Chapter 258 - 255: Su Qinghe’s Change

Chapter 258: Chapter 255: Su Qinghe’s Change

Su Qinghe froze for a moment, surprised to see Gu Yifan on the boat. But without hesitation, she scurried aboard.

"Ah!"

Suddenly.

The plank under Su Qinghe’s feet suddenly shifted. She let out a cry, stumbling as she lost her balance. She tumbled toward the edge of the boat, about to plunge into the river...

However.

Suddenly, she was pulled taut. A strong force yanked her back toward the center of the boat, and a warm body enveloped her in a tight hug from behind.

It was Gu Yifan!

He had reacted the moment Su Qinghe cried out.

Quick as a flash, just as she was about to fall, he had lunged forward, grabbed the back of her shirt, and pulled her back from the brink.

"Are you okay?"

Holding Su Qinghe in his arms, Gu Yifan asked nervously.

"I’m... I’m fine."

Su Qinghe was petrified. Her face was deathly pale, and she was still trembling uncontrollably.

She had really thought she was going to fall into the river. Even though Gu Yifan had caught her just in time, she was still thoroughly shaken.

"It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re safe now."

Gu Yifan comforted her, gently patting her shoulder.

"..."

After a long moment, Su Qinghe finally collected herself. She turned her head, her face slightly flushed from the ordeal.

"Th... thank you," she whispered, her voice still trembling with lingering fear.

"You silly goose, why are you being so formal with me?" Gu Yifan said, booping her on the nose with a fond smile.

"I... I was really scared just now."

Su Qinghe’s eyes were red-rimmed; the incident had truly terrified her.

’Because... I can’t swim!’

"There, there. It’s all right now," Gu Yifan soothed in a soft voice, his heart aching for her.

A moment later!

With Gu Yifan’s comfort and companionship, Su Qinghe’s emotions slowly stabilized.

*

*

*

After they had been rowing on the river for a little over half an hour.

Su Qinghe looked at the darkening sky and then at the inky surface of the river. A flicker of fear went through her. "The... the sky’s getting dark," she said to Gu Yifan. "Shouldn’t we... head back?"

"Hm?"

Gu Yifan paused for a moment. He glanced at the sky and realized it was indeed getting late. "Right," he agreed. "Let’s go."

Just as they decided to stop and were preparing to row back to shore...

A sudden wave rocked the small boat violently!

"Ah~"

Su Qinghe lost her footing and was nearly thrown overboard.

Seeing this, Gu Yifan immediately lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you all right?" Gu Yifan asked, his voice tight with concern.

Su Qinghe shook her head, her face a little pale. "I’m fine. It just startled me."

"Here, stand over here!"

Gu Yifan led her by the hand to the bow of the boat.

With him by her side, Su Qinghe’s fear and nervousness gradually faded.

A gentle river breeze caressed their faces, sending their hair fluttering. The scene felt almost otherworldly.

"Smile!"

Gu Yifan raised his phone to capture the beautiful moment.

"CLICK!"

In the faint light of the setting sun, their smiles were frozen in time, an eternal moment.

...

A little while later.

The boat slowly made its way back to the shore. They hadn’t rowed out very far, so the return trip was quick.

Gu Yifan carefully led Su Qinghe by the hand off the boat.

Once ashore, they returned the boat to the staff and paid the remaining fee.

"Shall we go?" Gu Yifan said gently, a small smile on his face.

He took her by the hand, and they began to walk back the way they came.

Before they knew it, the sky had grown completely dark. Night had fallen...

Lights began to switch on one by one along the riverbank.

"Oh?"

"Look! Fireflies!"

Her eyes lit up when she saw a swarm of fireflies dancing in the distance. She pointed them out to Gu Yifan, her voice filled with a child-like excitement.

"Yeah."

Gu Yifan looked up and smiled fondly.

They walked closer and watched the dancing fireflies, quickly becoming lost in the beautiful sight...

"Su Hanhan, did you have fun today?" Gu Yifan asked.

"I had a great time."

Su Qinghe tilted her head, thought for a moment, then said earnestly, "I was a little scared at first, but... now that we’re back on land, I think it was really fun. Thank you for bringing me here today."

"You silly Hanhan, there’s no need to be so formal with me," Gu Yifan laughed, booping her on the nose.

"From now on, no more being so formal!"

"Mm-hm!"

Su Qinghe nodded gently. "Let’s go home, then!"

"Okay!"

Gu Yifan simply nodded in agreement.

They continued along the path by the river...

Gu Yifan walked in silence, his gaze unconsciously drawn to Su Qinghe’s face. In the moonlight, her clear, bright eyes seemed even more captivating.

"Girl, my story begins with you... For you, I’ve learned to be patient, for you, I’ve changed all my bad habits..."

Gu Yifan was in high spirits, humming the tune as he walked.

"Like it?" he suddenly asked, turning to her with a small smile playing on his lips.

"It’s beautiful," Su Qinghe said earnestly. "You have the most beautiful voice."

"Then I’ll sing for you often in the future."

"I’d love that!"

Su Qinghe smiled sweetly. She was truly happy to be with Gu Yifan. She genuinely loved hearing him sing, especially the first song he had ever sung for her: "Blessed."

*

*

*

By the time they got back to the small courtyard, it was already 8:30 p.m.

Su Qinghe offered to cook dinner for Gu Yifan, but he turned her down.

It was getting late, and Gu Yifan didn’t want her to go to the trouble.

Instead, he called a restaurant near Jinling University and ordered some takeout to be delivered.

The restaurant wasn’t too expensive and the food was good. Gu Yifan had often taken Su Qinghe there on days they didn’t feel like cooking.

Most of the time, however, they cooked for themselves.

Su Qinghe thought eating out was expensive and not as healthy as home-cooked meals.

Gu Yifan understood her personality, so he didn’t press the issue.

That said, ever since he’d discovered his own impressive cooking skills, Su Qinghe, that sweet Hanhan, had started placing "orders" with him. Whenever she craved something, she would ask him for it without the slightest hesitation.

This was a huge improvement from before!

As their relationship grew so close that there were no longer any boundaries between them, Su Qinghe’s personality had indeed become much more cheerful and open.

This made Gu Yifan incredibly happy. Before, Su Qinghe had been so timid and gentle. It wasn’t a bad thing, but she’d always seemed to lack a certain spark.

’The way she was now was perfect!’

’In short, she was changing, bit by bit. Slowly but surely, those suicidal thoughts probably wouldn’t return.’

Yes.

Gu Yifan had never forgotten the scene of their first meeting...