Chapter 36 Those eight years of arguing under the moon, did she also... miss...?
Hearing this, everyone nodded and smiled, following Director Liu out. Gu Qingyan, however, lagged behind, his steps hesitant. His gaze swept over the throng of people and involuntarily fell on Lin Yuwei's profile as she listened attentively to the lecture. He watched her eyes light up slightly as she instantly grasped a subtle technique; her focused expression was particularly moving. His gaze shifted slightly, then turned to Zhou Xubai, who stood beside her, their conversation flowing seamlessly. His eyes darkened, becoming like a deep pool untouched by sunlight.
Director Liu walked to the door, turned around and saw Gu Qingyan still standing there, so he smiled and called out, "President Gu? Let's go? Bamboo weaving is quite interesting, I'm sure you'll be interested."
Gu Qingyan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. He abruptly withdrew his gaze, forcing a polite but slightly stiff smile. He nodded slightly in the direction of Director Liu, his voice steady: "Of course I'm interested. Please lead the way, Director Liu." As he spoke, he almost subconsciously glanced at the three figures chatting amiably in the halo of light, seemingly forming a separate entity, before turning sharply to catch up with the group. His well-tailored dark suit jacket traced a clean, crisp, yet strangely aloof arc in the sunlight as he moved.
Inside the workshop, Lin Yuwei, who was observing the knife's path with her head down, seemed to sense something and subconsciously turned her head to look at the doorway. However, she only saw an empty door frame and a cold, aloof figure that quickly disappeared around the corner. Her gaze lingered there for a moment, and a very faint, elusive feeling swept through her heart, but she was quickly pulled back by Master Li's enthusiastic explanation.
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The moonlight, like a ribbon, gently enveloped the tranquil Longquan Village. The daytime hustle and bustle had long since subsided, leaving only a few distant barks of dogs and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Lin Yuwei had just showered; her long, slightly damp hair cascaded over her shoulders, exuding a faint scent of shampoo. Feeling a bit stuffy in the room, she sent Zhou Xubai a text message, asking if he would like to take a walk together, given the beautiful moonlight. Zhou Xubai quickly replied, "Okay, I'll wait for you downstairs."
The two walked side by side on the village's bluestone path, neither speaking, yet a tacit peace flowed between them. A gentle evening breeze carried the fresh scent of the fields and ruffled Lin Yuwei's half-dry hair. "Achoo—" she suddenly sneezed, instinctively hugging her arms.
Zhou Xubai immediately stopped and turned to look at her, his eyes filled with concern: "It's chilly at night, are you cold? Shall we turn back?"
"It's nothing." Lin Yuwei shook her head and took a deep breath of the cool air. "It's very comfortable outside. I don't want to go back and feel stuffy so early."
Zhou Xubai hesitated for a moment, then said gently, "Then wait for me here. I'll go back and get you a coat. Did you bring your room key?"
Lin Yuwei took the key out of her pocket and handed it to him: "Thank you for your help." "I'll be back soon." Zhou Xubai took the key and turned to walk quickly towards the guesthouse.
Lin Yuwei stood alone, looking up at the bright moon in the sky, feeling the gentle evening breeze caressing her hair and cheeks. Just as she was immersed in this tranquility, a deep and familiar voice sounded from behind her: "It's windy at night, and it's easy to catch a cold."
Lin Yuwei was slightly taken aback and turned around. She saw Gu Qingyan standing a few steps away in the moonlight. He looked like he had just taken a bath, as his hair was still slightly damp. He was wearing a simple dark shirt, which was different from his daytime attire. At this moment, he looked less sharp and more indescribably lonely.
"President Gu," Lin Yuwei greeted him politely, glancing subconsciously in the direction Zhou Xubai had left.
"You're really that unwilling to be alone with me?" Gu Qingyan took two steps forward, the moonlight clearly illuminating the complex expression in his eyes. "You're not even willing to stand in front of me for a little longer?"
Lin Yuwei avoided his gaze, trying to keep her tone calm: "Mr. Gu is overthinking it. I just think it's getting late..."
“I know you’ve been deliberately avoiding me ever since that dinner.” Gu Qingyan interrupted her, her voice suppressing a certain emotion: “Lin Yuwei, do you hate me that much? Even if we put everything in the past, can’t we even be ordinary friends?”
“Of course we’re friends!” Lin Yuwei tried to explain: “President Gu is overthinking it. I just think… it’s better for both of us to keep a proper distance, since we’re mainly working together right now.”
“Work relationship?” Gu Qingyan chuckled softly, a hint of self-mockery and bitterness in his voice. “So you can ignore me, and be with him…” He paused, seemingly struggling to control himself, before finally taking a deep breath, looking directly at her, and asking the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long: “Have you decided? Decided to be with Zhou Xubai?” His gaze was too direct, carrying an unavoidable sharpness, as if trying to see into her heart.
