Chapter 24 Xu Shengnan’s Invitation
As noon approached, Gu Cunxi saw that the time was almost up, so he came to the front desk and said to Cheng Sheng, "We should leave. Time is a bit tight at noon, so we should leave early!"
Cheng Sheng looked like he couldn't wait. When he heard Gu Cunxi say they were about to leave, he excitedly picked up his clothes and said, "Then I'll go call Sister Pei Yin!"
In fact, Gu Cunxi was also waiting for this moment! Because she could go with Xiao Peiyin, she had been looking forward to it since morning.
After a while, Cheng Sheng came over with Xiao Peiyin in his arms. Gu Cunxi immediately regained his composure, not showing any of his inner excitement.
"Let's go, Sister Cunxi!" Cheng Sheng ran to Gu Cunxi and took her arm, very intimately! Gu Cunxi instinctively wanted to push Cheng Sheng's hand away. She subconsciously looked at the person walking beside her, fearing that Xiao Peiyin would misunderstand her. In the end, she didn't even look at her...
I felt inexplicably lost. She hadn't reacted at all just now, as if she didn't care at all. I was overthinking it. She had no feelings for me at all, so how could there be any misunderstanding?
Thinking of this, Gu Cunxi smiled bitterly and shook his head, letting Cheng Sheng hold him without refusing.
The three of them walked out side by side. Xiao Peiyin remained silent. All she could think about was the scene of Cheng Sheng holding Gu Cunxi's arm. She began to envy Cheng Sheng, but at the same time, she also envied him for being able to approach Gu Cunxi without any scruples, to hold her arm, to hug her...
After leaving the building, Cheng Sheng ran briskly to Gu Cunxi's car, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Cheng Sheng!" Gu Cunxi saw Cheng Sheng standing in the passenger seat and subconsciously wanted to refuse, but she could only call out her name and could not say the rest of the words.
"Sister Cunxi, what's wrong?"
He wanted to let Cheng Sheng sit in the back seat, but when Gu Cunxi thought of Xiao Peiyin's rejection of him, he felt that she probably didn't want to sit next to him, so he swallowed his words and said lightly: "Nothing, get in the car!"
The moment the car lights came on, Cheng Sheng opened the door and got in. Gu Cunxi paused, sullenly making his way towards the driver's seat. Xiao Peiyin felt incredibly lost. She stood there blankly, feeling like someone had twisted her heart. She wanted to sit next to Gu Cunxi, but she didn't ask. Who was she to say...
"Sister Pei Yin! Get in the car!" Xiao Pei Yin came back to her senses when she heard Cheng Sheng calling her.
She walked to the back door and got in the car on the same side as Cheng Sheng. From this position, she could see Gu Cunxi driving.
It's a foregone conclusion... Gu Cunxi felt helpless. He turned to look at Cheng Sheng who was sitting next to him, and felt a wave of loss in his heart.
A minty scent entered Cheng Sheng's nose. The smell was so reassuring that Cheng Sheng couldn't help but sniff it.
"Cheng Sheng, seat belt!"
Cheng Sheng came back to her senses in a daze from the fragrance. She reached out to pull the seat belt beside her, but it didn't move at all, as if it was stuck. "Sister Cunxi, I... can't pull it!"
“…”
Gu Cunxi looked at Cheng Sheng with embarrassment, constantly struggling with the seat belt. She leaned over, took the seat belt from Cheng Sheng's hand, pulled it out, buckled it for her, and quickly stepped away.
"!" The moment Gu Cunxi approached, Cheng Sheng unconsciously tensed his body, his heart beating rapidly, the smell of her body gathered around him, and... the heat on his cheeks!
There was an inexplicable sense of tension spreading in Cheng Sheng's heart.
Xiao Peiyin watched the entire scene from the back seat. She clenched her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the force! At that moment, she and Cheng Sheng were so close! So close that her lips were almost touching Cheng Sheng's cheek!
The bitterness in her heart suddenly surged up, and Xiao Peiyin looked out the window with red eyes, her eyes dark.
It turns out... seeing the person you love get close to someone else really hurts!!
"You pushed too hard just now, so it got stuck. Next time you can't pull it out, just push it back a little bit and then pull it out!" Gu Cunxi started the car and said casually.
Cheng Sheng, who had been in a trance the whole time, nodded blankly when he heard Gu Cunxi's words. His heartbeat hadn't even calmed down yet. Cheng Sheng couldn't remember how long it had been since he had felt this way about someone. It was a heart-pounding feeling!
