Because her cold wasn't completely gone, Song Er took a day off on Monday. Early in the morning, Li Chongming called and asked her to have dinner together in the evening.
Before she moved into the Gu family's house, her relationship with Li Chongming was quite close, but after she moved in, their interactions, besides a few fixed phone calls every month, were limited to an occasional dinner together.
She went to Dr. Chen's clinic for a checkup in the morning, and after confirming that there were no problems, she returned to the Gu family's house. She stayed in her room and read half a book, and then estimated the time to leave for the restaurant.
When Song Er arrived at the restaurant, Li Chongming had not yet come. He was probably delayed by company matters. Ever since he took over the Song Corporation, he seemed to have become increasingly busy, and sometimes they wouldn't see each other for half a month.
She watched competition videos on her phone for about half an hour before Li Chongming finally came in. Seeing him enter, she took off her headphones and put her phone away in her bag.
After sitting down, Li Chongming first explained, "Something came up at the company that caused a delay. Have you been waiting long?"
"No," Song Er replied, pushing the menu on the table towards him and not explaining further.
Li Chongming took the menu, looked at it for a few moments, and after ordering, he continued to talk to Song Er, "Is school busy?"
"It's alright, I can handle it."
"I heard from Gu Cheng that you're going to put off the engagement for a while."
Although she didn't want to talk about this, Song Er patiently said, "Yes, I want to take some time to get to know each other first, after all, I just got back."
"It's fine if you two have your own plans."
Song Er didn't say anything, and Li Chongming also didn't continue the conversation. The waiter soon came to serve the dishes, and no one brought up the topic again until the end of dinner.
On the way back, Li Chongming would occasionally look at Song Er through the rearview mirror, looking as if he had something to say, but was hesitant to do so. Song Er noticed this but didn't call it out, and waited until Li Chongming finally spoke.
"Xiao Er, I've been thinking, you're an adult now. If you're interested, would you like to come to the company to help out?"
She hadn't expected him to bring this up so suddenly. Although she was surprised, Song Er refused without any hesitation, "I don't know much about the company. I probably won't be able to help much if I go."
Not to mention that she had no interest in the company to begin with, and she had never been involved in company matters besides dancing over the years. Plus, she didn't have the time to go.
Since she had returned to the country, she had received several offers for endorsements and a number of theater troupes had reached out to her, hoping she would collaborate with them.
"The Song Corporation has your shares after all. If you're willing, you can learn slowly..."
Li Chongming tried to persuade her, but Song Er interrupted him, "For a while, I might have a few commercial performances and I'll also be preparing for a series of competitions next year. I've already been scolded by Carrie several times on the phone for missing a few major competitions this year because of my return to the country."
Carrie was Song Er's ballet teacher abroad, and she valued Song Er highly. Even now that Song Er was back in the country, if there was a major competition, she would still ask Song Er to go there for intensive training.
Li Chongming wanted to say something more, but they had just arrived at the Gu family's house. Song Er didn't give him another chance to speak and opened the car door to get out.
He went in and greeted the Gu family. As he was leaving, Song Er went to the door to see him off and advised, "Uncle, don't always think about work, you need to get more rest."
Although the changes weren't drastic, she still noticed the fatigue on Li Chongming's face. He was probably rushing to finish a project recently and didn't have time to rest.
Li Chongming smiled knowingly, "I know. You take good care of yourself."
Song Er didn't reply. She just stood at the door and watched him leave until he was out of sight before she turned and went inside.
Su Xie called on the weekend and asked if she had time, saying that he had received a few invitations for commercial performances and wanted to discuss them with her in detail.
In the past two years, her reputation had gradually grown due to winning several consecutive competitions, and she would occasionally receive invitations for commercial performances. At that time, Carrie didn't approve of her entering the commercial world too early. She wanted her to participate in more competitions to get more experience. Even so, she couldn't refuse too directly, so every time she had to go to great lengths to give a lot of reasons, which was always a hassle.
Once when she was chatting with Su Xie, she unintentionally brought this up. Su Xie taught her some ways to deal with it and helped her handle a few invitations. Song Er found it too bothersome, and over time, every time she had a similar problem, she would go to Su Xie.
After a while, Su Xie even joked with her, saying that he was almost her agent.
Song Er unceremoniously agreed, "If you're willing, I won't refuse."
Su Xie laughed lightly, "My price as an agent isn't low."
