Long Time No See (GL) - Chapter 27
Ming Yan was like a mirror, reflecting Gu Weirong’s intentions clearly and thoroughly, and also giving her the courage to “fight for favor.”
Yun Shu, however, did not take it to heart. She just felt that Gu Weirong’s childish side had been provoked.
“Infighting and jealousy can happen occasionally, but not often.” She didn’t want to face a second Ming Yan, nor did she want to speculate on Gu Weirong’s intentions.
If she thought too deeply, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to face it.
Gu Weirong felt unbalanced: “How come Ming Yan can say anything, but I can’t do it often?”
“Are you comparing yourself to her? My ears are calloused from hearing those things from her.” Yun Shu had long been used to Ming Yan clinging to her. That verbal expression of liking, in her view, was merely a child praising something they liked and expressing their preference.
Ming Yan had been showered with love since childhood, living a carefree life, the center of attention, so her nature was straightforward, and her thoughts and ideas were bold and direct.
In Yun Shu’s eyes, she was just a mischievous younger sister.
“Oh—oh—so you can listen to her words, but you can’t tolerate me expressing my feelings.” Gu Weirong leveraged Ming Yan to frantically test the waters, wondering if Yun Shu would get it?
“You and Yan Yan are different, don’t compare yourselves.” Yun Shu said, walking towards the door. Gu Weirong walked beside her and asked, “How are we different?”
She wanted to hear Yun Shu talk more, have a deeper conversation with her, and, more importantly, guide Yun Shu to express her true feelings.
Yun Shu was too restrained; this nature of not explaining things made it easy for her to keep secrets.
Even if she couldn’t be the person by her side, Gu Weirong hoped to become her confidante, a special presence.
Of course, she was different from Ming Yan, but what did the “difference” in Yun Shu’s eyes refer to?
Yun Shu didn’t answer immediately; she simply watched Ah Jie’s car pass by. Ming Yan specifically rolled down the window to say goodbye to her.
“I’ll miss you!” After waving, she didn’t forget to give a flying kiss. Ming Yan’s sunny smile seemed infectious, and Yun Shu always smiled back at her.
So her warmth wasn’t reserved just for her.
Gu Weirong had thought she was special, surpassing everyone else.
“Yan Yan is still a child; you’re an adult now.” Yun Shu turned her eyes and smiled, radiant like a flower.
What did that sentence mean? It seemed to answer, yet it also seemed to say nothing?
Before Gu Weirong could ask further, a white Lexus pulled up in front of them. This was the new ES model Gu Weirong had been longing for. She wanted to buy it but didn’t dare easily touch her savings, especially since every penny spent now had to consider the company’s situation.
She didn’t have much obsession or preference for cars, but considering the need for a car for business trips or meetings in the future, she started paying attention. She liked the simple elegance of the Lexus badge and model. It was just that the price wasn’t very affordable, and she was reluctant to buy it.
The driver handed the keys to Yun Shu and respectfully said, “Miss Yun, your car is all ready.”
“Thank you.”
Yun Shu took the car keys and looked at Gu Weirong: “Can you drive?”
Gu Weirong nodded, “Of course I can.”
“Are you still feeling up to it? Don’t push yourself.”
“I’m not that frail!” Gu Weirong took the car keys and walked directly to the driver’s seat. Yun Shu’s lips curved into a longer arc, and she automatically sat in the passenger seat.
Gu Weirong held the steering wheel, loving the feel of it. Touching the actual object reignited her desire to buy a car. But thinking about the total price, she was deterred again.
She shook her head, wanting to dismiss the urge to spend money. She was already without a permanent home; how could she dare to buy a car like this?
“Where to?” She decided to play the role of Yun Shu’s driver first. Since Ah Jie wasn’t around, she had a chance to perform.
If she could be the driver, Yun Shu could really keep her by her side all the time.
Gu Weirong thought happily.
“Let’s go.”
“Where? Home or…?”
“Let’s drive around Xingtai Natural Valley; the scenery there is nice, and then we’ll go back.”
“Alright, I wanted to see it too.”
The car felt great. Gu Weirong had test-driven it once, and it almost met all her needs and preferences. Driving a car she liked, she didn’t even feel physically uncomfortable. Moreover, with Yun Shu sitting next to her, she was in high spirits.
Just like the sky at this moment, the clouds stretched for miles, the sky was clear and blue, and even the chill after the rain became soft and warm.
“Keep your driver’s license in this car from now on.”
“Huh? Why?”
“This car is for you to drive.”
Gu Weirong glanced at Yun Shu in surprise, “You mean you’re giving this car to me??”
