Chapter 49 (End) May our friendship endure through thick and thin…
Yun Qingqing braced herself and stared at Gu Xubai for a second or two, then looked away as if she had been burned.
“Let’s go.” She heard her own dry voice.
"Hmm." Gu Xubai opened the other umbrella he had brought, and the black umbrella opened with a "bang" above their heads, blocking out the fine rain.
He naturally tilted the umbrella slightly towards the clouds.
Yun Qingqing's mind was still a bit muddled. She took a step with both hands and feet moving in unison, and as she stepped off the coffee shop's steps, her shoes slipped lightly on the wet, slippery stone surface.
"Ah!" she cried out softly, losing her balance and leaning forward.
The next second, her wrist was firmly grasped by a warm, dry hand, which pulled her back with just the right amount of force.
Gu Xubai's voice rang out from very close above: "Be careful."
Yun steadied herself gently, and the spot on her wrist where he had held hers felt like it had been branded, the heat quickly spreading to her cheek.
"Th-thank you..." she stammered, not daring to look at him.
There's still a short distance from here to the parking lot, and the puddles on the ground are reflecting the sky.
Gu Xubai stopped and looked at her obviously non-slip leather shoes, then at the wet pavement ahead.
Then, he handed the umbrella to Yun Qingqing.
"Huh?" Yun Qingqing subconsciously took it, looking up at him with a somewhat blank expression.
But then she saw Gu Xubai bend down slightly in front of her, his back to her, his voice calm and even: "Come up."
Yun was stunned, looking at his broad yet still youthful and slender shoulders and back, and didn't move for a moment.
After waiting a few seconds without any response, Gu Xubai turned his head, his tone unreadable: "Do you hate me so much that you won't even carry me on your back?"
"No!" Yun Qingqing quickly denied.
Without further hesitation, she carefully climbed onto his back.
Gu Xubai steadily supported her knees and stood up.
This wasn't the first time Yun Qingqing had been carried on his back. He had carried her like this after she was knocked away by a goat last time.
But this time, Yun Qingqing's state of mind seemed to be different.
The crisp scent of grass and trees emanating from him lingered around her nose, mixed with the faint smell of rain, making her heart beat slightly faster.
Yun held the umbrella gently with one hand, trying to cover the two of them with it. She didn't know what to do with her other hand, so she could only loosely place it on his shoulder.
Thankfully, we finally arrived at the parking lot.
Gu Mingyan was leaning against a black car, watching them with a leisurely air.
The moment Yun Qingqing saw her, she shot her a glare, trying to condemn the other woman for her numerous crimes of abandoning her.
Gu Mingyan was not afraid at all; instead, she laughed even more and winked at her.
Just as Yun was gently winking and expressing her anger, the person carrying her suddenly turned around without warning—
Yun Qingqing quickly changed her angry expression.
A barely perceptible smile seemed to flash across Gu Xubai's eyes.
He turned around, walked to the car, and opened the back door.
"Go inside," he gestured to Yun Qingqing.
Yun Qingqing felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She quickly slid off his back, lowered her head, and got into the car, sitting up straight.
The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier. After Yun sat up, she realized that Gu Xubai's trouser legs and one side of his back were already mostly wet, while she herself was clean and hadn't gotten a drop of rain on her.
Yun's eyelashes trembled slightly, and the strange feeling in her heart grew stronger.
"By the way," Gu Mingyan, sitting next to her, suddenly asked with great interest, "Are you both free tomorrow night?"
Gu Xubai turned the steering wheel, looking straight ahead: "What?"
"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, right? I heard that the century-old tree at Qi'an Temple is especially efficacious, and there will be a Buddhist ceremony and light show tonight," Gu Mingyan said. "It'll be so boring for me to go alone. Why don't you two come with me?"
Yun Qingqing certainly wouldn't refuse her best friend's request, and said without hesitation, "Sure, I can."
Gu Xubai glanced at the rearview mirror: "Perfect timing, I'm free too."
The area around Qi'an Temple was already bustling with people by the evening of the following day.
The square in front of the temple was bustling with people. The aroma of snacks, the lively voices, and the faint chanting of Buddhist hymns created a strong festive atmosphere.
Gu Xubai walked a step ahead of Yun Qingqing and Gu Mingyan, subtly shielding them from the bustling crowd.
Yun followed gently behind him, barely feeling any pushing or shoving.
After walking a few steps, Yun Qingqing suddenly caught a glimpse of several familiar figures standing not far away out of the corner of her eye.
It was the same college classmate who was walking with Gu Xubai last time.