Gu Cunxi didn't know that the person sitting in the back seat was looking at her silently with red eyes. She didn't feel Xiao Peiyin's loneliness, and focused on calling the navigation and drove towards the vehicle management office.
The atmosphere in the car was unusually quiet along the way. The three of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts and no one spoke for a long time... Cheng Sheng broke the silence: "Sister Cunxi, why haven't I seen your boyfriend recently?"
When Xin Hai was mentioned, Gu Cunxi frowned instantly. Xiao Peiyin looked at her worriedly, afraid that Cheng Sheng's words would make her unhappy...
"I don't have a boyfriend!" Gu Cunxi's tone was obviously a little cold.
"!" Cheng Sheng turned her head to look at Gu Cunxi in surprise. What this meant was that they broke up! Deep down in her heart, she felt a little happy. She didn't want to ask Gu Cunxi the reason. It didn't matter. The important thing was that she was single now! After hesitating for a moment, Cheng Sheng changed his usual carefree attitude and asked in a serious tone: "Sister Cunxi, I...will you really consider what I said this morning?"
Gu Cunxi was driving and didn't have the energy to think about Cheng Sheng's words. He raised his eyebrows and asked casually, "What did you say this morning?"
"It's just... your girlfriend's words. You said you would consider it, Sister Cunxi! Are you really going to consider it?"
“!”
The eerie silence in the car startled Gu Cunxi, and her heart skipped a beat. She had just said it casually this morning... It was a joke! Could Cheng Sheng be serious?
Xiao Peiyin, who had been sitting in the back seat in a daze, suddenly came back to his senses because of Cheng Sheng's words, and felt a little uneasy in his heart.
"Cheng Sheng, if I were a boy, I would seriously consider it, but I'm not!" Gu Cunxi smiled at Cheng Sheng and politely refused.
"But... there's no rule that it has to be between men and women, right?" Cheng Sheng said boldly, leaving Gu Cunxi unable to refute...
That's right, who said it's only for men and women! But Xiao Peiyin didn't understand it that way. Seeing Gu Cunxi's long silence, Cheng Sheng didn't dare to say anything more. She put away her serious tone and said with a playful smile: "Sister Cunxi! You were fooled by me, weren't you? You're serious!"
Cheng Sheng laughed, trying to ease the dull atmosphere in the car.
“…”
If I continue talking about this, I will not be able to finish it. Fortunately, it was just a joke. Gu Cunxi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, you tease me with such a thing. You are so good at acting. You should have learned acting when you were a child!"
Seeing Gu Cunxi's relieved look, Cheng Sheng felt a little lost. She had admiration for Gu Cunxi deep in her heart. She was serious about what she said just now.
Cheng Sheng thought, if Gu Cunxi would like her, then she would really be willing!
Xiao Peiyin hadn't spoken since she got in the car. She was in a very low mood because of what happened just now. Cheng Sheng's words made her feel a sense of crisis. His tone didn't sound like a joke at all. To be more precise, Cheng Sheng had lost his usual carefree attitude. Her tone was full of seriousness.
Suddenly! A phone ring interrupted Xiao Peiyin's thoughts. Gu Cunxi frowned slightly at the caller ID and hesitated for a moment before picking up the phone. Because he was driving, he could only play it publicly.
Xu Shengnan's voice came from the phone: "Cunxi, it's me!"
"Mr. Xu, I know it's you!"
After a brief silence, Xu Shengnan said, "I came to Jianghuai City on a business trip yesterday. I knew you were here and wanted to see you!"
"Are you free this afternoon? I just finished a meeting and have to take a flight back to North City tomorrow morning. If you have time, let's meet. I have something I'd like to hear your thoughts on. If you don't have time, we can talk over the phone!"
There was a brief silence. Gu Cunxi didn't know what Mr. Xu was talking about. She was inexplicably resistant, fearing it might be related to the past...
"It has nothing to do with the past, but with the future!" Xu Shengnan seemed to have guessed what Gu Cunxi was thinking and explained.
"Okay! Let's not beat around the bush. The truth is, I've decided to step down from my position at the group and plan to start a medium-sized enterprise. So, I'm calling to see if you're interested."
"I want to hand over the management of the company to you. Don't rush to answer me. I'll give you time!"
