PB - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

When Gu Jianchu woke again, Qiao Qi was no longer beside her, and neither was Ping An. The room was so quiet it was as if last night had been just a dream. A clean nightgown Qiao Qi had prepared for her lay by her pillow. After changing, she felt for the switch by the bed to control the curtains and pressed it.

Sunlight squeezed into the bedroom little by little as the curtains slowly opened, revealing a shimmering natural lake outside the window. She sat on the edge of the bed and did a few simple stretches to relax her body. Usually, when staying in a hotel, she would wake up early, shower, and leave. This was the first time she had ever slept at someone else’s house.

Entering the bathroom, she found toiletries and loungewear that Qiao Qi had also prepared for her. She slipped out of the nightgown, took a shower, and by the time she went downstairs, an hour had passed. To wait for her, Qiao Qi had moved her laptop from the study to the sofa to work, so they saw each other the moment Gu Jianchu came downstairs.

Gu Jianchu walked down and sat beside her. “President Qiao won’t even let herself rest on the weekend?” She closed Qiao Qi’s laptop, placed it on the coffee table, and asked, “Why didn’t you wake me when you got up?”

“Didn’t you come here to get over your jet lag?” Gu Jianchu’s surprised expression at having her secret exposed was quite amusing. Qiao Qi’s eyes crinkled with a smile. She added, “I had some food delivered. It’s in the kitchen. Go have a bite.”

“President Qiao, your mind-reading skills are terrifying.”

Fearing she might overthink it, Qiao Qi took her hand, squeezed it gently in her palm, and explained softly, “People usually do things for a reason. You came over in the middle of the night after a shower instead of sleeping. I thought about it, and besides not being able to sleep, I couldn’t come up with any other reason.”

Gu Jianchu took the opportunity to pull her in for a light kiss, echoing her earlier words. “You’re also very good for sleep.” With that, she stood up and went to the kitchen. Out of Qiao Qi’s line of sight, her expression darkened slightly. In the instant she had closed Qiao Qi’s laptop, she saw that Qiao Qi had been looking at Ruifeng’s proposal for the U.E. project.

Qiao Qi took her laptop back to the study and answered a phone call along the way. Gu Jianchu personally heated the food and set it on the dining table. She glanced at the living room and saw that the person who had been on the sofa was gone, then looked up toward the second floor. Although she wasn’t very familiar with the house’s layout, the room to the right of the bedroom should be the study, as she had noticed this morning that Qiao Qi’s bedroom and study were connected.

A knock sounded on the study door. Qiao Qi, still on the phone, went to open it. Seeing Gu Jianchu, she first raised her left hand and pointed to her phone, signaling for her to wait a moment, then pulled her inside. Qiao Qi’s study maintained its usual minimalist style, furnished with only a wall-to-wall bookshelf, a desk, and a soft lounge chair by the window. Gu Jianchu saw a piece of calligraphy hanging on the wall opposite the desk.

It read: Scouring the cold branches, refusing to perch. The signature was dated six years ago.

By now, Qiao Qi had hung up the phone. She walked over and explained, “My grandfather gave me my name, so he writes a piece of calligraphy for me every year as a birthday gift.”

Six years ago was the year Qiao Qi was brought home by Old Master Jin. Since she received one every year, the fact that she chose to frame this particular one suggested that Qiao Qi was not satisfied with the past six years. Gu Jianchu, as if on a tour, walked over to the bookshelf. The few books she had given Qiao Qi were placed in a very conspicuous spot, within easy reach. She smiled and traced their spines with her fingertips.

She turned and stated her purpose. “Come eat a little more with me?”

Qiao Qi nodded and left the study with her. Seeing the food arranged on the dining table, she couldn’t help but smile. Gu Jianchu had only been here a day, but she had already familiarized herself with the house. Gu Jianchu caught her expression out of the corner of her eye and naturally guessed what she was thinking. She pretended to glare at her, and Qiao Qi, with a spring-like smile, took her hand reassuringly.

