Chapter 53 Blinded by Circumstances
Was this phone call a coincidence, or did Gu Zhaoqian know about the situation at the Mountain Mansion and call immediately?
Both guesses stirred up a storm of thoughts in He Peiru.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, before pressing the call button: "Brother Qian?"
Gu Zhaoqian skipped the pleasantries and asked, "Is the power out at the Shan Mansion?"
"It just stopped, how did you know so quickly?"
He Peiru was somewhat puzzled.
Without hesitation, he answered seriously, "I just called to ask about the situation at Simon Hill Mansion, and I didn't expect to hear him say that there was a power outage."
Just then, lightning struck above Victoria Harbour, followed by deafening roars from all directions.
Caught off guard, He Peiru gasped in shock.
Under the same sky, Gu Zhaoqian also heard the thunder and asked, "Afraid of thunder?"
“...Not really,” she replied. “It was just a bit sudden, and I was startled.”
Are you scared?
She pondered for a moment.
Perhaps because I never had the chance to show weakness in this matter since I was a child, I gradually got used to bearing it all by myself.
"Don't panic," Gu Zhaoqian reassured softly. "Don't you have a flashlight?"
She stood awkwardly in front of the central island counter and replied, "No... you can only use your mobile phone."
Fortunately, she remembered to fully charge her power bank beforehand, so she doesn't have to worry about running out of power for now.
“I knew it.” Gu Zhaoqian’s knowing tone came through the receiver. He continued, “There are emergency kits provided by the property management in the cabinets under the kitchen island and the entryway cabinet. They contain flashlights and some necessary supplies. Be careful when you go to get them.”
During the conversation, He Peiru's eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room, and Gu Zhaoqian's voice soothed her panic.
She replied first, "I'm in the kitchen, let me look for it..."
No rush.
As Gu Zhaoqian had instructed, she lowered her eyes to observe the central island counter, then opened the cabinet door along the edge and saw a small emergency kit placed behind it.
He Peiru couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He knew everything about the mansion so well that it was as if he lived there himself.
Upon opening the emergency kit, she saw the flashlight prominently displayed. She picked it up, tested it, and saw the LCD screen showing 100% remaining battery power, which immediately put her at ease.
I couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
The call didn't end, and Gu Zhaoqian seemed to be constantly monitoring her movements.
Hearing the sound, he asked, "Did you find it?"
"Found it." Her voice was filled with joy. "And the battery is fully charged."
Infected by her reaction, Gu Zhaoqian unconsciously curled up the corners of his lips and continued, "The Mountain Mansion has backup power generation facilities, but they won't be operational anytime soon. We'll have to wait a bit longer."
He Peiru didn't seem to care: "It's alright, I'll wait at the Mountain Mansion."
"But," he changed the subject, "what are your plans for dinner?"
She awkwardly touched her nose and told him, "I had just started preparing dinner when the power went out."
He then asked, "Do you have instant noodles or anything else convenient to have for dinner?"
Although the kitchen had both an induction cooker and a gas stove that didn't require electricity, she didn't intend to risk going out in the dark.
Even with a flashlight, she worried that some oversight might lead to an accident, so she simply gave up the idea.
Undeterred, He Peiru used the flashlight to scan the kitchen. Sophia had prepared a lot of ingredients, but there was no quick and easy meal.
"No," she said to herself. "There are some soda crackers in the living room. If I really can't make do, I can eat those."
"That's not a good idea." Gu Zhaoqian didn't approve of her plan. "What did you originally plan to prepare for dinner?"
"No……"
He Peiru mistakenly thought he was trying to persuade her not to be so perfunctory, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she saw a bolt of lightning strike the sea through the window, followed by a huge sound.
She forgot what she had planned to say.
She saw that the waves in Victoria Harbour were even more violent than before, and with the approaching typhoon, the night would likely only become more chaotic.
He Peiru didn't let her thoughts wander any further, but continued, "I don't want to go through all that trouble. At least there's something to eat, and things should be fine after tonight."
Gu Zhaoqian did not respond immediately; she was unsure whether she should bite the bullet and continue.
I'm afraid he'll complain to Jiang Yici.
However, given the current special circumstances, even if this meal is handled hastily, Jiang Yici cannot be accused of being too casual.
Thinking about it this way, He Peiru suddenly felt justified.
The long silence on the screen made her think that Gu Zhaoqian had hung up the phone, but when she turned her head to look, she found that the numbers on the screen were still jumping.
He Peiru opened her mouth, wanting to find an excuse to hang up the phone. But then she thought that if she didn't hear Gu Zhaoqian's voice, it would mean that the already empty room would fall silent again.
She immediately dismissed the idea and tried to change the subject: "Are you in Repulse Bay right now?"
"no."
He went along with it and answered.
In his memory, Gu Zhaoqian might not necessarily go back to Repulse Bay when he was busy, and the current unusual weather seems to be a similar situation.
She asked again, "Is it in Central?"
"No, not exactly."
He answered again, but it seemed he didn't intend to tell her directly where he was.
"Huh?" He Peiru paused, unsure of where Gu Zhaoqian would return to, and tried to follow up, "So, where are you now..."
She didn't know if Gu Zhaoqian would tell her.
But since the question had already been asked, she simply waited quietly for the man's answer.
However, he did not respond for a long time, and He Peiru's heart was instantly filled with indescribable frustration.
She could vaguely hear the sound of wind coming from the other side of the screen, making it impossible to determine where he was at that moment.
The thought of this perfunctory dinner, coupled with Gu Zhaoqian's silence, made He Peiru feel even more uncomfortable.
