“Do you want to go home and have dinner together?” Wen Ke’an looked up at him and asked with a smile.
Gu Ting slowly opened his mouth: “Aren’t you going shopping with a female classmate?”
Wen Ke’an blinked, “I ran into you halfway.”
Gu Ting sighed lightly, still very dissatisfied, “That’s still unofficial though.”
“………”
In the end, Gu Ting did not go home with her for dinner, as it would be hard to explain. If their parents found out, it would not be easy for them to meet secretly in the future.
Gu Ting originally planned to stay here longer, but soon he received a message from Xie Hongyi.
There was an issue in the company, and he was needed to deal with it.
On the sixth day of the lunar new year, Wen Ke’an’s family was also preparing to leave the hometown for the city center.
The store was set to open on the seventh day, and some preparations were still needed.
For the store’s opening, Wen Qiangguo even bought several large firecrackers from the fireworks market.
On the morning of the seventh day, it snowed again in the city center last night, but not heavily, just a thin layer on the ground. The big trees by the roadside were bare, and some branches had small accumulations of snow.
It was the time when people began to go back to work, and many cyclists and pedestrians were passing by on the roadside. The streets gradually became lively, and many stores had already opened.
Today was a bit cold due to the melting snow, Wen Ke’an dressed warmly, wearing a white scarf and new snow boots given by Liu Qing. The snow on the road was not yet trodden, and Wen Ke’an made small footprints as she walked forward.
Sometimes Wen Ke’an really liked the snow, but the weather was too cold, and the snow was too chilly for her to touch.
Wen Ke’an went to the store to help for a while. In the afternoon, she received a message from Gu Ting, saying he was nearby, asking if she wanted to go out.
Wen Ke’an was planning to look for him today anyway, seeing his message, she immediately replied: “Yes!”
Gu Ting waited at the crossroads not far from the store, and soon saw a girl in pink cotton clothing running towards him with something in her hand.
She came out so hurriedly that she didn’t wear a hat or a mask. In just such a short time, her ears were frozen red.
When she ran to his side, Gu Ting looked down at her and asked softly, “Why didn’t you wear a hat?”
While saying this, he stretched out his hands to cover her ears, warming them up.
“I was so eager to see you that I forgot.”
It was too cold. After saying this, Wen Ke’an bounced a bit, trying to move and quickly warm up her body.
Gu Ting was sweetened by her words and couldn’t help but smile, then pulled this pink bundle into his arms, “No hat, no mask, no scarf, do you want to freeze yourself to death?”
“I won’t freeze to death.” Wen Ke’an laughed, looking up at him, “I’ve been running every day recently, and my body is in great shape!”
They were standing at the crossroads, where people were coming and going, especially some elderly people who were out for a walk the old grandma’s always couldn’t help but take a few more glances at them.
Finally, Wen Ke’an felt somewhat embarrassed by the attention and wriggled out from Gu Ting’s embrace.
“Let’s talk business!” Wen Ke’an suddenly said with a serious expression.
“What business?” Gu Ting asked, looking down.
“Happy Birthday!” Wen Ke’an suddenly stretched out her hand, presenting a package to Gu Ting, “This is your birthday present!”
Gu Ting was slightly startled and then smiled, “I thought you had forgotten.”
“How could I?” Wen Ke’an said softly, “I wanted to give you a surprise.”
“I’m so happy.” Gu Ting suddenly lowered his head, rubbing his forehead against hers with a smile in his eyes, “Thank you for the gift, dear wife.”
Such a display of affection made Wen Ke’an slightly embarrassed in the middle of the street. Her ears turned red as she then looked at Gu Ting, holding the small bag, “Do you want to see what’s inside?”
Gu Ting looked down, opening the small bag to find a brown scarf inside. It didn’t look like something bought from a store but rather hand-knitted.
“Did you knit this?” Gu Ting asked, looking at her in disbelief.
“Yes!” Wen Ke’an nodded proudly, “Do you like it?”
“I love it.” Gu Ting smiled, “I didn’t know our An’an could knit scarves?”
Wen Ke’an pouted slightly and said softly, “I’ve knitted for many, many days.” After saying this, Wen Ke’an happily said to Gu Ting, “Let me put it on you!”
Wen Ke’an picked up the scarf and ran to a nearby step, then waved at Gu Ting.
Gu Ting smiled and obediently walked over to her, bowing his head.
Wen Ke’an tiptoed and earnestly put the knitted scarf on him.
The moment it was on, their hearts started to feel warm.
Because he was bowing his head, Gu Ting noticed a red mark on Wen Ke’an’s fair and beautiful hand, as if it had been scraped by something.
