47: Can you be my girlfriend?

Inside the Hospital ward, the faint scent of disinfectant permeated the air.

Chen Li and Gu Qingcheng sat side by side in front of the Hospital bed, listening to Mother Gu's weak yet clear instructions...

A gentle smile played on Mother Gu's pale face, her gaze lingering on Chen Li:

"Chen Li, thank you so much for this past while. As for Qingcheng... I will leave her in your care from now on."

She gently held her daughter's hand, then looked at Chen Li, her tone carrying an imperceptible sense of entrustment.

These words sounded like a final farewell, causing a wave of heartache to wash over Gu Qingcheng.

She held back her tears, terrified that losing control of her emotions would affect her mother's mood; she could only bite her lower lip tightly, swallowing back her sobs.

Chen Li took up the conversation from the side, his tone sincere: "Auntie, please don't say that. Just cooperate with the treatment, and you will definitely get better."

He wasn't good at saying flowery words, but he knew at this moment that listening was more important than any speech.

He made a promise at the right moment: "Rest assured, I will take good care of Qingcheng."

He even tried to lighten the atmosphere: "Once you recover, you'll be able to help us take care of our children in the future."

As soon as these words were spoken, Gu Qingcheng's eyes instantly turned red, feeling both touched and shy.

She hadn't expected that a young master like Chen Li would not only pay for her mother's medical treatment but also cooperate with her so considerately, offering comfort in such a warm way.

In her eyes, he was simply the perfect partner she had imagined.

【Gu Qingcheng】

【Affection Level: +75】

The trio's warm conversation was interrupted by a light knock on the door, and several elderly doctors and nurses walked into the single-patient room; it was time for the surgery.

Accompanied by Chen Li and Gu Qingcheng, Mother Gu was slowly wheeled toward the operating room.

As the automatic doors closed and the 'In Surgery' indicator light on the door illuminated, a life-or-death surgery began.

Only at this moment did Gu Qingcheng's tightly coiled nerves relax slightly.

She collapsed powerlessly onto the bench in the hallway, the worries, fears, and forced strength of the past few days crumbling away in an instant.

For the sake of her mother's surgery, she hadn't had a good night's sleep in two days.

Chen Li stood to the side, looking at her slender shoulders, momentarily unsure of how to comfort her.

Step forward and offer her a shoulder to lean on? That was a scene from a movie; in reality, he really couldn't bring himself to make such an intimate gesture—unless Gu Qingcheng asked for it herself.

"Brother Chen Li," Gu Qingcheng looked up, her voice trembling slightly from exhaustion, "can I lean on you for a moment?"

Chen Li was slightly taken aback; had Gu Qingcheng seen through his thoughts? He paused, then walked over and sat down beside her.

Gu Qingcheng gently rested her head on his shoulder, and before long, she fell into a deep sleep from extreme exhaustion, even unconsciously sliding down to rest her head on his lap.

Chen Li looked down at the sleeping Gu Qingcheng. Her holy and beautiful face was slightly furrowed due to fatigue, but instead of looking haggard, it added a touch of heart-wrenching, fragile beauty that made one want to protect her.

...

"Everyone, come over and eat!"

Wei Jie and a few other boys had already prepared the ingredients, neatly arranging them around the grill.

Various high-end seafood and imported Wagyu beef surrounded the dancing flames in the center, and several plump King Crab claws lay on the grill, sizzling.

There were split Lobsters and several pieces of Wagyu beef with uniform marbling.

The fat melted under the high heat, dripping into the charcoal and stirring up bursts of fragrance; just looking at it made one's mouth water.

At this moment, several girls also walked out from the Villa in response.

"Wow, thank you for your hard work; this looks so delicious," a pretty girl couldn't help but exclaim.

Su Nian also laughed and teased: "I couldn't tell, you young masters actually have such skills."

"Not at all, it's mostly Brother Jie who did the grilling; we just helped out." A boy tactfully pushed all the credit to Wei Jie.

Wei Jie was very humble: "It's the result of everyone working together. Come, this Wagyu is just right. There are different dipping sauces here; everyone, try a piece first."

