Chapter 34

Since their reunion, neither had brought up the confession from three years ago, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t happened.
The car was tense; both were unusually quiet.
After a while, Guan Shanyan pulled the car to the side.
Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting shadows on him, highlighting his sharp profile.
“Do you still feel the same way?” he asked, turning to look at Shen Youwei.
She instinctively gripped her bag tighter and met his gaze: “What if I say yes? Will you reject me again?”
The car was quieter than before; the rustling leaves seemed louder. Guan Shanyan’s expression flickered. Just as he opened his mouth, Shen Youwei interrupted: “If you reject me again, then it’s really over for us.”
“!” Guan Shanyan’s lips twitched, swallowing his words.
Seeing him silent, Shen Youwei unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door.
The door shut with a click. Guan Shanyan froze for a moment, then started the car and followed her: “Where are you going?”
He rolled down the window, calling out from inside. Shen Youwei took out a mask and put it on, glancing at him: “I’ll take a taxi home myself. You don’t need to drive me.”
She hailed a passing taxi. Guan Shanyan watched her get in and drive away, pursed his lips, and restarted his car.
Back home, Shen Youwei tossed her bag onto the bed and collapsed onto the sofa, unwilling to move.
This time, with Guan Shanyan back from abroad, she had no intention of confessing again. If anyone was to speak, it should be him. But today’s conversation had somehow escalated to this.
And she said if he rejected her again, they’d be done. Then he stayed silent? Ha. Did he really want to reject her again?
She wouldn’t be with a man who had rejected her twice already!
After sulking on the sofa, Shen Youwei remembered she still had design work. She had sketched Huang Yiqin’s styling roughly and now needed to refine and finalize it for the client today.
She couldn’t afford setbacks in her career, even with heartbreak. Shen Youwei finally got up and sat at her desk.
Guan Shanyan had already arrived at the company. After entering the office, he sat down in his chair but had no focus for work.
Earlier in the car, he hadn’t really wanted to reject Shen Youwei; he just wanted to analyze their current situation with her. But he wasn’t sure if Shen Youwei would interpret it as rejection, so he didn’t say anything.
He had even wondered: after three years, did Shen Youwei still like him? Today, he had received an indirect answer, and surprisingly, he felt a small sense of relief.
As her brother, he shouldn’t have been feeling this way.
But in truth, hadn’t he already failed in his role as a brother long ago? Being her brother, was that something he said to her, or a reminder to himself?
Gu Fei walked into Guan Shanyan’s office, glanced at him sitting behind the desk, and wordlessly walked out.
Guan Shanyan’s eyes followed him. “Did you enter the wrong room?” he asked.
Gu Fei turned back, smiling at him: “No mistake, but knowing you, it’s better to stay away at a time like this.”
Last time he had beaten up those foreigners abroad, he’d been in a similar state. Gu Fei didn’t want to be the one getting beaten this time.
A wild boar didn’t even survive a second under his hands, let alone him.
“Say what you need to say.” Guan Shanyan adjusted his emotions and looked at Gu Fei again.
Gu Fei said: “The new embroidery samples have arrived. I brought them for you to see.”
Guan Shanyan had come to the company relatively late today and stayed overtime before heading home. By the time he got home, Shen Youwei had already finished dinner and gone to her room. He wasn’t sure if she was deliberately avoiding him.
Some food had been left for him at home. Guan Shanyan sat at the table and asked Guan Su: “Where’s Tianquan?”
“In Youwei’s room, she loves to stick with her.” Guan Su said, suddenly reluctant for Tianquan to leave. “When is that friend of Youwei coming back?”
Guan Shanyan rolled up his shirt sleeves and picked up his bowl of rice. “Should be within the next couple of days.”
Guan Su: “Then Tianquan will be leaving soon, won’t she?”
“Not necessarily.” Xie Mingqiu, watching TV in the living room, replied: “I asked Youwei. She said she’s taking Tianquan to Lize Park this weekend. Her friend will come too, and they’ll take the dog back then.”
Guan Su calculated, tomorrow is Thursday; the weekend is almost here.
Guan Shanyan thought for a moment: “Lize Park has a special pet area. It’s perfect for taking pets.”
“Yeah, it’s a huge lawn, though Tianquan’s short little legs will have a hard time running around.”
Guan Shanyan: “!”
Better not let Tianquan hear that.
“You can also set up tents and have a barbecue there. When I came back, Youwei asked if I wanted to go too.”
Xie Mingqiu’s words made Guan Shanyan pause with his chopsticks. Going to Lize Park for a barbecue sounded oddly familiar: “Did she mention anyone else?”
“I didn’t ask,” Xie Mingqiu said. “You young ones like this kind of thing. Your dad and I are too lazy, especially in this heat.”
The temperature had been rising recently, it wasn’t ideal camping weather. Plus, they’d have to eat barbecue. Xie Mingqiu and Guan Su preferred sitting in a teahouse, drinking tea, and playing cards.
Guan Shanyan’s gaze darkened slightly. He didn’t ask more, but the next day, he still found out who else would be there.
Lu Zhaoye contacted him first.
Wild Kid: [Brother Guan! Didn’t we say we’d barbecue at Lize Park last time? Shen Youwei said this weekend works!]
Seeing the message, Guan Shanyan pressed his lips together and replied: [You asked her?]
Wild Kid: [She came to boxing practice today and told me!]
Guan Shanyan’s brows twitched. She even went to boxing?
Shen Youwei had indeed gone to boxing. Now, she felt that fitness was less important, what mattered was stress relief.
Especially imagining Guan Shanyan as the punching bag, it felt even more satisfying.
After practicing boxing outside, she came home, took a shower, and sat on the living room sofa holding Tianquan. The dog had been shedding a lot lately, and Shen Youwei used Tianquan’s special brush to groom him. In no time, she had a large clump of fur.
“I wonder if this fur could be made into a keychain?” If she could, she could give it to Guan Shanyan, a dog man deserved some dog stuff.
While thinking this, Guan Shanyan suddenly opened the door and entered.
Shen Youwei was caught off guard and bumped into him. It was not even six o’clock yet; her godparents weren’t home, so why had he left work so early?
Not only was his physical condition a mystery, but his work schedule was also unpredictable.
Shen Youwei glanced at him without speaking and picked up Tianquan to go back to her room. Guan Shanyan set down his car keys and called out: “You’re taking Tianquan to Lize Park this weekend?”
Shen Youwei stopped and turned sideways: “Yeah. Why?”
Guan Shanyan took a step toward her, arms crossed over his chest: “I’ll go too.”