And just like that, Song Er went with it and changed her work email to Su Xie's, making him her agent. Although he still declined most of the invitations, if he saw a suitable performance, he would explain the situation to her and let her choose for herself.
Song Er looked at the invitations. They were all from reputable theater troupes in the country. They probably intended to invite her to join their troupe. The title of "special guest" was likely a way to get closer to her for future use.
"These few have good reputations, and inviting you is a way for them to get to know you in advance. Whether you want to start your own performance group in the future or join a troupe directly, it's good to have contact with them," Su Xie said, explaining the reasons.
Song Er also knew about these relationships. Just like Su Xie, who was known for his bad temper, he still maintained friendly relations with the major theater troupes, and he would generally not refuse if they occasionally invited him to compose music for them.
In terms of dance, she really wanted to achieve something. Even if her main focus was on competitions now, she would still need to have contact with theater troupes in the end, so it was necessary for Su Xie to consider these things.
Song Er didn't know how to choose, so she simply waved her hand and said generously, "Then let's just accept them all and get to know them one by one?"
"You really don't reject anyone."
"I can't go to this one and not that one. Look at these troupes, which one can I afford to offend? It's better to accept them all so they can't figure out what I'm thinking, and I can put on an act."
"You're quite thoughtful."
Song Er playfully stuck out her tongue and said with a flattering smile, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Su, to reply to them one by one. But you must not lower my standards."
Song Er always trusted Su Xie's judgment, so she didn't aask too many questions, only aasked him to let her know the dates once they were confirmed.
After lunch, Song Er wanted to go to the mall downstairs to shop. The weather was getting cooler, and she wanted to buy some new clothes. Su Xie happened to be going to visit his old teacher, so the two of them parted ways after leaving the restaurant.
Since that day, Gu Lixing had not spoken to her. When they occasionally ran into each other, he would always turn away with a cold face. Even when she was sick, he didn't show up. It seemed that night, she had really made him angry.
She heard from Gu Cheng that everyone working under him has been complaining recently. He probably took out all his anger on them.
Song Er hadn't expected to make Gu Lixing so angry. In her memory, this had only happened once before.
At that time, Gu Lixing was still tutoring her. One day, he came over in a bad mood, and without saying anything, he gave her a bunch of problems. At that time, she was a little afraid of Gu Lixing and naturally didn't dare to resist. She kept working until late at night, but still couldn't finish, and she started crying out of frustration. Later, Gu Lixing probably calmed down, and seeing her like that, his heart softened. He comforted her and apologized.
Song Er casually browsed a few stores. Her figure was good and she didn't have a hard time picking clothes. She grabbed a few pieces she liked and, as soon as she paid and came out, she ran into Jiang Jingjing.
"Song Er?"
She and Jiang Jingjing were not close. They only saw each other at dinners or other events, and they almost never talked. She hadn't expected Jiang Jingjing to call out to her this time.
She couldn't pretend she didn't see her now, so Song Er had to brace herself and ask, "What's wrong?"
"We're not enemies. Can't we just talk for a bit?" Although Jiang Jingjing's words were polite, the displeasure on her face was not hidden.
Song Er gave a forced smile, "We're not old friends. We don't have to greet each other every time we meet."
Nothing had really happened between them. If you really wanted to analyze it, the only thing left was Gu Lixing. One of them almost became Gu Lixing's fiancée, and the other almost got together with him.
They were both people who had "almost" made it, but they didn't show any sympathy for each other. Instead, they were at odds.
She said there was no need to greet each other, but Jiang Jingjing did. "I heard that you and Gu Cheng are getting engaged soon. Congratulations."
"That's not a secret," Song Er said coldly.
"It's certainly not a secret." Jiang Jingjing's face suddenly turned cold, and she warned her harshly, "Then you'd better get your priorities straight. Don't get tangled up with Gu Lixing while you're about to get engaged. You're as fickle and indecisive as your father."
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it true? I heard that the reason your parents' accident happened was because your father was with another woman, and your mother found out. The two of them had a big fight at sea, and in the end, neither of them came back."
When Song Er heard her parents being slandered, a wave of anger rushed to her head. She walked up to Jiang Jingjing and glared at her. Even though she was a little shorter than Jiang Jingjing, she didn't lose any of her momentum. Her widened eyes seemed to have sparks coming out of them.
"Jiang Jingjing, say one more word, I dare you!"
"So what if I do?"
