The person who arrived was Gu Zechuan’s friend, Jiang Yuzhou.
He was also the man who had expressed some sympathy for Ruan Chutang at the drinking party that night.
Having known each other for nearly three years, Ruan Chutang had always had a good impression of Jiang Yuzhou.
She replied, “I came to buy some things.”
Jiang Yuzhou glanced at the bag in her hand. “Is this a gift for Gu Zechuan?”
Ruan Chutang found it too troublesome to explain, so she simply nodded in agreement.
“This brand of watches isn’t cheap. Even the most basic models cost five figures. You really don’t need to give such an expensive gift. Gu Zechuan, he…”
He doesn’t deserve it.
He had openly admitted that he couldn’t let go of Chen Wan and only saw Ruan Chutang as a substitute.
Last night, he had even abandoned Ruan Chutang, taking Chen Wan’s hand and leaving in front of so many people.
After Gu Zechuan and Chen Wan left the birthday party, they spent the night indulging at a hotel. Ruan Chutang didn’t know about this, but he was well aware.
They had a small group chat with friends from their circle.
Even after dating Gu Zechuan for three years, Ruan Chutang hadn’t been added to this group, but as soon as Chen Wan returned to the country, Gu Zechuan added her.
At noon today, Chen Wan inexplicably posted a bed photo of the two of them in the group, saying that Gu Zechuan should keep it as a memento.
But less than a minute after posting it, she withdrew the message, claiming she had sent it by mistake.
He happened to see it at the time and wanted to say something, but ultimately held back. After all, it wasn’t his business, and it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Thinking of all this, Jiang Yuzhou had originally intended to persuade Ruan Chutang to let go and tell her the truth, but when the words reached his lips, he changed his mind.
“Gu Zechuan doesn’t lack these things. You don’t need to spend several months’ salary on such an expensive gift for him.”
After all, Gu Zechuan was his good friend of over a decade, and he still couldn’t bring himself to say those words.
He also wanted to tell Ruan Chutang that perhaps the gift she spent months of her salary on was something Gu Zechuan wouldn’t even appreciate.
But those words were too hurtful, and Jiang Yuzhou couldn’t bear to say them.
Of course, Ruan Chutang knew Gu Zechuan didn’t deserve it, and the gift wasn’t for him either. She nodded and smiled dismissively, “Okay, I won’t do it next time.”
After chatting with Jiang Yuzhou for a while, the two parted ways.
Jiang Yuzhou watched Ruan Chutang’s retreating figure and sighed softly.
“Ah, what a wonderful girl. How did she end up being harmed by Gu Zechuan?”
He opened WeChat and couldn’t resist sending a message to persuade Gu Zechuan.
[Bro, your girlfriend is really great. I just ran into her buying a watch for you. She bought a tens-of-thousands-yuan watch without hesitation—it must have cost her several months’ salary. Cherish what you have.]
Gu Zechuan received this message while having dinner with Chen Wan.
All the anger he had been feeling dissipated instantly upon seeing the message.
His expression gradually softened.
It seemed Chu Tang knew she had done wrong today and was trying to buy a gift to apologize. Since that was the case, he would give her a way out.
When the time came, he would accept her gift, apologize in turn, saying his tone hadn’t been great either, and ask her not to take it to heart. Then he’d come up with some sweet words to coax her—Ruan Chutang would definitely fall for it.
“Zechuan, what’s wrong? Whose message is it?” Chen Wan, sitting across from him, asked.
Gu Zechuan put away his phone and said calmly, “Nothing.”
Chen Wan didn’t ask further.
Not long after, Gu Zechuan got up to use the restroom. Chen Wan picked up the phone he had left on the table. She had seen him enter his password before—it was easy to remember, his birthday.
Chen Wan quickly entered the password and opened WeChat.
She first checked the chat with Ruan Chutang. The conversation was still from a week ago, when Ruan Chutang had asked if he wanted to go on a trip together during the National Day holiday, saying she finally had time off and wanted to get away.
She had also sent some travel guides for places she really wanted to visit.
Gu Zechuan had replied five hours later: “It’s so crowded during National Day, what’s the fun in that?” After that, Ruan Chutang hadn’t sent any more messages.
Chen Wan glanced casually at the travel destinations, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.
It seemed their three-year relationship wasn’t all that great—Gu Zechuan wasn’t even willing to go on a trip with her.
There was nothing unusual in Ruan Chutang’s WeChat messages, so Chen Wan exited the chat and scrolled through casually, spotting a message from Jiang Yuzhou.
Chen Wan sneered, recalling Ruan Chutang’s indifferent expression during their last two encounters, her heart filled with scorn.
