The Cold CEO Chases His White Moonlight - Chapter 17

Looking at Gu Yunhui’s complicated expression, Ji Zhiwei covered her face again.

“I didn’t say anything! You, go ahead with your work! I’ll be fine on my own.”

Gu Yunhui took a deep breath.

Before she could catch the scent of gardenias, she exhaled sharply.

“Fine, I’ll leave.” If Ji Zhiwei hadn’t added that last sentence, Gu Yunhui might not have actually walked away.

With anyone else, Gu Yunhui wouldn’t have cared.

But Ji Zhiwei, Gu Yunhui had raised her for nearly four years. It was hard not to feel a pang of guilt.

Her tone laced with irritation, Gu Yunhui began packing her things.

Ji Zhiwei lay on the bed, staring blankly.

“Yun-jie, will you come for New Year’s Eve?” Just before Gu Yunhui left, Ji Zhiwei managed to squeeze out another question.

Gu Yunhui had no immediate family, and the Gu household didn’t celebrate holidays. For the past three years, she had spent New Year’s Day and Spring Festival with Ji Zhiwei.

Usually, when the clock struck midnight, they were still tangled up in that kind of activity.

But today, Ji Zhiwei had just upset Gu Yunhui. In no mood to indulge her, Gu Yunhui reflexively replied, “No.”

Only when she saw Ji Zhiwei’s eyes welling up again did she relent.

“Probably.”

“Okay! I’ll be starting filming during winter break. For Spring Festival, will you come see me?” That was what Ji Zhiwei really wanted to ask.

Gu Yunhui’s prolonged coldness had made her realize she needed to secure plans in advance.

Gu Yunhui wouldn’t stand her up, right?

“Depends on how busy I am. I’m leaving.” Gu Yunhui waited until Ji Zhiwei finished speaking before shouldering her bag and walking out.

It was a non-answer. Ji Zhiwei sighed and struggled to turn over.

Her body ached terribly, and her throat was completely hoarse.

Fumbling for her phone, she saw a flood of messages from her roommate.

[Ji Zhiwei: Can you help me ask for leave? Family matters. Thanks.]

Her hands weren’t the worst off. She typed quickly and hit send.

How humiliating. Skipping class for this reason.

And Gu Yunhui wasn’t even here.

Ji Zhiwei stared at the empty half of the bed, her heart hollow.

By May, their arrangement would end.

In the already limited time they had left, Gu Yunhui had been absent for months.

Emotions surged. No matter how hard she thought, Ji Zhiwei couldn’t find a solution.

She wanted Gu Yunhui to look at her more, but their roles loomed over her, making her feel unworthy.

Should she confess? Would Gu Yunhui hate her even more?

No one could give her the answers.

The approach of New Year’s meant finals week had arrived.

Ji Zhiwei was too busy to dwell on her relationship with Gu Yunhui.

On the second-to-last day of the year, a particularly significant date Ji Zhiwei received a message from Gu Yunhui.

Seeing the familiar tone, she relaxed slightly.

“How are you spending New Year’s?” In the dorm, Cheng Lanxin was packing her things.

Her family lived in the capital, so of course she was going home.

“Staying to study.” Fang Xianqing was from out of town and didn’t plan to return even for winter break.

“With family.” Ji Zhiwei was also packing.

Suddenly, someone darted to her feet, startling her.

“Is it with your sister?” Cheng Lanxin grinned.

Ji Zhiwei sidestepped, shaking off the clingy Cheng Lanxin, then realized she meant Gu Yunhui. “Yes.”

“That’s so nice! How much older is she? You must have things to talk about, right? Is she your real sister or ?”

Ji Zhiwei froze under the barrage of questions.

It’s worth noting that the sisterly relationship was originally fabricated by Gu Yunhui, and Ji Zhiwei had merely adopted this premise without refining or elaborating on it.

She improvised on the spot. “Cousins, six years older than me.”

As for common interests. Ji Zhiwei truly had no idea. Would “kou kou” count?

Cheng Lanxin covered her face, looking envious.

Ji Zhiwei didn’t chat with them for long and left the dormitory early.

She entered a cake shop and picked up her pre-ordered item.

