On the Lantern Festival, Zhou Yanqing finally broke free from his busy schedule and returned to Lanting. Gu Chenyan’s company also had a holiday, so the family gathered together again.
Zhou Yanqing couldn’t sit still and suggested playing mahjong.
Qiao Shu: “Mahjong?”
Zhou Yanqing: “Wanna join?”
Qiao Shu was somewhat interested but also hesitant. “But I don’t know how to play…”
Zhou Yanqing: “!!!”
“These days, there are still people who don’t know how to play mahjong? Sister-in-law, this won’t do. Mahjong is a national treasure. I have to teach you. Life without mahjong will lack a lot of fun.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Zhou Yanqing was proactive. He brought out a long-unused mahjong table from a small room on the first floor, uncovered it, plugged it in, and shuffled a deck of cards.
Zhou Yanqing: “Sister-in-law, look, I’ll lay out a set of tiles for you. Pay attention to the pattern… like this…”
Qiao Shu curiously leaned in to take a look.
“What are you guys doing?” Gu Chenyan, who had temporarily gone upstairs to the study to send a document, came downstairs and saw Qiao Shu and Zhou Yanqing’s heads “intimately” close together, squinting his eyes.
Zhou Yanqing’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the voice. He turned around: “…”
It felt unexpectedly dangerous.
Feeling a tingling sensation on his scalp, he quickly stepped back, distancing himself from Qiao Shu, and chuckled, “Hehe, I’m teaching my sister-in-law how to play mahjong.”
Gu Chenyan glanced at Zhou Yanqing.
Zhou Yanqing smiled obediently.
Qiao Shu, on the side, was completely unaware of the hidden currents between the two men. He withdrew his gaze from the mahjong tiles and looked at Gu Chenyan with a bright smile. “Yanqing just suggested playing mahjong. But I don’t know how to play.”
Qiao Shu: “Did you finish your work?”
Gu Chenyan: “Yeah, just sent a document.”
He walked over to Qiao Shu and naturally took the spot beside him. “You don’t know how to play mahjong?”
Qiao Shu nodded honestly. “Yeah. I’ve never played before, but it seems like a lot of people around here enjoy it. I took a look just now and it seems a bit difficult.”
Gu Chenyan: “Do you want to play?”
Qiao Shu nodded earnestly. “A bit. My mom used to play mahjong during the holidays, and I wanted to play too. But she always thought I was too young and needed to focus on studying. She wouldn’t even let me watch.”
After his parents passed away, Qiao Shu never had any contact with mahjong again, nor did he ever watch others play.
Gu Chenyan: “I’ll teach you.”
Qiao Shu smiled. “Okay.”
Gu Chenyan turned to look at Zhou Yanqing, who had been forced to play the role of the invisible man for a while and was now being fed dog food. “I and Qiao Shu will take one position.”
Zhou Yanqing: “…”
“Alright, I’ll call someone.”
Aunt Lan and Uncle Zhou didn’t join the young people’s game. Zhou Yanqing called Fang Zhouyou and a mutual friend of theirs, Fu Ding, whom they had known since childhood. Qiao Shu had met him briefly during the New Year.
The two arrived very quickly.
Fang Zhouyou excitedly rubbed his hands together. “It’s not easy to get Old Gu to play once. This time, I’ll make sure to play well. I’ve just set my eyes on a yacht recently.”
Zhou Yanqing retorted, “What nonsense are you thinking?”
Fu Ding took a drag of his cigarette. “Is Old Gu’s money so easy to win?”
Qiao Shu wrinkled his nose uncomfortably.
“If there’s a chance. Today my brother won’t be playing. The one playing will be my sister-in-law,” Zhou Yanqing said.
“Please put out the cigarette.” Gu Chenyan noticed Qiao Shu’s discomfort amidst their conversation and looked at Fu Ding.
Fu Ding: “…”
“Can’t even smoke?” he complained, but still extinguished the cigarette.
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm, it’s unpleasant.”
