They sat down at a restaurant. It was the lunch rush, and customers streamed in and out. Bai Ziyuan led Gu Qianran to a window seat and eagerly began to order.
Gu Qianran watched helplessly as Bai Ziyuan checked off dish after dish. "Little cutie, can you really eat that much?"
Bai Ziyuan nodded. "Of course. Shopping is exhausting. And since you hardly ever come with me, I have to feast while I can."
Bank-card carrier Gu Qianran: pardon.
If this were a game, Gu Qianran would be locking in Yasuo.
This was not good.
Service was quick, and soon the table was piled with food. Gu Qianran watched her little girlfriend devour it all and could only smile, peeling and deboning everything for her with patient hands.
Bai Ziyuan looked up by chance and collided with Gu Qianran's gentle gaze. She ducked back down, blushing, secretly thrilled. How could her Qianran be so good?
Gu Qianran dabbed a bit of sauce from Bai Ziyuan's lip and stood. "I will go buy water. What do you want to drink, little cutie?"
"Milk tea."
Gu Qianran knew it. She smiled indulgently and headed for the counter. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a girl at the next table also get up, seemingly to buy milk tea.
So this shop's milk tea must be good. The little cutie might love it. Mental note.
Then the girl veered with the swagger of someone walking the red carpet and headed straight for Gu Qianran.
With a cup of milk tea already in hand.
Gu Qianran frowned. Something was off. This girl felt suspiciously like a wandering peach blossom.
She had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next second the girl tripped due to mysterious forces, and the milk tea sailed in a graceful arc, splattering onto Gu Qianran's shoe.
The girl: mortified.
Gu Qianran: silent.
The flustered girl babbled apologies. "I am sorry I am sorry. I will wipe it for you."
Seriously? This trick was fossilized. Please have some self-respect, ma'am.
"No, it is fine. Please go." Gu Qianran quickly dodged and shooed the girl away with some effort, then looked up to see her official wife staring at her.
"Explain." Bai Ziyuan was fuming. All she had done was send Gu Qianran to buy milk tea, and this happened. It was obviously deliberate. That girl screamed high-level green tea.
Gu Qianran wanted to cry. This scene was straight out of a certain kind of romance drama.
Wait. Romance drama? Was the heavenly script now treating her as the "male lead"?
Before Gu Qianran could think further, Bai Ziyuan yanked her away. This stinky Qianran dared to zone out. She must be thinking about that girl. Outrageous. Fine. I am not speaking to you.
On the way home, Gu Qianran realized her little cutie was angry again and shoved every bag into Gu Qianran's arms. Gu Qianran could not help laughing. A sulking little cutie was very cute.
Bai Ziyuan shot another glare. Still laughing?
"Ahahaha." Now Gu Qianran truly could not hold it back. The way her little cutie glared in mock anger was even cuter. There was no way to stay serious.
"Hmph." Now Bai Ziyuan was actually mad. When they arrived home and Gu Qianran bent to unfasten her scarf, Bai Ziyuan sank her teeth into Gu Qianran's collarbone.
Gu Qianran froze, her gaze darkening.
That night, Gu Qianran compensated Bai Ziyuan with half the night's "gifts." Bai Ziyuan could only accept passively and ended up sobbing happy tears. Probably.
—
Recently, something seemed off about Li Junyao. This came from Li Junze's report to Gu Qianran. Li Junze had moved quickly and won the old man's trust. Without the Li Corporation behind him, Li Junyao could not stir any real waves. Yet his new eerie vibe made Li Junze uneasy.
Gu Qianran felt the end was near.
Li Junyao's oddness could only be the system stirring trouble. But the plan had advanced to this point. Whatever the system wanted to do, it was already too late.
Unless the system lost its mind and decided to burn everything down with it.
Gu Qianran looked at Bai Ziyuan listening attentively in class and smiled faintly. For someone this wonderful, anything was worth it.
Except drawing blood. Gu Qianran went pale at the health check form where venous blood draw was listed. How had she forgotten that seniors had a full physical? Damn it.
She had already had a physical in her previous life's ninth grade. Why could she still not escape this one?
Ever since being stabbed once, Gu Qianran had a mild blood phobia. One could imagine her expression when she saw that large needle slide into a vein.
Bai Ziyuan could not understand how her fearless girlfriend was afraid of a blood draw. She could only comfort her. "Qianran, it is fine. The physical is not until next week."
Gu Qianran slumped over her desk, spiritless. "Little cutie, you sound like you are informing a prisoner of the execution date."
Bai Ziyuan: rude.
Li Junze received another call from Boss Gu. Gu Qianran asked, "Li Junze, can you access Li Corporation permissions right now?"
Hearing Gu Qianran's serious tone, Li Junze straightened up. "Yes, Boss. One benefit of this romance-novel world is that the company's reach is absurdly long in certain areas. Tell me what to do. I will get it done."
Gu Qianran hesitated, voice suddenly soft. "Then help me grease the hospital so I can skip the blood draw, please."
Li Junze: I am Yasuo after all.
Was he hearing things? And what was with that little lilt at the end? Had Boss Gu been hacked?
After repeated confirmation, Li Junze smothered a twitching smile and began making calls. Since inspectors would be visiting, the hospital decided that when the time came, Gu Qianran could hide out in the staff lounge.
Back in the classroom, Ji Tang and Bai Ziyuan watched Gu Qianran furtively make a phone call, then visibly relax, flashing them a very good mood smile when she caught their eyes.
Bai Ziyuan: that suspicious smile was all too familiar. Gu Qianran was definitely plotting something.
But surely Gu Qianran would not dodge a health check. Right? Bai Ziyuan thought for a moment and let it go.