Gu Cunxi was bewildered by these words. She had never thought of returning to North City. She knew Xu Shengnan had sincerely invited her, but... leaving Jiang Huai had not yet occurred to her. After pondering for a moment, she decided to put Mr. Xu's proposal aside for now and said, "I can't give you an answer to what you said! But I will seriously consider it!"
"Since you're here, I have no reason not to entertain you. I'll book the restaurant and pick you up later!"
"No problem, I also have a lot to tell you, so see you tonight!"
After hanging up the phone, Gu Cunxi felt inexplicably depressed. Xu Shengnan's sudden visit reminded her of the past. This phone call broke her inner peace. After that, she avoided everything in Beicheng, but the only person she could not refuse was Xu Shengsheng who saved her from the dire situation!
Seeing Gu Cunxi's silence after hanging up the phone, Xiao Peiyin couldn't help but worry. She was afraid that this call would remind Gu Cunxi of those bad things, and what Xu Shengnan mentioned on the phone made her even more uneasy. She was afraid that Gu Cunxi would really accept Xu Shengnan's invitation. She was afraid that she would really leave here, then... she would not even be qualified to watch her from afar!
Cheng Sheng suddenly broke the silence in the car and said, "Sister Cunxi, are you planning to leave Jianghuai City?" Xiao Peiyin became nervous when she heard Cheng Sheng's words. She sat in the back seat and stared at Gu Cunxi's profile. Her breathing seemed to stagnate.
"If so, will you keep me?" Gu Cunxi turned his eyes away from the traffic light in front, glanced at Cheng Sheng sideways, and then looked at the person in the back seat in the rearview mirror.
This sentence was not asked to Cheng Sheng! Gu Cunxi really wanted to know how Xiao Peiyin would answer her, but she knew that she could not wait for the answer, and Xiao Peiyin would not answer her at all.
"Of course! We hope you stay! Right, Sister Pei Yin!" Cheng Sheng said affirmatively and turned to look at Xiao Pei Yin.
Xiao Peiyin was distracted when Cheng Sheng asked her about it, but she didn't say anything in the end. She didn't respond to Cheng Sheng, nor did she give Gu Cunxi an answer. She just silently replied in her heart: "I hope you stay!"
After a long silence, Gu Cunxi's heart gradually sank. Cheng Sheng asked a good question, but it was also a bad one. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw Xiao Peiyin sitting there quietly, her expression both calm and indifferent...
Even Cheng Sheng would try to persuade her to stay, but Xiao Peiyin remained indifferent...
The car stopped at the door of the vehicle management office. Gu Cunxi walked into the hall with all the relevant documents. After paying the purchase tax, the vehicle was inspected and the information was entered. The series of procedures did not take too much time. When choosing the number, Gu Cunxi looked at the number shaken on the screen, his eyes lit up instantly, and he was so surprised that he couldn't recover for a long time!
What a coincidence!
She didn't choose immediately, but looked at Xiao Peiyin and said, "Help me choose!"
"!" Xiao Peiyin didn't expect Gu Cunxi to let her help her choose. She stood there in a daze, looking at her.
"Just pick whichever you like. I can't choose. Or... Cheng Sheng can choose."
When Cheng Sheng heard Gu Cunxi asking him to help her choose, he was secretly happy and said, "Okay! Then I'll choose one first. Sister Pei Yin, let's choose together."
"Sister Cunxi, when is your birthday?" Cheng Sheng asked, looking at the string of numbers on the screen.
"February 12th"
Cheng Sheng looked at the number on it. There was no Gu Cunxi's birthday number, nor his own. "Sister Pei Yin, what's your birthday?"
Xiao Peiyin saw her birthday on these numbers, but if she chose her birthday, would Gu Cunxi know...
Forget it, I'll choose something else...
"My birthday isn't listed here either!" Xiao Peiyin whispered, with a hint of guilt in her tone.
Gu Cunxi raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and his eyes darkened a little.
She's lying...
In Manager Shi's office, she saw the information Xiao Peiyin had entered when she joined the company. January 14th was her birthday! She saw it when she just drew the number. The reason she let Xiao Peiyin choose was that she wanted to see if she would choose her birthday as her license plate number.
Disappointed once again, Gu Cunxi didn't know what he was still trying to test, what he was expecting. The result was obvious! She didn't like him! And she didn't like women either...
