Chapter 26 Give me a chance to pursue you again...
"Hmm," Gu Sui responded faintly, seemingly typing.
Shang Shu was helpless. This person seemed to have no interest in eating at all. She couldn't help but wonder if this was a sequela of gastroenteritis. He didn't eat anything every day and was only kept alive by a breath of immortality.
After several crisp "beep" sounds, Shang Shu looked at the numbers displayed on the thermometer and finally felt relieved, thankfully there were signs of her fever subsiding.
Watching the other person scroll through their phone, Shang Shu felt a little strange. She remembered that this person didn't usually look at their phone much, but today they were scrolling through it quite frequently.
"Then I'll order room service from the hotel." She glanced at Gu Sui leaning against the door, then walked over to the sofa and sat down, ordering the porridge and other dishes she had just browsed and thought looked pretty good.
Gu Sui quickly finished explaining the situation, put away his phone, and sat down next to the person, leaning his head slightly closer to look at the screen with them.
"Can you eat seafood? This seafood porridge looks good." Shang Shu moved her phone closer to Gu Sui and asked, tapping on the picture of the seafood porridge.
“Okay,” Gu Sui replied after glancing at the picture.
"Then I'll take this one..."
Gu Sui looked down at Shang Shu, who was staring at the screen and muttering to herself, as if they had returned to that wonderful time when they sat together on an ordinary evening, discussing what to have for dinner.
*
They spent a few more days in Shanghai, completely absorbed in their surroundings. They wandered around, abandoning the routine of getting on and off vehicles in Macau. Shang Shu found the leisurely strolls quite enjoyable. Gu Sui's injuries were also recovering well, so it was time for them to head back to Macau.
On her last night in Shanghai, Shang Shu was sitting on the sofa, idly scrolling through her phone. She picked up a glass of water to get a drink, but when she looked up, she saw Gu Sui standing at the door, smiling at her.
This person is dressed so nicely at night...
Shang Shu's hand, holding the cup, hovered in mid-air, and she couldn't help but be stunned.
Gu Sui slowly approached Shang Shu's side, chuckling as he leaned down: "Would you like to come somewhere with me?"
The night view of the Huangpu River is still breathtakingly beautiful, and the last night adds another layer of nostalgia to this stunning scenery.
Gu Sui led the person to the dock by the river. In the most conspicuous position stood a three-story luxury yacht. Its snow-white hull gleamed like pearls under the lights, and a large "S" was painted in gold paint in the center of the hull.
Gu Sui stepped onto the gangway, turned around, and gently extended his hand to Shang Shu: "Come here."
Shang Shu absentmindedly took that hand. The river breeze brushed against her face, and she felt her head start spinning again.
Passing through a red-carpeted passageway, you arrive at the spacious main deck. The polished teak floors are warm and bright, surrounded by brand-new leather sofas. The bar is adorned with carefully arranged flowers and candlesticks, and the Dom Pérignon rosé champagne, already chilled, bubbled in crystal glasses.
"Do you like it?" Gu Sui whispered in her ear, leaning close to her neck.
"This is……"
Her maternal family, the He family, made their fortune in shipping in their early years, and Shang Shu came from a wealthy family in Macau, so she was naturally used to yachts. She wasn't surprised that it belonged to Gu Sui, after all, compared to the Shang family, the Gu family was still a small fry. However, this sudden question left her a little confused.
"A gift for you." Gu Sui smiled and led the person upstairs.
"Why did you suddenly buy me a yacht?" Shang Shu asked as she climbed the stairs, remembering the "S" on the hull of the boat.
Gu Sui squeezed the hand he was holding, his voice drifting in the river breeze: "If I want to invite this beautiful lady to spend the night with me, of course I should show my appreciation."
"Oh? Who knows if 'S' represents the 'Shu' in Shang Shu or the 'Sui' in Gu Sui?" Shang Shu was in a good mood and started teasing.
“It’s you.” Gu Sui turned around and smiled at her.
That's us too.
