chapter 36
Gu Zhao forced a bitter smile. Not worrying? As if.
He picked up his teacup and took a small sip. The rich aroma of the tea lingered between his lips and teeth for a long time.
His eyes lit up as he looked at Old Master Tao and praised, “Grandpa Tao, this tea is excellent.”
“I knew you had a good taste, kid. I just got this recently,” Old Master Tao said, stroking his beard with a cheerful smile.
“Since you came over, how about a game?”
With that, he brought out a chessboard and even prepared the chess pieces.
Gu Zhao smiled faintly, about to agree, when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID.
—Nai.
He froze for a moment, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
What wind is blowing tonight that this guy suddenly remembered to call him?
He swiped and answered.
“Ah Zhao, where are you? Come pick me up.”
A familiar male voice came through, bright and clear.
Gu Zhao was taken aback. “You’re in A City?”
“Surprised? Excited?”
Gu Zhao’s face darkened. “…”
Excited my foot—more like scared out of my mind.
Why couldn’t he just stay in the capital? Why come all the way to A City?
“Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and pick me up.”
Gu Zhao teased, “Why don’t you let Jun Cheng pick you up?”
“If he picks me up, it’d be like I’m looking for death,” the man on the phone complained.
That ancestor of his—he might just serve as his driver, but how dare he order him around?
Gu Zhao’s eye twitched. So, he thinks he’s easy to mess with?
His voice turned cold: “Then take a cab yourself.”
The man on the other end immediately got angry. “What the hell, Gu Zhao! Do you even have a heart? I flew all the way from the capital, and you actually expect me to take a cab?”
“Do you want me to break off our friendship?”
Gu Zhao snorted. “Then break it. I’ll thank you for it.”
“…”
A brief silence, then a roar came from the phone: “Gu Zhao, hurry up and come pick me up, or I’ll post your pool photos on Weibo!”
Gu Zhao’s expression changed slightly. With an elder nearby, he couldn’t curse out loud.
Damn it.
That sneaky Nai had secretly kept a trump card.
He gritted his teeth and snorted coldly. “Send me the address.”
Really, a mistake in making friends.
After hanging up, he looked at Old Master Tao and gave a helpless smile. “Grandpa Tao, looks like I’ll have to disappoint you today. I’ll come another day to play chess with you.”
Old Master Tao asked with concern, “What happened? Is everything alright?”
“Nothing, Nai came, so I’ll go pick him up,” Gu Zhao said.
“Oh, it’s Ah Nai,” Tao Qiu Yue smiled knowingly. “I guess Jun Cheng and you both came to A City, and he couldn’t stay idle in the capital alone.”
Gu Zhao stood, smiling. “I’ll go pick him up first. I’ll come by another day for a meal.”
“Drive carefully,” reminded Old Madam Tao.
“I know,” Gu Zhao said, picking up the car keys and leaving.
…
Two hours later, after the IV,
As she walked out of the hospital, a cool wind hit her face, carrying a shiver-inducing chill.
Gu Qingning instinctively pulled her collar closer, the unique scent of cold filling her nose.
She looked down and only then realized that the coat she was wearing wasn’t hers.
It was…
She looked up, as if guided by instinct, and the person beside her just turned his face.
Their eyes met, and the icy gaze softened, the smile in his eyes warming.
“What are you standing there for? Get in the car.”
“Fu Jun Cheng, thank you for tonight.”
Hearing her speak his name, the feeling was subtle, yet… it would have been nicer to have another way to address him.
Fu Jun Cheng’s gaze shifted, and the smile on his lips became intriguingly playful. “Since you want to thank me, how about we discuss something?”
“Huh?”
“We’re kind of acquaintances now, aren’t we?”
Gu Qingning nodded, puzzled.
“Calling someone by their full name makes things feel distant between acquaintances,” he said gently.
Gu Qingning blinked, thinking over his words.
Full name isn’t good… and he’s a few years older than her.
She mischievously called out, “Old man?”
Fu Jun Cheng twitched his lips. “Are you betraying me after the favor?”
Gu Qingning smiled, smoothing over her playful expression, and looked at him expectantly. “Jun Cheng-ge?”
Fu Jun Cheng frowned, still feeling a bit awkward.
He didn’t respond, but Gu Qingning’s intuition told her he wasn’t satisfied with that form of address.
Her bright eyes twinkled with a mix of mischief and liveliness as she dragged out the tone softly: “Jun Cheng-gege?”
A perfectly ordinary term, yet it carried a completely different nuance in his ears.
The soft, sweet ending tugged at his heartstrings, and for a moment, he felt as if his blood had frozen.
“Ge” and “Gege”—just one character apart, yet the meaning could be worlds apart.
Fu Jun Cheng’s dark eyes deepened, a seductive glint sparkling within. He moved his lips. “This works.”
Gu Qingning raised an eyebrow. He imagines things too beautifully.
She hummed lightly, stepped past him, and sat directly in the car.
Pulling the seatbelt over and fastening it, she turned to the man who hadn’t yet gotten in. “Weren’t you going to treat me?”
Fu Jun Cheng chuckled, closed the car door, and got in from the other side.
Fu Jun Cheng often came to A City, so he knew the route well.
After a short drive, they arrived at a Chinese restaurant.
This restaurant in A City was famous for always being packed.
Luckily, they had reserved a private room in advance, and entered smoothly through the side door.
Gu Qingning pulled out a chair and sat down, taking off her hat and messing with her already tousled hair, making it even more chaotic.
Fu Jun Cheng handed the menu to the waiter, then turned back and couldn’t help but smile at her messy hair.
He returned and pulled out the chair beside her to sit.
Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, he frowned. “You didn’t sleep last night?”
Gu Qingning pinched her brow lightly, replying casually, “Just napped a bit.”
“Where did you stay last night?”
She answered casually, “Hotel.”
Fu Jun Cheng pursed his thin lips. “You didn’t go home?”
Meeting his deep black eyes, she said lightly, “I don’t have a home.”
His gaze faltered slightly but didn’t continue the topic. “Have you had insomnia before?”
Gu Qingning sipped her warm water. “No.”
“I know a Chinese medicine doctor. I can take you there sometime,” Fu Jun Cheng suggested.
Chinese medicine?
Gu Qingning shook her head and changed the topic. “By the way, where did you buy the pillows in the villa?”
Fu Jun Cheng was slightly surprised. “You like them?”
She shook her head slightly, choosing her words carefully. “Not exactly, just that they’re comfortable.”
Maybe they’d help her sleep better.
Fu Jun Cheng curled his lips into a low, husky smile. “I’ll bring some to you tomorrow.”
What the little lion wants, he must give.
“No need, I can just buy them myself.” She already owed him many favors; she couldn’t trouble him further.
“The rooms in the villa are empty. Leaving them there is wasteful.” He didn’t give her a chance to refuse. “It’s settled. I’ll bring them to you tomorrow.”
