Visiting
That person had a tall and well-proportioned figure, an exquisite face with distinct features. His eyes were deep and black, and he quickly averted his gaze after a brief glance at her, leaving her somewhat regretful.
He might not be in the best health; his complexion appeared unnaturally pale. He occasionally coughed, and his initially cold and noble aura dissipated. Su Mu couldn’t help but sense a vulnerability in him, igniting a protective impulse within her.
He seemed to be a perfect match for her aesthetic preferences. Bang, bang, her heart raced faster, drowning out all other sounds. So, this was the feeling of attraction? A tingling heart, reaching all the way to her limbs and bones.
No one else seemed to notice her odd reaction. Wei Liu answered her question with a smile, “Everything is fine. The orchids are growing well, and my grandfather likes them a lot.” When his grandfather came back from his friend’s visit, his first action was to go to the flower room to see his beloved orchids. Seeing new leaves sprouting made him incredibly happy.
Having narrowly escaped a danger, Wei Liu gained some new inspirations for the company’s overseas affairs, leading to rapid expansion. His mood had been buoyant recently, and things couldn’t be better.
Seeing Su Mu’s gaze lingering behind him, Wei Liu turned around and introduced them, “Gu Shi, this is Su Mu, Su Chen’s younger sister. The ingredients I delivered to you before were from her family’s farm.” He turned to Su Mu and continued, “Mu Mu, this is Gu Shi, my childhood friend. He really enjoys the ingredients from your family. We’re planning to visit your home during the Labor Day holiday. Are you okay with that?”
Su Mu’s smile grew warmer, and she said, “Welcome, very welcome.” Although she was addressing Wei Liu, her eyes were on Gu Shi. Seeing his ears gradually turning red, she was in high spirits. Extending her hand toward him, she said, “Mr. Gu, nice to meet you. Please take care of me in the future.”
Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.
Her words held a deeper meaning, and Gu Shi’s lips twitched. He then used his slender hand to gently shake hers. “Hello, Miss Su.”
His voice was chilly and slightly husky, causing a pleasant tingling sensation in Su Mu’s ears. Her gaze fell on their joined hands. His voice was charming, his hands were elegant, though he had an icy demeanor. But that was alright; she felt warm.
Wei Liu acted as if something significant had been accomplished. Nonchalantly, he said, “Mu Mu, could I go and visit Uncle and Aunt? They came, didn’t they?”
Su Chen was speechless. It was clear that his boss had changed the topic upon hearing about the chicken soup and grilled fish at home. Hesitatingly, he said, “Boss, what about Shiwu Manor…?”
“Cancel it.”
As Su Chen was the secretary, whatever the boss said was the final word. He obediently made the call to cancel the reservation.
Su Mu looked at Gu Shi, “Mr. Gu, are you coming too?”
“Of course, Mu Mu, you don’t mind one more person, do you?”
Seeing Su Mu nod, Wei Liu turned to Gu Shi, “You see, I can’t drive you home right now. Brother He won’t allow you to drive alone, so you might as well come with me to visit the elders. They don’t come to the city often, and you’ve already eaten so much of their food…”
Gu Shi scrutinized Wei Liu for a moment, and only after Wei Liu’s scalp started to tingle did he calmly say, “Thank you for the trouble, Miss Su.”
Su Mu’s eyes formed crescent-shaped smiles. “Welcome indeed.”
Without further delay, the two cars merged into the flow of traffic.
While in the car, Su Mu found it inconvenient to drive, so she asked her brother to call home and prepare more dishes, as there might not be enough food.
After taking care of that, she casually asked, “Brother, who is this Gu Shi?”
Su Chen’s attention shifted from his phone, and he scratched his head, pondering for a moment before answering, “How would I know? All I know is that he’s the boss’s childhood friend and often helps with the company’s tricky affairs. As for the rest, I have no clue. But you should have noticed that he’s not in the best health. Most of the things the boss took from our house were given to Mr. Gu.”
After speaking, he suddenly realized and looked at his sister in disbelief. “Mu Mu, you?”
Su Mu blushed a little. She had never been in a romantic relationship in her two lifetimes. During her school years, she had received love letters, but she heeded her father’s advice and focused on her studies. After crossing to the interstellar world, everyone revered her as the top botanist, so she dared not entertain other thoughts. Moreover, she was often immersed in the fields and had no opportunity to meet ambitious young men. Eventually, she was transported back to the modern world.
Gu Shi was the first man to make her heart skip a beat.
Facing her brother’s sharp gaze, she pretended to be calm and smiled. “Oh, come on, Brother, I was just asking.”
Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief and, after some thought, said, “Mu Mu, while society might not be as rigid as before about social status, matters of the heart can still put young girls at a disadvantage. Don’t be deceived by appearances and end up doing something you’ll regret in the heat of the moment.”
He understood his sister’s nature—naive and persistent. He was worried that she might fall headlong into something foolish.
In the circle his boss moved in, there were those who upheld their integrity and those who were promiscuous. He just didn’t know which category Mr. Gu fell into.
Su Mu replied, “I know.” Her brother always assumed she was the same girl who had just graduated from college, oblivious to the fact that her interstellar experience had accelerated her growth.
In the rear car, however, the atmosphere was less harmonious.
Wei Liu felt that sooner or later, he would freeze to death in this April weather on Earth. He was only acting on his own authority!
