Chapter 72 (End) - A Flourishing Display of Light and Color
Seeing that Gu Zhaoqian did not reply, He Peiru simply got up and washed up.
I also wanted to see if I could completely recover.
She was sitting on the sofa thinking about what to have for breakfast when she received a call from Jiang Yici.
"Aru, your uncle is getting ready to go back to Hong Kong."
"So fast?" He Peiru asked, somewhat surprised. "Uncle, have you finished all your work?"
"I'm done with my work," he replied casually, not forgetting that she had the absolute right to know about the arranged marriage, so he told her, "After I go back and make arrangements with your parents-in-law, I'll confirm when you'll return to Hong Kong."
“Okay.” He Peiru then belatedly realized that perhaps the work Jiang Yici mentioned was just an excuse, so she added, “Thank you for your trouble, Uncle.”
Jiang Yici didn't express much emotion in response to her gratitude, but simply emphasized again, "The most important thing is that you make the decision yourself."
“I know,” she replied softly.
Once again, I realized how important her wishes were.
The feeling of happiness in my heart grows stronger every time.
"Okay." Jiang Yici didn't say anything else. "Contact me anytime if you need anything. I'm heading to the airport."
result--
He Peiru was once again disturbed by this phone call.
The marriage finally became a reality, and she continued to recall her story with Gu Zhaoqian from that dream.
They held hands casually, but I don't recall them hugging, let alone kissing...
She still remembers that fleeting, brief sensation.
However, they did not engage in any more intimate behavior, which made He Peiru afraid to imagine what might happen in the future.
All she knew was that she and Gu Zhaoqian would face many things together in the future.
Her thoughts became clearer and clearer, and she finally began to feel a sense of reality about these things.
Just then, the notification sound of a new message made her phone instantly turn into a hot potato, almost causing it to slip onto the sofa.
Gu Zhaoqian: [What are you doing now?]
Why did Jiang Yici and Gu Zhaoqian both come to her one after the other?
He Peiru: [I'm not doing anything, what's wrong?]
No sooner had he replied than Gu Zhaoqian called him.
She didn't answer immediately, but deliberately let the ringtone run for a while before slowly pressing the answer button: "Hello?"
"I bet you just woke up and haven't eaten anything yet." Gu Zhaoqian cut to the chase. "Would you do me the honor of having breakfast with me?"
His question sounded like a gentlemanly inquiry, but it was actually just a routine procedure; he might already be downstairs in the apartment building.
He Peiru asked knowingly, "Where are you now?"
He replied quickly: "We're almost at your apartment building."
However, her intuition told her that the man was holding back some information.
Knowing that Gu Zhaoqian couldn't see her, He Peiru still tiptoed to the balcony. The moment she peeked out, she saw Gu Zhaoqian's car.
Since that was the case, she couldn't possibly send him back, so she could only reply, "Alright, let's talk while we're at it."
He Peiru was afraid of making Gu Zhaoqian wait too long, and there was no need to expose the fact that he was already waiting, so she quickly went downstairs.
After getting into the car, she didn't want to spend any more time thinking about anything else and asked directly, "Tell me quickly... what exactly is the ins and outs of this arranged marriage?"
"Want to know?" Although Gu Zhaoqian was driving, he didn't ignore her question at all, and kept her in suspense.
The light was red, and the man turned to meet her gaze, completely unaware of the curiosity radiating from his eyes. This prompted him to raise an eyebrow and say meaningfully, "I can only tell you..."
Gu Zhaoqian deliberately softened his tone, making He Peiru even more curious, but she just stared at him, waiting for him to speak.
Until he said—
"Your uncle came to England for the purpose of a marriage alliance."
If He Pei was right, she muttered, "I knew it. How could Uncle have come to England just for work?"
Gu Zhaoqian seemed amused by her tone and then asked, "What else do you want to know?"
"It seems like that's all." She shook her head as she spoke, then, as if remembering something, asked, "What are the plans next?"
