Chapter 58 Arrival

“Hmph! Quite the luck with women! Out here having fun and bringing along two beautiful ladies. I can understand Gu Mengyan, but who is the other one?” Staring at Chen Hao’s figure, he muttered to himself, “Is she Chen Hao’s girlfriend? Doesn’t seem like it! I haven’t heard anything about Chen Hao having a girlfriend… Oh well, never mind that for now. I should find a place to stay first! Judging from the sticker on the car that picked up Chen Hao and the others, it’s probably from a hotel. I wonder if it’s far from here…”

After mumbling to himself, the tall, thin figure hoisted his enormous suitcase and walked toward where the taxis were lined up.

Meanwhile, Chen Hao and his two companions boarded the car the hotel had specially arranged to pick them up. Fan Yirou was obviously in much better spirits than before; she no longer needed to lean against Gu Mengyan for support.

“My dear Mengyan, as much as I appreciate you taking such good care of me along the way, I have to ask you: next time, whether you’re booking a flight or a train, could you please not pick those tiny regional planes or buy the cheapest tickets?” Fan Yirou earnestly grasped Gu Mengyan’s hand as she spoke.

Gu Mengyan wrinkled her delicate nose and arched an eyebrow in feigned anger. “Oh, you little rascal! You actually dare to complain about me? Hmph! How was I to know you’d shamelessly insist on tagging along with me and Chen Hao? I wasn’t even planning to book your ticket. Chen Hao and I don’t care about such things—you see, neither of us had any problems. It’s only you, spoiled princess, who makes such a fuss! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had to go through all that trouble looking after you! And now you have the nerve to blame me? I should have opened the airplane door and kicked you out while you were too weak to resist!”

“Oh, so now the brat’s getting cocky?” Now that she’d regained some strength, Fan Yirou was quick to banter back. “Didn’t I just thank you a moment ago? And still, you tease me. Yes, I’m spoiled, I admit it. But it’s not like I had a choice! That’s just how I was raised. What do you expect me to do? And honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that! But you—even though you’re from a well-off family too, Uncle Chen and Aunt Du give you plenty of money, don’t they? Why do you hoard it instead of enjoying yourself? You can’t take it with you when you die. Are you planning to save it all for your dowry and let someone else benefit when you get married?”

“Ugh! What nonsense are you spouting? Who says I want to get married, and to whom exactly?” Gu Mengyan retorted, thoroughly annoyed by Fan Yirou’s words.

“Oh? So it seems our dear Miss Mengyan already has someone in mind? Who is it? Why not tell us?” Fan Yirou, fully aware of Gu Mengyan’s feelings, pretended ignorance and deliberately asked the sensitive question right in front of Chen Hao.

Gu Mengyan now found herself caught like a monkey with a hot bun—unable to swallow, unable to spit it out. All she could do was mumble incoherently on the side.

Chen Hao was sitting in the front, making small talk with the driver about the hotel and local sights and customs. But upon overhearing the girls’ conversation in the backseat, curiosity got the better of him, and he listened closely.

It wasn’t that he expected to hear his own name from Gu Mengyan; he simply saw things from a brother’s perspective. As her older brother, he felt he had a duty to offer advice on such matters. After all, Gu Mengyan was of an age to be thinking about relationships. As a girl, it would be good for her to get to know some young men early on. Better to have choices than to settle for just anyone when the time came for marriage.

Gu Mengyan was the Chen family’s daughter, and as a member of such a distinguished household, settling for someone unsuitable was simply out of the question—for both Chen Hao and his parents.

As for himself… His mother’s call earlier had been a reminder, but since he was a man, marrying late was no big deal. He didn’t care if his younger sister married before him, as long as Gu Mengyan was happy. As for his mother’s suggestion that he and Gu Mengyan pair up, he hadn’t given it a second thought.

To Chen Hao, Gu Mengyan was nothing less than a real sister—he’d never considered anything more. Yet Gu Mengyan’s feelings for him ran much deeper.

