Chapter 625: Have You Missed Me? (Two chapters combined!)
Gu Yin placed the fruit on the table and smiled at everyone: "The food isn't ready yet, so have some fruit to fill your stomachs first! These fruits were grown by the elders in my family, and they taste good. Everyone should try some."
Everyone else greeted Gu Yin; they were all acquaintances and didn't stand on ceremony.
When Liang Sisi saw Gu Yin come out, her eyes flickered, avoiding her gaze. Then she looked at Yue Xin beside her and said, "This is your first time attending a dinner party like this with them. You might not be used to it. What would you like to eat? I'll get it for you. I think those strawberries look good. I'll get you one."
She noticed that Gu Yin kept eating strawberries, which must have been the best ones.
Yue Xin shook her head: "You eat it. I'll get it myself if I want to eat it."
After Yue Xin finished speaking, she ignored Liang Sisi, who was struggling with her thoughts, and sat down next to Gu Yin.
Seeing how bold Yue Xin was—daring to move around and even approach people she didn't know—Liang Sisi wanted to stop her, yet also wanted to follow her. But remembering Gu Shu's attitude towards her, she didn't dare. She could only watch Yue Xin walk in that direction.
When Gu Yin saw the girl coming over, she smiled and said, "Hello, what's your name? My brother and his family have come to our house for dinner a few times before, but this is the first time they've brought a female classmate home. I saw her at school a few days ago, but you don't seem to be a familiar face."
Yue Xin smiled and said, "I just joined the basketball team these past two days. I'm here to be the basketball manager's assistant, which is why you don't know me, but I know you."
Gu Yin glanced at Liang Sisi in surprise, then turned her gaze back to Yue Xin and said helplessly, "I am indeed quite famous at school."
Yue Xin nodded: "Very famous! A celebrity in our school! Zhou, you're amazing! I admire you so much! How can you be so smart! You've achieved so much before you were even an adult! I've looked at the past Nobel Prize information, and I think you'll definitely be invited to the award ceremony this December! You even have an 80% chance of winning! You're simply the pride of our school!"
Seeing the admiration and excitement in her eyes, Gu Yin paused for a moment and asked, "Are you also a biology major? What year are you in?" Only biology students would admire her so much.
Yue Xin shook her head, sat up straight, and said, "I'm a sophomore majoring in international relations."
Gu Yin nodded in understanding; no wonder she paid attention to things abroad.
"Then how did you end up as an assistant on the basketball team? It seems like that takes up a lot of your personal time."
Yue Xin sighed: "The basketball manager is an older brother in our compound. He's busy, so he asked me to fill in. Mainly because I used to like playing basketball and know a bit about it. Once he comes back and finds someone else, I'll leave."
Gu Yin suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."
The girl had a heroic look and a strong presence. Although her clothes didn't have a logo, the material was obviously high-quality and custom-made. Moreover, the large courtyard she mentioned seemed to only house the children of those families.
"You want to be a diplomat in the future?"
Yue Xin's face began to flush. She coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "That's what I really think, but you know how high the requirements are for this job. Even after graduation, I might not be able to get in. Let's keep a low profile for now. If we don't get in, no one will know what I'm thinking, and I won't be too embarrassed. Otherwise, people will say that I'm being unrealistic and don't know what's good for me."
Gu Yin couldn't help but laugh and nodded: "That's a good idea. I believe you can do it. Good luck!"
Gu Yin's belief seemed to give her more confidence, and her eyes lit up: "If the academic genius says it's possible, then I definitely can! Can I touch your hand?"
Gu Yin: "???"
Yue Xin said a little embarrassedly, "Well, everyone says that if you pray to the God of Learning, you won't fail your exams. I was thinking that if I touched him, wouldn't that be even more effective?" After saying that, she looked at Gu Yin expectantly.
Gu Yin, completely bewildered, tentatively reached out her hand: "Have we alumni already gone this far? What about science? Have you forgotten?"
Yue Xin reached out and held Gu Yin's hand, satisfied: "After exam week, they'll believe in science again. By the way, your hands are so slender, fair, and delicate! Are these the hands you use for experiments? They must be hands you take good care of even when you're not doing anything! Tell me secretly, do you secretly make some beauty and skincare cream and use it on yourself?"
Gu Yin was both amused and exasperated: "No, it's innate."
Yue Xin clearly didn't believe it.
"What are you doing? Why are you shaking hands? Do you know each other?" Gu Shu asked curiously when he saw his sister and Yue Xin holding hands.
Gu Yin put her hand back, and Yue Xin sighed inwardly, thinking it was a pity. If they had held hands longer, Yue Xin might not have had to worry about her studies next year.
