SWNOVELXO Chapter 35 - Scumbag at the Crematorium (8)
Gu Huan looked at several drunken men with ill intentions in front of her, swiftly weighing the pros and cons in her mind. Her peripheral vision caught sight of a few steel pipes leaning against the wall, and her eyes lit up. Pretending to be scared, she quietly retreated to the corner, reaching out stealthily towards one of the pipes, preparing to strike them hard.
But then…
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through, and a board fell from upstairs, hitting several increasingly unruly men squarely, causing them to scream in agony.
Gu Huan, because she was leaning against the wall, wasn’t hit by the board, but she felt the wind from its descent, her long hair and skirt fluttering.
Staring at the miserable men on the ground, Gu Huan stood dumbfounded in place, unsure whether to pick up or drop the cold steel pipe beside her.
“Gu Huan!”
An anxious voice came from across the way.
Gu Huan slowly looked up, and saw He Dongchen, whom she hadn’t seen in half a month, running towards her in a hurry, his long legs covering ground swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, he was beside her.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He Dongchen had just witnessed the moment the board fell with his own eyes. He knew it was luck at work, but he couldn’t help worrying whether Gu Huan had been accidentally injured. He grabbed her arm and checked her over.
“I’m fine.” Gu Huan’s hanging heart finally landed, her tense body relaxing, exhaling a breath of relief, her gaze fixed on the board made of an unknown material, her expression uncertain.
He Dongchen pulled her into his arms and patted her back, comforting her in a low voice, “It’s alright now, it’s alright.”
As they spoke, the sound of police cars approached closer and closer. Even if the board hadn’t fallen and He Dongchen hadn’t arrived, Gu Huan wouldn’t have been in any real danger.
Gradually, more and more people appeared around them, summoned by the loud noise of the falling board. The property management of the residential area arrived late, sweating profusely as they tried to maintain order.
“Oh my god, did it crush someone to death?”
“It seems like it fell from the third floor. It shouldn’t be fatal, judging by how loud they’re yelling.”
The crowd speculated as they gathered. The police officers arriving at the scene were puzzled. Wasn’t there a girl who reported thugs? How did it turn into an accident?
The scene was chaotic. He Dongchen pulled Gu Huan aside to avoid being caught in the commotion. Gu Huan buried her head in He Dongchen’s warm and broad chest, feeling extremely relieved. More than the drunken men, Gu Huan was terrified of the board falling from the sky. She had almost been hit.
Accidents happen so suddenly.
Perhaps one day, walking peacefully down the road might end with a disaster falling from the sky and taking one’s life. Gu Huan tightened her grip on He Dongchen’s clothes. No one knew whether tomorrow or an accident would come first. Therefore, she should cherish the present moment even more.
After realizing this, Gu Huan felt suddenly enlightened, her body lightened. He Dongchen kept patting her back repeatedly.
***
Before long, an ambulance arrived. The police inspected the scene and approached He Dongchen and Gu Huan. “Were you the ones who called the police?”
Gu Huan composed herself and nodded firmly. “Yes, it was me.”
She then recounted the incident in detail. The police nodded, confirming that a man had indeed been pepper-sprayed and subsequently hit by the falling board, and was now crying for help.
“According to our investigation, the board that accidentally fell from the third floor was being handled by their renovation team.”
It seemed like karma had come full circle right then and there.
Gu Huan found it somewhat ironic after hearing the whole story.
The police station was nearby. By the time they finished giving their statements, it was already past midnight.
Gu Huan was mentally and physically exhausted, her eyelids heavy as if they were fighting to stay open.
Accompanying her all the way, He Dongchen noticed her weary appearance and decided to scoop her up in one swift motion.
Gu Huan exclaimed in surprise and settled onto his back, feeling some of her fatigue dissipate. Breathing in the fresh scent of shampoo in his hair, she couldn’t muster the energy to struggle and softly said, “Thank you for sticking with me through all this chaos.”
He Dongchen kept walking, intending to divert her attention, teasing, “Didn’t anyone tell you not to whisper in a man’s ear while lying on his back?”