Today was Gu Yunhui’s birthday.

Ji Zhiwei didn’t have much of her own money, nor did she feel comfortable using Gu Yunhui’s money to buy her anything too extravagant.

Saving up to gift a cake was a gesture of sincerity. She had also found time to join a club to learn how to make a bookmark, thinking Gu Yunhui might actually use it.

She arrived at the small villa first, set the cake aside, and wrapped the bookmark carefully.

Then came the nerve-wracking wait.

An hour later, Ji Zhiwei began to feel uneasy.

Last time, Gu Yunhui had stood her up would it happen again this time?

But Gu Yunhui had been the one to bring it up. Gu Yunhui had agreed first.

Ji Zhiwei slumped over the table, staring blankly at the wall clock.

She sniffled and picked up her phone again, confirming there were no new messages.

Another half hour passed, and Gu Yunhui still hadn’t arrived.

Ji Zhiwei figured she’d been stood up again, tears plopping down one after another.

Just as she was about to burst into full-blown sobs, the door opened.

Gu Yunhui met Ji Zhiwei’s tear-filled eyes.

“…”

Three minutes later, Ji Zhiwei had wiped away her tears and sat obediently in place, not daring to lift her head, let alone look at Gu Yunhui.

She was terrified of being accused of playing the victim for attention again.

“It’s not like that, I just got stuck in traffic. Rush hour, you know?”

Gu Yunhui didn’t understand, she was only a little late, so why was this girl crying?

She completely forgot that she had stood Ji Zhiwei up the same way last time.

Not hearing any harsh words, Ji Zhiwei’s tense heart finally relaxed.

Along with it, her tear ducts loosened too.

“Wah, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, to cry on purpose.”

Today was Gu Yunhui’s birthday, and Ji Zhiwei didn’t want to ruin the mood.

“Then stop crying.” Gu Yunhui rolled her eyes helplessly, but when she noticed the cake and gift box on the table, she froze.

Again? Ever since Ji Zhiwei had stubbornly wheedled her birthday out of her, she had received a cake and small gift from her every year greeting cards, hairpins, umbrellas, things like that.

The cakes were never tasty, and the gifts were cheap.

Gu Yunhui usually tossed them into storage after accepting them.

For reasons even she couldn’t explain, at least she hadn’t thrown them away outright like she did with gifts from other admirers.

Gu Yunhui couldn’t comprehend it.

She gave Ji Zhiwei a hefty allowance every month, why couldn’t she splurge on a decent cake? Was she not worth it?

But she couldn’t be bothered to bring it up. Playing along with the girl’s little act and eating that awful cake was just tiresome.

Yet when faced with Ji Zhiwei’s tearful smile, Gu Yunhui found herself speechless. It had probably been the same in previous years.

“Happy birthday, Sister Yun.” Ji Zhiwei had already wiped her tears dry and handed the gift to Gu Yunhui.

“Thanks.” Judging by the size of the box, Gu Yunhui guessed it was another handmade item from Ji Zhiwei.

She casually tossed it into her bag, planning to dump it in the storage room after New Year’s.

The two of them shared the cake, though Gu Yunhui claimed she’d already eaten on the way, leaving Ji Zhiwei alone at the dining table.

Gu Yunhui sat on the sofa, the clamor from the kitchen on her right making it impossible for her to focus on the documents in her hand not a single word had registered.

“What are you doing?” Gu Yunhui couldn’t take it anymore.

How could someone be so noisy? She stood up and pushed open the kitchen door.

Ji Zhiwei was stir-frying minced meat.

“Ah! I was making longevity noodles for you,” Ji Zhiwei turned off the stove, just in time to pour the minced meat into the bowl of noodles beside her.

She wanted to hand the bowl to Gu Yunhui.

“Didn’t I say I already ate? Why are you making this?” That familiar irritation rose again.

Gu Yunhui dug her nails into her palm, pressing her glasses frame hard against her face, using the pain to suppress the urge to lash out at Ji Zhiwei.

“Did you eat noodles too?” Ji Zhiwei shrank her neck slightly.

She had upset Gu Yunhui again, on her birthday, no less. Ji Zhiwei’s mood plummeted.

