Chapter 71: The Chosen One for the Marriage
He Peiru nodded obediently and replied, "Okay."
Logically, such an arrangement should have been made long ago, but Jiang Yici's busy schedule allowed him to appear here.
Throughout the entire process, Gu Zhaoqian remained silent, standing quietly to the side.
When Jiang Yici led her toward their target, she followed a few steps behind them, subtly trying to minimize her presence.
He Peiru met the friends Jiang Yici had mentioned one after another. She had spoken to or greeted most of them, but since they were not familiar with her, her interactions with them had been limited to that.
This time we finally got to know each other properly.
A smile remained on her face the whole time. When she finally got a moment to catch her breath, she caught a glimpse of the hem of his suit jacket out of the corner of her eye and confirmed Gu Zhaoqian's presence once again.
The man remained silent as if he didn't exist. She vaguely remembered that even when someone greeted him, he would only smile and give a simple response.
While He Peiru was lost in thought, her mind drifted away. Thinking of what the person who had approached her had said about good things coming soon, she couldn't help but try to judge from an omniscient perspective—
Perhaps from an outsider's perspective, they would all think that's their relationship.
However, given Jiang Yici's current attitude, he didn't say anything extra during the break.
He Peiru wasn't sure what her uncle was thinking, but she knew she should calm down and focus on the dinner.
Perhaps because of this deliberate act, time passed by unnoticed, and finally the banquet came to an end.
Jiang Yici never lingered in such situations, so he immediately turned to Gu Zhaoqian and said, "You go back first, I'll take Aru home."
"good."
He had no objections.
He Peiru suddenly realized that she hadn't spoken much to Gu Zhaoqian all evening, and now that Jiang Yici seemed to have given her the order to leave, she had no chance at all.
She could only look up at him.
"I'm leaving." Gu Zhaoqian guessed that Jiang Yici had other plans, nodded, and then said to He Peiru, "Goodbye."
She waved at the man as if by reflex.
He Peiru followed Jiang Yici into the car. Her driver had already been arranged to leave in advance. She suddenly realized that Jiang Yici might have done this because he wanted to take this opportunity to have a good talk with her.
However, after getting into the car, he didn't rush to speak. Instead, he slowly picked up the documents in the car and opened them.
This made her even more hesitant to speak.
After a while, Jiang Yici finally broke the silence and asked, "What does Aru think of Gu Zhaoqian?"
His tone was quite calm, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.
But he unusually called me by my full name.
"Hey!" Jiang Yici's voice already sounded out of place in this space, and this question brought her back to her senses. Without thinking too much, she replied, "...He's a nice person."
Jiang Yici seemed amused by her words, but could only press further: "What if, as others have said, we consider her a potential marriage partner?"
The question immediately made He Peiru turn her head away awkwardly, trying to avoid her uncle's gaze in this way, as if this could relieve the tension in her heart.
She swallowed hard, trying to keep her tone calm: "Him...?"
"She's a good candidate."
Her voice grew softer and softer as if she were too shy, until it completely faded away, as if she had unknowingly sealed her future.
“Of course, you have the absolute right to decide this matter. But from our perspective, he is indeed the best candidate.” Jiang Yici explained to her with a serious expression, rarely seen looking so serious. “If you really like him and are truly willing, then we can make further plans.”
The thought of Gu Zhaoqian...
He Peiru experienced the feeling of being moved, especially clearly; her heart was pounding uncontrollably.
Jiang Yici probably sensed her embarrassment from the stuffy air, so he added, "I'm not saying this to make you make a decision right away. You can think about it slowly."
He Peiru shook her head without hesitation and replied, "I don't want to."
Having made the final decision, she continued, "I...am willing."
She never imagined that her first direct conversation with Jiang Yici about Gu Zhaoqian would lead directly to discussing marriage.
In that case, the opportunity is laid bare before us.
Moreover, she never intended to dwell on her feelings for Gu Zhaoqian any longer, so she might as well face it bravely.
Jiang Yici seemed unsurprised by her answer, replying calmly, "Okay."
This matter, which can be described as a life-long event, was decided by them in just a few words?
He Peiru felt a sense of unreality at that moment.
The car stopped, but she was lost in her own thoughts and didn't notice anything amiss.
Jiang Yici could easily guess what she was thinking, but he still reminded her, "We've arrived."
The sudden voice interrupted the chaos in her mind, and He Peiru immediately came back to her senses, replying quickly, "Okay."
After getting off the bus, she didn't forget to say goodbye to Jiang Yici: "Goodbye, Uncle."