"Want to know where I am?" Gu Zhaoqian's voice finally rang in my ears again. The noise on his end seemed to have subsided and was not as loud as before.
Without waiting for her reply, he continued, "You'll know when you open the door."
These words startled He Peiru, who blurted out as if to confirm, "What?"
“I said,” Gu Zhaoqian replied slowly, “you can find out where I am by opening the front door.”
She then realized she hadn't misheard.
The unexpected answer made her grip the phone tightly in her hand, hold her breath, and walk toward the entrance.
Even in her wildest dreams, He Peiru never imagined that Gu Zhaoqian would appear outside the door under such circumstances.
For a moment, I didn't know what kind of expression to wear.
She opened the door carefully.
Gu Zhaoqian seemed worried that he might frighten her, so he didn't stand too close to the door, but instead stood on the side of the entrance hall with a flashlight.
She looked toward the light, almost overwhelmed with surprise, and murmured, "Brother Qian."
"Aru." Gu Zhaoqian seemed to be afraid of the flashlight beam shining into her eyes, so he deliberately pulled back a few steps before taking a few steps forward. "How do you feel being here by yourself?"
"I'm fine." He Peiru felt a little hungry, but otherwise didn't feel much. "Was it because you didn't tell me where you were on the phone earlier?"
Without much hesitation, since Gu Zhaoqian was already there, she simply voiced her question directly.
He looked into He Peiru's eyes, which seemed exceptionally bright in the dim light, and told her, "I wasn't planning to say anything, but the power went out."
"I was worried about you being alone, so I felt it was necessary to come up and check on you."
"Come up here to take a look?" She repeated the man's words, then suddenly realized, "So you actually live in the Mountain Mansion?"
He nodded: "Yes, it's on the twenty-first floor."
He Peiru was unaware that he also had a place to stay here, and she never expected to find out because of the typhoon.
"May I come in?"
Gu Zhaoqian's voice brought her back to her senses.
Unexpectedly, even in this situation, he still remembered to ask for her opinion.
Now it was He Peiru's turn to feel somewhat helpless.
He's already here, and besides, the power's out now. Thinking about the sounds of wind on the phone earlier, he was probably coming up the stairs at that time.
He Peiru naturally couldn't refuse, and nodded blankly, "Of course."
He then found a pair of men's slippers in the shoe cabinet and emphasized, "These slippers are brand new."
"knew."
He smiled and seemed to be in a good mood.
Gu Zhaoqian's appearance surprised He Peiru, but also shocked her to the point of being slow to react.
Perhaps it stemmed from a lack of self-confidence; she ultimately felt that Gu Zhaoqian wouldn't go to such lengths for her.
But now, the facts are right in front of her.
Gu Zhaoqian walked in calmly, his movements no longer as measured as in the entryway. He shone his flashlight around and asked, "Where are the cookies you were planning to eat?"
He Peiru turned her head away shyly and replied somewhat vaguely, "It's in the cabinet... I haven't had time to look for it yet."
She's been dawdling for so long, and there's still no progress on dinner. No wonder Gu Zhaoqian asked that.
He was clearly amused by He Peiru's reaction and joked, "If I don't come up, are you just planning not to eat?"
"...No way!"
He Peiru denied it immediately, but this only made her seem more guilty.
Fortunately, Gu Zhaoqian just smiled and then asked, "What were you originally planning to prepare for dinner?"
His gaze fell on the central island platform. He Peiru was surprised that he could observe so meticulously in just a few glances.
The food that was taken out hasn't been put back in the refrigerator yet.
Even though the power is out, it will still have excellent heat retention, which is naturally better than being exposed to the air.
Gu Zhaoqian understood what was going on just by looking at her expression.
He said helplessly, "I'll go check the kitchen."
He Peiru knew exactly what he was planning, so she could only silently follow him into the kitchen.
Gu Zhaoqian held the flashlight upright and shone it on the ceiling, the reflected light making the entire kitchen bright enough.
He Peiru had never thought of this method, which made her earlier worries seem unnecessary.
Gu Zhaoqian then checked the ingredients she had arranged one last time, and his rolled-up sleeves clearly revealed his intentions.
He was going to prepare dinner for He Peiru.
If she were to refuse outright, it would be completely inappropriate.
"Don't worry about bothering others."
Gu Zhaoqian also knew that the reason she was being stubborn was probably because she didn't want them to worry.
However, he has never approved of her approach.
He Peiru had no idea that Gu Zhaoqian would think so much; she only felt that no matter what she answered, it would seem somewhat powerless.
Gu Zhaoqian seemed oblivious to her reaction and continued, "I know it's inconvenient for you to cook alone, but you can always think of other ways."
He spoke bluntly as always, and He Peiru knew that further words would be of no use, so she could only ask, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"No need." Gu Zhaoqian had already started working. "You can just wait on the side."
He didn't ask her what she wanted to eat, but instead deduced how to cook it from the pile of ingredients she brought out.
The two in the kitchen remained silent as if by unspoken agreement, with only the sounds of the wind and rain outside and the clatter of the spatula stirring the food.
Before long, her nasal cavity was filled with the aroma of stir-fried dishes, which made her unable to resist licking her lips.
If it weren't for Gu Zhaoqian's sudden appearance, her original plan would have seemed so inadequate in comparison.
He Peiru was lost in thought and didn't notice that the man's movements had stopped.
He turned his head to look at her closely.
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Author's note: We're about to enter the final stages!
Thank you everyone for waiting for me [cat emoji]
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