“I don’t eat that stuff.” Gu Yunhui disliked wheat-based foods. She thought Ji Zhiwei knew.

Now, she felt even more annoyed.

How could Ji Zhiwei not know? She was well aware of Gu Yunhui’s love for lotus root patties and boiled beef.

Wait, why did she care whether Ji Zhiwei knew or not?

“But it’s your birthday for good luck,” Ji Zhiwei’s voice was small and weak.

She regretted it as soon as she spoke. She should have just gone along with Gu Yunhui.

Gu Yunhui stared at her.

Her gaze wasn’t just cold, it was laced with anger, too complex for Ji Zhiwei to decipher, and too intimidating to meet.

That look was like a knife, stabbing straight into Ji Zhiwei’s heart.

She could barely breathe.

Just as Ji Zhiwei was about to apologize and beg for forgiveness, resigning herself to eating the bowl of noodles alone, Gu Yunhui snatched it from her. Grabbing the chopsticks Ji Zhiwei had used for seasoning, she took two bites.

“Tastes awful.” She slammed the bowl onto the counter and stormed out, the door crashing shut behind her.

Ji Zhiwei stared at the bowl and the chopsticks, stunned.

Gu Yunhui stomped upstairs, burying herself in work in the study, her focus unshakable.

Meanwhile, Ji Zhiwei finally moved in the kitchen. She picked up the chopsticks Gu Yunhui had just used and began eating the noodles, bite by bite, swallowing the dish that had been deemed “awful.”

She thought her cooking was actually pretty good.

But if Gu Yunhui didn’t like it, maybe her skills really were lacking.

It was true, Gu Yunhui didn’t like wheat-based foods. Ji Zhiwei knew that.

At this moment, Ji Zhiwei felt split in two.

One half told her that Gu Yunhui had been harsh, her attitude terrible, trampling over her efforts, she should be hurt.

The other half reminded her that Gu Yunhui, despite disliking noodles, had still eaten what she made. Just like last time, when she’d yelled at her to leave but later reheated the leftovers. That should make her happy.

Dizzy with confusion, Ji Zhiwei didn’t know which emotion to embrace.

Then she noticed Gu Yunhui’s bag was still on the sofa. She chose happiness.

At least she hadn’t driven her away completely.

Past midnight, Gu Yunhui was still working in the study.

After a moment of hesitation, Ji Zhiwei knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Gu Yunhui, thinking she was at the office and that her secretary needed something, absentmindedly granted entry without a second thought.

Only when a glass of milk cold, just how she liked it was placed beside her did she look up and see Ji Zhiwei’s nervous expression.

“What is it?” After hours of work, Gu Yunhui had mostly cooled off. She took the milk Ji Zhiwei offered.

“It’s just, it’s late. Shouldn’t you get some rest?” Ji Zhiwei hesitated but voiced her concern.

Here we go again. “I haven’t exactly been treating you well lately, have I?”

Gu Yunhui took a sip of milk, set the cup down, and cast a cold glance at Ji Zhimi. “If you’ve forgotten your place, I don’t mind reminding you.”

She attributed her irritation to Ji Zhiwei constantly overstepping her bounds and thought it was time to teach this little canary a lesson.

Ji Zhiwei trembled. “I’m sorry!”

“Get out. Don’t meddle in things that aren’t your concern.” Gu Yunhui didn’t even look up, continuing her work to avoid being swayed by Ji Zhiwei’s expression, lest she lose her resolve to be harsh.

Ji Zhiwei left silently.

It seemed she hadn’t noticed Gu Yunhui using the gift she’d given her.

As expected, she was still unwanted.

At three in the morning, Gu Yunhui finished organizing the last of the piled-up documents, shut down her computer, closed the folders, and locked them away.

The cup by her hand had long been empty.

Having just driven Ji Zhiwei away, Gu Yunhui couldn’t bring herself to call her back for a refill and had to make do.

Without turning on the lights, Gu Yunhui groped her way into the bedroom and climbed into bed.

She heard soft sobbing.

Crying? Out of habit, Gu Yunhui reached out to pull Ji Zhiwei into her arms, but Ji Zhiwei turned away, letting Gu Yunhui catch a glimpse of her tear-streaked face.

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