Getting Outsmarted By The CEO - Chapter 106
Chapter 33.1 (TL: Bara Chou)
The room was still. If not for the breathing of the two humans and one cat, the entire room may as well have been frozen in time.
After an eternity, Ruan An’an couldn’t help but confirm again, “You’re the School Boss of 7th High… Are you really? Then… Do you remember that time when you helped me?”
Her words were all over the place, but by some miracle, Gu Jue knew exactly what she meant.
He hummed a reply, “I remember.” Remember it very clearly.
Ruan An’an’s thoughts were jumping all over, and she suddenly realized a problem, “Wait, I remember the School Boss being 2 grades above me…” She looked at him with certainty, “maybe?”
Gu Jue’s mind was also a mess, but he managed to sort out enough for an excuse, “Oh, I failed the Entrance Exams the first time, and went to another city for a retake. Just so happened that something happened with my family, so I had to take a gap year as well.”
He went abroad immediately after high school, so he only had to worry about his GPA and SAT scores. He didn’t even have the faintest memories of the Entrance Exams.
He just had to make something up.
Ruan An’an didn’t think too hard on it and nodded along.
After all, that wasn’t the main focus here. At the moment, her head was filled with “my crush was not unrequited”, “the boyfriend I tried so hard to get with actually liked me for all these years”, and “oh f?u?c?k?”.
It also took Gu Jue a while to digest what she had said.
She said, she never liked the weak-a?s?s? School Boss from her school… she even rejected him.
The one she liked was the School Boss from the neighboring 7th High.
—That was him.
Gu Jue was awestruck the moment he came to that realization.
Since he was sure that he had never officially met Ruan An’an back then, he never considered himself one of the possibilities when she jokingly mentioned liking a School Boss. Not even once.
From Gu Jue’s point of view, he had watched over a small part of Ruan An’an life as only an outsider for half a year. The only real interaction they’d had was the time he beat up some scum for her.
— But they hadn’t really faced each other that time either.
The pair were both still in a state of shock, staring at each other each with ranging thoughts.
Only Dummy was free of tension, dozing off on Gu Jue’s legs.
More time passed before Gu Jue broke the silence again, “If I recall correctly, you should’ve never seen me directly.”
“So… How?” Gu Jue was perplexed.
“…”
On the topic of how she got a crush on him…
Ruan An’an felt a little embarrassed.
“It was that time… When I was about to get robbed, didn’t you intervene and deal with those people?”
Although, even if he hadn’t shown up, she still wouldn’t have been afraid since her driver was just around the corner.
But… the maiden in her had been impressed.
Gu Jue could still remember a lot of details from that incident. After all, it was the only time they had interacted directly. He nodded, “Ok, and then? That’s it?”
…
Ruan An’an got choked by his words.
What did he mean by “And then? That’s it?”
Sure, it was just a brief interaction, but a crush happens when a crush happens!
What is he expecting? Does he think it happened too easily? Was she too shallow?
… But she didn’t even see his face!!!
Ruan An’an was already feeling quite complicated, bashful yet excited and all. She was immediately triggered by his questions. With a face glowing red, she said, “… What do you mean, ‘that it’? That’s it, what about it? I didn’t even see your face. Is a girl not allowed to harbor feelings for the person that saved her?”
Normally, she talked at an unhurried pace which made her sound gentle and soft, but now, her words were shooting out of her mouth crisply like a Gatling.
Gu Jue had the urge to laugh.
What he meant was to confirm whether she had seen him elsewhere that he was not aware of.
However, it seemed that she had misunderstood… quite massively too.
Gu Jue held in his mirth and began to respond with an “Oh”, but didn’t make it any further in explaining himself.
Apparently, his response had fueled Ruan An’an and she was even more convinced that he had just questioned her sincerity. “See, as someone who values looks, I fell for you before I saw your face!” Ruan An’an clearly was not happy, “I didn’t even comment on how you only liked me because I saved your cat, and here you are, scoffing at me?”
Near the end of high school, Ruan An’an had been relatively busy, having to tutor Yin Yuan and Jiang Yi every day.
But once she became free after graduating, her various sentiments were brought into focus.
Thanks to her long reaction curve, her crush had been destined for tragedy before it even started.
For part of her university years, whenever she saw anyone with a similar figure as the School Boss, her gaze would linger; whenever she met someone with a similar voice, she would want to chat with them just a bit longer.
Who said you were the only one suffering? You weren’t the only one with an unrequited love!
She didn’t even see his face! She should be the one complaining!!!
Gu Jue listened with growing confusion, “… When did I say I liked you only because you saved my cat?” He was certain he never said that. “Don’t over-analyze it. I know I was grateful, but nothing else, for that.”
It had jack to do with his affections.
Ruan An’an rolled her eyes, “How is it unrelated? Didn’t that gratitude transform into something else after?”
“…?”
The h?e?l?l? is with that transformation?
Gu Jue tried to talk sense into her, “According to your logic, if a grandpa rescued him, I would fall for that grandpa?”
“Obviously not with a grandpa. Why didn’t you say a beautiful young girl?”
“…”
Ruan An’an wrinkled her nose, “Let me recount the order of events. You first saw me take in your cat, then you probably thought I looked kind of pretty—” She had to pause after that last phrase. It was so odd to praise herself, “And that led to lik…”
“You’re overthinking it.” Gu Jue interrupted.