Gu Huan, her mind slow to react at the moment, paused before becoming annoyed and embarrassed, smacking He Dongchen’s chest with her handbag.
He Dongchen exaggeratedly cried out in pain, “Is your bag studded with diamonds? That hurt!”
While there were no diamonds, the bag did have a few rivets and was quite substantial. Gu Huan quickly freed one hand and touched the spot she had hit, asking with concern, “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”
“Yeah, a little bit,” He Dongchen smirked.
Gu Huan, feeling a bit guilty, quickly rubbed the area a couple of times. Then she realized she was rubbing his chest and blushed deeply.
He Dongchen chuckled softly, “I work out every day. Not bad, right?”
“He Dongchen!!!” Gu Huan gritted her teeth and fiercely swung her bag at him. “Working out, huh? Take that!”
As they teased each other, the rain that had been brewing all night finally began to pour down. With a patter, both of them were soon soaked through, Gu Huan on his back getting the worst of it.
She shifted her legs and called out, “Put me down!”
“Don’t move,” He Dongchen instructed, then continued running through the rain with Gu Huan on his back.
Bouncing along, Gu Huan couldn’t help but feel like He Dongchen was using her as a rain cover.
***
After some fuss, when the two finally entered the house, they were completely soaked, looking disheveled with clothes dripping water. Especially He Dongchen’s shoes squelched as he walked.
They looked each other up and down, then burst into laughter.
He Dongchen shrugged, took off his water-filled shoes, looking resigned.
Gu Huan laughed as she turned on the lights and fetched a pair of standard indoor slippers from the shoe cabinet. “Quickly put these on, then go take a hot shower in the bathroom. I’ll find you a bathrobe. I think the shop sent a set of couple’s robes with our previous purchase.”
“Don’t worry about me first, take care of yourself,” He Dongchen reminded, rubbing his nose and avoiding looking at her immodestly.
Gu Huan realized belatedly that her clothes had become somewhat see-through when wet.
“Then wait here,” Gu Huan said calmly, then turned around, kicked off her high heels, and hurried barefoot to the bedroom.
He Dongchen shook his head, amused. He didn’t want to dirty Gu Huan’s house with his soaked state, so he stood in the entryway and took in the surroundings. Gu Huan’s house reflected her; Neat yet elegant, with an overall airy simplicity, and exquisite details highlighted against a palette of lotus pink and smoke gray. It was very comfortable at a glance.
A few minutes later, Gu Huan emerged casually in a T-shirt and shorts, handing He Dongchen the still-unopened bathrobe. She pointed towards the guest bedroom, saying, “There are toiletries in the guest bathroom. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Alright,” He Dongchen replied without delay, taking the bathrobe and heading to the guest bedroom. He discarded his sticky clothes into the laundry hamper.
His phone was waterproof, so there was no harm done. His keys and wallet were also safe.
After showering and putting on the slightly tight bathrobe, it was already past 1 in the morning.
The quiet but proud system finally popped up, boasting, [How was that? Pretty amazing, right!]
“Yeah, impressive,” He Dongchen nodded absently, then thought for a moment before saying, “How much sales points do you lack? I’ll buy it.”
[Ah ah ah ah ah ah!!! Big boss, you’re amazing!] The system went wild with joy, spinning around the room like lightning.
After being excited for a while, it finally settled down and opened the shopping mall to browse products. Since He Dongchen was so generous in helping it achieve its goals, it couldn’t just buy a bunch of useless things.
He Dongchen shook his head, then walked out of the bedroom. As soon as he opened the door, he was drawn in by the scent coming from ahead.
***
Approaching closer, he saw Gu Huan busy in the semi-open kitchen. She wore a pure white T-shirt, slightly damp long hair, a natural beauty without makeup, and steam rising continuously from the pot, adding a touch of warmth and vitality.
Leaning against the door frame, He Dongchen admired her for a while.
When Gu Huan glanced sideways while scooping noodles, she raised her voice, “Come over and fetch a plate for me.”
“Sure.” He Dongchen walked over, found two plates from the cabinet behind, washed them clean, and placed them on the counter.
Gu Huan poured the pasta into the plates, then served up the stir-fried lobster tails from another pot. A simple and delicious lobster pasta dish was ready!