Saying this, he specifically used tongs to select a piece of Wagyu cooked to perfection, placed it on a small plate, and handed it to Meng Yu first:

"This first piece, of course, must be offered to today's hostess. Thank you for hosting us in such a beautiful home."

"Thank you, Wei Jie." Meng Yu smiled and took it.

The friends nearby exchanged knowing glances and also smiled as they each picked up their own pieces to taste.

"It's really delicious, the cooking time is just right, so tender and juicy. Not bad, Wei Jie." Li Tingting gave a thumbs up while eating.

Meng Yu also nodded; it was indeed grilled well. She was a bit surprised; she hadn't expected a young master like Wei Jie to actually have some skills.

Of course, they didn't know that Wei Jie had spent several days specifically learning grilling techniques for today.

Seeing everyone satisfied, he was secretly pleased and busily flipped other ingredients, continuing to serve the group.

In the crowd, a girl named Xiaoli was exceptionally enthusiastic toward Wei Jie; anyone with eyes could see her intentions.

"Brother Wei Jie, don't just focus on grilling, eat some yourself too."

She picked up a piece of peeled King Crab leg meat and walked over to Wei Jie to hand it to him.

"It's okay, you guys eat first. I ate quite a bit when I was testing the flavor earlier," Wei Jie responded politely.

"Then go rest for a while, let me help you grill."

"No need, Xiaoli. You go sit and eat well; it's too smoky here."

Xiaoli's kindness was politely declined, and her expression was somewhat dejected.

Unfortunately, the feeling was one-sided; at this moment, all of Wei Jie's attention was on Meng Yu.

Every now and then, he would serve the best-grilled parts to Meng Yu first. With such obvious favoritism, Meng Yu naturally noticed his feelings.

The sky gradually darkened amidst laughter and chatter, and the string lights in the courtyard automatically turned on, decorating the twilight with a cozy atmosphere.

The charcoal in the grill was no longer as vigorous as before, and most of the ingredients had been swept clean, leaving only a small amount of ungrilled seafood neatly arranged to one side.

After everyone had their fill, they moved in twos and threes to the sofas and lounge chairs in the leisure area.

Su Nian praised Wei Jie: "Wei Jie worked the hardest today. He grilled such good meat and provided such thoughtful service."

Wei Jie's good brother immediately understood and chimed in with a smile: "Yeah, it's rare for our Brother Jie to cook."

Seeing that the time was ripe, Wei Jie quietly got up and walked toward his Range Rover.

He opened the trunk, took out an exquisite velvet gift box, and carefully opened it to confirm—inside lay two meticulously crafted traditional gold bracelets and necklaces, glowing with a warm luster under the car's interior light.

This was something he had spent over 200,000, using almost all his savings, to have specifically customized by a master craftsman.

Although Meng Yu might not care for it given her family background, he believed this gesture would surely move her.

Filled with anticipation, Wei Jie took a deep breath and walked back to the courtyard with the gift box.

He watched Meng Yu chatting and laughing with Li Tingting, and receiving an encouraging look from Su Nian, he finally gathered his courage and walked up to Meng Yu.

"Meng Yu."

He called out softly, slowly opening the gift box in his hand to reveal the exquisite gold jewelry inside, "From the first time I saw you, I was deeply attracted to you. I like you. Can you be my girlfriend?"

The scene suddenly went quiet. Except for Su Nian, who had been prepared, everyone else was stunned by this sudden confession.

Although Li Tingting knew Meng Yu had a boyfriend, she didn't know the weight of that boy in Meng Yu's heart, so she could only stare blankly at this scene.

As for Xiaoli, who had been secretly in love with Wei Jie, her face darkened significantly at this moment, her sour expression almost impossible to hide.

Seeing this, Wei Jie's friends quickly stepped forward to cheer him on:

"Is this traditional gold? Brother Jie, you really spared no expense..."

"The craftsmanship on this bracelet is so exquisite!"

Meng Yu was clearly caught off guard by this sudden confession. Although she had just realized Wei Jie's intentions, she hadn't expected him to confess directly in such an occasion.

Looking at the handsome and sincere Wei Jie in front of her, the anticipation flickering in his eyes was almost overflowing...