Chapter 61, Section 61: Acting on One's Own Decisions
"pack?"
He Peiru was somewhat puzzled.
Although she occasionally shops online, there's nothing she absolutely needs to buy during this period, and she doesn't recall anyone sending her anything.
Seeing that she made no further move, the other three were somewhat puzzled, surrounding her but not daring to make any rash moves.
It was Feng Shiqi who spoke up and asked, "Aru, what's wrong with you?"
He Peiru gently shook her head and replied, "I haven't bought anything recently, so I don't know who sent this package."
As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and continued, "There should be information on the outer packaging. I completely forgot about that."
She glanced down and saw that it was clearly marked as being sent from Hong Kong, and even the recipient's name was her full name.
If it were family, even if they didn't tell her beforehand, they would definitely let Sophia know.
But there was nothing.
Since this package can travel across the ocean, He Peiru doesn't need to worry that it might be dangerous.
She added, "Since it's for me, I'll open it and take a look."
Unpack the tightly sealed cardboard box, and inside is a heavy jewelry box.
The exquisite craftsmanship made her hesitate for a moment before continuing to open it. The jewelry that immediately caught her eye looked extraordinary, and there was a pile of dolls and ornaments underneath.
Both the style of these items and the exquisite craftsmanship of the jewelry reminded He Peiru of someone.
And among these items was a card—
"Merry Christmas."
Seeing the handwriting on it confirmed He Peiru's guess.
Once again, she couldn't understand Gu Zhaoqian's thoughts.
Even though the two had lost contact, she was still disturbed by this unexpected Christmas gift.
They kept a slight distance, so they couldn't see the words clearly. Fang Xiaoxin asked, "Who sent this package?"
He Peiru didn't speak, but the slightly serious expression on her face was enough for the others to vaguely guess the answer.
“Yes…” He Peiru opened her mouth, but couldn’t bring herself to say the name, so she simply said, “Let’s not worry about that for now, let’s eat first.”
"good!"
They all agreed.
At least on the surface, He Peiru did not seem to be greatly affected.
Fortunately, this incident did not dampen their spirits.
They ate their dinner, continuing the conversation they had before they saw the package, and everything seemed normal.
However, after dinner, the two of them couldn't help but ask in a softer voice, "What are your plans for that package?"
He Peiru gently shook her head and replied, "I need to think about it."
She repeatedly opened the chat box, wanting to say something to Gu Zhaoqian, but didn't know how to start.
Fortunately, Fang Xiaoxin and Feng Shiqi were both there, so we could immediately discuss how to deal with it together.
Feng Shiqi frowned, then waved her hand as if to make the decision for her, saying, "Anyway, Gu Zhaoqian didn't tell you in advance, so the decision of whether to accept it or not is up to you."
Now, in her view, Gu Zhaoqian's identity and other things that might be involved are not important; she only knows that she should unconditionally stand on He Peiru's side.
Fang Xiaoxin couldn't help but feel indignant on her behalf, her tone also showing some dissatisfaction: "If you ask me, Aru would be better off just pretending that nothing happened."
"Anyway, if I give you these things, you are free to do with them as you please."
“That’s right.” Feng Shiqi agreed unconditionally, and complained, “He wants to be good to you, but he also wants to push you away. I just can’t understand what he’s thinking.”
It was obvious that all three of them saw things very clearly.
He Peiru knew without thinking that this was a Christmas gift from Gu Zhaoqian.
Although she intended to return it to Gu Zhaoqian, she didn't want to contact him at the moment and decided to wait until she was about to return to Hong Kong.
So the best thing for her to do right now was to put the jewelry box away, and she said, "It doesn't matter, we can talk about it later."
After instructing Sophia, she completely forgot about the matter and instead thought about how to make the house more Christmassy.
the next day.
The three of them got up and headed to the supermarket soon after, hoping to pick out what they needed while there were as few people as possible.
