☆ I received a phone call from Chengcheng by chance
"Hey, cough..."
Gu Li, who had intended to pretend not to hear and silently hang up the phone, immediately replied after hearing a cough from the other end, "President, do you have a cold?"
He woke up with a terrible headache and felt weak all over. After figuring out that he had caught a cold, he called Maxi and told him that he wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be coming to the company that day, leaving all the work to Maxi.
It was rare for the hardworking Thirteen to suddenly decide to take a day off. Max immediately promised to keep an eye on the company and make sure nothing went wrong, telling him to take good care of himself.
"Um."
After a moment's hesitation, Chu Yaofeng's voice softened, accompanied by a persistent cough.
"Did you take your medicine?"
Whether a woman is smart or not, when it comes to matters of the heart, her IQ instantly drops to zero. Just a moment ago she was resentful that someone was using her as a substitute, but the next moment her whole heart is devoted to that person.
Taking medicine when you're sick is basic common sense, but for some reason, when Chu Yaofeng heard her concerned tone, he blurted out a lie, "No, we're out of medicine at home. I feel weak all over and don't want to drive." He paused here, holding his breath. From the sound of her breathing, he could imagine that she must have frowned at that moment. It was her habit to frown when she was angry or surprised.
His thin lips twitched slightly, and the next second, he frowned just like her. When did he become so concerned about her?
"..." Gu Li was very anxious and wanted to go uninvited, but she was afraid that if she acted too proactively, it would make him overthink.
She got home very late last night. Song Nian was already asleep in Chengcheng's room. She assumed her son slept with Song Nian. When she returned to her own bedroom, she found the little guy lying on her bed. After asking him, she learned that Song Nian had been sexually abusing him, pinching and kissing his face, treating him like a rubber doll. He had sneaked over while she was asleep. This was Chengcheng's first time sleeping with Song Nian, but it had become his nightmare. He vowed never to sleep with Aunt Nian again. Women can be terrifying when they're infatuated, can they?
Gu Li was feeling very depressed at the time, but after watching the little guy's lively and engaging speech, she felt much better. Her son was her cure; no matter how bad her mood was, seeing him would make her feel better.
She cupped Chengcheng's little face in her hands and gently blew on his slightly swollen cheeks with heartache.
Chengcheng felt that her hands were very cold, like ice on her face. Although her face felt comfortable, she felt a chill in her heart.
It's so hot this time of year that we could turn on the air conditioning, but Mom's hands are so cold, which is obviously not normal.
Chengcheng didn't ask any more questions; he knew his mom would tell him if she wanted to. He jumped down, went to the kitchen, and made her a bowl of ginger soup, blowing on it to cool it down before letting her drink it.
Gu Li thought that it must have been Chengcheng's ginger soup that night that drove away the chill from her body, which was why she didn't catch a cold today.
…………………………
Standing at the entrance of Chu Yaofeng's villa, Gu Li held a bag of medicine in one hand and reached into her coat pocket with the other to fumble for her keys. The door clicked open from the inside.
She paused, looking at the man in light gray casual clothes with a mix of surprise and unease. His chestnut hair was slightly tousled, obviously blow-dried. His clothes seemed casual, but they were actually carefully chosen. He wasn't wearing anything underneath, and the zipper was half-open, revealing a large section of his sexy collarbone with a wheatish sheen. His pectoral muscles looked very strong and muscular. He had one hand on the doorknob and the other in his pocket. He leaned his tall and slightly slender body slightly down, looking down at Gu Li, who was shorter than him, in a superior posture.
His thin, sensual lips twitched almost imperceptibly. "You've come."
Yes, she came, but not by volunteering. When she was hesitating, he said, "I only take XX brand cold medicine." And then, nothing more. He arrogantly hung up the phone.
Gu Liming knew that his words were ambiguous and that he was playing word games with her. She was smart, and Chu Yaofeng was not stupid either. She couldn't bring herself to lower her pride, and he was equally unwilling to lower his noble head.
If she doesn't come, he has a veiled reason for asking her to come—didn't I tell you the name of the medicine?
When she came, he had a reason to ridicule her—"I didn't ask you to bring me medicine. Why are you so concerned about me? Do you have feelings for me?"
Gu Li had considered both of these consequences, but in the end she still chose to come.
"Hmm." Her face was burning hot. She glanced away, deliberately avoiding looking at his perfect physique, and lowered her head to push up her glasses.
"Come in." He covered his mouth with his fist, coughed twice, and stepped aside to pull the doorknob, making room for her to enter.
Gu Li simply hummed in response, then lowered her head and silently walked past him.
