Chapter 15(A, Gu Lin’s Perspective)
1893 Words
Gu Lin found Wang Miao adorable in both her stillness and her movements.
Her profile while waiting in the small flower shop and her expression when she swallowed and told him she didn’t want to kiss him made Gu Lin feel a deep affection.
After dropping Wang Miao off downstairs, he walked back alone. As he reached the entrance of the community, he ran into Wang Xiwen getting out of a taxi, accompanied by a man who should be Wang Miao’s elder brother.
Wang Xiwen greeted him happily and then turned to tell her dad, “That’s Auntie’s fiancé!”
Gu Lin repeated the title to himself before reacting, stepping forward to shake Wang Miao’s brother’s hand, “Hello, Brother, I’m Gu Lin.”
“Wang Jiming.” Wang’s elder brother shook his hand briefly before letting go, not bothering with formalities. “It’s late, get home early and be careful on the road.”
“Okay, goodbye, Brother, goodbye, Xiwen.” Gu Lin smiled and said goodbye to them, then got into his car and exhaled deeply. Wang Miao wasn’t wrong; her brother did indeed have an imposing presence, even more so than her father.
Thinking of Wang Miao, he remembered the scene when he dropped her off earlier. She had stood with her arms crossed and boldly said, “Come here, I want to kiss you,” which made him feel a strong attraction.
She must really like him, so much so that she couldn’t even be shy about wanting to be close to him.
Her waist was so soft and slender, hugging her felt like holding a pillow. She clumsily kissed his mouth, not knowing what to do next, and when he tried to deepen the kiss, she got scared and backed away.
She looked around nervously like a guilty thief.
Although there were just passersby, he originally intended to continue but gave up seeing how nervous she was.
Thinking about that gentle kiss a while ago, Gu Lin cheerfully whistled, fastened his seatbelt, and drove home.
When he opened the door, Gu Er was more enthusiastic than usual, wagging his tail with his leash in his mouth, wanting to go out.
Gu Lin felt guilty for not taking him out today, so without even changing his shoes, he leashed Gu Er and took him downstairs.
Normally, Gu Er would cower into Gu Lin’s arms in the elevator, but today he was listless and unresponsive. However, as soon as they stepped outside, he suddenly became excited and bolted forward.
Gu Lin almost got dragged down, yelling Gu Er’s name to scold him, but Gu Er paid no heed, continuing to run wildly. Gu Lin didn’t dare let go; if he did, the dog would surely disappear. But he couldn’t withstand Gu Er’s sudden surges of strength, and eventually watched helplessly as he slipped out of his leash and darted away like the wind.
Gu Lin angrily threw down the leash. The clasp on this one had been chewed through by Gu Er, and he usually used another leash to take him out. Today, the dog had acted so urgently that he didn’t think much and used this one, only to be outsmarted.
Gu Lin strode in the direction Gu Er had escaped, calling out, “Gu Er, come back for your chicken strips! Your favorite chicken strips! Gu Er! Hey, Gu Er!”
He called all the way, growing anxious, worried that Gu Er might run out of the community and get hit by a car, get caught and cooked, or be taken by the shelter. He had adopted Gu Er from a shelter; if he had arrived two days later, Gu Er might have been euthanized.
This dumb dog, why doesn’t he ever learn?
“Woo-woo~”
A sound came from behind a bush. Gu Lin perked up his ears; it sounded like Gu Er. He called out gently, “Gu Er, come here.”
The branches rustled, and Gu Er’s plump body emerged between two holly bushes. Gu Lin crouched down and patted his head, “Good boy, I’m not mad. Let’s put the leash on and no more mischief.”
Gu Er licked his hand, seeming to make amends, then turned back into the bush. After a moment, he emerged with something in his mouth.
He came to Gu Lin, dropped it on the ground, and pushed it towards Gu Lin with his paw.
Gu Lin thought it was a mouse, but looking closer, he realized it was a tiny puppy.
The little puppy wobbled towards Gu Lin, opening its mouth to make a “ha” sound.
Gu Lin was stunned, pointing at the puppy and asking Gu Er, “Is this your kid?”
Gu Er turned his head away.
Gu Lin parted the bushes where Gu Er had come from, using his phone’s flashlight. The lawn behind was empty. He returned to question Gu Er, “Is it your kid or one you found? Look me in the eye! Don’t dodge!”
Gu Er nudged the puppy with his nose, and it made the “ha-ha” sound again.
Faced with their eager gazes, Gu Lin couldn’t bring himself to leave the puppy behind. He picked it up, “Another little male, huh?”
Gu Er joyfully circled Gu Lin, seemingly knowing that he would accept the little puppy.
When Gu Er had come home, he was already grown; Gu Lin had never cared for such a young pup and didn’t know if Gu Er’s hard dog food would be suitable. He remembered the food being quite hard.
