20: Chapter 20 The Insignificant Character in a Pampered Novel 20

By the time they finished the movie, they had already missed dinner. Although Xu Zhao said she wasn't hungry, Gu Yunjing still bought bags and bags of snacks and escorted her to the hotel entrance.

Gu Yunjing remained silent throughout the journey. It wasn't until they reached the hotel door that Xu Zhao reached out to take the snack bags from him, but he pulled them away.

Xu Zhao raised an eyebrow. What? Was he reluctant to let go?

"Zhao Zhao—" These two burning words rolled on the tip of his tongue before he finally spoke them. He had actually wanted to call her that for a long time. Why was it that they could all call her Zhao Zhao, yet he still called her Xu Zhao so formally?

"Hmm?" Xu Zhao didn't pay any mind to the change in how he addressed her.

"You still haven't said how I'm different."

Only then did Xu Zhao remember the topic that had been interrupted back at Yuming Pavilion.

She thought about it seriously and answered sincerely, "The old you had a bit of a quick temper and lacked patience. The current you seems to have settled down; your character has become more steady, making it hard to see what you're thinking."

"Then do you think the old me is better, or the current me?" Actually, what Gu Yunjing really wanted to ask was whether she liked the old him or the current him, but he didn't dare.

Xu Zhao gave a faint smile. "Whether it's the old you or the current you, they're both you. Gu Yunjing, you've always been a very good person who makes others feel warm."

If he wasn't good, how could he have reached out to a stranger mired in the mud?

To the Wisher, he was a beam of light in her life; to Zhao Yan, he was simple and pure, someone who easily inspired good feelings.

Gu Yunjing's face flushed slightly from the earnestness in her eyes. It was the first time he had ever heard someone describe him as warm.

"Since I'm so good, then I'll give myself to you. Accept me, okay?"

His magnetic, slightly husky voice struck her eardrums, shattering Xu Zhao's reason into pieces. Her smile froze on her face as she stared blankly at the man before her. His gaze had never been as fiery as it was now, carrying a reckless determination while also hiding a cautious fear.

"If I really am a warm person, then from now on, I will only be warm for you, okay?"

She blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.

Her vocabulary was so depleted that she couldn't even find a reason to refuse.

1105 was so excited it practically wanted to howl. This was a grand confession scene!

1105: [Why refuse? Little Jing is so great. He didn't even put himself on an equal footing to tell you he likes you; he just straight up gave himself to you as a gift.]

Annoyed at being confessed to while also being eavesdropped on, Xu Zhao locked the system into the small dark room again.

Xu Zhao steadied her mind and said softly, "Gu Yunjing, is it possible that your feelings for me are gratitude and not love, just like Zhou Chi and Cheng Yi?"

"The mere thought of anything about you makes the corners of my mouth curl up unconsciously. Every time I speak with you, I'm as nervous as if I'm taking an exam, feeling like I haven't performed well. It's been four years; this isn't a whim, nor is it a calculation of pros and cons. When I see you, I blush, my heart races, and I don't dare to look you in the eye. Zhao Zhao, would you call that gratitude or love?"

Under his relentless and unwavering gaze, Xu Zhao didn't dare to speak against her heart and had to nod stubbornly. "It seems like love."

"Yes, it is love." Gu Yunjing's calm eyes instantly lit up.

"So, Zhao Zhao, I like you."

Gu Yunjing was a soldier, and soldiers valued being resolute and vigorous—locking onto a target, silently deploying, and then striking with a single blow.

With this exchange of questions and answers, hadn't he just trapped her?

"But I didn't plan on dating. I just returned to the country, my research project has just started, and there are so many things, I..."

"You have your work, and I have my duties. I am not a burden to you; I am willing to grow together with you."

"You develop technology, and I defend the country. We are both serving our nation. Our goals are the same, our paces are unified, and our feelings are highly compatible. Isn't this the perfect model of a talented man and a beautiful woman, a wife leading and a husband following, in perfect harmony?"

They were simply a perfect match, Gu Yunjing thought silently to himself.

"Zhao Zhao, you love doing research, and I will be your strongest support. Whatever you want to do, just do it. You're also familiar with my parents and grandparents; they all like you very much. I guarantee there will be absolutely no family conflict. My mom is a research fanatic, so you two will have plenty to talk about; your status in her heart far exceeds mine. My father and grandparents feel that I don't even deserve you."

"If we are together, there will be no burden, only a few more people who love you as much as I do."

"The only issue now is your attitude. Do you hate me?"

His gaze was burning yet cautious, fearing he might scare her away, yet also afraid that if he didn't speak clearly, she wouldn't understand his heart.

Who could withstand such pressure?

This wasn't a case of 'not performing well' or 'not daring to look'; this was clearly a long-planned, exceptional performance. The key was that Xu Zhao shamefully felt her heart flutter.

"I don't hate you." She even liked him a little. "Then... how about we try?"

"Zhao Zhao, feelings are like your scientific research. Would you conduct research with the attitude of just 'trying'?"

Xu Zhao instinctively shook her head. In scientific research, one had to be honest and meticulous; there was no room for sloppiness or falsehood. One's attitude had to be correct.

