Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Gu Nianzhi had wanted to make herself sound more pitiful to spark Huo Shaoheng’s sympathy so he would accompany her to campus to study. It wasn’t true that no one studied with her, but none of those people were Huo Shaoheng. She said all that and appeared so aggrieved so that Huo Shaoheng would study with her once and fulfil her one wish.
Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand with a smile and placed it by his lips to kiss. “Fine, I’ll go study with you if you want.”
Gu Nianzihi was ecstatic, hugging Huo Shaoheng and kissing him with a loud smooch. “Huo Shao is the best!” They had breakfast, then took Huo Shaoheng’s car back to campus.
Soon after they left, Gu Nianzhi got a call from Gu Yanran as they drove. “Nianzhi, where are you? I cooked some of the favorite things you liked to eat when you were younger. Do you want me to come downstairs to pick you up for lunch?”
Gu Nianzhi smiled faintly. “Oh, what a coincidence, I already went back to school.”
“That early?” Gu Yanran glanced at her watch. It was only ten in the morning. Most people were still sleeping in at this time on a Sunday, right? Could Huo Shaoheng not have stayed overnight at Gu Nianzhi’s apartment? Gu Yanran raised her brows slightly and asked with hesitation, “Nianzhi, did Mr. Huo leave last night?”
Gu Nianzhi mumbled because she didn’t want to talk about such a private matter with Gu Yanran. Although she already knew Gu Yanran was her sister, her memory hadn’t recovered, so she didn’t have affection developed throughout childhood towards the older woman. She was just a bit closer to Gu Yanran than a normal friend but was more distant from her than even Ma Qiqi. “Sis, go on and eat. I’m about to arrive at school. I’m on the way right now.” She prepared to hang up.
“You’re driving?” Gu Yanran unexpectedly didn’t want to end the call and started chatting with Gu Nianzhi.
Gu Nianzhi could only say, “No, I… I’m in a taxi.” She didn’t want to mention Huo Shaoheng was driving. Otherwise, Gu Yanran would know he stayed at her apartment overnight. She hadn’t said anything earlier, so mentioning it now would just expose what she had been hiding.
“Taxi?” Gu Yanran’s brows furrowed closer together. “Nianzhi, I’ll buy a car for you. Do you want a Lexus or a Volkswagen Beetle? Those are perfect for young girls to drive. You’re our Gu family’s daughter. How can you always be calling cabs?”
Gu Nianzhi then felt a little guilty. Gu Yanran seemed to treat her quite well.. But she didn’t need her to buy a car. When Gu Nianzhi spoke again, she used a much gentler tone. “No thanks, Sis. I actually have a car, but it’s a bit inconvenient to drive to school because there isn’t proper parking, so I’m used to calling cabs.”
“Is that so? That’s fine. I’ll hire a driver for you.” Gu Yanran was probably used to being a leader, so she immediately decided for Gu Nianzhi. “I’ll send a website of cars to you and you can pick one. Then I’ll send a driver to you, and I’ll be more reassured if he can drive you on the weekends from now on.”
Gu Nianzhi’s heart warmed, but she still shook her head in refusal. “Sis, it’s really fine. Huo Shao has a driver who can drive me…”
“Nianzhi, I wanted to talk to you about that.” Gu Yanran’s tone grew stern. “Nianzhi, tell Sis honestly–what is your relationship with Mr. Huo?”
“Oh, well it’s… boyfriend and girlfriend…” Gu Nianzhi said with some guilt. Huo Shaoheng glanced at her as he reached out to stroke her hair gently without a word.
“Are you married?” Gu Yanran asked again. She was standing in front of the French windows in the apartment, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds outside. Her thoughts were in distant Barbados as she recalled how she spent her childhood with Gu Nianzhi, but her expression became more solemn.
“…Of course not.” Gu Nianzhi switched her hand holding the phone and felt the mounting pressure, “But…”
“There are no but’s.” Gu Yanran held her head high. “Since you haven’t married him and are only boyfriend and girlfriend, you cannot rely on him too much financially. Us girls from the Gu family are not gold diggers. We don’t need to leech off men.”