"I'm not sure either," Gu Zhaoqian replied. "Don't worry, I'll let you know as soon as I'm sure."
"good."
Since that's the case, there's no need for her to ask any further questions.
They chose a nearby restaurant for breakfast. The two didn't exchange many words during the meal and quickly finished eating.
As he was leaving, Gu Zhaoqian abruptly patted her head and said, "You've had a tough time lately."
She looked up at him and replied softly, "It's alright."
She didn't need to spend much time on this matter to begin with, and now that she has gradually accepted the fact, whatever happens between her and Gu Zhaoqian seems to have become a perfectly normal thing.
The two didn't say much after that, and Gu Zhaoqian then took her back to her apartment.
As for what to do next, we can only decide once Jiang Yici returns to Hong Kong.
What He Peiru can do right now is to take care of things in the UK, which will allow her to coordinate her study time.
The following afternoon, Jiang Yici sent over the news about the engagement banquet.
Presumably, he discussed this matter with the two elderly people as soon as he returned to Hong Kong.
Jiang Yici: [You and Ah Qian will return to Hong Kong next Friday, UK time.]
The scheduling clearly accommodated He Peiru's class schedule and will likely have streamlined the necessary procedures as much as possible.
He Peiru: [So what do I need to prepare?]
Just to be on the safe side, she didn't forget to ask.
Jiang Yici: [These next few days, I'll pick out what we need for the engagement banquet. The rest is fine as long as you're back in Hong Kong.]
He Peiru: [Okay.]
Less than an hour later, Jiang Yici's assistant contacted her to select items related to the engagement banquet.
First, I sent her a document about the venue layout plan.
He Peiru's first impression upon clicking the page was one of dazzling array of designs, with different styles and formats of engagement banquets arranged in an orderly fashion.
She didn't rush to make a decision, but contacted Gu Zhaoqian immediately.
He Peiru: [My uncle asked me to choose the venue for our engagement banquet. Would you like to help me choose?]
He replied very quickly.
Gu Zhaoqian: [I've already done a quick review and removed the designs I felt were unsuitable.]
He Peiru: [That's good. Do you have any suggestions?]
Gu Zhaoqian: [Just choose the one you like.]
Since that's what he said, He Peiru naturally didn't need to be polite with him and quickly chose her favorite design.
The decision had barely been made when a stylist in Hong Kong contacted her. They sent her photos of several haute couture gowns, all styles never before seen in public, and all perfectly in her own style.
He Peiru plans to select a few that she particularly likes first, and then try them on after returning to Hong Kong before making a final decision. She can then make adjustments according to her body shape.
Preparations for the engagement banquet were underway, and soon they were nearing completion.
The marriage was a sudden decision, which also made the engagement banquet rushed. Neither family seemed to want a big event, and after asking He Peiru who she wanted to invite, the rest was arranged by the Jiang family.
She easily became a hands-off manager.
But a thought suddenly popped into He Peiru's mind.
He Peiru: [Were all these things arranged by my uncle?]
Li Jiale: [No, a large part of it was arranged by Young Master Gu before being handed over to me to do.]
He Peiru: [What about all those things that happened before?]
After I sent the question, she didn't reply immediately as she had before.
Since that's the case, she simply took Li Jiale's silence as an admission of her question.
Only then did she realize that her vague guesses had all come true after she asked and received the answers.
As time went on, it seemed to speed up. By the time He Peiru came to her senses, she was already on a plane back to Hong Kong.
It was also Gu Zhaoqian's private jet.
He Peiru leaned back in her chair, realizing that she didn't have many questions this time. She just didn't want the cabin to remain quiet, so she tried to find a topic to talk about.
Gu Zhaoqian keenly sensed her thoughts and said first, "Get some rest, we'll talk about the rest after we land in Hong Kong."
"good."
She stopped worrying and soon fell asleep peacefully.
Perhaps as I gradually got used to this kind of life, time passed quickly and the plane landed.