Fu Ding: “Difficult to serve.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
On the side, Qiao Shu silently glanced at Gu Chenyan, feeling both embarrassed and pleased as he shyly curved his eyes.
He secretly held Gu Chenyan’s hand.
Gu Chenyan looked down at him.
Qiao Shu looked up, revealing a smile.
“Let’s start! Let’s start!” Fang Zhouyou urged.
Gu Chenyan and Qiao Shu sat down at the mahjong table, Gu Chenyan pulling a chair beside Qiao Shu. Zhou Yanqing enthusiastically counted out the chips.
Zhou Yanqing: “Same as before?”
Qiao Shu: “???”
Gu Chenyan: “Yes.”
As a novice, Qiao Shu didn’t understand many things. Rolling dice, picking tiles, and even arranging the tiles, all required reminders from Gu Chenyan.
He looked to Gu Chenyan for help.
Gu Chenyan reached out his long arm, half embracing Qiao Shu, holding his hand to teach him how to arrange the tiles.
Gu Chenyan: “First, categorize them, arrange them in order, like this…”
The posture was very intimate. As Gu Chenyan spoke, his warm breath brushed against Qiao Shu’s ear, making his ears turn red and causing him to blush shyly.
Once the tiles in front of them were arranged, Gu Chenyan released Qiao Shu’s hand, leaning back slightly, but still didn’t let go of the hand around Qiao Shu’s waist.
Qiao Shu’s eyelashes trembled lightly.
Zhou Yanqing: “…”
“It’s your turn, sister-in-law.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly feeling shy, Qiao Shu became a bit flustered, unsure of what to play. Hesitatingly, he looked towards Gu Chenyan.
Gu Chenyan: “First, draw a tile.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
“Oh.”
He reached out his hand, then awkwardly hesitated in mid-air, unsure which side to draw from.
“Here.”
Gu Chenyan held Qiao Shu’s hand and drew a tile. “Draw in a clockwise direction.”
Qiao Shu: “Oh.”
Gu Chenyan: “Take a look, what did you get?”
Qiao Shu nervously flipped over the tiles: “!!!”
He recognized this one! It was a tile with a gold character on it! He knew this was important. He looked back at Gu Chenyan with excitement.
Gu Chenyan smiled, ruffling Qiao Shu’s hair and praising, “Young sir, you’re very lucky.”
Qiao Shu smiled shyly.
Zhou Yanqing, Fang Zhouyou, and Fu Ding: “…”
At the beginning of the mahjong game, the pace was slow as everyone took care of Qiao Shu, the newcomer.
Zhou Yanqing and his friends didn’t mind at all. They mainly played to pass the time, chatting and gossiping about the upper echelons of the entertainment industry.
As they chatted, Qiao Shu didn’t pay attention at all, his focus entirely on the tiles in front of him.
“Chow!”
Excitedly, Qiao Shu reached out to grab the tile thrown by his opposite player, Fang Zhouyou.
Gu Chenyan: “You can’t chow.”
Qiao Shu blinked in confusion. “Why?”
Gu Chenyan: “You can only chow from the player to your right. You can only pong if it’s available from any player.”
Qiao Shu: “Oh, I see.”
Disappointed, he put down the tile.
Gu Chenyan: “Don’t be sad. Fu Ding will soon discard a tile that you can chow.”
Qiao Shu: “Really?”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
Fu Ding, the player before Qiao Shu: “…”
He glanced at the tile in his hand, identical to the one that Qiao Shu was about to discard, and cursed inwardly.
He wanted to retract it, but if he didn’t play it, he wouldn’t be able to listen in on their game.
Dammit!
Cursing silently, Fu Ding reluctantly played the tile from his hand.
Qiao Shu’s eyes lit up, and he looked at Gu Chenyan with excitement. “He really played it!”
“You’re so amazing!”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm.”
“Eat this.”
Qiao Shu: “Okay!”
The two of them stuck close together, occasionally whispering sweet nothings, and praising each other from time to time. It didn’t look like they were playing seriously at all; instead, it seemed like they were here to show off their affection… This made Zhou Yanqing and the other two feel a bit uncomfortable gossiping. Not only were they forced to swallow dog food, but they also tragically lost money in the end.
