Chapter 1: Get married?
"Murderer, profiteer!"
A rapid ringing of the cell phone woke Gu Cunxi from her dream. She was sitting in the waiting hall of the airport, with people coming and going around her. She looked at the incoming call on the screen and raised her hand to press the answer button.
"Cunxi... I'm sorry for the long wait. The traffic was so bad. I'm already at the airport gate, Terminal 3. I'll be waiting for you at the gate."
"Okay, I'll be right there..."
After hanging up the phone, Gu Cunxi sat in a chair, thinking about the dream just now. In the dream, those bloodshot eyes full of hatred stared at her! In those people's minds, she was the murderer and the profiteer...
The past seemed to be engraved in her mind. Whether she was awake or in her dreams, fragments of it would pop up inadvertently, constantly tormenting her nerves... Gu Cunxi shook her head with a wry smile, stood up and walked out of the airport...
Xin Hai stood at the door and kept looking inside. Thinking of Gu Cunxi's arrival, the smile on his lips became more and more obvious. He had finally waited for this day!
As Gu Cunxi dragged his exhausted body out of the airport gate, he saw Xin Hai standing in front of the car waiting for him from a distance. He was still the same, even his clothing style hadn't changed. He remembered that when he first met Xin Hai, he was also wearing a casual suit jacket, jeans and sneakers like now...
At that time, I had just graduated from college, and now several years have passed.
Time flies so fast...Gu Cunxi sighed
I don't know why, but my meeting with Xin Hai didn't bring with it the anticipation of a long-awaited reunion between lovers. Instead, it felt as dull as water...
She couldn't help but think back to the past two years she had been with Xin Hai. They had always been separated from each other, and the number of times they could see each other in a year was very few...
After graduating from university, she successfully joined the Huahai Group, the most powerful company in North City at the time. She focused all her attention on her work and had only a faint impression of Xin Hai...
Gu Cunxi still couldn't figure out what the problem was with her relationship with Xin Hai. Perhaps it was because she was too rational, so she lacked the emotions that should be in love.
As she thought about it, Gu Cunxi sighed slightly. For the first time, she felt that her life was indeed a failure. While others' youths were filled with romance, hers was filled with books and endless overtime work. She had thought that even without love, at least having a career was good! But now even her career was ruined. Haha...
Looking at the completely unfamiliar city outside the airport, with cars whizzing by, Gu Cunxi fell into deep confusion, not knowing whether his decision was the right one...
Xin Hai looked at Gu Cunxi walking towards him from a distance, and the corners of his mouth raised unconsciously. Compared to her college days, she has lost her youthfulness and become more calm and charming. Her long hair shows her feminine elegance. The long gray windbreaker sets off her slender figure. She exudes a coolness and a pleasant mint fragrance.
"You must be tired from the journey." Xin Hai walked forward and took the luggage from Gu Cunxi's hand.
"Okay..." Gu Cunxi smiled.
There was no blushing or heartbeating like lovers meeting each other; everything was too calm. Perhaps in the eyes of others, she and Xin Hai didn't look like a couple at all...
Thinking carefully, she realized that she didn't really like Xin Hai. Perhaps it was just a memory of her youth...
Thinking back to her years in North City, Xin Hai had given her a lot of help during those difficult days. During those years of wandering outside, she had gradually built up a wall inside herself. After joining Hua Hai, she had become accustomed to the open and covert struggles in the business world, and her heart seemed to have hardened and grown cold...
As the sky darkened, the winter in Jianghuai City grew colder. Xin Hai took Gu Cunxi's hand and walked to the front of the car to help her put her luggage. He turned around and hugged the person in front of him tightly, whispering in her ear: "I have been waiting for you, Cunxi, thank you for coming to my side!"
Gu Cunxi let Xin Hai hold her, not raising her hands in response. In the two years since she agreed to date Xin Hai, they hadn't seen each other often, as they lived in different places. Hugs like this one could be counted on one hand...
Moreover... facing Xin Hai's intimacy with him, Gu Cunxi always had a faint sense of avoidance in his heart.
