novelraw Chapter 20 What else can you do?
Chapter 20 What else can you do?
Gu Yanshen placed his phone screen-down on the table, his movements so steady that they revealed no emotion.
He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over his subordinate who was giving a report, his voice as calm and deep as ever: "Continue."
The report resumed. However, the open document in front of him remained untouched for a long time.
Lu Xiran's chat window remained empty of new messages.
Lu Xiran used an old clay pot from Yunyuji's kitchen to simmer a pot of old chicken soup. When she took it to the Gu family's old house, she encountered her third aunt, Su Lanzhi.
Su Lan looked her up and down, a lukewarm smile playing on her lips: "Oh, so eager to please? Well, it makes sense. The few pieces of jewelry your mother casually gave you are enough for you to make soup for ten years."
Lu Xiran pretended not to hear the barb in his words, politely nodded slightly, and then turned to walk past.
As they brushed past each other, Su Lanzhi gave a very soft, almost breathy sneer: "Let's see how long you can be so smug... Zhihe will be back soon."
Gardenia?
A completely unfamiliar name brushed against Lu Xiran's heart for the first time. She paused slightly, but did not turn around, and walked straight towards Bai Fang's room.
Su Lanzhi watched coldly, a lump forming in her throat. A helpless orphan girl, relying on the old lady's pity, was actually putting on the airs of a future mistress.
just wait.
The "white moonlight" who supposedly made Gu Yan fall deeply in love and even change his personality because of it is about to return to China.
Then, let's see if she, as a stand-in, can still smile so "innocently" and so...an eyesore.
After having dinner with Bai Fang, Lu Xiran started discussing wedding dresses with her. Bai Fang took her hand, "Our Ranran looks good in anything! But if Grandma were to choose, she thinks the first main wedding dress is grand, and the red toast dress suits you well too, plus it's festive!"
"I'll do whatever Grandma says!" Lu Xiran obediently agreed, but her gaze unconsciously drifted to her quiet phone screen.
He still hasn't replied to the message.
After much hesitation, I finally typed a message in the chat box: "Uncle, could you come home early tonight? Want to take some photos?"
The message was successfully sent. She stared at the small "delivered" message, her heart pounding with anxiety.
Pushing open the door, I found only a floor lamp lit in the living room.
In the dim light, Gu Yanshen was already sitting by the island counter, with a laptop open in front of him, the cold light from the screen reflecting on his expressionless profile.
"Uncle?" Lu Xiran quickly changed her shoes and approached. "You're back!...Are you busy?"
"Hmm," he responded, his gaze not leaving the screen, his fingertips sliding across the touchpad, his profile appearing somewhat faint in the light and shadow.
"...Then you go ahead and get busy." Lu Xiran clenched her fingertips, that feeling of helplessness washing over her again.
He seems... still angry.
The air was quiet for a few seconds, broken only by the occasional soft tapping of his keyboard.
"Lu Xiran." He suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it made her heart skip a beat.
"Hmm?" She immediately looked up.
Gu Yanshen finally closed his laptop, turned his chair to face her. Light streamed down from above, casting a shadow over his deep-set eyes, obscuring his true emotions. "Didn't we say we were going to take pictures?"
"...Yes." Lu Xiran nodded quickly, looking at his crisp shirt and impeccably tailored tie. "But, isn't this too formal? Should we...untie the tie to make it look more casual?"
Gu Yanshen didn't move, he just looked at her.
Lu Xiran felt flustered under his gaze, but she still mustered her courage and stepped forward. She stood in front of him and reached out to touch his boss.
A faint, crisp cedar scent, unique to him, enveloped her tightly.
Her fingers were somewhat clumsy as she navigated around the smooth silk fabric; the more anxious she became, the tighter the knot seemed to tighten.
Her delicate nose seemed to touch his chin; her warm, rapid breaths and the faint sweet scent of citrus in her hair subtly permeated Gu Yanshen's senses.
Gu Yanshen's Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly. Uncontrollably, the photograph flashed through his mind—her unguarded, bright, and gentle expression as she looked up at another man. But in his presence, she always wore a cautious, restrained, and ingratiating demeanor.
This realization caused the suppressed bitterness and inexplicable anger in my heart to rise up again.
"I...I can't untie it." Lu Xiran tried several times but failed. She muttered to herself in regret, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
Gu Yanshen lowered his eyelashes, looking at her slightly flushed cheeks and trembling eyelashes. After a few seconds, he spoke in a low, husky voice, "I'll do it."
"Okay." Lu Xiran breathed a sigh of relief, quickly withdrew her hand, and took a small step back.
The moment she looked up, her gaze met Gu Yanshen's deep eyes. The emotions churning within them were too complex, some dark and unfathomable, others something else that made her heart tremble inexplicably.
"I'm sorry..." She pursed her lips, her voice softening, carrying a hint of coquettishness and grievance she herself didn't realize, "Please don't be angry with me anymore, okay?"
Gu Yanshen silently watched her, observing the flickering, uneasy light in her eyes. Suddenly, he reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him with a slight pull.
Lu Xiran gasped in surprise, her hands instinctively pressing against his firm chest. Through the fabric of his shirt, she could clearly feel the heat and strong heartbeat emanating from him.
"Besides saying sorry," Gu Yanshen lowered his head, their breaths almost touching, his voice low and hoarse with a suppressed urge, "what else would you say to me, hmm?"
They were so close that Lu Xiran could count his thick eyelashes.
The swirling darkness in his eyes was like a whirlpool, drawing her deeper and deeper. A desperate courage, mixed with the pent-up anxiety and secret longing of the past few days, suddenly surged to her head.
She steeled herself, closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and quickly and gently pecked his cool lips.
Like a butterfly, it lingers briefly, touching and then scattering.
Gu Yanshen froze, and the hand around her waist tightened suddenly.
The complex, repressed emotions in his eyes shattered under her naive yet bold touch, replaced by something more primal and intense.
He watched as her cheeks flushed instantly and her eyes, filled with panic yet concealing expectation, and finally, the last thread of reason snapped.
Without any further hesitation, he lowered his head and precisely captured her lips.
It was no longer a light, fleeting touch, but a deep kiss, burning hot and irresistible, that completely swallowed up all her breath and sobs.