When Gu Chengyu said he was going to pursue someone, he meant it seriously.
Early in the morning, as Su Qianqian stepped out of her bedroom, she heard a clattering sound and caught a faint whiff of something burning.
Walking to the kitchen doorway, the scene that greeted her made her eyes widen in surprise.
Gu Chengyu's noble aura was completely out of place in the kitchen.
At that moment, he was awkwardly hunched over, frantically dealing with two eggs scorched in the pan, his brows knitted tightly together.
"A-Yu?"
Su Qianqian's soft, sweet voice sounded, "What are you doing?"
Hearing her, Gu Chengyu turned his head. Seeing the girl with her hair adorably tousled at the doorway, a flash of embarrassment crossed his face, but he still answered obediently, "I wanted to make you breakfast."
He appeared fairly composed on the surface, but the faint redness at the tips of his ears betrayed his discomfort.
Su Qianqian looked at the mess on the kitchen counter and the pitiful state of the egg in the pan, and couldn't help but let out a soft giggle.
She walked over and, unable to resist, gently wrapped her arms around his lean waist from behind, pressing her cheek against his broad, warm back. Her voice was laced with sweet laughter:
"Silly, you need low heat for fried eggs, and you can't use too little oil. Besides, you've poked it so much it looks more like scrambled eggs now."
Gu Chengyu stiffened slightly, not daring to say he hadn't been poking it—it was just that the spatula was terrible for flipping, and after many attempts, it had ended up like this.
He casually turned off the stove, his large hand covering her slender, delicate ones clasped around his waist. His tone was a mix of chagrin and a hint of self-righteousness. "What a hassle! I'll have Auntie Zhang come up and do it."
Heaven knew he had just shooed Auntie Zhang and the chef away earlier that morning.
...
Afternoon, in the study.
Su Qianqian was curled up on the soft sofa, engrossed in a thick book on acting theory, her little face slightly serious as she marked passages with a pen from time to time.
Gu Chengyu sat behind the desk dealing with a pile of documents. His father and Assistant Zhao had called countless times, and only today did he feel like looking into company matters.
But his gaze kept drifting involuntarily towards the figure on the sofa.
After watching for a long while, he finally couldn't resist. He set down the documents, got up, walked over, sat down beside her, and with a long arm, pulled her into his embrace.
"Reading for so long, aren't your eyes tired?" he asked in a low voice, his chin gently nuzzling the top of her head.
Su Qianqian, deeply absorbed, didn't even look up, mumbling in response, "Mmm, it's okay."
Without another word, Gu Chengyu took the book from her hands, closed it, and set it aside. "Take a ten-minute break. Let your eyes rest."
"Hey, what are you doing!" With her book snatched away, Su Qianqian finally snapped out of her focus. She pouted playfully, trying to grab it back. "Give it back, I was just at a crucial part!"
Gu Chengyu chuckled softly. Not only did he not return it, but he also tightened his arms around her and lowered his head.
First, he tenderly kissed the top of her head, which carried a faint, fresh scent. Then, he kissed her smooth forehead. Finally, with their noses touching, he lightly pecked her slightly pouted pink lips. His voice was magnetic and tempting. "Is the book better looking than me?"
Su Qianqian's face flushed crimson from his kisses. She gave his shoulder a soft punch, her voice sweet and coquettish. "Who pursues someone by being so intimately overbearing like this!"
Another day, at dusk.
The setting sun was sinking, in the private garden.
Gu Chengyu held Su Qianqian's hand, strolling leisurely.
Suddenly, Gu Chengyu stopped, turned to face her, and gently covered her eyes with his large hand. "Close your eyes, and follow me."
Plunged into sudden darkness, Su Qianqian nervously grabbed hold of his shirt. "What is it? So mysterious..."
"Just follow me." Gu Chengyu's deep voice carried a reassuring strength as he carefully guided her forward a few steps.
"Alright, you can open them now."
Su Qianqian's long eyelashes fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw were steps. Below the steps was a newly planted flower bed, blooming with a large expanse of light blue hydrangeas.
The flowers were arranged to form two little figures, a boy and a girl. Beneath them were the names 'Su Qianqian' and 'Gu Chengyu', spelled out with flowers of a deeper blue.
The petals glowed softly in the lingering sunset light, beautiful as a dream.
"Wow!" she gasped in delight, her eyes instantly lighting up as if filled with stars. "So beautiful! The little figures look just like us."
Watching her joyful expression, Gu Chengyu couldn't control the upward curve of his lips, though his tone feigned nonchalance. "Just had the gardener do it this morning. As long as you like it."
Only he himself knew how long he had been thinking about this little surprise.