"Let's go first," Gu Cunxi said softly
She reached out and pushed Xin Hai away. Gu Cunxi didn't respond to the sweet talk just now, but just smiled. To be precise, she didn't know what to say. She couldn't say sweet talk, nor did she want to say it...
Xin Hai drove all the way to the city, with gentle love songs playing in the car. The beautiful melody eased the complicated emotions in Gu Cunxi's heart. She looked out the window, watching the passing cars flash by, and gradually fell into deep thought.
"Cunxi, my parents are very happy to hear that you are coming. They can't wait to meet you and want to welcome you. Let's have dinner together tonight?" Xin Hai asked while driving.
Gu Cunxi was a little absent-minded. She didn't hear Xin Hai talking to her. She just looked out the window quietly. Her beautiful profile was reflected on the car window...
“…”
Seeing that Gu Cunxi didn't respond, Xin Hai called her softly again without knowing the situation: "Cunxi?"
As if awakened from a dream, Gu Cunxi came back to his senses and looked at the person next to him, stunned for a moment.
"What did you just say?" Gu Cunxi asked
"It's my parents. They want to treat you to a meal!" Xin Hai repeated patiently, his tone much lower than before. He paused and asked, "Cunxi... why do you look like you've lost your soul? Are you tired?"
Gu Cunxi shook his head and said after a while: "Please thank your parents for their kindness for me. It's not a big deal. Besides, we are rushing back now and it's very late. There is no rush to eat now. Let's visit your parents another day..."
As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere in the car froze for a moment. Apart from the melodious music, neither of them spoke. Xin Hai's face darkened and he insisted, "It's just a meal. There's nothing special about it, and it's not a big deal. Besides... they've already booked a private room and ordered the dishes!"
“…”
"Besides, you just got off the plane. No matter how late it is, you still have to eat. Cunxi... just one meal. Consider it as accompanying me. After that, I'll take you back to rest, okay?" Xin Hai said with a hint of pleading in his tone.
The words of refusal were stuck in my throat...
"Then go..." Gu Cunxi nodded, with a hint of helplessness on his face.
The journey from the airport to the city takes about an hour. As a second-tier city, Jianghuai City's traffic is not as congested as that of North City.
After Xin Hai parked the car at the restaurant entrance, the two were led upstairs by the waiter. When they opened the door to the private room, they saw Xin Hai's parents waiting inside...
"Dad, Mom, this is my girlfriend, Gu Cunxi!" Xin Hai said with a smile
"Uncle, aunt, hello..." Gu Cunxi stood aside and looked at the two old people, nodded.
"You must be tired from the journey. Come and sit down, come and sit down." Xin's mother pulled Gu Cunxi over with one hand, smiled, and there was satisfaction and joy in her eyes.
"We've already ordered the dishes. We don't know what you like, so we ordered some of the local specialties. You can try them later."
"Thank you, uncle and aunt, for your expense!" Gu Cunxi chuckled slightly.
"What's the big deal? Xiao Hai always mentions you to us, saying you're beautiful, sensible, and capable. Today we finally got to see you."
As the dishes were served, Gu Cunxi looked at the rich food on the table and felt a little bit hungry.
"Cunxi, try it and see if it suits your taste." Xin Hai said as he put a lot of dishes on Cunxi's plate.
"I heard from Xiao Hai that you gave up your job in North City and came to be with him because of him. Auntie is very touched by your sacrifice for Xiao Hai. Don't worry, our family will definitely take care of you!"
“???”
Gu Cunxi didn't respond. She looked at Xin Hai beside her with a questioning look in her eyes. She turned to look at Xin's mother, her face calm, but with a hint of coldness and alienation between her eyebrows. She said, "Auntie, I think you might..."
Before he could finish his words, Xin Hai interrupted Gu Cunxi and said, "Mom...what are you talking about?"
“…”
"How long are your dad and I going to have to worry about you, kid?" Mother Xin looked at Xin Hai unhappily, then turned to Gu Cunxi and continued, "Cunxi... Xiaohai said you two have been dating for two years?"