The ship slowly sailed away from the dock. On one side was the dignified and elegant Bund's international architecture, and on the other side was the dazzling Lujiazui. The brilliant lights were reflected in the river, dancing with the waves stirred up by the stern of the ship.
The restaurant is located on the middle floor and is surrounded by large floor-to-ceiling windows. Long tables are covered with champagne-colored linen, and silverware glitters in the soft light of burning candles.
"Please sit down." Gu Sui pulled out a chair for Shang Shu and watched her slowly sit down.
The waiter on the yacht appeared silently, served the two appetizers, and then quickly disappeared from sight.
Shang Shu was quite satisfied with this low-profile "ghost" service. She looked at the oysters in front of her, then at the avocado salad in front of Gu Sui, and shook her head regretfully on her behalf.
"When did you prepare this? I had no idea!" Shang Shu elegantly squeezed lemon juice onto the oysters. They had been inseparable for the past few days, yet she hadn't noticed anything amiss.
"It doesn't matter, as long as you like it." Gu Sui smiled as he looked at the other person's happy expression.
This person... always says things that are so tempting.
Shang Shu took a bite of the oyster. The texture was as smooth as cream, with a faint hazelnut aroma. It was a high-quality Gillardeau.
The phone next to her lit up. Shang Shu glanced at it and was startled. She subconsciously looked up at the person in front of her and saw that he was bent over picking at an avocado. Only then did she reach out and tap the screen, swipe left, and clear the message from the lock screen.
Just as she was about to turn the phone upside down, the screen lit up again, and she frowned imperceptibly.
Thankfully, it was an entertainment news share from Lin Lang, with the headline: "[Zhao's youngest son marries Pei's daughter in a flash, got pregnant first and bought the ticket later?]"
Lin Lang always loved sharing these messy, interesting stories from the elite circles with her. She chuckled and remarked that the Australian media's sharp tongue was probably on par with that of the Hong Kong media.
"What are you laughing at?" Gu Sui asked, putting down the salad fork in his hand.
Shang Shu simply clicked on the news article: "These entertainment reporters will say anything to grab attention. Look, they said someone's 'pregnancy came first, and the marriage certificate came later.'"
Gu Sui picked up a napkin from the side, his expression remaining largely unchanged, and quietly observed Shang Shu's reaction.
Shang Shu finally saw the picture. She quickly wiped her hands and zoomed in to examine it closely: "She...isn't from that day..."
Isn't she the woman who appeared at Gu Sui's door that day, arguing and pulling at someone?
Gu Sui raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
During the brief silence, the waiter served the two their main course.
"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Shang Shu thought about how she had been jealous that day, which had even made her sick, and how she had run to Shanghai ahead of time to avoid people. Her feelings were now a mix of emotions.
"So you're jealous?" Gu Sui asked with a smile, waiting for the girl's answer as if he were waiting for her to run into a trap.
"I'm not jealous!" Shang Shu blushed. "Don't talk nonsense. Why would I be jealous?
In her haste, she rattled off a long string of words, which only made her seem more like she was trying to cover something up.
Gu Sui couldn't help but chuckle: "Alright, alright, you're not jealous, I'm the one who's jealous, is that alright?"
When Shang Shu saw that she was still smiling, she suddenly felt that her meal no longer tasted good.
"Alright, eat more. We'll go upstairs for a bit after we finish eating," Gu Sui said, glancing at the girl's slender wrist.
Upon hearing this, Shang Shu continued eating, wanting to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Shanghai one last time.
After dinner, Gu Sui handed a glass of champagne to Shang Shu, picked up a glass for himself, and then led her up to the top deck.
A gentle, salty breeze caressed my cheeks, and the rosy liquid swirled in my glass. Sometime earlier, Fleccher's "Eras of Us" began playing on the boat, its dreamy, husky female voice a soft, murmuring chant:
How are you doing
Where have you been
I've been practicing this moment for like twenty something years in my head
It's nice to meet you
That's what I said...
