Chapter 26 Published
Ji Ruan had always thought that people like Gu Xiuyi would only go to high-end restaurants when eating out, but she didn't expect that he would actually choose a very down-to-earth hotpot restaurant.
It was located in an alley two streets away from Beijing University. The store front looked ordinary, but it was packed with people. When they entered, there were no seats left.
Ji Ruan was just wondering whether to change restaurants when Gu Xiuyi took him straight into the private room at the back.
He seemed to know the owner of this restaurant, and they chatted familiarly while the dishes were served.
After the pot was cooked, Gu Xiuyi put some vegetables in it. Seeing Ji Ruan's surprise, he said casually: "When we were in college, we often came here to eat. We would always eat soup pot during the winter solstice."
"Really?" The temperature in the store was high, and Ji Ruan's cheeks felt a little hot after sitting for a while. He took off his scarf and said, "No wonder you seemed to be very familiar with the boss just now."
Gu Xiuyi laughed: "He is my college roommate."
"……ah?"
Ji Ruan was stunned for a moment.
I often eat here with my roommate, but my roommate is the boss... He didn't quite understand the relationship, and took off half of his down jacket, slowing down, leaving one sleeve hanging crookedly on his shoulder:
"So it's about taking care of your roommate's business?"
Gu Xiuyi smiled and shook his head, pulling Ji Ruan's sleeve to take off his coat and put it aside: "No, he took over after graduation."
Ji Ruan poured himself a cup of hot tea: "So he bought the store?"
"This is quite interesting to talk about." The mutton in the pot was cooked, and Gu Xiuyi picked up a few slices and put them on Ji Ruan's plate: "Slowly, cook it."
Ji Ruan blew on it and took a bite slowly, motioning Gu Xiuyi to continue.
"My roommate likes the soup pot here very much. In addition to coming with us, he also comes here often. After a few visits, he has become familiar with the old owner."
Gu Xiuyi ate while talking, his speech was not fast, it seemed like he was chatting aimlessly with a friend, or telling a child a bedtime story.
"The old owner has run a store here for decades, but he has no children. He may close it in a few years if he runs out of energy."
Gu Xiuyi smiled and said, "My roommate felt that he couldn't live without this soup pot in his life, so he simply became the master of the old boss and learned the craft from him."
Ji Ruan opened his eyes wide after hearing this: "Is this possible? It will directly change the path of my life..."
"Yes," Gu Xiuyi nodded, "It sounds hasty, right? He studied finance and switched to making soup pots. His parents were about to send him abroad for further studies. They almost went crazy when they heard about this, but he was very persistent."
Gu Xiuyi spoke in a flat tone and with a calm expression, without any exaggeration, but he unexpectedly attracted Ji Ruan's interest.
He didn't even bother to move his chopsticks: "And then?"
Gu Xiuyi smiled and picked up some food for him: "Eat well."
"——The first few years were difficult. His parents thought that this was a very irresponsible way to deal with his life, and they cut off contact for a while. But he was very calm and worked hard to learn the craft."
Gu Xiuyi looked at Ji Ruan's rabbit-like eyes and said:
"Later, when the old man could no longer work, he took over the shop and recognized the old boss as his godfather, raising him like his own father. Last year, he had another daughter, and his relationship with his family gradually improved."
Ji Ruan took small sips of the soup, savoring it subconsciously.
Honestly speaking, the food in this restaurant is really good. The soup is rich and aromatic, the mutton is tender and not smelly at all, and it tastes exceptionally fresh.
Even someone like him who doesn't know much about the business can feel that the owner must have studied it very carefully and passionately.
Ji Ruan bit the spoon and gulped down a few more sips. He inexplicably felt that the soup seemed to taste even better with the story behind it.
He licked his lips and smiled: "Your roommate is a very passionate person."
Gu Xiuyi raised his eyebrows, as if he understood what he said, and nodded:
"Indeed, he follows his heart. In addition, his business has been getting better and better in the past two years. He is happy every day. Judging from his state, he should be much happier than being a senior executive in a multinational company."
Gu Xiuyi pondered: "But he is also very stable and will use practical actions to prove to his parents that his choice is right. Now the relationship between both families is very good."