They spotted Gu Xubai and Yun Qingqing immediately, paused for a couple of seconds, and then simultaneously whistled:
"Gu Shen! Are you coming to spend New Year's Eve with this lady?"
"Sister, sister, we meet again!"
"They look so good together!"
A chorus of jeers rose and fell, and Yun Qingqing's cheeks flushed instantly. She instinctively tried to explain, "No, we just—"
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Mingyan had already grabbed her arm and was walking forward with a grin: "Don't pay any attention to them, they're just a bunch of silly boys."
Yun Qingqing was pulled by Gu Mingyan to a stall selling wooden prayer plaques. The stall was covered with examples, each with different handwriting, all praying for peace, good fortune, marriage, or success.
Gu Mingyan was choosing carefully, but Yun Qingqing was a little distracted, her fingertips unconsciously brushing against a smooth wooden plaque.
"What should I write..." Gu Mingyan muttered, biting the pen.
Yun gently came to her senses and picked up a wooden plaque and a pen.
With the pen tip hovering in the air, she suddenly didn't know what to write.
There seem to be many wishes, yet they are all vague and unclear.
Finally, she lowered her eyes, turned slightly to avoid Gu Mingyan's gaze, and quickly wrote down a line—
May Mingyan be joyful and carefree, and have a smooth life. May all those I wish for achieve their dreams.
She let out a soft sigh, as if she had accomplished something secret.
After finishing writing, she blew on the ink to dry it, turned around and leaned closer to Gu Mingyan, curiously asking, "What wish did you write down?"
"I won't tell you!" Gu Mingyan mysteriously clutched her wooden plaque to her chest. "Come on, let's hang it up. The higher it's hung, the more effective it will be!"
The two squeezed under the tree, looking up to find a gap.
Red waves rolled among the branches and leaves, almost obscuring the sky.
Wearing high heels, Gu Mingyan easily hung the wooden sign on a thick branch.
Yun tiptoed slightly, but even with her flat shoes, her toes barely left the ground, and the wooden sign still couldn't reach the high branches.
This scene was witnessed by a group of classmates not far away, and they immediately started laughing and teasing:
"My sister can't hang it up anymore, Gu Shen, do you want to come and lend a hand?"
Yun's ears burned, and her hand holding the wooden sign hung awkwardly in mid-air.
Gu Mingyan raised her chin and lazily said "Hey" to the group of boys who were watching the drama unfold.
"You lot, stop making things worse," she ordered matter-of-factly. "Go to that old shop near the temple gate and buy me three hot drinks."
The group of tall, burly boys were slightly stunned. They were about to say "Why?", but after seeing Gu Mingyan's face clearly, they all blushed.
"Okay, okay." The boys hurriedly agreed and headed towards the temple gate in unison.
Once Miss Gu gets away from a scoundrel like Ye Jinyan, she is actually an extremely charming and radiant person, making people willing to obey her commands.
Gu Mingyan followed the group of boys to choose hot drinks. In an instant, this originally crowded corner was empty, leaving only the quiet shadow cast by the ancient tree, enveloping the two people under the tree.
Gu Xubai walked over and took the wooden plaque from Yun Qingqing's hand: "Where do you want to hang it?"
Yun gently pointed to a branch next to Gu Mingyan's wooden plaque: "There, next to Mingyan's."
Gu Xubai hummed in agreement, easily raised his hand, and steadily hung the wooden plaque tied with a red rope in the designated spot.
"Thank you," Yun said softly.
Gu Xubai waved his hand, indicating that he was not being polite.
The warm yellow light filtering through the shadows of the trees reflected in the boy's eyes, making him look gentle and serene.
Yun looked at him gently, her heart pounding in her chest. A strange, almost reckless courage suddenly seized her.
She reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve.
Gu Xubai seemed to sense something, his gaze falling on her fingers that were gripping her cuff, then lifting up to look into her eyes with a questioning look in his eyes.
Yun Qingqing felt her throat was a little dry: "Gu Xubai, what you said before... about me dating you, does that still stand?"
As soon as she spoke, she saw Gu Xubai's eyes, which were always as calm as a deep lake, flicker almost imperceptibly.
He stared at her blankly, momentarily forgetting to respond.
Not receiving an answer, Yun Qingqing began to regret her impulsiveness and hurriedly tried to cover it up: "Uh, I was just asking casually. It's okay if you don't want to, we can still..."
"I'm willing." Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Gu Xubai's deep and hoarse voice.
Gu Xubai seemed afraid that she would misunderstand, so he hurriedly took two steps forward: "It is my honor that you are willing to date me, sister."