"Touch the God of Learning, and may you not fail your courses."
Gu Shu looked at Yue Xin as she said this so matter-of-factly and was speechless: "Aren't you an international relations major? You still believe this?"
Yue Xin stood up: "My DNA tells me that if you believe, it exists; if you don't believe, it doesn't. I believe now." After saying that, she ignored Gu Shu, sat back down in her original seat, picked up a strawberry and ate it. To be honest, it was almost the same as the one she had at the Red House.
"What were you saying to Gu Shu's sister just now?" Liang Sisi asked, pursing her lips, as she saw Gu Shu and Gu Yin talking while looking at Yue Xin.
Yue Xin shook her head: "We didn't say anything, just chatting. By the way, have you been to Gu Shu's house?"
Liang Sisi's eyes flickered, and she nodded: "Of course! We have a good relationship in our team, and Gu Shu often invites us over for meals."
Yue Xin glanced at her, nodded, and remained silent.
Seeing her like this, Liang Sisi wanted to say something but didn't know how, so she remained silent.
"Children, set the table! Time to eat!" The old lady called out as she came out of the kitchen and into the living room.
Everyone stood up, and Wang Yue took the lead, bringing out the food from the kitchen one by one.
After the food was served, the old lady looked at everyone and said with a smile, "The usual way, you all eat here, and we old folks will eat in the back dining room! We're afraid you'll feel uncomfortable with the adults here!"
It was the same before; no one refused, and Wang Yue and Gu Shu helped carry the dishes to the second courtyard.
Thinking of Grandpa Chu and the others, Gu Yin didn't eat with everyone else, but instead went to eat with the elderly.
Seeing Gu Yin come over, Mr. Chu smiled and said, "Why did you come over to eat with us? It's so lively up front, the young people have things to talk about."
Gu Yin served rice to everyone, then sat down and feigned sadness, saying, "It's been so long since I've had a meal with you. Is this a sign of displeasure?"
Grandma Chu laughed: "It's not that I'm not welcoming! You wouldn't believe it, I was just picking strawberries in the strawberry field when he heard from the staff that you were having dinner at home, and he immediately grabbed me and ran outside! He was as fast as a young person!"
Mr. Chu said embarrassedly, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Everyone in the room burst into laughter.
“I didn’t expect that it’s already lunchtime and you two are still at the farm! If no one is home, you two should come and eat here. It’s more lively. Chu Yan isn’t here, and Chu’s father and the others are always flying around. You two don’t eat on time at home anymore, which isn’t good for your health.”
Gu Yin thought about it and realized that the two of them were quite lonely.
Mr. Chu smiled and shook his head: "We're all used to it. We used to stay at home, but since we got that farm, the four of us spend almost every day there playing and working. We don't feel lonely at all. By the way, has Ayan contacted you since he went to Dabai Mountain?"
Gu Yin nodded: "We keep in touch, but very rarely. Most of the time it's just messages. The signal is bad on his end. When there is a signal, I'm either in class or doing experiments, so we basically don't make any phone calls or video chats. We just leave messages. They're busy over there, so they can't come back for the time being this year."
He said that half of the dragon tongue plants had been planted, the infrastructure around Dabai Mountain had been completed, and they had started studying the lake, but it was very difficult and there was still no progress. Personnel from Base 101 were being sent there in batches, and even senior academicians and professors from various universities had been taken away. Many big names from history, biology, archaeology, chemistry, physics, and other fields had been called away. If Gu Yin hadn't been there and was still conducting experiments, she would have been called away too.
The old lady sighed upon hearing this: "When we were abroad, we could see each other every two weeks or a month. Now that we're in China, we can't even make phone calls. I'm sorry to have to put you through this."
Gu Jianguo laughed and said, "We're all going to do great things, what's there to feel aggrieved about? The kids are different from us. After Ayin graduates, it will be Ayan's turn not to see her anymore. It's only right that the two kids are together!"
Everyone laughed, agreeing.
After having dinner with the four elderly people, Gu Yin went back to the front yard to check on Gu Shu and the others.
Everyone was still eating, drinking beverages like they were alcohol, and having fun.
Seeing Gu Yin come in, Wang Yue quickly waved, "Sis! Come sit down! Let's have some fun!"
Gu Yin sat down next to them, looking at them curiously: "What are you playing? It's so lively!"
"Let's play rock-paper-scissors! You come too! The loser drinks a beverage!" Wang Yue pointed to a large empty beverage bottle on the table.
Gu Yin: "...You guys play, I'll sit for a while, then I'll go back to school." This is so boring!