Ji Ruan actually didn't expect to hear such a story from Gu Xiuyi.
In his perception, Gu Xiuyi was a cold, strong and shrewd businessman.
The life of such a person should be like most of the domineering CEO literature, born and raised in the clouds, indulged in luxury and invincibility. While being enviable, it is actually very fragile.
But in a small private room, amidst the mist and aroma of the mutton soup pot, Gu Xiuyi told him a story that was a little ordinary but exceptionally gentle.
It seems that it is because of such heartwarming stories around him that the edges and corners of his body have not completely turned into armor in the day-to-day struggles, and occasionally he even shows a lively look.
What Ji Ruan likes most is the atmosphere of life.
He picked up a piece of Chinese cabbage and nibbled it with his cheeks puffed up like a little rabbit. His cheeks were steamed pink by the hot pot, and his eyes were empty and misty. No one knew what he was thinking.
Gu Xiuyi propped up his forehead and pinched his soft earlobe: "Why are you always so dazed? Do you like listening to stories so much?"
Ji Ruan's earlobe was also steamed powder, and the warm feeling was quite good. Gu Xiuyi couldn't help but pinch it again, but Ji Ruan dodged sideways.
"I'm not stupid," Ji Ruan covered his earlobe and looked at Gu Xiuyi warily: "I'm thinking."
Gu Xiuyi found it very interesting that he looked at the big bad wolf. "What are you thinking about?"
Ji Ruan pursed his lips and picked up some food for himself, and said vaguely: "Thinking, you suddenly seem like a living person..."
Gu Xiuyi obviously heard it clearly, and laughed softly, then pinched Ji Ruan's earlobe and said in a breathy voice: "Hmm?"
Ji Ruan couldn't help laughing and slapped his hand away: "I'm warning you not to mess with my ears, or I'll scare you to death if I can't hear you later!"
Mr. Gu said he was scared to death, but he was smiling very happily.
After dinner, the sky cleared up outside, and the sun made people feel warm. Ji Ruan was in a good mood and looked at Gu Xiuyi with a smile: "Are you busy later?"
Gu Xiuyi didn't answer immediately: "What?"
Ji Ruan didn't wear a scarf, and when he looked up, his white neck was vaguely revealed from his collar: "Would you like to watch me paint?"
His eyes were bright, which made Gu Xiuyi's heart moved.
Gu Xiuyi stared and thought for a while, "Will it not affect other people?"
"No," Ji Ruan smiled and shook his head, "The other two have things to do this afternoon, so I'll go over and paint first. You can leave when they come back."
Gu Xiuyi couldn't hold back the smile on his face anymore, he covered his lips and coughed, "Okay."
·
The top floor of the bell tower has excellent lighting and the interior is bright and transparent.
The capital city had been gloomy for nearly half a month, but today the clouds finally cleared and the sun came out, hanging brightly in the sky.
Ji Ruan found a small remote control and pressed it. A sound began to come from above the roof, and the light shield slowly opened, making the entire studio brighter.
Gu Xiuyi then discovered that the roof was actually embedded with transparent glass, allowing sunlight to shine in, casting dots all over the room.
The clock tower was renovated in the years since he graduated, and Gu Xiuyi vaguely felt the passage of time.
When the heating in the room came on, Ji Ruan took off her down jacket and tied a dark oilcloth apron in front of her. Gu Xiuyi saw several spots of light paint on it.
There is a huge canvas on the wall, which looks like it has reached the final stage. The finished product is covered with a dust cloth, and its original appearance cannot be seen at all.
Ji Ruan rolled up his sleeves casually to his elbows and explained, "My classmates and I worked on this painting for several months. If we don't cover it up, it will be difficult to clean if it gets dusty."
His exposed wrists and forearms were very slender, and his skin was dazzlingly white. Under the transparent natural light, it seemed that his skin was the same color as the white sweater he was wearing.
Gu Xiuyi crossed his arms and looked away from Ji Ruan's snow-white arms: "Understand... Do you want to stand on this and draw?"
Ji Ruan was about to climb the ladder. The huge painting was very tall, so he had to use the stairs.