She had thought Ruan Chutang was about to give up, but it turned out she was still trying to buy gifts, lower her head, and apologize, hoping to reconcile with Gu Zechuan.
Chen Wan closed WeChat, turned off the screen, placed Gu Zechuan’s phone back where it was, and took out her own phone to call Gu Zechuan’s mother, Madam Meng Yaqin.
“Hello, Aunt Meng, I just ran into that girlfriend of Zechuan’s while we were looking at rings. That girl was trying on rings in the store, practically forcing him into marriage…”
…
Ruan Chutang returned to the villa with the gifts and continued packing her luggage.
She placed the gift for Jiang Shixu in her suitcase, but as she packed, Jiang Shixu’s coldly handsome face surfaced in her mind.
She and Jiang Shixu had known each other for a long time.
Both their family homes were in the same villa area, only two or three hundred meters apart. When they were young, they often ran into each other.
Jiang Shixu was four years older than her. The first time she saw him was at the Jiang family’s old house.
Ruan’s father and Ruan’s mother had taken her to visit the Jiang family. She was only ten at the time, still a child who hadn’t grown into her features, while Jiang Shixu already looked like the male lead from a youth campus idol drama.
Chu Tang only remembered that her first glimpse of Jiang Shixu left her in awe.
His face was strikingly handsome, almost aggressive, but his eyes were as cold as winter ice.
Her mother told her to greet him, so she obediently called out, “Brother Shixu.”
In her memory, Jiang Shixu remained cold and distant, replying with a dry, indifferent “Hello.”
Back then, she thought this older brother must be very difficult to get along with.
That misunderstanding lasted for several years.
Later, when she was in high school, her math grades were poor. Madam Jiang somehow found out and said to Ruan Shaodong with a smile, “Let our Shixu tutor Tangtang. Math was his best subject in high school—he scored over 140 on the college entrance exam!”
By then, her mother had already passed away, and Ruan Chutang’s personality was vastly different from when she was a child.
Over five years, Ruan Chutang had transformed from a carefree, happy-go-lucky child into a quiet, rebellious teenager.
“I don’t need you to teach me.” That was the first thing she said to Jiang Shixu after he entered the room.
At the time, Jiang Shixu was twenty-one. He was tall and slender, standing over 185 cm, dressed simply in a white short-sleeved shirt and dark gray jeans. His slightly tousled, layered haircut gave him a youthful, boyish vibe.
“But I insist on teaching.” That was his reply, his voice carrying a hint of amusement and a touch of nonchalance.
Chu Tang had assumed Jiang Shixu would be strict and harsh.
But that wasn’t the case. After looking over her math test, Jiang Shixu merely frowned slightly before patiently explaining the problems to her.
He went through each mistake one by one, without even a trace of impatience in his expression.
His voice was deep and pleasant, with a faint gravelly quality. As Chu Tang listened, she began to feel that math wasn’t so detestable after all.
For some problems, there were two or three different solving methods, and Jiang Shixu would explain each one to her.
Ruan Chutang’s gaze gradually shifted from initial resistance and disdain to admiration and reverence.
“Wow, Jiang Shixu, you’re amazing! You still remember all this so clearly even though you graduated from high school so many years ago?”
“Not entirely. I reviewed the textbooks before coming.”
After saying this, he paused and gently tapped her head with his pen. “No respect for your elders. From now on, remember to call me Shixu-ge.”
During the summer of Ruan Chutang’s second year of high school, Jiang Shixu tutored her for two months.
At that time, Jiang Shixu was a junior at Jiangcheng University. He hardly went out the entire summer, spending his days either explaining problems to Ruan Chutang or helping her check tests and grade assignments.
A high school student’s summer break was short. By the time she started school again, Jiang Shixu was still on vacation.
Every day after school, Ruan Chutang would return home to find Jiang Shixu sitting on the sofa in her living room, waiting to tutor her.
Thanks to Jiang Shixu, her math scores improved dramatically, soaring from failing grades all the way to 130.
Ruan Chutang excelled in all her other subjects. With math no longer holding her back, she successfully gained admission to Jiangcheng University for the college entrance exam, becoming Jiang Shixu’s junior.
Back then, Chu Tang only saw Jiang Shixu as an exceptionally kind older brother from the neighborhood.
She respected him, liked him, but felt not even a trace of romantic affection.
So when her father said she was to marry into the Jiang family and wed Jiang Shixu, she couldn’t accept it.
She only saw Jiang Shixu as a brother. How could a younger sister marry her older brother?
Lost in these memories, the bedroom door opened. Gu Zechuan stood at the doorway, looking down at Ruan Chutang. “Have you finished packing everything?”
“Yes, almost done.”
Gu Zechuan leaned against the doorframe. “Chu Tang, do you have something to say to me?”