I Heard You Liked Me First - Chapter 21

What surprised Gu Nan even more was that Chi An brought her some good news.
“I heard there’s going to be a comic convention in two days. Su Wan’s going to cosplay an anime character.”

The news was so unexpected that Gu Nan immediately called her.
“A comic convention?”

Chi An chuckled. “Yeah, she mentioned it casually when we were talking before.”

Gu Nan clicked her tongue in amusement. “Mrs. Xiao really knows how to have fun, huh?”

Chi An laughed. “What, are you interested again?”

“Of course I am,” Gu Nan said, sounding delighted. “Just imagine it—she’s the center of attention at the con, surrounded by people, and then she suddenly spots three familiar faces in the crowd. And one of them is the last person she’d want to see her like that. Isn’t that thrilling?”

Chi An thought about it and had to admit—it did sound thrilling.

Though she figured the only person who’d find it thrilling would probably be Su Wan.

“Anyway, I want to go,” Gu Nan continued. “Back when I was in school, I used to go to conventions with friends and even helped pass out promo flyers. Cons are fun, and it’s the perfect chance to take Gu Yue out to see something new—she’s definitely never been to one.”

“Alright,” Chi An said easily. “I’ll take care of the tickets.”

When it came to these things, Gu Nan trusted Chi An completely.

After hanging up, she messaged Gu Yue right away.
“Want to go to a comic convention? I’ll take you.”

Gu Yue replied quickly.
“A comic convention? I’ve never been to one!”

“I’d love to go! When are we going? Do I need to prepare anything?”

Gu Nan laughed. “We’re just going to have fun, not to cosplay, so no prep needed.”

They settled on a time, and Gu Yue got so excited she even went online to look up guides and tips, determined to make the most of their first convention.

When the day came, the two of them climbed into Chi An’s car.

Gu Yue, now much more relaxed around Chi An and Gu Nan, asked curiously,
“Chi An-jie, don’t you need to go to work today?”

Chi An smiled. “Even if I don’t go, the company runs just fine.”

Gu Yue blinked in confusion. “Aren’t you afraid my grandma will find out and fire you? If the company still works without you there, wouldn’t that make her mad?”

Chi An’s lips curved slightly. “If she really thought that way, she would’ve fired me long ago. The reason the company still runs smoothly even when I’m not there is because I am still officially working there. If she actually let me go, do you think she or her son could keep things running?”

It wasn’t that Chi An looked down on the Gu family—just that the only truly capable person had already passed away. The rest were hopeless.

Even if Gu Hongkang and his son did have some talent, their indulgent, lazy lifestyles would’ve dragged the company down eventually.

To Gu Yue, though, Chi An was simply amazing.

Before long, the three arrived at the convention center.

As soon as Gu Yue stepped out and saw the crowd—lines of people in colorful costumes, carrying props and posters—her eyes lit up with pure wonder. This was a whole new world for her, vibrant and dazzling.

Gu Nan, too, felt a wave of nostalgia, remembering those carefree days of attending conventions with her friends.

Hand in hand, the two of them hurried to line up for entry, practically buzzing with excitement.

Chi An parked the car and followed shortly after.

Their arrival drew immediate attention.

All three women were strikingly beautiful.

Chi An, dressed in her usual elegant style, clearly wasn’t a young girl anymore—but that air of maturity, paired with her cool and distant gaze, reminded many onlookers of certain iconic anime characters.

Gu Nan and Gu Yue were equally eye-catching: one bold and glamorous, the other sweet and soft. Every smile and gesture turned heads.

Even while waiting in line, they could hear people whispering around them.

Several photographers came over, cameras in hand.
“Excuse me, can we take your photos?”

Gu Nan quickly waved her hand. “Oh, we’re not cosplayers.”

“That’s okay,” one of them said enthusiastically. “We don’t only shoot cosplayers.”

“Yeah,” another added, “you’re all so pretty—it’d be a crime not to take a few pictures.”

Gu Nan laughed and politely declined, and they finally left, looking a little disappointed.

Not long after, members from different cosplay groups came up asking if they’d be interested in joining as cosplayers—if not today, maybe for future events.

They were especially eager about Chi An, whose elegance and poise made her perfect for certain character types that younger girls couldn’t pull off.

Of course, the trio declined again.

Still, their looks alone made them the center of attention wherever they went. People couldn’t help but stare as they passed.

And sure enough, Su Wan noticed them.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

This wasn’t fate—it was pure bad luck. She was starting to suspect Gu Nan had done this on purpose!

Panicked, Su Wan turned to leave, but she couldn’t. Fans were still lining up to take photos with her, trapping her in place. By the time she was done, Gu Nan and the others had already made their way over.

Gu Nan immediately spotted her and nudged Gu Yue. “Look at that figure. Isn’t that insane?”

Gu Yue followed her gaze and gasped in awe.