“What happened to your hand?” Gu Ting suddenly looked up at her and asked quietly.
Wen Ke’an paused, then slowly moved her hand behind her back, “I accidentally broke it.”
The look on Gu Ting’s face turned sour, the smile in his eyes disappearing. He gently pulled her hand to inspect it, “The wound isn’t small.”
“……….”
“How did it happen?”
“It was when I was knitting the scarf yesterday. I accidentally cut myself.” Wen Ke’an didn’t dare to look up at him and said quietly.
The wound on Wen Ke’an’s hand wasn’t deep but was quite long, about half the length of a middle finger.
Gu Ting was silent for a moment, “There’s a pharmacy up ahead. I’ll go buy some medicine.”
Seeing him about to leave, Wen Ke’an grabbed his sleeve, “No need, I’ve treated it simply, and it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“………”
Gu Ting didn’t leave, but it was obvious he wasn’t as happy as before.
Wen Ke’an looked up at him and asked quietly, “Aren’t you happy?”
“I am happy.”
“………”
“The gift, I really don’t want it.” Gu Ting looked down at her, rubbed her head, and said, “Having you by my side, well and happy, is the best birthday gift for me.”
“Okay.” Wen Ke’an’s heart felt a bit awkward, originally happy to celebrate his birthday, and she felt she hadn’t done anything wrong.
Seeing that Gu Ting was unhappy, she also felt a bit down, and didn’t really feel like talking.
Gu Ting had work to do, so he left for his company in the afternoon.
Wen Ke’an wasn’t very happy all night, ate very little for dinner, and then went to her room.
On reflection, she knew that Gu Ting cared about her, but she also felt she hadn’t done anything wrong. In short, she was caught in a bit of a dilemma.
Not in the mood to study, Wen Ke’an opened a study app intending to practice problems, but ended up staring blankly instead. She couldn’t solve a simple problem even after thirty minutes.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Wen Ke’an thought it might be a message from Gu Ting and instinctively woke up from her daze to check.
Unexpectedly, it was a message from a classmate known as “The Universe’s Number One Handsome Guy.”
【The Universe’s Number One Handsome Guy】: “Feeling down?”
【An’an Eats Lemons Every Day】: “Yeah.”
Wen Ke’an was about to ask how he knew she was feeling down when she saw his next message.
【The Universe’s Number One Handsome Guy】: “You’ve been stuck on a problem for a while now.”
【The Universe’s Number One Handsome Guy】: “Did you have a fight?”
【An’an Eats Lemons Every Day】: “No fight, just feeling a bit upset.”
Wen Ke’an clearly knew that this wasn’t considered a fight.
It might seem incredible, but Wen Ke’an and Gu Ting, having known each other for so many years, had never actually fought.
【The Universe’s Number One Handsome Guy】: “What happened?”
Wen Ke’an briefly explained the situation and soon received a message from the classmate.
【The Universe’s Number One Handsome Guy】: “Yeah, but isn’t he just concerned about you?”
【The Universe’s Number One Handsome Guy】: “If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t get mad seeing you hurt.”
Actually, Wen Ke’an was already somewhat regretful, and after what the classmate said, she felt even more that she was wrong. Gu Ting indeed hadn’t done anything wrong; he was just looking out for her, so why was she feeling unhappy here?
After reflecting briefly, Wen Ke’an realized she was indeed being a bit overly sensitive.
【An’an Eats Lemons Every Day】: “So, what do you think I should do now? He’s been very busy with work lately, and I hardly get to see him.”
[The Universe’s Number One Handsome Guy]: “Boys generally like it when girls take the initiative to comfort them.”
Wen Ke’an read this message and silently noted it. Just as she was thinking about how to comfort Gu Ting, another message came through.
[The Universe’s Number One Handsome Guy]: “For example, kiss him.”
Wen Ke’an decided to take immediate action. She leaned over the balcony and looked down to see the lights on downstairs. Wearing her pajamas, she ran straight down.
Gu Ting was slightly surprised when he opened the door to find her there. He looked down at her with a smile and asked, “Why are you here at this hour?”
Wen Ke’an said nothing, turned around and went inside, then closed the door. She then assertively pushed Gu Ting against the door.
The movements were fluid and unhesitant.
Gu Ting chuckled helplessly, “What are you trying to do?”
Wen Ke’an raised her eyes, her gaze falling on his lips.
He was too tall; even on tiptoes, she couldn’t reach his lips.
Not wanting to lose her momentum, Wen Ke’an tried hard to stand on tiptoe to kiss him, but unexpectedly, Gu Ting lifted his head slightly.
