Gu Shanshan would leave early tomorrow morning, so Gu Nianbin turned down a business dinner invitation and rushed home instead. He entered the room, only to find Xia Xiaowan sitting on the sofa, talking and laughing with his mother.
Seeing him, Xia Xiaowan stood up gracefully, "h.e.l.lo, Mr. Gu."
Gu Nianbin nodded, "h.e.l.lo, Miss Xia."
"Relax, let"s greet each other by names." Fang Yaru dragged her son over and made him sit down. "It"s a perfect timing to have a chat with Xiaowan. I"ll go to the kitchen to check on the dishes."
After she left, Xia Xiaowan smiled at Gu Nianbin, "Is that okay?"
"What?" Puzzled for a second, then Gu Nianbin understood and replied politely, "Oh, sure. You can address me in whatever way you like."
"But my name ..." Xia Xiaowan thought for a while and said, "If you mind, you can still..."
"It doesn"t matter," Gu Nianbin said, "There are many people sharing the same name in the world. I don"t mind."
"Mr. Gu is open-minded."
"Still calling me Mr. Gu?"
Xia Xiaowan laughed, "I myself forgot it."
Gu Nianbin looked at her with a polite smile, "I didn"t expect my mother to invite you over."
"Me too." Xia Xiaowan pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows lively, "I was very surprised by the call. However, this is a good opportunity to learn about you, so here I am."
Her straightforward words made Gu Nianbin laugh. His voice was deep and mellow, arousing a pleasant thrill in her. The man sitting in front of her was perfect in any sense. He was n.o.ble as a prince with the charisma of a mature man. He truly deserved to be the most popular bachelor in G city.
She was about to say something more when a sound came from upstairs. They looked up, only to find Gu Shanshan beckoning to her brother on the second floor.
Gu Nianbin raised his voice, "Come down."
Gu Shanshan didn"t reply and kept waving her hand to summon him. Left with no choice, Gu Nianbin apologetically smiled at Xia Xiaowan and went upstairs.
Gu Shanshan stood at the top of stairway, waiting for Gu Nianbin to come up, and then dragged him to the corner, and whispered, "Hey, I just found out today that Miss Xia and Xiaowan not only have the same name, but also look so similar. Isn"t it too much as a coincidence?"
Gu Nianbin shook off her hand, "It"s just a coincidence. Why are you making such a fuss?"
Gu Shanshan narrowed her eyes and looked at her brother suspiciously, "This must be the reason why you agreed to date her, isn"t it? You take her as another Xiaowan."
"Nonsense," Gu Nianbin said indifferently, "She came to bid you farewell. Go down to meet her."
"I won"t," Gu Shanshan curled her lips, "Listen to me. Although we are not sure about Xiaowan, this Miss Xia is definitely not the one for you. Brother, you have to be careful with her."
"Mind your own business. Don"t meddle with my life."
Impatient with his sister, Gu Nianbin turned away to leave. But Gu Shanshan grabbed him, "Miss Xia is not an easy piece. You really have to be careful!"
"What makes you think this way?" Gu Nianbin glanced at Gu Shanshan and said.
"Woman"s intuition." Gu Shanshan looked down first and lowered her voice, "You must not forget Xiaowan because of this Miss Xia!"
Looking at the anxious expression of Gu Shanshan, Gu Nianbin sneered and said, "It makes you anxious after finding that someone uses Xiaowan"s name and even looks like her? If Xiaowan cared about us, she would have long since returned. Don"t speak for her here."
"Hey!" Gu Shanshan shouted out, but she then realized that there was someone downstairs and lowered her voice again, "It hasn"t been five years yet since Xiaowan left. Can"t you wait anymore? Even if you want to date someone else, don"t choose someone looking like Xiaowan. You"re fooling yourself around!"
"It"s none of your business." Just as Gu Nianbin was about to leave, Fang Yaru shouted, "What are you guys doing upstairs? Come down and have dinner." He dragged Gu Shanshan downstairs and warned her, "Don"t talk nonsense or make mom unhappy. Do you hear me?"
"I should also take care not to make your Miss Xia unhappy, right?" Gu Shanshan pouted.
"What you need is a good spanking!" Gu Nianbin reached out and knocked his sister in the head.
"Mom! My brother hit me!" Gu Shanshan shouted.
"Good job." Fang Yaru raised her head, glared at Gu Shanshan, and then said to Xia Xiaowan, "Never mind. They are used to making a scene since childhood."
"Of course not, auntie," Xia Xiaowan stood up and looked at them going downstairs." I don"t have any brothers and sisters. I feel envious of them!"
Fang Yaru smiled and said, "If you don"t mind, you could drop by more frequently in the future. Shanshan comes back home regularly. Every time she comes back, the house becomes lively."
As she spoke, Gu Nianbin dragged Gu Shanshan downstairs. "Let me introduce my sister to you. This is Gu Shanshan. This is Xia Xiaowan."
"h.e.l.lo, Shanshan." Xia Xiaowan smiled at Gu Shanshan.
Gu Shanshan pretended to be surprised and said, "Your name is Xiaowan? What a coincidence..." Before she finished speaking, Fang Yaru slapped her in the b.u.t.t and said, "Alright, let"s enjoy dinner first. The food is cold."
Gu Shanshan responded with an "Aha", blinked at Gu Nianbin and smiled as she headed to the dining room.
During the meal, Gu Shanshan put away her hippy and smiling face. She looked like a well-educated lady from a n.o.ble family and talked and laughed with Xia Xiaowan. She did not mention another Xia Xiaowan at all. Gu Nianbin wasn"t sure about what Gu Shanshan was scheming inside. As long as she didn"t cause any trouble, Gu Nianbin wouldn"t bother to pay attention to her.