"Yes..." Gu Cunxi sighed softly, picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip.
Mother Xin nodded and said, "At your age, two years is neither long nor short. Xiaohai is a year older than you and is also at the age to start a family. If you decide to live together in the future, our family would like to arrange the marriage as soon as possible and find a time for both sets of parents to meet."
“…”
The food in front of me completely lost its flavor because of what Xin Hai's mother said...
She wanted to refuse directly, but after all, he was her elder, so she had to give Xin Hai some face at the dinner table. So Gu Cunxi sat aside without saying a word, without showing any displeasure in her heart. With a faint smile on her face, she did not respond to Xin's mother's proposal.
"You may think that I'm a little abrupt, but we fell in love with you the first time we saw you. In the past two years, his father and I have been worrying about Xiaohai's marriage. Before we knew you existed, we introduced many girls to Xiaohai, but he didn't like any of them. It turns out that he was waiting for you wholeheartedly."
This kind of situation was much more difficult to handle than any other social engagements she had attended before. Gu Cunxi sat quietly by the side for a long time. After Xin's mother finished speaking, she turned to look at Xin Hai with a cold look in her eyes. Then she said to Xin's mother, "Thank you for your approval... but marriage is a big deal... there are some things I don't want to mess up. This is my first day in Jianghuai, so there's no rush to get married... and my parents haven't met him yet!"
Gu Cunxi tried his best to sound calm, suppressing his displeasure, and politely declined Xin's mother's proposal.
When these words came out, Xin Hai's parents were slightly startled. They felt that there seemed to be a sharp edge in Gu Cunxi's words just now.
Sensing the subtle change in Gu Cunxi's tone, Xin Hai quickly said, "Mom, Cunxi just arrived and hasn't even had a few bites of food yet, how come you're already talking about marriage?"
"Ahem...yes, yes, you see, we were so anxious that we forgot all about this. We should have let Xiao Hai visit first. It was our mistake."
Xin Hai's father rarely spoke, he was a silent man. Gu Cunxi felt the gaze of Xin Hai's father, he was looking at her, such a look made her feel very uncomfortable. Through Xin Hai's father's eyes, Gu Cunxi knew that he was judging and observing her.
After finishing the meal, Gu Cunxi felt a slight discomfort in her stomach. She had participated in many social events, big and small, which were much bigger than today's. But sitting here today was the most uncomfortable meal she had ever had.
The first day after arriving in Jianghuai City was very busy and he was a little tired. After dinner, the four of them walked out of the restaurant. Xin Hai wanted to send his parents home first so that he could stay with Gu Cunxi for a while. However, Xin Hai's parents deliberately said that they wanted to take a walk after dinner and asked him to send Gu Cunxi home first, which was exactly what Xin Hai wanted.
After bidding farewell to Xin Hai's parents, Gu Cunxi sat in the car and closed her eyes slightly. She thought of what had just happened at the dinner table and felt extremely depressed.
marry…
Gu Cunxi hadn't really thought about this. She always felt that marriage was a disadvantage for women. If a person could live a good life, then marriage was not an inevitable option. Perhaps it was the influence of her parents' marriage that made her never seem to have any expectations for marriage. Instead of placing her expectations on others, it was better to rely on herself. She knew Xin Hai wanted to get married, but Gu Cunxi felt that she couldn't give him the life he wanted. Wouldn't it be selfish and irresponsible to keep dragging it out like this? Moreover, the relationship between her and Xin Hai was so numb that Gu Cunxi asked herself more than once if this was normal?
They drove very fast and arrived at the gate of the community in a blink of an eye. Xin Hai rented a one-bedroom apartment not far from Gu Cunxi as requested. He didn't want to do this. He hoped that Gu Cunxi could live directly in his house. After all, in Xin Hai's heart, they were going to get married. But Gu Cunxi insisted on doing so. Xin Hai knew that he couldn't change her! For many years, no one could influence Gu Cunxi's decision. She always did so!
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