Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After the boy left, Gu Nianzhi put on the other side of the earpiece again.
Huo Shaoheng listened and finally asked, “…Will you be attending a party this weekend?”
“Yes,” Gu Nianzhi answered, feeling relaxed.
“It’s Christmas tomorrow,” Huo Shaoheng said. He did not know why, but his thoughts drifted to Christmas of last year.
He remembered her sitting at the bus stop alone. It had been snowing that day. He’d taken the personal military jet from C City to fetch her…
It felt like it had just happened yesterday, but it had already been a year.
Gu Nianzhi kicked off with her long legs again, the bicycle moving along with her kick. She asked Huo Shaoheng absentmindedly, “What’s wrong with Christmas? I thought that Huo Shao doesn’t celebrate foreign festivals? Oh yes, were you looking for me for something?”
It seemed like she still knew him rather well.
“Am I only allowed to look for you when I have a reason to look for you?” Huo Shaoheng smiled as he threw the question back at her. He drove towards her school. “Have you forgotten that I am now trying to win over your heart?”
“Oh, I like that.” Gu Nianzhi smiled as her beautiful eyes turned into two crescent moons. “Do your best then, Huo Shao!”
Huo Shaoheng was speechless.
At that moment, Huo Shaoheng could almost imagine the beautifully sweet but cheeky smile on Gu Nianzhi’s face. Her luscious lips must be curling upwards like they were seducing him to kiss her…
His throat immediately felt dry.
Coughing lightly, Huo Shaoheng said, “You don’t have any lessons in the afternoon. Can I bring you to the new home?”
His “new home” referred to the second-hand apartment that Gu Nianzhi had just bought. It was near the school in the Hepingli precinct.
Gu Nianzhi was stunned.
She had to revise even though she did not have lessons!
Gu Nianzhi remained silent for a while.
Aware that she was not talking, Huo Shaoheng waited for a while before saying, “…I have been watching the voting the entire day and rushed my work to get home. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.”
Gu Nianzhi sighed and thought that it must not be easy being Huo Shaoheng. Her tone softened. “Then go and eat. Why would you look for me? I don’t know how to cook.”
“…Come to the new place with me. I will make seafood paella for you.” Huo Shaoheng remembered that Gu Nianzhi liked this dish a lot. However, it was slightly troublesome to make this dish authentically. It required a special spice called saffron.
Saffron was the most expensive spice in Blue Planet. Of course, it was categorized by its price and quality. The saffron that was sold in the local market was merely average.
Luckily, there was a soldier who’d been posted overseas and had brought Huo Shaoheng some saffron from Iran that was of top-grade quality. Iran was the home of saffron and the country that produced the most saffron in the world each year.
Although Gu Nianzhi had loved seafood paella, she hated onions. Sadly, the restaurants that served this dish usually served it with tons of onions. Only Huo Shaoheng had managed to figure out how to make authentic seafood paella without adding onions.
It was more complicated, and due to his workload in the past, he had only made it for Gu Nianzhi four times in the six years that she had been with him.
Just these four times were enough to let Gu Nianzhi reminisce about over and over again.
Just as he thought she would, Gu Nianzhi began hesitating.
Huo Shaoheng continued, “Bring the work that you have to do over. Bring your laptop as well. I will cook while you work on your studies.”
That would be great, wouldn’t it? They would both be able to do what they had to do.
Gu Nianzhi did not say anything. She had already wavered.
Huo Shaoheng decided for her. “I am already on my way. I’ll be there soon.”
It was only then that Gu Nianzhi acknowledged with a soft “Mm” and said, “Then I will come back here to study after we eat. I will not be bringing my work with me.”
Huo Shaoheng smiled but did not say a thing. He hung up and drove over.
…
Gu Nianzhi saw Ma Qiqi watching television while putting on her beauty mask as she entered the dormitory. “Qiqi, did you know that the class will be having a party tomorrow?” Gu Nianzhi was changing into her home slippers. She put her bag down as she did so and spoke to Ma Qiqi.
Ma Qiqi nodded. “I know. They have approached me before, asking me to invite you. However, I thought that you would have plans over the weekend so I did not tell you about it. Was that wrong? Did they still look for you?”
Gu Nianzhi nodded with a smile and sat down on the sofa beside her. Nudging Ma Qiqi’s elbow, she said, “Yes, they did, but when did I have plans for the weekend? It should be you who has plans!”
Ma Qiqi was happy each time she was reminded of this. She moved closer to Gu Nianzhi excitedly and whispered, “Brother Xiong asked me out tomorrow. We will be spending Christmas together!”
