Chapter 45 Published
Qingxi Mountain, a nationally renowned 5A scenic spot, is actually located at the junction of City A and City B.
Ji Ruan prepared for a cross-city business trip of nearly a week at home with his heart trembling with excitement. In fact, it was not as far as he had imagined. The total driving time was two hours, and it was even the first choice for many residents of City A to go out for fun and return on the same day.
But Ji Ruan was still very happy. He left very early in the morning that day, and he got up the fastest in history. He didn't even lean against the head of the bed, feeling dizzy and unable to move for a long time.
Cheng Zizhang drove over to pick him up, and there were only three of them along with Cheng Yunxiu.
When Gu Xiuyi sent him to the car, the sun was still hidden behind the clouds. The sky was faintly bright and transparent. The clouds were stretched into a thin film, and only one beam of light was needed to break through the air.
What Gu Xiuyi saw was only Ji Ruanle's dizzy back and her hair swaying in the wind.
It was only a three-day and two-night trip, so they didn't need too much luggage. Gu Xiuyi put Ji Ruan's small suitcase in the trunk, and Ji Ruan got into the car holding the half-empty candy jar, and gave a few to Cheng Yunxiu and her daughter.
Aunt Zhao followed Gu Xiuyi, holding Ji Ruan's hand that was stretched out from the car window and chattering.
"You have to take good care of yourself, okay? Ruan Ruan."
"It's cold in the mountains at night, remember to wear more clothes to avoid catching a cold."
"Just in case, I put cold and stomach medicine in your box. You can see it when you open it."
"Remember to send a message to let me know you're safe when you get there. Send it to me... Oh no, don't send it to me, send it to Xiao Gu. Haha, just send it to him and I'll know..."
Ji Ruan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Seeing Aunt Zhao's attitude, someone who didn't know him would think that he was going to join the army and wouldn't be back for a year or two.
He grabbed a handful of candy and stuffed it into Aunt Zhao's hand, resting his chin on the window sill and said obediently: "I know, Aunt Zhao, don't worry, I will be back the day after tomorrow, very soon~"
"Oh, we are so good..." Aunt Zhao looked at the handful of red candies in her hand and smiled from ear to ear.
This is Ji Ruan’s favorite candy. He usually can’t bear to eat it himself. Now he gives her so much at once. Doesn’t it just show how unique she is in his heart!
A year's hard work was not in vain. Ruan Ruan is such a good child.
"Okay, okay, Auntie will wait for you to come back. Don't get sick!" Aunt Zhao rubbed Ji Ruan's head and called him "good boy". Ji Ruan did not resist at all and squinted his eyes and let her rub his head obediently.
Gu Xiuyi felt a little jealous watching from the side.
Ji Ruan would never be so obedient as to let him rub her.
If he wanted to massage Ji Ruan, he would either have to transform himself into a massage technician or find some excuses to trick the child.
Now Aunt Zhao has occupied all the space in front of the window by herself, and Gu Xiuyi can't even get in. It seems that she has no intention of stopping.
"Cough!" Gu Xiuyi covered his lips.
Aunt Zhao paused in her chatter, then she remembered that there was someone beside her, and smiled awkwardly: "Well, look at my memory, you little Gu, you should also say a few words...hahaha, go ahead..."
She stepped aside to make room, picked up Ji Ruan's heart-shaped cherry candy and put it in her mouth.
Ouch! My teeth hurt...
Gu Xiuyi was also about to go to the company, and his suit was neatly arranged.
Although people who wear suits all year round can easily appear rigid and boring, Gu Xiuyi never gives people that feeling.
Ji Ruan had to admit that he really suited the suit. The crisp and expensive fabric perfectly highlighted his tall and slender figure, and his aura became more calm and stable.
The look in her eyes when she slightly tilts her head and looks in from the car window is easily heart-warming.
Gu Xiuyi didn't say anything, but rubbed Ji Ruan's cheek with the back of his hand. This action was very light, like scratching with a feather, the itchy and warm feeling spread to the nerve endings, and it also made people's hearts beat.
Ji Ruan likes to touch people he is familiar with, especially people like Gu Xiuyi who have a high body temperature. When he is gently touched, it is like a little swan in his heart is shy and its feathers are flying all over the sky, filling his heart.
Ji Ruan pursed her lips and looked up at Gu Xiuyi, wondering what he would say to her.
Gu Xiuyi smiled, his eyes slid from Ji Ruan's face to the candy jar in his arms, and he said slowly:
"Don't I have any candy?"
"……?"
That’s it?
You just want candy?
Ji Ruan's expression was blank, and then the corners of his mouth drooped.
Haha, men are indeed men. What is he expecting?
