Especially Fond of You

Chapter 27(A, Gu Lin’s Perspective)

Gu Lin thought Wang Miao was adorably silly.

Of course, this wasn't meant as an insult; he just felt that "cute" wasn't enough to describe her endearing foolishness.

For example, she could space out and bite her lip until it bled.

Or she could watch a play and get so engrossed that while others were laughing, she felt sad for the characters.

The play they watched was a slapstick comedy, but from the moment the male and female leads divorced, Wang Miao's expression never brightened. Especially when the male lead visited the female lead during the New Year and learned she was dating someone new—Wang Miao looked like she was about to cry.

Despite being a mature adult, she couldn't bear to watch breakups. Gu Lin couldn't understand this, but he silently resolved never to break up with her lightly, not wanting her to experience that kind of sadness.

She liked him so much; if he broke up with her, she would be heartbroken.

Gu Lin suddenly remembered his previous girlfriends. Not everyone was playful and carefree, and not all breakups were straightforward. He recalled a girl who told him breaking up was a spur-of-the-moment decision, hoping he would coax her, only for him to actually break up and quickly move on with someone else before she could recover.

He realized how wrong he had been. When he began to seriously treat relationships, he found he had made many mistakes in the past that he couldn't make up for. All the remorse and care he felt could only be directed at the person in front of him now.

Gu Lin glanced at Wang Miao, silently making a vow: he would give Wang Miao three chances to say she wanted to break up. If she ever did, he would assume she was speaking out of anger and wanted to be comforted.

Perhaps past regrets taught him to grow, so when he met someone as perfect and suitable as Wang Miao, he wouldn't make any more mistakes.

After the play, Gu Lin yawned, and Wang Miao suggested going home instead of eating out when she saw him.

Facing his considerate girlfriend, Gu Lin felt an inexplicable urge to act childish. So while saying they should go out, he exaggerated his fatigue just to see her caring and gentle concern.

Gu Lin thought he was being very immature.

But he couldn't help but act even more childish.

So they could become a pair of adorably silly lovers.

When they arrived home, Gu Er and Gu San San rushed to greet them, and Gu Lin truly felt a sense of "home." He rarely brought girlfriends home; only Shen Lingxin got along well with Gu Er, often feeding the dog for him. Sometimes he wondered if he had a hard time letting go of Shen Lingxin because Gu Er liked her the most.

Watching Gu San San nap on Wang Miao's lap while she leaned on his shoulder, Gu Lin felt a happiness that words couldn't express.

Especially when Wang Miao looked at him with her dazed eyes, he felt cherished.

He had an impulse to grow old with Wang Miao. Though it sounded corny, the thought of spending a lifetime together seemed beautiful.

Gu Lin went into the room and opened a compartment in his suitcase. Inside were two velvet boxes, one large and one small. The larger one contained the bracelet from his mom; the smaller one had a ring he had prepared.

He held the small box in his hand, looking at it from all angles. The room was so quiet he could hear his heartbeat, steady and strong.

He silently rehearsed his lines: "Maybe we don't know each other well enough yet. Would you give me a chance to spend decades getting to know you?"

It sounded good on the plane last night, watching the flickering lights outside. But now, saying it out loud felt cheesy and awkward.

Gu Lin thought it might be better to take Wang Miao to see a plane take off one evening and say these words in that setting.

Rejecting his original lines, he racked his brain for new ones, growing more anxious and blank the harder he tried.

Feeling like he had wasted an eternity, with Wang Miao probably growing impatient, Gu Lin reluctantly put the small box back and took out the larger one.

Clearing his throat to make his voice sound deeper, he called Wang Miao in to see the bracelet.

Casually, he said, "My mom's gift for you."

Wang Miao responded, "Thank you, Auntie."

What?

Gu Lin awkwardly replied, "You're welcome. As long as you like it."

Wang Miao gave him a strange look, "I'm thanking your mom. Why are you responding?"

Gu Lin ruffled her hair, "There's no 'auntie' here. Why be so formal?"

He watched as she carefully packed the bracelet away, not showing the excitement or joy he had hoped for—certainly not the intense gaze she had given him earlier.

Gu Lin's heart stirred. Holding her head, he leaned closer, "Did you think this was a ring?"

Wang Miao pouted and didn't answer.

Gu Lin was even more certain now and laughed, his eyes bending with amusement, "You're silly. How big would a ring box need to be to fit in this big box? A pigeon egg?"

Wang Miao continued pouting, not speaking.

Gu Lin couldn't resist teasing her, "I can't even afford a house, let alone a pigeon egg. You think I'm silly?"

Wang Miao hit his shoulder with the box, not hard but with a large motion, "You're silly! I'm smart!"

"Woof, woof, woof!" Gu Er, loyal to his owner, posed to fight Wang Miao.

