Meng Yao lifted the flowers in her hands slightly, using them to hide the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Gu Jingcheng had already turned off the engine and gotten out of the car.
“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be accompanying your childhood sweetheart instead?”
Even she herself did not notice the sourness hidden in her tone.
Now that he had finally found her, the anxiousness in Gu Jingcheng’s heart settled, and he was no longer in a hurry.
Smiling, he teased her, “I was going to accompany her, but then you skipped studying and ran away. I was afraid you’d blame me if you failed the university entrance exam, so I hurried over to find you.”
Meng Yao snorted.
In her previous life, Meng Yu had indeed mentioned that Gu Jingcheng had a childhood sweetheart. But seeing the obvious amusement in his eyes now, she could no longer tell what he was really thinking.
“Then you should go keep her company. You don’t need to worry about whether I can get into university. I’m smart enough to study on my own.”
She glanced at him again and added, “You’d better hurry back to your little childhood sweetheart. Otherwise, if you can’t find a wife in the future, don’t blame me for it!”
Seeing how sharp-tongued she was, the smile in Gu Jingcheng’s eyes deepened even more.
He stepped closer, shortening the distance between them.
“Too late. I already can’t find a wife anymore. Someone is already angry, so…”
“You can become my wife instead?”
The moment those words fell, both of their hearts began beating wildly at the same time.
One from nervousness.
The other from anticipation.
Meng Yao blinked twice, her mind completely blank.
“You… you…”
She stammered for a long time without managing to finish her sentence before blurting out,
“Didn’t you say your family already arranged a marriage for you?”
It was the first time she had ever encountered a situation like this. The moment she became nervous, the words escaped uncontrollably.
The ambiguous atmosphere shattered instantly.
Regret flashed across Gu Jingcheng’s eyes.
Meanwhile, Meng Yao suddenly remembered that the person he was supposedly engaged to… was actually herself.
Instinctively, she blurted out, “Actually, I—”
Suddenly, a hand pressed gently onto her shoulder, silencing the words in her throat.
Gu Jingcheng looked directly into her eyes and spoke seriously.
“You don’t have to answer me yet. Just spend some time with me first, okay?”
“Okay.”
Their study plans had been disrupted, so Gu Jingcheng suggested they simply skip studying for the day and relax instead.
“There should be a balance between work and rest. How about I take you out to have some fun?”
Whenever Meng Yao came to the county town, it was always either for studying or errands. She had never actually gone out to play before.
“What are we going to do?”
Gu Jingcheng told her to get in the car first and that he would explain on the way.
Curiously, Meng Yao looked around inside the car.
It felt rather novel to her.
In her previous life, after following the military, she had only ridden in military vehicles. This was her first time sitting in a private car.
Compared to military vehicles, this one felt far more warm and lived-in.
The seats had dust covers over them, and a delicate handmade ornament of little persimmons hung from the rearview mirror.
Gu Jingcheng had originally planned to act attentive and help her fasten her seatbelt.
Instead, he watched as Meng Yao skillfully sat down and buckled it herself.
The hand he had halfway stretched out awkwardly retreated.
The man took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.
“I actually planned all of this in advance. I was going to take you out after your lesson today. Looks like the timing worked out perfectly.”
Meng Yao took the paper.
Written on it was a carefully arranged schedule for the afternoon.
It was obvious he had prepared it beforehand.
As the engine started, the car vibrated softly along with Gu Jingcheng’s deep voice.
“I don’t have any childhood sweetheart. I only believe in feelings. I have no feelings for Xu Li.”
“I only have feelings for you.”
He said it seriously without the slightest embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Meng Yao’s ears turned burning hot from listening to him.
Unable to suppress the upward curl of her lips, she turned her head toward the window and muttered,
“Focus on driving!”
The man also could not help smiling.
The atmosphere inside the car instantly became filled with ambiguity.
Gu Jingcheng first drove her to the cinema and picked out a movie.
Afterward, he took her to the plaza to feed pigeons before finally bringing her to an entertainment hall.
Meng Yao had a wonderful time.
It had been a long time since she had relaxed this much.
However, when she realized he had brought her to an entertainment hall, she instinctively stopped walking.
In her impression, whether in her previous life or this one, entertainment halls were places only hooligans and troublemakers frequented.
Raised under the strict discipline of the Meng family, Meng Yao had never once stepped into such a place in either lifetime.
“An old university classmate of mine owns this place. Business is pretty good. He’s invited me over several times, but I’ve always been too busy.”
“Do you want to go in and take a look?”
Gu Jingcheng’s tone was incredibly gentle.
Meng Yao hesitated.
Deep down, she was curious about this unfamiliar place, but she was also nervous.
After struggling with herself for a while, she finally shook her head.
“Why not?” Gu Jingcheng easily saw through her inner conflict.
Stammering awkwardly, Meng Yao explained her reason.
At this moment, Gu Jingcheng had already removed the scarf from around his neck and stuffed it into a bag. Dressed neatly and properly now, his smile was dazzling enough that Meng Yao could barely look away.
Deliberately lowering his head near her ear, he tempted her softly,
“But it’s really fun inside. There’s singing, dancing, and even some really tasty drinks.”
“Don’t you really want to try it?”
Meng Yao tightly clutched the strap of her schoolbag.
Inside, she was locked in fierce internal struggle, and her face was filled with hesitation.
Watching her from the side, Gu Jingcheng felt his heart melting.
Affection overflowed from his eyes.
How could there possibly be such an obedient and adorable girl?
Like a wicked devil patiently luring someone astray, he spoke again,
“I was even planning to sing for you. But since you don’t want to go, then forget it—”
“Let’s go!”
As though she had finally made up her mind, Meng Yao looked into his eyes and firmly repeated,
“We’ll only go once. We won’t turn bad from it!”
Gu Jingcheng suppressed his laughter.
“Alright.”
The two walked inside side by side.
The interior was noticeably darker than outside.
Gu Jingcheng reached out and held her hand.
Although Meng Yao felt shy, she did not pull away.
By the time they reached the main hall, the sunlight from outside had already been blocked by the curtains.
Soft lights circled around the hall overhead.
The dim lighting made it difficult to clearly distinguish each other’s expressions, creating a strangely relaxing atmosphere.
When the waiter saw Gu Jingcheng bring in a plainly dressed country girl, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
“President Gu, what brings you here today?”
The waiter immediately put on a flattering smile.
Gu Jingcheng nodded but did not bother chatting with him.
“Get me a private room.”
The waiter quickly handed over a room card.
Gu Jingcheng also bought some snacks at the front desk before finally leading his curious little companion inside.
Passing through the dance hall where people were dancing, Gu Jingcheng directly brought her into a private room.
The inside was pitch black.
He casually switched on the lights, brightening the room slightly.
With no outsiders around, Meng Yao finally relaxed.
The room’s layout was simple.
A large sofa sat inside with a coffee table in front of it. Across from the table, mounted on the wall, was a large black screen resembling a television.
After handing her the snacks, Gu Jingcheng focused on fiddling with the equipment.
Meng Yao asked curiously, “Do you come here often?”
“Not really. Occasionally.”
After a pause, he added,
“I’ve been here less than five times in total.”
From the moment she entered earlier and saw people dancing in the ballroom, Meng Yao had secretly become curious about what Gu Jingcheng would look like while dancing.