Chapter 451 Scared Away
The 25th day of the twelfth lunar month.
"Hey, Zhengping, it's rare to see such a busy person call me."
Gu Yan gestured for his assistant, who was giving a report, to pause, and then answered the phone.
He's been incredibly busy lately; he just got back from a business trip yesterday and had three meetings this morning.
The tide of change in this era is surging, full of both opportunities and pitfalls. He must stand at the forefront of the tide to avoid being swept away by the waves of the times.
On the other end of the phone, Zhou Zhengping's voice was very soft: "I've prepared a wedding gift. When would be a convenient time to send it over?"
Gu Yan covered the microphone and quickly asked his assistant about the arrangements for the next two days before replying, "I happen to be free tomorrow night. How about I invite Anna over for a casual meal? It's been so long since I've seen you, let's have a good chat."
"Okay, see you then."
After hanging up the phone, Gu Yan asked his assistant to continue.
The assistant flipped through the schedule: tomorrow, besides two business meetings, she also had to accompany Chen Anna to her sixth wedding dress fitting, and in the afternoon, she had to meet with people from the wedding planning company...
Gu Yan rubbed his temples. He had tried on the same wedding dress six times and revised the wedding plan eight times. He never knew getting married was so complicated.
He nodded, signaling his assistant to continue.
"In addition, the villa has been ventilated and cleaned. As for the soft furnishings..." the assistant hesitated for a moment, "the samples of the French-style furniture that Ms. Chen previously selected have arrived and need your final confirmation."
"Regarding the interior design," he waved his hand, "you can contact Miss Chen directly and do as she says."
Before the assistant could finish speaking, there was a light knock on the door.
Chen Anna pushed open the door and poked her head in: "Gu Yan, I'm here!"
The assistant greeted her as "Ms. Chen," then discreetly withdrew and closed the door behind her.
Chen Anna, carrying a wicker insulated box, walked to the coffee table with a smile: "It's almost noon, I'm bringing you lunch."
She arranged several lunchboxes on the coffee table. "My mother always tells me to learn to be a good wife and mother. Look how virtuous I am today."
Gu Yan put down the documents and walked over, a smile appearing on his face: "Thank you."
Lunch was plentiful: steamed sea bass, garlic bok choy, sweet and sour pork, and a bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup.
Anna Chen set out the bowls and chopsticks, then blinked and asked, "Guess which dish I made?"
Gu Yan's gaze swept over the dishes, then he pointed to the soup bowl: "I think you made this soup." He knew that Chen Anna wasn't good at cooking, and soup was the simplest dish.
"Don't underestimate me! I learned to make sweet and sour pork from my aunt. I simmered the sweet and sour sauce for a long time."
She pretended to be angry and held out her right hand, "Look, when I was frying meat, oil splattered on my hand, and it's all red now."
Gu Yan gently held her hand; there were indeed a few slightly red burn marks.
He lowered his head and blew on them. "Thank you for your hard work, Mrs. Gu. From now on, you can leave the cooking to the housekeeper. Don't make your beautiful hands rough."
The warm breath brushed against her skin, and Chen Anna's ears turned slightly red. She leaned closer to him.
"Blow on it and it won't hurt anymore."
After he picked up his chopsticks, she remembered to ask, "I overheard you talking to your assistant... about something you wanted to ask me?"
"It's about the interior decoration of the wedding room." Gu Yan put a piece of fish belly on her plate. "The wedding room is well-ventilated now, and the assistant asked about the furniture. I told him to ask you directly."
“Then leave it to me!” Chen Anna gripped her chopsticks slightly. “I’ll tidy up the house and make it look beautiful.”
She envisioned her future married life, saying, "We will definitely have a very warm home."
Gu Yan nodded, his gaze falling on the home-cooked meal in front of him.
Home?
The 'home' where one establishes a family and career.
...Perhaps this time, things will really be different.
"You decide what to do. My bank card is with you, so feel free to use it."
Anna Chen's eyes curved into crescent moons: "Okay!"
She lowered her head to eat, but in her heart she was thinking: I don't need his card. My parents' dowry was generous enough; I'll use my own money to build my first home.
Halfway through the meal, Gu Yan suddenly said, "Zhengping is treating us to dinner tomorrow night; he brought us a wedding gift."
“Zhou Sheng? He’s too kind.” Anna Chen put down her spoon.
She remembered that taciturn businessman, who always wore a well-fitting suit and seemed gentle and refined, but was actually quite aloof.
A few years ago, after his older brother Chen Siming met Zhou Zhengping through Gu Yan's introduction, he came back and repeatedly exclaimed: "Gu Yan and Zhou Sheng seem to be going in completely opposite directions. One is ambitious and enterprising, while the other is steady and pragmatic. I never expected that they would be childhood friends for thirty years."
She pressed him for details, and her brother said, "When Zhou Sheng negotiates contracts, he insists on every clause, but he never compromises on what he promises. Gu Yan, on the other hand, seems easygoing, but he actually keeps a clear head about things." He concluded, "After all, he came from a military compound; that uprightness in his bones can't be faked."
At this moment, Chen Anna looked at Gu Yan and suddenly remembered another comment her brother made: "The reason these two have been able to stay friends for so many years is because they both know how to maintain boundaries. They know when to be close and when to keep their distance."
She asked curiously, "Gu Yan, have you and Zhou Sheng really known each other for thirty years?"
Gu Yan corrected, "It's not just thirty years. The Zhou family and our family moved into the compound together. We were born and raised in the compound."
“Zhou Sheng…” she chose her words carefully, “does he not seem to like crowds?”
Gu Yan chuckled, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "He used to...like lively scenes. But...people always have to move on."
Although the words were spoken vaguely, Anna Chen understood the unspoken meaning.
She remembered seeing an old photo album in Gu Yan's study, which contained many old photos of young boys and girls. She recognized Gu Yan, Zhou Sheng, and Nan Zhiyi in the photos. Gu Yan said that the other girl was Zhou Sheng's sister.
Some of the photos were group photos, some were solo shots, some were taken in a photography studio, and some were taken outdoors...
However, regardless of the circumstances, the photos exude a spirited youthful energy, with everyone smiling enthusiastically.
Now, the Nan Zhiyi she had met once was gentle and calm, the Zhou Zhengping was polite and distant, and the Gu Yan beside her... seemed carefree, but there was always something hidden in his eyes.
Chen Anna thought to herself, Gu Yan is right, people always move forward.
She herself has transformed from a pampered young lady in Hong Kong into a bride-to-be who can now learn to cook soup and serve meals. People who should be forgotten, and the past that should be let go, must all be properly stored in memory.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Gu Yan's voice pulled her back to reality.
Anna Chen snapped out of her reverie and smiled at him: "I was thinking, it's a bit of a shame I never saw the flamboyant you when you were young."
Something flashed in Gu Yan's eyes, too quick to catch.
He thought to himself, "What was I like back then?"
Riding a 28-inch bicycle and daring to race against jeeps, fighting for his brother and getting locked up but escaping by scaling the wall... that kind of unrestrained and carefree spirit seems somewhat unfamiliar now.
If Gu Yan were to meet Chen Anna now, he would probably scare her away.
"You wouldn't like me if you saw me then."
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