Chapter 44 Openly and brazenly
A few days later, He Peiru received an email with the graduation schedule, which stated that the final dinner of her university life and the graduation ceremony would be held on different days.
Gu Zhaoqian had mostly asked her about the latter's time.
Having been influenced by her own experiences as a student for many years, He Peiru knows that for many families around her, graduation ceremonies are significant events that require the whole family to attend.
And her high school graduation ceremony was made less lonely thanks to Feng Shiqi and her mother.
This time, she can finally be truly surrounded by her family.
He Peiru thought for a moment and then sent a screenshot of the email to Gu Zhaoqian.
Since she opened up to Gu Zhaoqian at the Jiang family's house and learned about his thoughts, although the two haven't reached the point of being able to talk about anything, their relationship has indeed grown much closer.
She would always think back to that last conversation of the day.
He Peiru: [Is that all you wanted to say?]
He Peiru: [I thought the conversation that had been interrupted would continue the next time I saw you.]
In fact, even without Jiang Yici's reminder, he planned to tell He Peiru frankly.
Gu Zhaoqian: [There's no need to wait for the next time.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [It's best to make things clear as soon as possible.]
The clear-headed conversation dispelled He Peiru's doubts.
The man's reply speed gave He Peiru no time to think.
Gu Zhaoqian: [I've already marked that day on my schedule.]
He Peiru has gone from initially worrying that it would take up Gu Zhaoqian's time to now accepting his actions as a matter of course.
Because no matter what Gu Zhaoqian does, she can't bear to push him away.
She also made sure to tell her family the time.
Zheng Wanqiao had reminded her a long time ago to remember to tell them when the time came out.
They must value this matter equally.
Sure enough, when He Peiru told them the specific time at dinner, Zheng Wanqiao showed a kind smile and said, "For such an important event, we must all go together as a family."
The arrangements for the day were finalized in just a few words.
Zheng Wanqiao always cared a lot about He Peiru. Before she could speak, she asked, "Is there a graduation banquet? Should Grandma have someone prepare some dresses for our Aru to choose from?"
She nodded, about to agree to Zheng Wanqiao's suggestion, but was interrupted by Jiang Yici, who said, "No need to trouble you, I've almost finished preparing on my side."
He Peiru looked up and gazed over.
Jiang Yici's explanation was vague and unconvincing; her intuition told her that things were not as simple as he made them out to be.
Could it be related to Gu Zhaoqian again?
Without giving her a chance to think further, Zheng Wanqiao continued.
"So soon?" She seemed oblivious to anything amiss, nor did she seem dissatisfied. She always trusted her son's judgment. "Then I'll just wait for Aru's graduation ceremony."
He Peiru cleared her mind of all distractions and smiled, saying, "We should take a family photo together then."
-
Dinner is over.
He Peiru thought she should hurry back to her room and try to find out from Gu Zhaoqian whether the truth was as she guessed.
But just as she stood up, Jiang Yici called out to her, "Aru."
She turned around: "What's wrong?"
Jiang Yici gestured towards the living room with his eyes and said, "That dress is in the box on the sofa. I just brought it back but haven't had time to give it to you yet."
"Huh?" This was completely unexpected for He Peiru. She hadn't expected it to be arranged so quickly, and she quickly said, "Thank you, Uncle!"
He smiled and said, "I'm just helping to pass it on. Aru should thank me, not me."
After saying that, he turned and went into the study.
Who else could Jiang Yici help pass it on to besides Gu Zhaoqian?
He Peiru pursed her lips. Since the answer to this matter was obvious without needing to think about it, she didn't let Sophia come forward. Instead, she went to the living room, picked up the box, and went back to her room.
Instead of opening it immediately, she took out her phone, snapped a picture of the box, and randomly sent it to Gu Zhaoqian.
He Peiru: [Did you ask your uncle to give this to me?]
She deliberately asked a question she already knew the answer to.
Gu Zhaoqian: [Is there someone else I don't know who would prepare a formal dress for you?]
He Peiru: [...No, that's not true.]
How did she manage to dig a hole for herself again without even realizing it?
Even through the screen, He Peiru could already imagine the smile that Gu Zhaoqian would wear after seeing her reply.
Fortunately, Gu Zhaoqian didn't seem to intend to tease her any further.
Gu Zhaoqian: [Have you opened the box? See if you like it.]
He Peiru then put down her phone and loosened the bow tied to the box.
What comes into view is a black hourglass-waisted tulle skirt.
The fabric of the dress feels soft and comfortable to the touch, not to mention that once it's hung up, you can tell with the naked eye that the tailoring is impeccable.
The style of this dress is similar to the one Gu Zhaoqian prepared before; his taste is as impeccable as ever.
