The Whole Internet is Shipping Me with My Ex-Boyfriend-Chapter 257: The Mysterious Man Appears

"So did he leave?"

"Is Sister Yanyan asking about the handsome guy who bought the bell?"

"Yeah."

Tutu, with oil all over his mouth from eating a chicken leg, had a face that looked shiny, he lifted his hand and wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said, "He came yesterday and left yesterday."

"Tutu, do you still remember what he looks like?"

"Oh, he’s really handsome, but not as handsome as me. I’m the most handsome in the world." Tutu, in his vanity, looked silly.

Gu Yuan anxiously searched her body for her phone, but couldn’t find it. Lu Tinglou, noticing this, reminded her, "Your phone is on the table."

Gu Yuan then remembered she had put her phone on the table, partially covered by a napkin.

She hurriedly picked up the phone, pressed the Home button, and opened the album, "I have a photo here, take a look..."

Her hand paused while swiping the screen, and the rest of the words got stuck in her throat. How could she forget? After Chi Yu disappeared, all the photos related to him on her phone disappeared too. Where would she get a photo of Chi Yu...

If Chi Yu really came back, everything about him in this world would have returned too.

But now there’s nothing.

The person who bought the bell might have realized it was made of real gold, paid some money, but it’s unknown how much it was sold for, whether Tutu’s dad incurred a loss.

Tutu leaned closer, pointing at the screen, and asked, "Is this Sister Yanyan’s photo?"

Gu Yuan’s mood began to sink, her voice turning somewhat nasal, and she lowered her eyes and hummed, turned off the screen, and put the phone back in her pocket.

Tutu nearly got oil on Gu Yuan, but Yao Tao’s quick reflexes stopped it in time.

Everyone had almost finished eating, and the village chief was preparing to take Tutu home.

Gu Yuan escorted the old and the young to the door. Lu Tinglou, concerned about Gu Yuan’s emotions, kept glancing at her from a not-so-distant place.

Outside the farm stay.

The village chief looked lively, though slightly tipsy. Lu Tinglou, who drank alongside, seemed unaffected; the old hand was still better at drinking than the young ones.

"It’s getting late, walk home slowly." Gu Yuan told the village chief, then advised Tutu, "Keep an eye on Grandpa, understand?"

Tutu confidently patted his chest, "I’m the next village chief. They all say I’m the most reliable. Don’t worry, Sister Yanyan."

Gu Yuan teased him, "You’re such a little rascal."

Tutu grinned widely.

The village chief waved his hand, "Yanyan, you should go back and rest."

Gu Yuan replied, "Alright."

After seeing the village chief and Tutu off, Gu Yuan returned indoors. Seeing Lu Tinglou standing there, Gu Yuan stopped by his side and said, "No need to worry about me, I’m fine."

Lu Tinglou knew she wasn’t anything serious, otherwise, it wouldn’t be like this.

He wasn’t prying; just concerned, "Thoughts are usually kept inside. Once you’ve thought it through, find someone to talk to. I’m always ready to listen."

"Always ready to listen, huh. Go wash your face and get some sleep." Gu Yuan walked inside.

Lu Tinglou scratched behind his ear, a smile flashed across his face, and he followed her inside.

Exhausted from the day, sleepiness overcame Gu Yuan like a flood.

No more calls to bother her, she could enjoy a peaceful, undisturbed couple of days. After washing up, there was a knock on the door, and Yao Tao’s voice came from outside: "Boss lady, it’s me."

Gu Yuan went to open the door. Yao Tao stood outside with a white towel, a basin in her left hand, and a steaming kettle in her right. When Gu Yuan opened the door, Yao Tao handed her the kettle and basin, saying, "I just boiled some water. There’s mugwort in the basin. I learned from Aunt Cai and hung up a big bag; it’s especially nice for a foot soak."

Gu Yuan accepted it, "Aren’t you sleeping yet?"

"I sleep late at night; it’s only ten now. I’ll take another walk and then rest."

Yao Tao is a cheerful and lively girl. Every day one can see her smiling and hear her laughter. Her happiness seems free from worries, and when Gu Yuan chose her, it was because of her personality. Later, she noticed at the bottom of the resume that she identified as a non-marriage activist.

Next door, Lu Tinglou opened his door, leaned out, saying jealously, "The boss’s privileges are quite nice."

Yao Tao, catching a bit of it, said, "Considering you’re the boss lady’s friend, I’ll get you some too. Wait a moment, I’ll fetch you some mugwort and a basin. You boil your water."

"You’re not charging extra, are you?" Lu Tinglou seized the opportunity to ask.

Yao Tao put on an exaggerated surprised look, "Wow, a poor person like you says thank you, but a capitalist like you says ’prosper through virtue.’"

Lu Tinglou raised his hand, "No, I didn’t say that."

Yao Tao, "Your eyesight says it."

Lu Tinglou was so amused that he solemnly said, "Then thank you, Sister Yao."

"Oh, you’re welcome. Being handsome has its perks; I usually don’t bother with the not-so-good-looking ones."

"..."

