No wonder she’s so happy tonight

After saying this sentence, Yue Qianling watched as certain complicated emotion in Gu Xun’s eyes suddenly dissipated.

He inexplicably curled the corners of his mouth, forming a smile of sorts. Then, he reverted to his indifferent demeanor from earlier, leaning back in his chair and lowering his gaze as if to automatically block out the presence of those around him.

It was a stark contrast to the way he had been closely scrutinizing her just moments ago.

What’s going on? Didn’t those data geniuses from their Ninth Business Unit look down on mobile games?

So why did Gu Xun stop talking?

For a long time after that, Yue Qianling couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong with her previous words.

Her mind kept replaying the scene and the conversation, her thoughts branching out like a lush tree. At the same time, she had to maintain a poised posture, keeping her back straight and her legs in the right position.

It was exhausting.

Several times, she thought about poking Gu Xun next to her to continue the topic about games, which she could talk about for three days and three nights.

It was a pity that the person next to her kept glancing at his phone from time to time, and never paid any attention to Yue Qianling again.

The meal was tasteless, and Yue Qianling felt at a loss for conversation. She didn’t even know where to place her gaze.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated a few times.

Yue Qianling picked it up and saw that Xiao Mai had mentioned her in the group chat.

【Xiao Mai】: @GlutinousRiceTwist

​【Xiao Mai】: How’s your progress with your male god lately?

Yue Qianling sneakily glanced at the person next to her and typed with a suppressed smile.

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: We’re having dinner together right now.

​【Xiao Mai】: Oh, so you’ve become colleagues with your male god at your new job!! No wonder you’re so happy tonight.

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】: Hehe, why are you asking about this?

​【Xiao Mai】: No reason, just caring about you. I wish you success.

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】: Thank you for your auspicipus words!!!

After replying to Xiao Mai’s message, Yue Qianling’s favorite mango sticky rice was finally served.

She hadn’t eaten much all day, and now her hunger reached its peak. Every taste bud on her tongue boiling.

But with Gu Xun sitting next to her, she didn’t want to make herself look like a hungry wolf.

So, after eating a few bites, Yue Qianling set down her chopsticks and pushed the white porcelain bowl to the side with her slender fingers.

This scene happened to be seen by Huang Jie, who stood up to get some food. Her chopsticks froze in mid-air as she asked, “Qianling, you’re not eating anymore?”

Yue Qianling wiped her mouth with a tissue and smiled, saying, “I’m done eating.”

Huang Jie was stunned for a few seconds, momentarily thinking she had misheard, “Wait, didn’t you barely eat anything today? Aren’t you hungry? Weren’t you rushed down to find something to eat after the project lead nodded earlier?”

Yue Qianling gritted her teeth inwardly, wishing she had a roll of tape to shut Huang Jie’s mouth.

“I don’t have much of an appetite,” she said, gripping the tissue in her hand, her smile feeling somewhat forced. “Maybe I’m just too tired. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m okay.”

“Oh, I see. You’ve really worked hard these days. You’ve been working hard these past few days. You should at least eat a little bit.”

Huang Jie sat down with a look of concern.

Meanwhile, Yue Qianling turned her head slightly and realized that her little performance seemed to be a one-man show.

Gu Xun had been eating with his head down and hadn’t paid any attention to what the girl beside him had said. It wasn’t until his phone on the table rang several times in quick succession that he looked up.

He saw the message from Xiao Mai in the group chat, and his gaze turned cold on the screen.

Sure enough.

No wonder she’s so happy tonight.

The person who would usually snipe at others was actually using emoticons.

Screen display: 【School Grass invites you to a voice call】

At this time, Yue Qianling had no mood to chat with him. She immediately declined the call.

Lifting her head, she realized that Gu Xun was walking even faster.

The streetlight stretched his shadow long. Yue Qianling had to jog to catch up with him, following him into the parking lot.

Just as Yue Qianling was about to call out to him, she saw him casually toss a soda can into a trash bin. It made a loud “clang” sound, echoing repeatedly in the quiet parking lot.

Yue Qianling was inexplicably startled, and her steps slowed down.

Why did it feel like his mood was not good at all?

With this hesitation, Yue Qianling didn’t want to disturb Gu Xun at this moment.

She stopped silently and looked at his back before turning around.

However, before she could take a step, she heard his voice coming from behind.

“Why are you following me?”

“…”

Yue Qianling clenched her fist in frustration.

Damn it.

It turned out that he had known all along that she was following him.

If she had known, should have greeted him earlier. Now, she felt like she was some kind of stalker.

“That… it’s quite late.”

Yue Qianling turned around slowly and pulled out a smile, “I was wondering if I could go back to the university with you?”

With the light behind him, Gu Xun stood half-hidden in the shadows. Yue Qianling couldn’t see his expression clearly. However, she could clearly feel that he was looking at her.

The surroundings were completely silent, which amplified people’s senses.

In the one or two seconds that Gu Xun didn’t respond, Yue Qianling inexplicably felt that Gu Xun might have figured out her little scheme.

