lcionline Chapter 770 I'm going to eat him out of house and home today!
Chapter 770 I'm going to eat him out of house and home today!
Lin Jiayou's voice carried a hint of distant memory as he finished his sentence: "And I ran all over half the street to buy you the biggest and reddest one."
In an instant, the gentle yet sinister man before him vaguely overlapped with the boy in the blue robe of the academy in his memory.
Gu Qingchen's thoughts were somewhat dazed.
She does remember.
That spring, Gun Gun was dragged away by Aunt Song to practice martial arts again, and she and Lin Jiayou secretly slipped out of Bailu Academy...
She tugged at his sleeve, pointing to the string of candied hawthorns glistening in the sunlight, refusing to leave. He smiled helplessly, telling her to wait where she was, and plunged into the crowded throng.
She waited for a long time, so long that she thought he would never come back. But just when she was about to cry, the boy came running back, panting, his forehead covered in sweat, holding aloft the biggest and reddest string of candied hawthorns.
"Eat it quickly, or it will melt," he said with a smile, his eyes shining brighter than the candied hawthorn.
"Do you remember?" Lin Jiayou's voice softened as he saw her expression relax. "You ate like a little kitten, and when I wiped your face, you complained that my handkerchief smelled of ink."
He took a step forward, and his eyes, which always held a calculating quality, now revealed a genuine hint of longing.
Gu Qingchen suddenly came to his senses.
Warm memories were instantly shattered by the hypocritical face before me.
He spoke of the most touching past in the gentlest tone, yet he carried out the most despicable schemes.
"It's a pity." Gu Qingchen's voice was soft, yet it was as if it had been tempered with ice. "Ten years later, everything has changed."
The gentle expression on Lin Jiayou's face froze for a moment.
He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes concealing the emotions within them. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with hurt and regret.
“I’ve never changed.” His voice carried a hint of bitterness, as if he had suffered a great injustice. “What has changed is your heart towards me, Qingchen. It’s you who no longer wants to believe me.”
Lin Jiayou's deep eyes gazed at her silently, filled with a mixture of tolerance and helplessness. Enough to make any woman in the capital fall for him…
The two went downstairs one after the other.
At the street corner, Qian Zhenyun's gaze was fixed on the entrance of the teahouse.
When he saw Gu Qingchen and Lin Jiayou walk out side by side, his blood seemed to freeze in that instant.
Lin Jiayou had a gentle smile on his face, and even turned his head to whisper something to Gu Qingchen.
Gu Qingchen did not push him away, and the two of them naturally merged into the bustling crowd.
Qian Zhenyun's heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
He wanted to rush out, to grab her, to ask her what had happened.
But he can't.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force, and could only watch helplessly as the two figures walked further and further away, disappearing into the distance.
Amidst the crowds at the temple fair, Lin Jiayou led Gu Qingchen, seemingly unintentionally bringing up past events.
"Qingchen, do you remember? When we were little at Bailu Academy, someone bullied me because I had no father. It was you who beat up that son of the Vice Minister of War until he was black and blue for my sake."
He mentioned it with a hint of a smile in his eyes, as if recalling an amusing incident.
Just as Lin Jiayou was about to continue reminiscing about the past, a loud, boisterous voice came from behind the noodle vendor's stall, instantly shattering the carefully crafted atmosphere.
"Boss! I knew I could catch you here!"
Before the words were even finished, a young man dressed in a flamboyant royal blue brocade robe rushed over like a whirlwind.
The newcomer was none other than Shen Yu, the son of the Vice Minister of War, who was Gu Qingchen's childhood classmate and had been beaten black and blue by Gu Qingchen for mocking Lin Jiayou.
Time has passed, and now Shen Yu treats Gu Qingchen with utmost respect. He squeezes through the crowd and rushes to Gu Qingchen in a few steps, his face full of the admiration and joy of a younger brother meeting his elder brother.
"Boss, you're really not being fair! You didn't even invite me to the temple fair!"
Shen Yu spotted Lin Jiayou next to Gu Qingchen at a glance. He immediately stretched out his arm, hooked his arm around the other's shoulder, and complained loudly:
"Lin Jiayou, you're even more disloyal! I heard you went back to Beijing for a high-ranking position, only caring about climbing the ladder, and you haven't contacted us old friends at all. What, now that you're an official, you look down on us spoiled brats?"
Lin Jiayou's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then he smiled and slapped Shen Yu's hand away, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing.
"Brother Shen, you flatter me. I just returned to the capital and have been very busy. I was just thinking of visiting you and your uncle at your residence in a few days."
His words were so tactful that they instantly diffused the awkwardness.
Shen Yu wasn't buying it. He waved his hand dismissively, "Stop with the pleasantries! There's no time like the present, we met today by chance! I'll pay for everything today!"
Looking at the sudden turn of events and then at Lin Jiayou's gentle yet slightly stiff smile, Gu Qingchen suddenly found the tense atmosphere somewhat ridiculous.
She stretched out her arm and gently nudged Lin Jiayou's side waist.
"Did you hear that? Someone's treating."
Lin Jiayou looked down at her, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Gu Qingchen raised an eyebrow at him, her expression sly, much like when she used to tease her teacher as a child.
She turned to Shen Yu and shouted, "Come on, Shen Yu's treating! We're going to eat him out of house and home today!"
"Alright!" Shen Yu replied excitedly, leading the way. "The boss has spoken, so we have to make the arrangements!"
Gu Qingchen followed, and Lin Jiayou had no choice but to follow as well.
The three walked side by side on the bustling street. Shen Yu chattered excitedly about the latest happenings in the capital, Gu Qingchen occasionally chimed in, and Lin Jiayou listened with a smile.
The sunlight shone down on them, and it really felt like they had returned to the time many years ago when the three of them were fooling around in the academy.