Chapter 41: A Very, Very Deep Affection

"Bro Jiang handles almost everything from selecting ingredients to cooking. The ingredients are always fresh, and the dishes retain their original, natural flavors. It's rare to find such authentic taste here, which is why I come so often."

Gu Xinyao was not intentionally making excuses for her frequent visits, but she also did not want him to misunderstand. Therefore, she rattled off a long string of words, whose ultimate purpose was merely to praise the delicious food, entirely unrelated to anyone else.

The smile on Dugu Yi's eyes deepened. Although he had not asked her to explain, her offering such a detailed explanation undoubtedly made him very happy. Amidst their already complicated lives, her consideration was a reassuring comfort to him.

"Here comes the food!" Bro Jiang executed his signature trick of balancing plates. Aside from a dish carried by the girl behind him, he held four plates in his hands—including the three classic dishes Gu Xinyao had ordered, as well as fresh sautéed bamboo shoot tips.

The aromatic dishes were a feast of color, aroma, and taste. The tender, vibrant green vegetables caught even Dugu Yi's eye, despite his being accustomed to rare delicacies. Such culinary skill was likely rare even in aristocratic kitchens, which explained why people still flocked to this restaurant despite its location outside the bustling downtown area.

"Handsome, Xiao Jiang cooked all these dishes himself. They're delicious and nutritious." The girl placed her tray near Dugu Yi's side and lingered, half-bending over to chat him up.

Dugu Yi remained aloof and cold in front of strangers. He saw no benefit in being overly chummy with a stranger who aggressively hit on him, especially with his wife sitting right beside him. He simply stared at the food, ignoring the girl entirely.

"He isn't very talkative around outsiders, please don't mind him." Seeing that the girl was radiating energy and acting overly familiar with Dugu Yi without crossing any offensive lines—hardly seeming like a troublemaker with malicious intent, and especially since she had arrived with Bro Jiang—Gu Xinyao kindly stepped in to smooth things over.

Only then did the girl look at Gu Xinyao. At first, her gaze was slightly dazed, but then her brown eyes began to sparkle with a brilliant light.

"Little miss, you're not bad-looking yourself. With a little bit of styling, you'd definitely be a real beauty." The girl didn't mind Dugu Yi's cold shoulder at all. Instead, upon seeing Gu Xinyao, her eyes shone even brighter. She walked past Dugu Yi's side and stationed herself next to Gu Xinyao, looking her up and down repeatedly.

Gu Xinyao rarely had the opportunity to be stared at like this, so she felt rather self-conscious under such scrutiny. As for being called a beauty, even she felt the girl was exaggerating.

"Here, here, here. This is my business card. I'm Shang Ran, the design director of Wenran Art Company. I think very highly of the two of you. If you're interested, come join our company. I guarantee you'll enter high society in no time." Shang Ran did not miss the chance to pitch her company. She pulled out two cards, trying to slip one into Dugu Yi's hand—only to be avoided—and presenting the other with both hands to Gu Xinyao, who felt it impolite to refuse and reluctantly accepted it.

"Thank you, but we don't need this opportunity right now," Gu Xinyao politely declined. Unfortunately, the other party simply lacked the ability to read the room and insisted on getting a definitive yes before giving up.

Gu Xinyao had never been very good at dealing with people who were well-meaning yet somewhat clingy. Dugu Yi, however, had fewer reservations.

"I'm sorry, Miss Shang, we are about to eat. Could you please leave?" Dugu Yi's tone was extremely cold. While not outright rude, anyone with a shred of pride would have stopped pestering him upon hearing such a direct dismissal.

Hearing Dugu Yi's flat, warmthless voice, Shang Ran was not deterred at all; instead, she leaned in even closer.

"Little miss, this handsome guy has a wonderful voice. Why don't you let him join our company? Although we're an art company, we occasionally handle promotional projects for entertainment events. Good looks and a great voice—he's bound to be loved by many."

Gu Xinyao was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected Miss Shang to be so resilient that even Dugu Yi's cold face couldn't chase her away.

Yet, glancing at Dugu Yi, she noticed him staring down at his meal, gripping his chopsticks with such force that it looked as though he might snap them in half. Well, he was clearly annoyed. Her Dugu Yi was naturally cold, but he wasn't one to truly lash out at people viciously.

"Miss Shang, I am truly sorry. My husband doesn't like being in the spotlight, and I don't like his good qualities being discovered by so many people either. He is my treasure alone, and that's enough." Gu Xinyao gently tugged at Dugu Yi's hand beneath the table, offering Shang Ran a polite, smiling explanation.

