Chapter 23

Lan Xiruo cried for a long time before she finally stopped. Seeing her in tears, Gu Xizhi’s eyes also turned red.

Once Lan Xiruo calmed down, Gu Xizhi couldn’t hold back his grievance and questioned her:

“Lan Xiruo, you silly girl, why did you leave without saying a word back then?

Even if you had to leave, you could have at least called the research institute and asked them to tell me.”

He had been just one day away from taking leave to visit her, yet she had disappeared without a trace, separating them between life and death.

Thinking about the more than twenty years of loneliness and longing, Gu Xizhi felt an unbearable pain in his heart.

Hearing his question, Lan Xiruo wiped her tears away, rolled her eyes at him, and said indignantly,

“How was I supposed to call?

Should I have called and said, ‘Hello! Is this XXX Research Institute? Please get Gu XX on the phone for me’?

What if there were two people with the surname Gu at the institute? How was I supposed to specify?”

Gu Xizhi: “……”

It seemed like he had, probably, possibly, forgotten to tell Xiruo his full name.

Initially, when he saved her, he only intended to repay a kindness and didn’t think it necessary to tell her his full name. So, he only mentioned his surname, and over time, he simply forgot about it.

“Xiruo, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep my name from you—I genuinely forgot.”

From before they even met, he had known about Xiruo’s existence, but they only officially met when he rescued her from the cellar.

Because of his busy work schedule, they couldn’t see each other often, so he kept up with her daily life through the surveillance cameras at home.

Day after day, he unconsciously fell in love with this strong girl, who had lost one arm but remained resilient.

She filled his heart and mind completely. Every time they met, she always called him “Brother Gu,” so he never even realized he had never told her his full name.

Lan Xiruo wasn’t really mad at him for not telling her. After all, he had been really good to her. Aside from not revealing the reason he saved her and his name, he hadn’t hidden anything else from her.

Lan Xiruo smiled at him and said, “Forget it, that’s all in the past.

I should thank you for giving me another chance to live and the opportunity to make up for the regrets of my past life.”

—-

In her previous life, her mother had died under suspicious circumstances. In this life, she would make sure nothing happened to her again.

Since Lan Xiruo didn’t dwell on the matter, Gu Xizhi visibly relaxed. He reached out his hand to her solemnly and said:

“Comrade, hello! My name is Gu Xizhi, 19 years old. I am currently a youth sent to work in a seaside village.”

Lan Xiruo was momentarily stunned before reaching out to shake his hand. “Hello, Comrade Gu Xizhi! My name is Lan Xiruo, 18 years old, also a youth sent to work in a seaside village.”

After they finished speaking, they looked at each other and smiled, both feeling fortunate.

Gu Xizhi pointed to the two bags of fish on the ground and asked, “Are these for the black market? Next time you go, make sure to call me. It’s not safe for a young woman to go alone.

Also, just now, when you took something out of your space, you were too reckless. If it wasn’t me who happened to pass by, you could’ve been in real danger.”

Lan Xiruo broke into a cold sweat at first but quickly calmed down. “This alley is located behind the fishery company and next to the recycling station. It stinks so badly that no one ever comes through here.

I remember telling you before that I sell goods at the black market. You came here on purpose to wait for me, didn’t you?”

Gu Xizhi chuckled. “Haha, my Xiruo is really smart.”

“Who’s your Xiruo?” Lan Xiruo’s face flushed red. She avoided his gaze, bent down to pick up the carrying pole, and said, “I’m going to the black market now.”

“With me here, how could I let you do such heavy labor?” Gu Xizhi grabbed the carrying pole and walked off with it. Lan Xiruo pursed her lips into a smile and followed after him.

As soon as they arrived at the black market, Qiao Laosi’s men immediately came to greet them. “Miss, you’re finally here.

You were gone for so long that our boss thought something happened to you—he was extremely worried.”

“Sorry to make Brother Qiao worry. I’m fine. I just ran into an old acquaintance and got delayed.”

Hearing their conversation, Gu Xizhi asked Lan Xiruo in confusion, “Brother Qiao? When did you get another ‘brother’?”

Lan Xiruo shot him a sidelong glance. “I just recently got to know him. I don’t only have you as a brother now.”

Her smug expression made Gu Xizhi feel a pang of disappointment.

So, he wasn’t her only “big brother” anymore…

But soon, he cheered up. He had no interest in being her “brother” in this life. If others wanted that role, they could have it. As long as there were more people caring for Xiruo, he would be happy.

Once he figured this out, his steps became lighter, and he even urged Lan Xiruo, “We need to hurry up. We don’t want our teammates to wait too long.”

Lan Xiruo glanced at the sky and realized it was getting late. In a rush, she quickly settled the deal with Qiao Laosi’s men, weighing the fish, collecting the money, and then pulling Gu Xizhi away.

Qiao Laosi, who barely had time to talk to his “little sister,” was left feeling rather frustrated.

He had a nagging feeling that this brat looked at his sister in an unusual way. Should he investigate him?

But the thought only flickered through his mind before he dismissed it.

If his little sister found out he was investigating the people around her, she would definitely be unhappy, and he didn’t want to upset her.

Lan Xiruo then took Gu Xizhi to the post office, bought an envelope and a stamp, sealed the letter she had written to her mother, stuffed twenty yuan inside, and sent it out.

After that, they stopped by the supply store to buy some daily necessities before returning to the fishing boat.

The deck was piled with supplies, and Uncle Jiang He was sitting nearby, keeping watch. The others hadn’t returned yet.

When he saw Gu Xizhi following behind Lan Xiruo, Uncle Jiang He curiously sized him up. “Lan Comrade, who is this?”

This young man was quite good-looking, with a warm smile and an air of refined elegance. Standing next to Lan Xiruo, well… they actually looked pretty good together.

Gu Xizhi stepped forward, naturally shook Uncle Jiang He’s hand, and said, “Hello, you must be Uncle Jiang He. I’m also a youth worker assigned to this island.

My name is Gu Xizhi. I’ve often heard Xiruo mention you. She said she was able to adapt so quickly to life on the fishing boat all thanks to your guidance. She’s really lucky to be assigned to your team.”

Gu Xizhi’s words made Uncle Jiang He beam with satisfaction, his goodwill toward the young man increasing even more.

By the time the other team members returned, Uncle Jiang He was practically ready to call Gu Xizhi his brother.

Sun Yuqing, the last to arrive, was surprised to see Uncle Jiang He is laughing so freely. She glanced at Gu Xizhi a few times and asked Lan Xiruo,

“Xiruo, who’s that handsome guy? He must be really talented if he can make Uncle Jiang He laugh like that.”

Uncle Jiang He usually maintained an air of authority among them.

Lan Xiruo covered her face and mumbled, “His talents go far beyond that.”

Gu Xizhi was probably the most remarkable man she had ever met.

At sixteen, he had already self-studied an entire university curriculum. He had a wide range of interests, extensive knowledge, was incredibly handsome, came from a wealthy family, and was the kind of man every woman wanted to marry.

Yet, he never liked women getting too close to him. And when he wanted to be sharp-tongued, he was ruthless—completely ruining his chances with women.