Chapter 63 A Pile of Dust
He Peiru remembered that Gu Zhaoqian told her he was coming to England on a business trip, but it turned out he was actually there for a new project.
If she hadn't suddenly learned the truth from her elders, she probably would have remained in the dark forever.
Therefore, all the gifts she received in England were personally arranged by Gu Zhaoqian and delivered to her apartment.
This fact instantly filled her with mixed feelings.
Although he was giving her a gift, Gu Zhaoqian did so in a secretive and low-key manner.
Jiang Yici seemed to have noticed something amiss from He Peiru's reaction and asked, "What's wrong? Doesn't Aru know about this?"
Even though she knew they couldn't see her, she still nodded slightly out of habit and replied, "Yes, I don't know."
“Logically speaking, based on the progress of previous projects, it should be time for Ah-Chien to hand over the remaining work to trusted employees, and it should also be time to put the matter of returning to Hong Kong on the agenda.” Zheng Wan-Qiao continued, “Could it be that he’s too busy? My mother-in-law also asked him to check on Ah-Ru’s situation if he has time.”
He Peiru tried her best to make her voice sound natural and said gently, "Brother Qian must be too busy."
She continued to reassure her, "Sophia is taking care of me, so you don't need to worry, Grandma."
She didn't want to delve into whether Zheng Wanqiao had other intentions; she just wanted to end the topic as soon as possible.
Fortunately, they quickly resumed their conversation about their recent situation. After she hung up the video call, she couldn't help but lean back on the sofa and recall the content of the call.
Gu Zhaoqian told her he was in England on a business trip mostly because he was worried that she would feel guilty if he told her the truth.
Since that's the case, she decided to pretend she knew nothing.
He Peiru carefully considered the occasions she had attended recently, and she was certain that she had not encountered Gu Zhaoqian during this period.
It's unclear whether he was unwilling to participate in these activities or intentionally avoiding them, thus directly preventing any possibility of them meeting.
The only thing she could be sure of was that she wouldn't run into Gu Zhaoqian in this situation, and she didn't need to worry about any sudden panic.
He Peiru knew nothing about his life in England except that he came to deliver gifts, but even their meetings were very rare.
She couldn't help but feel conflicted. Should she wish Gu Zhaoqian a Happy New Year, considering it was the Lunar New Year?
But the moment she opened the chat window with Gu Zhaoqian, she became hesitant.
He Peiru ultimately gave up on the idea.
Since Gu Zhaoqian hadn't said anything, why should she take the initiative when she couldn't figure it out?
Given their current relationship, He Peiru did not intend to delve into his thoughts.
She could only console herself that Zheng Wanqiao said that because she thought it was only natural for Gu Zhaoqian to check on her since he had already come to England.
However, when it comes to He Peiru, the meaning becomes completely different.
She felt that the whole thing was extremely contradictory.
In the past two days, He Peiru's bank card has received transfers of varying amounts, all with the common feature of being marked as "lucky money".
Perhaps because she was in a foreign land, watching the constantly changing numbers in her account felt like a different way of experiencing being cared for.
Since the eve of the Lunar New Year and the first day of the Lunar New Year, the liveliness and hustle and bustle of the Lunar New Year seem to have become irrelevant to He Peiru.
It was like a short weekend; she quickly returned to her routine, and Gu Zhaoqian seemed to have completely disappeared from her life once again.
Before we knew it, it was the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
He Peiru had just gotten up and was eating breakfast when she received a call from Jiang Yici. He got straight to the point: "Aru, you can decide for yourself whether you want to go back to Hong Kong."
Upon hearing this premise, she immediately paused—
If it were something trivial or insignificant, Jiang Yici wouldn't have said it like that.
After a brief moment of confusion, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Your grandfather passed away at the nursing home this morning." Perhaps because it involved life and death, even Jiang Yici's tone softened considerably. "Think about whether you want to come back to see him one last time."
He didn't mean for him to see He Zhong off on his final journey; the fact that he thought of letting her go back to see He Zhong one last time was already the biggest concession Jiang Yici could make.
I haven't heard anyone mention the name He Zhong in a long time.
The last time I saw him was because of the news that he didn't have much time left, and then I heard He Zhong apologize.
Although He Peiru didn't bother to find out, it wasn't hard for her to imagine how He Zhong was doing in the nursing home. He was already all alone, and even if he was unwell, the Jiang family would provide him with the best medical care.
This destined him to not reach the end of his life too easily, and such a life would inevitably be more painful.
He Zhong could only continue to reflect in the nursing home until modern medical technology was completely powerless to save him, at which point he could finally leave.
He Peiru didn't think for long before quickly replying, "I think I'll go back to Hong Kong."
"Okay." Jiang Yi had only called He Peiru out of respect for her wishes and choices. "I understand. You can pack your luggage now."
No matter how Ho Pui-yu answered, he would only agree and continue, "I will arrange for you to return to Hong Kong as soon as possible. As for the related matters, the Chiang family will handle them simply."
"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle."
She responded softly.
No one will be sad about this, and He Peiru will not feel sad either. She will only feel that this day has finally come.
He Peiru looked at her phone and couldn't help but sigh.
She had no feelings for He Zhong whatsoever, and her hatred for him did not dissipate with time; at most, it could be said that this feeling was slowly fading away.
Until she completely forgets He Zhong's existence, it means that this person will completely disappear from the world.
