Chapter 404 - A Date for Two, Part I
There was a smile in Gongyi Tianheng’s eyes: “Okay.”
Naturally, he agreed.
Although Gu Zuo knew that his family’s big brother probably wouldn’t refuse, he couldn’t help feeling happy after receiving a positive response.
Off to the side, Gu Qi, who discovered that the others had left and had come out of the room, happened to hear his silly son’s invitation to Tianheng. He interjected, and said: “It would be better to set aside this time for the day after tomorrow. That way, you guys can go watch a movie or something. As for the movie tickets, you can ask the Zhang Family to help acquire them. How about that?”
Gu Zuo and Tianheng turned their heads to look over.
Gu Qi’s smile was clear and bright: “You guys aren’t too old, so you should go out and have fun.”
Gu Zuo raised his head, and looked at Tianheng.
Tianheng’s smiling expression deepened. His eyes were soft and warm: “Many thanks for the suggestion, Uncle Gu. This younger generation also thinks it’s good.”
Gu Zuo silently nodded.
Ah, the day after tomorrow…just so happened to be Christmas.
Christmas Day.
Gu Zuo got up first thing in the morning. After that, he walked to the front of Tianheng’s bedroom door with a bounce in his step. He hesitated between knocking and not knocking on the door — That’s right. He couldn’t simply sleep in his big brother’s bed every day. It had been the first day they saw each other again, too. For all other times, he had already moved into a guest room that had been tidied up.
Just as Gu Zuo was hesitating, that door was opened.
An extremely handsome young man stood at the doorway, and reached out a hand to ruffle Gu Zuo’s hair — Though, just as those fingers touched his hair, the hand was taken away: “Ah Zuo, why didn’t you come in?”
Gu Zuo was a little embarra.s.sed: “I’m all ready to go. Today, we agreed to go out and eat breakfast.”
Tianheng faintly nodded his head. After that, he smiled: “Today, Ah Zuo is different from before.”
The Gu Zuo of today had cleaned up nicely. He was wearing a white, woolen sweater and a casual, padded jacket that were of high-quality and suitable for his age. Around his neck was a fluffy scarf that his dad forced him to put on. The scarf seemed to cover up half of his face.
After returning to this world, his long hair, which had already been trimmed into multiple layers with feathered cuts, was properly styled at this moment. His lovely locks of hair were now draped over his shoulders.
Overall, apart from a very spiritual influence, the feelings he gave others today were fresh, clean, and a little cute.
Gu Zuo was sized up by Tianheng. Under this scrutiny, Gu Zuo wanted to adjust his hair. After considering the issue of messing up the hairstyle, he hurriedly pulled his hand back. Immediately after, he said: “Today, big brother also looks especially good.”
Indeed. Tianheng was wearing a pair of jeans and a fleece shirt that hugged tightly to his body. Over this, he wore a long windbreaker jacket. For his lengthy, black hair, he used a headband to neatly fasten it behind him. To put it in a more fashionable way, this cultivated the image of a man with long legs and a tall, straight figure. All of a sudden, he seemed to stand out even more from the common crowd. There was no need to mention that criminally beautiful face. People wouldn’t be able to pull their eyes away once they caught a glimpse of him.
Gu Zuo felt that, if he hadn’t seen his big brother’s various appearances over the years, he would be struggling under the halo of his big brother’s handsome visage. He probably wouldn’t have been able to tear his gaze away either. But fortunately, he only stared blankly for a short moment, and didn’t lose face.
Tianheng showed Gu Zuo a good-looking smile that caused him to choke up for a few seconds: “Ah Zuo is flattering me.”
After that, Gu Zuo followed Tianheng down to the first floor with a giddy bounce in his step.
Gu Qi was already waiting for them downstairs. When he saw the two of them walking side by side, he couldn’t help chuckling: “Son, with your size, you still need to grow up some more.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Zuo’s grin deflated a little.
Why mention the pot that didn’t boil? Originally, he had grown to 1.75 meters, and he was still growing. Unfortunately, his big brother had surpa.s.sed 1.9 meters long ago. When he stood next to his big brother, he only reached his shoulders, which made him look like a child. He didn’t know if wearing heel-lifting insoles could reduce the gap in height between them!
Tianheng couldn’t help laughing: “It also isn’t bad with Ah Zuo like this.”
Gu Zuo glanced at Tianheng with a slightly plaintive look: “Big brother, I feel that I can still keep growing.”
Tianheng wore a smiling expression as he nodded: “Then, I think that Ah Zuo will definitely grow taller.”