Jiang Jingjing had heard about these things when she went with her mother to meet a bunch of aunts she didn't know. The idle socialites would get together and gossip about other people's families, and the Song family was a common topic.
Song Er was not a person who would fight. She couldn't even swear when she argued. In the end, she could only take a deep breath and swallow her anger. "It's none of your business to interfere in my matters with the Gu family."
"You!" Jiang Jingjing hadn't expected that Song Er, who had always been cautious and followed behind Gu Lixing, was not a pushover.
"Whether it's between me and Gu Lixing or Gu Cheng, it's none of your business. You don't need to meddle in my family matters."
After saying that, Song Er walked past Jiang Jingjing and left without looking back. This confrontation didn't have a winner or a loser, but neither of them benefited from it.
Song Er didn't know much about her parents' accident. Everyone had deliberately avoided the topic. Her father was not a very well-behaved person in his younger days, and even after he got married, there were constant rumors about his private life. These external rumors could not be verified now, but hearing someone say it in person still made her feel uncomfortable.
After returning to the Gu family's house, Song Er stayed in the gym all afternoon. When Gu Cheng came back, she had just finished a set of exercises and was sitting on the floor to rest.
"Xiao Er, what's wrong?" Gu Cheng walked up to her and squatted down to be at eye level with her.
"Nothing," Song Er shook her head, not planning to go into detail. The matter between her and Jiang Jingjing involved Gu Lixing, and she didn't know how to explain it to Gu Cheng at this moment.
Gu Cheng reached out and untied her ponytail that had been messed up all afternoon. He ran his hand through her hair and exposed her without hesitation, "You only work out like this when you're in a bad mood."
Song Er sighed, stood up from the floor, and admitted frankly, "I am in a bit of a bad mood."
"In a bad mood, huh..." Gu Cheng repeated slowly, as if thinking about what to do. Finally, he remembered something. "Oh, by the way, our class is going to Tongxi Town next Friday. Why don't you come with us? It'll be a good way to clear your mind."
"It's your class's activity. It wouldn't be right for me to tag along," Song Er said, picking up the towel she had thrown aside earlier and walking out. "Besides, I won't be in a bad mood until next Friday."
"You're a half-family member. Of course you're allowed to come. If you're in a bad mood, it's a way to clear your mind. If you're in a good mood, it's a trip. You've been away for so long and haven't had a chance to visit nearby places."
After he brought it up, Gu Cheng was determined to take her with him. He had one reason after another, so much so that she didn't know how to refuse.
"I have class next Friday."
"You shouldn't need me to teach you how to ask for a day off, right?"
"So I can't refuse anymore?"
"You can look at it that way."
The two of them walked out of the gym, chatting with each other. They bumped into Gu Lixing, who had unexpectedly come back much earlier today. Song Er looked up and saw Gu Lixing, and he happened to look over at her too.
In an instant, the frustration that she had finally managed to get rid of after an afternoon of sweating came back to her.
Song Er suddenly stopped, and said every word clearly, "Okay, let's go to Tongxi Town together next Friday."
Gu Cheng, who was still preparing for a long battle, hadn't expected her to suddenly aagree. He didn't react for a moment, then he aabsentmindedly ruffled Song Er's hair. "What were you doing before?"
Thanks to Gu Cheng, the whole Gu family knew about the trip to Tongxi Town next Friday.
At the dinner table, Song Er couldn't help but glance at Gu Lixing a few times. He hadn't changed. Whether it was when he heard her agree to Gu Cheng this afternoon, or when everyone was talking about it at the dinner table later, he was like an outsider, not caring at all.
This was Gu Lixing. When he cared about you, you couldn't get away, but when he didn't, he could easily pretend he didn't see you. So, when she left in a huff, he didn't contact her again. Now that she had said hurtful things to him, he treated her like air.
This was good, Song Er thought.
But this was exactly what she wanted, yet when it really happened, it felt like something had hit a certain part of her heart, making it feel sore and bitter.
When he said that Gu Cheng was not someone she could trust, she was indeed angry, but the words about regretting loving him were said on purpose.
She had said it to make Gu Lixing angry, but now it made her feel uncomfortable.
The night before they left, there was a small rain in Xuchuan, which washed away the dust on the ground. As a result, on the day they left, the air was clean and fresh, a perfect day for a trip.