It’s a disaster!
Zhou Yanqing couldn’t take it anymore. “Brother, you agreed that your wife would come and play. You’re not allowed to teach him!”
Fu Ding: “Right!”
Fang Zhuoyou: “Old Gu, it’s not fair for you two to gang up on one person.”
Qiao Shu: “Huh?”
Gu Chenyan glanced at them and said lightly, “You can also bring your wives over to play together.”
The three of them: “…”
Getting married is impressive, isn’t it?
Yes, it is quite impressive.
Qiao Shu blushed and bowed his head silently.
Wife…
Gu Chenyan ignored them and looked down at Qiao Shu, asking, “Have you remembered all the rules?”
Qiao Shu thought for a moment, hesitantly nodding, “I think I have.”
Gu Chenyan: “Okay, it’s your turn to play.”
Qiao Shu: “Huh?”
Gu Chenyan: “Don’t worry.”
“I’m watching.”
Qiao Shu felt a little relieved hearing this, but he was still nervous.
Zhou Yanqing and the others played quickly, hardly needing to think, which put pressure on Qiao Shu as a beginner. Under pressure, his mind began to tangle, and he became unsure of what to play next.
So, he started subconsciously looking at Gu Chenyan.
Gu Chenyan: “Don’t mind them, let them wait. Take it slow, we’re not in a rush.”
Qiao Shu: “But…”
Gu Chenyan: “They’re quite idle, no need to worry.”
The three of them: “…”
Gu Chenyan: “Just continue your conversation.”
The three of them: “…”
Zhou Yanqing and the others began to find new topics, trying not to add pressure on the novice Qiao Shu.
Meanwhile, Gu Chenyan naturally leaned towards Qiao Shu amid the conversation, resting his chin on Qiao Shu’s shoulder.
Qiao Shu: “!!!”
His waist was already encircled by Gu Chenyan’s arm, and now his whole body was embraced by Gu Chenyan, with the weight of Gu Chenyan’s head resting on his shoulder. He could easily feel Gu Chenyan’s breath with every breath.
So intimate!
And there are people at the table!
Qiao Shu blushed.
Very, very hot.
Qiao Shu: “You…”
“Look at your cards,” Gu Chenyan reminded Qiao Shu naturally as if he didn’t notice anything wrong with his posture.
Qiao Shu: “…”
He bit his lip, feeling a shy embarrassment that he couldn’t express, as he looked at the cards in front of him.
Still nervous.
But now, Qiao Shu wasn’t nervous because he was afraid of playing too slowly and delaying Zhou Yanqing and the others. This time, he was nervous because of the man on his shoulder.
So close!
So intimate!
Zhou Yanqing and the others once again: “…”
Alright!
It must be intentional!
Intentionally setting up the dog to kill!
The three of them felt lonely and desolate. Finally, they exchanged glances and turned all their emotions into strong determination, trying to win today’s mahjong game!
To make Gu Chenyan bleed heavily!
But they were still disappointed. Not only did the novice Qiao Shu have Gu Chenyan’s guidance at the beginning, enabling him to win rounds, but also without Gu Chenyan’s guidance later on, he was just lazily embraced by Gu Chenyan, yet it seemed like he was possessed by Gu Chenyan.
Specifically referring to winning rounds.
Zhou Yanqing: “I’m out!”
Fu Ding: “The newbie buff is terrifying! I didn’t believe it before, but now I do.”
Fang Zhouyou: “My yacht!”
Qiao Shu’s luck was unbelievably good. Whenever he wanted a certain card, if he didn’t draw it himself, Fu Ding, the previous player, always managed to feed him the exact card he needed.
In one afternoon, Qiao Shu won three consecutive rounds with a flush, as well as various other big and small hands, causing Zhou Yanqing and the others to lose all their chips to Qiao Shu.
They even owed Qiao Shu a lot.
