Chapter 198: Chapter 198: You’ve been moved by me and fallen in love with me
While eating, Gu Yan suddenly looked up at Tang Yuxiu with a puzzled expression.
"Boss, why are you eating quietly on the sofa today? Have you changed your ways?"
Gu Yan felt bewildered. No way, how could someone like him change so easily? Unless the sun rises from the west!
When Tang Yuxiu heard this, his chopsticks paused momentarily. If Gu Yan hadn’t mentioned it, he really wouldn’t have noticed that he was eating in this silly place again!
He immediately glared at Gu Yan, picked up his lunchbox, and got up to head to the dining room to eat alone.
Gu Yan secretly complained, indeed, still the same personality, obsessively neat and compulsive.
Isn’t eating on the coffee table great? You can watch TV, and the soft carpet is cozy.
The key is, all the dishes are here, hahahaha!
Gu Yan ate joyfully, occasionally glancing at Young Master Tang in the dining room.
Once Young Master Tang sat at the dining table, he took a couple of bites and realized there were no dishes in his lunchbox!
Young Master Tang was angry and infinitely depressed.
He had come to the dining room with such dignity, how could he possibly go back to get the dishes!
Such a thing would hurt his style and dignity; he definitely wouldn’t do it.
But only eating plain rice was really hard to swallow. A young master from a wealthy family, when did he ever have such a meager breakfast with only white rice?
Young Master Tang gritted his teeth in silent struggle between going and not going.
While his heart was waging an inner battle, a dish was placed in front of him, followed by another.
He looked up and saw Gu Yan with half of her face swollen.
It looked slightly less swollen than yesterday, but it was still pretty unsightly.
After placing down the two dishes, Gu Yan ran back to the living room to bring the remaining dish and her own lunchbox, sitting across from him.
"I think eating should be done in the dining area," she said to Tang Yuxiu, who was now staring at her.
Young Master Tang lightly snorted in his heart, mouth rigid.
Clearly, she came over just to bring dishes for him to eat.
Hmm, he found Gu Yan much more adorable now, even with a swollen face, she wasn’t hard to look at!
Gu Yan swallowed a mouthful of rice, looked up, feigning anger, "Don’t keep looking at me like that; I’ll think you’ve been moved and fallen for me."
It was obviously a casual joke, but her heart fluttered because of it.
If he really liked her, wouldn’t that be great? At least she wouldn’t be performing a one-woman show in this never-to-begin romance.
Gu Yan felt a slight bitterness in her heart. He was going to get engaged; how could he possibly like her?
Compared to her, Nie Rong had better family background, looks, and figure, and she was so gentle and considerate. She was the future daughter-in-law recognized by the Tang Family, and any man would choose her.
They were the legitimate match.
Tang Yuxiu paused slightly in expression, then suddenly spoke, "Yes, correct."
Heaven knows, for a usually unflappable Young Master Tang, his heart tightened as he said those three words.
He could freely admit his feelings for Gu Yan in front of anyone, but in front of her, he hesitated.
Because he wasn’t sure of her thoughts, and because he was afraid his pride would be trampled by this woman.
Because he feared being ridiculed; once he admitted his feelings, he would lose miserably in this game of pursuit.
He and Gu Yan were similar, both apprehensive, always thinking they were the losing party, believing the other wouldn’t like them, wouldn’t have feelings for them, so they never easily expressed their feelings, cautiously hiding them in front of each other.
Yet little did they know, they were always just one step away.
Listening to Tang Yuxiu’s reply, Gu Yan blinked, a bit unable to react, looking dazed.
"What did you say?"
Young Master Tang continued eating his breakfast calmly, "I’ll say it only once. Once it’s said, it’s gone; recall it yourself."
Even in such a moment, he appeared very proud.
"Would saying it again kill you?"
"It won’t." He replied the same way, making Gu Yan want to slap him.
Clearly it was supposed to be a touching scene, so why did it turn into such an unromantic conversation?
Are these two inherently incompatible with the concept of romance!
Gu Yan lowered her head, staring dazedly at her lunchbox in front of her. She heard what Tang Yuxiu said, but found it incredible and thought she must have misheard.
Why would he confirm her words with such certainty?
Was it a direct admission that he was moved and fell for her?
Tang Yuxiu liked her?
No matter how she thought about it, it felt like a fairy tale.
What was good about her? How could someone as picky, fastidious, and proud as Tang Yuxiu like such an ordinary woman?
Was it because she was kidnapped yesterday and he was worried she hadn’t gotten over it, afraid she couldn’t get married, so he was saying such things to comfort her?
But Tang Yuxiu wasn’t the type with extra sympathy to spare for her; he never did unnecessary things.
Gu Yan couldn’t believe she misheard due to being hard of hearing.
