Cinderella Innocent and Boss Charming - Chapter 372

Chapter 372 Come On, I Have Faith in You!

Although Du Xiaoxian wiped her mouth before coming out, Gu Nianbin still felt that her mouth was oily, so he pulled away from her in disgust.

Du Xiaoxian did not care, and she kept chatting with Gu Nianbin. She was never a great talker, but for the man she loved, she was willing to try her best.

Gu Shanshan came over today and gave her another lesson. In fact, it was just a repetition of old advice. She vividly remembered Gu Shanshan’s expression at that time. She cheered for her very passionately. “Important things need to be said three times. Take the initiative! Take the initiative! Take the initiative! Be brave! Be brave! Be brave! Just do all that and my brother will surely fall for you. Come on, I have faith in you!”

Gu Niannian stood to the side, clenching her small fists and cheering for her mother earnestly. “Mom, I have faith in you! You can definitely win over Daddy!”

Her childish voice made Du Xiaoxian and Gu Shanshan burst into laughter.

Du Xiaoxian knew that Gu Shanshan took Gu Niannian away because she wanted to give the two of them personal space. Perhaps with no one else around, Gu Nianbin would treat her better just like he did on the mountain.

Sure enough, as soon as Gu Niannian left, he brought her out for a meal, and the dish was her favorite grilled fish.

Since parking on the street was not permitted, Gu Nianbin parked his car in a public parking lot a distance away. After dinner, they could slowly walk back to get his car.

Du Xiaoxian looked up at the sky and said, “The weather is nice tonight.”

Gu Nianbin glanced sideways at her, waiting for her to continue.

Du Xiaoxian was a little stunned by his gaze, so she looked up again and said, “The moon is very beautiful.”

Gu Nianbin still did not make a sound. He merely glanced at her from the corners of his eyes.

Du Xiaoxian also felt that it was inappropriate to chat about the weather in the middle of the night, so she changed the topic. “Time flies. In a blink of an eye, six years have passed. I’m old now.”

Gu Nianbin said, “How can you call yourself old when you’re only 23?”

Du Xiaoxian quickly chimed in, “You’re even older. You’re 35 or 36 now.”

“Du Xiaoxian,” The man frowned. “Do you know how to make conversation? You shouldn’t talk if you don’t know how to.”

Du Xiaoxian smiled and stuck out her tongue. Although the streetlamp was hidden between the branches and was not very bright, Gu Nianbin could see her pink, tender tongue clearly. He tried to suppress himself and turned his head away. He clenched his fists subconsciously as he quickened his pace.

After longing for her for so long, he did not dare to do anything now. It was like the feeling of being homesick. Once he had a taste, it would get out of hand. The problems between them would become a complete mess. He did not want to let her get off so easily!

They slowly walked all the way to the parking lot. The lights were far away, and it was a little dark. The car park was pretty full. It was dark, so they couldn’t distinguish between colors. Gu Nianbin was looking for his car with his eyes narrowed when he heard a muffled sound behind him. He didn’t need to look back to know that Du Xiaoxian had bumped into something.

He turned around in annoyance. “What did you bump into?”

“It’s fine.” Du Xiaoxian bent over and rubbed her knees. She grinned at him and answered without thinking, “Lu Haochen used to say that I was clumsy.”

Gu Nianbin slowly turned around and strode away. Only then did Du Xiaoxian realize that she had said something wrong. She was secretly annoyed. Why did she bring up Lu Haochen for no reason? Wasn’t she making things difficult for Gu Nianbin? She scolded herself in a low voice, “Du Xiaoxian, you’re so stupid!”

She chased after him and smiled. “I know that you’re not a petty person. I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

Gu Nianbin wondered if she had been dropped on her head when she was a baby. He was completely unable to keep up with her right now! He either felt like she was laughable or he was always ready to blow his top because of her!

Anyway, he ignored her and drove slowly out of the parking lot. When it was time to pay for the parking, Du Xiaoxian quickly took out some money. “I have some change. Take it and pay the fee.”

Gu Nianbin glanced at her. Without hesitation, he took the money and handed it over.

Du Xiaoxian was happy because he did that. She felt like she had made up for her mistake just now, so she took the plunge and said to Gu Nianbin, “Let’s buy some fruits on the way home. Shanshan came earlier, so I didn’t have the time to go out and buy fruits.”

Gu Nianbin did not answer her, but he parked the car at the entrance of the supermarket not far ahead.

Du Xiaoxian suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, “You can’t park here, right? We should’ve walked over to buy fruits just now.”

“The traffic police are off work now. No one will mind.” Gu Nianbin switched off the engine and got out of the car.

Only then did Du Xiaoxian relax and follow him into the supermarket. They walked around the fresh fruit area. Since Du Xiaoxian used to sell fruits at Yawan, she was very good at picking fruits. She took a mango and weighed it in her hand. She smelled it again, then said to Gu Nianbin, “It smells really nice. It’s the perfect ripeness. If it’s too hard, it means it isn’t ripe yet. If it’s too soft, then it’s overly ripe. It’s best like this. You can eat it when you take it home. We can’t keep mango for too long or it’ll spoil. Sometimes, when we had too much stock and couldn’t sell all the mangos, the mangos ended up going bad. Hence, the whole house would be full of the rancid smell. But after a long time, one gets used to it. If the color has only changed by a little, it can still be eaten. If it’s too soft and watery, it’s gone bad. Eating it will give you diarrhea…”

Gu Nianbin did not know that she had sold fruits before. Hearing her say this, he was surprised. “You sold mangos in the past?”