It was clear to Gu Mengyan that Chen Hao viewed her only as a sister—no trace of romantic feeling. She wasn’t sure if it was because she simply didn’t attract him, or if their original relationship kept his thoughts from wandering in that direction.

This was why she’d never dared confess her feelings. As a girl, taking the initiative seemed far too risky—what if Chen Hao was startled or pulled away? Even if he wasn’t, what if her confession created a distance between them? So, Gu Mengyan chose silence, hoping that with time and closeness, perhaps their sibling affection might blossom into love.

But now, thanks to Fan Yirou’s mischievous question, she was at a loss for words.

Chen Hao, waiting in the front for her answer, grew more anxious with each passing moment. Finally, he spoke up himself: “That’s right, Mengyan. You’re not getting any younger—when will you bring home a boyfriend for me to meet? I could help you check him out! Mom just brought it up when I called her earlier to let her know we’d arrived safely.”

“What?!” Gu Mengyan was startled. “Aunt Du really said that? What exactly did she say?”

Chen Hao shrugged. “What else could she say? Just that both of us are getting older and it’s time to think about settling down. And then—get this—my dear mother actually suggested I take this trip with you two to get closer and maybe pick one of you as my girlfriend!”

What?

Gu Mengyan’s heart skipped a beat. Aunt Du actually said that? She wanted Chen Hao to choose between me and Fan Yirou? Did she not mind my status as their adopted daughter? Was she serious or just joking?

If she was serious, did that mean Aunt Du supported her being with Chen Hao? Or had she already realized Gu Mengyan’s feelings? Once again, Gu Mengyan’s thoughts were in turmoil, her face alternating between red and pale.

Seeing her expression in the rearview mirror, Chen Hao thought she was upset by his mother’s words and hastened to explain: “Don’t take her too seriously! You know what she’s like—never reliable, always joking with us. Me and you together? That’s impossible! We’re siblings, after all. Even if we weren’t, I doubt you’d want me—you’re always giving me a hard time! Isn’t that right, Yirou? You and Mengyan used to gang up on me all the time when we were kids!”

At the end, he made sure to mention Fan Yirou, both to diffuse Gu Mengyan’s embarrassment and to probe how Fan Yirou felt about him—something he was eager to understand.

But instead of helping, his attempt only made things worse, irritating Gu Mengyan even more. “Hmph! What do you mean, I wouldn’t want you? Am I that shallow? And I tease you because you’re my brother, the person I’m closest to. If you were a stranger, I wouldn’t bother!”

Fan Yirou burst into laughter. “So that’s what they mean by ‘teasing is affection, scolding is love’! I really envy your special sibling bond. Honestly, I’d love to see you two end up together. Just imagine the drama—a lonely orphan taken in by a kind, wealthy family, a pair of childhood friends growing up as siblings, and finally marrying each other! It’s the stuff of novels! Who says Aunt Du isn’t imaginative? I think she’s a creative genius!”

Chen Hao was speechless—he hadn’t managed to find out what Fan Yirou thought, and she’d deftly steered the conversation back to its awkward origin.

Meanwhile, the driver, who’d been chatting with Chen Hao earlier, had fallen silent, quietly listening to their conversation and piecing together their relationships. So, the young man was the older brother, the girl behind was his sister, and the other was their friend. What a peculiar trio. And that young man was really lucky—such a beautiful sister and a stunning female friend. Why didn’t he have such luck? He thought about his own wife, whose weight was nearly two hundred pounds, and felt his life was truly hard indeed…

In the end, Chen Hao’s questions went unanswered, for they soon arrived at the hotel he’d booked.

The driver stopped the car and addressed them respectfully, “We’ve arrived at the hotel. Please step out. I’ll bring your luggage to your rooms shortly. You can pick up your room cards at the front desk. I wish you all a pleasant stay!”

After exchanging courtesies with the driver, Chen Hao got out and was about to say something to the two girls. But Gu Mengyan wouldn’t even look at him; she shot him a glare and said, “Hmph!” Then she took Fan Yirou by the hand and walked off ahead.

“Sigh… Looks like another tough night ahead for me,” Chen Hao sighed helplessly.