Even though her feet were already on the concrete ground, He Peiru still felt a sense of unreality.
Is this really settled?
Thinking of Gu Zhaoqian, whom she hadn't spoken much to that night, she was certain that he couldn't possibly be unaware of this matter.
But as for how much he knows, you'd probably have to ask him directly to get the answer.
She pushed open the heavy lobby door in a daze, and almost forgot to press the floor button after entering the elevator. It wasn't until she was back in the room that she finally came to her senses.
He Peiru doesn't plan to tell anyone about this.
It seems more appropriate to keep it to yourself for now, and it's not too late to talk about it once everything has settled down.
She glanced at her phone, which still hadn't received any new messages, and decided to take a nap before thinking about anything else.
However, she didn't sleep well that night, probably because Gu Zhaoqian was on her mind before she fell asleep, so even her dreams were filled with his image.
From their first meeting to their second encounter, their images flashed through her mind like a slideshow. She even dreamt that they walked down the aisle. In this dream, she experienced everything that had happened and everything that might happen in the future.
When He Peiru woke up, the unreal feeling from last night became even stronger. She picked up her phone and tried to look at something else to dispel the feeling.
To her surprise, Gu Zhaoqian had sent her a message earlier—
Gu Zhaoqian: [I thought you needed more time to make a decision, but I didn't expect you to have made up your mind so quickly.]
He still knows He Peiru too well.
She herself was somewhat surprised that she could make the decision so quickly.
He Peiru: [...I don't want to waste any more of our time on this issue.]
Her mind seemed to become clearer than ever before in that instant, so she decided to be more direct. She knew that with Gu Zhaoqian's comprehension ability, he should be able to understand the meaning in the text.
Sure enough, he replied very quickly.
Gu Zhaoqian: [I understand.]
It's clear that their relationship goes beyond just having a romantic foundation, but the words on the screen seem as bland and ordinary as usual.
Who would have thought that this was about something serious?
He Peiru thought Gu Zhaoqian wouldn't say anything more, and was about to exit the chat page and put her phone down when a new message popped up on the screen.
Gu Zhaoqian: [The reason I said that earlier wasn't to any other reason than because this was such a pleasant surprise for me. Actually, I've been discussing this with Uncle Jiang for the past two days, and it was a decision made after careful consideration. Of course, the final decision rests with you.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [There may be many other arrangements coming up, and I will discuss the specifics with you one by one at that time.]
His words were so precise and detailed that He Peiru didn't need to worry about anything, and that she only needed to make the decisions.
He Peiru: [Then... what if I refuse?]
This sense of unreality made her unable to help but make assumptions.
Gu Zhaoqian: [But you've already agreed.]
He didn't answer; instead, he directly avoided the question.
He Peiru knew that since he had said that, even if she pressed him for details, she probably wouldn't be able to get him to talk.
Since things have come to this point, it's better to just give up than to try and get a meaningless answer.
He Peiru: [...]
He Peiru: [Okay.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [I will coordinate according to your available time. I will need to return to Hong Kong next.]
He quickly moved on to other topics.
He Peiru: [Okay, I'll wait for your arrangements.]
-
Gu Zhaoqian looked at the screen and chuckled to himself, then turned it off and leaned back on the sofa in a good mood.
Seeing his expression, Jiang Yici couldn't help but snort coldly.
Gu Zhaoqian looked at Jiang Yici with a smug smile on his face and asked, "How did you tell Aru why you came to England?"
"What else can I say?" Jiang Yici frowned, looking completely matter-of-fact. "Of course, I'll say it's because of work."
He flew in from Hong Kong to London in a hurry, which could not possibly be for work; it was just the best excuse he could give to He Peiru.
Gu Zhaoqian remained silent.
He had used this excuse not long ago.
"You're quite something," Jiang Yici said, deciding not to discuss the matter further. "What are some things between you and Aru that I don't know about?"
"How could I possibly tell you?" Gu Zhaoqian said, then shook his head. "I can only say that I didn't expect it either."
“Let alone you, given Aru’s personality…” Jiang Yici paused, “I thought she would reconsider her relationship with you.”
He smiled, looking even more unrestrained, and said, "It seems I can't call you Uncle Jiang anymore; I'll have to change how I address you, like Aru."
“You’ve really pushed your luck.” Jiang Yici said helplessly, but that was just his personality, so there was nothing to judge. He just instructed, “Wait until I go back and have a final discussion with the two elders, and then you and Aru can go back to Hong Kong together.”
The two of them finalized their plans in just a few words, while He Peiru, in the apartment, was completely oblivious to everything else except for the feeling of unreality.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