He Peiru wouldn't ask questions like whether it was acceptable for anyone to marry into the family. She remembered asking Gu Zhaoqian a similar question a long time ago, and he had already given a clear answer back then.
After getting off the plane, Gu Zhaoqian stopped dawdling and said to her, "Let's go back to Repulse Bay now. The time ahead might be a bit tight, so take this opportunity to rest."
The man's words of advice warmed her heart, and she carried this feeling all the way until she got off the bus, at which point she paused: "Brother Qian."
He turned back and continued, "Thank you for your help."
Unable to discern the layers of meaning hidden in her words, Gu Zhaoqian smiled somewhat helplessly and replied, "No trouble at all."
He Peiru had just returned to Hong Kong not long ago, but now she has returned again for some unexpected reason.
And their state of mind also changed.
They landed in Hong Kong around noon. After a quick rest in her room, He Peiru went downstairs and found Zheng Wanqiao already waiting for her in the living room: "Aru, come here."
As she approached, she saw a jewelry box next to Zheng Wanqiao.
As soon as He Peiru sat down, she saw Zheng Wanqiao open the jewelry box, revealing a clear jade bracelet.
“This was originally meant for your mother, but unfortunately, there wasn’t a chance.” Her tone was tinged with regret, but it also seemed less important with the passage of time. “Your mother-in-law has a lot of jewelry here; I’ll give it to you later.”
He Peiru knew that offering comfort was pointless, so she could only say, "Thank you, Mother-in-law."
As for the value of these pieces of jewelry, even Zheng Wanqiao herself probably couldn't say for sure.
Soon after learning that He Peiru had returned, the stylist arrived at the Jiang family home and quickly decided on the dress to be worn at the engagement banquet.
As for the styling, He Peiru naturally entrusted it to the stylist.
As soon as this ended, Gu Zhaoqian sent a message.
Gu Zhaoqian: [How's it going on your end?]
He will know that the progress here is also perfectly normal.
He Peiru: [Just finished.]
Gu Zhaoqian did not reply.
Dinner time arrived quickly.
The family sat together, not in a hurry to talk about the marriage, but chatting about their daily lives as usual, as if the whole thing had never happened.
Not long after dinner ended, He Peiru received another message from the man.
Gu Zhaoqian: [Do you have any other plans for tonight?]
He Peiru: [No.]
Gu Zhaoqian: [Would you do me the honor of coming for a walk on the beach with me? Right now.]
He Peiru: [Okay.]
So, was Gu Zhaoqian planning something because he didn't reply earlier?
He Peiru quickly went downstairs, briefly explained things to her family, and then left.
She had just stepped outside when she saw Gu Zhaoqian waiting not far away. When he saw her come out, he went up to her and said, "Let's go."
As soon as she got close to Gu Zhaoqian, the man quite naturally took her hand.
If you don't think about the arranged marriage, the two are not much different from ordinary couples.
They slowly walked to the beach at Repulse Bay. Gu Zhaoqian suddenly stopped, turned to her, and said, "Wait a minute."
"What's wrong?"
She was a little confused, but then the man covered her eyes with his hands.
The sudden movement startled He Peiru, and she felt herself being half-embraced and her orientation adjusted.
The next second.
Suddenly, light returned to her eyes, and dazzling fireworks burst forth in the sky above the sea.
Because it was so sudden, it took He Peiru a while to react.
The dazzling display of sparks made it impossible for her to look away.
"I wanted to set off fireworks for you when there were clues before, but I felt that our relationship wasn't right at the time." After the fireworks had completely ended, Gu Zhaoqian finally spoke, "Now we finally have the opportunity."
He Peiru looked at him, the tranquility after the glitz and excitement making her feel dazed, and repeated what she had said when she got off the bus earlier that day: "Thank you."
The unexpected thank you made Gu Zhaoqian chuckle. He gently took her hand and said with a smile, "It's me who should be thanking you. Thank you for being willing to marry me."
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