Chapter 118: A Change! Su Qinghe’s Little Thoughts

Chapter 118: Chapter 118: A Change! Su Qinghe’s Little Thoughts

"Ahem~"

Gu Yifan gave a deliberate cough, then said to Su Qinghe with some embarrassment, "Uh... Su Hanhan, you know how my mom is. Sometimes she just spouts nonsense. Don’t take it to heart, okay?"

"Mm-hmm..."

Su Qinghe’s face was so red it felt like it was about to start steaming. She just nodded and mumbled a soft reply.

But the atmosphere was still a little awkward.

"Well, it’s getting late. I’m going to head downstairs to buy a pack of cigarettes and grab some toiletries," Gu Yifan said, trying to change the subject.

"I... I’ll go with you!"

Su Qinghe said quietly, "There’s a small convenience store nearby. You don’t know the way."

"Uh... okay!"

Gu Yifan glanced at her, then nodded.

...

「Ten minutes later.」

As Gu Yifan was picking out some underwear, he turned around and realized that silly girl, Su Qinghe, had wandered off somewhere.

Frowning slightly, Gu Yifan casually grabbed a box of underwear from the shelf and began looking for Su Qinghe.

The 24-hour convenience store was tiny, so after a quick look around, Gu Yifan found that silly girl, Su Qinghe, in the frozen foods section.

She was completely mesmerized, not even noticing when Gu Yifan walked up right beside her.

Gu Yifan frowned as he looked at her. She was staring longingly at the ice cream in the freezer...

"Uh..."

For a moment, Gu Yifan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"You want some?"

He shook his head helplessly.

"Mm-hmm."

Su Qinghe answered automatically, nodding her head on instinct.

A second later, however, she caught herself. Whipping her head around, she saw Gu Yifan scowling at her.

"Uh... (⊙o⊙)..."

Her face flushed red, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at Gu Yifan.

Seeing her act so silly, Gu Yifan said with a mix of helplessness and exasperation, "You want some?"

"I do."

After a moment’s hesitation, Su Qinghe lifted her head, looked at him, and nodded.

"Like hell you do!"

"No way!"

Gu Yifan shot her a look, his tone sharp.

At his words, a flicker of disappointment crossed Su Qinghe’s enchanting eyes. She pouted but said nothing, her gaze returning longingly to the ice cream in the freezer.

"Oh, come on, don’t look so heartbroken! You’re making it seem like I’m torturing you!"

Gu Yifan shook his head, looking completely helpless. "You’ve already had two ice creams tonight. You’ll get a stomachache if you have another!"

"One and a half..."

Su Qinghe pouted and mumbled.

"Uh..."

Gu Yifan froze for a second, looking at the silly girl in surprise.

’Not bad!’

’She’s calling me out. She still remembers that I snatched half of her ice cream earlier!’

Gu Yifan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He said in a huff, "Fine, fine, one and a half, then! That’s still plenty! You can’t have any more!"

"Oh, okay!"

Su Qinghe pouted and nodded, but her expression was one of clear defiance.

"Alright, you win!"

"You can buy it now, but you have to put it in the freezer and wait until tomorrow to eat it. Otherwise, if you eat too much at once, you’ll really get a stomachache!"

Seeing her like this, Gu Yifan’s heart softened, and he caved, though his tone was still exasperated.

"Mm-hmm!"

Hearing Gu Yifan agree, Su Qinghe’s eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly.

...

「That night, at 11:55 PM.」

Gu Yifan walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.

As he reached the living room, he jumped in surprise.

He saw Su Qinghe leaning against the refrigerator, perfectly still, her eyes glued to the clock on the wall.

"Su Hanhan, what are you doing leaning over there?"

Gu Yifan asked, frowning.

"Ah?"

Caught red-handed, Su Qinghe jumped in fright as well.

She turned to Gu Yifan and said sheepishly, "I... I’m waiting for tomorrow. It’ll be tomorrow in five minutes..."

Gu Yifan: "..."

He instantly understood her little scheme.

His expression darkened. "Don’t even think about it," he said sharply. "You’re not eating it, even when it’s midnight! Come on, back to the room. Time for bed!"

With that, he walked over and gently guided her by the back of her neck, herding her back into the bedroom.

"Go to sleep!"

"Tonight, you sleep on the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor!"

"And don’t even think about waiting for me to fall asleep so you can sneak out and eat it. If I wake up tomorrow morning and find that ice cream is gone, you’ll see how I deal with you!"

Gu Yifan said, pretending to be fierce.

"Okay, okay!"

Su Qinghe pouted and nodded. She was clearly defiant but knew there was nothing she could do.

Gu Yifan pointedly ignored her pitiful expression, stepped out of the room, and grabbed the hairdryer to dry his hair.

Su Qinghe, nestled under the covers, snuck a peek at him. Seeing that he was ignoring her, she had no choice but to lie down obediently and try to sleep.

A little while later, Gu Yifan returned, his hair now dry.

He glanced at Su Qinghe and saw that she was lying down obediently, seemingly asleep. He nodded in satisfaction.

...

「2:30 AM.」

Su Qinghe lay in bed, eyes wide open, staring blankly at the dark ceiling. She couldn’t sleep.

She wasn’t the only one. Gu Yifan couldn’t sleep either. As he breathed in Su Qinghe’s unique scent from beside him, he found himself getting aroused.

"Um... are you asleep?"

Su Qinghe asked softly in the darkness.

She waited for what felt like a long time, but there was no response from Gu Yifan.

Just as Su Qinghe was thinking Gu Yifan had fallen asleep, he spoke up. "No."

A happy expression crossed Su Qinghe’s face. "I... I can’t sleep," she said quietly.

"Uh... It’s the middle of the night. If you’re not sleeping, what do you want to do?"

Gu Yifan asked.

"I... I don’t know. I just can’t sleep."

Su Qinghe’s voice was faint. "Can you talk with me for a while?"

"Alright. What do you want to talk about? Go ahead."

Gu Yifan said.

"Um... what was the name of that song from tonight?"

Su Qinghe suddenly remembered and asked quietly.

"’Blessed.’"

Gu Yifan replied casually.

"Blessed..."

Su Qinghe repeated the word softly. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Could you sing that song for me again?"

"Er..."

Gu Yifan paused for a second, then said with a sigh, "Su Hanhan, are you sure? It’s the middle of the night."

"You could just sing quietly. That should be fine, right? Pretty please?"

Su Qinghe asked, her voice soft and coaxing.

Her voice was so soft and sweet, it was impossible to refuse.

’Tonight’s Su Qinghe seems a little different from her usual self,’ Gu Yifan thought. ’Normally, she’s like a timid little wife who doesn’t dare speak up, but tonight she’s much more outgoing.’

’Didn’t she just dare to pout and throw a little fit at me?’

’Maybe after spending all this time together, she’s finally let her guard down around me completely?’

’That seems to be the only explanation,’ Gu Yifan mused.

’But this is good, too!’

’This version of Su Qinghe is gentle, but with a hint of playfulness. She has so much more life than the gloomy doormat she used to be, and she seems more real this way.’

After a moment of thought, Gu Yifan said, "Alright, I’ll sing."

He then began to hum softly, "When I first met you, your shy smile / Was a signal that my love had arrived / In this chaotic world, the beauty of a fluttering heart..."

Listening to Gu Yifan’s gentle voice, which sounded like a soft whisper in her ear, Su Qinghe’s eyes lit up. ’This is it!’

She secretly started recording on her phone, then slowly closed her eyes, listening silently as Gu Yifan sang what felt like her own private song. Before long, a smile graced her lips as she drifted off to sleep...