Shang Shu gazed at the river and took a sip of wine. The aroma of cherries mixed with raspberries melted between her lips and teeth, followed by the roasted nutty scent of amber peach kernels.
He truly deserves the title of King of Champagne.
only……
She glanced at Gu Sui beside her and frowned: "You'd better not drink it."
"Wouldn't that be a waste?" Gu Sui laughed, swirling the wine in his glass. "A little bit, it's fine."
Shang Shu remained noncommittal, then raised her glass and took a small sip, feeling slightly tipsy—her favorite drink.
Whether it was her imagination or not, there were unusually few boats on the Huangpu River today, as if the jewel-encrusted Milky Way beneath her feet belonged solely to them under the night sky, mysterious and romantic.
"What happened a few days ago was my fault," Gu Sui murmured, tilting her head back and leaning on the railing with one hand.
Shang Shu was taken aback when she heard these words drifting into her ears. She had thought that the other person would never mention that kiss again.
Did she prepare all this today specifically to apologize...?
The wind tousled the other person's long hair, naturally revealing that exquisite chin, then down to the slightly trembling, snow-white neck, and then the collarbone faintly visible beneath the open shirt. Shang Shu gazed at her greedily in the night, weaving a dream that was so close yet so far away with her eyes.
“Ah Shu.” Gu Sui took a sip of wine, turned his head to meet Shang Shu’s eyes, “You’re right, you’re not someone who can separate sex from love, and neither am I.”
"That kiss, everything that happened that day, stemmed from my instinctive feelings for you. It was my body's most genuine reaction to you. So, Ah Shu, neither of those options is what I want. I don't want to be just friends with you, much less friends with benefits. I..."
"What? You mean you still like me, and after three years you realize you still can't forget me?" Shang Shu shook her head and smiled. "Gu Sui, I'm not a child anymore."
They're not that naive, and they're not that easily fooled.
The pink liquor churned excessively in the night, the bubbles rising to the surface of the glass only to vanish in an instant.
"Yes, A-Shu, I like you, I always have, I always have, and I always have." Disrupted from her plan, Gu Sui took a step forward anxiously, fearing that the other person would leave at any moment.
Shang Shu gently retreated as the other person stepped forward. She found these words amusing and was too lazy to even get angry.
Breakup, disappearance, reappearance—is this what she meant by "always liking" someone?
She smiled sarcastically: "Really? Well, your way of liking people is quite unique."
In fact, how could she have been completely unaware of Gu Sui's feelings all this time? Every move he made touched her heartstrings.
She just wanted to wait for that answer, to wait for the moment when the other person was finally willing to speak.
Unfortunately, no.
The other party seems to have forgotten that if they want to start over, they at least need to settle the unfinished business of the past and give themselves an explanation.
So in her view, these words were just as absurd as that kiss—drunken ramblings and a drunken, incoherent kiss—she didn't want to believe either of them.
"Ah Shu, you still have feelings for me, don't you?" Gu Sui reached out and covered the hand on the railing before the other person could dodge.
She knew Shang Shu too well. She knew she cared about her image, she knew her awkwardness, she knew she just didn't want to admit it. Otherwise, why would she be jealous of her, why would she worry about her health all the time, and so on?
"Yes, I can't treat you like a stranger, but that doesn't mean I have to be with you."
Shang Shu downed the remaining wine in her glass in one gulp and turned her gaze to the boundless river: "Gu Sui, no one stays in the same place forever, and I'm no exception."
Although this was self-deception, she truly did not want to recall the past, whether painful or beautiful; those things should have been in the past long ago.
She raised her empty wine glass high towards the bustling opposite bank: "Shall we just enjoy this river view?"
After a long silence, Gu Sui finally let go of her hand: "A-Shu, I'm telling you all this just to let you know how I feel. It's okay if you don't want to stay where you are, I can go after you."
Gu Sui took a deep breath: "Shang Shu, please give me a chance to pursue you again."
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Author's note: Thank you so much for the nutrient solution, my lovely readers! [heart eyes] Grateful~
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