Gu Qianying was perfectly fine, her exclamation of surprise merely a casual remark. Seeing Su Cheng's anxiety, she quickly began to comfort him.
"I'm alright. I was just lost in thought while walking and didn't notice you were here. See, there's nothing wrong with me, is there?"
Seeing that she was indeed in good spirits, Su Cheng finally relaxed. He then brought out the hand he had kept behind his back.
Lying in his palm was a piece of food wrapped in parchment paper.
"Here, for you."
Su Cheng's voice was hesitant, but Gu Qianying was quite surprised.
"Did you make these pastries?" As he peeled away the outer wrapper, several beautifully shaped cakes were revealed inside.
Su Cheng hastily placed the pastries into Gu Qianying's hand. "I made these myself. They're made with osmanthus, with a very fresh, sweet fragrance. I saw you eating very little during meals, so I thought you must be hungry at this hour and brought them over for you."
He was unusually talkative, and a blush crept onto his face.
Gu Qianying truly couldn't imagine that such a man could be so skillful. Smelling the fresh fragrance emanating from the pastries, they were truly mouth-watering.
"Oh, and there's a portion for your assistant too."
So he hadn't just made one for her; knowing that Xiao Yihao liked pastries, he had actually brought him a portion as well.
Gu Qianying picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. A rich, fresh flavor instantly filled her palate.
"These are delicious. Your skills are excellent." She didn't hold back her praise, which made Su Cheng even more embarrassed.
"By the way, how do you know how to make pastries? Aren't these mostly the kind of delicate things women make?" Gu Qianying asked, a little curious.
"My mother was most skilled at making pastries. When I was little, because I was a girl, she taught me a lot. Later, before my mother passed away, she only liked to eat these pastries, saying she liked that flavor. So I often made them, and naturally became familiar with it."
So that was the reason. Gu Qianying felt apologetic for her presumptuousness, while Su Cheng seemed quite at ease.
"Mother has gone to enjoy her blessings. I am happy."
He was such an optimistic and open-minded person. In this country, and with such a family background, to have grown into such a refined gentleman spoke volumes about his innate character.
To avoid any misunderstandings, after a few pleasantries, Gu Qianying prepared to leave.
"Miss Gu, please go ahead."
Su Cheng offered to see Gu Qianying off, but he did not leave the spot. Instead, he hid to the side, watching her retreating figure.
A faint sense of familiarity stirred within him, as if he had known this Miss Gu for a long time. Only after Gu Qianying's figure disappeared from view did he move to leave.
Beneath the shade of the trees, in a pavilion, a pair of figures suddenly appeared. The shadowy forms gradually solidified into Nangong Mo's master and the young immortal attendant.
The two watched the pair walking northward, their gazes lingering for a long time before they finally withdrew them.
"Master, Senior Brother has met Miss Gu again."
The elder stroked his beard, his eyes filled with a gentle light.
"Yes, after so many twists and turns, even in another lifetime, they will still meet."
The young immortal attendant also smiled, but his gaze suddenly sharpened.
"But Master, why do I feel that Miss Gu's divine consciousness is a little strange? It's as if she remembers Senior Brother's affairs from his previous life."
As immortals, they were able to perceive the consciousness of mortals.
Although they had only observed from the shadows for a short while, as an immortal child, he had sensed it.
The elder gently patted his head.
"As the saying goes, 'See through but do not speak.' The destiny of these two, ah, cannot be separated."
With that, his figure vanished. The young immortal attendant seemed to understand, nodded, and then also disappeared into the air.
At this moment, the air here suddenly began to swirl, stirring the leaves to flutter up and down. In a short while, a dark shadow appeared within the vortex.
"So you are Nangong Mo. Hehehe, you've made this seat search for a long time. This time, after so many years, I've finally found you. Let's see where else you can escape."
The man in black muttered to himself in the direction Su Cheng had left, as if he had finally found a long-sought treasure.
He glanced towards the direction where the elder and the immortal child had disappeared, his eyes narrowing.
"Old man, do you think you can protect him like this? How laughable, hahahaha."
The dark shadow laughed up at the sky and then gradually vanished into the vortex.
The leaves slowly drifted down, and the courtyard returned to its peaceful state.
Gu Qianying returned to her residence with the pastries. She was in good spirits today, a faint smile gracing her face.
Seeing that his mother had returned after such a long time, Xiao Yihao rushed out. Upon seeing the pastries in Gu Qianying's hand, he looked at them with a questioning expression.
"This, Brother Su Cheng made it for you himself."
On the way back, Gu Qianying had already finished her portion.
Although Xiao Yihao was a child and wouldn't think too much, Duan Xifeng was a big talker. If he saw that he also had a portion of pastries, he would surely ask endless questions, and if it spread around, she would truly become the subject of gossip.
Seeing that it was food, and that Brother Su Cheng had made it for him, Xiao Yihao happily took the pastries.
However, he wasn't one to hoard his treats. He didn't forget to take out two pieces to share with his mother and uncle.
Gu Qianying was already quite full from her own portion, so she couldn't eat any more and pushed them to Duan Xifeng.
"This young man looks so refined, I never would have thought he could make things like this."
Duan Xifeng ate two pieces and still managed to snatch another one from Xiao Yihao.
Xiao Yihao's mouth was stuffed full, and he didn't argue with his uncle, constantly praising how delicious the pastries were.
"Mother, let's be good friends with Brother Su Cheng. These are too delicious. I want Brother Su Cheng to make them often from now on."
Seeing the little one calling out "Brother" for every delicious thing he had, Duan Xifeng patted his little head.
"Are you won over by these small pastries? I've been so diligently following you around, why haven't you ever called me so affectionately?"
At this moment, Duan Xifeng was actually feeling a bit jealous.
He did indeed have a vague feeling that Gu Qianying and Xiao Yihao were unusually fond of that Su Cheng, and even he himself sometimes felt a sense of familiarity towards that person.
Duan Xifeng shook his head. What interest could a man have in another man?
Feeling that he must be confused, he returned the pastry he had just snatched from Xiao Yihao and turned back into the house.
Gu Qianying and Xiao Yihao exchanged a glance.
"What's gotten into him?" Gu Qianying asked, puzzled. Xiao Yihao shrugged.
"I don't care about him. Yihao likes these foods, and likes Brother Su Cheng, hehe."
Happily hugging the pastries, he walked back into the house while eating them. Gu Qianying followed him inside.