Since returning to the city, everyone had been busy with one thing or another. It wasn’t until today that Gu Ansheng finally managed to find time to come see Zhu Queqi.
He stood there with his arms relaxed at his sides, tall and straight. Just an ordinary white shirt and black trousers—but somehow, on him, they looked exceptionally good.
When Gu Ansheng wasn’t smiling, his gaze could be quite sharp, carrying a faint sense of pressure—just like now. The elderly men and women downstairs who loved to play matchmaker saw him and, surprisingly, didn’t dare approach to chat.
But the moment he saw Zhu Queqi step out of the apartment building, his expression softened instantly. His eyes became gentle, as if he wanted to melt her inside them, filled with concern and affection.
The look made Zhu Queqi’s heart flutter. She quickly lowered her head and secretly looked herself over.
A goose-yellow short-sleeved dress, white flats, and her glossy black hair falling behind her back, making her small face appear even fairer than snow. Her lips were rosy and full, and the pink hair flower she wore had been made by herself from an old piece of clothing.
Yes, she was quite satisfied with how she looked today.
Unfortunately, her wrist was bare. If only the watch Gu Ansheng had bought her in her previous life could have come along with her into this one.
While she was still lost in thought, Gu Ansheng had already walked up to her. He stopped in front of her with a faint smile at the corner of his lips, looking impossibly gentle.
In her previous life, seeing him at this moment would have made her incredibly happy.
But this time, her feelings were complicated…
Because she had already decided that since she had been given another chance at life— she didn’t want to marry Gu Ansheng again.
Gu Ansheng, however, had no idea what was going through Zhu Queqi’s mind. He was still immersed in the joy of seeing her. He lifted the bags in his hands and gave them a little shake.
“Queqi, why are you staring at me like you’ve gone silly? Look what tasty things I brought you!”
What else could it be?
Strawberries and malted milk powder.
After all, those were exactly the things he had brought in her previous life.
And just like that, Zhu Queqi—who had only come downstairs intending to go to the neighborhood office—somehow found herself being pulled back upstairs and into the house again.
It was Monday, so no one else was home.
As soon as they entered, Gu Ansheng placed the bags on the table. Zhu Queqi opened them and, sure enough, there was a tin of malted milk powder and a bag of strawberries.
Gu Ansheng had already washed the strawberries at home before bringing them over, so Zhu Queqi only needed to get a plate from the kitchen, pour them out, and they were ready to eat.
She called for Gu Ansheng to sit down and eat with her. When he didn’t move, she looked up at him—only to find him staring at her intently from the side.
The way he looked at her made her uneasy.
Since they had parted at the train station, the two of them hadn’t seen each other for an entire week. To Gu Ansheng, it had felt like three autumns had passed. Now that he finally saw her again, of course he wanted to look his fill.
Just as Zhu Queqi was about to lose her patience, Gu Ansheng finally obediently sat down beside her.
As soon as they were close to each other, the atmosphere suddenly turned a little ambiguous.
Unable to resist, Gu Ansheng picked up a strawberry and pretended he was going to feed it to her. Then, while she wasn’t paying attention— smack!
He quickly kissed her on the cheek.
When he made as if to kiss her again, Zhu Queqi pretended not to notice. She hurriedly stood up, turned around, and walked toward her room.
“Ansheng, I’m going to read for a while. You should head home.”
Gu Ansheng froze for a moment. His brows furrowed slightly as his expression changed several times.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t tell Zhu Queqi was avoiding him.
But he couldn’t understand it.
They hadn’t seen each other for so long—didn’t she miss him at all?
He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Zhu Queqi’s hand tightly.
Zhu Queqi knew what he wanted to say, but she still hadn’t figured out how to bring up breaking up with him. So she lowered her head, pretending to be shy, and spoke softly.
“Ansheng… you kissed me right away. I—I feel embarrassed.”
Hearing this, the tension in Gu Ansheng’s chest finally eased.
But looking at the beautiful girl in front of him, fresh and radiant like a blooming flower, the heat that had just subsided inside him quickly rose again.
It wasn’t entirely his fault for lacking restraint.
During the time they were in the countryside, the two of them often secretly met in the small grove behind the youth dormitory. At first, even saying a few words to each other would make them blush. But later, whenever they met, Gu Ansheng would immediately pull Zhu Queqi into his arms and kiss her for a long time, reluctant to let go.
But ever since returning to the city, all of that had disappeared.
Forget kissing—he couldn’t even see her.
When they got off the train, he had wanted to hold her hand as they walked together, but she refused to let him. It left him completely confused. That very first night after returning home, he had even wondered whether he had done something wrong to upset her.
Thinking this, Gu Ansheng pulled Zhu Queqi along with him into her room.
Turning around, he shut the door.
Suddenly, he pressed Zhu Queqi against the wall. Before she could react, he lowered his head and kissed her fiercely.
Their fingers intertwined tightly. His wild kisses fell like raindrops. Zhu Queqi couldn’t bear it for long, and a few soft, ambiguous sounds escaped from the corner of her lips.
That sound was like a fuse, instantly igniting Gu Ansheng’s excitement. His back even arched slightly.
After quite a while, Gu Ansheng finally calmed down. He leaned close to her ear, breathing heavily, and whispered hoarsely:
“Queqi… my little magpie… I’ve missed you so much