Chapter 19: Just Playing Around

Liuli, you're amazing—how could you get married without even telling me!

Uncle, it's not that I didn't notice you're busy!

No matter how busy, I should have gone to your wedding, right?

Wedding? They didn't even have a wedding.

"Next time?" Liuli could only laugh awkwardly.

"You still want a next time?" Uncle tapped her head after hearing that.

"No next time." She glanced at Uncle, then at Gu Die.

Did she just say something wrong?

"Look at how handsome your husband is—so many people envy him, and you still want a next time!"

"I was just joking..."

"You can't joke like that!" Uncle tapped her head again.

"Hit me again and I'll turn stupid!" she muttered.

"Young man, she's just a bit silly—please bear with her and be more tolerant."

"Uncle, rest assured, I'll treat her well."

"Mm, Liuli is a good kid—don't let her suffer injustice, you two be happy." Uncle said, his eyes getting a little wet.

When he saw Liuli, she was still so small; he never imagined she'd grown up.

"Uncle, rest assured."

Uncle patted his shoulder, went to greet other guests, and he didn't want Liuli to see his sad expression.

Liuli watched Uncle's retreating back, feeling inexplicably upset.

"It really hurts—Uncle really didn't hold back."

The pain in her head pulled her back to her thoughts.

"She deserved it."

He chuckled.

"What's that?" she pouted, and he still teased her.

He gently rubbed the spot where her hand had touched.

"Still hurts?"

"No, it doesn't hurt." She liked how he cared for her.

"Hurry up and eat! Try this—it's delicious!" Liuli handed him a skewer of grilled beef.

"Mm, delicious."

He said it was delicious? She had thought he wouldn't be used to it—looks like her worry was unnecessary.

"I just can't figure out why Cheng Li, with such good conditions, eating fish and meat every day, still keeps me company eating at street stalls..."

She realized she was bringing up Cheng Li again and hastily shut her mouth.

"Aren't I also keeping you company while you eat?"

He furrowed his brows, looking displeased.

"You're really cute when you're jealous." She laughed, her eyes curved like crescent moons.

"Who's jealous?"

He retorted, still looking tsundere.

"You!" she pinched his cheek.

What was she just doing? She actually pinched his cheek?! Chu Liuli, how dare you even touch a tiger's buttocks?!

She hurriedly pulled her hand back.

"I am jealous—next time, don't mention other men in front of me."

He grabbed her hand.

"Okay."

She agreed surprisingly quickly.

In a black luxury car sat a man in his early twenties; upon seeing Liuli and Gu Die at the barbecue stall, he told the driver to stop.

The man looked out the window; the one sitting beside Liuli was Gu Die, and he thought he must be mistaken—how could Gu Die, the Eldest Young Master of the Gu family, possibly come to eat at such a roadside stall?

This woman seems interesting.

"Brother Ze Yan!" Liuli shouted—she did have sharp eyes.

Last time she hadn't had a chance to properly thank him, but this time she could finally treat him to a meal.

Upon second thought, she decided against it—this sort of place isn't suitable for young masters like them.

Brother Ze Yan?

Gu Die didn't even know when she had met him, and she kept calling him Brother Ze Yan, and the one who had escorted her home last time was probably him too.

The man rubbed the ring on his middle finger and walked toward them.

"Brother Ze Yan, have you eaten?"

"I've eaten."

"Want some more?"

"No thanks."

After answering, he turned his gaze to Gu Die.

"Gu Eldest Young Master actually eats at a place like this?" Ze Yan's light brown eyes held a hint of teasing.

Upon hearing the words "Gu Eldest Young Master," everyone present looked over.

Nobody said I can't eat here, right?

Of course not, I'm just curious.

You're curious about too many things.

She felt the two people before her both seemed a bit weird.

I'm curious about quite a few things, like the woman right in front of you.

Ze Yan propped one hand on the table and slowly approached Gu Die.

Everyone present recognized Ze Yan and Gu Die; the Gu Family, Shen Family, and Chu Family are notorious rivals, except Liuli, who didn't know.

What are you curious about concerning her?

I'm curious how she managed to make the notoriously picky Young Master Gu eat in a place like this.

What does that have to do with her? I just haven't eaten here before and wanted to try. He sneered.

"Is that so?" Ze Yan looked at her, "In other words, you don't love this woman?"

Liuli really wanted to know how he would answer.

"Why should I love her?" Gu Die's tone was cold as ice from before, "Women are just for fun."

Hey, you still have a chance; Young Master Gu said he's just playing with this woman.

Yeah, who knows? Maybe one day Young Master Gu will just dump her.

Maybe they'll get divorced in a few days!

Soon, everyone was chatting again.

Just playing around? He's been pretending these past few days?

Since it's just a game, she'll play along with him.