He Peiru: [I've already opened and read it.]
He Peiru: [Thank you, I really like this dress.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [I'm glad you like it.]
It seems like he always says almost the same things, but each time it's enough to make her feel butterflies in her stomach.
This time, however, she didn't want the conversation to end there.
He Peiru: [Did you choose all the dresses you wore these past few days?]
Gu Zhaoqian: [Yes, what's wrong?]
He Peiru: [Nothing much, I was just a little curious.]
That's why I used this reason to try to get an answer.
Gu Zhaoqian: [Of course I'll do this myself.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [Moreover, I trust my own judgment more than I entrust it to others.]
perhaps.
This must be what it feels like to be valued.
Even if she kept asking questions, Gu Zhaoqian would answer patiently.
-
Prior to this, He Peiru had attended several high table dinners, but the fees she had paid for them were money she had saved through hard work and part-time jobs.
This time.
She will finally stop feeling bad about spending hundreds of yuan on registration fees.
She persisted in participating in these activities because it was the best way for her to meet more people in the past.
But now, she can participate with a different mindset, no longer needing to have such a strong sense of purpose.
The graduation banquet day arrived quickly.
Now He Peiru's every move represents the Jiang family. Although this is ultimately just a banquet held on campus, it is still prepared according to the usual standards for attending banquets.
night.
After arriving, He Peiru casually chose a seat and sat down, not forgetting to greet the classmates she knew nearby.
However, among her university classmates, there were quite a few who knew about the Jiang family, or who had already heard that the Jiang family had recognized He Peiru.
It's also possible that the news has already spread privately.
He Peiru clearly felt that there were many more people trying to strike up a conversation with her than usual.
She always attends these events to expand her network, and she doesn't mind what the purpose of the people who approach her is.
Throughout the graduation banquet, she became quite familiar with many of her classmates whom she had only met briefly before, and exchanged contact information with many others.
It was as if this graduation banquet did not signify the end of her university career, but rather its continuation.
Afterwards, He Peiru told Gu Zhaoqian all her thoughts at once.
He Peiru: [Perhaps it's because after graduating from university, I'll continue to interact with many people, which is completely different from the feeling of parting when I graduated from high school.]
He Peiru: [Perhaps it's because I returned to the Chiang family home, but I can be sure that this won't be the last time I see many of these people.]
She didn't feel lost because of this, but rather couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 about the changes in reality.
Gu Zhaoqian actually understood the meaning behind her words and then began to comfort her.
Gu Zhaoqian: [I don't think it's necessary to pay too much attention to the other person's motives. As long as you feel happy during the time you spend together and the other person doesn't make you uncomfortable, you can rightfully accept their kindness.]
He Peiru understood all the reasons he gave, but all things considered, she had only been back in the Jiang family for about half a year, so even if she wanted to change, it wouldn't be that easy.
He Peiru: [I know, but I can only try to get used to these things first.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [No rush, stick to your own ideas.]
Although Gu Zhaoqian was curious about how the dress would look on He Peiru, he didn't intend to bring it up with her.
If he wanted to see the photos, it would be an easy thing for him; there was no need for his own selfish desires to affect He Peiru.
Gu Zhaoqian suppressed his restless heart, and soon his assistant sent him photos of tonight's graduation banquet.
The effect of the dress on He Peiru was roughly as he had imagined.
Gu Zhaoqian stood up and walked forward. He leaned against the glass railing and looked down at Victoria Harbour. While affirming his own judgment, he revealed an undisguised pleasure on his face.
Noticing his expression, Cui Haonian teased, "Tsk, what's on your phone? Your mood suddenly improved?"
"So gossipy?" He smiled, not denying it. "Anyway, you wouldn't understand."
Cui Haonian was already used to being teased by Gu Zhaoqian, so he simply glanced at his lit-up phone and understood the moment he saw the photo: "I knew it... you were secretly looking at the photo."
Gu Zhaoqian scoffed, clearly disagreeing with his statement. He deliberately shook his phone and replied, "I was watching openly."
That's not wrong.
If Gu Zhaoqian had intended to conceal it, there would have been no way he could have seen the content on the screen.
Cui Haonian's expression turned serious at this thought, and he asked, "But... how long do you plan to keep pursuing her?"
Gu Zhaoqian glanced at him, not answering the question directly, but instead asking, "What's the rush?"
He picked up the glass that had been set aside and gently swirled it a few times. In the dim light, a sliver of light fell into the clear whiskey.
Gu Zhaoqian drank the liquid in his glass in one gulp, and the intense sensation instantly spread throughout his body.
Since it's so close, why should he be anxious?
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