Ji Ruan lowered his head and reluctantly counted his candy jar. After having generously distributed candy several times just now, it was now empty!
Through the gaps in the candy wrapper, you can see his furry coat through the bottom of the glass jar!
Ji Ruan was so reluctant that he couldn't even bear to open the lid.
Gu Xiuyi waited on the side, secretly glancing at the candies distributed to the people around him. Cheng Zizhan and his daughter got about three or four each, while Aunt Zhao was favored and had seven or eight in her hands, exuding the proud contempt of a king from time to time.
Gu Xiuyi pondered secretly. Considering the importance he held in Ji Ruan's heart and the wholehearted care he had shown Ji Ruan these days, he should be able to get at least a dozen.
Ji Ruan has small hands, so he definitely can’t hold it with one hand. So when he gives it to him, will he hold it with both hands?
Damn, so cute.
Gu Xiuyi was touched just by thinking about it.
He tried hard to suppress the upward curve of his mouth corners and met Ji Ruan's eyes. The little boy looked shy with red cheeks.
"Well..." Ji Ruan scratched his nose: "You are already this age and still eat candy? Don't you dislike——"
Before he could finish his words, Ji Ruan saw Gu Xiuyi stretching out his hand, with his five slender fingers placed in front of him, looking extremely confident that he would receive a lot of candies.
“——?” Ji Ruan added the last word dully.
"Pfft——" Aunt Zhao immediately covered her mouth.
Gu Xiuyi: “…………”
Gu Xiuyi did not expect this direction.
He really didn't expect that the little bastard didn't want to give him any.
What is his position in Ji Ruan's heart?
It was neither right nor wrong to close the hand in front of him. Ji Ruan saw Gu Xiuyi's mouth twitching, and he opened and closed it several times but couldn't utter a word.
He stared at Gu Xiuyi blankly for a while, and felt his body getting hot, gradually turning red from his neck to his cheeks and then to the tips of his ears, and the strands of his hair that were standing up seemed to be smoking.
"...Okay, I'll give it to you!"
He opened the lid and quickly grabbed the money and put it into Gu Xiuyi's hand. Then he raised the car window and lowered his head without looking at Gu Xiuyi.
Cheng Zizhang understood, started the car and drove out. She glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Mr. Gu's tall figure getting smaller and smaller. She joked, "You two have a good relationship."
Ji Ruan still hasn't recovered yet, his face is so hot that his head is a little dizzy.
He touched his face and lowered his eyelashes: "Senior sister, please stop talking..."
What responded to him was Cheng Zizhang's loud laughter and the subsequent sniffling. She held the steering wheel with one hand and covered her cheek with the other hand - the candy Ji Ruan gave her was so sour that it almost made her teeth fall out.
Gu Xiuyi stood there for a long time, until the SUV was no longer in his sight, and he slowly spread out his hands.
Only one.
Ji Ruan searched and found only one.
The bright red candy looked pitifully small in his broad palm.
After a long while, Gu Xiuyi burst out laughing: "...you little heartless one."
Aunt Zhao walked back to the house with her hands behind her back. She patted Gu Xiuyi on the shoulder as she passed by, and said with the confidence that only a seven-candy player can have: "Ruan Ruan doesn't even have a few left, so you should also be considerate."
“…”
Gu Xiuyi calmed himself down, put his only precious candy into his trouser pocket, and walked slowly towards the garage.
Aunt Zhao only heard him snort from his nose, and then he said slowly:
"You should eat less at your age. Aunt Fang from Li Suian's family was diagnosed with diabetes last month and is crying all day long."
Aunt Zhao was shocked: "What?! Xiaofang has diabetes? How come I didn't know? Why didn't she tell me? Oh, this old woman must be afraid that I would worry, I have to go and see..."
·
It was just past ten o'clock when Ji Ruan and his group arrived at Qingxi Mountain.
The activity site this time is at the exhibition center at the foot of the mountain. There is also an ancient town outside, which is home to many backpackers.
The organizer originally intended for all teachers and accompanying disciples to stay in a pre-booked hotel, but Cheng Yunxiu didn't like the crowded atmosphere of the hotel, so he booked a homestay for himself. It was a small two-story house with a yard, with a simple and elegant wooden structure inside and out.
The yard is full of flowers, just like her own yard. Teacher Cheng has a very fixed aesthetic style.
Ji Ruan lives in a sunny room on the second floor. When he opens the door, he can see a small balcony filled with sunshine.
He put the suitcase aside, did not go up to the balcony, but stood there and took a picture of the scenery outside the window and sent it to Gu Xiuyi.
“Buzz——”
The phone on the conference table vibrated twice, and a small cherry icon lit up on the screen.
