The Whole Internet is Shipping Me with My Ex-Boyfriend-Chapter 250: You Don’t Love Me Anymore

Time flies like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, it’s already December.

Sui City is located in the subtropical region, one of the large cities with the smallest average temperature difference in the country. The chill is only felt by the end of November, and it gets a bit colder in December, but just enough to add an extra coat.

Gu Yuan is very busy every day, and as New Year’s Day approaches, her workload only increases. Before, it was purely busy, but now she uses her busy schedule to distract herself from some other emotions.

"President Gu, Mr. Lu is here." Dao An stood at the office door.

"Let him in," Gu Yuan said.

Dao An stepped aside, and Lu Tinglou walked in.

Since Lu Tinglou learned about what happened between Gu Yuan and Wen Bo in Haojiang, he has been visiting Sui City more and more frequently.

It used to be half a year or a few months, but now it’s basically once a week.

Like a butterfly, he constantly appears in front of Gu Yuan, flamboyant and eye-catching.

Calling him a butterfly isn’t exaggerating; just look at him today, wearing a floral shirt and holding a bouquet of flowers as he enters, though today it’s a bouquet of white hyacinths.

He placed the hyacinths on her desk, bracing himself with one hand on the desk as he leaned forward, "As soon as I came in today, you kept staring at me. Am I too charming, or is this floral shirt too eye-catching?!"

Gu Yuan propped her chin in her hand, "The latter, you know it well."

Lu Tinglou explained, "I didn’t use to wear clothes like this. Recently, there’s been a trend in my circle, and it looked pretty good, so I tried it out. What do you think?"

Gu Yuan switched hands to prop her chin, "It doesn’t suit your style, too flashy."

Lu Tinglou took Gu Yuan’s advice, "I’ll stash it away when I get home today."

"Shouldn’t you just throw it away?" Gu Yuan asked.

"What if this trend comes back someday? I can still follow it then. Throwing it away would mean I’d have to buy it again, which would be a waste of money." As he spoke, he pulled up a chair and sat down.

Gu Yuan teased him, "I didn’t expect you to be so frugal."

"Those three years I served, frugality was a daily routine." As he reminisced, Lu Tinglou’s face became earnest, even slightly serious.

This seriousness, paired with his flashy floral shirt, surprisingly didn’t look ridiculous, but rather had a bit of the flavor of a popular young celebrity.

"Looking at it this way, you’re keeping up with the trends," Gu Yuan said.

Lu Tinglou chuckled, "Not too bad."

He pushed the bouquet of hyacinths towards her, "You should like it this time."

Gu Yuan accepted it with a smile, "It’s quite pretty."

Lu Tinglou loved to give flowers because Gu Yuan lacked for nothing material—money, houses, bags, jewelry, she had them all. So every time Lu Tinglou came to see her, these items were out of the question, as giving them wouldn’t mean Gu Yuan would use them.

So he gave flowers, the simplest and straightforward gesture.

And he didn’t give large bouquets; every time, it was just a small bouquet, just right to hold in your hand, not too flashy or cumbersome.

Initially, Gu Yuan would laugh at him, saying, "Who gives flowers every time they meet? But since you give small ones, I’ll accept them."

Lu Tinglou acted nonchalant, claiming he was a straight guy who could only give flowers and asked her not to find him tacky.

In reality, deep down...

"It’s not tacky," Gu Yuan would tease him, "You’re just a bit of the five elements vibe..."

Lu Tinglou finished her sentence, "Earth."

Gu Yuan’s eyes crinkled with laughter, "You said it yourself."

Lu Tinglou: "..."

Gu Yuan was a very perceptive person. Whether it’s one or two times, or even many times, giving flowers was nothing. But over time, Gu Yuan noticed the subtle intention behind Lu Tinglou’s floral gifts.

He never gave red roses, flowers that clearly symbolize love.

He gave flowers like sunflowers, daisies, white hyacinths, irises, all of which represent ’secret admiration’ in their flower language.

"How’s the new land development going?" Gu Yuan changed the subject tactfully.

Lu Tinglou nodded, "It’s going alright."

"When President Lu says ’alright’, it’s not too optimistic," Gu Yuan analyzed.

"It’s similar to what happened last time at the Huang Family Ancestral Hall in Yunping, except this time we couldn’t reach an agreement, and a few local families were a bit emotional."

Gu Yuan said, "If you need any help, just let me know."

"Okay." He nodded.

That evening, the two of them had dinner together, and this time Gu Yuan was the one who invited him. Lu Tinglou didn’t stand on ceremony; his mother had told him that his masculinity should be moderated, otherwise dry wood could never catch fire.

"Come to my house for dinner on New Year’s Day?"

The car stopped outside the Gu Mansion, and Lu Tinglou voiced something he’d long wanted to ask.

This visit for dinner wasn’t just about the meal.

How could Gu Yuan not understand, and she gently declined, "I have plans on New Year’s Day, I’m afraid I won’t have time to visit Elder Lu and Mrs. Lu, maybe next time."

Logic told Lu Tinglou he shouldn’t pry into Gu Yuan’s personal matters.

But her mouth wasn’t as honest as her reason, she still asked, "Are you going on a business trip for New Year’s Day?"

"Not a business trip, I have to go somewhere."

She didn’t say where, and Lu Tinglou couldn’t ask further. When Gu Yuan got out of the car and closed the door, he waved at her, "Go home and rest early, good night."