Shang Ran had never seen a woman utter such mushy words out of a desire to protect a man. She looked at her closely and realized that as the other woman spoke, her eyes were fixed on the man eating with his head lowered, and the shifting light in her gaze held genuine affection rather than a superficial performance.

Still, she didn't want to give up just yet and opened her mouth to say something more.

Just as Bro Jiang emerged from the kitchen carrying another dish, he overheard Dugu Yi's dismissal and Gu Xinyao's subsequent words. Since the rejection had been made so unmistakably clear, why wouldn't she just give up? He set the food down and gave the corner of Shang Ran's shirt a hard tug.

"Still standing around here? Didn't you say you came to help?"

Ignoring Bro Jiang, Shang Ran kept her smiling face and tried to persuade Gu Xinyao and Dugu Yi once more: "You two, look—our company has been established for a little over two years and has already broken into the top fifty of the top one hundred enterprises. Even some prominent figures have had us design things for them, not to mention our big boss, who is..."

"No matter the scale of your enterprise, we have no intention of going. Both my husband and I have our own ideal jobs. We took time off today, and since we rarely get a break, we hope you can understand." Even when annoyed, Gu Xinyao could not bring herself to utter anything too harsh, choosing instead to continuously and politely decline.

Listening to Gu Xinyao's tactful phrasing, Dugu Yi silently picked up a piece of sautéed bamboo shoot and placed it in her bowl. His gesture earned him a knowing, fond smile from Gu Xinyao. She knew he disliked showing public affection, yet his act of feeding her was deeply tender.

"Shang Ran, will you ever finish? Stop interrupting my customers' meal!" Bro Jiang finally lost his patience. Since the couple had made their stance crystal clear, what on earth was she still trying to accomplish? With a strong heave, he dragged Shang Ran away. As he turned to leave, he offered Gu Xinyao an apologetic look. "Miss, I'm truly sorry. She's just that kind of person—whenever she sees someone good-looking, she has to pull a stunt like this. Please don't take it to heart, just pretend she's having a fit. By the way, those two dishes are on the house as an apology." With that, Bro Jiang pushed the reluctant Shang Ran back into the kitchen.

Gu Xinyao wiped the sweat from her forehead. She had truly gained some worldly experience today; she never knew someone could be thick-skinned to this degree.

"Good looks attract attention everywhere, and too much attention is a hassle. Fortunately, I'm not exceptionally striking. And fortunately, you aren't someone who loves to show off." Turning back to look at Dugu Yi, who was earnestly eating the various dishes, Gu Xinyao couldn't help but reflect that he wasn't a vain man. If he were, she didn't know how much worry she would have to endure.

Dugu Yi set down the piece of bamboo shoot he had just picked up. He looked at her, his gaze intense and profound.

"The woman who was just here said one thing that was completely correct." A hint of contemplation and depth laced his gaze.

Gu Xinyao was slightly startled; she had assumed he hadn't even been listening to the girl's chatter.

"You look very good too!" he continued, the corners of his lips curling up into the slightest of smiles—one she wouldn't have noticed had she not known him so well.

Huh? So he was capable of sweet talk as well. She had assumed that this cold and occasionally fragile man would keep all such sentiments locked inside forever.

She leaned in closer, wrapped her arms around his waist beneath the table, and asked, "Then which part of me do you think looks good?"

Whether she looked good or not was something she had long since stopped caring about, but she couldn't resist teasing him a little.

Dugu Yi tried to pull away, but because she held him too tightly, he eventually gave up.

Meeting her gaze and seeing the mischief sparkling in her eyes, he knew she was purposely teasing him. As his eyes flickered, a similar urge to tease her arose in his heart.

"Is it that whichever part I think doesn't look good, you'll go get surgery for?" He had heard of men undergoing plastic surgery just to look better or to retain their lover's affection for long. He entirely disagreed with that notion—one's appearance was a gift from one's parents, and no matter how ugly or unsatisfactory, one shouldn't resort to the knife casually.

Gu Xinyao never expected him to ask such a question. Seeing his earnest expression, she didn't know whether to say yes or no. She was merely teasing him; why did he have to take it so seriously? It was true that she loved him, but how did the conversation suddenly pivot to plastic surgery?

"If I go under the knife and fix all my flaws, will you love me more?" This was the first time she had ever broached the question of whether he loved her or not. Perhaps she shouldn't have, but she genuinely wanted to know.

Dugu Yi had only meant to tease her a little; he hadn't anticipated this question. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond. Whether he loved her or not had long since blurred in his heart. The journey from utter strangers to their current state of mutual dependence could no longer be encapsulated by a single word like "love." If they parted ways, he would suffer, but to actually speak the word "love" aloud remained beyond him.