Gu Cheng said they would be staying for two nights and would come back on Sunday. Song Er only brought two sets of clothes, but she couldn't stand the cold. As soon as the temperature dropped a little, she wanted to wear something warmer, so she went back to get another jacket before leaving.
When she came out, she ran into Gu Lixing. At the corner of the stairs on the second floor, it was just the two of them. For a moment, neither of them gave way, and they were stuck there until Gu Cheng's voice came from downstairs, urging her to hurry up. She then came back to her senses, quickly dodged past Gu Lixing, and ran downstairs.
The driver drove them to meet up with the main group. The bus only had two empty seats in the front row. After Song Er greeted everyone with a smile, she sat down by the window, and Gu Cheng sat down behind her.
Anticipating that the bus ride would be boring, some people brought playing cards, and those who didn't took out their phones with pre-downloaded games. They soon gathered in groups and started playing.
Song Er wasn't familiar with everyone, but Gu Cheng was very popular. In no time, a bunch of people came over and invited them to join their team. Song Er looked at them for a bit, but didn't really understand, so she just turned to look at the scenery outside the window.
Maybe it was because she hadn't taken a bus in a long time, but she started to feel carsick. Song Er tried to open the window, but after a few tries, she couldn't. In the end, Gu Cheng helped her.
"Carsick?" Gu Cheng asked with concern. He was afraid that Song Er would get cold if the window was opened too wide, so he only opened it a little bit.
"A little, but I'm fine. You go play. I'll listen to some music and sleep for a bit."
Gu Cheng still quickly ended his game and adjusted his position a little so that Song Er could lean on him more comfortably, and he stayed like that until they reached Tongxi Town.
Tongxi Town was a small town not far from Xuchuan. The center was a lake, and the north side was a mountain. The town was built around the lake, with varying elevations, but it all felt like you could open your door and step into the water.
In recent years, tourism had slowly developed, and many new homestays had been built around the area. They were staying in one of these homestays this time.
Song Er lived with their class monitor and two other girls, while Gu Cheng and a few boys lived downstairs. It was lunchtime, so everyone put their luggage down and went to a restaurant for lunch. In the afternoon, they planned to go fishing in Chaohu Lake, and in the evening, they would have a barbecue.
Song Er had always been uninterested in fishing. She had gone with the Gu family a few times before, but most of the time she would hide in the tent to sleep or help Aunt Zhou and the others. But since it was a group activity, she couldn't just do whatever she wanted. Luckily, it wasn't a big deal. She followed everyone, found a shady spot, cast her line, not caring whether she caught anything, and just put on her headphones to listen to music.
Since Gu Cheng had experience, he was asked to be the teacher. A group of people surrounded him, and it took a while for him to finally be free and come to Song Er's side.
"Are you feeling better?"
Song Er took off one of her headphones and nodded, "I've been better for a while. I just didn't have an appetite for lunch."
Gu Cheng also set up a fishing rod next to her, sat down beside her, and took one of her headphones, putting it on himself. He didn't forget to comment, "Why is it always this kind of music?"
"Everything else is too loud," Song Er explained.
Fishing had its own fun. For example, some people would fish for a long time without a bite, only to find that the fish had already eaten their bait, or some people would get excited when their float moved, but when they reeled it in, it was just a clump of water weeds.
Even though she didn't put much effort into it, Song Er ended up catching a lot of fish. When everyone saw this, they said that Gu Cheng was hiding his skills. Gu Cheng didn't refute. Instead, he went along with their words, "Can you call it hiding my skills if I'm teaching my Xiao Er?"
Everyone agreed. "No!"
Finally, they laughed and returned to the homestay.
They gave the fish to the homestay chef to prepare, and they started preparing for the barbecue. Song Er was signed to wash the mushrooms, along with a girl who was staying in the same room with her.
Song Er was slow to warm up, but the girl was lively and kept talking to her. In a short while, their conversation went from her to Gu Cheng.
"I heard that you and Gu Cheng are arranged to be married?"
Song Er nodded. "Something like that. We've known each other since we were little, anyway."
"That's so adorable."
The girl admired, but Song Er just gave a faint smile and didn't reply. Gu Cheng came over once in the middle of their work, looked around, and was about to help, but Song Er rejected him.
During the barbecue, Gu Cheng pulled her to sit next to him, which happened to be at the same table as the girl from earlier. There were several people at the table who were good at grilling, so they didn't have a chance to do it themselves. Song Er was happy to just sit and eat.
