Chapter 8, Section 8: Dazzling
He Peiru's heart was filled with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation, but the wrinkles in her heart could not be smoothed out by simple words.
Since she was connected to the Jiang family by blood, she naturally felt she shouldn't tell them what she was thinking.
I'm afraid that after finally feeling the warmth of home and being treated well enough, it will only make her seem incredibly greedy.
What she fears most is being misunderstood.
At this moment, He Peiru seemed to be able to confide in Gu Zhaoqian.
She spoke with some difficulty, "It's not that I'm worried... it's just that feeling, I don't know how to describe it."
Helplessness and inner conflict became an intractable knot, blocking her path and making progress impossible.
Gu Zhaoqian didn't offer any empty words to comfort her; instead, he brought up something else: "I heard from your uncle that you're studying at the University of Hong Kong now?"
"Yes." She nodded gently. "I'm a senior now."
He murmured, "You're about the same age, by all accounts."
He Peiru didn't hear clearly, so she turned her head and asked, "What?"
"It's nothing." As if what she had just experienced was just her hallucination, Gu Zhaoqian chuckled and teased, "This alone is enough for you to be able to do whatever you want. Many people who receive elite education from a young age are not necessarily as good as you."
He stated this fact in a casual tone, which ironically increased the persuasiveness of his words.
He Peiru couldn't help but laugh along.
Her academic qualifications certainly give her confidence.
Seeing that she had relaxed a lot, Gu Zhaoqian continued, "The Jiang family's reputation speaks for itself. Whatever your plans are, one thing is certain: you won't be living on thin ice."
His words completely calmed He Peiru's panic. She pursed her lips and said softly, "You're such a good person."
"Am I a good person?"
He smiled, accepting He Peiru's assessment, but said nothing more.
Gu Zhaoqian didn't tell her that the reason he said these things was simply because he couldn't bear to see her like this.
He Peiru fell silent again.
After reflecting on her experiences over the years, she realized that she has actually been quite lucky.
Even though life seemed difficult, she was fortunate to have met only good people.
She had the courage to live on, especially because of the kindness of others.
Despite the twists and turns, she finally found her own path in life.
"Young Miss." A Cantonese voice with a Southeast Asian accent rang out at this moment, presumably the Filipino maid of the Jiang family. Then she said, "Your room is ready. You can see if you need anything else."
He Peiru turned around and found that Gu Zhaoqian had disappeared.
In a daze, it seemed as if the conversation had never happened.
She stood up from the swing and said to the Filipino maid beside her, "Please lead the way for me."
“Okay, I’ll take care of your daily needs from now on.” Since she was leading the way, she walked in front of He Peiru and introduced herself, “My name is Sophia, you can also call me sister, Miss.”
He Peiru nodded and asked another question: "Okay, do your uncles and aunts usually call you that?"
“Yes,” Sophia readily agreed. “They call me by my name or ‘sister’ depending on the situation.”
The two quickly returned to the house. He Peiru saw that the house was empty, but she had noticed that the cars in the parking lot were still there, so she asked, "Did Uncle and the others go to do something?"
Sophia paused, then replied, "Mr. Jiang and the others are in the study. If I need to find them, I can go and call them."
She quickly shook her head and asked again, "Sophia, can you tell me about the Jiang family?"
"sure."
Sophia has worked for the Jiang family for over twenty years and knows their situation very well. She also keeps a close eye on the movement and changes among the family members.
Sophia lowered her voice tactfully and recounted the events to her one by one: "Mr. Jiang has an older brother who immigrated to Canada with his wife about thirty years ago. They later had twin sons. They've only been back to Hong Kong a handful of times." Mr. Jiang, on the other hand, remains unmarried, and we've never seen him bring anyone back. That's all I know about him."
"Mr. Jiang is now in charge of the Jiang family's work. Mr. Jiang will speak on more important occasions, while some less important matters will be handed over to collateral relatives of the Jiang family."
"Mr. and Mrs. Chiang treated all members of the Chiang family equally and strictly, so they basically had no chance to cause trouble."
He Peiru listened and nodded. The internal situation of the Jiang family was indeed completely different from what she had imagined a wealthy family to be. No wonder both Jiang Yici and Gu Zhaoqian emphasized the same thing to her.
That would make her seem overly anxious again.
Sophia led He Peiru into her room.
The interior was decorated very warmly, and it was clear that they had created the most comfortable environment for her in the shortest amount of time.
She suddenly didn't know where to start.
Jiang Yici had likely spoken to Sophia privately, and she didn't ask any questions, but instead led He Peiru through the room's facilities.
After it was over, Sophia didn't stay inside any longer. As she walked out, she said, "If you have any questions, Miss, please feel free to call me anytime. I'll go downstairs and check on how the kitchen is preparing."
She sat down on the sofa near the balcony door and replied, "Okay, thank you."
The room was furnished in brand new condition, and you could simply press the buttons on the wall to open the curtains or call Sophia.
She never imagined that one day she would live such a life that pursues convenience and comfort.
After familiarizing herself with the room's facilities, He Peiru suddenly remembered that Jiang Yici had said he had transferred some pocket money to her, so she quickly took out her phone to check the balance in her bank account.
It was fine when she didn't see it, but when that string of numbers came into view, He Peiru pinched her face to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
The living expenses she saved up after starting university were a negligible amount compared to the others.