Earlier in the day, Gu Yuan hadn’t paid much attention, but when she came upstairs just now, Gu Yuan noticed three households were occupied, not including the one next to hers where Lu Tinglou was staying.

She remembered that when she arrived, there were two off-road vehicles parked outside the farm stay, which should belong to that couple and the two female university students, respectively.

"Are those two female university students staying separately?" Gu Yuan asked casually.

Yao Tao shook her head: "No, those two girls are staying together."

Gu Yuan pointed to the house at the corner: "Is that place occupied?"

"Yes, it is." Yao Tao pointed to the door of that room and said: "The guest in that room arrived last night, it was a sudden stay. Booked for three days. I only saw him last night, haven’t seen him all day today. Probably a university student here to do some fieldwork."

Gu Yuan only heard that it was a university student and subconsciously thought it was a girl, so she didn’t ask if it was a man or a woman.

Yao Tao also said: "He hasn’t come back yet. Since he booked the room, if it’s too late and he hasn’t returned, I’ll give him a call. It would be hard to explain if something happened here in Ancient Water Village."

"True." Gu Yuan thought Yao Tao was quite considerate.

After Yao Tao left, Lu Tinglou walked over and leaned against Gu Yuan’s door frame. He looked inside and thought this is the room where she stayed.

"Gu Yuan." he called out.

Gu Yuan responded, "Hmm?"

She put down the kettle and basin and walked over: "Not used to living here?"

Lu Tinglou shook his head: "It’s okay, I’ve stayed in all sorts of environments in the military before. This is nice."

"Then rest early, I’m also tired." Gu Yuan said and was about to close the door.

Lu Tinglou raised his hand to block it and earnestly said to her: "Goodnight, sweet dreams."

"You too."

The door closed, shutting Lu Tinglou outside.

Lu Tinglou stood outside for a while, his mind full of worries. Coming to Ancient Water Village was a last-minute decision, there were still some important things left unresolved in Hong Kong, as well as two meetings he hadn’t attended. He put those matters aside after learning of her itinerary and followed along eagerly.

He wanted to pursue her openly, yet every time he found her heart closed off, words that came to the tip of his tongue would retreat back inside.

He sighed internally, thinking to take it slow.

Downstairs.

Yao Tao pulled out a bag of mugwort. When she said it was a big bag, it really was a big bag, enough for a few months if soaked daily, at least half a year if done every few days.

She rarely used mugwort to soak her feet unless guests asked. This big bag was mainly reserved for the landlady.

Untying the string on the bag, Yao Tao grabbed a handful of dried mugwort leaves and set it aside, ready to give it to Lu Tinglou after tying the bag again.

Just then, someone came in from outside. Yao Tao glanced quickly and asked, "Staying? How many of you?"

After asking, she felt she might have spoken too hastily, so she turned her head to take a clearer look—

It’s that young man!!

Yao Tao confirmed it was the young man with the mask who had returned. She put down the string in her hand and walked over: "I was worried something happened to you since you hadn’t come back yet. If it got much later, I would have called you."

"There are lots of places to sketch in the village. I came back a bit late," he said, pausing only for a moment before preparing to head upstairs.

The man was tall and lean, with a stature resembling that of a model. Since he checked in yesterday until now, Yao Tao hadn’t seen what he looked like because he always wore a mask.

Yao Tao observed him closely. This young man wasn’t just tall; he probably looked quite handsome too. He had a pair of affectionate, almond-shaped eyes and a lovely tear mole at the end of one eye. Although he wore a mask, it wasn’t hard to tell that his face underneath should be stunning.

Even so, Yao Tao thought, some people do wear masks to boost their attractiveness. Who knows if, without the mask, he might have buck teeth or a big nose.

Seeing him return so late, Yao Tao thought he must not have eaten yet, so she asked after him, "Want to eat something? We have some cold dishes and rice that can be heated up, dumplings and noodles in the fridge, and even some instant noodles if that’s convenient for you. Let me know what you’d like."

"If I get hungry, I’ll come down myself. Thanks."

With that, he was already heading upstairs.

Yao Tao thought to herself, this young guy isn’t just aloof; he’s courteous but doesn’t seem to want to engage much.

Perhaps he just hasn’t found someone he feels like engaging with.

She went back, grabbed another handful of mugwort leaves, and prepared a basin to bring upstairs.

After Lu Tinglou went into his room, he didn’t close the door, waiting for Sister Yao to bring up the mugwort.

Aside from experiencing this kind of down-to-earth rural life during his time in the military, it had been many years since he had reminisced about it.

He changed his shoes, hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, thinking it was Sister Yao, he turned his head to look.

But it wasn’t Sister Yao.

It was a young man dressed entirely in black.

Wearing a mask and Martin boots, he stepped on the wooden floorboards with a creak, though the noise wasn’t particularly harsh. Soon, the man walked past.

Lu Tinglou recalled the couple he saw this afternoon; the guy wasn’t dressed like this, more conservatively.

This one was definitely not conservative.

Lu Tinglou walked over, his gaze following the figure of the man in black. He was staying in the corner room on the other side of Gu Yuan. As he opened the door and turned around to close it, Lu Tinglou’s eyes met his.