He slammed the door shut with a loud bang. Gu Li, who was lost in thought, pondering awkward situations when alone with a man, suddenly heard the explosive sound and jumped up reflexively. Startled, she turned around to see a stunningly handsome man with his clothes zipper ripped open, looking incredibly sexy. He smiled gently and innocently, saying, "A strong gust of wind blew in and slammed the door shut. Did it scare you?"
"No." Gu Li, who was completely infatuated, shook her head dumbfounded.
Her wide, beautiful eyes were fixed on his amazing physique, which was perfect for a magazine shoot. She counted with her eyes, and wow, he really did have eight-pack abs. His physique wasn't the kind that looked bulky and burly like a rough and unruly man; rather, it was lean and wiry, with every muscle looking incredibly sexy. It's no exaggeration to say that it made her want to have a nosebleed.
Looking at her stunned expression, Chu Yaofeng smiled and thought, "She's not completely detached from worldly affairs. He just showed off his good physique. Look at how infatuated she is. No one would believe that she doesn't have any impure thoughts about him."
"What medicine did you buy? Let me see." Chu Yaofeng asked knowingly.
Gu Li was so clever, how could she not know that he was implying she had lost her composure? Her pale face contorted into a grotesque embarrassment. She stammered, "It's... the brand you ordered."
"Oh." His hand continued rummaging in his pocket, and sure enough, he found an unexpected surprise. He pulled out a transparent box that looked like a small bear, examined it closely, and saw that it was filled with colorful, oval-shaped little things. He asked uncertainly, "Candy?"
"Uh..." Gu Li's face went blank. Oh no, when she bought the medicine, she thought it was for Chengcheng, so she just grabbed a box of candy. Chengcheng doesn't like taking medicine because he finds it bitter, and he only takes candy if he eats it.
"I bought it for myself," Gu Li said quickly, her mind racing. She was a girl, so it was normal for her to eat candy. He probably wouldn't suspect anything, right?
"Oh." He nodded slightly, not suspecting anything, but when he saw the pink plastic wrapping paper wrapped around the teddy bear that said it was suitable for children aged 2 to 10, he couldn't help but chuckle, his shoulders trembling slightly.
"Really, I really love this kind of candy, it's so delicious!" Gu Li said anxiously, thinking he didn't believe her.
"Hmm." He nodded again, but this time Gu Li clearly heard his laughter, a soft, mocking laugh.
"What are you laughing at? Eating is a woman's privilege, just like smoking is a man's privilege."
"Yes, I admit it, but I would never fight with a kid under twelve for a cigarette."
"What do you mean?" Gu Li only half understood.
Chu Yaofeng handed her the teddy bear filled with candy, laughing so hard he almost cramped up, and said, "See for yourself."
Gu Li took it and looked at it. Damn, she immediately had the urge to flip the cabinet open. Why didn't anyone tell her that this candy was divided into age groups?
Chu Yaofeng burst into laughter, while Gu Li was completely stunned, her face turning as red as a boiled lobster.
"Here's the medicine." She couldn't bear to stay in this place for another second. She had just forcibly stuffed the medicine into Chu Yaofeng's hand when Chu Yaofeng grabbed her hand. "I won't laugh anymore. Don't go."
"..." You idiot, stop imitating Chengcheng by acting cute and pitiful and trying to charm her, okay? She has absolutely no resistance to that!
"President, is there anything else you need?" Damn it! Where did all that determination go? Gu Li, Gu Li, why are you so powerless against this person? Can't you show the same determination you showed when rejecting Max Qi eight times, and just once, how could you reject him?
“I want to stay here. I don’t want to be alone at home. It’s boring. Besides, if my cold doesn’t go away and I get a high fever, it’s not safe to be alone. Don’t you think so?”
This was the first time Chu Yaofeng had shown weakness in front of a woman other than Qu Xiangwan, and surprisingly, it didn't feel bad.
He was indeed afraid of being bored, but how could he be afraid of getting a fever? He was full of energy, and his fever had long since subsided. He just had a dry throat and felt a little uncomfortable, which was why he was coughing. It was probably just a minor ailment caused by internal heat.
He hoped she would stay, even if she did nothing but talk to him or argue with him. As long as he was with her, he felt very comfortable.
Gu Li only thought for a second, looked at his eager gaze, and nodded without hesitation, saying a single word, "Okay."
………………………………
School had just let out at noon, and Chengcheng hadn't even finished packing his books and leaving the classroom when his mini phone hanging around his neck rang. Seeing that it was his beloved mommy, calling him at noon for the first time ever, he was so happy his eyes crinkled with laughter. "Mommy, you missed me, and I missed you too. School just ended, and I'm about to go eat. Have you eaten yet?"
"Chengcheng?" Gu Li hid in the kitchen, carefully talking to Chengcheng on the phone while secretly glancing at the man lying on the sofa watching the financial channel, and said, "Mommy wants to ask you for advice on a few dishes."