He looked it up online, finding mixed advice. Finally, he boiled milk and eggs and mashed them for the puppy. Watching the little pup eat happily, Gu Lin nudged Gu Er with his foot, “When did you get into this mess? Where’s the mother?”
Gu Er grinned at him with his tongue out.
There was no way he couldn’t accept this new member.
Once the puppy was full and yawning on Gu Er’s sleeping pad, Gu Lin went to shower and get ready for bed. Lying down, he couldn’t sleep.
He should have taken the time to get Gu Er neutered long ago. What a headache. Where did this puppy come from? Is its mother a stray or a pet? Does it have siblings? Gu Er couldn’t answer any of this.
All he did was smile dumbly.
Gu Lin felt that Gu Er had been planning this for days, waiting until the puppy could walk before bringing it home.
Lost in these thoughts, Wang Miao called. She just said goodnight, but it stirred him. He suddenly wanted to hold her and kiss her again, have her lying beside him, talking about Gu Er’s new pup.
He had many thoughts but only said, “Let’s get engaged.”
Wang Miao seemed startled, silent for a while, then asked uncertainly, “Did your family pressure you?”
Gu Lin’s parents had always let him be, never pressuring him about anything. The most they asked was if he had a girlfriend, to which he always answered yes, and his mom would leave it at that.
He explained, “No, they didn’t. It’s just that I suddenly felt moved. I’m a grandfather now.”
“Huh?”
Gu Lin laughed and told her about Gu Er, “I think Gu San is probably his son.”
Wang Miao laughed too, “Can’t you put more thought into naming them? Gu Er, Gu San, they don’t sound good at all; the dogs might feel insulted.”
“It’s ranked by family status. I’m Gu Da, the highest, Gu Er second, and San San third.”
“What about me? Shouldn’t I have the highest status? Does that mean we have to change our order and names?”
Gu Lin laughed even more, “You’re silly, you don’t have the last name Gu, you’d be Wang Da.”
“Why do you always give me such awful names!” Wang Miao grumbled unhappily.
“You’re a grandma now, names don’t matter.”
“I’m not a grandma, I’m still young!” Wang Miao retorted, then returned to the original topic, “So you want to get engaged because your dog inspired you, and you want kids?”
“No,” Gu Lin denied, “it’s because I want to marry you.”
“Uh…” Wang Miao was silent for a few seconds, “Isn’t it too fast?”
“That’s why I said engagement,” Gu Lin said, feeling more convinced the more he thought about it, “Do you think it’s a good idea?”
“I, I need to ask my mom.”
Gu Lin teased her, “Why didn’t you ask your mom when you kissed me?”
“I didn’t kiss you! You’re imagining things!” Wang Miao angrily replied, “I’m not talking to you anymore! I’m going to sleep!”
She hung up, and Gu Lin put down his phone, pressing his arm to his forehead and staring at the ceiling.
He felt wonderful; teasing Wang Miao always made him happy. Gu Lin couldn’t explain his feelings, but he definitely liked her. They matched well in many ways, and if they dated with marriage in mind, it seemed a good idea, adding a sense of seriousness.
Marriage is about finding someone compatible to live with, and he felt his heart, which had wandered for a long time, wanted to settle down.
Reflecting on his past relationships, most were with people who liked to play around. Even Shen Lingxin, who he met in a bar, had a relationship that started with some frivolity. His work kept him busy, leaving little time to accompany partners, leading to eventual breakups.
Not that it was particularly sad.
A drink later, he could meet someone new. In this fast-paced era, relationships seemed quite hasty.
He had never dated someone so seriously
and purely, even for just a week, it felt fulfilling.
However, his hidden relationship history seemed unfair to Wang Miao, who was new to love. If possible, Gu Lin wanted to treat her as well as he could in the future, letting her experience all the joys of love.
He felt content, smiling as he texted Wang Miao, “Can you sleep?”
She replied almost immediately, “Ugh, you jerk! No, I can’t!”
Gu Lin sent an emoji of a middle-aged woman raising a glass, with colorful text saying, “Bless you, my friend.”
Wang Miao sent back a similar emoji, with different text: “Friendship forever.”
Gu Lin: “Engage?”
Wang Miao: “No.”
Gu Lin: “Then I’ll ask again tomorrow.”
Wang Miao: “Tomorrow’s no too.”
Gu Lin rolled over, resting his arm under his head, “Okay, then forget it.”
Wang Miao: “Don’t give up so easily, try again the day after tomorrow.”
Gu Lin laughed out loud; her mix of shyness and playfulness was truly adorable.
The puppy in the living room seemed to wake up, whining, but Gu Er quickly comforted it before Gu Lin even got out.
Finally feeling a bit sleepy, Gu Lin sent Wang Miao a last message, “Alright, I’ll try the day after tomorrow.”
- Writer