When Gu Cheng saw that she was eating nonstop, he whispered, "Don't eat too much tonight, you'll have indigestion later."
"Mhm," she agreed, and indeed put down her chopsticks. She didn't particularly like these things anyway. She had only been looking for something to do since she couldn't join in on their conversations.
Everyone chatted leisurely, and it was already nine o'clock in the evening when they finished. After cleaning up, everyone started to head back to their rooms to rest.
Song Er went to throw away the trash and, when she came back, she unintentionally saw a car parked not far away. Her steps suddenly stopped, and then she quickly ran inside. She didn't know what she was running from.
Gu Lixing had come after all.
This morning, seeing her and Gu Cheng leave together, it felt like a rock was pressing down on his heart. He endured the whole morning, and in the afternoon, he finally couldn't take it anymore. He instructed Han Xun to arrange for the clients they were supposed to meet on the weekend to come to Tongxi Town and left work early for the first time.
He hadn't looked for Song Er in the past few days. On one hand, he felt that they both needed time to calm down, and on the other hand, he had some other concerns.
But the thought of Gu Cheng always being able to take Song Er out in a rightful manner made him unable to sit still in his office.
The two-hour drive from Xuchuan to Tongxi Town was shortened by half, but when he got there, he didn't know what to do.
He couldn't get a grip on the current situation. If he were to make a scene, it would be bad for everyone. These two weeks of not talking to each other were not easy, and he was also afraid that if he pushed Song Er too hard, it would backfire.
But just now, he suddenly felt that it would be okay even if Song Er misunderstood him. In her eyes, he was already a dominant and selfish person.
When Song Er returned to her room, her phone rang. She glanced at it and decisively pressed the answer button, but then a text message popped up.
"I'm downstairs."
She pretended not to see it and deleted it. Her roommates had probably gone to another room to play. She went to the bathroom to wash up. When she came out, her roommates had also returned. Seeing that she was about to go to bed, her roommate was a little surprised, "You're going to sleep so early?"
"I'm a little tired today. I can't stay up," she said, and then she turned over and burrowed into her blanket, facing the wall. She put on her headphones and stopped talking.
"Come down, I'll take you somewhere."
It wasn't until everyone was about to sleep that Gu Lixing's text message came again. Song Er was just about to turn off her phone when another message came in.
"Or I'll come in."
Song Er was so startled that she sat up on the bed. The class monitor who was sleeping with her was also startled, "What's wrong?"
"I can't sleep. I'm going to sit downstairs for a while." After saying that, she went to the bathroom to change her clothes and left.
"Gu Lixing, what do you want?" Song Er asked angrily outside the car. Why did he always appear suddenly when she thought it was over, coming and going, not letting her live in peace?
The other person didn't seem angry at all. He just looked at the passenger seat and gestured. "Get in, come with me somewhere."
"Gu Lixing, I've already made it very clear--"
"Get in the car!"
The tone was firm and a little impatient.
Song Er turned to leave, but Gu Lixing caught up to her. "I'm not going to eat you."
Song Er was forcibly put into the car. Once Gu Lixing made a decision, few people could defy him.
"Is this fun?" Song Er asked him.
Gu Lixing didn't reply. He just drove around Chaohu Lake until they reached the foot of the North Mountain, and then he got out of the car.
From this location, you could see the entire town of Tongxi. The clear lake surface at night was like a mirror, adopting the bright moon, stars, and lights from the houses as its clothes.
Gu Lixing sat down on the lawn of the lakeside embankment, looking at the lake, and suddenly said, "Song Er, you only dare to point your thorns at me."
Song Er stood not far behind him. His words felt like something had stabbed her heart, making it feel sour and uncomfortable.
It wasn't the first time she had been alone with Gu Lixing. Ever since the kiss on her sixteenth birthday made their vague feelings clear, Gu Lixing would often find various excuses to take her out.
From buying study materials to buying dance costumes, from giving her a ride to the dance studio to giving her a ride to see friends.
These excuses were just to avoid everyone and find a quiet place to be alone with her.
Their relationship was aalways in the dark, not allowed, and would even be spurned by others. She was the Gu family's aalready-chosen future granddaughter-in-law, and he was the Gu family's uncle. There was a gap between them that they could never cross, a wall of ethics and morality, and a boundary of social etiquette. If they weren't careful, they would be disgraced.
"Gu Lixing, two intersecting lines need to travel a long way to intersect at one point, but they will also travel further and further apart on that long road."
