This hotpot restaurant was decorated with great taste, cleverly blending traditional culture with modern elements. It carried a rich cultural depth while also fitting modern aesthetics.
The food was excellent and the prices were reasonable, making it very popular among college students.While waiting for the broth to boil, Song Ranran asked, “When did you meet your husband?”
Gu Qingyue took a small sip of water from her cup. “Yesterday.”Both of them looked completely shocked.
Xu Youning stared with her round eyes wide open. “Gu Qingyue, are you kidding me? You met yesterday and got together yesterday?”“Actually, we even registered our marriage.” Gu Qingyue’s words landed like a thunderclap out of nowhere.
Song Ranran shouted excitedly, “What?!”Her voice was too loud, drawing the attention of people around them.
Gu Qingyue raised her index finger to her lips and gestured for silence. “Lower your voice.”
Xu Youning’s face turned serious, her tone stern.
“Gu Qingyue! You’re usually so smart. How could you do something this reckless? Do you even know him? Do you know what his family does? What if he’s lying to you?”
Meeting once and getting married immediately, without knowing the man’s character or family background. If she had run into a bad person, there would be nowhere to cry afterward.
Then she thought of something else. She grabbed Gu Qingyue’s arm and asked earnestly, “Yueyue, tell me the truth. Are you facing some kind of difficulty? Tell me. I’ll definitely help you solve it.”
Aside from this, she could not think of any reason that would make someone as rational as Gu Qingyue make such an impulsive decision.
At that moment, countless melodramatic scenes flashed through Song Ranran’s mind. She said indignantly, “I get it now! It must be your family forcing you!”
“No.” Gu Qingyue smiled at her and spoke in a relaxed tone. “I did it willingly. This is what you call a flash marriage. When the feeling hits, nothing can stop it.”
Xu Youning’s delicate brows knitted tightly together. “Did your parents agree?”
Gu Qingyue’s hand holding the glass tightened unconsciously. She pressed her lips together and tried to make her voice sound natural. “They agreed.”
In fact, she did not even know who her biological parents were.But there was no need to say that.Still uneasy, Xu Youning continued pressing. “Yueyue, did you really marry willingly? I really can help you.”
Gu Qingyue’s red lips curved slightly. “He’s very good. I did it willingly.”
Although Shang Yuze was cold and reserved, he was modest, courteous, and considerate. Whether out of manners or upbringing, at least for now, Shang Yuze treated her quite well.
“How old is he? What does his family do? What’s his name? How many people are in his family? How did you meet?” Song Ranran fired off five questions in one breath.
Gu Qingyue only answered the first two. “He runs a company and he’s twenty-six.”
Although Shang Yuze rarely appeared in the public eye, as the helmsman of Huaguo’s top financial conglomerate, who had not heard his name?
Her marriage to Shang Yuze had no emotional foundation, and their backgrounds were worlds apart. It might fall apart someday without warning.
Song Ranran clicked her tongue with mild disdain. “Six years older. A classic case of an old cow eating tender grass.”
Gu Qingyue lightened the mood. “He has money, looks, and has never had a girlfriend. He keeps himself clean. Marrying someone like that means I got the better deal, okay?”
Seeing that Gu Qingyue looked normal, Xu Youning did not say more, only reminding her worriedly, “If anything happens in the future, you must tell me.”
Song Ranran chimed in as well. “We’ll both help you.”
Gu Qingyue’s gaze swept over them. Seeing the concern in their eyes, a warm current flowed through her heart. It seemed heaven had not treated her too badly after all, giving her two of the best friends in the world.
She smiled softly. “Got it.”The hotpot bubbled as steam rose. Gu Qingyue picked up a plate of beef rolls from the side rack, taking the chance to change the topic.
“Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
It was already past seven, and all three of them were ravenous, staring eagerly at the beef rolls in the pot.As soon as the beef was cooked, the three of them grabbed their chopsticks and showed their skills.
Xu Youning locked onto a piece with precision and reached her chopsticks into the spicy broth. “Don’t fight me. This piece is mine!”“Whoever grabs it first gets it.” Song Ranran beat her to it and snatched the beef away.
Gu Qingyue joined the battle as well. “Leave some for me, you two.”At nine in the evening, the cold moon hung high, silver light spreading across the land.The three of them walked out of the hotpot restaurant. A cool breeze blew, scattering the warmth from their bodies. Gu Qingyue instinctively wrapped her coat tighter.
When she looked up, she saw a Bentley parked by the roadside, a man leaning casually against the passenger door.The black long coat accentuated his tall, handsome figure, his bearing outstanding and refined.
As night deepened, the moonlight was bright, falling on the ground like frost. That same cool sheen clung to the man. His complexion was pale and cool, his features snowlike, and his deep, cold brows carried a faint, compelling chill.
His expression was detached and clean, like a god high above the nine heavens, untouched by mortal dust.
A trace of a smile flickered in Gu Qingyue’s alluring fox-like eyes.This was the first time someone had come to pick her up.Her heart felt warm, tinged with a hint of sweet happiness.She turned to the two of them and said, “Be careful on your way back. Send a message when you get to school.”They nodded. “You too.”
Gu Qingyue jogged toward Shang Yuze. He opened the passenger door for her, and as she got in, he thoughtfully lifted a hand to shield her head.They looked just like a couple deeply in love.
Even after the car had driven away, Xu Youning continued staring at where it had been.“Hey, hey, hey.” Seeing her lost in thought, Song Ranran waved a hand in front of her eyes. “What are you looking at?”
Xu Youning said thoughtfully, “I feel like Yueyue’s husband looks familiar. Like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”The more she thought about it, the more familiar he seemed.Where exactly had she seen him?
“Think harder. If he’s not a good person, we can still warn Yueyue in time.” As a veteran drama addict, Song Ranran’s mind was always full of melodramatic plots.
Xu Youning racked her brain but still could not remember where she had seen that man.
Sigh,people regret not reading enough books when they need them. She realized her brain was not enough when she needed it most.The Bentley drove smoothly along the road. Gu Qingyue looked out the window as streetlights and towering buildings slid backward.
Thinking of what Gu Jiaxin had said earlier that day, she turned to look at Shang Yuze.The lighting inside the car was dim, half of the man’s handsome face hidden in shadow, his expression cold and severe.
She asked, “Shang Yuze, was it you who caused the Li family’s bankruptcy and sent Li Qunshan to prison?”
Shang Yuze’s tone was calm. “He failed to pay taxes on time. Going to prison was what he deserved.”