Moving On from the Tsundere, I Choose the Perfect Sweetheart

"Alright, I’ll pull over up ahead and wait for you. Just push your scooter over to the repair shop!"

Gu Yifan said calmly.

With that, he floored the gas pedal. The car sped off and vanished before Wang Zibo’s eyes, leaving only a cloud of dust stirred up by the tires screeching against the ground!

COUGH COUGH COUGH...

Wang Zibo, having gotten a mouthful of dust, couldn’t help but cough.

He watched the rear of the disappearing car with a helpless expression, pouting as he said, "Damn you, Brother Fan! It’s bad enough you won’t help me push my scooter, but you had to make me eat your dust too. Why is my life so hard! ┭┮﹏┭┮"

...

However, what Wang Zibo didn’t know was that this was only the beginning!

After getting his scooter to the repair shop, they told him it wouldn’t be fixed anytime soon. He had no choice but to leave it there and get into Gu Yifan’s car.

PHEW...

As soon as he got in, feeling the cool air from the A/C, Wang Zibo collapsed into the back seat and sighed with feeling, "I’m dead tired! Nothing beats sitting in a car with the air conditioning on!"

"Zibo, we need to make a stop at Su Qinghe’s place first, then we’ll head back."

Gu Yifan said casually, turning to him after he got in.

"Whatever works!"

"As long as I don’t have to walk, I’ll go anywhere!"

Wang Zibo said with a bitter smile.

Gu Yifan glanced at him in the rearview mirror, a slight smile playing on his lips, his thoughts unreadable.

「Ten-odd minutes later.」

Dongba Street Xingfu District.

Gu Yifan smacked Wang Zibo, who had been so comfortable he was about to fall asleep, wide awake!

"Hm?"

Wang Zibo asked groggily, "Brother Fan, what’s up?"

"We’re here. Get out and help me move stuff!"

Gu Yifan said calmly.

"Oh, oh..."

Wang Zibo hadn’t quite processed what was happening yet. He just nodded and followed Gu Yifan out of the car.

"Just this stuff. Help me carry it upstairs!"

As he spoke, Gu Yifan heaved a massive duffel bag onto his shoulder.

"Uh..."

Wang Zibo was wide awake now. He stared at the remaining items on the ground—basins, buckets, clothes hangers, and the like—and asked dazedly, "Brother Fan, what about you?"

"Aren’t these still here? I’m carrying these!"

Gu Yifan said calmly, pointing at the things on the ground.

Wang Zibo: "...-_-||"

"Alright, the sun is killing me. I’m heading up!"

"Apartment 305. I’ll wait for you upstairs!"

After saying that, he patted Wang Zibo’s shoulder and added calmly.

Then, under Wang Zibo’s resentful gaze, he snatched up a water bucket with one hand, took Su Qinghe’s little hand with the other, and left!

Leaving him standing there alone, utterly bewildered...

Only when Gu Yifan and Su Qinghe had disappeared from sight, hand in hand, did Wang Zibo snap back to his senses, his skin stinging from the hot sun!

"Damn you, Gu Yifan! So you just brought me here to be your pack mule!"

"Being forced to watch your PDA is one thing, but making me do manual labor too? Why is my life so hard!"

"WAHHH..."

He looked up to the heavens and howled in despair.

’He figured he must have forgotten to wash his face before leaving home today. Why else would he be so unlucky, so jinxed?’

...

「Ten minutes later.」

"Here, have a bottle of water."

Gu Yifan looked at Wang Zibo, who was slumped on the sofa looking as if he’d lost the will to live, and said with a faint smile.

At the sight of water, Wang Zibo’s eyes went wide, like a man who’d been wandering the desert for three days and three nights and had just found an oasis. He scrambled to sit up and took the water Gu Yifan offered!

"Uh... It’s room temperature? Don’t you have any cold ones?"

Wang Zibo asked, pausing for a moment.

"Cold my ass!"

"You drink ice-cold water in your state? Are you trying to skip the college entrance exams tomorrow?"

Gu Yifan shot him a look and said irritably.

"Uh..."

Wang Zibo thought about it and realized Gu Yifan had a point. He could only nod helplessly and say, "Fine!"

Gu Yifan glanced at him and said nothing more.

While Su Qinghe was in her room unpacking, he pulled a pack of Zhonghuas from his pocket, offered one to Wang Zibo, and the two of them went out to the balcony to smoke.

"Hey, Brother Fan, I thought I just heard you say... Sister-in-law Qinghe has already moved into your place?"

Glancing back toward the living room, Wang Zibo whispered to Gu Yifan.

"Yeah."

"Happened about a week ago."

Gu Yifan said casually, blowing a smoke ring.

"Whoa... Badass!!"

"So you two are officially living together now?"

Wang Zibo exclaimed in amazement.

Gu Yifan: "..."

SMACK!

"Living together my ass!"

"I was just worried about her being alone during the college entrance exams, so she’s staying at my place temporarily!"

"Besides, my parents are home too. What ’living together’ are you talking about!"

"What kind of crap is going through that head of yours!"

Gu Yifan couldn’t resist giving him a big smack on the head, saying irritably with a dark expression.

HISS...

Wang Zibo rubbed the back of his head and muttered resentfully, ’We’re all living together, isn’t that the same as cohabiting? It means the same thing...’

Gu Yifan: "..."

He was speechless but couldn’t be bothered to argue with him anymore.

...

June 7, 2013. Sunny Day, bright and clear.

The college entrance exams arrived right on schedule.

Early in the morning, Gu Yifan was woken up by the ringing of his phone’s alarm.

He rubbed his sleep-filled eyes and pushed open his bedroom door, only to find that Su Qinghe had already been up for who knows how long.

She was currently sitting on the sofa, just staring into space.

"Morning, Hanhan!"

Gu Yifan greeted her casually with a yawn.

"M-morning."

Su Qinghe turned, saw Gu Yifan was up, and replied softly.

Just then, a series of CLANGS and BANGS came from the kitchen.

"Uh... Is my mom in the kitchen?"

Gu Yifan paused, looking at Su Qinghe as he spoke.

"Mhm, Auntie is in the kitchen making breakfast."

Su Qinghe nodded and said, "I wanted to help, but she wouldn’t let me..."

"Oh, okay."

"It’s fine, just let her be. Don’t worry about it."

Gu Yifan nodded.

With that, he walked to the kitchen doorway and glanced inside. The scene of utter chaos that met his eyes left Gu Yifan completely stunned.

"Mom, what in the world are you doing?"

he asked, somewhat shocked.

"Hey, you stinky brat, you’re up!"

"What do you mean ’what am I doing’? Can’t you see I’m cooking!"

"Stop yapping, go wash up. Breakfast will be ready soon!"

Chen Dongmei said, turning to see her son.

"No, Mom, but why are you making so much?"

Gu Yifan pointed at the three stove burners all going at once and said, torn between laughter and tears, "Are you planning to cook a banquet?"

"...-_-||"

Chen Dongmei was speechless at his words.

She turned and couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her son, but she still explained, "Those are soup and dessert I’m stewing. They’re for you and Qinghe to eat for lunch!"

...

「7:30 in the morning.」

Urged on by Chen Dongmei, the three of them rushed out the door in a flurry.