Gu Shu noticed Gu Yin's speechlessness and smiled as he placed a chicken leg in her hand: "Eat the chicken leg, don't mind him, he's drunk from drinking soda!"
Wang Yue was not convinced and immediately pulled Gu Shu back to continue.
Gu Yin noticed that Wang Yue was either unlucky or bad at the game. In the short time she'd been sitting down, they'd already played five rounds, and Wang Yue hadn't won a single one! He'd gone to the bathroom several times already! And he still wouldn't give up! He was really bad at the game but had a huge addiction to it!
Gu Yin glanced at the time and decided to leave early. So, while munching on a chicken leg, she got up and went to the back to tell her grandparents.
As soon as I reached the door, I saw a figure emerge from the archway in front of me.
Gu Yin stopped in her tracks.
The person walked through the archway, past the artificial hill, across the wooden bridge over the fishpond, and slowly and unhurriedly approached Gu Yin.
Gu Yin blinked.
The man was wearing a thick, warm military overcoat, and his once handsome face now had a light stubble on his chin.
"Have you missed me?"
The deep, husky voice reached Gu Yin's ears, and she finally came to her senses.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? What if I wasn't home, or I was busy with experiments?"
The man's slightly aggrieved voice rang out: "After I came back, I went to Qingdao University, but I couldn't find you in the lab. I went to the house near the school, but you weren't there either. I was going to look for you in the library, but then I saw Gu Shu's post on QQ and finally saw your voice. You still haven't said if you missed me."
Gu Yin chuckled softly, raised her hand, and threw herself into the arms of the person who came to her.
Although she didn't say it, Chu Yan already knew her answer.
He held her tightly in his arms, resting his chin on Gu Yin's shoulder: "I originally wanted to give you a surprise, but you gave me a shock instead. When I left, I clearly told Gu Shu to keep an eye on you and not let any other men with ill intentions get close to you. What's wrong with him? How come he let you chat so enthusiastically with other people!"
Gu Yin was speechless: "...Where is the popularity?! You're slandering me. Those are my brother's teammates. A group of them often come to our house for dinner, so we've become familiar. What nonsense are you talking about?"
A muttered voice came from the shoulder: "He poured you a drink, clinked glasses with you, and even brought the dishes from afar to you. These are things I should have done. If I wasn't there, it should have been Gu Shulai who did it."
Gu Yin stepped out of Chu Yan's arms and put the half-eaten chicken leg to his mouth.
Chu Yan started eating without even looking at it.
Seeing the bloodshot in his eyes, Gu Yin sighed and softened: "I was eating with my grandparents and the other two in the back before, and I only came over after we had run out of food. It was just a small gesture. The drinks and dishes were right there, so it was just a quick thing to do. Besides, when Senior Wang calls me 'sister,' he doesn't mean anything by it. Why are you being so sour about that?"
She hadn't expected that Gu Shu would actually be included in the photo, something she did on a whim.
Chu Yan finished eating the chicken leg, took it to the trash can and threw it away, then took out a wet wipe, took Gu Yin's hand and wiped it clean for her one by one.
Do things quietly, without making a sound.
Gu Yin took his hand off her shoulder and intertwined her fingers with his: "Go wash up first. I'll bring you some food to the room. There's still some food for my parents warming up in the kitchen. Don't come out. I'll stay with you."
Without waiting for Chu Yan's reply, he pulled her towards the back room.
Chu Yan glanced at their intertwined fingers, tightened his grip slightly, and followed. His previously droopy eyebrows lifted, and his eyes were full of smiles.
Back in Chu Yan's room, Gu Yin turned on the light and looked at him: "Go wash up first."
Chu Yan nodded, placed his bag in the entryway, took off his coat and scarf and hung them up, then lifted his heel and with a soft click, closed the half-open door.
He stepped forward and pulled Gu Yin into his arms again, cupping her fair and delicate face in his hands, gently rubbing it with his thumbs, his dark eyes fixed on Gu Yin's eyes.
Gu Yin: "!!!!" What is this?! Is he going to kiss me?!
Their breathing became labored, and the room was so quiet that they could hear each other's heartbeats.
Why aren't you kissing me yet?! My face is burning from all the rubbing! Your eyes are practically glued to me, why aren't you kissing me?!
A series of questions flashed through Gu Yin's mind, and finally she couldn't bear it and closed her eyes.
"You've lost weight."
Gu Yin: "……!!!!" I closed my eyes! And this is what you do?!
Gu Yin immediately opened her eyes in anger, her mouth agape as she was about to curse, but then everything went black, and she felt a burning sensation on her lips.
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