Qiao Qi had already eaten a little earlier, so she only picked up her chopsticks symbolically a couple of times, then rested her chin on her hand and watched Gu Jianchu eat with earnest attention. After the meal, the dishes were put in the dishwasher. Qiao Qi wanted to go upstairs to work, but with Gu Jianchu still there, she suddenly realized she didn’t know how to spend the afternoon.

Gu Jianchu moved closer, just a few centimeters away. “No working this afternoon.”

Qiao Qi smiled faintly and answered softly, “Alright.”

Gu Jianchu was quite pleased with Qiao Qi’s easy compliance. She beamed. “In return, I promise not to ask about work this afternoon.”

Qiao Qi, still smiling, replied, “Alright.”

Gu Jianchu knew Qiao Qi led a simple life, but she never imagined it would be this spartan. Aside from the various books in the study, there was nothing for entertainment; she didn’t even know where the TV remote was. She sat on the sofa watching Qiao Qi search high and low, opening every possible drawer, but still failing to find the remote.

Gu Jianchu teased her, “So it’s just for decoration, is it?”

“I watched it a few times when I first moved in, but then I got busier and busier and never turned it on again.” Qiao Qi closed the drawer and called Su Jiayin. When the call connected, she asked, “Have you seen my TV remote?”

Doctor Su was just about to leave work when she answered the phone. “It’s at my place,” she replied. Their TVs were the same model, so when hers broke, she just took Qiao Qi’s. It was only a decoration at Qiao Qi’s house anyway.

“You’re really something.”

Su Jiayin didn’t care what she was going to say next. She was just curious why Qiao Qi had suddenly thought of watching TV. “Even though it’s the weekend, if you’re not at the office, you should be working in your study. Why the sudden search for the remote?” Something was definitely up. “I have to come see what’s going on with you.” With that, she hung up and started her car, leaving the hospital.

Gu Jianchu’s eyes were filled with amusement. She said with a hint of playful sourness, “You can’t find the remote, so you call Jiayin. I’m not sure if I’m at your house or hers.”

Qiao Qi went and sat down beside her, and Gu Jianchu naturally wrapped an arm around her. She said, “We live close, so we have each other’s keys, fingerprints, and passcodes. She said it’s so she can provide first aid immediately if anything happens.”

“Is she coming over soon?” Qiao Qi nodded. “Then let’s all go to the clubhouse later. I was thinking of opening a bottle of red wine, but I looked all over your house and couldn’t find a single one. You clearly like to drink, so why don’t you have any at home?”

Qiao Qi chuckled helplessly. “Doctor Su won’t allow it. Even if I kept some, she’d take it away.”

Gu Jianchu remarked nonchalantly, “She really does care about you.” From their few encounters, she could see that Su Jiayin and Qiao Qi had a dynamic unlike any she had ever had with Su Jiayin. She had known Su Jiayin for a long time, but she was certain there was no one else Su Jiayin cared for so closely, aside from Qiao Qi. After all, even she had never received such treatment.

She felt a little jealous, but she wasn’t sure if it was because Su Jiayin was too good to Qiao Qi, or because of Qiao Qi’s special trust in Su Jiayin. One was her good friend, the other was the person in her arms, yet somehow she felt like an outsider.

Qiao Qi played with her fingers. Even Gu Jianchu’s fingers looked like meticulously carved works of art; even the placement of her knuckles seemed designed with perfect proportions. “Your hands are beautiful.” Gu Jianchu’s fingers slid between hers and then clasped them. She smiled, her tone still gentle. “Actually, Jiayin has mentioned you to me before. She said you have a unique eye for investment, that you’re a lot like me when you work, that we’re both workaholics.”

Gu Jianchu thought back. It seemed Su Jiayin had also mentioned Qiao Qi to her before, but she hadn’t paid attention at the time and couldn’t recall a single word. Instead, she clearly remembered what Jin Zhilan and Qi Simiao had said about Qiao Qi. That was why she had never been very interested in Qiao Qi. If not for their chance encounter in Shenzhen, they might have remained just names they’d heard about.

The living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows were one-way glass, offering a view of the dense camphor forest on the distant shore. With nothing to do, Qiao Qi nestled comfortably in Gu Jianchu’s arms, her thoughts drifting lightly, making her drowsy.

