Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Huo Shaoheng looked down at the girl in his arms. Her fair, porcelain skin was faintly tinged with a natural blush, and her eyes were lively with light and as bright as shimmering water. Since a long time ago, he already had every inch of her skin, every expression carved in the deepest recesses of his heart. He was more familiar with her than anything. “…I’ll call you when I’m free from now on.” Huo Shaoheng gave in again because he instinctively didn’t like to see Gu Nianzhi frowning and unhappy.
“Then you’d better remember, don’t forget.” Gu Nianzhi pouted her tiny and luscious lips as she looked up at Huo Shaoheng, her eyes reflecting only him. “I see my other classmates in long distance relationships who basically live on their phones, but you didn’t even call me once these past few days.”
So that was the reason. Huo Shaoheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How could he be on the phone all the time like her classmates? “There’s no way I can call every day,” Huo Shaoheng replied calmly as he stroked her hair. “I’ll try my best to call when I’m not busy. Ok, stop fussing. We have to go back to dinner.” He naturally took her hand and walked out of the private room.
Gu Nianzhi sighed because she felt that he still didn’t understand what she meant. “Huo Shao, I’m not asking you to call me every day.” Her frown deepened, her expression appearing even more depressed. “But don’t you always want to see the person, hear her voice, and spend more time together when you love someone?” Like how she wanted nothing more but to stick to Huo Shaoheng every day, but unfortunately, she wasn’t a child anymore. She used to not have a care in the world and followed him every day, attached to his hip. Now that she had grown up, people would make fun of her if she kept it up.
Huo Shaoheng glanced at her again. “Yeah, I know.” He still held her hand as they walked together to the larger private room. The middle of the room was laden with all sorts of exquisite dishes and several bottles of sake. Gu Yanran was already sitting at the table with Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong. They chatted happily and laughed, then looked up when Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi come in holding hands. Huo Shaoheng’s expression was normal, while Gu Nianzhi didn’t look happy. But as soon as she came in, she curved her lips into a small smile as she sat next to Gu Yanran, and across from Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong. Huo Shaoheng knew his girl was throwing a tantrum, so he sat next to her as if nothing were amiss. Gu Nianzi finally appeared happy, and the sadness in her eyes became less obvious.
Using serving chopsticks, he picked up several things for Gu Nianzhi that she liked, such as fresh shrimp tempura, pork shogayaki, as well as a tender wagyu steak. He set them on her plate painted with playful koi fish. Gu Nianzhi pointed to the Arctic shrimp tempura on the other side of the table. “I want that, too.”
Huo Shaoheng reached out his long arm to place several shrimp on her small plate. “Don’t eat too much fried food. It’s not good for you.” Tempura had a pretty name, but it was actually deep fried. Gu Nianzhi ignored him and dug in happily.
Gu Yanran overheard it and quickly replied, “Then don’t eat so much. Nianzhi, Major General Huo already told you not to. Why are you still eating it?”
“I don’t eat fried food often. It shouldn’t be a problem if I’m having some only occasionally.” Gu Nianzhi glanced at Huo Shaoheng, then Gu Yanran. She thought they were being too bossy.
Yin Shixiong was quick to give her a break and winked at her. “It’s fine once in a while. Also, our Nianzhi is a natural beauty. She doesn’t get pimples or fat no matter how much fried and junk food she eats!”
Of course he would touch a sore spot… Gu Nianzhi had been suffering from too much internal heat lately, so she had actually grown a small pimple on her forehead. The bite of fresh and delicious shrimp tempura suddenly turned to ash in her mouth. Forcing herself to swallow it, she then didn’t touch the tempura on her plate again but only ate the wagyu steak. Huo Shaoheng got her another two red bean mochis so she could fill her stomach.
Gu Yanran sipped her sake, her cheeks flushed and eyes as bright as shimmering water. Watching Huo Shaoheng continuously get food for Gu Nianzhi, she laughed. “Why isn’t Major General Huo eating? The food is not to your taste?”
