The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er and Liu Yuan talked as they ate. Liu Yuan asked about Gu’er and Sun Jiaming, and when he learned they were doing well, he felt both happy and a little disappointed.

"Brother Liu Yuan, I heard your mother found a match for you?"

Gu’er asked Liu Yuan softly. She hadn’t seen him in a while and didn’t know what he thought of Huang Mingyu. But just now, she had seen him leave his house with Huang Mingyu calling after him. He was clearly avoiding her. ’He must not like her, right?’

Liu Yuan’s brow furrowed, a flash of disgust on his face as he thought of Huang Mingyu.

To be fair, Huang Mingyu wasn’t bad-looking and her job was decent. When she first started visiting his home, she was quiet and soft-spoken, and her temper seemed fine. But because his heart was with Gu’er, he never paid much attention to Huang Mingyu.

But over the past few months, Huang Mingyu had been visiting his house far too often. She was very good at flattering his mother, who had taken a real liking to her and insisted he marry her. He refused, but his mother just said he had no taste for turning down such a good girl. It drove him crazy. Whenever Huang Mingyu came over, he would just hide in his room.

But now, Huang Mingyu would barge into his room every time she visited. Sometimes she would even come find him when he was sleeping. A few times, she even sat right next to him and leaned against him. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh, but he found her behavior utterly repulsive.

Huang Mingyu loved to gossip with his mother. She would privately badmouth many people, saying very nasty things. Liu Yuan realized Huang Mingyu wasn’t as refined as she acted; she was a pot-stirrer, and he disliked people like that.

And despite how she always flattered his mother, cooing sweet nothings, she never lifted a finger to help with chores. His mother did all the work while she just ran her mouth, spouting sweet talk. ’This woman must be incredibly lazy,’ he thought, but his mother was completely taken in by her and thought she was wonderful.

He had told Huang Mingyu several times, both directly and indirectly, that it would never work between them and that he didn’t like her. But it was like she couldn’t understand. One time, she stayed at his house very late, and his mother insisted he walk her home. On the way, she suddenly cried out and threw herself into his arms, claiming she was scared. He was so angry he pushed her away. After that, he refused to ever walk her home again. Someone else could do it if they wanted.

Lately, it was as if she’d grown roots in his house, hanging around every day and refusing to leave. He couldn’t get a moment of peace. He was about to lose his mind. That was why he’d bolted from the house the moment he saw her arrive today. He just couldn’t stand the sight of her anymore.

’Gu’er actually knows about this... what does she think? Does she want me to hurry up and marry someone? Is that what it would take for her to be at ease? But I really, truly don’t like Huang Mingyu.’

A faint sadness touched Liu Yuan’s face.

"Brother Liu Yuan, can I speak frankly with you for a moment?"

Gu’er saw the annoyance on Liu Yuan’s face. ’Good. As long as he doesn’t like Huang Mingyu, that’s what matters.’

"Go ahead," he said.

Liu Yuan’s heart sank. He didn’t know if Gu’er was about to persuade him to marry Huang Mingyu.

"One time when I was selling popsicles, I ran into your mother and that girl, Huang Mingyu. She seemed okay at first, but afterward, I had Brother Jia Ming ask around about her character. Brother Liu Yuan, I know I shouldn’t speak ill of others, but since your mother wants to set you up with her, I have to say something. I heard her character is poor. She says one thing and does another. She’s a sweet-talker, but she’s lazy and loves to stir up trouble. In short, I heard she’s not a good person. I just kept thinking... a good man like you, Brother Liu Yuan, deserves a better girl. Huang Mingyu isn’t good enough for you."

Gu’er spoke with great sincerity. She didn’t like to gossip, but when it came to Huang Mingyu, she felt no guilt, because what she said was the truth.

Liu Yuan’s eyes lit up. Gu’er wasn’t trying to convince him to get married; she was warning him against it! She even had Sun Jiaming investigate Huang Mingyu’s character. ’Does this mean Gu’er really cares about me... as a friend? Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered. She kept looking for me, waiting outside my door in this cold weather, just to tell me that Huang Mingyu is a bad person and that I shouldn’t marry her?’

"Gu’er... Gu’er, you..."

Liu Yuan desperately wanted to grab Gu’er’s hand and ask her if he held any place in her heart. But the thought of Sun Jiaming made him restrain himself. He had to respect Gu’er, and he had to respect Sun Jiaming.

Gu’er looked at Liu Yuan. She understood his unfinished question, but she couldn’t answer it.

"Gu’er, I know. I also think Huang Mingyu is no good. You have no idea, she... she even... Forget it. Let’s not talk about it. Don’t worry, I won’t marry her. I... I just won’t. At worst, I’ll just move out. I’m not marrying someone I don’t like."

Liu Yuan was very firm. He didn’t know if he would ever like someone else in the future, but he would not marry Huang Mingyu. First, he truly couldn’t stand her. Second, since Gu’er had told him not to marry her, he was even more determined not to.

"You’ll definitely meet someone you like in the future, Brother Liu Yuan."

Gu’er said this from the bottom of her heart. She truly hoped Liu Yuan would find someone and be happy.

"Yeah, I hope so. Anyway, enough about that. Let’s talk about you. Are your parents treating you well? Do they object to you and Brother Jia Ming?"

Liu Yuan changed the subject, asking about Gu’er.

"They’re both very good to me, and they don’t object to me and Brother Jia Ming."

Gu’er smiled gently. ’It’s good as long as Liu Yuan won’t marry Huang Mingyu.’ If he didn’t marry her, then perhaps his fate could be changed. But she couldn’t let her guard down. Liu Yuan and Huang Mingyu had gotten married not long after the New Year. She still needed to be careful and stay in touch with him so she could keep an eye on his situation.

Gu’er and Liu Yuan continued to eat and talk. The meal lasted for two hours, and Gu’er also drank a couple of glasses of liquor.

After paying the bill, they walked out of the small restaurant. The moment the wind hit her, Gu’er felt the alcohol go to her head.

"Are you alright?"

Liu Yuan quickly steadied Gu’er.

"I’m fine. I’m not much of a drinker, so I’m a little dizzy. It’s nothing serious."

Gu’er shook her head, trying to clear it.

"I’ll walk you home."

Liu Yuan was worried about her.

"Okay."

Gu’er didn’t refuse. She wanted to let Liu Yuan know where she lived so it would be easier for him to find her in the future.

Liu Yuan walked Gu’er to her place. When he saw the area, his eyes flickered. Gu’er had only told him that her parents were from the city, without going into detail. He had assumed they were just an ordinary family, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case. The people who lived in this area were not ordinary. The housing here generally wasn’t for sale; it was allocated by work units. To be assigned housing like this, you had to be of a certain rank. ’Could one of Gu’er’s parents be a government official?’

At this thought, Liu Yuan’s expression darkened. His own mother had always looked down on Gu’er, thinking a girl from the countryside wasn’t good enough for him. Even though Huang Mingyu couldn’t compare to Gu’er, at least she was a city girl. But looking at this place now, it was his family’s circumstances that weren’t good enough for Gu’er. ’But in that case,’ he wondered, ’would Gu’er’s parents really be willing to let her marry Sun Jiaming?’

————————

Thank you to Sidney Liu and musang for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for your support.