"Yes," Ji Ruan laughed, "How else would I be able to reach it?"
Gu Xiuyi frowned. The ladder was made of iron. Although it looked solid, it had sharp corners everywhere and no handrails. What if he fell down?
He subconsciously took two steps closer and stood beside Ji Ruan. When he looked up at Ji Ruan, he felt that the height was terrifying.
But Ji Ruan painted very seriously.
The corners of her mouth were pursed, revealing shallow dimples on the sides of her cheeks. The fingertips holding the paintbrush turned white due to the force, but the knuckles were pink.
Gu Xiuyi suddenly felt that Ji Ruan’s eyes were very beautiful at this moment.
He seemed to be painting the sun.
In the top right corner of the canvas, he outlined a rising sun stroke by stroke. Gu Xiuyi did not understand painting, but the halo around the sun looked beautiful.
Ji Ruan remained silent and Gu Xiuyi did not make a sound to disturb him. After an unknown amount of time, Ji Ruan stopped writing and stood up.
His waist ached from standing and he wanted to rub it with his hands, but when he reached behind his back he remembered that his hands were stained with paint and he didn't want to dirty his white sweater, so he had to use the back of his hands and wrists to support it.
My waist feels sore and numb, as if it is not my own.
Gu Xiuyi saw Ji Ruan holding his waist in a weird position, looking a little uncomfortable, so he reached out to hold the ladder and asked, "Is your waist uncomfortable?"
Ji Ruan smiled bitterly and sighed: "Well, I have been standing for too long in the past few months."
In fact, his waist was very aching. He even had a cramp when he was sleeping the night before and was woken up in the middle of the night.
Ji Ruan had never heard of anyone having waist cramps, but maybe... maybe he had a physique that was prone to cramps.
Gu Xiuyi's expression became serious. He stretched out his hand and said in an unquestionable tone: "Come down first."
Ji Ruan glanced at the paintings on the wall. In fact, he had almost finished the content he was responsible for, so he really should take a break: "Okay."
He shook his hands stained with paint at Gu Xiuyi, "No need to help, I'll get them on your hands later."
"Yeah." Gu Xiuyi responded casually, but didn't listen to him at all.
He raised his hand and grasped Ji Ruan's forearm, then lifted him down without much effort and placed him steadily on the ground.
Ji Ruan stood with his whole body stiff. Every time he moved, his waist and back hurt, and he couldn't help but let out a hiss.
Gu Xiuyi held his lower back and looked closely at Ji Ruan's face, noting that his lips were a little pale.
"How about..." Gu Xiuyi pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Can I help you massage it?"
Ji Ruan's lower back was still stiff and uncomfortable. He frowned and looked at Gu Xiuyi: "...Does Boss Gu also know how to give massages?"
Gu Xiuyi seemed to want to make a joke, but his face was expressionless: "No, just press it randomly, do you want to try?"
"So honest..." Ji Ruan couldn't help laughing, and leaned on him more relaxedly: "Okay, you try it."
Gu Xiuyi had been holding Ji Ruan's lower back lightly. His sweater was thin, and he could clearly feel his slender waistline.
Ji Ruan felt that Gu Xiuyi used a little force, and the moment he pressed down, his waist muscles began to swell from the point of contact.
The other party seemed to be silently observing his reaction, and then pressed it again. This time the force was much greater than before, and a sudden sore and numb feeling rushed straight to the top of his head.
Ji Ruan felt numb immediately and subconsciously let out an "ah".
The hand on the waist suddenly stopped.
Ji Ruan looked up and found that Gu Xiuyi seemed a little stiff, and his Adam's apple rolled slightly.
Ji Ruan was stunned for a while before he realized that the shout he had just made seemed a little strange.
Doesn’t sound good…
No, it can’t be said to be bad…
Maybe it’s because it sounds so good!
So it is particularly easy for people to think wrongly!
Ji Ruan's face suddenly turned red. He had never been so socially awkward in his life. He suddenly covered his face with his hands: "I'm sorry..."
Gu Xiuyi was still for several seconds, and Ji Ruan couldn't even feel his breathing.
After a while, his paint-stained hand was pulled down, and he heard the other person sigh softly:
"My face is stained."
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