Chapter 758, People who love to eat candied haws are not here (1)

"I’ll treat you to a meal as an apology when we get back, okay?" Jiang Yisheng said.

"Reluctantly." Ye Jiuliang smiled with a hooked lip and asked with concern, "How are your injuries?"

"It’s nothing serious, Wei Nan prescribed some medicine for me," he replied.

"When do you plan to come back?"

The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly softened, "I don’t know."

Ye Jiuliang looked up at the dim night sky and said softly, "Aqian is really worried about you."

After he spoke, silence fell on the other end of the phone, with only faint breathing audible.

She still found out.

Jiang Yisheng’s eyes dimmed, hiding the loneliness in his gaze, "Leaving was my own decision, it has nothing to do with him."

"Are you planning to give up?" Ye Jiuliang probed.

If any of the four of them were truly in love, they would never let go. If Asheng gave up, Aqian would have nowhere to cry.

Jiang Yisheng laughed at himself, "I’ve never insisted, so there’s no talk of giving up."

His unrequited love didn’t need to drag him down into the abyss with him.

Ye Jiuliang’s eyes flickered as he casually changed the subject, "Take care of your injuries, and call us if you need anything."

This matter was up to Aqian now. If he didn’t take the initiative, I’m afraid there might be no one left for him to see.

Jiang Yisheng acknowledged with an "okay" and didn’t forget to remind him, "Remember to keep it a secret for me."

No need for details, it was simply to help him keep his whereabouts a secret.

Ye Jiuliang chuckled, "Alright, just remember to treat me to a meal when you get back."

After hanging up, Ye Jiuliang shook his head with a smile and turned to walk back to the living room.

...

The night grew deep and the wind became slightly cooler.

Under the flickering yellow streetlights, two figures walked closely together, their steps leisurely as they climbed the steps.

Gu Xinuo caught a glimpse of the light shining through from the living room and frowned slightly, "Why is the living room light on?"

She had clearly turned off the light when she left today. Could it be broken?

Chu Chen, who walked in front with the key, saw the suitcase at the entryway and raised an eyebrow, "No need to guess, Aqian is back."

Gu Xinuo was surprised, a rare occurrence indeed. Aqian always liked to wander around; why did he suddenly come back?

After changing shoes, they walked one after the other into the living room.

The sound of their steps was not quiet, yet the person on the sofa remained motionless, as if asleep.

Chu Chen walked over and looked down, the man’s face was covered with a pillow, obscuring whether he was really asleep or just pretending.

He reached out and removed the pillow, and the man’s eyes were closed, feigning sleep quite convincingly.

He nudged the man’s dangling leg with the tip of his foot, "Aqian."

He called out once, no response.

"Where did this ice sugar gourd come from?" Gu Xinuo asked sharply, spotting the ice sugar gourd on the table with a trace of curiosity in her expression.

Chu Chen glanced at the big bag of ice sugar gourds in Gu Xinuo’s hand, his peripheral vision catching Ji Mingqian’s trembling eyelashes, and a playful smile curved on his lips.

"Anuo, it’s been a long time since we had ice sugar gourds. They’re just sitting there, let’s take them out and have a taste," he suggested.

Before he could finish, the pretending sleeper became unsettled, springing up as if burned.

His bright eyes fixed on the ice sugar gourds in Gu Xinuo’s hand, "Don’t eat them."

"..."

Mystified by the outburst, Gu Xinuo’s lips quivered slightly.

It was just some ice sugar gourds, was such a big reaction necessary?

Chu Chen threw the throw pillow back to Ji Mingqian’s chest, joking, "I thought you were planning to pretend to be asleep until tomorrow."

Ji Mingqian shot him a sideways glance, "Go stand over there."

"It’s just a few candied haws; what’s with the big reaction?" Chu Chen looked at his tightfisted appearance and couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Ji Mingqian gave him a disdainful look, "Mind your own business."

"Did you buy these candied haws?" Gu Xinuo looked at the candied haws and then at him, asking with a skeptical tone.

As far as she remembered, he seemed to have never liked eating sweet treats like candied haws.

Ji Mingqian said, "Nonsense, otherwise did you two buy them?"

"Did you take the wrong medicine? Why so fierce?" Gu Xinuo pouted, holding back the urge to punch him.

If it wasn’t for the fact that he had been in a bad mood these past few days, she would’ve taken a swing at him already.

"Perhaps the person who loves candied haws isn’t here, so his lordship is in a bad mood," Chu Chen saw through his thoughts and teased intentionally.

"But with that temper of yours, you’d scare anyone away."

Ji Mingqian, "..."

He and Li Mochan must have conspired together to pick on him.

"Going for drinks or not?"

Chu Chen raised an eyebrow, "You wouldn’t even let us taste the candied haws, who would go drink with you?"

"Take it, take it and eat." Ji Mingqian waved his hand, his face full of gloom.

Anyway, the person who liked the candied haws wasn’t here, so let them have it cheap.

"Hold on, what kind of riddle were you just playing?" Gu Xinuo’s confused gaze shifted between the two, clueless, "Aqian, do you really have a girlfriend?"

She remembered the last time he got drunk, he had also mentioned candied haws; could it be that he really has a girlfriend now?

Chu Chen smiled without speaking; their little wife indeed had an exceptionally low EQ.

Ji Mingqian’s handsome face darkened slightly, "Eat your candied haws."

"You definitely have a girlfriend behind our backs, Achen, do you know something?" Seeing Chu Chen trying to hold back his laughter on the side, Gu Xinuo drew closer.

She asked with a suggestive look, "Does Aqian have a girlfriend now?"

Chu Chen gave a vague response, "You should ask him about that, I’m not clear on it."

Gu Xinuo gave him a doubtful look, half believing, "You really don’t know?"

Chu Chen coughed lightly, he felt a bit guilty lying to her, "I don’t know."

Fearful that Gu Xinuo would ask further, Ji Mingqian stood up, walking briskly toward the liquor cabinet, "Let’s go, let’s go have drinks on the rooftop."

Chu Chen chuckled softly, touched Gu Xinuo’s head tenderly, and said warmly, "You go rest in your room first, I’ll accompany him for a drink."

Gu Xinuo nodded and cautioned, "Don’t drink too much."

Chu Chen nodded, then followed Ji Mingqian upstairs.

The moonlight was cool as water, and looking into the distance, a pale mist was shrouding everything.

Ji Mingqian curled up in the wicker chair, his long legs swinging idly, looking utterly dispirited.

"Can you stop with the bitter face? If you like her, go chase her back. Look at you, all cowardly," Chu Chen couldn’t stand the constant sighing and looked up at him, unable to resist making a comment.

"The person has disappeared without a trace, and you’re buying candied haws back, what, to pine over someone?"

"Shut up." Ji Mingqian’s eyes flickered unnaturally as he was hit where it hurt, and he put on a fierce face on purpose, "Can’t I buy candied haws for myself to eat? What’s it to you."

"Hmph." Chu Chen laughed mockingly, "You’ve never liked sweet things since you were young, especially not candied haws, you’re fooling nobody."

It was clearly meant for someone else, yet he wouldn’t admit it—the stubbornness of a drowning duck.

Ji Mingqian glared at him without saying a word.

"It’s been two or three days now, haven’t you found the person?" Chu Chen twirled a glass between his fingers, shaking it without much care.