[Arrived safely.]
[picture.jpg]
Gu Xiuyi raised a faint smile and clicked on the picture - an ordinary picture of a balcony.
He quickly searched with his peripheral vision, but Ji Ruan himself did not appear in the picture at all, not even a finger was visible, except for a little reflection on the half-open glass door.
Gu Xiuyi frowned, zoomed in with his fingers and looked carefully, vaguely recognizing the outline of Ji Ruan's body.
——Zooming in further, you can just barely make out his white and tender fingertips holding the phone, but the most important thing is his face is completely blocked by the phone and can't be seen at all.
Gu Xiuyi: “…”
He seemed to have never been so embarrassed.
[Children who need to take selfies to report their safety.]
[One is not enough.]
The other side didn't reply.
Gu Xiuyi waited for a moment, tapping the table with his fingertips...
[Okay, one is fine.]
But Ji Ruan still didn't reply, as if he had completed the task of sending the message and left his phone on the other side of the ocean.
"......Alas." Gu Xiuyi sighed.
What a heartless person.
"Our cooperation with Lingzhou has stabilized this year, and their request is for the next quarter..."
The report from the front came to an abrupt halt, and the staff looked at Gu Xiuyi in fear.
Damn, why is the boss sighing?!
Did I do a bad job reporting?!
Or is there something wrong with the data? !
Why does he have that expression? Am I going to be fired?!
The clerk trembled as he looked down at his folder, trying to find the reason, cold sweat pouring out of his body.
Gu Xiuyi looked up from his phone, turned off the screen and threw it on the table, his face cold: "It has nothing to do with you, continue."
Everyone saw that the poor little guy who had suffered such an unexpected disaster in front of the PPT felt his shoulders relax and his legs almost went weak, but deep in his soul he seemed to be filled with gratitude for having survived the disaster.
·
The three-day and two-night trip was tight on time and demanding on tasks, so Ji Ruan couldn't stay in the room for too long and had to hurry down to check out the venue.
After sending a message to Gu Xiuyi to report his safety, he put his phone in his pocket, packed his luggage and hurried to meet up with Cheng Zizhan.
Several auctions are held every year in the exhibition hall at the foot of the mountain. The items are either priceless or have a long history, so a special storage room is set up in the exhibition hall with extremely complete security.
What Ji Ruan had to do was to go to the storage room with Cheng Zizhan and several other teachers to make a final check and confirm tomorrow's exhibits and auction items.
Ji Ruan was amazed as soon as he stepped into the room.
Countless display cabinets are placed at different heights, and inside are all kinds of embroidery, some gorgeous and some simple. The cold white light from the top cannot conceal their delicacy and exquisiteness.
In order to better store the exhibits, the temperature indoors was much lower than outside. Ji Ruan felt chilly even when his fingers were exposed outside. No wonder Cheng Zizhan reminded him to put on more clothes before going out.
Ji Ruan followed Cheng Zizhan and his teacher. Looking around, he found that there were very few Han embroidery items on display. Most of them were the four famous embroidery items, such as Suzhou embroidery and Hunan embroidery.
Some were created by contemporary masters in recent decades, while others were from the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties. They were so beautiful that Ji Ruan was dazzled after just a brief look.
He put on white gloves and followed the instructions to carefully check each work with the teacher. After confirming that everything was correct, the teacher would lock the display case and let Cheng Zizhang take notes.
After the group walked and stopped for more than a dozen times, a long-haired girl with a blue work badge came to the door and ran towards them.
I had some impression of Ji Ruan. She seemed to be the last disciple of a Suzhou embroidery teacher.
The girl was obviously very familiar with Cheng Zizhang. She greeted him warmly first, then looked at Ji Ruan.
"Oh, this is the new student my mother went through so much trouble to find." Cheng Zizhang patted Ji Ruan on the back and introduced him.
The girl covered her mouth in surprise: "Ah! You are that Ji... You are so beautiful..."
Ji Ruan didn't quite understand why she seemed to know him, so he smiled modestly: "Thank you."
After all, there was a teacher watching next to him, so Cheng Zizhang couldn't keep talking, so he got to the point: "Aren't you upstairs looking at the venue? Why are you here?"
"Oh, I came to you because we are short of staff," the girl frowned, "We just added new VIP seats, and we are too busy to handle them. Why don't you come with me to the third floor?"
Cheng Zizhang said, "Didn't the VIP seats have been reserved long ago? How could you be too busy?"
"It's different, this is a special VIP guest!" The girl clenched her fists in front of her chest, as if she was nervous when she spoke about it.
Cheng Zizhang made an expression that said, "I have never seen the world, don't scare me." Then he turned his head to look at the teacher and asked, "Teacher, look..."