"Sister Cunxi, your birthday isn't here yet, let's choose again!" Cheng Sheng was about to re-select when Gu Cunxi saw him and hurried over to stop him, saying, "No need!! It's just a brand name, it's nothing important, I don't care about that!"
After that, Gu Cunxi quickly selected Xiao Peiyin's birthday.
"!!" Xiao Peiyin stood beside him, her heartbeat suddenly stopped, staring blankly at Gu Cunxi, feeling both happy and surprised.
She shouldn't know her birthday, is it a coincidence?
"Jiang AX0114" is the number Gu Cunxi had already chosen in his mind.
"Sister Cunxi! Why did you just pick it so casually? I was trying to pick a number carefully for you. 14... isn't it a bit unlucky for you when driving?"
14! This number does seem unlucky. Xiao Peiyin frowned.
"Why are you so superstitious at such a young age? It's not unlucky. 14 is my lucky number!" Gu Cunxi turned and left with brisk steps.
After getting the license plate, she looked at the number on it with satisfaction. Everything went smoothly and she got the number she wanted. After registering the license plate, the three of them came out of the vehicle management office. Gu Cunxi said, "You must be hungry. What do you want to eat? Cheng Sheng, it's my treat today. Don't hesitate to eat as much as you want!"
"I won't be polite to Sister Cunxi. I prefer Japanese food. What about Sister Peiyin? What do you want to eat?"
"I can do anything!"
Then let's have Japanese food. The three of them got in the car and said, "Cheng Sheng, you find a place. Once you find it, give me the address!"
"There's a good Japanese restaurant on Jinhua Road called Chuxin, but it's a bit pricey!" Cheng Sheng flipped through the recommended restaurants on the webpage and said
"No matter how much it costs, please send the address to my phone." Gu Cunxi suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh, and by the way, please recommend a better Chinese restaurant here, one with higher standards!"
"No problem! Leave it to me! Then I'll pick out a few more and you can compare them!"
At this time, Xiao Peiyin's cell phone rang. When she picked up the phone and saw that it was Chen Feng, she suddenly became nervous. She pressed the mute button and did not answer the phone. She let the phone ring for a long time.
Gu Cunxi saw Xiao Peiyin frowning and looking uneasy through the rearview mirror, and he couldn't help but worry. The phone ringing just now was obviously turned to silent mode by her.
It was probably Chen Feng calling, Gu Cunxi thought, but... why did being with me make her so nervous that she even dared not answer Chen Feng's call!
There were still two intersections left to the destination indicated by the navigation. Gu Cunxi stepped on the accelerator and quickly stopped the car at the door of Chuxin Japanese Food.
The three of them got out of the car, and Gu Cunxi said to Xiao Peiyin, "Don't we need to go back? If it wasn't convenient in the car just now, then it's okay now! We'll go inside and wait for you!!"
After saying that, Gu Cunxi turned and walked inside. Xiao Peiyin watched her leave, holding her forehead and sighing. She picked up the phone and called back. Soon the other end picked up the call. Chen Feng's anxious and unhappy voice reached her ears: "Where are you? Why didn't you answer the phone just now?"
“Eat outside!”
"With whom?"
"Company colleagues"
"Gu Cunxi?"
She didn't know why she felt uneasy when she heard Chen Feng mention Gu Cunxi. Xiao Peiyin paused and said, "It's not her!"
"Oh, then you guys go eat. It's nothing. I just want to tell you that I have a meeting tonight and can't pick you up. Go home by yourself!"
"good!"
After hanging up the phone, Xiao Peiyin breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and walked into the store. She lifted the Japanese-style curtain at the door and saw Gu Cunxi standing at the door. She was stunned for a moment and said, "Why don't you go in?"
"I was worried that you wouldn't be able to find me when you came in. Are you... okay?" Gu Cunxi asked back with his head down.
Xiao Peiyin heard the concern in her tone, and her heart suddenly became happy. She smiled and said, "It's okay! Let's go in." Then she stepped aside Gu Cunxi and walked inside.
The moment they passed by, the fragrance from her body penetrated into Gu Cunxi's heart through his nose.
"Sister Pei Yin! Here!" Cheng Sheng raised his hand and called out
Xiao Peiyin walked back ahead of Gu Cunxi and sat down opposite Cheng Sheng. Gu Cunxi followed behind her and stood in front of the table, not knowing where to sit...
Gu Cunxi looked at the empty seat next to Xiao Peiyin and hesitated... She really wanted to sit next to her, but... she would probably feel uncomfortable!
