“It’s not inconvenient…”
Just as Gu Chenshi thought Qiao Yu wouldn’t speak, she opened her mouth.
She clutched the hem of her clothes tightly with one hand, looking nervous—her state was almost the same as when Gu Chenshi first met her.
“That day, when I came back from shopping, I saw someone who looked a lot like a big bully who used to pick on our family… I was scared, so…”
Gu Chenshi frowned. So that was it?
So it was because of childhood trauma that she felt so frightened when she saw someone who resembled that person, wondering if it was the same person who had bullied her back then.
Maybe the sunglasses were also worn at that time, to avoid being recognized by the bad guy.
Somehow, seeing Qiao Yu like this now, Gu Chenshi suddenly felt a bit guilty: “I’m sorry.”
It felt like he had accidentally reopened someone’s old wounds…
Qiao Yu took a deep breath: “It’s okay.”
“The world is vast, and the sea of people is endless. It shouldn’t be that easy to run into someone from the past in an unfamiliar city, right?” After thinking for a moment, Gu Chenshi comforted her.
Qiao Yu suddenly smiled, looking somewhat relieved: “I’ll never see him again in my life, because he… has already gone to hell…”
She had never mentioned this to anyone before, not even Auntie.
It was a secret buried deep in her heart.
She never expected that the secret she had kept hidden in her heart would be shared with the boy in front of her just like that.
Perhaps it was because she saw the concern in his eyes and was afraid he would be wary of her, making it impossible for her to continue enjoying the care from his mother in the future.
She was truly too greedy for that feeling of being cared for… or more accurately, the feeling of being cared for by a mother.
Even if the one giving her care was someone else’s mother, she cherished it all the same…
Gu Chenshi looked at her and suddenly realized that this was a girl with a story hidden within her.
Someone softly called Gu Chenshi’s name.
Gu Chenshi frowned slightly, then turned his head and saw Lin Ranran.
Lin Ranran looked past his shoulder into the room, meeting Qiao Yu’s gaze.
When Lin Ranran saw Qiao Yu’s appearance clearly, an indescribable sense of rivalry quietly arose within her.
Was this the new neighbor who had just moved in, as mentioned by Gu Chenshi’s mother?
She never expected her to be so young and so beautiful?
Was Gu Chenshi neglecting her because of this female neighbor?
Gu Chenshi seemed so familiar with her, even personally delivering breakfast to her. Why would he bring her breakfast?
They were just neighbors, not relatives. Couldn’t she make or buy her own food if she wanted to eat?
How annoying!
Lin Ranran’s heart was in turmoil.
Gu Chenshi walked out and casually closed the door for Qiao Yu.
“Gu Chenshi, she…”
Just as Lin Ranran was about to say something, Jing Lan’s polite voice drifted out: “Ranran’s mother, why are you in such a hurry? Stay a bit longer at my place?”
Jing Lan and Lin’s mother walked out one after the other. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Lin’s mother looked at Gu Chenshi with particular kindness—where was the furious, almost predatory look from the other day?
“Child, let Ranran bring you to our house as a guest sometime.”
Gu Chenshi nodded perfunctorily.
Lin’s mother called to Lin Ranran: “Hurry up and say goodbye to Auntie. We’re leaving.”
Lin Ranran hesitated, glancing at Gu Chenshi, then smiled and waved goodbye.
After watching them leave, Jing Lan put away her smile and sighed wearily, “What a mess!”
Gu Chenshi headed back toward his house.
Jing Lan followed behind him, “Hey, Chenshi, how’s your relationship with this Lin Ranran at school usually?”
Gu Chenshi suddenly felt a bit guilty, but then he thought, that was all in the past, so he felt at ease and answered straightforwardly, “Just average.”
“No wonder she’s the school beauty at your school—she really is quite pretty and seems polite. If it weren’t for her mother coming over last time and wrongly accusing you without even asking for your side of the story, I might have really liked her.”
Jing Lan muttered to herself.
Although it was a misunderstanding, and the misunderstanding had been cleared up, and they had even come to apologize in person, Jing Lan still felt a knot in her heart.
Putting herself in their shoes, if someone said her son was being bullied, she would definitely investigate thoroughly and confirm the facts before taking any action.
She wouldn’t just rush over and scold someone else’s child based on one-sided accusations.
Although parents of girls might be a bit more sensitive, Lin’s mother’s behavior that day was truly overbearing.
Jing Lan would bet that if their family weren’t ordinary people with no power or influence, would Lin’s mother have said those things?
It felt a bit condescending.
“Chenshi, I need to tell you something now. If you ever want to find a girlfriend in the future, it’s best to find someone from a similar background. Don’t think I’m being old-fashioned—this is advice from someone who’s been through it.”
Gu Chenshi obediently agreed.
He knew Lin Ranran’s family was well-off.
But back when he liked Lin Ranran, it was because of who she was, not her family background.
At their age, feelings are often quite pure, without too much consideration for other things.
In fact, they tend to think that adults’ advice is too worldly.
After leaving the Gu household, Lin’s mother could clearly sense that, compared to her earlier anticipation, her daughter’s mood had noticeably dropped.
As she started the car, Lin’s mother suddenly said, “Ranran, do you like that Gu Chenshi?”
Lin Ranran was startled, like a cat whose tail had been accidentally stepped on, “No, no, Mother, don’t say that! We’re just ordinary classmates!”
An intense reaction often means there’s something going on.
Lin’s mother sighed inwardly and then said, “If you’re just ordinary classmates, that’s even better… You two aren’t suitable.”
Lin Ranran didn’t expect her mother to suddenly bring this up today and felt both uncomfortable and confused, “Mother, why aren’t we suitable?”
Since she had started, Lin’s mother decided to lay out the pros and cons clearly, “Did you see their house? It’s clearly an ordinary working-class family. Our family may not be wealthy, but we’re still respectable. You’re not from the same background.”
Lin Ranran pouted, “Mother, I always thought you were an open-minded mom, different from others. I didn’t expect you to be so practical!”
“Of course, the difference in family background isn’t the main reason. The most important thing is…”
Lin Ranran perked up her ears.
Lin’s mother thought for a moment but ultimately didn’t say it out loud.
The important thing is, that Gu Chenshi doesn’t seem to like you at all…
“…The important thing is, you don’t even like each other, right?”
Lin Ranran fell silent.
That’s not true.
She was sure Gu Chenshi had liked her.
But now, it seems like he doesn’t like her anymore?
As for the real reason, it wasn’t about studying or anything like that—it was because he had feelings for someone else?
He had given all the affection and patience he once had for her to another girl, exactly as before?
So, that must be the real reason, right?
Lin Ranran suddenly felt furious, wishing she could jump out of the car right then and there, rush up to Gu Chenshi, point at his nose, and call him a scumbag!
But then she remembered—what right did she have to accuse Gu Chenshi?
As his ex-girlfriend?
Unfortunately, while she had once taken his kindness for granted, she had never actually been his girlfriend for even a day…
Provided by the great author, Impatient Little Pumpkin: “School Belle, Stop Crying—My Devotion Isn’t Meant for You.”