“Wow, will you be spending the night together as well?” Gu Nianzhi intentionally misinterpreted Ma Qiqi’s words. “Do you want me to get two sets of sexy lingerie for you?”
Ma Qiqi was speechless.
“Nianzhi! How can you say such adult-rated things!” Ma Qiqi pulled playfully on Gu Nianzhi’s ears, pretending to lecture her.
Gu Nianzhi pushed her away, laughing, and escaped from the sofa. “What’s wrong? Are you blushing? Oh yes, you must be confirmed to be with Brother Xiong!”
“He says he wants me to be his girlfriend already.” Ma Qiqi was slightly awkward. “But we have not really spent time together. You know he is always so busy…”
“Yes, I know.” Gu Nianzhi looked at Ma Qiqi and felt like she was seeing herself in the past. “Qiqi, I was there once. Let me give you a piece of advice… If you truly love Brother Xiong, and if he loves you as well, then treasure the time you spend together. Even though they are busy and are usually unable to spend much time with you, being with people like them for an hour supersedes spending time with others for a month, or even a year.”
However, if the other party did not love you enough, then every single second together would be torture.
Ma Qiqi was shocked when she heard that. Only after a while did she ask, “…Nianzhi, you were referring to yourself, weren’t you?”
Gu Nianzhi smiled and avoided the topic by walking back to her room. “How’s that? I meant you. You have to be prepared if you want to be in a relationship with Brother Xiong.”
Upon entering her room, Gu Nianzhi washed her face and reapplied some moisturizer. Opening the wardrobe, Gu Nianzhi saw the Hermes Berline bag that Huo Shaoheng had bought for her. She took it out and threw her phone, wallet, and keys inside.
Shortly after, her phone rang. Huo Shaoheng had arrived to pick her up.
Gu Nianzhi opened her door and turned to Ma Qiqi. “I will be going out for a while. Do not wait for me for dinner.”
“Got it.” Ma Qiqi waved her hand at her. “I will be going out with Brother Xiong first thing in the morning tomorrow. Won’t be waking you up though, huh?”
Gu Nianzhi usually stayed up late to revise her work and edit her thesis. She would definitely be sleeping in tomorrow. Ma Qiqi had already gotten used to her sleeping habits.
Gu Nianzhi waved back and opened the door of the dormitory to head downstairs.
Parked near the dormitory was Huo Shaoheng’s silver Mercedes Benz SUV.
Gu Nianzhi walked over and knocked on the window, waving to Huo Shaoheng with a smile. Huo Shaoheng opened the door to let Gu Nianzhi get into the car, then drove off quickly.
“You didn’t bring your work and a laptop?” Huo Shaoheng glanced over and saw that Gu Nianzhi had only brought a small bag with her. Thankfully, she had clothes at the new apartment. If not, Huo Shaoheng would not be able to keep her for the night if he had wanted to…
Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and smiled cheekily. “I just need my phone. Why would I need my laptop?”
Huo Shaoheng did not look at her as he drove into the car park of the Hepingli precinct. Upon exiting the car, Gu Nianzhi saw that Huo Shaoheng had brought his suitcase along. She sympathized with him. “…You need to work overtime again?”
“It will be the weekend tomorrow. I am worried about there being an emergency, so it’s more convenient to have these with me.” Huo Shaoheng brushed the topic aside and entered the lift with Gu Nianzhi.
The apartment that Gu Nianzhi had bought was right next to the lift. Huo Shaoheng took out the card and opened the door for Gu Nianzhi.
Putting his suitcase on to the sofa, Huo Shaoheng removed his coat and hung it in the closet before rolling his sleeves up. “I will go to the kitchen to prepare. You want to take a rest?”
Gu Nianzhi gave it some thought before throwing her bag onto the sofa. “I will help.”
“Oh? You are keen to learn how to cook now?” Huo Shaoheng was taken aback. After attempting to learn a couple of times previously but not cooking well, Gu Nianzhi had given up on trying to enter the kitchen.
“I can’t always eat what you cook, can I?” Gu Nianzhi smiled slyly. “It will be better if I learn it so I can cook on my own whenever I want to.”
That made Huo Shaoheng uncomfortable.
Huo Shaoheng caressed her head and replied with his low voice and a rare hint of emotions, “I will always be willing to make it for you as long as you want to have it.”
Gu Nianzhi turned away and smiled, but remained silent.
Who knew about the future?
It would be better if she learned to cook on her own.
Huo Shaoheng looked at her deeply and understood what was going through her head. She thought he wouldn’t know what she was thinking because she hadn’t said it out loud.