The three of them: “…”
Before dinner, they finally stopped the game. Zhou Yanqing and the others, especially Fang Zhouyou, looked devastated. He lamented, “My yacht!”
Meanwhile, Qiao Shu was immersed in the joy of winning many chips. The happiness of a beginner winning at cards made him feel like he was flying.
Gu Chenyan reminded, “Remember to settle the money.”
Fang Zhouyou: “You’re ruthless.”
“Oh no! My yacht dreams are shattered! I even had a name picked out for it! Dad!”
“Sorry, Dad!”
Qiao Shu: “…”
He looked at Gu Chenyan in confusion. “What money?” He asked quietly, “Did we bet? How much?”
Gu Chenyan nodded and used his fingers to indicate a number, accompanied by a unit.
Qiao Shu: “!!!”
He widened his eyes, astonished by the amount!
Glancing at the dense stack of chips in front of him on the table, along with the chips owed by Fang Zhouyou and the others, Qiao Shu quickly did some mental calculations and felt flustered.
It was several times more than what he earned from shooting a movie!
Qiao Shu hastily waved his hand. “Can we not take the money? I thought we were just playing for fun.”
“Too much.”
“This isn’t right.”
Gu Chenyan: “It’s okay, they’re wealthy.”
Qiao Shu: “Uh…”
Gu Chenyan: “Money is the least of their concerns.”
Present at the scene, aside from Qiao Shu, Gu Chenyan was the richest man in Haicheng, Fang Zhouyou owned the Fang Hospital and had various investments, and Fu Ding also managed a publicly traded company. Even Zhou Yanqing, although just a TV star, had considerable private investments.
This amount of money was insignificant to them.
After listening to Gu Chenyan’s brief explanation, Qiao Shu, the commoner among them: “…”
I’ll take my leave!
Fu Ding: “Old Gu, why are you suddenly reminding us of debts today? You weren’t like this before.”
Gu Chenyan raised his eyelids. “Times have changed.”
Fu Ding: “???”
Gu Chenyan: “I’m married now.”
“And—”
“This is the first time my wife has won money.” He paused and added, “So no excuses for not paying up.”
The three of them: “…”
Invisible warmth of dog food seemed to be slapping towards them.
Feeling bewildered by the incoming funds, Qiao Shu looked at Gu Chenyan, still unsure whether to accept the money.
After all, it was really a lot.
Commoner Qiao Shu felt overwhelmed.
Gu Chenyan: “Just take it.”
“They’ve won quite a bit of money from me in the past.”
Zhou Yanqing and the others: “???”
Qiao Shu: “!!!”
He asked, “How much?”
Gu Chenyan remained composed. “More than what you’ve won now.”
Qiao Shu: “!!!”
Suddenly, this money didn’t feel too hot to handle.
While the three of them on the side were like: “…”
Uh-oh!
Who exactly won whose money? Mr. Gu, dare to tell the truth? Lying just to please your wife now!
So bad!
Gu Chenyan felt no burden of lying whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Qiao Shu’s mood had shifted from being overwhelmed to happy. He waved his phone in front of Gu Chenyan excitedly, saying, “I’m transferring it to you.”
Gu Chenyan: “Hmm?”
Zhou Yanqing was incredulous. “Why are you transferring money to my brother? He’s the richest one here.”
Gu Chenyan also asked, “Why?”
Qiao Shu blinked. “You must have felt unhappy before losing so much money. I’m compensating you to bring back some of your happiness.”
Zhou Yanqing: “…”
Gu Chenyan chuckled. “What if I lose again in the future?”
Qiao Shu: “Gambling isn’t good.”
“But playing once or twice a year is fine. If you lose…” Qiao Shu thought for a moment before saying, “I’ll give you all my winnings in the future.”
After a pause, Qiao Shu leaned in and whispered to Gu Chenyan, “And if that’s not enough, I’ll work harder in acting, and I’ll give you all my earnings.”
Gu Chenyan: “Okay.”
Qiao Shu happily transferred the money to Gu Chenyan.
Zhou Yanqing and the others beside him couldn’t bear to watch, yet they couldn’t help but feel moved.