Gu Shi leaned his head back and rubbed his brow. “You know I don’t like others making decisions for me.”
Pausing for a moment, he continued, “This is an exception.”
Hearing this, Wei Liu let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead. They were all eating the same food, so why did Gu Shi’s aura feel so overwhelming? It was as if he were sitting in the back seat with their old master.
He hastened to respond, “Sure.”
Then he quietly defended himself, “Brother He said that after eating those dishes, your health improved a lot. I thought that having more interaction with the Su family would benefit you.”
“Nosy.”
Wei Liu was successfully silenced.
The journey home was quiet. The evening rush hour was no joke—cars moved inch by inch. By the time they reached home, it was around 7:30 PM.
Mother Su had started preparing dinner in the afternoon. As they entered the house, a strong aroma greeted them. The table was laden with a variety of dishes.
Chen Mengzhi, Su Mu’s sister-in-law, had returned home earlier than them. At this moment, she was carrying the last bowl of chicken soup out of the kitchen. She warmly greeted them, “Come, have a seat. Dinner is ready.”
Su Mu went over to help serve rice, while outside the kitchen, Mother Su’s eyes crinkled with joy. “Xiao Wei, you’re here.”
Wei Liu was sweet-tongued. “Auntie, I’ve missed you. When Mu Mu went to pick up Su Chen, I heard you were coming to the city, so I eagerly rushed over. Please don’t mind me.”
“How could that be! I’m more than happy to have you here. And who is this?” Mother Su’s eyes brightened when she saw Gu Shi beside him. This young man was quite impressive!
Wei Liu proceeded to introduce both sides. In front of the elders, Gu Shi remained modest and courteous. Su Mu felt that his icy demeanor had melted somewhat, replaced by a gentle breeze and warmth.
After the lively exchange of greetings, everyone took their seats.
Mother Su asked, “I don’t know what flavors Mr. Gu likes, so I prepared a variety.” Earlier, her daughter had called in advance, saying that Wei Liu and his friend were coming over. The friend seemed unwell, so she made the dishes milder.
With the reminder, she had quickly prepared several lighter dishes.
Gu Shi hadn’t felt such care from elders in a long time. He was momentarily taken aback before he slowly said, “Thank you, Auntie. These dishes look great.”
Having received praise, Mother Su happily took his bowl and personally served him a portion of chicken soup. “This chicken soup has been simmering for two to three hours, and I added warming medicinal ingredients like red dates and wolfberries. Mr. Gu, you should have more.”
Seeing Gu Shi’s slightly awkward expression, Su Mu knew he wasn’t used to such intimacy with people. She tugged at the enthusiastic Mother Su and whispered, “Mom, don’t stare at him like that. He’s already embarrassed.”
Mother Su glanced at him and noticed that his ears had indeed turned red. So, she turned her head to engage Wei Liu in conversation.
Gu Shi secretly let out a breath of relief.
Mother Su’s cooking skills were indeed excellent. Even the light vegetables were incredibly delicious, not to mention the chicken soup and grilled fish, which were the main courses.
This meal took over an hour to finish, and everyone, except Gu Shi, was full.
After the meal, Wei Liu and Gu Shi sat for a while before taking their leave.
“Xiao Wei, you must come to Auntie’s house during the vacation! And you, Xiao Gu.” Wei Liu urged.
“Of course, I’ll definitely go.” As for Gu Shi, he didn’t dare make decisions on his behalf anymore.
After they left, Father Su and Su Chen discussed matters in the living room, while the remaining three cleaned up the table.
With the evening lights lit up, Su Mu and her parents couldn’t return home today; they would spend the night here and head back in the morning.
Fortunately, when Su Chen had purchased the apartment, he chose a three-bedroom unit, otherwise it wouldn’t have been enough space.
Mother Su had actually wanted to talk with her daughter-in-law about the matter of having children, but she restrained herself. Matters between husband and wife were best left untouched by her.
However, whenever she saw chubby kids from the village, she couldn’t help but think about when she could hold her own grandchildren. She felt a bit envious.
The next day was a weekend, so Su Chen and his wife didn’t have to go to work. They accompanied their parents downstairs to see them off.
“Mom and Dad, we’ll be back in a few days.”
“Alright, Mengzhi, if you want to eat anything, Mom will prepare it for you in advance.”
“Okay, Mom, don’t tire yourself out too much. Make some delicious food to nourish yourselves.”
Su Chen didn’t participate in the conversation between his wife and mother; he turned to his sister and advised, “Be careful driving back. Rest today and do the work tomorrow.”
“Dad, you too. Don’t rush to the fields as soon as you get home.” He knew his father was restless. Even if he agreed now, he might not actually listen when he got back home. But as a son, he still had to say what needed to be said.
As expected, Father Su nodded happily. His son was showing concern for him.
After his parents were settled in the car, Su Mu rolled down the window, waved to her brother and sister-in-law, and drove back home.
Without the unpleasant smell of the bus, Mother Su could finally enjoy the scenery along the way.
“It’s more comfortable to ride in our own car.”
“Of course, we spent over three hundred thousand on it. How could it not be comfortable?”
Talking about the price, Mother Su clutched her chest and exclaimed in distress.
Su Mu was relieved; at least they didn’t spend actual cash on it!
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