However, as soon as they entered the supermarket, in addition to the wide variety of Christmas decorations, there was even an area displaying ornaments such as Chinese knots.
The two immediately suggested to He Peiru, "When the Lunar New Year comes, Aru should buy these decorations."
"Hmm...that's a good idea." However, since she would still have classes during the Lunar New Year, and considering that even with a private plane she would be rushing around, Ho Pui-yu gave up the idea of going back to Hong Kong.
After careful consideration, she will most likely spend her time in the UK.
For now, she'll just enjoy her Christmas holiday.
Placed in the center of the supermarket are Christmas trees of various sizes. There is enough space in the apartment to display them, and more importantly, she can hang up her favorite decorations one by one.
When He Peiru saw Christmas trees in the supermarket before, she felt nothing but envy. It was as if only by owning a Christmas tree could she truly experience Christmas.
Later, although she had more than enough money to buy a small Christmas tree, there was no space for her to put it.
Life has changed since then, and the life she dreamed of can now be achieved with ease.
Perhaps this is the embodiment of a happy life.
The three quickly selected the decorations they needed, and the driver and Sophia placed them in the car so they could start decorating as soon as they got back.
However, after returning to her apartment, He Peiru discovered that simply taking apart the Christmas tree was not an easy task.
Although it took many steps to fully open the Christmas tree, they didn't feel tired at all; on the contrary, they were extremely happy.
Finally, after the decorations were finished, the once somewhat empty apartment instantly became much more lively.
In the days that followed, their activities were mostly confined to the vicinity of the apartment.
There are plenty of places to visit in central London, and with a driver on standby, you don't have to worry about getting tired.
Before we knew it, it was the day before Christmas.
Considering it was Christmas Eve, Sophia planned to cook some festive food for the three of them so they could enjoy their time together.
The three of them were sitting in the living room preparing to exchange Christmas gifts for each other when He Peiru's phone screen lit up.
The moment she caught a glimpse of it, her sixth sense told her that this message was anything but simple, and after a moment's hesitation, she picked up her phone.
It turned out to be Gu Zhaoqian.
While she was annoyed that her intuition was too accurate, she remembered the jewelry box that had been put away in the dressing room, and knew that she couldn't ignore this information.
"What's wrong?" Fang Xiaoxin walked over carrying the gift box, her eyes naturally lowered, and she saw the name on the screen clearly. She asked, "He's looking for you?"
He Peiru helplessly raised her phone and nodded in response, "It seems so."
She didn't intend to delay any longer; after all, once she opened the message, she still needed to think about how to reply.
Gu Zhaoqian: [Aru, are you home now?]
The seemingly simple question made her pause; he didn't get straight to the point as he usually did.
He Peiru: [What's wrong?]
Gu Zhaoqian: [If it's convenient, I'd like to meet with you.]
He Peiru: [Where are you now?]
Gu Zhaoqian: [Downstairs at your apartment building.]
He Peiru: [...]
It can only be said that she overestimated Gu Zhaoqian; such a sudden move was something only he could have done.
He Peiru hadn't forgotten that tonight was Christmas Eve, and she couldn't help but wonder why he was in England at this time, and why he wanted to see her.
Despite having doubts, it was impossible to let him stand idly downstairs; they still had to see what was going on.
"I'm going downstairs."
She didn't have time to tell Fang Xiaoxin the details of the conversation; she put on her coat and hurriedly left.
Even though the two had lost contact, He Peiru realized, as she rode the elevator downstairs, that she was extremely concerned about why Gu Zhaoqian had come.
As she watched the numbers keep changing, she remembered the package that had been carefully placed away.
"Never mind," He Peiru muttered to herself.
She didn't know why Gu Zhaoqian was looking for her, nor did she know if there would be other people present, so it was ultimately not necessarily appropriate.
Anyway, they'll meet again sometime; once they return to Hong Kong, they simply can't avoid seeing each other.
In short, there are always more solutions than problems.