Wen Ke’an ended up kissing his chin.
Feeling embarrassed, Wen Ke’an looked up again and found herself meeting his deep eyes.
Gu Ting’s eyes were full of amusement, and he gently asked, “What are you trying to do?”
“Lower your head,” Wen Ke’an demanded angrily.
As if intentionally teasing her, Gu Ting remained motionless, looking down at her.
Not wanting to lose her resolve, Wen Ke’an glanced around and spotted a small stool.
“Stand right here and wait for me.”
Still wearing her slippers, Wen Ke’an ran over to get the little stool and brought it over.
Standing on the stool, she was now just a little bit taller than Gu Ting.
Gu Ting quietly stood there watching her. Fearing she might fall, he instinctively placed his hand on her waist, gently holding her.
Wen Ke’an cupped Gu Ting’s face and quickly pecked him on the lips.
“I was wrong. Don’t be mad,” Wen Ke’an whispered as she looked at him.
Gu Ting didn’t speak, but it was obvious he wasn’t satisfied.
Wen Ke’an understood his meaning. His eyes seemed to say: Is that all?
Knowing he liked kisses, she decided to give him plenty.
Wen Ke’an held his face and started kissing him wildly without any pattern.
In her eagerness, she accidentally bit his lip.
Gu Ting, more amused than angry, grabbed her waist to stop her.
“Are you a little rabbit? Just gnawing everywhere.”
Wen Ke’an replied seriously, “It’s a kiss.”
The air was silent for a couple of seconds until Wen Ke’an clearly heard a light cough from behind.
There were others in the room?
Wen Ke’an was so startled that she almost fell off the small stool she was sitting on, but Gu Ting steadied her.
Turning her head stiffly, she saw a similarly embarrassed Xie Hongyi.
“Hi, little sister-in-law,” Xie Hongyi greeted.
Wen Ke’an wished she could find a hole to hide in.
“Um, I just remembered I have something to do, so I’ll be going now.” She jumped off the stool and tried to leave, but Gu Ting caught her wrist.
Then Xie Hongyi said from behind, “I also have something to do. I won’t disturb you guys. I’m leaving now!”
Holding back his laughter, Xie Hongyi looked at Gu Ting a few more times as he reached the door.
“Brother Ting, your mouth…”
After Xie Hongyi left, Gu Ting quietly took out his phone to use as a mirror. He saw his mouth was covered in lipstick marks.
After a moment of silence, Gu Ting glanced at Wen Ke’an. “Wearing lipstick?”
Wen Ke’an awkwardly averted her gaze. “Lip balm.”
Thinking for a moment, she added, “Just a tinted lip balm.”
Gu Ting could see her guilty conscience. “On purpose?”
Wen Ke’an said confidently in a low voice, “This isn’t just lipstick marks, it’s a trace of love.”
“…”
Thinking of Xie Hongyi, Wen Ke’an became even more confident and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me someone was at home?”
“Do I have the chance to speak?” Gu Ting countered with a smile.
“…”
Wen Ke’an knew Gu Ting was being intentional. Before she could retort, Gu Ting’s phone rang.
Without knowing who was calling via video call, Gu Ting directly answered the phone in front of her.
“Why don’t you answer my calls or messages, you little rascal?” came the voice of a middle-aged man from the phone.
“Why should I?” Gu Ting leaned lazily against the door behind him.
The person on the other end was obviously accustomed to Gu Ting’s attitude.
“What’s wrong with your mouth? Allergic reaction?” the man asked.
“No, kissed.” Gu Ting said matter-of-factly.
There was silence for a moment, then the man yelled, “Get back here now! If I catch you messing around outside again, I’ll break your legs!”
“I didn’t mess around, my wife kissed me.” Gu Ting said calmly.
After a few more curses from the other end, Gu Ting listened quietly and then said, “Looks like you don’t have anything urgent. If not, I’ll hang up.”
With that, he promptly ended the call.
“…”
After hanging up, Wen Ke’an asked awkwardly, knowing the answer, “Who was it?”
“My dad,” Gu Ting replied.
“…”
Seeing the girl beside him blushing slightly, Gu Ting smiled and whispered, “What are you shy about?”
“You have…” Wen Ke’an looked up at his mouth.
At this moment, Gu Ting’s mouth area was in a sorry state.
“So what?” Gu Ting didn’t care at all, and even seemed a little proud. “Isn’t this your love mark?”
“…”
To be Wen Ke’an or to be with a Wen Ke’an?
To be Gu Ting or to be with a Gu Ting?