She might have been blindly fantasizing about being reckless, but in the end, she failed. Now she no longer had the courage to fulfill her own desires at the cost of other people's pain.
"Sit down."
Gu Lixing didn't want to hear her talk about these nonsensical philosophies. He had left work and changed his plans at the last minute, not to listen to her lecture him on philosophy.
"You only ever act tough with me, too."
Song Er finally sat down beside him and looked up at the sky. Because they were in the suburbs, the stars were exceptionally bright, twinkling and dazzling in the night sky.
She subconsciously glanced at Gu Lixing. He was only half-tilting his head, looking up at the sky.
When was it that he was also sitting so quietly, and she had accidentally stumbled into his territory and never wanted to leave?
After she moved into the Gu family's house, her first monthly exam results were surprisingly bad. They had fallen to the bottom. After Zhou Yuwei found out, she had a talk with her, telling her it was okay and that she could do better next time. Old Lady Gu had only asked if she hadn't performed well.
No one accused her, but the comfort she received only made her feel more melancholic.
She had never been good at her studies and loved to play. Before, when she didn't do well, her mother would always scold her harshly. But suddenly one day, she couldn't hear it anymore, and that made her even sadder.
After dinner, she wanted to find a place to be alone, but she accidentally walked into the attic.
The room was simply furnished, and the lights were off. She could only vaguely see a telescope by the window. Was she mesmerized? Otherwise, how could she have known it was an intrusion, but still couldn't control her steps?
The floor was covered with a carpet, which was soft and warm to the touch. The window was not closed, and as soon as she walked in, she felt a breeze.
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted her steps. The lights in the room were turned on, and Song Er's eyes couldn't open immediately. In her daze, she saw a person sitting on the sofa in the corner. He must have been resting and was clearly a little angry at her interruption.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know--" She apologized anxiously and turned to leave.
"It's fine," Gu Lixing said, cutting her off. Under Song Er's puzzled gaze, he moved a button next to him, and the roof began to change. It slowly revealed the sky above, and when she looked up, a sky full of stars came into view.
"Just stay here," Gu Lixing said, standing up from the sofa and walking towards the telescope by the window. He couldn't help but add, "Just don't make a sound."
Song Er finally understood. She wanted to explain a few things, but seeing Gu Lixing's expression, she just found a corner and sat down carefully. She then looked at the room more closely. It was simply furnished. Besides the telescope and a bookshelf full of books, there was only this sofa.
She looked at the room, and her gaze finally landed on Gu Lixing.
He was meticulously adjusting the telescope, calm and focused. He was so captivating that it was hard to look away. Realizing that her actions were inappropriate, Song Er quickly looked away and looked up at the starry sky.
This spot was not as good as Gu Lixing's. It might have been better to lie on the carpet for a better view. But the part of the sky that was visible, with the twinkling stars dotted in it, also made her mesmerized.
It wasn't until Gu Lixing asked, "Aren't you going to sleep?"
Song Er quickly looked away and said in a panic, "Soon, I'll go right away."
When she got to the door, she stopped again, took a deep breath, and turned around to ask tentatively, "Can I come again?"
Gu Lixing was slightly stunned, but he agreed. "Whenever you want."
And just like that, the secret base that was originally Gu Lixing's alone became their secret base. Of course, most of the time, they would just sit there quietly. Gu Lixing would read, and she would look at the stars. Gu Lixing would look at the stars, and she would still look at the stars.
"Did the attic change?" Song Er asked, looking at the starry sky and thinking about those days.
"It was torn down," Gu Lixing said, a little annoyed. "Did you want me to say that?"
"No, I was thinking that if I hadn't accidentally walked in, I would still be able to get your protection now, like an elder to a junior."
Gu Lixing turned to look at Song Er, a smile in his eyes and a rare casualness in his tone. "Song Er, you lit a fire and now you want me to put it out. You should at least ask for my opinion, right?"
Song Er didn't reply. Gu Lixing's meaning was so clear. She was afraid that if she wasn't careful, he would sway her.
In the distance, something was approaching, flickering on and off, like stars.
Were they fireflies?
Yes, the things that were gradually gathering towards them were indeed fireflies. Slowly, there were more and more, making her feel as if she was in the middle of a star field. She became lost in the moment.
"I should have brought you to see this a long time ago," Gu Lixing explained. "There aren't many left at this time."
Song Er looked away and, for the first time, asked him, "Gu Lixing, why?"