Gu Zuo was comforted, and was no longer tangled up on this problem.
Soon after, the two walked to the entrance.
Gu Zuo waved to Gu Qi: “Big brother and I will be going out to have some fun, and we’ll be coming back late. Dad, you don’t have to wait for us. Make sure you go to bed early.”
After that, he thought of something else, and revealed a great, big smile: “Also, Merry Christmas, dad!”
Gu Qi waved a hand as well: “Okay, I know. You guys go and have fun. There’s no need to worry about me.” Then, he returned a Merry Christmas to them.
Following this, Tianheng similarly gave Gu Qi his well-wishes and goodbyes before walking out the door with Gu Zuo.
A car was parked outside. After Zhang Bohan found out that they were going to go out and enjoy the festivities today, he specially delivered a method of transportation. He also sent a driver.
Gu Zuo and Tianheng sat in the back row. In the front, the driver politely asked: “Where do these two sirs want to go?”
Tianheng looked at Gu Zuo with a smile on his face, and said: “I don’t have much of an understanding of this place. Whatever Ah Zuo wants is what I want.”
Gu Zuo’s face heated up: “First, take us to Three Flowers Boulevard so we can eat breakfast.”
At the front, the driver answered: “Yes, sir.”
After that, he turned the steering wheel, and the car drove out smoothly.
His skill level was comparatively high. Unexpectedly, they didn’t experience a single b.u.mp or jolt on the road. Because Zhang Bohan had already called ahead, there weren’t any obstructions at the inspection points along the way.
Tianheng slightly leaned back against his seat. As Gu Zuo glanced at the distance between them, he felt a little conflicted.
Right now, it would be a bit obvious if he scooted closer…
After that, Tianheng beckoned to Gu Zuo: “Ah Zuo, come here.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Zuo promptly went over. In an instant, there was practically no s.p.a.ce between them: “Big brother called for me?”
Tianheng said: “Ah Zuo made some plans for today. Would it be okay to tell this elder brother?”
Gu Zuo didn’t really want to spoil anything because keeping it a secret would be more intriguing. But on second thought, his big brother wasn’t someone from this world at all. Even if he talked about it, his big brother probably wouldn’t know anything specific. As a result, he diligently replied: “We’ll eat breakfast, and take a walk down the boulevard. After strolling around some of the scenic points here, maybe we can go to an amus.e.m.e.nt park, zoo, or aquarium. Finally, we’ll go watch a movie. After we come out, we can have another bite to eat at night…”
In any case, when it came to the things they could do or the places they could visit during the date, Gu Zuo thought of everything. At that time, if they wanted to stay a little longer, they could stay as long as they wanted. And if they didn’t, they could always switch to another location.
This was what one called handling things both strictly and relaxedly. To fulfill his desires, he did as he wished.
— In actuality, as a rookie to romance, apart from these recreational activities that were essential for lovers, if he had to think of anything that was particularly romantic by himself… Well, nothing came to mind.
After he finished speaking, Gu Zuo’s mouth was parched.
When he wasn’t talking, he didn’t think about it. But after all this talking, he felt a little helpless.
Tianheng didn’t think that Gu Zuo’s plans were too rigid. Instead, he smiled and said: “This elder brother has never experienced these things before. This time, Ah Zuo will be the guide to bring this elder brother around and take in the sights.”
Gu Zuo’s heartstrings loosened, and he promptly recovered his thoughts: “Great! Big brother, rest a.s.sured!”
Admittedly, he had never gone through this before — But even though he had never seen a pig run, hadn’t he eaten pork? It was trivial! Not a problem!
Just after the two had this conversation, the driver spoke up: “Sirs, we’ve arrived at Three Flowers Boulevard.”
Gu Zuo hurriedly said: “Find a place to rest. When we need the car, I’ll give you a call.”
The driver didn’t object: “My number is already stored in Mister Gu’s cell phone. Mister Gu, please enjoy yourself.”
Gu Zuo naturally agreed: “Okay. Then, we’ll do it this way.”
Once that was done, Gu Zuo got out of the car first. Then, he made a show of opening the car door for his big brother.
Tianheng raised an eyebrow, slightly hunched his body, and also disembarked.
Following this, the driver drove the car away. Meanwhile, Gu Zuo stood on Tianheng’s left side, and pointed ahead: “Big brother, we’ll go to that Partridge Cafe to eat breakfast, okay?”
Tianheng smiled and said: “Everything will be as Ah Zuo wishes.”
There was a ripple in the pond of Gu Zuo’s heart. After that, he led Tianheng towards the place he pointed out.