Lin Yuwei was getting annoyed by his questioning, and coupled with the complex emotions she had been feeling, a sudden impulse made her blurt out, "What does this have to do with you? Yes, I think Xu Bai is a good person, gentle and considerate, and always thinking of me. I'm not just playing around; I've seriously considered whether to date him! Are you satisfied with this answer?"
Under the moonlight, Lin Yuwei had barely finished saying, "I...I've seriously considered whether to date him," when she froze, followed by a wave of regret. She couldn't bear to look at Gu Qingyan's instantly pale face, turned around abruptly, and almost fled back along the bluestone path.
"Lin Yuwei!" Gu Qingyan's voice was filled with suppressed anger and resentment. She immediately took long strides to follow him, throwing all pretense of composure and restraint to the back of her mind.
"You were just saying that out of anger, weren't you? Just to make me angry?" he asked urgently, a few steps behind her.
"No!" Lin Yuwei denied it firmly without turning her head, and quickened her pace.
"You are! Look me in the eye and say it if you dare!"
"Gu Qingyan, are you ever going to stop? Don't follow me, I don't want to argue with you!"
"Am I trying to start a fight? You become like a hedgehog whenever you see me! Is Zhou Xubai really that great? So great that you can't wait to 'start a serious relationship'? You've only known each other for a short time. Do you know what he likes and dislikes? Do you know what he..." Gu Qingyan's tone carried a hint of sourness and childishness that she herself didn't realize.
"How long we've known each other is none of your business!" Lin Yuwei retorted, her temper flaring at his question. "Anyway, he's better than some people who just disappear or use the silent treatment! I know he's gentle and considerate! He won't be as aggressive as you!"
Lin Yuwei suddenly stopped, turned around and glared at him, her eyes slightly red: "At least he wouldn't make me this sad!" As if provoked by his approach, her long-suppressed emotions suddenly burst forth, her eyes reddened, and her voice choked with sobs: "Do you know what those eight years I..." She stopped abruptly, as if she had used up all her courage, and just stared at him with her red and tearful eyes, which were filled with too many unspoken grievances and pain.
Gu Qingyan was struck hard by the surging emotions in her eyes and the unfinished "eight years". During the eight years she went abroad, he had imagined what she looked like in a foreign land countless times, and he had also thought of her uncontrollably on countless nights. Those longings that he had deliberately suppressed surged up at this moment, almost overwhelming his reason.
His Adam's apple bobbed violently as a strong urge to find out the truth overwhelmed his reason. During those eight years, did she also... miss him?
"Yu Wei? President Gu?" A gentle but noticeably tense voice suddenly broke in, interrupting the situation that was almost out of control.
Zhou Xubai walked out from a side path, still holding the coat he was originally going to give to Lin Yuwei. His face looked a little pale in the moonlight, but he still tried to maintain a gentle smile. His eyes quickly swept over Lin Yuwei's reddened eyes and Gu Qingyan's unusually ugly expression, and finally landed on the tense distance between the two.
“I heard the sound from afar,” he said as he stepped forward, his tone carrying just the right amount of concern, yet with a hint of barely perceptible distance. “What’s wrong? Is… something unpleasant happening?” As he spoke, he naturally turned to the side, subtly separating Gu Qingyan and Lin Yuwei, forming a protective stance.
His appearance was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the question that Gu Qingyan was about to blurt out. Gu Qingyan watched as Zhou Xubai very naturally draped his coat over Lin Yuwei's slightly trembling shoulders, and watched as Lin Yuwei subconsciously gripped the coat as if she were clinging to a piece of driftwood. The emotions surging in his eyes gradually cooled down, eventually turning into a bottomless cold pool.
He gave Lin Yuwei a deep look, his gaze so complex it was unsettling, as if he wanted to imprint her image in his mind. Then, without saying a word or even glancing at Zhou Xubai again, he turned abruptly and strode away, his tall figure resolutely disappearing into the deep night, as if lingering for even a second longer would be torture.
Zhou Xubai stared in the direction Gu Qingyan had disappeared, remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly. He turned to Lin Yuwei, who was still looking down and whose shoulders were trembling slightly, and said in a very gentle voice, "It's alright now, let's go, I'll take you back." Lin Yuwei wrapped her coat, which still carried Zhou Xubai's warmth, tighter around her waist, nodded haphazardly, and let him put his arm around her shoulder as they walked towards the guesthouse.
The moon was high in the sky, its bright light shining down and condensing the two shadows into a dark mass at their feet. Despite witnessing the intense scene just now, Zhou Xubai asked nothing and remained silent the whole way, with only the rustling of the wind through the leaves and his heart, which was further disturbed by the unfinished words and the sudden interruption.
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Author's note: Haha, how old are you, still arguing like a little kid? [Dog head holding a rose] Love makes people childish, that's true.
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