Abstinence Pei, don't be too sweet when chasing your wife

Melbourne sunlight filters through the blinds, cutting neat stripes across the living room floor.

Having just finished a call with her grandmother, Gu held her phone, a look of worry and thought on her face. She turned and looked towards the study, her steps unconsciously moving towards it.

In the study, Dad Gu was wearing reading glasses and concentrating on copying the "Lanting Preface". The wolf-hair brush was moving slowly on the rice paper, and the fragrance of ink was lingering in the air.

Mother Gu stood at the door and hesitated for a moment, then coughed lightly, interrupting the silence.

Dad Gu looked up and saw the look on his wife's face. He put down his pen and took off his glasses. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with Mom?"

Mother Gu walked into the study and sat down on a chair beside her, her fingers unconsciously stroking her phone: "Mom said that Pei Luonan is chasing stars."

"Pei Luonan?" Father Gu frowned slightly and thought for a moment, "Pei Luonan, the business genius who can dominate the world in Huacheng?"

"Yes, that's the young man Mom always mentioned who often comes to our house to help." Mother Gu nodded and continued, "This kid comes to our house every Wednesday without fail to repair Mom's coffee machine. Knowing that Mom has bad teeth, he always brings some crispy snacks." As she spoke, she took out the photo sent by her grandmother on her mobile phone. In the photo, Pei Luonan was squatting in front of the bluestone steps of the old house, trimming her grandmother's nails, with a copy of "Classic Pingtan Singing Segments" on his knees.

Dad Gu took a closer look at the photo, a strange look flashing in his eyes: "He is a careful child."

"He's more than attentive." Mother Gu sighed, swiping her phone screen to pull up the message log between Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan that Grandma had sent her. "Look, he even memorized the coffee grinder scale that Xingxing likes. He even sent her a maintenance manual for the coffee machine, reminding her to automatically clean it every Friday at 45 pm using °C warm water."

Gu's father's expression gradually grew solemn. He recalled the last time he video-called his daughter and saw the cold cup of instant coffee at her workstation. And now, there was someone who cared so meticulously about his daughter's preferences.

"Mom also said that a few days ago, Pei Luonan sent her the crab shell yellow that Xingxing likes to eat. At four in the morning, he sent her a message saying that he had ordered the Lao Shengchang first-brew crab shell yellow and specifically told her, 'Miss Gu has a bad stomach and should eat less salt.'

Look at this note—" She called up Pei Luonan's dialog box, and the top message read: "The coffee machine filter should be replaced on the 15th of each month. Miss Gu prefers Yunnan beans, and the grinding scale is 7.5."

Pei Luonan really did a lot of heartwarming things for Xingxing, but Xingxing seemed to be too deeply hurt by Jiang Chengjun to believe in love and respond to Pei Luonan's enthusiasm.

The study fell into silence, with only the ticking of the wall clock.

Looking out the window at the blue sky of Melbourne, Gu's father recalled his daughter's heartbreaking tears the day she broke off her engagement with Jiang Chengjun. Jiang Chengjun's betrayal, like a deep scar, may still be etched in his daughter's heart, making her unable to let go.

"This child was hurt too deeply." Dad Gu murmured to himself, "After that, she closed herself off and refused to trust in love easily anymore."

Mother Gu wiped the tears from her eyes: "But Pei Luonan is sincere. Mom said that he would water the green radish on Xingxing's windowsill every morning, and even pick out the dead leaves with tweezers. On rainy days, he would wait at the entrance of the alley, waiting for Xingxing to get off work, and silently follow behind with an umbrella, for fear of disturbing her."

"We have to find a way to help Xingxing." Dad Gu held his wife's hand, his eyes firm, "We can't watch her keep trapping herself in the past like this. It's a pity to miss a good boy like Pei Luonan."

Gu Ma nodded: "But Xingxing is very stubborn. How can I persuade her?"

Father Gu pondered for a long time: "Take it slow. First, let her feel that Pei Luonan's kindness is sincere and not a whim. Let's talk to her more and let her understand that she can't give up all possibilities in the future just because she has been hurt in the past."