The teacher looked cold, but was actually very easy to talk to. He nodded and said, "Go ahead. We can do it with just a few people."
"Okay, thank you, teacher." Cheng Zizhan didn't delay any longer after hearing that. He handed the folder to Ji Ruan and was pulled out by the girl.
The two were whispering to each other along the way. Ji Ruan was looking at their backs with a ballpoint pen in his hand. He heard Cheng Zizhan's surprised "Eh", followed by a few familiar words.
But his hearing is not good, so he can't hear clearly from a distance.
"Ji Ruan?" the teacher reminded, "Continue working."
Ji Ruan came back to his senses, took off his gloves and took over Cheng Zizhang's work: "Okay, teacher, you go ahead."
"The label of cabinet No. 18 is damaged, please note that it should be replaced."
"OK."
"No abnormality on number 19."
Ji Ruan responded by ticking the form.
There were too many exhibits in the storage room, and Ji Ruan and his teacher were busy for more than two hours but still couldn't finish. At noon, the teacher paid for him to go to a small restaurant in the ancient town to eat some special dishes, and then they came back to continue working.
At around three or four in the afternoon, after thoroughly confirming all the exhibits, the teacher locked the door of the storage room. Ji Ruan was called by Cheng Yunxiu to meet with a group of masters, all of whom were well-known figures that Ji Ruan had seen on the news.
When everything was over, the sun was already setting.
Ji Ruan declined Cheng Zizhang's invitation to have dinner together, and packed a bowl of soup and rice to go back to the B&B. As he was walking on the road, he suddenly realized that he was extremely tired, and his waist almost broke after standing for most of the day.
He took a breath and had to stop halfway and squat for a while before he had the strength to continue moving forward.
On the small cobblestone road near the homestay, a group of people can be seen from afar, arranged like stars surrounding the moon. Seven or eight uniformed staff members are surrounding two people in the middle, introducing something enthusiastically.
The two men in the middle, one was wearing a simple light brown windbreaker, his back revealed a cold look, while the other was wearing a complete three-piece suit, his lips kept moving as if he was speaking for the person next to him.
It's too obvious.
Ji Ruan stopped where he was.
Even if you can't see their faces, you can tell at a glance that they are Gu Xiuyi and Song Ling.
Gu Xiuyi seemed to have sensed something on the back of his head and turned around in less than a second or two.
Then Ji Ruan saw his cold face gradually become more radiant under the setting sun.
Ji Ruan was stunned for a moment, and the hand pressing on his lower back unconsciously loosened.
It was not until Gu Xiuyi walked quickly up to him and the group of chattering staff rushed over that Ji Ruan gradually came back to his senses.
When he got closer, he found that Gu Xiuyi was holding a glass jar in his hand, which was filled with familiar red fruit candies.
I don’t know why Ji Ruan’s heart suddenly became full.
He touched his lips that had become dry due to not drinking water, and his eyes fell on the sugar jar: "...why are you here?"
It can't be that he is here just to deliver candy...
Ji Ruan couldn't believe it in her heart, but her face couldn't help blushing, and she tried hard to act calm.
Gu Xiuyi took in his entire expression and could almost guess every thought in his mind.
He took the takeaway, took Ji Ruan's hand, and gently rubbed his palm, which was left with red marks from the plastic bag, with a half-smile: "Guess why I came here?"
There was a series of sounds of fabrics rubbing against each other all around, and the staff members all stepped away at the same time, turned their heads and pretended to play with their phones.
Ji Ruan was a little embarrassed by the noise, so he pulled his hand away and glared at Gu Xiuyi.
He was tired all day and his eyes were red, a little tired and exhausted, which made this look harmless and more like a spoiled child.
Gu Xiuyi didn't insist on holding Ji Ruan's hand. He took a step closer, took out a dark green envelope from his jacket pocket and put it in Ji Ruan's hand, raising his eyebrows:
“I’m here to consume.”
"……?"
Ji Ruan lowered his head in surprise.
On the seal of the envelope were clearly printed a few dignified and elegant words: VIP Invitation.
Gu Xiuyi had a smile on his face. Seeing Ji Ruan suddenly stunned, he tried his best to resist the urge to rub his face in front of everyone.
Seeing Ji Ruan's dullness gradually turning into anger, his cheeks puffed up. Before he completely exploded, Gu Xiuyi gently rubbed his cheek:
"Okay, just kidding."
He stuffed the candy jar into Ji Ruan's arms, put his arm around his shoulders and walked forward.
After keeping a distance from the people behind him, he leaned over to Ji Ruan's ear and smiled softly:
"Can you give me a few more later in the evening?"
Ji Ruan's ears turned red.
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