“Dream on. This is a brand-new car I bought in full. It’s for you to drive so you can be my driver. When I’m not in Xuan’an, you can keep it and use it however you want. You pay for the gas and maintenance yourself; I’ll take care of the insurance. Consider it your compensation.”
Yun Shu had seen a magazine featuring this car on Gu Weirong’s desk. She guessed Gu Weirong probably wanted to buy a car but was reluctant to spend the money. If she gave it directly, Gu Weirong would surely find a way to refuse or even pay for it.
Yun Shu couldn’t give it directly and didn’t want to force it, so after much thought, she decided on this method.
“The compensation is being able to use your car?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“No, you wouldn’t deliberately…” Gu Weirong was suspicious. It was too much of a coincidence. Why did Yun Shu buy exactly the car she liked the most?
Yun Shu squinted and smiled: “Don’t flatter yourself into thinking I want to give you a car. I need a car while I’m in Xuan’an, but I’m too lazy to drive. There’s no reason not to use a good female driver like you.”
“Tch, a driver is a driver. An assistant isn’t much different from a driver. Anyway, I won’t lose out!” For her now, every moment spent with Yun Shu was a gain, and perhaps she still had a chance to gain more.
But no matter how precious those things were, they weren’t as important as Yun Shu herself.
Crossing the winding, overlapping overpasses, the car headed towards Mingde Xingtai Natural Valley. It was a real estate project detached from the city but not isolated, an ecological town jointly built by Mingde and the government.
It was surrounded by mountains on one side and faced a lake on the other. The distant mountains, the shadowy blue, the thin mist, the moving water, were like stars fallen to earth.
Her mood brightened with the scenery, and Gu Weirong couldn’t help but fantasize. If she could live here with Yun Shu, leading a secluded, back-to-nature life, it would be the happiest thing in the world.
“Don’t you think living here, one could live very purely, without needing to pretend, without hiding emotions and thoughts, being able to show one’s truest self as one pleases? It’s wonderful. If it weren’t for the need to build villas, I would want to buy one. Why did you think of doing this…” Gu Weirong was talking enthusiastically, but turning her head, she realized Yun Shu had fallen asleep.
Thinking about when she saw her this morning, she did look a bit tired. Did she stay up late taking care of herself last night and not sleep well?
Gu Weirong felt distressed. She pulled the car over to the observation deck on the mountain and stopped.
The warm afternoon sun broke through the clouds and shone upon Yun Shu.
Gu Weirong lowered the sun visor to shield her from the glaring sunlight.
Yun Shu leaned back in her seat, eyes closed tightly, her brows seeming to hold deep sorrow. Yet, at this moment, she was as beautiful as a painting, making all the scenery pale in comparison.
Gu Weirong rested her elbow in her hand, staring at her in a daze.
She didn’t know how long passed, but she felt her arm grow numb. Worried that Yun Shu wasn’t sleeping comfortably, she leaned over to adjust the seat angle.
At this moment, Yun Shu had a faint, subtle fragrance, with a captivating charm. Even just sitting there napping made Gu Weirong unable to look away, constantly stirring her heart.
What exactly is love? Gu Weirong couldn’t define it.
It made her sink into it, unable to extricate herself, trapped yet unwilling to get out.
It made her heart worry about Yun Shu every moment, as if she had lost herself, pouring out her whole heart.
Gu Weirong gazed at Yun Shu with infatuation, feeling a warm current flowing through her body, stirring an impulse to touch and get closer to her.
Her gaze fell on Yun Shu’s lips, and she involuntarily pursed her own. She leaned closer to Yun Shu’s lips instinctively.
Her brain seemed to be rushing with bl00d, erupting with uncontrollable desire. The warm breath made the lightly sleeping Yun Shu sense someone approaching.
She slowly opened her eyes, meeting Gu Weirong’s hazy gaze. Her eyes were like a mirror, clearly reflecting the other’s silhouette.
Yun Shu’s red lips slightly parted, and she asked calmly, “What are you doing?”
It was still gentle, soft speech, as if cautiously reminding her, which instantly sobered Gu Weirong up. She quickly sat back in her seat, her face flushed crimson like a sunset.
“I, I was adjusting your seat, afraid your neck would hurt from sleeping. You opening your eyes so suddenly really scared me.”
Yun Shu had just woken up. She stretched languidly twice and lightly brushed her hair, looking incredibly charming. She smiled teasingly: “Adjusting this seat seems quite strenuous; your face is all red.”
“It’s the sun, it’s a bit hot, the air conditioning is hot too, it’s really hot in the car.” Gu Weirong stammered an explanation. Wiping her face, she was indeed sweating.
Yun Shu smiled without speaking, just surprised that she could fall asleep in the car.
