Perhaps finding her rather soft and vulnerable at the moment, he couldn’t help but reach out and stroke her hair.
Gu Anxi couldn’t dodge, or perhaps, she didn’t want to. Bo Xichen gave her a very warm feeling, but this was different from... different from the warmth of a father figure. The way her heart had pounded in the car that day was proof enough.
She asked softly, "You found out?"
He hummed in affirmation. "Fengxi helped me find out."
Gu Anxi couldn’t help but ask, "Who is Fengxi?"
Bo Xichen chuckled softly. He didn’t laugh often, but when he did, it was truly... Gu Anxi turned her head away, refusing to look, appearing a little ruffled.
He brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear—one of their more intimate gestures. He hadn’t been impatient after the incident in the car that night. Dr. Bo was a very patient man; he liked to take things slowly.
Besides, she was so young, only twenty years old.
He withdrew his hand and smiled gently. "Gu Anxi, is this an interrogation?"
"No." Her face felt a little hot. She suddenly stood up, intending to find a book, but Bo Xichen reached out and, with surprising strength, pulled her back down to sit obediently.
"You get ruffled at the slightest thing." His voice was low and husky, like a murmur. "Your temper really isn’t the best."
Gu Anxi bit her lip. He chuckled, "Getting ruffled again?"
He reached out and gently patted her small head, as if to soothe her. His hand was long and elegant, and his touch so gentle. It truly was... Gu Anxi could be cool and indifferent to anyone else, but Bo Xichen was a warmth she truly couldn’t refuse.
Finally, he smiled. "Fengxi is just a system."
Gu Anxi’s face was burning. She pushed his hand away and walked off. This time, he didn’t try to stop her. He simply chuckled and returned to his desk to handle some internal family emails, casually saying, "I’ve booked a table for Saturday at Zhen Yuan, the usual place. Old He will be there too. Is there anyone else you’d like to invite?"
Gu Anxi, standing between rows of bookshelves, peeked out. "Let’s skip celebrating my birthday. It’s rather pointless."
Bo Xichen knew what she was thinking. His hands paused for a moment before he said softly, "Gu Anxi, you can make a wish on your birthday."
"The gods don’t listen; I’ve made so many wishes before," she said, flipping through one book after another.
Bo Xichen smiled faintly. "Then try making a wish to me. Perhaps it will come true."
Gu Anxi peeked at him again. Suddenly, she walked over with a book in her hand and stood before him. "Why?"
Her expression was somewhat dazed. "Bo Xichen, why?"
He remained seated, his ice-blue eyes burning with intensity. "Gu Anxi, there is no why. When you like someone, you just do. What why is there to it!"
He didn’t want to tell her about all the things in the past, those ethereal pursuits, for now; he was afraid of scaring her. In truth, he had never imagined he possessed such fervor. Fortunately, every instance of his fervor had always been for the same person: Luo Lin, who was also Gu Anxi. Perhaps what had always attracted him was Gu Anxi’s restless soul, a soul that couldn’t find its place, and he could offer her a haven, a place to belong. His affection for her wasn’t about taking, but about giving, little by little. When he had given so much that she could no longer hold it all, she would return a little to him. This was his own kind of romance.
Gu Anxi stood there, stunned. Her fingers loosened, and the book she was holding slipped and fell to the ground...
The book fell open, and an old piece of paper fluttered out. It looked like a birth certificate.
[Is Professor Bo human? No, he’s a golden koi~~ There’s one more Chapter~~]