"Then I want to ask you, why?"
"I have an engagement with Gu Cheng that was arranged beforehand," she still replied.
Gu Lixing gave a light laugh, as if he was abhorring this completely baseless reason. "If you really cared about that, you should have pushed me away back then."
"I..."
With one sentence, Song Er was speechless. It turned out that this rule had been invalid with her tacit approval a long time ago.
Song Er bit her lip lightly, as if she was making a difficult decision.
"But I don't want to love you anymore. Can you please let me go too?"
"Do you really think my heart is made of iron and won't hurt even if it's broken?" Gu Lixing's face turned grim, and he asked with a cold glare.
Song Er turned her face away, took a deep breath, and continued, "I'm tired. I don't want to live in fear like this. I'm not as smart as you think. I can't guess what's on your mind, and I'm even more unwilling to overthink every day to figure out your feelings. So, let's let each other go."
It was too tiring to always have to guess his thoughts and distinguish the depth of his feelings.
She didn't want to become a person she aabhorred. Although she didn't want to aadmit it, what Jiang Jingjing said was right. She, who was caught between Gu Lixing and Gu Cheng, was starting to abhor herself.
Finally, she tore off the last bit of decency they had between them.
She noticed that Gu Lixing's hand was clenched into a fist, so hard that she could clearly see the veins on the back of his hand. She was really worried that Gu Lixing would pounce on her and kill her the next second, but in the end, he just sat there.
Gu Lixing didn't move, and she could only sit quietly beside him. The surroundings suddenly became silent, with only the sound of the wind and insects.
It wasn't until the last light around them went out that Gu Lixing finally got up. Song Er hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
In the end, Gu Lixing didn't give her an answer either.
Her roommates were already asleep. Song Er was quiet, but she still woke up the class monitor. "Just getting back?"
Song Er gently "mhm"-ed, not explaining anything.
The next day, while they were eating breakfast, their conversation turned to Song Er. Her roommate asked her curiously, "You went out so suddenly last night. Did you go on a date with Gu Cheng?"
Song Er's heart skipped a beat. She felt Gu Cheng's gaze on her and quickly explained, "No, I just walked around downstairs."
Everyone obviously didn't believe her, until a roommate of Gu Cheng's who came late and was unaware of the situation ruined everyone's curiosity. "I can attest to that. Gu Cheng was lying next to me all last night. He didn't go anywhere."
Today's plan was to climb the North Mountain. It was just after autumn began, but the梧桐 trees on the North Mountain were already starting to turn yellow. It would probably be a floor of fallen leaves after a few more autumn winds.
Song Er and Gu Cheng were walking at the back of the group. Song Er was clearly a little absent-minded. The guilt of being alone with Gu Lixing had crept into her heart. It was a feeling she had never had before, reminding her over and over again of how awful she had been to the boy next to her.
"What's wrong?" Gu Cheng felt Song Er's distress and asked with some concern.
Song Er shook her head. "Nothing."
"Are you sure?"
Song Er gave a forced smile and reached out to pat Gu Cheng's shoulder. "I'm really fine. Let's hurry up. We're falling behind."
When she turned around, Song Er actually saw Gu Lixing. He was with Han Xun and a few strangers, probably clients. She subconsciously glanced at Gu Cheng. It seemed that the lie she told this morning had been exposed.
Gu Cheng didn't know what Song Er was thinking. When he saw Gu Lixing, he smiled and went up to him. "Uncle, what a coincidence?"
"Came here to discuss some things," Gu Lixing explained calmly, and then asked, "Climbing the North Mountain?"
"Yeah, it's one of our activities."
Gu Lixing smiled and politely invited, "Are you free tonight? Let's have dinner together."
"No," Song Er refused subconsciously.
The atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment, but thankfully Gu Cheng reacted quickly and explained with a smile, "We have other activities planned for tonight, so we probably can't make it."
Gu Lixing didn't seem to mind at all. "Alright then, have fun." From beginning to end, his gaze didn't land on Song Er.
Just then, a classmate noticed that they were alone and urged them to catch up, so the few of them parted ways.
Han Xun, as the only person in the know, looked at the departing Song Er and then at Gu Lixing. He finally understood why Gu Lixing had left work early yesterday and had aasked him to aarrange for a few unimportant clients to come to Tongxi Town.
"Mr. Gu?" he asked tentatively.
