Chapter 35: We should have what others have too.
Gu Lai stared at her for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "How come I never knew you were so good with words?"
Jiang Yi glanced at the coffin, and for some reason felt that the scene of them being all lovey-dovey was a bit strange, which made her not particularly happy after being affirmed.
She wanted to say something witty or romantic, but swallowed it back.
“It’s my problem,” Jiang Yi said. “I’ll correct it in the future and help you get used to it.”
Your almost doting attitude is getting me addicted.
...What if something else happens? I'm already addicted.
Gu Lai silently looked at Jiang Yi for a while, but ultimately didn't say anything. These words were too pessimistic and hurtful; if she said them, Jiang Yi probably wouldn't be able to respond appropriately.
She said with a smile in her eyes, "Thank you."
Jiang Yi glanced at the coffin again, took a few steps closer to Gu Lai and said, "No need to thank me right away, I still need to apply for assistance."
Gu Lai instinctively wanted to step back, but stepping back would bring her closer to the offering table, so she stopped abruptly: "What?"
Jiang Yi didn't say it directly, but tilted his head and narrowed his eyes slightly like a hunter spotting a lamb: "You seem a little nervous."
Gu Lai: "Why would I be nervous?"
Oh no, I seem to have gotten really nervous after saying that.
The close proximity made Gu Lai feel a subtle, intimidating pressure when facing Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi seemed to have just said it casually, and after hearing this, he smiled and skipped over it: "If you think anything in the future that feels wrong or uncomfortable, just tell me directly."
Gu Lai was silent for a moment: "Do you think I'm hiding something?"
"It's not that serious... It's just that sometimes if you don't tell me, I might not realize that I've unintentionally hurt you." Jiang Yi paused, as if considering how to phrase it, and after a while said, "Don't think it's unnecessary to say it."
Jiang Yi had subtly expressed this point earlier when he was in the hospital.
She said she didn't even know why.
For a moment, Gu Lai felt incredibly wronged. She didn't think she was the one who kept quiet in the relationship. To be honest, sometimes she felt Jiang Yi was the one who did.
Just as Jiang Yi himself veiled his words by quoting someone else, "Can you love me so deeply that I can reveal my vulnerability?"
But Gu Lai also found it hard not to recall the scenes of their past arguments. All of that told her that Jiang Yi's feelings were real.
"I didn't think it was unnecessary..." Gu Lai's subconscious attempt to defend herself came to an abrupt halt, a hint of helplessness in her eyes. "Okay, I'll try my best."
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After meeting with the victim's family, Gu Lai's mood worsened, just as Jiang Yi had expected, and she didn't want to stay in Dingcheng for even a second longer.
After Jiang Yi returned to Milan, Gu Lai parted ways with her and flew to Guizhou Province. After a long drive, she finally arrived at the town where the filming was taking place. When she met He Xiaoqing, who had come to pick her up, she was completely exhausted.
As Gu Lai took off her sunglasses with one hand and held up her phone with the other to ask He Xiaoqing "Where are you?", a large bunch of long-legged white tulips shook violently and shouted at her, "Here I am, sis!"
Gu Lai paused for a moment, then looked both amused and exasperated. She strode over and took the flowers, at which point He Xiaoqing's face finally came into view.
"Jiang San gave it to me. She asked me to bring it to you." Before Gu Lai could ask, He Xiaoqing had already rattled off everything, and even added a stack of complaints, "They're so big and heavy. I've never carried flowers so hard before. Such a nouveau riche attitude. She even insisted that I deliver them personally."
Gu Lai lowered her head and smelled the flowers. The white tulips had a light fragrance, and there were fresh dewdrops on them, whether sprayed or natural, she couldn't tell.
Gu Lai carefully parted the flower branches and took out the card that was about to fall completely.
The above is the printed text: "A long journey. Jiang Yi."
He Xiaoqing peeked out and asked, "What's going on? They've already sent flowers? That's all? No sincerity."
Gu Lai took a picture with her phone in one hand while replying verbally, "So, what should I say to Jiang Yi? Just say it was you who criticized him."
The phone screen popped up; the message had been sent.
Gu Lai: [Received]
Gu Lai: [Tulips and cards jpg]
He Xiaoqing: "No, no, no, but could you please ask me for my service fee?"