Tianheng started walking, but before he could take a couple of steps, there were the sounds of gasps coming from all around. Immediately after that, it seemed that several people had knocked into each other and let out painful shouts.
Gu Zuo: “…”
He looked in all directions, and found that many eyes were shining with fanatical glints. All of these gazes uniformly fell upon Tianheng. Quite a few people who were walking had come to a halt, and those who were chatting had become silent. In addition, everyone now groaning in pain had been walking ahead, but couldn’t help turning their heads to take a look, and fell down…
Gu Zuo suddenly realized that he had underestimated the destructive power of his family’s big brother.
Undoubtedly, because these people were in the middle of watching a beautiful man, they were caught in a moment of carelessness!
This truly was a tragedy…
Gu Zuo hastily pulled Tianheng, and quickened their pace.
The next moment, he discovered that the crowds on the pedestrian-only boulevard, which was originally a little congested due to the holiday, had suddenly given way to either side to open a path. This was like Moses parting the Red Sea. They inadvertently did almost the same thing.
— It wasn’t like this kind of spectacle never happened on the Central Continent, but during those times, the reason why people made way for Tianheng was due to his ident.i.ty and status. It was also because of his strength and imposing aura.
But in this world?
Gu Zuo couldn’t help conceding.
This was due to…face.
And maybe temperament on top of that.
Gu Zuo was speechless for a couple of seconds. Then, he directly pulled Tianheng into a short run, and swiftly squeezed into the Partridge Cafe.
After that, he and Tianheng stood in front of the reception desk. Unsurprisingly, they were met with the slightly stunned gazes of the two female receptionists.
Gu Zuo exasperatingly used his knuckles to knock on the desk: “Miss? Young miss?”
The two receptionists suddenly looked over with the hints of a glare in their eyes. Fortunately, their professionalism was still up to the mark, and they quickly realized their own lapses in service. With soothing manners and tender voices, they said: “Excuse us, may we ask if there’s anything we can help you guys with?”
Gu Zuo: “…Please open a private room for us.”
The receptionist girls: “We’re sorry. All of the private rooms have already been booked.”
Gu Zuo: “Then, can you set up a screen on the second floor?”
This time, there weren’t any problems.
After the two receptionists held a fierce battle with their eyes, the winner of the two beautiful girls stepped forward, and led the pair up to the second floor.
Gu Zuo silently tugged down on a corner of Tianheng’s jacket: “Big brother, keep your head down and don’t say anything.”
Tianheng found this funny, and said: “Why?”
Gu Zuo had a wooden expression: “…To take advantage while everyone else is eating and not lifting their heads. Big brother, listen to me, and you can’t go wrong.”
Tianheng wore a smile, and slightly lowered his head.
Just like this, Gu Zuo hurriedly led Tianheng by the hand, and entered the semi-private s.p.a.ce on the second floor that had been separated by a screen.
Once the two smoothly sat down, Gu Zuo let out a huge sigh of relief.
Truly, one had to brace themselves when sending out the troops. He had forgotten about his big brother’s ostentatiously handsome face! In the past, when he first caught a glimpse, hadn’t he stared in awe? Now, with increased strength and matured temperament, his big brother had grown to look even more handsome. It was the type that was pure, natural, and flawless. It couldn’t have been more normal to draw a crowd!
Previously, when they were on the Central Continent, big brother would unleash his imposing aura. As a result, more people focused on his imposing aura than his face. He grew accustomed to this, and didn’t pay attention. However, now that they were in the modern world, for the sake of not injuring ordinary people, big brother’s imposing aura had been put away. In turn, this face was presented clearly and prominently… This was his mistake.
Gu Zuo was frustrated.
He always felt that something might go wrong with today’s date.
But Gu Zuo quickly returned to normal. He pressed the b.u.t.ton for the bell, and called over a waitress.
Because the Partridge Cafe was an antique-style teahouse, the clothing of the service staff was also interesting and appealing. When approaching with spry and lively movements, there was a cla.s.sical sense of aesthetics and charm.
The cla.s.sical beauty set down a menu made of wood, and unfolded it.
After that… After that, she also started looking at Tianheng.
Gu Zuo: “I’ll have to trouble this young miss give us some s.p.a.ce. When we’re ready to order, I’ll call for you.”
The cla.s.sical beauty heard this, and reluctantly left.
Although handsome guys were important, work was important, too…
Tianheng’s hand was propped under his lower jaw. Filled with interest, he was watching Gu Zuo’s many actions. The smile in his eyes was very gentle.