Gu Jianchu said, “You fall asleep so easily.” Qiao Qi just smiled without answering. Gu Jianchu asked again, “Want to go upstairs to sleep?”

“Jiayin will be here soon.”

Gu Jianchu was admiring her intently. With her eyes closed, Qiao Qi seemed even more serene and gentle. The sunlight cast a faint pink glow on her fair skin. Slightly weary, Qiao Qi’s voice was like a murmur, and occasionally Gu Jianchu had to lean in very close to hear, taking the opportunity to kiss her. If Su Jiayin hadn’t made such a racket opening the door, she would have walked in on an intimate scene of whispered conversation that would have undoubtedly made her jaw drop.

However, when she saw the two people snuggled together on the sofa, showing no intention of moving apart at her arrival, she still stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. She raised a trembling finger and pointed at Gu Jianchu. “You spent the night here?” Then she turned to Qiao Qi. “You actually let her spend the night!”

Qiao Qi sat up from Gu Jianchu’s embrace, her smile radiant. Gu Jianchu raised an eyebrow and said, “Anyone who didn’t know you would think we’d done something to you.”

Su Jiayin walked over and squeezed in between them. She studied Qiao Qi carefully, seeing her eyes full of spring and her smile like a peach blossom. Then she looked at Gu Jianchu’s beautiful, vibrant face. It took only one guess to know what had happened last night. Her two best friends had slept together, yet somehow she felt like she was caught in the middle.

“Jianchu said we should go to her clubhouse when you get here. She finds my place boring.”

“So that’s why you were looking for the remote, huh? I took it almost half a year ago, and you’re only just noticing.” Doctor Su tilted her head, pointed upstairs to the side for Gu Jianchu, and said, “That’s the walk-in closet. Go upstairs and find something to change into.” After Gu Jianchu left, she looked at Qiao Qi, hesitating for a moment before saying helplessly, “You really won’t let anyone manage you.” Qiao Qi just smiled in response.

When Gu Jianchu came back down, she was once again the stunning and vibrant Gu Jianchu. Qiao Qi was changing in the downstairs bedroom. Su Jiayin stopped beside her, holding Ping An. “Ping An, there’s an intruder. Why aren’t you being fierce with her?”

Gu Jianchu patted Ping An’s round head and coaxed, “Be good, and then I’ll like you.”

Su Jiayin rolled her eyes at her. Just then, Qiao Qi came out and paused slightly upon seeing Gu Jianchu. Gu Jianchu wore her clothes with a completely different flair. “I’ll have your clothes washed and sent back to you later.”

Su Jiayin put Ping An down. The cat perfunctorily rubbed against Qiao Qi a couple of times before jumping back into its bed without a second glance. Gu Jianchu found the cat quite amusing. Leaving Qiao Qi’s house, the three of them drove in Su Jiayin’s car to Gu Jianchu’s clubhouse. This time, they went straight to North Courtyard.

The last time Qiao Qi was here, she had only taken a brief tour before spending her time in the screening room watching a movie. It was only on this visit that she discovered a large wine cabinet in the hot spring room. Her eyes instantly lit up, but before she could even make a request, she heard Su Jiayin say coolly from behind her, “You can’t drink.”

Gu Jianchu was confused. “She likes it, and she won’t drink too much. Why are you so strict with her?”

Su Jiayin looked astonished. She pulled Qiao Qi over as if to reintroduce her. “She’s an insomniac who relies on medication to sleep and is prone to neurological headaches that she suppresses with painkillers. Have you already forgotten that scene she caused in Shenzhen? Do you think she actually likes to drink? She used to drink to help her sleep, but it became less and less effective. The habit just stuck. Miss Gu, could you please try to understand the woman in front of you a little better?”

No wonder Qiao Qi always had such a meaningful expression whenever she said she slept well. It really was because she was good for sleep. Since Doctor Su had made it so clear, she no longer tried to defend Qiao Qi. Instead, she said considerately, “Then you and I can pick a bottle to drink.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she clearly saw Qiao Qi give her a slight glare, which was utterly adorable.

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