When Gu Qingqiu opened the door and came in, Bai Jingyuan hurriedly put down the half-eaten shumai, stood up straight, and looked like he had been caught by his elementary school homeroom teacher eating snacks in class.
Gu Qingqiu was both amused and exasperated. "Keep eating, why are you so nervous?"
Bai Jingyuan sat back down in his chair, but his gaze remained fixed on Gu Qingqiu, and he asked in a pitiful tone, "How many days are you planning to stay here?"
"What?" Gu Qingqiu unconsciously twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"
“…That’s not what I meant.” Bai Jingyuan was a little embarrassed, but he had to tell the truth. “I have to find a new place to rent in the next couple of days, and I might have to move, so I probably won’t have time to spend with you. I’m sorry.”
Gu Qingqiu stared at him for a long time, so long that Bai Jingyuan looked away, somewhat at a loss, before taking out a document from his bag and placing it on the table in front of him. "I just wanted to tell you this. You really do need to move."
"...What?" Bai Jingyuan's somewhat bewildered gaze sharpened when it landed on the words "Esports Player Contract Agreement" on the document cover. His heart raced, his whole body trembled, and he almost couldn't grasp the few pages of light words.
Bai Jingyuan turned back to look at Gu Qingqiu in disbelief.
Gu Qingqiu nodded solemnly to him, "Open it and take a look. If there are any other conditions, you can mention them."
Bai Jingyuan spent almost an hour repeatedly reading through the seven or eight pages of documents.
Gu Qingqiu didn't urge him, but patiently sat aside and waited for his answer.
As expected, Bai Jingyuan, after putting down the documents, had a glimmer of hope for the future in his eyes. "Are you really willing to sign me?"
“Of course, your skills are excellent, and you’re very suited for esports.” Gu Qingqiu crossed her hands. “As a businesswoman, I’ve always been confident in my investment acumen. As a woman, I unconditionally support the man I like.”
When Bai Jingyuan heard Gu Qingqiu praise his gaming skills, he was simply a little embarrassed. But when he heard the second half of the sentence, his face turned as red as a boiled shrimp. "No, don't do that..."
Gu Qingqiu smiled and said, "If there are no problems with the documents, sign them quickly. Aren't you afraid that I might change my mind if we're late?"
Bai Jingyuan picked up the pen on the table, signed his name stroke by stroke, and then handed the document back to Gu Qingqiu with both hands, saying sincerely, "Thank you."
Gu Qingqiu put the documents back in her bag. "Now that we've finished discussing business, let's talk about personal matters."
"Private matters?" Bai Jingyuan became even more nervous. He seemed to realize something, and his voice began to tremble involuntarily.
Sure enough, Gu Qingqiu smiled and said, "I like you quite a bit. Why don't you move in with me?"
“…Huh?” Bai Jingyuan’s eyes darted around. “This…this…this isn’t good…”
Gu Qingqiu's smile remained unchanged. "Jingzai, I've given you so much, shouldn't you pay a price in return?"
Bai Jingyuan, stunned, blurted out his innermost question, "Is my sister planning to take me as a sugar daddy?"
Gu Qingqiu couldn't help but laugh. "Then are you willing?"
Bai Jingyuan's previously high spirits plummeted again. "...So that's what you were thinking when you approached me, sister? You didn't really think I was suited for e-sports?"
“How could that be?” Gu Qingqiu said matter-of-factly, “I had never even met you before. Wasn’t it simply because I admired your skills?”
Bai Jingyuan recalled that he did not turn on his camera during the live stream and nodded hesitantly.
Gu Qingqiu continued, "However, I did indeed have feelings for you at first sight."
"Cough..." Bai Jingyuan choked on his own saliva and couldn't help but cough violently.
Gu Qingqiu got up and walked to Bai Jingyuan's side, gently patting his back. "But if you really don't want to, that's fine. I can find someone else."
"No!" Bai Jingyuan suddenly looked up. "No! Sister can't go to someone else!"
"Oh? So you agree?" Seeing that her provocation had worked, Gu Qingqiu revealed a triumphant smile.
Bai Jingyuan nodded. Even though he could tell that Gu Qingqiu was deliberately provoking him, he couldn't help but feel jealous whenever he thought about his sister living with another man.
No, he wanted Gu Qingqiu to have him completely in her heart, not just play around.
Unexpectedly, Bai Jingyuan was so easily fooled. Gu Qingqiu was immediately satisfied, and her gaze towards Bai Jingyuan became more direct and affectionate.
Bai Jingyuan was still a little hesitant to meet Gu Qingqiu's gaze. "Then... Sister, please rest well here. I'm going home to pack my luggage. My house is too small, so please don't condescend to come over. Just wait for me here."
Gu Qingqiu swung her legs and said with a smile, "Go early and come back early, don't run away halfway, or I'll catch you no matter where you run."
Bai Jingyuan said helplessly, "Sister, I've already signed the contract and am on your pirate ship, so don't worry."
Gu Qingqiu laughed heartily, "Go on, Jingzai, your sister will be waiting for you~"
Bai Jingyuan didn't have much luggage. He didn't have much to begin with, not even a suitcase. All his things were just enough to fill a backpack and a large handbag, so he packed very quickly and returned to the hotel in less than three hours.
When Gu Qingqiu saw Bai Jingyuan appear before her like this, she even had a dazed feeling that this was the amount of luggage a male college student would bring on a spring outing.
Bai Jingyuan had no attachment to this city. It was a city he chose on a whim, simply to escape everything from his family of origin. If there was anything he couldn't let go of, it would be the incredibly delicious hand-pulled pancake shop and the internet cafe where he had just recharged his account with a huge sum of two hundred yuan.
Gu Qingqiu was both amused and exasperated by these words. "Why don't you go and spend the two hundred yuan for internet before you leave?"
Bai Jingyuan didn't care at all at this point. "Forget it. That internet cafe has a bad environment. It's smoky and noisy. I don't like going there anyway."
Although he didn't go to the internet cafe anymore, Bai Jingyuan still took Gu Qingqiu to the scallion pancake shop he liked very much, and generously added chicken strips, pork floss and steak to Gu Qingqiu's scallion pancake.
"How is it? I didn't lie to you, did I? Isn't it delicious?" Bai Jingyuan's eyes sparkled as he looked at Gu Qingqiu with expectant eyes.
Gu Qingqiu took a bite of the generously filled scallion pancake, savored it for a moment, and commented, "It's really good."
Actually, this scallion pancake can indeed be described as delicious, but Gu Qingqiu has eaten even better scallion pancakes, so she doesn't think this one is anything special.
If I had to pinpoint anything special, perhaps it was that this scallion pancake shop brought Bai Jingyuan some goals and courage to strive for improvement during the lowest point in his life, as well as the occasional comfort of his appetite—that was enough.
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