“Xiao Gu, what’s going on? You seem so distracted.”
Gu Huo was usually reserved with his emotions, but this time, his preoccupation with Qiao Sheng was so obvious that even his colleagues noticed something was off.
Gu Huo shook his head and smiled, saying it was nothing.
For people who were merely passing acquaintances in his life, he preferred to avoid sharing too much.
Lunchtime arrived. A colleague who had finished eating earlier took over for Gu Huo. While Gu Huo was away for his meal, the colleagues whispered among themselves: “In my opinion, it must be related to his sister again. I heard that sister of his is quite spoiled and unreasonable.”
Another colleague curled his lips disdainfully and lowered his voice: “That’s not his sister.”
“Huh? If not his sister, then what?”
“My little sister downstairs goes to the same school as him. She told me he’s an orphan who was taken in. Later, the grandmother who took him in passed away, and he ended up living with her granddaughter. That girl has a terrible temper—arrogant and domineering—and treats him like a servant.”
“Really? I thought he came from a poor family and had to mature early because of hardship. I never imagined the truth would be worse than I thought.”
“Xiao Gu is a good student. The school sees him as promising and gives him a generous scholarship every year, enough for his living expenses. Why do you think he still works so hard?”
The two exchanged knowing glances, both feeling a surge of sympathy for Gu Huo.
One of them, a female employee, sighed regretfully and fantasized: “If only I could get a time machine to travel back ten years, I’d take the homeless little Gu home with me, feed him well, and take good care of him. I can’t promise much else, but at least I wouldn’t make him work so hard to support a family when he should be focusing all his energy on his studies.”
The other chuckled and teased: “Big sis, aren’t you embarrassed? You’re over a decade older than him!”
“Hey, what nonsense are you talking about? Can’t I just be a good Samaritan?”
“Haha, everyone appreciates beauty. Don’t worry, I’ll pretend I didn’t see you secretly taking pictures of him yesterday.”
“…Keep your voice down! My little cousin pestered me for days, so I had no choice but to take just one picture. Keep it a secret, you have to keep it a secret! I’ll treat you to a chicken leg another day!”
Gu Huo was completely unaware of the conversations his colleagues were having about him.
As he ate from a disposable takeout box, he watched a plastic bag drifting in the wind outside and wondered: How did she manage lunch?
For the past three days, Qiao Sheng’s lunch had been simple—a bowl of noodles.
She quite liked noodles, but not enough to eat them three days in a row.
The main reason was that noodles were the cheapest option in the area to fill her stomach.
At noon, sitting in a noodle shop with the heater on, eating the most economical noodles on the menu, her frozen body quickly warmed up, and her numb fingers gradually regained their dexterity, allowing her to enjoy a brief moment of comfort.
After finishing her noodles, Qiao Sheng sat for a while longer, scrolling through her phone.
Text message notifications chimed one after another. The class group chat, which had been quiet since the holiday started, was now buzzing with activity. She had no idea what everyone was discussing.
Since she had nothing better to do, Qiao Sheng clicked in to take a look.
Oh, it was about Zhou Zixiao. No wonder there was so much discussion.
With little interest, Qiao Sheng skimmed through the messages briefly.
It turned out today was Zhou Zixiao’s birthday. Breaking from his usual habit of only inviting close friends from his social circle, Zhou Zixiao generously invited the entire class to his birthday party, which was to be held at a five-star hotel on another street.
Qiao Sheng expressionlessly exited the class group chat.
Whoever wanted to go could go—she certainly wasn’t going.
Besides, Zhou Zixiao was quite petty and probably wouldn’t welcome her anyway.
She had no special preferences and didn’t want to eagerly offer herself up for others to mock and ridicule.
At six in the evening, Qiao Sheng collected her earnings from the third day of work and headed toward a nearby menswear store.
Gu Huo, who had rushed over right after work and stood watching her from a distance, expecting her to head straight home after finishing, was stunned for a long moment.
He didn’t understand why Qiao Sheng was going into a menswear store. Suddenly, it dawned on him—the discussion he’d seen in the class group chat at noon.
Zhou Zixiao from Class Ten, that wealthy young master from a prominent family, was celebrating his birthday today.
Watching Qiao Sheng walk into the brightly lit store, Gu Huo understood.
She was buying a birthday gift for Zhou Zixiao…
Gu Huo turned and left without another thought.
He thought indifferently, I’ll just cook for one. It seems she won’t be back for dinner tonight.
So, she had endured the bitter cold to hand out flyers just to buy Zhou Zixiao a birthday gift?
He wondered if her heartfelt gesture would even catch the eye of that young master, who was used to wearing designer brands.
Gu Huo wasn’t deaf or blind.
He had naturally heard about Qiao Sheng’s relentless pursuit of Zhou Zixiao.
Many people saw her as a joke.
While Gu Huo didn’t go so far as to mock her, he kept his distance, treating it as none of his business.
He knew she was stubborn and wouldn’t listen to anyone’s advice, especially his.
So, he was certain that her sudden outburst outside the school gate that day had absolutely nothing to do with standing up for him.
With a cold expression, Gu Huo boarded the bus, thinking that he had been a fool for feeling sorry for Qiao Sheng all day.
It was strange, really. Regardless of Qiao Sheng’s motives, the hardships she had endured over these three days were genuine and undeniable.
Yet, they stirred not an ounce of sympathy in Gu Huo.
If he had to explain why, it was probably because people who fawned over others weren’t worth it.
Qiao Sheng was completely unaware of Gu Huo’s fluctuating emotions.
When buying something, it was only natural to compare options. She needed something with decent style and quality that she could afford, which meant she couldn’t rush through it like eating a bowl of noodles.
Considering she wasn’t sure when she’d be back, she sent Gu Huo a text: “Don’t wait for me for dinner. I’ll be back later.”
Half an hour later, she received his delayed reply: “Got it.”
Qiao Sheng didn’t detect anything unusual in those three perfunctory words. Whether communicating by phone or face-to-face, Gu Huo was the type to keep things brief, never using an extra word if he could help it—as if each word cost money. His frugality with words was downright infuriating.
“Miss, who are you shopping for?” the salesperson asked warmly.
A beautiful girl who looked like a high school student browsing a menswear store—it was clear she wasn’t shopping for herself. Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that she had a preference for menswear, but that possibility was slim to none.
The salesperson’s casual question was simple, but it stumped Qiao Sheng.
Who was Gu Huo to her?
Family?
She felt she wasn’t worthy of that title.
Roommate?
Too distant.
Friend?
Not quite.
Classmate?
Who would casually buy clothes for a male classmate…
The shop assistant noticed something from her dazed expression and smiled mysteriously. She inquired in detail about Gu Huo’s height, weight, and age, then recommended a milky-white spring new arrival.
Qiao Sheng glanced at the price and silently passed on it.