Gu Lixing seemed not to have heard him. He put on a smiling face and started talking to the clients next to him, as if what had just happened was just an unexpected side note to this trip.
After they parted with Gu Lixing, Song Er was noticeably quieter, and her pace quickened. Gu Cheng followed her and couldn't help but wonder, "Xiao Er, did something happen between you and Uncle? It feels a little strange between you two since you came back."
Finally, he asked.
Song Er was stunned and gave a forced smile. "No, it's just that I don't need tutoring anymore, so I don't know what else to talk about."
Gu Cheng obviously didn't believe her, but Song Er didn't want to say more. She ran a few steps ahead and turned back. "I haven't raced in a long time. How about we give it a try?"
"People will say I'm bullying a girl," Gu Cheng said helplessly, but he still chased after her.
When Gu Cheng was little, his health wasn't good, so Song Er would often find reasons to get him to race with her. Every time, he would be out of breath, but Song Er could still run to buy a drink. As they got older, the gap between them started to close, until just before they graduated from elementary school, he unexpectedly surpassed her. From then on, Song Er never brought up racing again.
There was no suspense. Song Er was quickly caught up by Gu Cheng. She looked at the hand on her shoulder and said unhappily, "Gu Cheng, where's your chivalry?"
Gu Cheng awkwardly touched his nose. "It would be embarrassing if I couldn't catch up to you."
Song Er didn't say anything more and didn't bring up those things again. When they reached the top of the mountain, everyone took a group photo and had lunch at the restaurant on the mountain. In the afternoon, they decided to casually stroll around Tongxi Town until it was time to meet up in the evening.
After coming down from the mountain, when they got to the lake, Song Er saw some boats and suggested they take a boat to cruise the lake. There wasn't a specific destination for the cruise, but it was nice to just lie on the boat and feel the breeze.
"I still like Xuchuan," Song Er said, with her head resting on her arm and her eyes closed. "When I was in England, I missed it so much. It was always raining there, and when it got cold, it felt like my bones would freeze. It was terrible."
Gu Cheng reached out and touched her head. "On the phone, you said that England was great and that you wanted to take me to see it."
"I said that because I didn't want everyone to worry. Going abroad was something I had promised my uncle, so I couldn't just complain about the weather and ask to come back, right?" Song Er suddenly remembered something and her eyes snapped open as she looked at Gu Cheng. "Gu Cheng, if you were to go abroad, which country would you prefer?"
"What about you?"
"Italy, maybe." Song Er thought carefully. "Just as long as it's not England."
"Okay, then Italy."
"Huh?"
Gu Cheng flicked her forehead. "Do you think I would go abroad without you?"
Song Er smiled faintly and turned her head away. She looked aashamed, but in reality, she just didn't know how to face it. Even though she had been ready to aaccept Gu Cheng, she still felt like something was missing.
After the cruise, the two of them walked around the town for a bit and got back to the homestay around the right time. There were no important activities that night, just everyone sitting around playing games. There were no prizes, but there were punishments for the losers.
The games tested their chemistry. Song Er was naturally in a team with Gu Cheng. Since they had known each other since they were little and spent a lot of time together, the questions were basically not a problem for them.
But as the questions became more in-depth, Song Er was stumped one after another, and the atmosphere became a little awkward. In the end, Gu Cheng helped out, "These questions are too difficult. We refuse to answer."
They were punished by having to drink a glaass of wine and announced that they were giving up, and only then were they finally left alone. Song Er was not a good drinker. As soon as the wine took effect, she started to feel dizzy. Gu Cheng suggested he walk her back to her room, and after some thought, Song Er aagreed.
When they got to the door, Song Er suddenly turned and looked at Gu Cheng. "I'm sorry about earlier."
Just now, they had been aasked about who confessed first, when they held hands, and where they had their first kiss. She couldn't aanswer any of them. They had no such experiences and had never had any intimate moments.
Even though they had been together since they were little and were about to get engaged, when it came down to it, they didn't seem to be a couple at all.
"What are you doing? I promised I would wait for you," Gu Cheng said, patting Song Er's head and pushing her into the room. He then added reassuringly, "Get some rest. I'm going back downstairs."
"Goodbye."
Back in her room, Song Er went to wash her face. Although she was dizzy, her mind started to become clear.
No matter what, she had wronged Gu Cheng. Even if she wanted to make it up to him now, she felt like she didn't have the strength to do so, and it was truly painful.
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