Dugu Yi's silence caused Gu Xinyao's pupils to contract slightly. She knew he liked her, but liking and love were worlds apart. The longer they stayed together, the greedier she became—she wanted not just his affection, but his love as well.

"I..." His lips parted slightly, looking troubled, as if he wanted to express something so as not to disappoint her.

She studied him for a moment. His face was gentle and handsome, and his dark pupils reflected only her, with no room for anyone else. Perhaps it was enough for a person to receive the undivided attention of the one they loved. Love or no love, what did it matter? Love was inherently an extravagant thing; having her love to sustain the two of them was enough.

"Alright, I know I'm not pretty, and even surgery wouldn't turn me into a stunner. That's why I'd never go under the knife. You'll just have to make do with looking at me!" She gave a light laugh, smoothing over his hesitation. She mocked herself, choosing not to press the question of love any further.

He pressed his lips together, watching her put on a brave face, and felt a faint pang of pain somewhere in his heart.

"I... I like you. Deeply, deeply like you." He had forgotten whether he had ever told her he liked her. He couldn't bring himself to say "love," because love felt too ethereal and distant to him. Ever since childhood, he had never known what love was, so the word felt foreign and somewhat frightening. Perhaps "like" was the safest and most secure word, and by adding "deeply, deeply," he hoped it was enough to convey his feelings.

Her laughter froze at his words, replaced by astonishment, which then blossomed into overwhelming joy. She knew very well how difficult it was for him to utter a confession like this. Even if it wasn't the "love" she had initially craved, what did it matter? She could easily treat his deep, profound fondness as love.

Leaning forward, she pressed a deep, lingering kiss upon his inviting lips. She no longer cared if there were other people in the restaurant; she needed this kiss to prove that what she had just heard was not an illusion, but reality.

He passively accepted the kiss. The two soft lips initially brushed gently against each other before she parted her lips slightly, and he cooperatively followed suit. The touch of their tongues made their already familiar mouths press even more closely together.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. They forgot about the Dugu family, forgot the vexing distress of not being understood by their kin. In this present instant, they had only each other, and not even the shifting of oceans and changing of mountains could tear them apart.

In the kitchen, Bro Jiang had finished lecturing Shang Ran. Unfortunately, the results were negligible; the person who had just been scolded was currently peering through the kitchen curtain, watching the two passionately and self-absorbedly kissing.

"Tsk tsk tsk, public morals are really declining nowadays. They're actually kissing in a public place like this. Do you think I should stop them?" Shang Ran rubbed her chin, whispering to Bro Jiang behind her.

Bro Jiang had initially dismissed her sneaky behavior, but seeing how completely engrossed she was, his curiosity was inevitably piqued. He peered out past her and realized it was Gu Xinyao's table.

If it were ordinary people, he might not have bothered looking, but with a handsome man and beautiful woman like that, he couldn't help being drawn in.

"They really match quite well, don't they?" Shang Ran commented as she watched. Before long, she pulled out her pocket camera and snapped several pictures.

Coming to his senses, Bro Jiang lunged to snatch the camera, hissing, "Are you crazy? This is people's privacy! Why are you taking pictures? Are you planning to mess with them and put this in your ridiculous company's hands again?"

Dodging him, Shang Ran defended herself: "What do you mean, 'ridiculous company'? It's a legitimate company with a proper license, okay? Our business has been so slow lately that if we don't make some revenue, we'll be starving. Sister Wei has been holed up in her nest refusing to come back, leaving all the clients to drift away while she doesn't lift a finger. Honestly... ugh, hey, Xiao Jiang, if you keep this up I'm going to get mad..." Amidst Shang Ran's yelps of protest, Bro Jiang successfully wrenched the camera away and swiftly deleted the photos she had just taken.

Her actions left Shang Ran sighing repeatedly, but since they were childhood sweethearts, there wasn't much else she could do to him.

Meanwhile, the two deeply engrossed kissers remained utterly oblivious to the minor turf war fought over them inside the kitchen.

When the kiss ended, Gu Xinyao rested her head against Dugu Yi's neck. His faint, refreshing scent of mint was familiar and comforting. Unable to resist, she pressed a soft kiss to his skin, causing him to shiver slightly.

His cheeks were flushed a rosy red. Had they not chosen a relatively secluded table, their striking looks would surely have drawn the gazes of everyone around them, let alone their breathtakingly passionate embrace.

"If I had known, we wouldn't have come here to eat. We should have just gone straight home."

Gu Xinyao hugged him tighter, muttering a few words under her breath, which only made his already burning neck and ears turn even redder.

Looking at his flushed profile, she sighed inwardly: *If life could just go on like this forever, it wouldn't be bad at all.*