After Gu Zuo finished handling this, he raised his head. His gaze b.u.mped right into such a pair of eyes. He clearly saw the teasing look within them, and couldn’t help blushing. He murmured: “I can’t be blamed. Who made big brother grow up to look like this? Those people just now simply came to ogle at big brother!”
The smile in Tianheng’s eyes deepened. He spoke in a soft voice: “Okay. The fault is mine.”
Gu Zuo was blinded by this flashy smile, and had a sudden thought — Fine. When even someone like him, who was used to this sight, occasionally fell under big brother’s spell, it was normal for those first-timers to act a bit outrageously.
However, if this staring continued, he was going to forget his manners and lose his temper. Gu Zuo hurriedly pushed the menu to Tianheng’s side: “Big brother, take a look. What do you want to eat for breakfast?”
Tianheng said: “It’s fine for Ah Zuo to order for me.”
Gu Zuo shook his head. After that, his eyes shined. All of a sudden, he shifted from his seat across the table to sit next to Tianheng. He pretended to speak naturally: “In that case, I’ll order breakfast with big brother.”
Tianheng felt amused in his heart. He couldn’t help pinching his cheek: “If you insist.”
As far as Gu Zuo was concerned, the current two-person world and intimately ordering from a menu finally had a bit of that dating atmosphere. Under Tianheng’s indulgence, intentional or otherwise, this mood was maintained all along, and there seemed to be a slight ambiguity in the air.
Gu Zuo was inwardly rejoicing.
Although Christmas wasn’t a holiday that originated from their own country, apart from family members, those who came out to play during these Western festivities were sweethearts and lovers. While he was still in the middle of his own romantic pursuit, and had yet to open up about anything, he could completely visualize himself today. Perhaps, he could seize the opportunity to take an indirect approach. Would he be able to find a chance to ask his big brother…if there was any possibility of playing for the other team?
Yes. In Gu Zuo’s eyes, his big brother was a straight man. And straight men needed to be pursued slowly and gently. He couldn’t act blindly without thinking. Otherwise, he would end up beating the gra.s.s and scaring away the snake.
A short while pa.s.sed, and the close pair finished reading the menu. Gu Zuo used his superior memory to note down the meals that the two of them had seen before and thought were good.
Soon after, Gu Zuo looked at Tianheng: “Big brother, let’s discuss something.”
Tianheng’s brows faintly moved: “Discuss what?”
Gu Zuo solemnly said: “When the waitress comes over, you need to turn around and face the wall, okay?”
Tianheng: “…”
Gu Zuo shot a taunting look.
A trace of helplessness flickered across Tianheng’s face, but his tone was still very gentle: “Okay.”
Following this, after another cla.s.sical beauty moved past the screen and came inside, Tianheng had already turned the other way without revealing his face. Although his back was tall and straight, and his temperament was impressive, that visage, which was as bright as the moon, was nowhere to be found. It also didn’t get to the point of sending people into daydreams.
Gu Zuo swiftly announced the names of the dishes.
Dedicated to her work, the cla.s.sical beauty marked everything down with the flying strokes of her pen. However, up until she departed, Tianheng never turned around. Instead, he kept looking at the murals on the wall as if he was seriously appreciating the artwork… There was a hint of disappointment in her eyes, and she could only leave resentfully.
At this time, Tianheng turned back, shook his head, and said: “Is Ah Zuo satisfied?”
Gu Zuo’s smiling expression was glittering: “Very satisfied!”
Tianheng couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Afterwards, Gu Zuo seemed to find a way of handling things. Every time they needed to call for someone, he made Tianheng turn around. And every time someone’s approaching shadow was cast on the screen, Tianheng would take the initiative to turn around on his own.
Once all the dishes were ready, Gu Zuo scampered over to pull the screen closed even more tightly, and arranged Tianheng’s seat where he couldn’t be spied on from the outside under any circ.u.mstances. Feeling relieved, Gu Zuo moved closer to sit next to Tianheng. After that, he ladled out a bowl of congee: “This is a delicacy of this world. Big brother, have a taste.”
Tianheng drank a spoonful, and slowly said: “It’s not nearly as good as Ah Zuo’s cooking.”
Gu Zuo finished drinking a mouthful. He smiled and said: “I think so, too!”
The conversation continued. No matter how delicious the things at the Partridge Cafe were, the energies contained within the dishes were practically nonexistent. Let alone such a large table, even if there were ten tables, the pair could’ve cleared them all without a problem.
Thus, as they chatted and ate their meals, all the dishes and platters were emptied in half an hour.