"What are you thinking about?" Tang Yuxiu asked, noticing she kept her head down and didn’t speak.
Gu Yan replied sullenly, "I’m thinking I’m already hard of hearing and need to see a doctor."
"Hm?" Tang Yuxiu was slightly stunned, "What do you mean?"
"Nothing much, even misunderstood a simple sentence, what else could it be if not hard of hearing."
Young Master Tang, "..."
Girl, can’t you have a little more confidence in yourself, thinking it’s true?
Or maybe, she didn’t want to face the truth he confessed, deliberately avoiding it.
This situation made Tang Yuxiu feel uncomfortable.
After much effort, he decided not to worry too much, awkwardly admitted it in front of her, and she turns around and claims she’s hard of hearing!
"Can’t you just narcissistically think you can ignore that aspect?" Young Master Tang’s voice, only he could hear the gritted teeth.
Damn it, this is the last time I’ll drop hints and give opportunities, if you don’t want to face it now, there won’t be another chance!
How embarrassing, good thing no one else is around.
Gu Yan still had a dazed look on her face, here it comes again, is this really something Tang Yuxiu would say?
Is the hearing loss worsening, beyond help?
Gu Yan put on a slight mournful face, "Seems serious, I always hear what I want to hear in your words, am I not just hard of hearing but also have overactive imagination?"
Hm?
Tang Yuxiu was surprised, these were not the two scenarios he imagined?
He thought, either Gu Yan continues to pretend she misunderstood, and this matter is brushed off, or she feels the same and happily confesses to him, and this affair is settled.
But now, it was nothing like he thought.
She couldn’t believe what she heard but told him it was what she wanted to hear.
A bit contradictory, but at least Young Master Tang understood the meaning in her words.
She didn’t have no feelings for him; she also hoped he would like her.
So, he wasn’t just one-sidedly in love?
He thought to himself, how could he, such a charming man, fail to win over Gu Yan’s heart?
Young Master Tang was inwardly proudly narcissistic.
"Gu Yan, you’re not hard of hearing, nor do you have an overactive imagination," Tang Yuxiu said.
Gu Yan asked blankly, "So what I heard is true?"
"Yes." Tang Yuxiu responded, a light blush tinging his ears.
"How can that be." Gu Yan still couldn’t quite believe it.
"Why not?" Tang Yuxiu retorted, feeling a bit uncomfortable inside, could she stop evading time and again?
"You have a fiancée." She said.
She couldn’t forget the company banquet where Chairman Tang announced the engagement.
Upon hearing this, Tang Yuxiu frowned slightly, "I don’t have a fiancée."
"Even if not engaged, it’s just a matter of time."
What the two families agreed upon is already a settled matter; Tang Yuxiu surely consented too, and that night, didn’t he stay out all night?
"If I don’t want to get engaged, no one can force me. I won’t have anything to do with Nie Rong."
"How is it unrelated? The night your engagement was announced, weren’t you with her? Moreover, it clearly showed it was agreed by both families, how could you not know? If you didn’t want to marry her, you should have refused beforehand, why would it come to the forefront?"
Gu Yan lifted her head to look directly into Tang Yuxiu’s eyes, making him momentarily at a loss.
"Yes, this was agreed upon by both families, but it was decided behind my back. I only knew they had planned such a thing when that moment arrived!"
Tang Yuxiu recalled the scene at that moment, truly feeling aggrieved. They planned it so well that, in such a situation, they calculated he could not refuse. If he opposed, it would affect the Tang and Nie Families; he couldn’t care less about the Nie Family, but the Tang Family had his efforts, he couldn’t let it be destroyed because of this!
That was probably the first time he had been schemed against by his own family without any power to fight back!
He hated being schemed against, even by his own family. Just because he didn’t object then doesn’t mean he was going to obediently compromise.
This marriage, as long as he didn’t want it, he thought it couldn’t happen!
The one he wanted to get engaged to was definitely not Nie Rong!
Tang Yuxiu’s explanation left Gu Yan stunned; was it really like that?
"Then why were you with Nie Rong that night, even if you were caught off guard, you must have been willing inside!" Gu Yan said, anger rising in her heart, feeling displeased.
What is this now, on the one hand being cozy with Nie Rong, while on the other confessing to her, does he think he can enjoy the best of both worlds?
Gu Yan was furious, she wouldn’t let him have his way!
However, Tang Yuxiu wasn’t happy with Gu Yan’s misunderstanding of him, "Like hell I was willing! Who gets schemed and just joyfully accepts it? Especially when I have no feelings for Nie Rong at all!"
"Then what did you do together all night?" Gu Yan questioned, not caring whether it was appropriate anymore.
Tang Yuxiu was momentarily stalled, recalling that morning waking up next to Nie Rong and the striking red on the sheets...