Gu Qili stared blankly, so much so that even after Mu Shuoqian called out to her twice, she didn’t hear him.
It wasn’t until he impatiently set down his wine glass heavily on the bar, his face turning stern, that she suddenly woke up: "Huh?"
"Huh what? Chopsticks!" he said with a gruff tone.
What, was he expected to eat with his hands without chopsticks?
After fetching chopsticks from the kitchen and returning, the image of Mu Shuoqian drinking wine still lingered in her mind; an ordinary glass of red wine in his hand looked like a luxurious delicacy. The wine showcased his dignity, as the person highlighted the wine’s value. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelꜰire.net
She glanced at the wine label on the bottle, beautifully written in French.
Ever since being ridiculed by him last time, she had intended to learn more about wine.
The Gu Family initially started with a vineyard, then developed their own chain of sales, but as the daughter of the Wine God, she really knew nothing about wine. When she was a child, she stealthily drank a sip of her father’s wine, only to end up with breathing difficulties and red spots all over her body, frightening her family enough to rush her to the hospital. Since then, the adults never dared to let her touch alcohol again, and as time passed, she also understood she was allergic to it and had since kept her distance.
Today, seeing Mu Shuoqian drink wine actually gave her an impulse to have a sip and try it herself.
"Would you like a drink?" He looked over at her indifferently, seemingly seeing through her thoughts. She had been staring at him and swallowing her saliva for quite some time, unsure if it was him or the wine she was craving.
Gu Qili quickly shook her head, picked up her bowl of porridge, and held it with both hands to cover half her face, as she nonchalantly asked, "I see you have many books about wine. Could I borrow them to have a look?"
The porridge was too hot, he didn’t touch it, waiting for it to cool naturally, while his narrow eyes playfully fixed on her.
Feeling his intense gaze, Gu Qili shifted the bowl slightly and met his eyes, asking somewhat awkwardly, "What are you looking at?"
He snorted softly: "Isn’t it hot?"
Gu Qili realized belatedly and hurriedly put down the bowl, tugging at her earlobes as she rubbed them. Whenever she burned her hand as a child, her father taught her to rub her earlobes. She’d tried it a few times, and it was particularly effective.
A rare, amused smile appeared on Mu Shuoqian’s face as he bent down and stirred his hot porridge with a spoon.
Knowing he agreed, Gu Qili felt a small surge of glee. Mu Shuoqian in front of her seemed especially easy-going—having lent her his room last time, and now lending her books, coming across as a very kind figure.
But his reasonableness made her feel that something was off. Gu Qili found it too easy to take what was offered but also felt apprehensive, as if she were unwittingly falling into a trap.
After eating, he sat on the couch watching sports channels, while Gu Qili fiddled with the tablet a fair distance away on another couch, diligently noting down new words. Each kept to their side, not disturbing the other.
During the halftime break of the match, the TV was showing a commercial, seemingly for a shampoo, featuring a voice that sounded familiar to her. Gu Qili looked up from her book; sure enough, like running into an adversary on a narrow road, there was Deng Feifei, holding that brand of shampoo, her long hair flowing.
By now she had gained some fame, appearing in several commercials, constantly flickering across TV screens.
Gu Qili curled her lip dismissively, about to resume her work, when suddenly, the man lounging lazily on the couch asked, "What’s her name?"
"The one on TV?" Gu Qili pointed at the advertisement that was almost over with the pen in her hand. Deng Feifei’s head was leaning on the male lead’s shoulder, her black hair silky smooth, her expression lively and beautiful—to admit, she looked stunningly gorgeous.