“You saving my cat was just the catalyst.” Gu Jue grabbed the hand she was waving around and looked her in the eyes with sincerity, “Even if Dummy hadn’t gotten lost, I would’ve seen you one of the times I went over, looking for a fight, and still would’ve developed a crush you.”
“…”
“Also, correction,” He bore a straight face, “I didn’t think ‘she looks kind of pretty’, she was really pretty.”
“…”
My god, he’s too good.
With a few simple words, he was able to put an end to Ruan An’an’s ramblings and calm her down.
Locked in a stare, she felt a heat creep into her cheeks. She hmphed softly and reached out to pet the cat.
Dummy didn’t show any attachment to her, but he didn’t reject her touch either. He even let out a few purrs in enjoyment, as if his body still remembered her.
“Then…” Ruan An’an gave a few more pats and looked up at Gu Jue, “We’re even.”
“Not even, how can we be even?” Gu Jue smiled lightly, “Even with the crush, I still was before you.”
“…?” This again?
“It wasn’t that much earlier…” Ruan An’an squinted her eyes, “Wait, are you competing with me?”
Gu Jue didn’t answer, letting it hang.
She smiled, “School Boss Gu, if I recall correctly, you were wearing a black mask and being all mysterious. Even if you are handsome, I never saw it myself and still liked you. How do you compete with that?”
“…”
Gu Jue muttered inwardly, I skipped class every day just to see you, dreamt of you all the time in university, can recall every word you said under the tree, and even have a notebook for it, why can’t I compete?
But of course, he couldn’t say any of that out loud. He had just claimed to have forgotten most of it, he couldn’t just go back on it.
Plus…
He looked at the little girlfriend of his, whose eyes were wide and cheeked flushed, debating who would win between them.
Had she not realized, if she was to win on this topic, the ending conclusion would simply be “Ruan An’an likes Gu Jue more”?
That would have got to be one of his greatest moments in life.
Gu Jue was willing to lose.
“Yeah, I can’t compete. Clearly, you like me more.”
“???”
Wait, that doesn’t seem right.
Before Ruan An’an could spare more thoughts on it, he pulled on her wrist and lifted her chin. She was enveloped in his refreshing fragrance.
“I’m in such a good mood now…” Gu Jue said softly and chuckled, “Girlfriend, let’s celebrate with a kiss.”
It was an invitation without the right to refuse.
Ruan An’an opened her mouth to respond, but the space in front of her had already darkened. She was only able to make a muffled noise when her lips were captured.
What am I celebrating? Thought Gu Jue.
Let’s celebrate calling myself an idiot for so long.
It was a rare occasion where being the idiot was something to be happy about.
Gu Jue probably ate candy again before picking her up.
She was getting disoriented from his kiss. Her mouth was filled with the sweet taste of milk candy, adding a new layer of lewdness to the kiss.
The kiss lasted a long time, to the point of Ruan An’an running out of oxygen. Her arms felt so weak, she couldn’t push him away at all.
It was only until Dummy started acting up atop his legs that Gu Jue finally released her lips.
She calmed down her breaths while muttering inwardly, she felt his happiness quite literally with her body…
Gu Jue said something before taking Dummy to another room, but Ruan An’an didn’t catch it.
Ruan An’an sat on the couch staring at the ceiling. This was the first time she had taken a good look at the place Gu Jue had rented.
There weren’t any special designs on the ceiling, which was snow-white in color. There was a simple square light fixture in the center. The fabric couch she was sitting on was grey. The living room was minimalistic; the colors were clean, and the arrangement looked comfortable despite the small space.
The landlord really had a good eye for things.
Soon after, she heard footsteps and turned to look.
Gu Jue had taken Dummy with him when he left, but when he came back, his arms were empty. No cat at his side either.
Ruan An’an noticed his shoes and gasped, remembering that she had her shoes on as well, “How did we forget to take off our shoes… Should we do it now?”
“Oh, it’s fine.” This was only Gu Jue’s second day living here, so he didn’t care. “No need, we’ve already stepped all over.”
He sat back down on the couch, taking hold of her hand again with the motion. “You wanted to say something back then, before I interrupted, do you still remember?”
“… Oh.”
Ruan An’an only remembered, then, the topic she was about to bring up before the whole history between them got revealed.
She pulled on his finger with her own, “Right, there is something I want to discuss with you.”
“Hmm?”
Ruan An’an decided to take an indirect approach, “Last time when I asked you, I thought your rent is really expensive.”
“…” Gu Jue didn’t know where she was going with it. Looking at her, “It’s alright, I manage… somehow.”
Is 3 thousand too much?
Is rent really that expensive right now?
Ruan An’an didn’t notice the hesitation in his voice and continued on, “But see, if you had a roommate, then it’d be only 1.5k per person… That’s really affordable now, isn’t?”
Gu Jue blinked.
He could see that Ruan An’an’s cheeks were colored red, probably self-conscious about what she was about to say, but her voice remained clear.
“So, how about we split it?” She bit her lips, eyes bright, “Let me be your roommate, how about it?”
“…”
TL/N:
COHABITATION ARC LET’S GOOOOOOOO!!!