Gu Lai: "How much?"
He Xiaoqing pondered for a moment, then seriously made a request: "Could you sponsor costumes for another film I produced?"
The phone screen flickered again.
Jiang Yi: [Kissing emoji]
Jiang Yi: [Is it pretty? I paid extra for express delivery because there are no flower shops in that town.]
After reading it, Gu Lai turned her head and glanced at He Xiaoqing: "Okay, I'll have someone contact you later."
“Okay… wait a minute,” He Xiaoqing said in surprise, “Sister Gu, don’t you never get involved in these things?”
Gu Lai's expression was calm: "I know the movie you're talking about. They gave me the script before. I'm talking about an independent Hanfu brand under my name, which should be more in line with the movie's tone. Sponsorship from the group's luxury brands is not very meaningful."
"Oh! Oh," He Xiaoqing uttered two meaningless interjections.
That company wasn't just recently registered under your name; it was arranged to be yours by your "insiders" a long time ago. It's just that we "outsiders" didn't notice.
If it were before, you would have just stood by and pushed it onto Jiang Yi and those executives.
He Xiaoqing suddenly felt a sense of closeness, as if a celestial being had descended to earth. Before, Gu Lai had always seemed somewhat distant and indifferent to her, which she interpreted as the personality of an artist.
It would be even better if an artist could also be an ordinary person.
He Xiaoqing smiled and said, "Okay, I'll have someone contact them then. By the way, has Jiang Yi been visiting the set recently?"
Visiting the set? That's such an old-fashioned term.
It seems like the last time I visited the set was several years ago.
This is certainly related to the fact that Gu Lai participates in fewer and fewer projects each year, but it is also true that Jiang Yi has never come.
Gu Lai sensed that Jiang Yi probably wouldn't come this time either. There were no direct flights from here, and the roads were difficult to travel. She wouldn't be staying on this set for more than a few days before heading off to film "Gansui".
Gu Lai said, "Probably not, she's been quite busy since the beginning of the year."
"Being busy is no excuse. Capitalists aren't beasts of burden; they can't just take time whenever they want," He Xiaoqing retorted, then asked, "Didn't you two make up?"
Gu Lai looked at her with some surprise: "I don't think so."
He Xiaoqing smiled knowingly: "So you've just decided to temporarily cancel the trip to the Civil Affairs Bureau?"
Gu Lai stopped walking and turned to look He Xiaoqing up and down: "Old He, you've really become a demigod. Not really... but how did you guess?"
He Xiaoqing smiled smugly: "What if I said it was purely because I understand her? She couldn't help herself. Did she bring it up herself?"
Gu Lai nodded: "Yes."
He Xiaoqing said, "She wouldn't have sent flowers if she hadn't mentioned it. That's just how she does things; to put it nicely, she plans things out before she acts. As for who brought it up, I just think it definitely wasn't you."
Gu Lai remained silent for a long while: "Why can't it be me?"
“In the days before you left, I felt that you were quite silent and suspicious whenever you encountered anything related to Jiang Yi. Sigh, that’s not the right word, but you know what it means.” He Xiaoqing sighed, “Based on that, I don’t think you would bring it up on your own initiative.”
People who have serious doubts about intimate relationships will not take the initiative to suggest reconciliation; it requires courage and determination.
Gu Lai wasn't unaware of this; she was just surprised—when did she make it so obvious? Hadn't she been busy learning directing from He Xiaoqing, and even filmed a few scenes herself?
He Xiaoqing didn't say anything more about these things, and instead started talking about the filming progress during the few days she was away. It wasn't until after nine o'clock in the evening that Gu Lai had time to reply to Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi sent two more messages when she wasn't paying attention.
Jiang Yi: [Lake Como at dusk jpg]
Jiang Yi: [When you're done, make a video call. Remember to turn on your camera.]
Gu Lai smiled and opened her WeChat Moments. Sure enough, she saw that Jiang Yichao had casually posted a photo of a computer, documents, and coffee, with the caption "Don't want to work."
Whether it was intentional or not, Gu Lai saw all the directors and presidents below praising and commending her.