“Yes, not just mangos, but also bananas, muskmelons, watermelons, sweet dates, longan, spinach… I sold many types of fruits.” When Du Xiaoxian talked about this, she started to talk non-stop. “I’d go to the wholesale market before dawn to wait for the goods. Once I bought all the things I needed, I would hurry back and tidy up before I started the day’s business. I’m pretty experienced. Anyway, at the end of the day, after I sold most of our stock, I would bring the rest home for Niannian to eat. There’s basically no waste.”

A scene flashed in Gu Nianbin’s mind. He saw skinny, little Du Xiaoxian sweating profusely as she pushed the tricycle out on a hot street in Yawan. She stood at the side of the street and shouted at the top of her lungs… She was bullied by other vendors and chased by the city’s urban management officers. It was only late at night when she pushed the tricycle back home, with the stars and moon guiding her…

He suddenly felt a pang in his chest. He felt like his heart was squashed under a big rock. He could not move at all. It was so stuffy that he could not breathe. A strong sense of guilt stirred in his chest, and he felt choked up. It was extremely uncomfortable.

Du Xiaoxian inadvertently looked up and said, “Your eyes are a little red. Did you get sand in them?”

Gu Nianbin nodded and turned to look at the cashier counters in the distance. However, Du Xiaoxian forcibly tugged on his arm. “I’ll help you get it out.”

“There’s no need.” Gu Nianbin pulled his arm away. “I’m fine now.” If she was sensible, she would stay away from him. The fire in his heart was burning brightly. He did not pity Du Xiaoxian at all. She asked for it. No matter how much she suffered, she asked for it. She deserved it!

Du Xiaoxian thought it was strange. His expression had eased up. Why did it suddenly become gloomier now? She knew that Gu Nianbin was a little moody now, so she did not dare to say anything again. She obediently picked the fruits and then got into the car. The two of them returned home in silence.

After getting out of the car, Du Xiaoxian carried the fruits straight to the kitchen. Gu Nianbin locked the door and slowly walked up the stairs. The night wind blew, and the trees rustled. The fallen leaves danced in the air like butterflies. He stood outside and smoked a cigarette before entering the house. The living room was so quiet that the sound of a falling needle could be heard. Hence, he could hear the sound of rustling in the kitchen.

Gu Nianbin stood there quietly for a while. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw Du Xiaoxian coming out with a fruit tray. He quickly went up the stairs. He heard her footsteps. She seemed to be in a hurry to catch up with him. Her delicate voice rang out, “Have some fruits before you go upstairs.”

“You can eat them on your own. I’m going back to my room.” He did not stop, nor did he look back.

“But I’ve already cut the fruits.” Du Xiaoxian caught up to him on the stairs. “Do you want me to bring them upstairs for you to eat?”

Gu Nianbin abruptly turned around, his gaze as sharp as a blade. “Why do you have to be so annoying?”

Du Xiaoxian trembled in fear and stammered, “Do… Do you not like fruits now?”

Gu Nianbin ignored her and quickly went upstairs. He entered his room, then slammed the door.

Did he know what he was angry about? He was angry that Du Xiaoxian had suffered so much. He was angry that she had not taken good care of herself. He was angry that she had lived such a terrible life after leaving him!

He felt like he was about to go crazy when he thought about Du Xiaoxian selling fruits on the street. He wished that he could smash things into pieces to vent his anger. However, he was afraid that if he did that, that stupid woman would be scared of him and be at a loss for what to do.

He was angry, but he could not do anything. He stormed into the bathroom in an attempt to calm himself down by taking a cold shower.

Du Xiaoxian held the plate of fruits and stood in the corridor in a daze. He had slammed the door, scaring her out of her wits. She had just asked him to eat some fruits. How could that make him so angry? She felt a little wronged and silently entered the room opposite his.

Gu Niannian’s room was in a shade of pink, and being in it made her mood soften. Du Xiaoxian put the fruit tray on the table and slowly sat down. In this room, she liked this pink single sofa the most. She could nestle her whole body in it. It was so comfortable.

Recently, she had been sleeping with her daughter. Now that Gu Niannian had gone to the Gu family’s ancestral house, Du Xiaoxian was considering whether she should go back to the servant’s room downstairs. When Gu Niannian was not there, her relationship with Gu Nianbin was always on shaky terms.

However, she thought of Gu Shanshan’s words—”Take the initiative, be brave!”

Gu Shanshan had also whispered something else that made her blush. She said that if Du Xiaoxian did what she said, there was a 90% chance of success!

“Should I go down? Or should I try Gu Shanshan’s method?” Du Xiaoxian was in a dilemma. She was confused and hesitant, but she also felt a certain longing. Her hand unconsciously reached for the fruit plate and she started stuffing fruits into her mouth. After eating almost half the plate of fruits, she stopped. She gritted her teeth, took her pajamas, and entered the bathroom.

The warm water fell on her skin. The pressure was just right, and it felt really nice. Du Xiaoxian was very nervous, so she showered very slowly and seriously. In fact, she was taking her time. For someone as shy as her, it was really difficult to take this step. However, she was willing to give it a try. Even if she hit a brick wall again, it did not matter. Anyway, in front of Gu Nianbin, she had no pride to speak of.

After bathing for a long time, Du Xiaoxian turned off the water and wiped her body dry. She then put on her pajamas and dried her hair with a hairdryer.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were as clear as a stream. Her pink lips were slightly parted. Her black hair was draped over her shoulders and lay against her snow-white neck. She was not as young and bright as she used to be, but she was calm and peaceful. Would Gu Nianbin still like her as much as before?

Du Xiaoxian was not sure.