Forgotten Love - Chapter 9

“Don’t worry, bad weeds live for a thousand years. Even if I die, you’ll definitely outlive me.”

Seeing that Gu Huaian’s complexion had improved quite a bit,

I couldn’t help but start bantering with him again.

But the 18-year-old Gu Huaian really was too quick-tempered.

Hearing my teasing, his face fell again.

When he snatched the water cup from my hand,

he didn’t even bother to say thank you!

After hearing Gu Huaian explain that he just hadn’t been sleeping well lately,

Mom finally relaxed.

She turned to me and gently admonished:

“Ruanruan, it’s fine for you two to bicker, but you can’t curse yourself.”

She patted my back as if coaxing a child.

“Don’t talk about dying and all that, ptooey ptooey, let me pat away the bad luck for you.”

Her touch softened my heart, and I hugged Mom, acting spoiled.

Gu Huaian rolled his eyes at me-big time.

But in his eyes, there was a flash of envy and longing.

I understood instantly.

I grabbed him and pushed him into Mom’s arms.

Then, spreading my arms, I hugged them both.

“Husband, don’t be jealous, let’s all hug together~”

Maybe he was embarrassed that I’d seen through his feelings,

or maybe he was just shy from my sudden “husband” remark.

Gu Huaian’s face turned bright red, and he struggled a bit.

But he didn’t use much force.

In the end, he was pressed into Mom’s embrace by me, his eyes silently reddening.

After lunch, Gu Huaian suddenly got the urge to drag me to the river to catch fish.

Unlike his steady, mature self at thirty,

Gu Huaian, the moment he reached the riverbank, excitedly took off his shirt.

Delicate collarbones, well-defined pecs, and further down, sharply contoured…

Wait.

I reined in my wandering thoughts and quickly called out to Gu Huaian.

“What’s wrong… Whoa, what are you doing?”

Seeing me reach out directly,

Gu Huaian’s breath caught, and his face flushed scarlet.

He tried to dodge, but I was gripping his waistband tightly.

He could only stand in front of me, forced to let me “have my way.”

“One, two, three, four, five, six…”

I gently traced each hot, taut ab.

Hearing his breathing grow heavier and heavier by my ear,

I looked up at him seriously and said:

“Huaian, you need to work out more.”

“Before you lost your memory, you always had eight-pack abs!”

“…Let go!”

Gu Huaian gritted his teeth and swatted my hand away.

Watching him walk off quickly, but with a hint of awkwardness,

I couldn’t hold back anymore and burst out laughing.

Eighteen-year-old Gu Huaian clearly hadn’t forgotten his expert fish-catching skills.

He caught fish with gusto, and I watched with great interest.

“Hey, got you!”

The big fish that had escaped several times was finally caught and held tightly in Gu Huaian’s arms.

Its wildly flapping tail splashed water all over his face.

He didn’t care at all, and shot me a proud look:

“Shen Qingruan, am I awesome or what?”

The setting sun’s afterglow traced the handsome lines of the young man’s face,

delicate and vivid, lingering on his upturned lips.

I couldn’t help but stare, a little dazed.

Until the fish suddenly flicked itself over to my side with a “whoosh.”

Gu Huaian clapped his hands and walked toward the shore, satisfied.

But just as he was about to step onto the bank, he suddenly doubled over in pain:

“Shen Qingruan, come help me, quick! I’ve got a cramp in my leg.”

I didn’t suspect anything and hurriedly got up to reach out my hand to him.

The moment our palms touched, I caught a mischievous glint in his eyes.

My heart skipped a beat.

Oh no!

The next second, my hand was yanked hard.

I instantly lost my balance and tumbled awkwardly into the water.

“Hahaha, Shen Qingruan, does it feel cool? Ah-pfft, pfft, pfft!”

Gu Huaian burst out laughing, but I retaliated by splashing a mouthful of water at him.

Unwilling to admit defeat, he pushed back, sending waves splashing everywhere.

Just like when we were kids, we had a wild, carefree water fight.

By the time we dragged ourselves ashore, exhausted, we were both drenched like a pair of drowned rats.

My soaked white T-shirt clung tightly to my body.

Gu Huaian only glanced once before quickly averting his gaze.

“You-you should put on my clean clothes…”

I looked at the flush creeping up Gu Huaian’s ears,

And at his Adam’s apple bobbing unconsciously.

Feeling playful, I started changing right in front of him.

“You, you, you-go change in the bushes!”

Gu Huaian was so startled he turned his back to me, his spine stiff and straight.

“What’s there to be afraid of? There’s no one else here.”

Suppressing a laugh, I quickly put on Gu Huaian’s clothes.

But his size was far too big, and without any underwear,

When he turned around, I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed too.

So, neither of us said a word.

He silently grilled fish, and I silently watched him grill fish.

Maybe he was sitting too close to the fire to dry his clothes,

Gu Huaian’s face grew redder and redder,

Making even the sunset in the sky pale in comparison.

After we’d eaten and drunk our fill, it still wasn’t dark yet.

I glanced at the faintly visible curves on my chest,

A bit troubled about what to do if we ran into someone on the way back.

Gu Huaian followed my gaze, paused for a moment,

Then walked over and crouched down in front of me.

“Ahem…” He cleared his throat a bit too deliberately:

“Come on, I’ll carry you back.”

“Alright.”

I smiled and climbed onto that broad back.

The next second, I was lifted up securely.

“Why have you lost weight again?”

Gu Huaian frowned and blurted out.

As soon as he said it, he froze in his tracks.

“Isn’t it good for girls to be a little thinner?”

I deliberately pressed myself closer, hinting:

“As long as the places that shouldn’t be thin aren’t, right?”

The moment the fullness of my chest pressed against him,

Gu Huaian stumbled, almost taking me down with him!

“Shen Qingruan!”

He turned his head in embarrassment and annoyance, wanting to glare at me.

But his lips brushed against my cheek before he could.

“…”

Gu Huaian’s face went pale, then flushed red.

He kept his head down, striding forward in silence.

Only, the way he walked…

I glanced down and understood immediately.

Still, to avoid being dumped off his back,

I decided to keep my mouth shut and stop teasing him.

The warm summer breeze made me drowsy.

Half-asleep, I seemed to hear Gu Huaian’s awkward voice.

“Shen Qingruan, today… thank you.”