Gu Zuo stepped out to pay the bill. Then, he secretly waved to Tianheng from outside the screen: “Big brother, let’s leave quietly!”
Tianheng: “…Okay.”
Subsequently, the place where the pair wanted to go to was the second… No, the third stop.
Activities like taking a stroll down the boulevard and window shopping had already been cancelled by Gu Zuo.
Returning to the matter of Tian Hang.
After saying goodbye to Gu Zuo and Gongyi Tianheng, he didn’t have enough time to give any proper farewells to the Zhang Family. He swiftly got onto an airplane, and returned to B City. This was where his Tian Family resided.
Once his plane landed, Tian Hang didn’t return home. Rather, he went straight to his family’s private hospital. He hurriedly burst into his wife’s ward.
As he came through the door, he saw an older man. This person’s hair and beard were scruffy, his face and chest were flushed red, and his strength was outstanding. This was the father of Liang Ting, his wife. In other words, this was his father-in-law, Liang Xinglong.
While Liang Xinglong was Tian Hang’s father-in-law, he was also his master. This man was originally an ancient martial artist at the Hidden Energy Stage. He was also one of the elders of the School of Fist Intent.
The School of Fist Intent and many other ancient martial artist schools existed independently of one another. However, the experts of their schools formed an alliance with each other in the early years of a chaotic war, creating the League of Ancient Martial Artists. While resisting foreign aggression and external threats, they also coordinated many affairs within their martial arts circles. Once the new nation was founded, the League of Ancient Martial Artists reached a certain agreement with the leaders of the new nation to preserve it. While the league received some restrictions, it retained its independence. Through many years of development, the League of Ancient Martial Artists turned into the Ancient Martial Artists a.s.sociation. Because martial artists needed to be supplied with large quant.i.ties of resources, it also accepted the descendants and progeny of some powerful and wealthy aristocratic families as disciples.
The Tian Family was also a first-rate aristocratic family in B City. Most of the people in the Tian Family served in the military. As a result, they were very interested in raising their own martial strength, and they had more connections to ancient martial artists than ordinary aristocratic families that were involved with politics. Consequently, in every generation of the Tian Family, so long as there were children who had outstanding physical foundations and could bear hardships, they could be sent to the Ancient Martial Artists a.s.sociation to undergo an a.s.sessment. Those who pa.s.sed could join a school to become disciples and learn ancient martial arts.
When Tian Hang was around five years old, he was sent to the School of Fist Intent with many other people from the Tian Family. Fortunately, his type of foundation wasn’t bad, and he was considered to have great perseverance. At that time, Liang Xinglong, who was only a half-step away from the Hidden Energy Stage, took in Tian Hang, who became his eldest disciple.
Liang Xinglong only had one daughter, Liang Ting. Her foundations were also pretty good, and she grew up alongside Tian Hang. For these two people, familiarity bred fondness. After they became adults, Liang Ting got married, and became Tian Hang’s wife. Their relationship was happy and harmonious.
However, good things didn’t last forever. To their surprise, Liang Ting inherited a hereditary disease from her mother’s side. Because the numerous hidden injuries she received while practicing martial arts couldn’t be completely healed, her disease flared up.
Afterwards, she suffered for a long time.
Liang Xinglong cared deeply for his only daughter. Thus, every time he finished handling affairs outside of the school, he would come over to keep her company. As a result, it wasn’t anything unusual for Tian Hang to run into Liang Xinglong here.
Tian Hang hurriedly paid his respects, and swiftly came to the bedside. He looked over Liang Ting’s condition.
Right now, Liang Ting was very weak. She would be lethargic and sleepy for most of the day, and her entire body turned emaciated and bony. At this moment, although her bulging abdomen wasn’t as gravid as a full moon, it still appeared somewhat frightening.
Liang Xinglong knew that Tian Hang had gone out to inquire about the situation concerning Q City’s Zhang Family, which manufactured the oral fluid. Seeing that he had returned, he was in a hurry to ask: “Da Hang, you went out this time… How’s the situation?”
At almost the exact same time, the room’s door was pushed open. The person who came inside wore a somewhat unsightly expression: “Third Brother, you took out so much money! What did you do?”
The person who entered afterwards was a forty-something year old, middle-aged man. He also bore the iron-blooded scent of some military personnel. Though his imposing aura was different from that of an ancient martial artist, one couldn’t underestimate him either.
This man was this generation’s Tian Family Head — Tian Hang’s big brother, Tian Mu.
Tian Hang meticulously tucked in the corners of Liang Ting’s blankets, and turned around.
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