“Sis! What are you saying?!” Gu Nianzhi was sweating nervously from her words and frantically explained, “Of course I’m not leeching off of Huo Shao!”
“I’m glad to hear you aren’t.” Gu Yanran’s tone also softened as she said gently, “Since you aren’t, then how do you have money to buy an apartment? The price of the apartment you’re living in right how is not something a university student can afford.” Gu Yanran knew Gu Nianzhi had been an orphan for the past six or seven years, and Huo Shaoheng was her guardian. But now she had a place and a car–with the apartment being a luxuriously furnished high-rise unit in a good area. She knew this was not something a normal middle-class person could afford, so where was Gu Nianzhi getting money from? It was obvious Huo Shaoheng had bought it for her…
“You are only dating Mr. Huo and aren’t married, so how can you accept such an expensive gift?” Gu Yanran raised her voice. “Give me your bank account number so I can deposit money in it, and you can return the money Mr. Huo used to buy the apartment. Although our family is not as powerful as the Huo’s, we still have enough money to buy an apartment. There’s no need for you to live in a man’s apartment before getting married.”
Gu Nianzhi was feeling very conflicted, so she had no idea how to respond right away. Of course she had thought about returning Huo Shaoheng’s money in the future, and she especially wanted to pay him back for the apartment. That’s why she decided to focus on working as He Zhichu’s teaching assistant and even wanted to intern at his law firm in her second year of graduate studies, so she had more experience before graduation and would be able to earn more money in the future. Gu Yanran’s words pierced the innermost part of her heart. But Huo Shaoheng would certainly never take her money… Gu Nianzhi began numbing into the phone, “Sis, let’s talk about this another day. There’s no rush with the apartment.”
“I know Mr. Huo doesn’t care about that amount of money, but our family doesn’t care, either. You must establish your stance. A girl can’t sponsor a man, but she also can’t rely on a man too much.” Gu Yanran obviously supported the notion of a man and woman splitting costs, so her tone was even more stern. “More importantly, you aren’t an orphan anymore, Nianzhi. You have the Gu family–Father and I will support you. Stop using a man’s money. Us Gu’s will not stoop so low.”
Gu Nianzhi flushed redder with every word and even started to feel a bit ashamed. It was true she had been using Huo Shaoheng’s money all along. Although he didn’t mind and attended to her every need, met all her requests, and even exceeded her expectations–Gu Yanran’s words had hit her longtime sore spot. Was she being too entitled? Gripping the phone, the glib-tongued Gu Nianzhi found herself speechless for the first time. She could only mumble back as Gu Yanran continued to chastise her over the phone. Although it wasn’t easy on the ears, Gu Yanran had a point. They had not married yet, so Gu Nianzhi shouldn’t be spending so much of Huo Shaoheng’s money, right? Glancing at her Hermes Picotin bag from the corner of her yes, Gu Nianzhi felt even more ashamed…
After scolding her for a long time, Gu Yanran noticed Gu Nianzhi had grown quiet and knew she must be accepting the criticism. “Send your bank account number to me, and I’ll arrange for deposits. How much was your apartment?”
Gu Nianzhi answered honestly, “I don’t know, Huo Shao bought it and put it under my name.”
Gu yanran was silent for a long time, and after a while, she finally replied, “Ok, I understand. I’ll transfer a monthly allowance to your bank account from now on, and you have to remember not to use a man’s money anymore. You must treasure yourself if you want to marry him. If you treat yourself like a little pampered doll, no one will respect you, let alone want to marry you.”
Gu Nianzhi recalled how Huo Shaoheng had said, “The marriage request has already been submitted.” A feeling of pride surged in her heart–her Huo Shao was different from all the other losers out there! Also, he truly wanted to marry her and would not disrespect her. But Gu Nianzhi was still too young, so she still hadn’t gone through the drab details and penny pinching that all married couples experienced. She had been dating Huo Shaoheng officially for less than six months and truly hadn’t thought of using marriage to prove anything. In today’s society, how many couples had divorced after getting married, anyway? Wasn’t it good enough for two people to love each other?
Marriage? She’d consider it after she graduated. Before that, she wanted to fully enjoy being in love. She was only going to date once in all her life, so she cherished it very much.