The wind outside the window blew through the jacaranda trees, and the purple petals swayed gently.

Gu's father and mother began to plan for Gu Fanxing, who was far away in Huacheng, and how to make her open her heart again and embrace happiness for that belated but sincere love.

They know that this may not be an easy thing to do, but as long as they can see their daughter smile again, all the efforts are worth it.

The next day, Gu's mother made a video call to Gu Fanxing. In the camera, the chandelier of the Gu family villa dyed the living room a warm yellow. Gu Fanxing had just sat down on the sofa with a file bag in her arms, and water droplets were still dripping from the ends of her hair.

On the coffee table was the instant coffee she often drank, the packaging of which was wrinkled from being pinched by her fingers.

"Xingxing, Mom called Grandma yesterday, and she told me about you and Pei Luonan. Is Pei Luonan pursuing you? I heard from Grandma that Pei is quite interested in you. What do you think of him?" Mother Gu didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

Gu Fanxing's fingers that were flipping through the documents suddenly curled up, and the tips of his ears gradually turned light red.

"Don't listen to grandma's nonsense. Pei Luonan and I are just ordinary friends." Gu Fanxing denied.

"Which couple doesn't start out as ordinary friends? I think Pei Luonan is really good, why don't you two date each other!" Mother Gu expressed her approval.

"It's time to let go of the Jiang Chengjun matter." Just as Gu's father started to speak, Gu Fanxing slammed the folder shut.

Dad Gu could still see the violent trembling of her eyelashes. She buried her face in the shadows, her shoulders tense like a fully drawn bow. Suddenly, Dad Gu recalled the day Xingxing graduated from university. Jiang Chengjun had vowed to give her the most romantic proposal, but he didn't know that he had already betrayed Xingxing and had gotten together with Fang Wenwen.

"Dad understands." Father Gu held up his hand to block the glare from the screen, the setting sun casting his shadow on his daughter's face. "People who have been scalded by hot water are afraid to touch the teacup. But Xiao Pei is different—I can sense his preference and special favor for you."

Father Gu stroked his daughter, who was wearing a ponytail in the family photo. The edges of the photo were frayed by time. "My daughter, as the old saying goes, 'A stove fire needs new wood to burn brightly.'" His voice suddenly became hoarse. "Don't let your sincerity be hidden in the rain. Give Xiao Pei a chance, and give yourself a chance too, okay?"

Gu Fanxing bit her lower lip and fell into silent thought.

Seeing that Gu Fanxing was touched, Gu's father and mother felt that they should not push her too hard. Some things should be dealt with in moderation and they should give her some space to think, so they ended the video call.

After hanging up the video, Gu Fanxing, who was still immersed in his thoughts, was brought back to reality by the ringing of WeChat on his mobile phone.

She picked up her phone and a picture caught her eye: a plate of steaming sugar-roasted chestnuts was placed on the dining table, with a text next to it: Chestnuts roasted by yourself are more meaningful when given to someone you love. I just want to rush and deliver it to her on time.

When the clock in the Gu family villa struck seven, the housekeeper walked into the living room carrying an exquisite box. The aroma of roasted chestnuts filled the living room. When they opened it, they saw that it was the plate of sugar-roasted chestnuts arranged in the shape of a heart that Pei Luonan had sent to Gu Fanxing's mobile phone.

Gu Fanxing picked up a chestnut and put it into her mouth. The fragrance was refreshing...

At this moment, Gu Fanxing's phone vibrated again. Pei Luonan's new message came in. It was a photo of mint flowers with half a blue sky reflected in the water droplets: "Tomorrow morning at 6:30, Osmanthus Valley on the outskirts of the city. I brought a moisture-proof mat and your favorite osmanthus honey. By the way, accompany me to watch the meteor shower next week, okay?" Pei Luonan was persistent about watching the meteor shower.

Looking at the message, Gu Fanxing seemed to smell the fragrance of osmanthus and the meteor shower across the sky.

"Okay." Gu Fanxing wrote down his reply.

Perhaps, she should do as her parents said, let go of her wounded heart, be brave to try, be brave to love, and give herself and Pei Luonan a chance.