Holding her hand against his jaw, Huo Shaoheng kissed her soft, slender fingers one by one. Gu Nianzhi never let her nails grow, and they were always neatly trimmed. The fullness of her fingernails and their pinkish-beige color were all alluring in Huo Shaoheng’s eyes.
His stubble had just barely started to grow, yet it further accentuated Huo Shaoheng’s handsomeness by adding a more masculine aura to him. The stiff stubble hurt and itched a little, but Gu Nianzhi laughed softly while thinking about it. The laughter instantly died down when Gu Nianzhi caught sight of He Zhichu walking out of the room from the corner of her eye, and a flush of redness appeared on her delicate face.
Embarrassed, she retracted her hand from Huo Shaoheng’s and whispered, “Professor He is here, too. How indecent of me.” When she had just woken up and caught sight of Huo Shaoheng by her bedside, the terrors of her nightmare instantly vanished. In her dreams and in reality, Huo Shaoheng was always the savior rescuing her.
When she saw Huo Shaoheng, it was hard for anyone else to cross her sight. Actually, He Zhichu had been sitting on the corner sofa the entire time. However, if she and Huo Shaoheng had been alone together, their behavior just now wouldn’t have been a problem at all. Since there were others in the room, it seemed a little indecent.
Gu Nianzhi pulled up the quilt to cover her face and said sheepishly, “Huo Shao, you go out now. I’m going to get up and change.”
Huo Shaoheng was in vigorous spirits, so he forcibly yanked away her quilt. “The sun is rising, and the air is fresh. Time to get up. Let me make breakfast for you, and then we’ll go home together.”
Gu Nianzhi replied, “Okay,” and obediently got up from the bed.
Huo Shaoheng walked out of the guest room and into He Zhichu’s kitchen with a contented smile on his face. He Zhichu had been making coffee again. When he heard someone coming in, he glanced back but said nothing when he saw that it was Huo Shaoheng.
Huo Shaoheng opened the refrigerator then glanced at He Zhichu and asked, “You don’t even have eggs in here?” Huo Shaoheng wondered to himself, “What do you eat every day? Don’t tell me you survive on coffee alone?”
He Zhichu was in no mood for any friendly banter and merely said coldly, “If you want eggs, then go to the hen. Why are you asking me?”
Huo Shaoheng was speechless for a moment, then asked, “Don’t you eat breakfast?” Huo Shaoheng closed the refrigerator and wondered if he should take Gu Nianzhi back to his own place for breakfast.
“I’ve already ordered breakfast, and it should arrive any second now.” He Zhichu turned around. “Is Nianzhi up yet?”
“She’s up.” Since Huo Shaoheng found out that He Zhichu had already ordered food, he was no longer in a hurry to leave. He took out his cell phone, then sat at the table and started watching the news. Meanwhile, He Zhichu made black Colombian coffee for himself, heated milk for Gu Nianzhi, and prepared nothing for Huo Shaoheng.
It didn’t take long for breakfast to arrive. Huo Shaoheng took a look. There were fluffy pancakes, golden waffles, blueberry muffins, maple syrup imported from Canada, buttery scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, South American nuts, raisins, and cranberries, raspberries, and finally two huge beef burgers that were half a foot tall. He Zhichu pointed to the two humongous beef burgers and said impatiently, “Those are yours. Do you want to eat or not?”
Huo Shaoheng didn’t know what to say. He was really not used to eating food he had not prepared himself. However, from yesterday afternoon to the present, he had hardly eaten anything or had anything to drink. He was indeed feeling famished.
Gu Nianzhi washed up and walked over, then smiling, she said to He Zhichu, “Professor He, good morning!” Looking at the rich breakfast on the table, Gu Nianzhi exclaimed, “So many delicious things! All my favorite foods! Thank you so much, Professor He!”
He Zhichu merely pursed his lips, and although there was no noticeable smile on his face, his tone was much softer as he said, “Sit. Eat as much as you like.”
Huo Shaoheng took a bite of a beef burger and swallowed it before telling Gu Nianzhi, “Your favorite foods? Aren’t steamed buns and shrimp wontons your favorite foods?”
Gu Nianzhi was dumbfounded. What was Huo Shao thinking? The expression popped into her head: slap people without beating them, and scold others without exposing them. Couldn’t he tell that she was merely saying that to appease He Zhichu and express her gratitude?
Gu Nianzhi glared at Huo Shaoheng and said to He Zhichu with a smile, “I like it all. Actually, I love it all.” She had originally meant that in terms of traditional Chinese breakfast foods, her favorite foods were steamed buns and shrimp wontons, and in terms of Western breakfast foods, her favorites were pancakes and bacon. However, it sounded strange to both He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng’s ears. The two of them said nothing and started to eat breakfast.
The three of them ate heartily and soon devoured everything on the table. Gu Nianzhi hugged her stomach and leaned back in her seat. “Professor He is feeding us like pigs. After such a meal, I don’t think I can eat anymore for at least three days.”
Huo Shaoheng teased her. “With your tiny belly, can you really go without eating for three days? Eating is like snacking to you. You practically eat five to six meals a day.”
“What’s wrong with eating?” Gu Nianzhi’s eyes rolled up to the sky. “I eat food I paid for myself.”
Although they were bickering, to He Zhichu, it was simply painful to watch. He waved his hand impatiently. “If you two want to flirt, go do it somewhere else.”
Gu Nianzhi was abashed. It seemed like today, for some reason, no matter what she said or did, it all came out wrong. Therefore, she decided it would be wise for her to simply stop speaking. Gu Nianzhi did not utter a word for the next ten minutes. It was only when she left with Huo Shaoheng that she whispered to He Zhichu, “Professor He, thank you so much for taking care of me yesterday.”
Last night she had been at her most vulnerable. She was grateful for He Zhichu bringing her back and taking care of her in that state. He Zhichu was about to close the door, but hearing her thank him so sincerely tugged at his heart. He couldn’t help but pat her on the head and say, “Go home and rest for a couple of days. Don’t come back to work until after the election results come out.”
Gu Nianzhi had originally planned on participating in the bilateral talks with the German delegation to China, but Reinitz’s presence made her feel uncomfortable. She nodded. “Okay, I will listen to Professor He.”
Gu Nianzhi had never agreed to He Zhichu’s words that quickly before. He Zhichu felt a little unaccustomed to such obedience at first. He said in a low voice, “But if you want to go, it’s not a big deal. Reinitz won’t dare do anything to you.” His only fear was that Reinitz would make Gu Nianzhi’s heart stir. That would be the worst thing he could possibly do. It was already too late for him, but Huo Shaoheng might still have a chance. The timing of Reinitz’s appearance was just right. The little girl was only 19, an age of blossoming love. She had a full life ahead of her. Who could guarantee that she would definitely stay beside Huo Shaoheng?
He Zhichu looked up at Huo Shaoheng and said, “General Huo is always so busy, yet Reinitz is not, so he will have lots of time to play games with a beautiful woman.”
Huo Shaoheng calmly wrapped his hands around Gu Nianzhi’s waist and said indifferently, “Gu Nianzhi is also very busy, so she has no time to entertain others by playing games with them.”