Feeling extremely tired after coming out of the police station and surprisingly rejuvenated after being soaked in the rain, Gu Huan felt hungry and decided to make a late-night snack with the ingredients available in the kitchen.
He Dongchen astutely carried the plates to the dining table by the window, where Gu Huan found two tall glasses and a bottle of fine red wine.
Outside, the rain was pouring down heavily, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Inside, a warm-hued pendant lamp cast a cozy glow, enhancing the allure of the red wine.
Sitting side by side, they enjoyed their meal while admiring the rainy night through the French windows.
After finishing their meal, both leaned back in their chairs, feeling pleasantly satisfied.
Gu Huan absentmindedly swirled the red wine in her glass and asked, “How come you suddenly appeared tonight?”
He Dongchen replied, “I wanted to see you, so I came over to try my luck.”
Gu Huan was silent for a moment, then smiled, “Well, we do seem fated. It’s like in dramas, whenever the female lead is in trouble, the male lead shows up just in time.”
He Dongchen raised an eyebrow slightly, turning his head to look at her profile.
Her thick eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes involuntarily shifting, cheeks slightly flushed, perhaps from the wine. His heart stirred, “So are you suggesting you want to offer up yourself like the female lead?”
Gu Huan turned to look at him, her face blushing slightly. She replied earnestly, “I just want to see the results of your workouts.”
They locked eyes for a moment, sparks flying. He Dongchen hoisted Gu Huan up and strode towards the bedroom.
The enthusiastic system, having chosen the products, came eagerly, then quietly retreated; no peeping, no peeping.
The heavy rain pattered all night, intensifying as it went.
***
The next morning, He Dongchen got up quietly from the bed, went to the guest bedroom for his phone, and texted his assistant saying he wouldn’t be coming to the office in the morning, postponing his schedule.
Awoken by the movement, Gu Huan coincidentally sent the same message to her assistant.
When He Dongchen returned to the room, their eyes met.
Gu Huan looked away first, pulling the covers over herself, mumbling, “Morning.”
“Morning. What do you want to eat? I’ll make it,” He Dongchen offered.
“Just make whatever you feel like,” Gu Huan replied.
“Alright, then rest a bit more,” He Dongchen said considerately, closing the door behind him as he walked to the kitchen in slippers, a smile playing on his lips.
The system floated out, trying to please, [Boss, do you need culinary skills?]
“Not needed,” He Dongchen replied casually as he familiarized himself with the kitchen, swiftly preparing breakfast. The fried eggs he made were both fragrant and visually appealing.
The system was stunned, wondering how the boss could be skilled in cooking too! He looks so capable!
In his past life in ancient times, he had several imperial chefs, and He Dongchen had never ventured into the kitchen, so the system had no idea he had this skill.
My Boss is amazing!
Feeling left out, the system re-filtered through its carefully selected useful items and then displayed them to the boss.
He Dongchen glanced casually at them and said indifferently, “Buy them.”
The system was delighted, its code ringing with the sound of accumulating points.
By the time breakfast was ready, Gu Huan had finished washing up and walked out of the room in a set of blue casual clothes.
“Looks good?” She looked at the various breakfast items on the table, pleased. Cooking was definitely a charming trait regardless of gender.
“Give it a try.” He Dongchen served her a bowl of steaming shrimp congee.
Gu Huan took a sip and gave him a thumbs up.
After they finished breakfast and washed the dishes together, they lounged on the sofa and casually picked a movie to watch.
Outside, the heavy rain continued, making it a lazy bone kind of day.
***
By late morning, their respective assistants arrived. He Dongchen received his clothes, and Gu Huan received her birth control pills.
Gu Huan didn’t hesitate to put the pills on the table in front of He Dongchen, asking her assistant to fetch water from the kitchen.
Seizing the opportunity, He Dongchen swapped the pills with harmless birth control pills from the system’s inventory, then watched as Gu Huan took the pills. They had just started dating, and having children wasn’t suitable at the moment.
“President He, the owner of the house opposite has changed their mind and agreed to sell the house,” the assistant dutifully reported.