"Oh?" Chengcheng's big almond-shaped eyes lit up instantly, and he swallowed hard. "Mommy is going to cook for me today?" He was so touched. Mommy must feel guilty about what happened to him last night because of Aunt Niannian, so she wants to make it up to him.
"no."
"..." A bucket of cold water was splashed on his face, and Chengcheng's little heart felt ice-cold.
"Mommy is making it for other people to eat."
"Are you done yet? I'm hungry." The man lying on the sofa suddenly sat up, resting his chin on the sofa, looking like he had been waiting for a long time.
"It'll be cooked soon," Gu Li said guiltily, covering the phone.
I've been busy all day, and I still haven't cooked anything! The speed is incredibly slow. "Give me a definite answer. Let's see if I can hold out until then. If I can't, I need to hurry up and write my will."
"Right away, right away." What a difficult person to please, Gu Li wrinkled her nose. If it weren't for him saying he was weak and didn't want to go out, and then saying he was afraid that ordering takeout would worsen his condition by using gutter oil, and asking her to sell vegetables and cook at home, she would have agreed to his request out of consideration for his illness. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Who are you cooking for?" Chengcheng's tone was very unfriendly. How could he not be envious, jealous, and resentful? Ever since he took over the housework, his mother had never cooked him a decent meal. But today she was cooking for someone else, competing with him for food. He wanted to punish her in the name of the moon.
"Is he the man who asked you out to dinner the other day?"
Gu Li thought for a moment before realizing that he was referring to Maxi. "No, it's my boss. He's sick and asked me to cook him a meal."
Uncle.
Upon hearing this, Chengcheng's face lit up with joy, and he said with a grin, "Oh, Mommy, what are you going to do? I'll tell you."
Steamed fish.
"Remember to use ginger and garlic to remove the fishy smell."
Buddha's Hand Eggplant.
"Cut the eggplant lengthwise into thick slices, leaving the top connected, then cut it into thick strips crosswise."
Gu Li named several more dishes, and Chengcheng patiently explained them to her one by one. Gu Li was completely focused on how to cook the dishes well, and she didn't care about his change of heart.
Finally, Chengcheng repeatedly reminded him that if he didn't understand anything, he should ask questions so as not to mess things up. His cautious tone was just like a teacher in the laboratory instructing students on high-risk experiments.
"Okay, okay, stop nagging. Go eat now, bye-bye." Gu Li has a good memory, so she remembers everything Chengcheng taught her.
"Who are you talking to on the phone?" Chu Yaofeng couldn't hear what she was saying from a distance, only the last few words. Her annoyed tone carried a hint of coquettishness. Who could it be? A man or a woman?
If it were a man… Chu Yaofeng subconsciously frowned, feeling particularly uncomfortable.
"Uh, I was on the phone with Niannian. She asked me to have dinner with her, but I declined."
"Oh." So it was Song Nian. Chu Yaofeng dispelled his doubts, breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a straight face, "Is it not ready yet? I'm really starving."
"Five minutes, give me five more minutes." Gu Li tried her best to stall him. Good heavens, did he think he was the Conch Maiden who could conjure up a table of delicious food with a wave of his sleeve?
………………………………
About half an hour later, Gu Li brought the last dish, tomato and egg soup, to the table. Looking at her masterpiece, it smelled delicious and looked very appetizing, but she didn't know how it would taste. She hadn't cooked in a long time, and compared to cooking noodles, her confidence in cooking was greatly diminished.
Sitting down around the dining table, Chu Yaofeng leaned over and smelled the food. He didn't know if it tasted really good or if he was so hungry that he had lost his sense of taste, but he felt like his mouth was watering.
He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish, and put it in his mouth.
"How does it taste?" Gu Li asked nervously.
He chewed it lightly twice. "Tender and delicious."
"Really?" Looks like she's still got it all, hahaha. "You should try them all."
Chu Yaofeng followed her instructions and tasted each dish, nodding frequently, "Not bad." Although it was slightly inferior to the dishes he usually ate at five-star restaurants, there was a flavor in her dishes that no restaurant in the world could replicate.
Chu Yaofeng curled his lips, and a festering seed in his heart cracked open, from which a tender green sprout emerged.
"Eat slowly." He ate with great relish, taking big bites.
His eating habits were a far cry from his usual gentle and refined manners; he was so rude that he looked like someone who hadn't eaten for days.
Gu Lizhen was afraid he would choke, so she ladled out a bowl of tomato and egg soup for him and handed it to him. He took it and gulped it down in two big mouthfuls, then continued to devour the other dishes on the table.
Honestly, Gu Li felt a faint sweetness when he enjoyed the food she cooked, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.
