Gu Ziqian’s tall figure froze, his eyes fixed on Fang Mian’s calm face in disbelief.
Fang Mian met his gaze fearlessly, remaining silent.
She gave him time to process and digest it on his own.
After a long silence…
Finally, the usual vitality and spark returned to Gu Ziqian’s eyes.
He winked at Fang Mian and sang in a rap-like rhythm: “Baby, I don’t want to be a good person, I don’t want to be a bad person, I just want to be the one in your heart.”
“Baby, I went to eat noodles today, what kind of noodles? Suddenly I just want to see you.”
“Baby, I went to work today, what kind of work? I love how extraordinary you are.”
“Hahaha… I never thought my baby would play along with my jokes too!”
“You said you’re hiding a man, and that man is me, right? You’ve hidden me deep in your heart!”
After saying this, he even added his own background music and danced a cool rap routine.
Watching the boy singing and dancing in front of her, Fang Mian felt nothing but exhaustion and helplessness.
There are some people you just can’t wake up, no matter how hard you try.
“Ziqian, let’s have a serious talk.”
Gu Ziqian stopped dancing.
Fang Mian stared at him intently, her eyes clear, serious, and resolute.
To be honest, Gu Ziqian was terrified.
He was terrified of Fang Mian’s extremely serious and solemn expression.
Whenever she looked at him with that kind of gaze, the words that followed were usually not what he wanted to hear…
Gu Ziqian flashed a bright, toothy smile: “It’s already very late today. Let’s talk about whatever it is another time!”
“I saw you moved into a new place, so I bought you some daily appliances as a housewarming gift.”
“Aren’t you inviting colleagues over for dinner tomorrow night? I’ll hire two chefs to cook, so the auntie won’t get too tired. And also…”
“Gu Ziqian!” Fang Mian raised her voice considerably: “Listen to me…”
Gu Ziqian quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulder: “Baby! I know you’ve been in a bad mood lately, stressed from work, and annoyed with me, right? How about we just see each other less often for a while?”
“From now on, you can decide when we meet. The wedding house decoration will be done according to your preferences. Whatever style of dress you like, whatever style of wedding photos you want, I’ll listen to you completely.”
“And how much dowry, how many banquet tables, how many guests to invite… I’ll handle it all…”
“Gu Ziqian!!”
Fang Mian forcefully shook off his hand: “Can you please wake up? You’re an adult now, you can’t keep acting so childish! I’m begging you, stop avoiding this, okay?”
“I don’t like you, I don’t want to marry you! And I don’t want to waste your youth and happiness! Can we just break up?”
Gu Ziqian’s tall body swayed unsteadily.
His eyes were panicked and helpless, his entire face twisted in agony.
His pale, bloodless lips parted as he struggled to breathe.
His lips moved wordlessly, uttering incoherent and feeble whispers.
Seeing him like this, Fang Mian’s eyes reddened with pity: “You have both family background and good looks. You’re a great person, and you deserve a better girl. I’m just not good enough for you!”
“But I only want you!”
Gu Ziqian pulled Fang Mian tightly into his arms: “Please don’t talk about breaking up, okay? Look, we’ve been together for so long, and our personalities have already adjusted to each other.”
“And I know all your preferences and little habits. My family is also very wealthy. After we get married, I can…”
“Do you really know all my preferences?” Fang Mian suddenly asked him.
“Of course I do!” Gu Ziqian said eagerly. “For vegetables, you like them light and plain. For meat dishes, you prefer mildly spicy ones. You like Chinese food and dislike Western cuisine. You hate century eggs and okra, but love corn, lamb, and pork belly…”
“You don’t like yoga or running. You only enjoy following workout videos in live streams.”
“You’re afraid of heights and dislike swings and all the thrilling rides at amusement parks. But you love playing AR games…”
“Fang Lu, Qiqi, and Nana told you all this, didn’t they?” Fang Mian smiled faintly.
That elusive smile carried a hint of indescribable bitterness.
“You’re not going to tell me that you deliberately got close to them, slept with them, all just to understand me better? To love me?”
Gu Ziqian opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a single word in defense.
Fang Mian composed herself and looked up at him. “Ziqian, do you know? I actually know nothing about you.”
“What you like, what you dislike—I have no idea. It’s not that I haven’t tried to understand you; I simply never wanted to spend time getting to know you.”
Gu Ziqian hurriedly said, “That’s okay! I don’t need you to love me deeply. Just stay by my side…”
“But normal couples and spouses shouldn’t be like us!” Fang Mian said sharply. “Our relationship is sick! It’s abnormal!”
“I just happened to be your first love, so you developed this obsessive belief and fixation that you must have me.”
“You don’t love me at all! You only love yourself. You just want a perfect ending, a sense of fulfillment in life. That’s not real love!”
“It’s not like that! It’s not what you say!”
Gu Ziqian repeated frantically, “It’s not… it’s not!”
His face twisted in pain as he stumbled out the door.
He Lan, who had been standing outside for a long time, sighed helplessly. “Why did you have to be so blunt? How could he possibly accept it so suddenly?”
Fang Mian looked downcast. “Should I have waited until after we were married to say it?”
“I just smiled at him once, and he thought I agreed to be his girlfriend.”
“I just treated him to a meal in return, and he thought I accepted his proposal.”
“All these years, I’ve hinted and even stated it outright countless times, but he deliberately pretended not to understand!”
Fang Mian said bitterly, “I’m truly exhausted! I don’t want to keep dragging this out while considering his feelings! Besides, we were never a good match to begin with—the gap between us is too wide!”
With his excellent conditions, he would never lack women around him.
Once he got over her, he would still be that carefree, beloved Young Master Gu!
Canglong Mansion
Inside the luxurious and imposing villa, the strong aroma of alcohol filled the air.
Two empty bottles already sat on the living room table.
Gu Ziqian, still unsatisfied, shouted, “Auntie Tang, I haven’t had enough! Go… go get me another bottle…”
The housekeeper, Auntie Tang, glanced at Gu Tingye for guidance.
Gu Tingye nodded at her.
Auntie Tang sighed and turned to fetch another bottle from the wine cellar in the basement.
Gu Ziqian, eyes hazy with drunken sorrow, lamented, “Uncle, tell me… how can a woman’s heart… hic… be so, so hard?”
“Five years! I’ve been a devoted follower for five whole years! Yet she still… hic… still doesn’t like me!”
“Look at me—I have the looks, the family background, the talents, the charm…”
“Other women all like me, but it’s precisely Fang Mian… only she doesn’t like me…”
“If she doesn’t even like someone as perfect as me, then what kind of person does she like?”
Gu Ziqian swayed as he lifted his head: “Would she like someone like you, Uncle?”