Once such thought crossed her mind, Yue Qianling’s face began to flush uncontrollably.

Fortunately, the lights in the parking lot were dim, which not only concealed her blushing but also alleviated some of her panic.

Without waiting for Gu Xun’s answer, she immediately took a step back, feigning a casual smile as she said, “It’s okay. If it’s inconvenient for you, I can take the subway back.”

Gu Xun was currently in a bad mood, and Yue Qianling’s words were just what he wanted to hear. He didn’t even need to come up with a reason to refuse.

However, when Yue Qianling turned around, Gu Xun pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was already 10:15 PM, and it was already impossible to catch the subway at this hour.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” He called out to Yue Qianling and opened the car door, “When did I say it was inconvenient?”

Yue Qianling was stunned in place for a moment, but when she realized what he meant, she eagerly trotted toward the car.

After taking a couple of steps, she saw Gu Xun turn his head towards her from the driver’s seat, and she instinctively stopped her hurried steps, changed her pace to a more composed stride.

Once inside the car, Gu Xun received a phone call. Yue Qianling sat quietly, wracking her brain to think of a suitable topic for conversation.

Unfortunately, his phone call wasn’t long, and before she could come up with something to say, he hung up.

The car fell into an awkward silence.

After a while, Yue Qianling finally thought of a polite yet natural way to start the conversation.

She asked, “How’s Aunt Gu doing lately?”

Gu Xun replied, “She’s doing well.”

Yue Qianling continued, “Congratulations, then.”

“…”

“…”

What the hell did I just say?

Help!

Help me, please!!!

Yue Qianling’s fists clenched tightly, and a wave of numbness spread across her scalp. She stared straight ahead at the windshield, not daring to look at Gu Xun’s expression.

Maybe I should change the topic.

Yue Qianling forced herself to forget the previous conversation and awkwardly said, “Is your department very busy?”

Gu Xun had initially wanted to respond with a simple “yes,” but at this point, he couldn’t even muster the mood to be polite.

“Actually,” Gu Xun looked straight ahead at the traffic lights at the intersection, his face devoid of any expression, “if you don’t know what to say, you can just stay silent.”

“……Oh.”

Yue Qianling immediately closed her mouth, took out her phone, and sent a message to Yin Xue.

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】: Ahhhhh, Gu Xun is giving me a ride home!!!!!

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】: But I’m so nervous!!! I’m going to bored him to death!!!!

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】: What should I do????

​【Yin Xue】: What did you guys talk about?

Yue Qianling faithfully recounted their meager conversation to Yin Xue.

A few seconds later, Yin Xue replied with a long string of ellipses.

​【Yin Xue】: It’s not that you bored him to death…

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】: ?

​【Yin Xue】: It’s that he doesn’t want to talk to you.

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】​: .

Yin Xue seemed to sense her sister’s sadness from that period, and she couldn’t bear it. So, she pondered, wanting to try and offer some comfort.

She had just typed “But,” when new messages popped up.

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】​: Sigh.

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】​: Hehe.

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】​: [cute][shy]

​【Yin Xue】: …

​【Yin Xue】: Are you going crazy from sadness?

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】​: No.

​【Yin Xue】:?

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】​: Well, I took a sneak peek just now.

​【Yin Xue】: ?

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】​: Gu Xun’s side profile is so handsome.

​【Yin Xue】: …

​【Glutinous Rice Twist】​: ()

​【Yin Xue】: Get lost.

Although they didn’t talk again for the rest of the ride, the fact that Gu Xun accompanied her back to school made Yue Qianling very satisfied.

While the scenery outside the window rapidly passed by, Yue Qianling would steal glances at Gu Xun’s side profile from time to time. She could clearly sense that his was in a bad mood.

So, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to me, he just didn’t want to speak at all.

Yes, that’s it.

With this thought mind, Yue Qianling dispelled the clouds and saw the moon. The faint melancholy she felt earlier was gone, leaving only ‘joy.’ The nearly thirty-minute journey seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye.

When she got off the car, the streetlight’s beam of light happened to shine down on Yue Qianling’s head, making her eyes as bright as stars.

The surroundings were exceptionally quiet, occasionally interrupted by distant car horns, which quickly faded away. The only thing that persisted was the continuous beating of Yue Qianling’s heart.

It shouldn’t be heard, right?

She sneakily glanced at him.

Under the soft light, Gu Xun noticed the way Yue Qianling was looking at him and had a feeling that she had something to say.

Sure enough.

Yue Qianling, emboldened by the deep night, gathered her courage and spoke, “You… How are you planning to spend Christmas?”

Throughout the journey, Gu Xun had been surrounded by an inexplicable restlessness, which he couldn’t explain.

When he heard the word “Christmas,” the frustration that he had been suppressing all night was instantly ignited.

He slammed the car door hard, and in that “bang,” Yue Qianling heard him spoke.

“Jesus’s birthday is not my birthday. Why would I need to celebrate it?”