Gu Lin quickly scolded it, "Lie down! Gu Er! No barking!"

Gu Er whimpered, circling Gu Lin once and barked at Wang Miao a few more times before being sent to the balcony.

Watching Wang Miao's angry face, Gu Lin realized he had gone too far. She was thin-skinned, and he had spoken too bluntly. He was a bit too pleased with himself, thinking that he wasn't the only one feeling awkward about marriage—she was too.

He sat on the couch, covering the shoulder she had hit, frowning in mock pain.

Wang Miao stood by, unsure if he was really hurt. Finally, she sat beside him, poking his arm, "Does it hurt that much? I didn't use much force."

Gu Lin hissed, "The edges of the box are sharp. Even a light touch can hurt."

"Oh... so are you okay?"

"There's definitely some bruising." Gu Lin didn't dare make up a broken bone.

Wang Miao wasn't as easy to fool as he thought, "Bruising just means it turned blue. I get that from scratching a mosquito bite too hard!"

Gu Lin found Wang Miao equally fun when she wasn't compliant, like a small animal with its fur standing on end, arguing with him. He remembered the first time he met her; she had suspected he was a marriage scammer and had questioned him sharply. Even then, he thought she was insightful.

Whatever her thoughts, he liked her from the start.

Seeing no way to win the argument, Gu Lin decided to play the fool. Kicking off his shoes, he lay down on Wang Miao's lap, pretending to be injured, "I can't move. My arm's broken."

Wang Miao pointed at his shoulder, "Get up!"

"I can't. I can't move."

"You're lying!"

"No lie. I'm a professional orthopedic doctor. You can't see it, but I can feel it. It's a serious internal injury."

Holding back a smile, Gu Lin lay on Wang Miao's lap, spouting nonsense. When she didn't respond, he opened his eyes to see her holding Gu San San over his face, whispering to it, trying to make it pee on him.

Gu Lin quickly sat up, grabbing Gu San San, "What are you doing?"

Wang Miao just smiled mischievously, making Gu Lin itch with frustration and affection.

That itch didn't go away even after dinner.

Feigning reluctance, he offered to take Wang Miao home, continuing his act of being too tired, hoping to garner her sympathy, "Do you have class tomorrow?"

Wang Miao shook her head, "No classes for the next couple of days. I have to go on a lecture tour next week."

"Oh, no class." Gu Lin was pleased, focusing on the first part, "Why don't you stay over tonight? It's late, and I don't feel safe letting you go home alone."

He saw Wang Miao blush.

Quickly adding, "If you don't want to stay, I can call a cab for you."

Wang Miao took out her phone, saying she needed to inform her mom.

Such a good girl.

Gu Lin sat beside her, listening to her call her mom, "Mom, I'm staying at a friend's place tonight."

Whether it was the phone's speaker or her mom's loud voice, Gu Lin clearly heard the response, "No! Are you at Xiao Gu's place? Don't stay over. Come home now!"

Wang Miao bit her lip, "No, I'm at a girlfriend's place."

"Don't try to fool me!" Her mom's voice was strong, "Xiwen said you went to the theater with Gu Lin this afternoon!"

"We saw the play, and then I went to Tao Tao's place."

Gu Lin, hearing Wang Miao lie for him, felt bad. This good girl probably never lied to her mom. He squeezed her hand, mouthing for her to give in. Wang Miao finally relented, "Okay, I'll come home."

After hanging up, Gu Lin, though disappointed, remained gracious, "Alright, I'll call a cab for you."

He couldn't suddenly be full of energy and drive her himself after hearing her mom's strong objections.

His plan was to visit

her family in the next few days, to discuss their parents' ideas about their relationship, but work suddenly got busy with some awards evaluation.

Before he could visit, Wang Miao had already left for her trip.

Gu Lin had assumed her educational institution would send a team for such events, but she told him she was going alone, with local staff handling the venue, equipment, and materials. She just needed to lecture.

Gu Lin couldn't relax, "It's dangerous for a girl to travel alone."

"I'm twenty-seven, not a kid. Besides, I'm used to traveling for work. It's not that dangerous." Wang Miao sounded nonchalant.

"No matter your age or experience, it's always dangerous for a woman to travel alone. Call it macho if you want, but I think you're fragile and silly. Don't take these solo trips anymore, no matter how much they pay." Gu Lin was serious, "Listen to me, and I'll buy you a diamond ring."

Wang Miao laughed, "One I can eat?"

"Yes, I can't afford a real one." Gu Lin joked about being poor but repeated, "Seriously, don't take these jobs. I worry."

Wang Miao hesitated for a long time before agreeing, "Okay, but travel allowances are high. One ring isn't enough; you owe me a set."

Gu Lin promised, "I'll get you a whole pot."