"It's the same with feelings. You can't approach them with the attitude of just 'trying'."

Xu Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I will take it seriously."

Gu Yunjing's hands, which had been clenched into fists at his sides, suddenly relaxed.

His face, which had been tense from the start, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. In that moment, the face that had just been speaking with righteous severity and serious logic suddenly broke into a massive smile. He was already handsome, but now that he grinned, he was as dazzlingly bright as a little sun.

"Then I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning. You haven't been back in a long time, so we'll tour City A. In the evening, Grandpa wants me to bring you home for dinner."

Xu Zhao was somewhat dumbfounded. Touring was fine, but going home for dinner so soon—wasn't that a bit too fast?

Even as she thought it, she spoke the words aloud.

Gu Yunjing smiled even more happily. "It's just a simple meal. They haven't seen you in three years and miss you very much."

"What's wrong? Do you already have the awareness of meeting the parents? My little fairy."

Xu Zhao blushed at his words, which was rare for her. How was he not shy at all now? Earlier in the cinema, when she had accidentally seen this WeChat nickname, he hadn't reacted like this; he had been so pure then.

She wasn't a fairy; she was a Resentment Dispeller, existing beyond the three realms.

Meeting them was fine. Back when she was tutoring Gu Yunjing, she had seen the Gu Family members often, and they were indeed very good people.

Grandpa Gu was serious and upright. He was a respected veteran of the Red Army who had participated in many major battles with outstanding performance—a true hero.

Grandma Gu was elegant and noble. She was originally a young lady from a prominent family with six brothers, all of whom had died for the country. She had resolutely abandoned her studies to go to the front lines as a nurse, where she even saved Grandpa when he was heavily wounded on the battlefield. Later, she donated all her family assets to the state to help develop the economy.

Grandpa Gu had been injured in his early years and spent a long time recuperating. It wasn't until he was middle-aged that he had an only son, Gu's father. Instead of spoiling him, he was strict in every aspect, placing high hopes on him to serve the country. Influenced by this upbringing, Gu's father lived up to expectations, got into a military academy, and met the equally outstanding Gu's mother there.

Gu's mother came from a poor background but was constantly striving for self-improvement. Relying entirely on her own abilities, she made her way out of the remote mountains to become the highest-ranking female expert at the Huaguo Aerospace Research Institute.

It was likely because of such a family that someone like Gu Yunjing was raised.

Even if she hadn't come along, Gu Yunjing's academic performance might not have improved much, but given his character, his life in his past life probably wouldn't have been too bad either.

Hearing him mention them, Xu Zhao also missed the Gu Family a bit.

"Actually, I miss your mother too." Xu Zhao rubbed her nose. Gu's mother was rich in academic knowledge, and every time they video chatted, it was very fulfilling. "We'll go for a walk tomorrow morning to buy some gifts, and then we'll go to the Gu Family home for dinner in the evening."

At this moment, Gu Yunjing felt deeply that his own mother was definitely a god-tier wingman on his path to pursuing his wife.

...

On the other side, Li Yan had also returned to the Li Family home to report to the old master of the Li Family that he had graduated, with only the physical diploma left to collect.

With his grandson having graduated from a prestigious university in Country M and returned home after completing his studies, the old master of the Li Family was delighted, clearly dismissing Li Yan's past actions as the youthful frivolity of an ignorant boy.

Taking advantage of his grandfather's good mood, Li Yan seized the opportunity to bring up the matter of injecting capital into the Xu Corporation. However, he didn't say he was going to help the Xu Corporation resolve its crisis, but rather that he wanted to take the opportunity to annex it.

Indeed, in Li Yan's heart, the men of the Xu Family were all useless. Back then, when Xu Zhao was being bullied at school, they didn't even dare to make a sound. In that case, it would be better to let Jiao Jiao inherit the Xu Corporation.

Since he was certain that Jiao Jiao was his true love, the Xu Corporation would indirectly be his. Jiao Jiao loved him so much that she surely wouldn't mind.

Having just returned to the country, the halo of being a top student from a prestigious university wasn't enough; he also needed to achieve his own successes. What could be better than taking down the prize of the Xu Corporation in one fell swoop right after returning?

Li Yan didn't know that the Xu Corporation was no longer the second-rate family of years past. Even if he did know, he wouldn't care; even a small mosquito is still meat.

Therefore, he poured out all his thoughts to the old man, hoping that Zongheng would provide the funds to help him successfully take down the Xu Family.

The old man listened with surging excitement, nodding repeatedly. He truly hadn't misjudged this eldest grandson; the boy was ambitious. With such ambition, why worry about not achieving great things?

Just as the grandfather and grandson were chatting excitedly, Li Shaoheng walked into the hall with steady steps.

One was an old man who had been retired for many years and spent his days teasing birds and walking dogs for fun, and the other was a narrow-minded young lad with high aims but low abilities. These two were sitting in the living room, blatantly discussing how to take money from his hands to bolster their own interests.

Was he dead, dead, or just dead?

How could they disregard him, the financier, to such an extent?

"After being abroad for so long, I didn't expect you to still be as much of a failure as ever."