48: Gu Qingcheng's thoughts

In all fairness, Wei Jie was indeed an excellent young man—he had a superior family background, outstanding looks, and was also considerate.

If she hadn't met Chen Li first, she might have actually considered accepting his feelings.

This thought only flashed by for a moment, yet it secretly startled her.

She quickly suppressed this momentary wavering, knowing clearly that her heart already belonged to another.

"I'm sorry, Wei Jie."

She shook her head gently, "I already have a boyfriend."

This sentence caught Wei Jie off guard; he hadn't expected Meng Yu to already have a boyfriend.

But his friends didn't think much of it—in their eyes, given Wei Jie's conditions, how could he possibly lose to an ordinary person?

"Oh, we've never heard you mention having a boyfriend before."

Su Nian stepped in at the right time to smooth things over, "Let's invite him out to hang out together some other day."

"Yeah, Meng Yu, you're so outstanding, your boyfriend must be some young master from a wealthy family too, right?" another friend joined in to ask.

"He's not some young master."

Meng Yu smiled slightly, "I'll introduce him to everyone if there's a chance."

If Chen Li hadn't instructed her to keep a low profile, she really wanted to tell them that this Villa and everything she currently possessed were gifts from that 'not a young master' boyfriend.

"I didn't expect your heart to be already taken; I was being abrupt."

Wei Jie acted carefree as he put away the gift box, a decent smile hanging on his face.

As long as Meng Yu's boyfriend wasn't some powerful character, he believed he definitely had a chance to win Meng Yu's heart... The light in the operating room finally went out.

After several long hours of waiting, the Attending Physician walked out, took off his mask, and revealed a tired but relieved smile: "The surgery was very successful."

Gu Qingcheng's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally landed; her legs went soft, and she nearly couldn't stand steadily.

Seeing this, Chen Li hurried forward a step to support her.

She could no longer restrain herself, turning and throwing herself into Chen Li's arms, hugging him tightly.

The anxiety, helplessness, and despair that had weighed on her heart for so many years finally found an outlet, turning into scalding tears that all surged out at once.

She could finally cry with peace of mind, crying out all her grievances and worries.

She leaned on Chen Li's shoulder, crying so hard her whole body was shaking, her surging emotions all turning into unstoppable tears.

The most dangerous hurdle had been passed; although there was still a long road to recovery ahead, at least hope was now firmly grasped in her hands.

And all of this stemmed from the Appearance of the man before her.

At this moment, her heart was filled with gratitude—grateful to Wu Wenqian for taking her to that fate-changing lunch.

And even more grateful to Chen Li for lending a helping hand without hesitation.

【Gu Qingcheng】

【Affection Level: +95】

Looking at the system prompt, Chen Li's feelings were complicated; this girl's feelings for him were already more than obvious.

He indeed liked the feeling of being surrounded by beautiful women, but Gu Qingcheng was different from those girls who only valued his wealth.

She was too pure, too serious; he couldn't bear the weight of this affection, nor did he want to let her down.

"Brother Chen Li, thank you," Gu Qingcheng said sincerely, lifting her tear-filled eyes.

Immediately after, thinking about how she had actually slept on Chen Li's lap for an entire afternoon, her cheeks instantly turned crimson, even the tips of her ears flushed like the sunset.

Sensing her thoughts, Chen Li's first reaction was to avoid it.

He calmly let go of the hand supporting her and took a half-step back: "It's good that your mother's surgery was successful."

"Since things have stabilized here, I'll head back first. You take good care of her."

Hearing that he was leaving, Gu Qingcheng's heart suddenly felt like a piece was missing.

She only then realized that as long as Chen Li was by her side, she felt she could carry through even the greatest difficulties.

This unprecedented sense of security made her incomparably reluctant to let go.

"Okay..." she responded softly, unable to hide her disappointment.

"By the way,"

Chen Li remembered something important, "Remember to hire two high-end caregivers to look after her in 24-hour shifts."

"We still need to hire caregivers? And two of them, isn't that too wasteful..." She was subconsciously frugal.

Hearing this, Chen Li felt a headache; she always had 'wasting money' on her lips, which was what he found most troublesome and least wanted to hear.

Chen Li intentionally put on a stern face, "From now on, you're not allowed to say the word 'waste' again, or I really won't look after you anymore."

Seeing his serious tone, Gu Qingcheng immediately panicked: "I'll be good, I won't say it anymore, I'll contact the caregivers right away."

What she feared most was Chen Li no longer paying attention to her.

"That's more like it."

Chen Li's expression softened, "When your mother's condition stabilizes, or if you have any needs, contact me anytime."

"Okay, Brother Chen Li, be careful on the road."

...When Chen Li drove back to the Villa, the night was already deep.

Under the warm lights of the living room, Meng Yu was curled up on the sofa watching TV, turning her head when she heard the door open.

"Hubby, you're back!" She put down the remote, a sweet smile appearing on her face.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted." Chen Li let out a long sigh as he changed his shoes.

Meng Yu looked him over: "Did you go to war? Come, come, lie down quickly, I'll give you a massage."

Chen Li obediently lay face down on the sofa, feeling Meng Yu's soft fingers land on his neck and shoulders,

kneading the stiff muscles with just the right amount of pressure, making him sigh in comfort.

"It wasn't a war; a friend's mother had surgery today, and I spent the whole day at the Hospital with them."

"Ah?" Meng Yu's movements paused for a moment, her tone concerned, "Was the surgery successful then?"

"Very successful, everything is fine."

It had to be said, Meng Yu was indeed a sensible girl.

Anyone else would probably have pressed to know if the friend was male or female, followed by all sorts of suspicion and quarreling.

But she only cared about whether the surgery was successful; this consideration made the exhausted Chen Li feel exceptionally relaxed.

After massaging for a while, Meng Yu also talked about today's gathering, describing vividly what delicacies they had eaten.

When mentioning Wei Jie, her tone was slightly teasing: "That Wei Jie, he was showing attentiveness both openly and secretly; his little intentions were practically written on his face."

She leaned in close to Chen Li's ear: "Will you be jealous?"

Chen Li chuckled: "Wei Jie liking you means he has good taste and also proves you are outstanding enough; I'm not that petty."

If Chen Li showed even a hint of dislike, she would not hesitate to blacklist and delete Wei Jie.

Friends or not, in her heart, ten thousand Wei Jies added together couldn't compare to a single strand of Chen Li's hair.

"Hubby, are you hungry? Today's wagyu beef was especially great, there's some left, should I go grill a couple of pieces for you?"

"Sure, I didn't really have a proper meal today, I actually am a bit hungry now."

Before long, an inviting aroma wafted from the kitchen. Meng Yu brought out two sizzling steaks from the oven,

the surface grilled just right and sprinkled with a bit of sea salt; the enticing color made one's mouth water.

Chen Li cut a piece and put it in his mouth; it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, juices bursting on his tongue. In a few bites, he had finished both steaks completely.

Watching him eat heartily, Meng Yu felt a full sense of happiness well up in her heart.

Simple and warm daily routines like this, peaceful times spent together, were the life she cherished most.

Chen Li still wanted more, but unfortunately, the steaks were finished. Meng Yu said she would go buy more tomorrow and definitely let him eat his fill.

She tidied up the dishes and walked into the kitchen, preparing to cut some fruit to help Chen Li digest, when Chen Li's phone screen suddenly lit up.

A new message jumped into view:

"Chen Li, are you free tomorrow night? I'd like to treat you to dinner." — Qin Xiaomeng.