, he saw his uncle so often, so over time I just accepted it.]
The group fell silent instantly.
He Peiru never intended to hide it from Gu Zhaoqian; the current situation was entirely the result of a series of unforeseen events.
She had to come up with a solution as soon as possible.
He Peiru: [Should I explain it to him again...?]
The two of them didn't speak because they were also trying to figure out the best solution for her.
Feng Shiqi: [I think it's fine to just tell the truth, right? Anyway, you didn't do it on purpose.]
Fang Xiaoxin: [If that doesn't work, why don't you try being a little coquettish with him?]
Want to be a little coquettish?
He Peiru couldn't tell if she was serious or joking.
For her, acting cute is extremely difficult.
In her previous life, she had absolutely no need to do this, and moreover, there was no possibility that she could achieve her goal through this action.
Despite her distress, she still opened her chat with Gu Zhaoqian. Since it was inconvenient to talk to him face-to-face because Jiang Yici was present, she simply chose to send a message.
However, even figuring out how to begin stumped her.
He Peiru frowned as she continued to carefully consider the words, when she heard a knock on the door.
She paused for a moment, thinking that only Sophia would contact her at this time, and without further thought, she turned around and opened the door.
However, when she saw who was standing outside the door, she was really startled.
They had no idea how to react.
He Peiru raised her eyes and stared blankly at the man in front of her.
The man's expression remained unchanged, making it impossible to discern his inner thoughts.
He remained silent for a long time, the tense atmosphere causing her to completely forget her earlier plans.
He Peiru didn't want to continue this stalemate with him. She wasn't sure if others knew that he had gone upstairs, so she asked, "Brother Qian, is there something you need to talk to me about?"
Gu Zhaoqian nodded and asked softly, "I do have something to say, but it's not appropriate to say it here."
Since he had brought it up, He Peiru couldn't very well refuse, but she was starting to wonder where she should say it.
Or should we just go into her room, which is the closest?
The idea suddenly popped into her head.
He Peiru has always trusted Gu Zhaoqian completely, especially now that they are in the Jiang family.
There's nothing to worry about.
If she went elsewhere, she didn't know how to explain herself if she was seen, and she was also worried that someone might overhear her.
They didn't even know if Jiang Yici was downstairs watching Gu Zhaoqian come up.
So the more she thought about it, the more distressed she became, and she even forgot to manage her facial expressions.
Gu Zhaoqian added, "If you find it inconvenient, we can go somewhere else."
He Peiru shook her head, turned slightly to the side, and said, "Let's just go into my room and talk. There's a small living room inside anyway."
His initial thought was to be a bit more aggressive, but her suggestion seemed inappropriate, so he didn't take a step forward: "If you don't want me to go in, you don't have to force yourself, it's not like..."
"It's okay."
She took a small step back, interrupting the man before he could finish speaking.
However, after saying those four words in a firm tone, He Peiru quickly reviewed the situation in the room in her mind.
I was afraid I might forget to put something away.
Gu Zhaoqian didn't say anything more, but followed He Peiru into her room.
As soon as he entered, he smelled a faint fruity aroma in the air and glanced at a small bottle of aromatherapy on the coffee table.
No wonder he occasionally sensed a faint fragrance emanating from He Peiru; the answer was here.
Gu Zhaoqian did not forget that this was He Peiru's room, so his gaze followed her every move without looking around, even though he thought this was an opportunity.
The two walked to the small living room, where He Peiru stopped and said, "Let's talk here."
On the table was a pot of herbal tea that was being heated, and next to it were several clean glasses.
Gu Zhaoqian pulled out two chairs, sat down, and asked directly, "Why didn't you mention going to England to me?"
He further emphasized, "Not even once."
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