Brother Ze Yan, asking such a question is too boring; we're just a fake couple, what's there to talk about love or not?

You two sure know how to play.

Ze Yan sneered; seeing Gu Die hear Liuli say those words, he slightly furrowed his brow, a flicker of distress crossing his face that was hard to notice.

"The adult world is all like this, isn't it?" she said half-jokingly.

Just keep eating, I won't disturb you. After saying that, Ze Yan left.

See you next time.

Gu Die saw that Liuli wasn't the slightest bit upset by what he'd just said; on the contrary, she said those things, and his heart felt as if a needle had pricked it.

He didn't want to say those things, but he couldn't; in front of Shen Zeyan, he had to remain that aloof.

He couldn't expose his weakness, otherwise Shen Zeyan might use some unknown tactic; he was protecting her.

He had originally wanted to wait until Ze Yan left to explain to her, but now it seems unnecessary.

The old man at the barbecue stall, hearing the crowd's chatter, flew into a rage and dumped a basin of water over Gu Die.

You jerk! Liuli is blind for choosing you!

Gu Die didn't speak, just brushed off the water on himself.

Old man, our marriage was conditional from the start; we're just taking what we need, nobody's at fault.

Liuli, you silly girl, what exactly are you after with him?

The old man just couldn't understand why she would willingly marry someone like him.

I'm after his family's money; I want to climb the social ladder.

Is that really what she's thinking?

He lifted his eyes to look at her; her expression as she spoke was that cold.

He felt like he was the one being played by her.

Turns out this woman is only after the Gu Family's money!

Isn't that right? Besides, who wouldn't want to marry into the Gu Family as Young Mistress? Who wouldn't want the Gu Family's money?

She's really lucky!

This woman is really scheming; she actually got Young Master Gu to marry her!

Everyone present quickly spread Liuli's words.

Get out, all of you! The shop is closing for the day!

The old man shouted loudly upon hearing it, the flesh on his belly trembling.

What a lousy shop!

You'd better not come to a place like this!

Hurry up and leave! Don't ever come back! the old man urged them on.

Some people left without even paying.

Old man...

Seeing the old man so considerate of her feelings, she suddenly wanted to cry.

Please don't be angry...

Liuli, how can I not be angry! He's Young Master Gu, how could you marry someone like that! the old man sighed deeply.

Get a divorce, kid.

I...

She won't divorce me.

Gu Die beside him finally spoke up.

Someone like you shouldn't waste such a fine girl!

Old man, think what you like, but she won't divorce me.

"You say it won't happen, then it won't?!!" Uncle clenched his fists in anger.

"You ask her." Gu Die's tone became colder.

"Sorry, Uncle, I can't divorce him."

She lowered her head, her hair falling on both sides of her cheeks.

"You child..."

Uncle patted her shoulder and left.

She knew he had disappointed Uncle.

But she cannot divorce her, Grandma will have surgery tomorrow, she can wait a bit longer and then leave.

"Go back, I'll come back later." She turned and said to Gu Die, his clothes were still wet.

"I'll wait for you."

"Then you wait."

What is he waiting for her for? He obviously doesn't love her but pretends to care!

Liuli has never been in a relationship; she simply can't handle it, she doesn't even know when she fell into it.

Liuli stuffed the few hundred dollars she had on her into Uncle's money box.

She didn't wait for Gu Die, she got in the car first.

When Uncle was tidying up, he saw the money box had a few hundred dollars more and knew it was Liuli who put it in.

But outside the door, her figure was already gone.

Uncle couldn't hold back and tears fell.

Uncle is over sixty and has never married.

When he was young, he was a soldier and once fell in love with a female military doctor, but she fell ill and died young.

Since then he hasn't loved anyone else; he promised the female military doctor to live well, and even if his life is bad, he must live for her.

Now, this chubby him with a big belly sticking out, you can't tell he used to be a soldier.

The year he opened the barbecue shop, he happened to meet Liuli; this little girl's hardworking way of life moved him.

He saw Liuli whenever she had time, she would go with her grandmother to pick up scrap; Liuli's mind was also quick, she started learning to "do business," going to the grocery store to buy food and sell it at school.

At first the business was pretty good, but later, somehow, people recognized her as someone who picks up scrap, and they stopped buying her stuff.

She didn't find it strange either; every time he saw her happy, he was always by her grandmother's side.

Later, he asked her, "Isn't it embarrassing to pick up scrap with your grandmother?"

She said, "Picking up scrap with my grandmother is happiness, not embarrassment."

The first time she saw her smile was when she brought her grandmother to his shop and said she wanted to buy something tasty for her grandmother.

In her eyes, something tasty meant this barbecue shop that does good business.

She ordered whatever her grandmother liked; that time, she used the twenty dollars she earned from "doing business" to eat barbecue worth several hundred dollars.

He specially gave them a lot more.