Perhaps she was too tired last night, or perhaps she felt secure having someone by her side. Her sleep had been improving since she met Gu Weirong.
Yun Shu looked out the window. Light spilled between the mountains and the earth, illuminating the mountains and trees. The scenery flowed into her gaze as she looked down and then up.
She had never felt that there was a place in the world that could make her linger, yet Yun Shu was captivated by the view before her.
She suddenly felt that her world was no longer just gloom; at least she could see “beauty” again.
Could she really part the clouds and see the sunshine again?
She looked up at the sky, her deep eyes clouded with deep sorrow.
Yun Shu was completely guarded, and Gu Weirong felt unable to approach. Her eyes darted around, and she tugged at Yun Shu’s sleeve, “Since we’re here, let’s get out and take a look.”
Yun Shu turned back and smiled: “Alright, consider it a ‘Cloud Some-and-Some and Gu Some-and-Some were here’ visit.”
“Should I carve your name then?”
“That wouldn’t be good. We must have the most basic decency of a Chinese person.”
The more Yun Shu pretended to be relaxed, the more Gu Weirong felt she was troubled. She used to look at Yun Shu with her eyes; now she wanted to feel her with her heart.
The view from the observation deck was vast and expansive. Here, you could hear the chirping of insects and birds, and see the subtle changes in the lush green mountains amidst the mist.
The two stood high up, taking in the clear and natural beauty of the lake and mountains, feeling the cool breeze on their faces and the warm sun shining on them.
Gu Weirong cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted towards the opposite valley, “Yun—Shu—”
She didn’t think; she originally just wanted to shout “Ah,” but unexpectedly, she called out Yun Shu’s name.
The shout that went out was like a stone thrown into water, with no echo.
Wasn’t this shout Gu Weirong’s voice from the bottom of her heart? It was just that the second half of the sentence remained unspoken.
Yun Shu looked at her and smiled: “Are you filming a Mary Sue movie?”
“Don’t underestimate this kind of scene. Art comes from life; its existence is rational. Do you want to try?” Gu Weirong wanted Yun Shu to release her emotions once.
“A family of fools cannot be an entire nest of them.”
“……” Gu Weirong put her hands on her hips, wanting to retort but holding back. She was determined to make Yun Shu shout today no matter what.
“If I’m being foolish, it’s you who brought it out, isn’t it? Anyway, I’ve been foolish in front of you. What if you’re foolish in front of me once? You won’t lose a piece of flesh.”
“If I could really lose a piece of flesh, I’d be happy to show you.”
“……” Gu Weirong admitted that in arguments and debates, she would never be Yun Shu’s match, because she could never guess what Yun Shu would say next.
She decided to try another tactic.
Gu Weirong shed her playful expression and said seriously: “Don’t resist the unknown world, and don’t draw conclusions before experiencing it. Furthermore, don’t think that keeping everything bottled up is a good thing. If you don’t open your heart to embrace the world, how can others enter your embrace?”
She was the person who most wanted to enter Yun Shu’s heart, but would Yun Shu give her the chance?
Gu Weirong’s words struck Yun Shu’s heart, but she didn’t react, only gazing into the distance, her eyes unfocused. After a long while, she replied faintly: “No need, and I don’t see the necessity.”
“There is a need! There really is. Will you trust the child just this once?”
“Child?” Yun Shu rarely laughed out loud, “That title is interesting.”
“It’s not literal; it requires careful thought and re-evaluation.” Gu Weirong quickly defended herself, afraid Yun Shu would think she was her daughter again.
“Alright, alright, stop trying so hard. I’ll give it a try.”
Yun Shu could sense something from Gu Weirong’s subtle actions and knew her good intentions. Since when did this child learn to read minds and consider other people’s feelings?
No, she shouldn’t treat Weirong as a child; she was no longer the girl who used to follow behind her.
“Just shout out the name you want to call or the words you want to say. Just pretend there’s someone over there in the mountains. Talking to yourself is fine too.”
“Like how you called my name?” Yun Shu asked spontaneously, but Gu Weirong answered seriously, “Yes, actually there was a second half to it.”
“The second half can remain in your heart.” Yun Shu swallowed the declaration Gu Weirong wanted to make.
Perhaps the time wasn’t right, or Yun Shu was deliberately doing this. Gu Weirong didn’t want to speculate; she just wanted to let things happen naturally and do her best.
Yun Shu was silent, no longer smiling. She looked down, seemingly gathering her emotions. Gu Weirong quietly waited beside her.
The clouds in the sky changed constantly, drifting over their heads. Yun Shu deeply closed her eyes, then raised her head and shouted: “Where exactly are you?”