Together Forever - Chapter 28
Volume 2, Chapter 28: Just Want to Be Together (1)
After he spoke, he selected a suitable knife from the rack and began slicing the tomato into six wedges. Without looking up, he asked, “Once I’m done with the tomatoes, can I relinquish my position as sous chef?”
Tong Yan remained silent, as if she hadn't heard.
She rarely showed her emotions in front of anyone. Even at home, she maintained a carefree, nonchalant facade. Crying was reserved for moments when she could no longer hold it together.
Gu Pingsheng glanced at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Tong Yan sighed. “I think I’m about to cry because of what you said.”
He chuckled and popped a tomato wedge into her mouth. “Don’t cry. I’m terrible at comforting people.”
“Then why did you say something so touching…?” She blinked, feeling the tears welling up. Just as they threatened to spill over, she buried her face in his chest. Gu Pingsheng put down the knife and held her, trying to soothe her.
Looking back, Tong Yan couldn't remember exactly what he had said.
She only had a very clear impression that he was, indeed, terrible at comforting people.
The door suddenly opened. Gu Pingfan was about to speak when she saw Tong Yan quickly pull away from Gu Pingsheng’s embrace, her eyes still red, and couldn’t help but smile. “May I come in?”
Gu Pingsheng ignored her, picking up a tomato wedge and eating it.
Gu Pingfan closed the door and put her arm around Tong Yan’s shoulder, whispering in her ear, “Just so you know, he’s absolutely hopeless at comforting girlfriends. I once visited him and saw a blonde bombshell crying hysterically in his room, throwing things around, while he sat calmly on the sofa, reading a book.” Gu Pingfan smiled mischievously. “I would never have put up with that. He needs someone to constantly push and prod him in relationships. Isn't he boring?”
“Not really…” Tong Yan tried to recall their interactions. He seemed quite good at conversation. “Mr. Gu is… nice.”
“Nice? How is he nice?” Gu Pingfan asked curiously.
…
Tong Yan was flustered. How could she answer that?
She blushed under Gu Pingfan's scrutiny. Being interrogated like this by a woman in her thirties, who also happened to be Gu Pingsheng’s cousin… it was rather bizarre. Fortunately, Gu Pingfan wasn’t overly nosy and, after giving Gu Pingsheng a teasing smile, got to the point, briefly mentioning something about scheduling a follow-up checkup for him.
Their conversation was short and cryptic.
Tong Yan continued dropping dumplings into the boiling water, pretending not to understand.
With the stove on, the kitchen quickly warmed up.
By the time Gu Pingfan left, the water had come to a boil for the second time.
She added a bowl of cold water to the pot, and the bubbling dumplings settled down again. Gu Pingsheng continued feeding her tomato wedges, and they ended up eating both tomatoes that were meant for dessert. Looking at the cutting board stained with pale red juice, she complained, “If I’d known you were going to eat them raw, I would have added sugar and made a salad.”
He chuckled and leaned in, as if to kiss her, when her phone rang.
“I have a text.” Tong Yan turned her head away, pulling out her phone.
An unknown number, but a familiar tone. It was Fang Yun Yun: Are you free sometime this week? I’d like to treat you to dinner.
The tone was casual, like that of an old classmate. If it weren't for Lu Bei, she might have actually been just an old classmate, perhaps even a good friend.
Tong Yan pressed the power button, turning off her phone, put it back in her pocket, and resumed tending to the dumplings. The water came to a boil for the third time, bubbling vigorously, but she simply stared at it, lost in thought.
Gu Pingsheng, standing behind her, rested his chin on her shoulder. “Tong Yan, the dumplings are about to overcook.”
Tong Yan snapped out of her daze and quickly turned off the heat, serving him a bowl of dumplings.
Then she began frantically searching for the vinegar. Once everything was ready, she handed him his chopsticks. Gu Pingsheng took them, ate a dumpling, then, through the rising steam, pulled her onto his lap. “I don’t eat chives. I’m allergic.” She gasped, pointing at the plate. “Are these all chive dumplings?”
“No,” he recalled. “There should be some pork and cabbage ones too. I forgot to tell you.”
You could usually tell the difference between the fillings by the color of the dough.
But since he had mentioned it, Tong Yan wasn’t entirely sure. She picked up a dumpling and took a bite. “This one’s pork and cabbage.”
As soon as she said it, she realized it wasn't appropriate to give him a half-eaten dumpling…
Gu Pingsheng smiled, taking the dumpling from her chopsticks and eating it. “This method works.”