It's just a minor skirmish.
He Pei counted the number several times before she was sure that she had an eight-figure balance in her account, and the phone she was holding felt like a hot potato.
Since Jiang Yici said it was pocket money, she would accept it.
There's no need or reason to ask any more questions.
While she was still reeling from the shock of the astronomical figures, Sophia knocked on the door and called her downstairs for lunch.
He Peiru quickly got up, afraid that the Jiang family would keep waiting.
Fortunately, they were just taking their seats. The two elderly people sat together, leaving the seat next to Zheng Wanqiao for her, while Jiang Yici and Gu Zhaoqian sat to her left.
By sheer accident, she ended up sitting right in the middle.
Before He Peiru could react, the Jiang family's Filipino maids had already filled the table with dishes.
The dazzling array of dishes left her at a loss for where to begin.
However, her chopsticks never even had a chance to reach out.
The two elderly people and Jiang Yici took turns serving her different dishes, and the bowl that was already filled with rice was instantly piled up into a small mountain.
He Peiru took a breath and said softly, "There's too much, I can't finish it."
"It's okay, eat slowly." Zheng Wanqiao put another abalone on her plate. "Aru is too thin, she needs to eat more."
Having said all that, she couldn't refuse any longer and finished all the food in her bowl.
The conversation at the dinner table gradually became more relaxed.
They didn't talk to Ho Pui-yu about the past, but instead brought up her future again: "Pui-yu doesn't need to think too much. She'll be graduating soon anyway. She can go to other places or stay in Hong Kong to do what she like or pursue further studies if she wants."
He reiterated, "You should prioritize your own wishes in all of this. Don't overthink it. Besides, if there's anything you can't tell us, you can talk to Ah Qian."
Excuse me, Gu Zhaoqian?
She felt even more embarrassed.
If he hadn't happened to appear at the Jiang family's ancestral home, He Peiru might not have had the chance to meet her.
She paused slightly as she picked up some food, not expecting Gu Zhaoqian to say, "If you need any help, feel free to ask me."
Unsure how to respond appropriately, she could only lower her head and reply, "Thank you."
Gu Zhaoqian raised an eyebrow slightly, as if he were seeing something through her.
As lunch was drawing to a close, the staff member who had taken her measurements earlier came in with several other people carrying large bags and small packages. Following behind the Filipino maid, they gestured to them, "These are all clothes prepared for the young lady. You can take a look and see if there's anything you like."
Zheng Wanqiao answered for her, "Send it up to Aru's room first, and then you can choose slowly after you've had your dessert."
Even from a distance, He Peiru could tell that there were countless clothes, and she subconsciously ate the red bean paste much faster.
Seeing her put down her spoon, Zheng Wanqiao called Sophia over and instructed her, "Accompany Aru upstairs to pick out clothes, and have a new batch sent over after the dance."
“No problem,” Sophia replied with a smile, then turned to her and said, “Miss, I will give you serious advice.”
Upon entering the room, all the delivered clothes were hung up, allowing He Peiru to immediately determine their style and fit.
I couldn't help but take a second look at each set.
After checking around, Sophia walked to her side and said, "The underwear has been folded and put in the closet, so don't worry about not finding it."
"good."
He Peiru felt overwhelmed by the choices and repeatedly sought Sophia's opinion to decide which clothes to keep.
She sighed silently to herself.
So this is what it feels like to freely choose clothes you like. Before, her first choice was always cheap and relatively better quality.
After selecting batch after batch of clothes arranged by Zheng Wanqiao, He Peiru came to her senses, and night had already fallen outside.
The closet, which was empty in the morning, is now filled with clothes of various styles and colors. I wonder how long it will be before she wears them again.
Thanks to the Jiang family's extraordinary abilities, He Peiru settled in at the Jiang family home in less than a day and quickly relaxed.
However, she hadn't forgotten that she hadn't had a chance to tell Feng Shiqi about this completely unbelievable thing.
She picked up her phone and realized that Feng Shiqi had sent her a message that afternoon.
Feng Shiqi: [Do you know what's going on? My mom said she saw several men in suits go to your house.]
Feng Shiqi: [Did your grandfather offend someone?]
Perhaps because she hadn't replied for a long time, Feng Shiqi became increasingly worried.
Feng Shiqi: [Remember to let me know you're safe when you're done with your work. I specifically asked my mom to check if you were home.]
Feng Shiqi: [It seems your grandfather was taken away by those people later.]
Before seeing the message, He Peiru was still thinking about how to tell her, but now she couldn't care less about anything else and quickly replied.
He Peiru: [It's not that I offended anyone, it's just that some things happened on my end that I didn't have time to tell you.]
He Peiru: [That's a good thing.]
She then realized that she had forgotten to ask Jiang Yici how to arrange He Zhong's affairs.
But it's getting late, so we'll have to wait until tomorrow.
A new message popped up, interrupting her thoughts once again.
Feng Shiqi: [It's good that you're alright!]
Feng Shiqi: [What good news is it?]
He Peiru wanted to tell her everything immediately, but then she remembered Jiang Yici's actions. At this point, it would be more appropriate and formal to say it face to face.
He Peiru: [Do you have class tomorrow? Let's arrange a place to talk more.]
A note from the author:
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No one knows whose shadow he saw through Aru's present self.
This chapter will randomly drop red envelopes!
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