Su Wan was cosplaying Boa Hancock from One Piece—the Pirate Empress.

The character was famous for her stunning beauty and flawless curves, and Su Wan played her to perfection. Her chest was definitely enhanced to an F, her hips sculpted and high, making her already slim waist look impossibly small.

The long, slit dress revealed long, pale legs; the overall effect was cold, seductive, and impossible to ignore.

Gu Yue stared, mesmerized. “I didn’t think someone could actually look that good in real life.”

Su Wan stood stiffly, posing for photos, thankful that she’d picked such a bold, high-difficulty cosplay. With all the padding, contouring, and exaggerated makeup, it would be nearly impossible for Gu Yue to recognize her.

Of course, she had no doubt that Gu Nan and Chi An already had.

And judging by their mischievous looks, they were definitely planning to push Gu Yue to take a photo with her.

Gu Yue flushed, shy and hesitant.

*************

Even though the person in front of her was also a woman, she was simply too beautiful—beautiful enough to make anyone feel shy.

And what made Gu Yue even more flustered was that the woman’s lips and chin looked a little like Mrs. Xiao’s. That only deepened her sense of awkwardness.

Luckily, with Gu Nan and Chi An quietly urging her on, Gu Yue finally gathered her courage and stepped forward to ask if they could take a photo together.

Su Wan nodded. Gu Yue approached nervously.

Because Su Wan was wearing towering fifteen-centimeter platform heels as part of her costume, she stood nearly half a head taller than Gu Yue.

When Gu Yue came close, Su Wan noticed how stiff she looked—shoulders tense, hands fidgeting—but the sparkle in her eyes betrayed a mix of excitement and wonder. For a moment, Su Wan actually felt a pang of tenderness.

This poor girl… it must be her first time coming to a place like this. If not for Gu Nan and Chi An, she probably never would have experienced something like a comic convention.

Whether it was out of mischief or a touch of affection, Su Wan bent down slightly, resting one hand on Gu Yue’s shoulder while using the other to tilt her chin up. Their pose looked strikingly intimate—almost flirtatious.

Gu Yue instantly felt her arm brush against something soft, and her face turned scarlet.

The photo session was short; Su Wan had a line of people waiting to take pictures with her, so Gu Yue didn’t dare take up too much of her time. Still buzzing with excitement, she followed Gu Nan and Chi An deeper into the venue.

On the way, Gu Yue kept scrolling through the photos on her phone, marveling aloud, “Cousin, look at her mouth and chin—they look so much like Mrs. Xiao’s.”

Gu Nan, who was still savoring Su Wan’s discomfort, decided to help her maintain her disguise for a little longer.
“You keep saying everyone looks like Mrs. Xiao,” Gu Nan teased. “Do you really think she’d have that kind of figure? That chest? That butt?”

Her offhand comment hit the mark—Gu Yue blinked, startled.

She was right. Why did she keep seeing Mrs. Xiao’s face everywhere? That wasn’t normal.

Gu Yue quickly shook her head, pushing away the thought.
“Cousin, let’s go play those games over there! If we win, we can get free merch. I haven’t even seen that anime, but I saw the promo stuff on Weibo—it looks so cute!”

Gu Nan laughed and followed along.

Chi An trailed behind them quietly, never intruding on their fun. She didn’t speak much, but whenever something needed to be paid for, she would step forward naturally.
“I’ll get it,” she said calmly. “You two go play.”

She even reached out to take the shopping bags piling up in their hands.
“Give those to me—your hands should be free if you want to have fun.”

She was far more attentive than most boyfriends accompanying their girlfriends to conventions, earning a few envious glances from people passing by.

After a while, even Gu Yue noticed.

“Chi An-jie is really thoughtful,” she murmured, genuinely impressed.

She didn’t hover or interfere, just quietly helped when needed, almost like she could anticipate what they wanted before they even said it.

It didn’t fit the image Gu Yue had of her at all.

Leaning closer to Gu Nan, she whispered, “Cousin, why is Chi An-jie so nice to us? She works so hard and she’s always so considerate—she seems to know exactly what to do. But earlier in the car, when she mentioned the Gu family, she didn’t sound like she liked them at all.”

Gu Nan froze slightly, caught off guard by the question.

Gu Yue went on, her voice puzzled. “It can’t have anything to do with me—I barely knew her before. Is it because of you, cousin? Did you and Chi An-jie know each other when you were little?”

Gu Nan was sure it had nothing to do with that. She and Chi An had only met a few times when they were younger, and even then, never enough to form much of a bond.

The one encounter that stood out most vividly was the last time she returned to the Gu household—on that rainy day. Her emotions had been in turmoil then…

And as for Chi An…

Gu Nan’s head throbbed at the thought. Especially when she remembered how Chi An had stolen her clothes.

She pressed her fingers to her temples, sighing.
Just thinking about it was enough to give her a headache.