Chapter 54 A Small Favor
The intense gaze fell upon He Peiru, instantly snapping her out of her reverie.
The situation made her shrink back and ask, "How..."
But before she could finish speaking, she felt something touch her back, and due to inertia, she couldn't stop moving immediately.
He Peiru closed her eyes resignedly, secretly hoping she wouldn't knock things over.
Just then—
"careful."
Suddenly, Gu Zhaoqian's voice rang in her ears, and her wrist was grabbed, pulling her in the opposite direction.
For a moment, I felt like I had survived a disaster.
Her expression, as seen by Gu Zhaoqian, seemed to turn bewildered. Then she heard his explanation: "There were plates set up behind me, and I almost bumped into them."
"Ah..." He Peiru touched her nose with her other hand, feeling so embarrassed she had nowhere to hide, but she could only reply, "Thank you."
He nodded slightly and asked, "What were you thinking about so intently just now?"
The casual question seemed to be a subtle probing, as if he were just mentioning it casually.
There was a ready-made reason at hand, and she replied, "...I'm wondering when the power will be restored."
She no longer cared whether the man had caught her reaction. In that moment of chaos, the physical contact with him had already pushed things out of her control.
He Peiru realized once again that she couldn't handle it.
If she were to hastily withdraw her hand at this moment, Gu Zhaoqian might misinterpret it as a sign of her resistance towards him.
As a result, she was even more unsure of what to do properly.
Because of the weather, the doors and windows inside the house were tightly closed, which made her clearly feel that the indoor temperature was rising continuously.
However, before she could come up with an answer, Gu Zhaoqian had already let go of her hand and said, "Be careful. Sometimes when I'm watching the pot, I can't always react as quickly as I can now."
“…I understand.” He Peiru turned her head away uncomfortably and immediately decided to remain silent.
and……
She could not make any other unnecessary movements.
Otherwise, Gu Zhaoqian would have to split his time to take care of her, and just thinking about it made him feel guilty.
He Peiru took a few steps outside and stood in an open and not too dark place, feeling ashamed of herself as she watched his nimble movements.
Although she knew that even those from top-tier wealthy families would possess the most basic ability to take care of themselves, Gu Zhaoqian would always exceed her expectations.
Her thoughts drifted further and further away once again, until Gu Zhaoqian spoke again: "Alright."
Gu Zhaoqian cooked two dishes in about twenty minutes. Since there was a power outage and he couldn't use the rice cooker, he steamed the rice on the gas stove.
Compared to what she had just tried to resolve superficially, these were infinitely better.
Just as He Peiru was about to help, she heard him ask, "Where is the bowl?"
Sophia would put the dishes into the sterilizing cabinet after each use and washing. Gu Zhaoqian only looked at the island counter and didn't look anywhere else, so he naturally couldn't find the dishes.
"here."
He Peiru pointed with her finger, then stepped inside.
She couldn't possibly entrust everything to him.
Without a second thought, He Peiru took two bowls from the sterilizer, only to hear Gu Zhaoqian speak, his tone seemingly teasing: "How did you know I haven't had dinner yet?"
She stated her judgment: "I know you don't eat dinner this early, and..."
He paused, then continued, "I can't let you watch me eat alone."
Her firm tone and serious expression made it impossible for Gu Zhaoqian to refuse.
He nodded: "You guessed right, you're pretty smart."
He Peiru didn't need to think too much to know that Gu Zhaoqian came to help her without saying a word because he didn't have time to consider anything else.
Perhaps... this is just a small favor.
She tried to comfort herself that this wouldn't be a problem.
-
Because of the power outage, the rest of the area outside the kitchen remained completely dark.
The inconvenience of having to carry a flashlight to enter and exit other rooms led He Peiru to wait for Gu Zhaoqian to come out of the kitchen together.
Sure enough, he picked up the upright flashlight, handed it to He Peiru, and said, "You shine the light in front, I'll take these dishes out."
He Peiru took the plate, picked it up as he did, and then turned to walk out.
She only breathed a sigh of relief when the plate in his hand was placed steadily on the table.
As she turned to go back into the kitchen, she unexpectedly bumped into a chair that had been pulled out, and cried out in pain, "Ouch..."
Gu Zhaoqian immediately stepped forward and asked, "Does it hurt?"
A moment of numbness left He Peiru unable to describe the feeling. She subconsciously explained, "I forgot that this chair is not usually pushed in, and I accidentally bumped into it."
“It’s too dark, that’s not your fault,” he reassured her, then asked again, “Is anything particularly painful?”
When she hit the chair, most of He Peiru's body was hit, which naturally dispersed the pain.
