Chapter 1077: Crying Like an Abandoned Child
Gu Qingcheng said nothing, merely nodding before getting into the car.
Gu Qingcheng was currently living in the third-largest city in Russia, which was called Yekaterinburg.
Yekaterinburg served as the center of the Ural Federal District, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast.
As a disguise, Gu Qingcheng set up a machinery transportation company in Yekaterinburg, and the underground level of the company’s factory served as their base.
After Gu Qingcheng took over the entire organization from Fu Huai’an, he s.h.i.+fted the organization from the US to Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Gu Qingcheng did this very discreetly. From how outsiders saw it, Gu Qingcheng was merely the boss of a foreign company. Even the driver who had worked under Gu Qingcheng for many years didn’t notice it was otherwise.
As the car entered the main street and stopped at a red light, Gu Qingcheng turned around and saw a cake shop by the side of the street…
Did all girls like sweets?
Gu Qingcheng thought of Yun Liuli’s fair, pretty, and exquisite pet.i.te face, then said to the driver in eloquent Russian, “Stop by a cake shop when we pa.s.s by one. Get a cake for me and one for your younger sister.”
The driver was a little astonished, but he didn’t ask further questions, merely nodding.
The driver was very familiar with the route. After parking the car at the next juncture, he quickly jogged into a cake shop.
Within several minutes, the driver came out with a one-pound cake and a small slice of cake and placed them in the trunk.
Perhaps because his boss was going home now, the driver guessed that his boss wouldn’t be eating alone, so he bought a one-pound cake. Since his younger sister would be the only one eating, a small slice would suffice for her.
Gu Qingcheng had never interacted with girls, for he always felt that young ladies tended to be too noisy.
According to logic, Yun Liuli was very quiet, so quiet that one easily ignored her, and that was a good thing. But when Gu Qingcheng thought of the desolate back view of that child sitting before the window hugging the doll to her chest, he felt upset.
Frowning, Gu Qingcheng loosened his collar, then tugged at his tie and casually set it aside. He couldn’t help wondering how Yun Shoushan had raised his daughter, to have raised her up to be so… wooden!
Other than the word wooden, Gu Qingcheng really had no idea what adjectives to use to describe Yun Liuli.
Between the ages of 15 and 17 ought to be the most vibrant and worry-free years of one’s life. In the past, Gu Qingcheng was an orphan who had no kin, so that period wasn’t too wonderful for him. But Yun Liuli had her father and a kind stepmother, so how did she end up like this?
Gu Qingcheng couldn’t understand, but it wasn’t his place to interfere in the family matters of Yun Shoushan either.
The car entered the gate, and the housekeeper helped Gu Qingcheng open the car door. “Sir!”
Gu Qingcheng removed his suit jacket and hung it on his arm, then said to the housekeeper, “Take this cake to that child…”
If all girls liked it, then that young lady should like it too!
Gu Qingcheng raised his head and glanced at the window of Yun Liuli’s room, then walked into the house.
As the housekeeper took the cake from the driver’s hands, he was a little surprised. Take this one-pound cake to Miss Yun?
The housekeeper wanted to turn around and ask Gu Qingcheng, but Gu Qingcheng had already gone upstairs.
Should he take the entire cake, including the box, to Miss Yun directly? Or should he cut it into slices before taking it to her?
After some thought, the housekeeper got a cake knife and a tray and went upstairs to knock on Yun Liuli’s door.
Just now, Yun Liuli had already seen the car enter. It was the same car Gu Qingcheng went away in yesterday.
Hearing someone knock on the door, she thought it was Gu Qingcheng. She got up and opened the door. Seeing the housekeeper standing outside with a smile, holding a pretty box in his hands, she was a little surprised.
“Miss Yun, Sir asked me to bring this to you when he came back. Would you like it cut for you, or would you like to do it yourself?” the housekeeper asked.
Yun Liuli’s pupils quivered gently. Ever since she could remember, she had never had something like a cake on her birthday.
Actually, Yun Liuli did look forward… to having someone celebrate her birthday with her, to having someone stick candles in the cake, then say happy birthday to her and urge her to make a birthday wish.
She reached out to take the cake and said nothing, her bright and black eyes gazing at the housekeeper but not saying anything.
The housekeeper handed her the tray and cake knife, then asked, “Does Miss Yun want red tea or green tea?”
Cakes were sweet, so tea would compliment it perfectly.
Yun Liuli shook her head. The housekeeper understood what she meant, so he nodded. “Then, Miss Yun can just instruct me if you need anything!”
Yun Liuli nodded.
A thin layer of sweat had formed over her palms as she held the cake by its b.u.t.terfly ribbon. She closed the door, then carefully placed the cake on the table and opened it.
The aroma of cream and matcha entered her senses, whetting her appet.i.te.
Yun Liuli’s eyes turned warm, and her mind was filled with the image of Gu Qingcheng’s well-defined and cold and tough features.
Did he buy the cake for her knowing it was her birthday today?
Yun Liuli’s heart pounded wildly, a sour sensation welling up in her heart.
This was the first birthday cake she had ever received. Yun Liuli lowered her head and wiped the tears that had welled up in her eyes with the back of her hand. Her nostrils flared, and her tears slipped down like a string of broken pearls. Even as she used her arms to cover her eyes, it did nothing to stop the tears from flowing down. She pursed her lips tightly but couldn’t help but make sobbing sounds.
In all the years of her existence, it was the first time Yun Liuli was overwhelmed by such strong emotions. It was the first time… she sobbed out loud.
With no idea whether she was feeling upset or experiencing some other emotions, Yun Liuli squatted down with her palms on the desk, crying like an abandoned child.
…
Gu Qingcheng hadn’t returned home for a night, and it was only after a hot shower that he managed to wash away his fatigue.
After changing into his casual home clothes and coming out, before he could even dry his hair, he answered several calls. He had just hung up when his phone rang again, but before he could answer the call, he heard someone knocking on the door.
Thinking it was the housekeeper, Gu Qingcheng said, “Enter…”
Gu Qingcheng then casually put the call through and turned around. “Speak…”
He bent over to pick up his cigarettes, then shook one out of the box to bite at the corner of his lips. He then reached for his lighter to light the cigarette.
Hearing the door handle slowly twist open, Gu Qingcheng straightened his body and turned around to look towards the door, but he didn’t see anyone enter.
His brows knitted, and he said dismissively to the person on the line, “Mm, got it.”
The door slowly opened. Gu Qingcheng saw the young lady s.h.i.+elding the cake with one hand while cautiously pus.h.i.+ng the door open with the other, her actions clumsy and awkward.
The young lady pushed the door open and looked towards Gu Qingcheng. Seeing Gu Qingcheng on the phone, she nervously stood at the door, her hands tightly gripping the edges of the cake tray, looking like she was going to wait until Gu Qingcheng finished his phone call.
“I’m busy with some matters here. I’ll return your call later!”
After hanging up the call, Gu Qingcheng’s vision swept over the cake Yun Liuli was holding. He asked, “Is something the matter?”
Yun Liuli gripped the cake tray even harder now. She lowered her voice and said, “Thank you for the cake.”
Gu Qingcheng nodded, waiting for the young lady to finish her words.
She sniffled, then raised her head and said to Gu Qingcheng, “This cake is… the first cake that I’ve ever received on my birthday. Thank you!”