In the end, He Zhong turned into dust, and all she could do was sigh that a long life was nothing more than this.
He Peiru didn't think about it any further.
Faced with such an urgent situation, all she could probably do was wait.
However, just as she calmed down, she heard a new message notification.
Gu Zhaoqian: [I'm returning to Hong Kong this afternoon. You can get ready, and I'll pick you up.]
He Peiru: [Shall I go back with you?]
For some reason, she still asked the question even though she already knew the answer.
Gu Zhaoqian: [Yes.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [I know you may not want to, but this is the fastest way.]
Now that things have come to this, He Peiru is no longer willing to dwell on this issue.
He Peiru: [That's not what I meant...]
He Peiru: [What time should we depart this afternoon?]
Gu Zhaoqian: [I'll arrive at your apartment building around 2 PM. That should give you plenty of time to prepare.]
He Peiru: [There's enough time, thank you.]
In fact, she didn't have much luggage to pack.
She made sure to tell Sophia about it, and after quickly calming herself down, she waited for Gu Zhaoqian to come over.
He Peiru did not intend to tell Fang Xiaoxin and Feng Shiqi about her trip to Hong Kong.
Given the current situation, even if they don't mind, she understands that it might not be the right time for them to meet.
She decided to go back quietly, since no one around her would mention He Zhong's name anymore, and she should let herself off the hook in this matter.
As the person specifically responsible for He Peiru's daily life, Sophia naturally knew about He Zhong's affairs.
Even knowing the reason for her sudden return to Hong Kong, she knew there was no need to comfort Ho Pui-yu, and simply said, "I'm going to pack my luggage."
Gu Zhaoqian arrived at He Peiru's apartment building precisely at 2 o'clock.
After getting in the car, she immediately greeted him, "Brother Qian."
Although their relationship is complicated now, it doesn't mean she can abandon the proper manners.
Gu Zhaoqian nodded and told her, "We're heading to the airport now. Once we arrive, we can board the plane directly."
“Okay.” Although He Peiru didn’t intend to force herself to say anything, she still asked, “Are you just about to go back to Hong Kong?”
"Hmm," the man replied. "I've been thinking about when to go back to Hong Kong these past few days; I need to go back and take care of some things."
"So that's how it is."
Their conversation ended abruptly, and they didn't say anything more even after going through security and about to board the plane.
This time, I traveled back to Hong Kong on Gu Zhaoqian's private jet.
Since it was her first time there, He Peiru was immediately unsure of where to sit.
Gu Zhaoqian seemed to notice her unease and said, "Please sit wherever you like."
"good."
The two remained silent on the plane, but fortunately, there were crew members and Sophia present, so she didn't feel the need to communicate with Gu Zhaoqian.
Adjusting to the time difference was not difficult for He Peiru; she had planned to get a good rest on the plane.
She had barely adjusted the sofa when she sank into it and fell into a deep sleep.
She seemed to have just taken a normal nap, and when she opened her eyes again, the plane was already landing.
It could even be seen that Gu Zhaoqian's men were already waiting not far away.
After leaving the airport and getting into the car, Gu Zhaoqian said to He Peiru, "I'll take you back to Repulse Bay first."
Before she could speak, Sophia helped her put away her luggage and replied, "Thank you for your help, Young Master Gu."
It wasn't even noon yet, and He Peiru had a feeling that Jiang Yici would most likely try to resolve He Zhong's matter today.
As expected.
She had barely arrived home and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when Jiang Yici came up to her and said, "Aru, let your uncle go and take care of things first."
The fact that she wasn't even given time to rest suggests that Jiang Yici also hoped this matter could be resolved as soon as possible.
He Zhong's body was transported to the funeral home the day before.
He Peiru saw him one last time from afar, and that was all.
There were no ceremonies, and the cremation was carried out immediately. The follow-up matters were then handled by designated personnel.
As she watched the incinerator door close, she truly grasped the fact that He Zhong was no longer a person in this world.
Her memories before the age of eighteen were filled with pain, and she had deliberately forgotten the things she had experienced.
He Peiru was unable to describe her feelings at that moment.
Just then, Jiang Yici's voice suddenly came from beside her: "You've worked hard, Aru."
She didn't know whether Jiang Yici's words referred to her past life or only to this current ordeal.
But she knew there was no need to ask further.
Anyway, once this matter is over, I will return to the UK to continue my studies.
After explaining everything, Jiang Yici took He Peiru back to Repulse Bay.
Zheng Wanqiao and Jiang Yaozong were both in the living room at the time. When they saw them, they seemed unaware of why they had gone out. They simply said, "Aru, come here quickly, let me see if you've lost weight?"
“No, not at all.” He Peiru walked up with a smile. “Sophia took very good care of me.”
"That's good." Zheng Wanqiao looked her over and then said with relief, "He Zhong is quite sensible about timing. If he's going to leave, he'll wait until after the Lantern Festival."
Although Zheng Wanqiao's words were too blunt, everyone present felt that she was right.
If such an event were to occur during the Lunar New Year, given the Chiang family's status, it would undoubtedly increase the difficulty of handling the matter.
After the Lantern Festival, there are fewer things to worry about.
He Peiru was just about to sit down and have a good chat with her family when she realized that Gu Zhaoqian was also there.
She paused slightly, quickly concealing her unease, and said softly, "Brother Qian."
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