Yun's breath hitched suddenly, and all her anxiety and unease vanished instantly.
Gu Xubai looked at her reddened ear tips, a low laugh escaped his throat, and a hint of boyish roguishness finally appeared on his face: "My sister has taught me so many principles, telling me to follow the rules and be moral. How about I rebel today and do something immoral?"
Yun Qingqing was dizzy from his sudden approach and subconsciously asked, "...What is it?"
"I want to kiss you," the boy asked, both directly and politely, "Is that alright?"
Yun felt all the blood rush to her cheeks. She looked at his eyes so close to hers, her eyelashes trembled, she bit her lip, and nodded very lightly.
The next second, Gu Xubai's lips covered his.
It's very light and soft, with a faint minty scent mixed with the aroma of incense from the temple.
At first, it was just a tentative, gentle touch, but then the other person was no longer satisfied with just a light touch and gently guided her to open her teeth, deepening the lingering kiss.
Yun gently placed her hand on the other person's chest, and could feel that both of their heartbeats were out of control.
In a slight dizziness, she unconsciously and gently opened her eyelids a little.
As far as the eye could see, there were Gu Xubai's trembling eyelashes, so close to his face; and above that, over his shoulder, was the ancient tree, laden with prayers.
Yun Qingqing's gaze fell precisely on the wooden plaque that Gu Mingyan had just hung up.
By the dim light, she could make out the words on it—
The devout woman is willing to donate three golden statues in exchange for Yun Qingqing and the person she cares about, that all years may be as she wishes, and that the world may be filled with peace and health!
P.S.: May my friendship with Qingqing be like this ancient tree, standing strong through wind and rain, evergreen year after year.
The three characters “Yun Qingqing” were enlarged and bolded as if afraid the gods wouldn’t see them, and were drawn several times.
A bittersweet feeling of emotion suddenly welled up in Yun Qingqing's heart.
Just then, a gentle evening breeze rustled through the branches and leaves, causing their wooden signs to flutter.
The wooden plaques clicked together with a crisp, gentle sound.
Red ropes intertwined, wooden plaques pressed together, amidst a sky full of lights and chanting prayers, seem like a response from the gods.
-----------------------
Author's note: This is the end of the story. I originally thought about arranging a romantic relationship for the young lady, but as the story progressed, the characters and plot seemed to gradually take their own course, and forcibly adding a romantic subplot would seem very deliberate.
Mingyan is never short of love; she has family and close friends who care for her wholeheartedly. In the future, she will surely encounter even more affection and tenderness.
Finally, in just three hours it will be the new year. I wish everyone who reads this all peace and prosperity every year!
===★【Next book: "The Beloved Little Sister of the Real and Fake Young Masters of a Wealthy Family," please add it to your favorites~】===
Su Qiuqiu died at the young age of three and found herself in a novel about a wealthy family with real and fake young masters.
Her third brother, Su Jingci, was a fake young master who was switched at birth. After the real young master, Su Xiaocheng, returned home, someone deliberately sowed discord between the two, causing them to fight to the death and both sides to suffer heavy losses. The entire Su family also fell apart as a result.
However, the tense standoff between the real and fake young masters suddenly took a turn for the worse after Chiu Chiu was reborn.
Chiu Chiu is a real slut; she's always begging for hugs and cuddles in her soft, sweet voice. She initially thought she'd be ignored, but before long, everyone turned into doting moms!
The cunning young master, pretending to be a rich and powerful man, would kneel on the carpet and clumsily braid Qiuqiu's hair.
The aloof and indifferent young master will sing newly learned nursery rhymes to Qiuqiu in a high-pitched voice;
Even the gloomy eldest brother and the hot-tempered second sister put on floral aprons and competed to make baby food for Qiuqiu.
The real and fake young masters are no longer competing for resources; they're just busy vying for Qiuqiu's favor.
*
If we're talking about the thing that Chinese entertainment industry haters love to talk about the most, it's undoubtedly the protracted feud between the two top stars from the Su family.
The news that the two participated in the same variety show caused an instant uproar online, with everyone waiting to see the "black lotus" and the "coffin face" tear each other apart.
As I waited and waited, I found that the trending topics were all about:
#Su Jingci and Su Xiao present a massive display of doting on their younger sister#
#Two top celebrities reconcile in an epic way to appease their sister#
#Su Jiujiu, the human cub, heals the ceiling#
Haters: ? ? ? No, is this right?
Chuchu slurped up the sweet milk candy, tilting her head as she thought:
So what if he's a real young master, or a fake one? He's still her brother, no matter what.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com