Gu Yuan responded, "Okay."

Watching Gu Yuan’s back as she went inside, Lu Tinglou looked for quite a while.

More than friends but not quite lovers, this wasn’t what he wanted.

It’s not that Gu Yuan’s heart is cold. Instead, she simply doesn’t trust anyone much. Lu Tinglou knows some things about Gu Yuan’s childhood; her father passed away early, her mother neglected her, and she didn’t have much of a childhood, unlike other kids.

Describing her as a hedgehog seems particularly fitting.

But she should have her quills; without them, it would be hard for her to survive day by day in such difficult times. He truly wanted to be her safe harbor.

"Gu Yuan, we have all the time in the world."

After a long time, Lu Tinglou’s car drove away.

...

The day before the New Year’s Day holiday, Gu Yuan drove back to Ancient Water Village.

This time, she went alone without Dao An. Dao An had many things to do, but this time she didn’t leave quietly; she did mention it to Sheng Yi.

Inside the car.

Gu Yuan was driving, wearing a Bluetooth headset, talking to Sheng Yi on the phone.

On the other end, Sheng Yi was complaining, "Yuanyuan, you don’t love me anymore. Anyway, you don’t love me like you used to. Last time you secretly ran off to Ancient Water Village, almost making me think you’d been trafficked there."

Hearing the words "trafficked," Gu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh, "I was wrong last time, so I’m telling you this time."

She explained, "I promised the village chief I’d return for the New Year. Worrying that I’d be too busy then, I decided to go back during the New Year’s Day holiday, and besides, I also needed to check how the farm stay was being managed."

"I also really like your farm stay," Sheng Yi said excitedly.

Gu Yuan: "Next time when I go back, I’ll take you with me."

"Next time... but it’s a pity I have a makeup brand event tomorrow. However, I’m free in the afternoon tomorrow. Yuanyuan, how many days will you be staying in Ancient Water Village? Let me come in the afternoon to keep you company for New Year’s Day, shall I?"

Sheng Yi is someone who acts on impulse; Gu Yuan was already used to it.

She asked, "Aren’t you going home for New Year’s Day?"

Sheng Yi replied in a dejected tone, "Whenever I don’t go home, my mom always nags me. But when I do go home, she scolds me, saying raising me isn’t as good as raising a dog. But I think, can any dog compare to how warm I am? And then my mom says I’m not a padded jacket, just a leather jacket, and one that lets the wind in. It’s so tough, really."

Gu Yuan was in a great mood, mostly due to Sheng Yi’s humor.

Afraid Gu Yuan might feel apprehensive, Sheng Yi quickly added, "Actually, this New Year’s Day, my parents aren’t home either. They’ve planned a big family trip to Guanyin Holy Altar, but I didn’t want to go there; I wanted to be with you."

Gu Yuan paused for a few seconds before hearing Sheng Yi grumble, "Yuanyuan, you surely don’t love me anymore. Do you have a dog out there or something?"

Gu Yuan: "..."

She said, "I’ve had a dog for a long time now."

"Is it that Chi Yu again? Although his name is Chi Yu, to me, he’s a mystery. He’s never shown up before, yet he seems to have replaced me. If possible, I’d really like to see this mystery man for myself."

Gu Yuan couldn’t be bothered to argue, only saying, "If you have the time, then come along. Bring warmer clothes with you, and don’t drive yourself. I don’t trust your driving on these winding mountain roads; have your assistant bring you."

"Hehe, alright," Sheng Yi laughed cheerfully over the phone.

After hanging up, Gu Yuan turned off her Bluetooth headset.

The voice from the GPS announced that Ancient Water Village was only about twelve kilometers away.

Due to the winding mountain road, even if Gu Yuan drove slowly, it would still take close to twenty minutes.

Upon arriving at Ancient Water Village, Gu Yuan turned off the navigation.

As she was about to cross the bridge and enter the village, she saw a table and chair at the bridge’s entrance, with someone seemingly registering visitors.

That’s right, Gu Yuan suddenly remembered that after the airing of "Desired Ecology" some time ago, Ancient Water Village had gained attention. During that time, some people, after watching the reality show, were attracted by the farmhouse in the program and specifically came to check in at Ancient Water Village.

The government also took notice, so they arranged for the village to register visitors, fearing that some people might take advantage of this time to do something harmful in the village.

Due to Chi Yu’s disappearance, Lin Xijiang and Yu Yang were still around, as was Sheng Yi, while Li Yan had turned into another rising star. It seemed Li Yan hadn’t yet been discovered by Weng Lan at this point.

The original guest spot of Chi Yu had now been replaced by a well-known singer.

The ripple effect of Chi Yu’s disappearance led to a lot of changes. You could say that his disappearance put the world back on its intended path, or maybe everything was supposed to be this way, and Chi Yu was the extra one.

No point thinking about it. Dwelling on it only made Gu Yuan’s mood gloomy.

When she drove over, the person registering was unfamiliar, and neither of them recognized each other.

The person asked, "Where are you from? What are you here to do? What’s your name, phone number, ID... Please come down to register."

Gu Yuan got out of the car. The notebook on the table was already half-filled, indicating that quite a few people had checked in here since the program aired.

The person handed her a pen, "Fill in the corresponding sections above completely, don’t skip anything. Write your phone number clearly, and indicate how many days you’ll be staying in Ancient Water Village. You can scan this code right here as well."