“Yeah, I’m eating.” Huo Shaoheng also had a wagyu steak in front of him, and he set it aside after two bites. Although wagyu was considered the best beef in the world, it didn’t settle in his stomach right.
Gu Yanran then spoke to Gu Nianzhi. “Nianzhi, you’re also half a hostess here. Don’t just sit there and eat. You should serve Major General Huo, too. He already got so much food for you.”
Gu Nianzhi looked up. “How am I half a hostess? Aren’t I the guest today? Sister, didn’t you say you’re treating me today?”
“But you’re my sister, so of course you’re half a hostess.” Gu Yanran spoke as she used serving chopsticks to get Huo Shaoheng another piece of wagyu steak. “Let’s eat while the food is hot. It won’t be good if it gets cold.”
“Thank you.” Huo Shaoheng nodded and used cutlery to cut the steak into small pieces to eat slowly.
Gu Nianzhi giggled. “We’re all close here, it won’t do for Sister to keep calling him ‘Major General Huo.’ It sounds so polite and distant.”
“Ok, then I’ll call him ‘Mr. Huo,’ too.” Gu Yanran adapted quickly and changed her reference right away. “Mr. Huo” was of course more familiar sounding than “Major General Huo,” but not too intimate because everyone did the same. Gu Nianzhi was very satisfied with Gu Yanran’s response, so she smiled at her and began eating the mochi.
When Huo Shaoheng had finished half his food, his phone began to ring. He unlocked it to check it and stood up. “I have to go take a call.” He then left the private room, and Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong also set down their chopsticks and followed him out.
Only Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran remained in the private room. Gu Yanran chided her softly, “Nianzhi, stop giving Mr. Huo a hard time. You have such a bad temper…”
“Oh? I wasn’t…” Gu Nianzhi averted her gaze guiltily, not daring to meet Gu Yanran’s eyes.
“You’re still going to say you weren’t? Look at how guilty you look!” Gu Yanran was both annoyed yet amused as she stared at her wine glass in a daze before continuing, “Mr. Huo is a good man, and they are hard to come by. Nianzhi, you must seize the chance. One of us has got to be happy.”
Gu Nianzhi was perplexed by her words and cocked her head at Gu Yanran. “Sister, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
“You’re still young, but you’ll understand in the future.” Gu Yanran downed all the wine in the glass. “Good men are hard to come by, and you shouldn’t let go when you meet one.”
Gu Nianzhi felt even more guilty as she sheepishly refilled Gu Yanran’s glass. “What’s with you? Are you drunk? You keep slurring.”
“No, I’m not drunk.” Gu Yanran stared at Gu Nianzhi, reaching a finger out to lift her chin. She studied her face for a long time before sighing. “How pretty, Nianzhi. You’re really getting more and more pretty.”
“Yes, everyone keeps saying it, so I really don’t know how ugly I was as a child!” Gu Nianzhi made a funny face, and Gu Yanran burst into laughter. She took out a photo from her pocket and passed it to her. “Look, that’s who you were as a child.”
Gu Nianzhi accepted the picture of a family of four. A gentle and elegant man sat with a quiet and demure woman in the middle. Flanking their sides were two girls, one about the age of 16 or 17 years old, while the younger one was about 11 years old. The older one was no doubt Gu Yanran, since she didn’t appear much different from when she was 16 or 17. The younger girl was no one but Gu Nianzhi from seven years ago! Gu Nianzhi looked at the little girl in the photo and saw that it looked the same as the other photo of her holding the doll. She immediately sat up straight with widened eyes and asked in shock, “This… This was our family?”
“Yes.” Gu Yanran looked at her strangely and chose her words carefully. “This is Mom and Dad. Also Nianzhi, you can see that my face hasn’t really changed, but why didn’t you recognize me when we first met again? Do you have a difficult reason?”
