Shen Mianyin thought for a moment, then deleted the characters she had typed one by one.
There was too much she wanted to say, so she decided to switch to a voice message.
Shen Mianyin pressed the voice button and said, "Gu Huaizhi, I... I didn’t mean that I didn’t consider you a friend, but I’ve never had that expectation, nor did I dare to think that you would consider me a friend."
She continued, "Also, earlier in the restaurant, I told Madam Su and the others that you and I were there discussing a business collaboration."
Shen Mianyin explained, "It’s not that our private interactions are something shameful."
“It’s just that I know Mr. Su and Madam Su’s personalities too well,”
Shen Mianyin said. “If they found out that we’re on good terms privately, they’d definitely try to use me to get close to you and worm their way into your circle.”
“Even if I disagree, they’d still use my name and go around me to bother you.”
Shen Mianyin sighed. “I know you wouldn’t pay them any attention, but even if you ignore them, they’ll still annoy you. In that case, it’s better to avoid this kind of situation from the start.”
Shen Mianyin sent the voice messages in segments and then sent one final message, almost without realizing it, with a slightly coquettish tone:
"Gu Huaizhi, how could you think I’m someone to be ashamed of?"
After Shen Mianyin sent the message, she realized that Gu Huaizhi had already driven off.
She had no idea when he would get around to listening to her voice message.
If he was angry and decided to ignore her, she might not hear from him tonight at all.
Shen Mianyin lowered her head, slowly walking to the entrance of the building and entering the code to open the door.
Gu Huaizhi hadn't yet left the neighborhood.
Feeling a bit frustrated, he pulled over on the roadside within the community.
He had barely parked when his phone began to buzz with notifications from WeChat, the alert sounding four times in quick succession.
Gu Huaizhi picked up his phone and saw that the messages were from Shen Mianyin.
He opened them and listened to each of the voice messages she had sent.
After a while, he let out a deep sigh, restarted the car, and made a turn around the flowerbed not far ahead.
The black GLS parked again in front of the building entrance, but Shen Mianyin was no longer in sight.
Through the glass of the building’s door, only the light in the lobby was still on.
Shen Mianyin, walking slowly due to her foot injury, made her way to the elevator.
While waiting for it to arrive, she turned her head to look outside the building.
The lobby on the first floor was spacious, and Shen Mianyin vaguely thought she saw a car parked outside, though it wasn’t very clear.
Just then, Shen Mianyin's phone rang. She took it out and saw that it was a call from Gu Huaizhi.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly answered the phone. "Gu Huaizhi!"
"Did you see the WeChat I sent earlier?" Shen Mianyin asked.
"Mm," came Gu Huaizhi's short reply.
Soon after, Shen Mianyin heard what sounded like a car door opening on the other end of the line.
She continued looking outside the building, as if she saw someone getting out of the car.
Could it be… Gu Huaizhi had come back? Shen Mianyin didn’t want to overthink it, so she held the phone up and began walking back toward the building entrance.
"When do you plan to move?" Gu Huaizhi asked.
Shen Mianyin felt a bit anxious and couldn’t help but quicken her pace.
Frowning, she endured the pain in her ankle but didn’t slow down.
As she got closer to the entrance, she finally saw clearly.
Outside the transparent glass door, standing in front of the black car, was none other than Gu Huaizhi!
Shen Mianyin didn’t have time to answer Gu Huaizhi’s question. Her heart raced. "Gu Huaizhi, did you come back?"
There was a brief pause on the other end of the phone before he replied, "No."
"You’re lying," Shen Mianyin said, quickening her pace. As she got closer to the entrance, Gu Huaizhi saw her figure approaching through the door.
She was walking quickly, but her steps were becoming more uneven.
Gu Huaizhi quickly walked to the door, intending to go in, but then he realized he didn’t know the password and could only wait helplessly.
He called out, “Slow down.”
“I won’t walk,” he added.
But Shen Mianyin still couldn’t hold herself back. She quickened her pace and, as soon as she reached the door, pushed it open and rushed out.
The moment she saw Gu Huaizhi, Shen Mianyin could no longer bear the pain in her ankle and collapsed into his arms.
Gu Huaizhi had already extended his hand to steady her as soon as she came out, and now he was able to catch her.
As he looked down, Shen Mianyin happened to lift her head to look at him.
His lips brushed against the top of her head and gently landed on her forehead.
Boom!
In that moment, Shen Mianyin heard a loud, explosive sound in her mind. Her entire face turned bright red, and she quickly took a step back.
Gu Huaizhi waited until she was steady before releasing her arm.
Shen Mianyin lowered her head so much it felt like it might snap, too embarrassed to look at him.
She didn’t notice that the tips of Gu Huaizhi’s ears had turned a deep red.
This time, the redness in Gu Huaizhi's ears spread directly to his cheeks.
"I won’t leave here. Why are you in such a hurry? Your foot’s not even healed."
"I'm afraid you might leave without waiting for me," Shen Mianyin replied, her voice soft and delicate, a sweetness that seemed to melt into Gu Huaizhi’s heart.
The autumn breeze had already begun to carry the chill of early winter.
Even so, Shen Mianyin still felt the spot on her forehead where Gu Huaizhi’s lips had brushed against her, burning with heat.
"I won’t leave while I’m waiting for you," Gu Huaizhi’s deep, soothing voice seemed to carry warmth through the night air, reaching Shen Mianyin’s ears.
Shen Mianyin froze for a moment, then suddenly lifted her head and stared blankly at Gu Huaizhi.
This was the first time anyone had ever told her they wouldn’t leave while waiting for her.
Gu Luo'an had never said such a thing, nor had he ever done it. With Gu Luo'an, she was never the first choice. The first choice was always Su Yiqing.
But now, although Gu Huaizhi hadn’t said it explicitly, she felt that she would always be his first choice. For some reason, she just had this feeling.
Gu Huaizhi gave her a sense of security, a feeling of being truly anchored.
"Even if there are more important things?" Shen Mianyin asked instinctively.
She didn’t know what had gotten into her, to ask such an oversteping question.
Thinking back to her past life, she had been so nervous in front of Gu Huaizhi that she couldn’t even speak.
Whenever he glanced at her, she would freeze, tense and unable to move.
But now, she was standing here, speaking so freely with Gu Huaizhi.
There seemed to be a hint of confusion in his eyes as he said, "If I’m waiting for you, it means waiting for you is the most important thing. There won’t be anything more important."
The fact that he had come to wait for her meant he had already taken care of everything else.
Waiting for her, in that moment, was the most important thing.
Shen Mianyin opened her mouth, but only the cool breeze slipped in, yet she didn’t feel cold at all—if anything, she felt a warmth spreading within her.
She really wanted to ask why Gu Huaizhi was so good to her.
But she was afraid that if she asked, the answer might disappoint her.
She thought to herself that it was probably because Gu Huaizhi was a man of his word, a true gentleman.
While Gu Luo'an was a true villain. Naturally, they were very different.
"You still haven’t told me. When do you plan to move?" Gu Huaizhi asked again.
Comments Box