After the dinner, they enjoyed themselves. Fang Yaru liked Xia Xiaowan even more. Her talent and temperament were pretty good, and she had impeccable manners. She was also polite to the elders. She was simply perfect. Fang Yaru wished to settle the marriage on the spot. She hinted at Gu Nianbin a few times. But seeing that he didn"t react, she could only say, "Xiaowan, come to visit us more when you have time. After Shanshan leaves, auntie will be lonely. Come and talk to auntie, okay?"
Xia Xiaowan smiled without saying a word. She looked up at Gu Nianbin, but Gu Nianbin only lowered his head to drink tea. He didn"t look at her. Fang Yaru quickly said, "Don"t worry about Nianbin. He"s busy with his own business. You could come here..."
"Auntie, Nianbin and I…" Xia Xiaowan pursed her lips, "we are just friends."
Fang Yaru then winked at Gu Guangxian and said, "That"s right. This is the reason why auntie likes you so much."
Gu Guangxian cleared his throat and said, "Xiaowan, your aunt enjoys companionship. Come here to chat with her when you have time."
Xia Xiaowan had no choice but to smile and nod her head, "I"ll definitely drop by when I"m free."
After drinking another cup of tea and chatting for a while, Xia Xiaowan was going to leave. Gu Nianbin led her to the side of the car and said apologetically, "Sorry, don"t take my mother"s words seriously. She is just too anxious about my marriage."
"I understand," Xia Xiaowan lowered her head and looked at the ground. She suddenly raised her head, as if she had gathered enough courage, "We are just ordinary friends now, but I hope that if another Miss Xia doesn"t come back, you can consider me."
"Alright," Gu Nianbin nodded, "I will, when it"s about the time."
Xia Xiaowan chuckled. Looking over his shoulder, she saw that Fang Yaru and Gu Shanshan standing on the stairs and looking at them from afar. She hesitated for a moment and said, "If you don"t mind, can I come again? I have promised auntie to visit her and I don"t want to break my promise..."
Gu Nianbin remained silent for a moment. Xia Xiaowan hastened, "If it"s inconvenient for you, I can explain it to auntie. I..."
"It doesn"t matter. When Shanshan is gone, the house will be indeed much lonelier. It"s fine if you come and chat with my mother as long as it doesn"t bother you."
"No problem," Xia Xiaowan said softly, "Then I"ll leave. Thank you for the dinner."
Gu Nianbin smiled and said, "You should thank my mother. She invited you here."
"Yes, I am very grateful to auntie. She is creating opportunities for me." Xia Xiaowan made a joke and smiled at Gu Nianbin. She waved at Fang Yaru in the distance and turned around to get in the car.
Gu Nianbin walked back and watched Xia Xiaowan"s car leaving.
His expression was slightly cold. It could be seen that Xia Xiaowan was serious. He pulled out a cigarette and put it to his mouth. But he didn"t light it up. He turned around and looked at the tall parasol tree in the dark. Finally, he lit the cigarette and took a drag on his cigarette. The thick cigarette left a bitter smell in his throat, just like his current mood.
The wind blew past, and the withered leaves slowly fell down. At night, the falling leaves were like big black b.u.t.terflies dancing. Gu Nianbin tossed half of his cigarette down under his feet and slowly walked into the room.
After ascending a few steps of the stairs, he suddenly stopped and retreated. He bent down to look at the bushes on the right. There seemed to be someone there.
When he poked up the bushes and there came a sharp little face, "Young Master," she said timidly.
"What are you doing here? Why don"t you lie in bed? Are you healed?" Gu Nianbin frowned.
"Yes," Du Xiaoxian shrunk herself into a ball. Although she was getting more and more familiar with Gu Nianbin, she was still very afraid of him. As long as he expressed his displeasure, she would be nervous. "I"m tired of lying in bed. I want to come out and get fresh air."
Gu Nianbin didn"t think too much when he saw that there was still a seat beside her. He stepped over the branches and sat down.
"You like sitting here?" He tilted his head to look at her. The little girl"s eyes seemed to be shining in the dark night, reminding him of the clear stream.
Seeing Gu Nianbin"s face soften, Du Xiaoxian relaxed a little bit. She nodded and pointed at the sculpture of the bathwoman not far away, saying, "I like to look at her."
"Why? Why do you like to look at her?" Gu Nianbin raised his eyebrows.
"She"s very beautiful," Du Xiaoxian said softly. "When looking at her, I feel peaceful. But when I first came here, I didn"t even dare to look at it."
Gu Nianbin smiled. There was a faint fragrance lingering in his nose. It was not the smell of shampoo. Instead, it seemed to come from Du Xiaoxian"s body. He got closer, but the fragrance was still extremely faint, causing him to approach her closer. Only when Du Xiaoxian dodged slightly did he regain consciousness. He hurriedly sat upright.
Du Xiaoxian was a little embarra.s.sed and tried to start a conversation. "Young Master, your girlfriend is very beautiful."
"Really?" Gu Nianbin asked casually.
"Yes. She"s a perfect match for Young Master." Du Xiaoxian wore an affirmative expression.
"Do you like her?" Gu Nianbin turned to look at her.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because she is the person that Young Master likes."
Gu Nianbin stopped talking and stared straight at her, pressuring her to lower her head.
Du Xiaoxian wrapped her fingers and felt anxious. Young Master"s looks were very strange, which made her feel terrified. Did she say anything wrong?
Just as she was recalling what they had talked about, Gu Nianbin rubbed her hair and said blankly, "The wind is cold at night. Go back to the room."
Du Xiaoxian responded with a "yes" and raised her head, only to find that Gu Nianbin had already stepped over those low branches and walked towards the house.