“You’re not going to… make me pre-chew all of them, are you?” Tong Yan thought it was all a bit too suggestive, being in his grandfather's kitchen in the middle of the night.
“There’s another way.” Gu Pingsheng poked a hole in a dumpling with his chopsticks. “This is probably easier.”
Tong Yan bit the end of her chopsticks, staring at him in amusement.
Why hadn't he said that earlier…?
He lowered his head and continued eating.
Tong Yan loved watching him eat. He ate elegantly, but not in a pretentious way.
Whenever she watched him eat, she felt like her cooking was exceptionally delicious.
Famished, they quickly finished the dumplings and began washing the dishes. Gu Pingsheng took the lead, while Tong Yan dried the bowls with a clean cloth and carefully stacked them in the cupboard.
After all that, they had simply shared a meal. Now it was time to take her home.
Since it was late, and worried about finding a taxi, Gu Pingsheng drove her home. As the car pulled up to her building, she suddenly felt reluctant to leave, making small talk to prolong their time together.
The car’s heater was on full blast. He was only wearing a shirt, the top two buttons undone. From her angle, she could see the edge of his tattoo peeking through. She had never seen the full design and, curious, pointed to his shoulder. “Your tattoo… it goes from your forearm to your shoulder. What’s the full picture?”
He followed her finger and glanced down. “I’d have to take my shirt off for you to see the whole thing.”
Tong Yan blinked, then blinked again, blushing furiously.
She swore she hadn't meant it that way! She absolutely hadn’t been trying to take advantage of him…
Gu Pingsheng saw right through her and lightly flicked her forehead. “What are you thinking about?”
Rubbing her forehead, she suddenly remembered Gu Pingfan’s words. “I was thinking… you never answered my question.”
“Which one?”
“About your ex.” Her curiosity overshadowed her jealousy. “Your cousin said she was… blonde? And beautiful?”
He seemed surprised by the sudden change of subject and paused, as if recalling a distant memory. “She was, I suppose. But that was a long time ago.”
Apart from international students and foreign teachers at the university, she hadn’t had much interaction with foreigners, let alone a blonde bombshell. She tried to picture a scene from a Western TV show with Gu Pingsheng as the lead, but it just felt… wrong. “Why do you say ‘a long time ago’?”
Had he been heartbroken?
“Pingfan saw her when I was in high school,” he began explaining earnestly. “Back then, I was young, and for a few years, I was quite interested in girls. Then I suddenly found it all rather bothersome and started focusing on other things.”
“High school?” Tong Yan thought for a moment. “That was ages ago.”
No wonder he had been so honest about his lack of dating experience on their first date, ending up taking her to Mass… She smiled, adjusting the air vent so the warm air blew on her hands.
“What about your first love?” she asked persistently. “Do you remember her?”
“She was Chinese,” he gave a brief answer, smiling slightly as he unbuckled her seatbelt. “Satisfied?”
Hardly.
She narrowed her eyes, realizing she was torturing herself. See? Jealous again.
And it was her own fault.
Tong Yan glanced at his watch; it was 11:15.
“I’m free this break,” she leaned against the passenger seat, looking at him. “What about you?” The whole evening felt rather anticlimactic. She had skipped dinner and rushed to his neighborhood, spent hours charging her phone in a bakery, and in the end, they had only been together for less than an hour, sharing a plate of dumplings…
Yet, despite all that, the evening had soothed her anxieties.
Looking at him, she felt that nothing else mattered, as long as they were together.
“After these next few days, I’ll be free too,” he reached into the backseat and handed her her down jacket. “So, whenever you’re free to meet, just let me know.”
She hummed in agreement, taking the jacket and putting it on. Just as she was about to say something, she heard a light tap on the car window behind her.
Tong Yan turned around, her heart leaping into her throat.
Her grandmother, unnoticed by either of them, had come downstairs and was now standing by her car door. Neither of them had noticed her until she knocked. Gu Pingsheng murmured for her to get out, and Tong Yan, startled, opened the car door. “Grandma, what are you doing here? It’s so cold…”
Her grandmother’s expression was serious.
After adjusting Tong Yan's hood, she looked at Gu Pingsheng, who had just gotten out of the car on the other side. “Teacher Gu, do you have a moment to talk?”
Gu Pingsheng had followed Tong Yan out of the car, still without his coat. In the biting wind, his shirt billowed around him, but he made no move to retrieve his jacket from the car. He simply nodded. “Of course. Would you prefer to talk here, or should we go upstairs?”
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