She wasn't very hungry. She stared intently at him. His thick, dark eyebrows and deep, chiseled features were just like her precious baby. But... gradually, the happiness in Gu Li's eyes was instantly replaced by an overwhelming melancholy. Why did fate always like to play tricks on people?
She may choose not to seek revenge, but that doesn't mean she can let go of her hatred.
Thinking of all that she had experienced in the past, those days when she was neither human nor ghost, her hands, which were lying idly on the table, clenched into fists, and her face turned pale to the point of being almost transparent. She suddenly stood up.
"What's wrong with you?" Chu Yaofeng looked up, a grain of rice falling from the corner of his mouth, looking incredibly cute with a dazed expression.
"I should go back now," Gu Li said, taking a deep breath.
"Didn't you promise to stay with me?" Chu Yaofeng put down his chopsticks and stood up as well. His tall figure made her look petite and delicate.
The memories of the past lingered in her heart, and she couldn't stay any longer. If she stayed to face him, she was afraid she might do something out of control.
"President, if you're worried about being bored, you can ask Director Mai to keep you company. I really have a lot of things to do. I still haven't finished organizing the materials you asked me to organize yesterday."
"I was in a bad mood yesterday, I'm sorry to have troubled you. There's no need to rush, you can give it to me anytime."
"No, it's not just those two documents, I really have a lot of work to do." Gu Li lowered her head and bit her bloodless lips hard. The more he acted like this, the more distressed she felt.
"I'll have my sister and the others make it for you later, is that alright?" Chu Yaofeng saw that she seemed flustered, and he felt anxious and confused. He didn't know what he had done to upset her, since he had been so supportive of her cooking.
"Thank you for your kindness, President, but I don't need your help. I can manage on my own. Goodbye." With that, Gu Li hurriedly left as if fleeing.
Chu Yaofeng clenched his fist, gritted his teeth, and rushed forward to stop her.
Gu Li was startled, thinking he was going to use force, but he just said, "Take my car back."
"Ah...uh, no, no need, I'll have Niannian call a taxi for me." Gu Li shook her head and refused.
"Drive my car back." An order that brooks no refusal.
"Okay, thank you." Not wanting to anger him and cause unnecessary conflict, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.
"Don't wash my car anymore, and don't fill up my gas tank anymore. I can afford that." He said with a hint of warning.
"Uh..." Gu Li suddenly realized that the reason he was suddenly unhappy when he got into the car after leaving the company yesterday was because she washed his car and filled it with gas.
"Okay. Is there anything else?"
"Drive carefully." After saying that, he turned around coolly and moved towards the bedroom.
Gu Li glanced at his tall, lonely back and felt an unbearable pain in her heart. She turned and quickened her pace to leave.
……………………………………
Chu Yaofeng threw himself onto the bed, his empty eyes staring at the ceiling. Hearing the door close outside, his heart skipped a beat. They had gotten along quite well for half the morning. She had massaged his back, given him a massage, and even fed him a sweet and sour candy. Although he had forced her to do it, she hadn't refused and had done it anyway.
She still has some feelings for him, doesn't she?
Why did she suddenly abandon him and leave him behind? Are all women so fickle?
One moment they can be tender with you, showering you with sweet words, the next they can fall in love with someone else, showering other men with sweet words, and once they find someone more suitable, they can immediately despise you as worthless trash.
He doesn't understand women. He's so tired, so very tired.
He's already given up on treatment, so why is she still playing the saint and trying to save him?
One minute they'd give him a piece of candy, the next they'd slap him.
Gu Li, Gu Li, what are you really thinking? I really want to dig your heart out and see if I'm inside.
She turned over and buried her face in the pillow, her heart aching with worry, but she still couldn't figure it out.
"Cough cough cough..." He had been holding his breath for too long and almost couldn't catch his breath. Feeling thirsty, he went to the living room to pour himself a cup of tea. Just as he drank it, his phone, which was on the sofa, started ringing loudly.
He picked up his phone, saw it was an unfamiliar number, and hesitated for half a second. "Hello?"
"Hello, are you Gu Jingcheng's parent?" A sweet voice came from the other end of the line.
Gu Jingcheng? Chu Yaofeng thought for a moment before remembering that it was Chengcheng's full name. His heart skipped a beat. He didn't have time to think about why Chengcheng would give his phone number to someone else, and blurted out, "What happened to Chengcheng?"
"He got into a fight with a classmate. You should come to the school!"
Where is the school?
"..." The teacher was speechless for a moment, then looked at Chengcheng with a questioning gaze that seemed to say, "Is he really your parent? Why doesn't he know where you study? Why? Why?"
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Extra chapter tomorrow. This looks like they're about to meet! Hahaha, I wonder what fun things will happen when Chengcheng and Uncle meet for the second time. Will Chengcheng bring Young Master Chu home to meet his parents?
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