After getting out of the elevator, He Peiru took a deep breath before walking out of the apartment lobby.
Snow began to fall silently outside, thankfully not heavily.
Otherwise, putting aside their current relationship, just the thought of Gu Zhaoqian waiting downstairs would make He Peiru feel uneasy.
Gu Zhaoqian stood under a streetlamp not far away. When he saw her coming, he immediately took a few steps forward and asked, "Did you receive the package I sent you?"
The man's decision to skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point made He Peiru pause for a moment before calming herself down and replying, "Received."
He nodded and replied, "Since you didn't tell me, I thought it had been lost in the mail."
He Peiru knew exactly how valuable the items in the jewelry box were, yet he spoke of it so casually, leaving her momentarily at a loss for how to react.
But she knew that if she fell silent, an awkward situation would follow, so she quickly said, "Actually, you don't need to send me a gift."
However, Gu Zhaoqian simply looked at her silently, without uttering a single word of rebuttal.
He Peiru didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer, so she quickly changed the subject and asked, "How did you end up in England?"
"I'm in London on a business trip."
His explanation was perfectly plausible; his presence here was perhaps simply to personally confirm whether she had received the package.
He Peiru did not intend to invite him upstairs, and she was no longer as open and talkative with Gu Zhaoqian as she used to be.
She looked at the man quietly, knowing that whatever she said would be inappropriate.
Whether it's the significance of Gu Zhaoqian sending him a Christmas gift, or the significance of his presence here at this moment.
She couldn't understand it, and didn't want to think about it anymore; she just wanted to get back upstairs as soon as possible to spend Christmas Eve.
Gu Zhaoqian seemed unwilling to let her leave, and at this crucial moment asked, "How have you been these past few months?"
"fine."
She answered vaguely.
During this question-and-answer session, He Peiru seemed determined not to back down, and she also restrained herself from asking any other unnecessary or superfluous questions.
Before He Peiru could speak, Gu Zhaoqian continued, "What if I say I regret it?"
Caught off guard, her carefully constructed composure crumbled, and she exclaimed, "Why are you telling me all this..."
“I gave you and myself almost four months.” Gu Zhaoqian didn’t seem to be too affected by her attitude, and continued as if he were taking it upon himself to say, “Actually, my thoughts are not as simple as they sound, it’s just… I’ve been paying attention to your life in England, and I wanted to know if I still have this opportunity.”
The sudden confession made He Pei instinctively want to find an excuse to escape.
Now, He Peiru is certain that she has never let go of her feelings for Gu Zhaoqian, but she deliberately tries not to think about them.
But now Gu Zhaoqian has actually opened up his heart to her again, which is completely beyond her expectations.
However, He Peiru had her own pride and dignity, and besides, given her status as the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, no one could bully her.
Even Gu Zhaoqian is not an option.
“I…” He Peiru silently tried to encourage herself, “I understand.”
“I don’t think now is the time to talk about these things.” Her heart started racing, so fast it seemed out of her control. “Xin Xin and Shi Qi are still upstairs waiting for me to spend Christmas Eve. I’m going up first.”
Gu Zhaoqian understood that given their current relationship, he couldn't force He Peiru to give a response, so he could only say, "Okay."
"Merry Christmas Eve."
He Peiru paused as she walked towards the apartment door, then turned her head slightly and said, "Merry Christmas Eve."
As if afraid that Gu Zhaoqian would say something else, she ignored his gaze and immediately quickened her pace.
Back in her apartment, she seemed distracted and confused, sitting blankly on the sofa in the living room, staring at the Christmas presents on the coffee table.
Seeing her like this, Feng Shiqi raised her hand and waved it in front of her face, saying, "How did you end up like this after just going downstairs? Did you see something unclean?"
"Something unclean? You can't say that, but..." Fang Xiaoxin, who vaguely guessed the situation, waved her hand helplessly and told her, "She saw Gu Zhaoqian."
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