Once that moment passes, all that remains is a slight discomfort.
She shook her head and replied, "I don't feel anything anymore."
Normally, He Peiru would not be so reckless. She should have been used to the arrangement of the chairs by now, but she panicked because of Gu Zhaoqian's presence.
And this wasn't the first time something like this had happened in front of him.
Gu Zhaoqian looked up, his eyes filled with concern, and asked, "Remember to check if there are any bruises anywhere."
"Okay, it should be fine," He Peiru continued. "Let's go get the rest of the things."
She then turned around and walked towards the kitchen.
Gu Zhaoqian didn't speak again, but silently followed behind her. For a moment, the silence in the room made their breathing seem particularly clear.
Perhaps because of He Peiru's carelessness earlier, Gu Zhaoqian seemed particularly attentive and even deliberately slowed down his pace.
This realization made her become very cautious.
The two of them went back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen several times, and finally managed to put everything in place.
He Peiru only dared to completely relax after sitting down at the dining table.
Gu Zhaoqian's gaze remained fixed on He Peiru from beginning to end, taking in her every move, and even the corners of his lips couldn't help but turn up slightly.
He didn't say much, but as he picked up his chopsticks, he said, "Eat."
"good."
He Peiru was starving at this point, and Gu Zhaoqian's appearance once again saved her at just the right time.
She picked up the dish closer to her, put it in her mouth, chewed and savored it, and exclaimed from the bottom of her heart, "So delicious!"
Gu Zhaoqian no longer suppressed his smile, and even the end of his voice rose slightly: "Eat more if you like it."
-
After dinner.
The two tidied up briefly and waited for the power to be restored before putting all the dishes into the dishwasher.
After completing these tasks, He Peiru began to worry about what to do next.
She first ruled out the option of going back to her room.
Despite the stuffy heat inside, Gu Zhaoqian had not yet left.
The man only came here because of her, so she couldn't get any information about when he would go back. Therefore, all she could do was stay in the living room.
Although it was Gu Zhaoqian's first time here, after coming out of the kitchen, he sat down on the sofa with ease and took out his phone in a very relaxed manner.
He Peiru immediately realized that she had been overthinking things.
She walked to the glass window. The torrential rain brought by the typhoon showed no signs of stopping; in fact, it seemed like it would only get heavier.
Raindrops danced wildly in the gale, their direction of impact impossible to discern with the naked eye. The usually bustling roads were now pitch black.
Perhaps it was because Gu Zhaoqian was by her side that He Peiru felt at ease and became less concerned about the changing weather.
However, looking at the situation outside, she couldn't help but sigh.
That's really terrible.
Gu Zhaoqian immediately noticed the subtle movement and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ho Pui-yu turned her head, her tone somewhat heavy: "I don't know when this typhoon will finally leave Hong Kong."
“Maybe it will be over by tomorrow.” He didn’t think Ho Pui-yu’s worries were superfluous, and told him realistically, “This city will not allow things to stop, so even if the typhoon is not completely away from Hong Kong, those in power will find a way to get all industries running again.”
The city's shutdown caused losses amounting to tens of thousands every second, a fact that Gu Zhaoqian described as almost cruel.
He Peiru then spoke her mind without reservation: "Is this really okay? Aren't there many areas that have been severely damaged?"
“That’s right.” He didn’t deny what she said, but told her, “However, many family foundations will make contingency plans and take corresponding measures in advance.”
After saying this, seemingly not wanting the atmosphere to become too heavy, he laughed and said, "I've only just finished dinner, and I'm already thinking about these things?"
“But these two things are different.” He Peiru rarely contradicted Gu Zhaoqian, but her tone remained firm. “I still want to see what I can do.”
“I understand what you mean, but if you want to put it into practice, we still need to wait until the weather stabilizes.” Gu Zhaoqian lowered his eyes and saw her bright eyes even in the dim light. He softened his tone and said, “You’re just too soft-hearted.”
"Because I know that many people are having a hard time, I want to do something within my power."
The man's sudden praise made her feel a little embarrassed.
Gu Zhaoqian said she was soft-hearted?
After thinking it over, He Peiru felt that it didn't seem wrong; she could completely ignore those people she had never met.
How others are doing is, to some extent, none of her business. But once she thinks about what she has been through, she can't remain indifferent.
"I understand—" Her persistence made Gu Zhaoqian draw out his words. He got up and walked to her side, then said, "These things can't be rushed."
For some reason, she seemed to hear another meaning in it.
He Peiru looked up, and her gaze, which had been looking out through the glass, involuntarily fell on the man's reflection.
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