After thinking about it, Gu Cunxi gave up the idea and walked to sit next to Cheng Sheng. She didn't notice that when she passed by Xiao Peiyin, she paused for a few seconds when flipping through the menu and frowned slightly.
Xiao Peiyin deliberately sat in the innermost seat. She left a seat for Gu Cunxi, hoping she could sit next to her, but she walked towards Cheng Sheng instead...
"Sister Cunxi, I just ordered eel, salmon, and some grilled dishes. They are all good dishes here!"
Xiao Peiyin looked at the menu. Not knowing what Gu Cunxi liked to eat, she ordered some according to her own preferences. Then she handed the menu to Gu Cunxi. Gu Cunxi took it and glanced at it, then smiled with satisfaction. She closed the menu and handed it to the waiter beside her.
"Sister Cunxi, don't you like Japanese food? Why don't you order any?" Cheng Sheng asked curiously.
"I've already ordered everything I like!" She looked at Xiao Peiyin while speaking.
A gentle gaze met her eyes, and Xiao Peiyin was also looking at her...
Their eyes met... Xiao Peiyin hurriedly turned her head away and drank the tea in front of her.
"So the ones I just ordered are what you like?" Cheng Sheng said with a smile.
"Well! What you ordered is just what I like!" Gu Cunxi said to Xiao Peiyin.
As they were talking, some dishes were served. Gu Cunxi took a look and saw that the bowls and plates were full of Japanese style. The dishes were made very delicately. Japanese food pays attention to natural colors, delicious taste, diverse shapes, and fine utensils. This restaurant has made some progress in terms of utensils and shapes. Cheng Sheng looked at the table full of delicious food and couldn't wait to start eating.
Xiao Peiyin didn't move her chopsticks. Gu Cunxi looked at the table full of fresh cold dishes and suddenly remembered that Chen Feng had said that eating outside would make her uncomfortable. She must have a bad stomach. Thinking of this, she raised her hand and signaled to the waiter: "Please give me an extra bowl of soup!"
"Okay, what kind of soup would you like?"
Gu Cunxi was a little confused about the Chinese name of the soup. She had eaten there once before in Beicheng. The restaurant was run by an authentic Japanese. Since the menu was all in Japanese, she only vaguely remembered the Japanese pronunciation.
"Kenchan Juice, sorry, I don't remember it clearly, I think it's called something like this in Japanese. Do you have this soup here? It's a completely vegetarian soup!"
Unexpectedly, the waiter in front of him actually understood Gu Cunxi's Japanese and said, "Yes, you said Kencho sauce. I'll add more for you right away. Please wait!"
"Sister Cunxi! You can speak Japanese?" Cheng Sheng asked in surprise
"Oh, many of the company's previous projects were collaborations with Japanese people, so I learned a little bit!"
"Sister Cunxi, how many skills do you have that I don't know about? Was that Japanese word the name of the soup? Why is it called Kencho Juice? What a weird name!"
Gu Cunxi looked at Cheng Sheng and said with a smile: "In ancient Japan, Japanese Buddhist monks also had precepts prohibiting killing!"
"In particular, Mahayana Buddhist monks are forbidden from eating meat, so they consider how to make their vegetarian dishes with a variety of ingredients. This type of vegetarian dishes is collectively called Shojin Ryori. This vegetarian soup was invented by the monks of Kencho-ji Temple, so it is called Kencho-ji soup."
Cheng Sheng nodded when he heard it, and looked at Gu Cunxi with more appreciation in his eyes. This look was caught by Xiao Peiyin who was sitting opposite. The hand holding the tea shook unconsciously, and a sour feeling rose in his heart.
The restaurant served dishes very quickly. In a blink of an eye, the waiter came over with a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Gu Cunxi. Gu Cunxi raised his hand to signal the waiter to bring the soup to Xiao Peiyin.
"I remember your stomach isn't very good. Most of these dishes are raw and cold. Drinking some vegetarian soup will make your stomach feel better!" Gu Cunxi said lightly, with a hint of tenderness in his tone.
Xiao Peiyin looked at the vegetarian soup in front of her, and her heart warmed! It turned out that she had carefully discovered that she couldn't eat too much raw or cold food, so she ordered a bowl of soup!
She pursed her lips, a smile appearing on the corner of her mouth. Such delicacy really touched her heart...
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