Burp~
More lovey-dovey moments.
The mahjong game ended.
Fang Zhouyou and Fu Ding went home for the Lantern Festival family dinner. Before leaving, they asked Gu Chenyan, “How about it? Want to go guess lantern riddles tonight? My company is holding a lantern riddle guessing event on Linchuan Road.”
Gu Chenyan asked Qiao Shu, “Do you want to go?”
Qiao Shu: “I want to.” He leaned close to Gu Chenyan and whispered, “Does your company also have a lantern riddle event?”
Gu Chenyan: “Yes, it’s on Jinling Road.”
Qiao Shu’s eyes lit up.
He hesitantly asked Fuding, “Can we go to Jinling Road?”
Fu Ding: “…”
“You can.”
After all, it’s just guessing lantern riddles, creating a festive atmosphere. It doesn’t matter where they go.
So, it was decided.
During dinner, Qiao Shu was very excited, especially when he ate the tangyuan cooked by Aunt Lan. He ate a lot of them.
Aunt Lan smiled and asked, “Does Madam like eating this?”
Qiao Shu nodded and shook his head, explaining, “The tangyuan during the festival is different.”
Aunt Lan nodded in agreement. “Yes, they are indeed different.”
“The meaning of ‘together and complete’ is really profound,” Qiao Shu smiled.
He swallowed a mouthful of tangyuan with a smile.
Qiao Shu used to not like eating tangyuan. Every festival, his mother would serve him a big bowl, but Qiao Shu would only eat a couple, just for the sake of it.
Later, when he wanted to eat them, there was no one to serve him.
Now, he had family members again who served him tangyuan, and Qiao Shu felt warm in his heart as he ate them.
He couldn’t help but glance at Gu Chenyan.
Gu Chenyan was also looking at him.
Qiao Shu was slightly taken aback and smiled, “Why are you looking at me? Are the tangyuan tasty?”
Gu Chenyan replied, “The tangyuan tonight is good.”
Qiao Shu’s smile widened, “I think they’re really good too.”
After finishing their hearty dinner, Qiao Shu and the others changed into warm clothes and bundled up tightly before heading out.
Especially Zhou Yanqing, whose entire body was wrapped up, leaving only his eyes exposed. Luckily, it was winter. So even though Zhou Yanqing was dressed heavily, making himself look bulky, it didn’t seem strange.
And his eyes were also adorned a bit to ensure that fans wouldn’t recognize him through them.
As a popular actor, just his back or sometimes just a hand or a pair of eyes could be enough for passionate fans to recognize him on the street.
They had to be cautious when going out.
Qiao Shu was much better off.
He just needed to wear a hat and a mask, because they were going to the riddle-solving event hosted by the Gu family. Most of the people there were employees of the Gu family. To prevent them from recognizing Gu Chenyan and thus not being able to fully enjoy themselves, Gu Chenyan also wore a mask this time.
Although the five of them had agreed to come together to guess the riddles, when they arrived, they dispersed.
Qiao Shu and Gu Chenyan walked through the crowded crowd.
The riddle-solving event was bustling with people coming and going. Looking down the street, it was densely packed with people. Where there were many people, it was crowded.
Gu Chenyan walked protectively alongside Qiao Shu in the crowd. Occasionally, people passing by would brush against his shoulder, furrowing his brows, and sometimes even step on his foot.
Qiao Shu was oblivious to these occurrences, immersed in the bustling atmosphere of the riddle-solving event, being protected by Gu Chenyan. He was completely shielded from the awkward situations Gu Chenyan encountered. His eyes sparkled brightly as he looked around from time to time, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Suddenly, Qiao Shu’s body stiffened.
Then, he happily turned back and grabbed the clothing around Gu Chenyan’s waist. “Look over there!”
Following Qiao Shu’s pointing finger, Gu Chenyan looked in that direction and saw a row of lanterns. His gaze scanned over the lanterns, finally stopping at the one in the middle.
It was a series of “Sweet Cakes” lanterns, exactly like the “Sweet Cakes” image that trended on the internet for Qiao Shu.