Gu Lai placed the tablet on the table next to the window, pulled back the curtains, thought for a moment, then placed the bouquet of flowers on the windowsill, pulled the table to the opposite side of the window, and sat down with her back to the flowers and the windowsill.
The video call connected almost instantly.
On the screen, Jiang Yi was in the same house where they had once spent holidays together, with the familiar scenery of Lake Como in the background. It was still afternoon in Milan, and the infinity pool behind her resembled a deep blue ribbon tied to the distant Alps.
Jiang Yi hadn't showered this time; the top button of his cardigan was fastened, revealing only a section of his slender, fair neck. Gu Lai, unaware of her own disappointment, sighed silently.
Jiang Yi laughed and said, "The busy man has finally paid attention to me."
Her words sounded like a complaint, but coupled with her lazy and carefree expression, the slight resentment turned into a teasing remark. So Gu Lai replied casually, "I can't compare to you. The whole world almost knows you're working tirelessly on a multi-billion dollar strategic plan."
"This is too exaggerated, and I think the people who read this are too busy to reply to me anyway."
"Then why don't you block other people and set it to be visible only to me?"
Jiang Yi clicked his tongue: "It's not that it's impossible, but how awkward would it be if there was no reply at all?"
Do you expect me to respond to everything?
"yes."
Gu Lai said meaningfully, "Then your expectations of others are a bit too high."
Jiang Yi didn't reply, but just stared at her. For a moment, Gu Lai felt that the smile in his eyes had turned into a polite shell.
Before Gu Lai could recall the conversation, Jiang Yi casually changed the subject: "Aren't the flowers pretty?"
"Okay." Perhaps still lingering from the tense atmosphere, Gu Lai couldn't help but reply, "If it doesn't look good, I can still deliberately put it on the windowsill."
Jiang Yi said, "That's good. The flower shop is in the county, which is quite far from where you are. I was worried that the flowers would wilt by the time they arrived."
Gu Lai: "I thought that the super-rich would airfreight a whole plane full of flowers as a romantic gesture."
Jiang Yi looked at her thoughtfully.
Gu Lai asked sensitively, "What's wrong?"
I'm just thinking about how our once close relationship has become so distant, and how the gentle person I once was is now covered in thorns.
Jiang Yi didn't reveal his emotions at all: "It's not a good place to park a plane. I wanted you to see it today, and it's not some famous brand."
This straightforward honesty left Gu Lai at a loss for words. She belatedly realized that her tone had been somewhat sarcastic.
Someone traveled a long way to help her with everything, took care of her in her disheveled state, and even sent her a large bouquet of flowers. After waiting half a day for her reply, all she got in return was this lukewarm response.
Gu Lai suddenly felt a surge of guilt and sadness.
But she didn't have a chance to speak.
Jiang Yi said in a slightly coaxing tone, "If you want luxury goods, how about I send you Damask roses from Arabia next time?"
Gu Lai smiled and said, "No need, I was just joking."
“There’s nothing wrong with that. We should have what others have,” Jiang Yi said. “If you think it’s ostentatious, we can take you to your place when you get back from work.”
Gu Lai glared at her: "What do you mean by 'others have it'? Which other people?"
Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow in surprise, his expression so obvious that Gu Lai could easily read the words "Could this be jealousy?"
"It was a dating advice book that taught me this, but you refuse to teach me, right? Although I think sending flowers is a bit cliché, we should still have the proper rituals." After saying that, Jiang Yi thought for a moment and added, "Oh, the advice book wasn't from a real person, it was from an AI."
It's as if she's terrified of being jealous.
Gu Lai glared at her, puffing out her cheeks in embarrassment and annoyance, then looked back at the large bouquet of fresh flowers: "Did AI ask you to send tulips?"
“This is what I wanted to give you,” Jiang Yi said. “I feel it suits you.”
Gu Lai took out her phone where the camera couldn't reach, searched for "white tulip flower meaning", and casually replied, "That's true, you're more like a red rose."
Jiang Yi paused for a moment on the other end of the camera.
Gu Lai's pupils reflected the answer that had loaded onto her phone:
The meaning of white tulips: pure love and lost love.
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Thank you for the nutrient solution: M, +1 nutrient solution for watering
Thanks to Sweetheart for throwing a landmine: el75099445, 1 landmine
Good afternoon, I almost thanked myself too.
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