Qiao Shu: “Do you see it?”
Gu Chenyan smiled. “I see it.”
Qiao Shu became even happier. “Then let’s go win it and take it home!”
“Alright,” Gu Chenyan agreed.
The two of them pushed through the crowd towards the stall where the Sweet Cakes lantern was located. After a difficult journey, they finally reached the stall.
Qiao Shu looked up at the Sweet Cakes lantern and then at Gu Chenyan. “I’ll guess first.”
“Okay,” Gu Chenyan replied.
He lifted the riddle beneath the Sweet Cakes lantern and handed it to Qiao Shu.
Qiao Shu lowered his gaze and read the riddle: “Expect a lifelong union, why does the lone phoenix sigh alone in the shadow – Guess one word.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
This is really difficult.
He pondered and pondered, then pondered some more, and finally, with a resigned look, turned to Gu Chenyan.
“Gu Chenyan, I can’t figure it out…”
Qiao Shu had overestimated himself.
When he was young, he often went to lantern riddle-solving events with his father. His father was skilled at solving riddles and would always win him a pile of prizes whenever they went.
Moreover, his father would also explain the answers to him each time.
Gradually, Qiao Shu learned to solve some riddles himself. However, his skills were just average. Still, he always thought he was quite good because his classmates couldn’t beat him back then.
After that, he hadn’t eaten tangyuan or attended lantern riddle-solving events for a long time.
His skills had rusted!
Qiao Shu looked at Gu Chenyan with hopeful eyes. “I thought I could guess it.”
“Can you guess it?”
“What word is this?”
Gu Chenyan rubbed Qiao Shu’s head. “Let me try.”
Qiao Shu waited expectantly.
After looking at the riddle for a while, Gu Chenyan finally said, “Is it ‘sweet’?”
It’s noisy around.
Qiao Shu didn’t hear it immediately; he nervously asked, “What did you say?”
Gu Chenyan lowered his head and, through the mask, whispered into Qiao Shu’s ear, “Sweet.”
Qiao Shu: “!!!”
Why suddenly praise him?
Qiao Shu’s ears were burning, and even the cheeks covered by the mask were burning too. So many people around.
Gu Chenyan: “It’s ‘sweet’. Do you want to go redeem it?”
Qiao Shu: “Huh?”
He froze.
Then Qiao Shu’s face became even hotter.
Ah!!!
It’s not praise! It’s the riddle!
What on earth is going on in Qiao Shu’s mind?
Fortunately, with a mask on his face, no one could see Qiao Shu’s inexplicable blush, or it would have been even more embarrassing.
Gu Chenyan: “Why are your ears suddenly so red?”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Damn it!
There’s always a slip through the net!
Qiao Shu awkwardly raised his hand, trying to cover up his embarrassment by covering his ears, with no plausible explanation: “I didn’t think too much! I’ll go redeem it now.”
Turning around awkwardly, he loudly called out to the busy stall owner.
Behind him, Gu Chenyan looked at Qiao Shu. His puzzled expression suddenly enlightened, and he smiled gently.
His little wife was so cute.
The word “sweet” was correct. When Qiao Shu got the “little sweet cake” lantern from the stall owner, he happily forgot all about his embarrassment. He turned back, holding up the lantern and sharing it with Gu Chenyan. “Gu Chenyan, I got it.”
“It’s a little sweet cake!”
“It’s so beautiful.”
“You’re amazing!”
Under the lantern, Gu Chenyan’s eyes were gentle. “Hmm.”
“It’s really beautiful.”
Author’s note:
The riddles were searched on Baidu.
Thank you to the angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution from 2021-02-13 23:58:34 to 2021-02-14 23:58:13~
Thanks to the angels who irrigated me with nutrient solution: 夜月 100 bottles; rainbowturtle 10 bottles; 卿时, 百里残勾, 景兮, 作业他不香吗 5 bottles; demon 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
⌈Weekend chapters: 0⌉ ⌊Progress: 1/2 ⌋
