Chapter 4

Fu Zhaosi sat there elegantly, conversing with a girl, his smile gentle and handsome, amiable and approachable. He was nothing like the fierce and intimidating figure he usually was at home, shouting and scolding; it was as if he had transformed into a different person.

Hehe, just pretend.

The order of these two flower pots is incorrect; "One Flower, One World" should be in front, and "Three Miao, Three Bodhi" should be at the back. After saying this, she estimated that Gu Xun would probably think she was a lunatic

Gu Xun's right hand gently cradled the flower, its petals as white as wrought iron, glowing like moonlight. The flower's open posture was both enchanting and elegant, so beautiful that it was beyond description. She was first captivated by the flower, and then by Gu Xun's hand. It is rare to see a man's hand so exquisitely beautiful. The rolled-up white shirt sleeves were as clean as snow.

The young girl is beautiful, has a sweet mouth, and is very likable

The young people sitting together listened to Gu Xiaojun's words and all smiled kindly, Fu Zhao also smiled, his eyes sparkling with a green light.

The Gu family is affluent and prosperous, with a spacious hall. A long carved redwood partition divides the hall into an eastern and a western section. Behind the exquisitely patterned and ornate partition is a circle of golden silk nanmu sofas. Fu Zhao and several young people are seated there, engaged in lively conversation and laughter.

The little girl with braided hair was not shy at all; she pointed to a young man on the opposite sofa and then asked her, "Sister, what do you think?"

Amber was taken aback, never expecting that this little one was actually Gu Xun's sister. Later, she learned that the young girl was named Gu Xiaojun, and the one sitting next to her was named Tang Beibei, whose father was a favored disciple of Gu Yuanshan and owned an art gallery. The beautiful girl who made Fu Zhao smile, transforming from a bandit to a gentleman, was named Qiao Anqi, the daughter of Gu Xun's aunt.

The two little girls giggled, their eyes sparkling. In order to get closer to the two girls, Hu Po asked, "Who is Gu Xun?" Of course, she knew Fu Zhao, no need to ask.

Mr. Gu was originally a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, and he was both a colleague and the best friend of Fu Jinyan's father. In their youth, the two families lived diagonally across from each other in the same building of the Academy's staff quarters, and they recognized each other's sons as godsons. Later, as Gu Yuanshan's paintings became increasingly valuable and his fame grew, he moved out of the school, but his relationship with the Fu family remained intact.

As someone who has been referred to as the "school beauty" since elementary school, Amber has long been accustomed to the various scrutinizing gazes, especially from boys, filled with admiration and unspoken desires. She remains completely indifferent to them and pays no attention.

Amber stared at the white porcelain flowerpot, feeling as if a little cat's paw was scratching inside her heart. After a moment of hesitation, Gu Xun had already turned around, meeting her gaze for the third time.

Gu Yuanshan's relatives and disciples are all part of the cultural circle. The topics they discuss are either the economy and global situations or art investment. In order to prevent Hu Xiang from feeling bored, he asked her to go to the west hall to find Fu Zhao

Amber nodded in acknowledgment.

Suddenly, a waft of unusual fragrance drifted over. She sniffed her nose, searching for the source of the scent. Outside the corridor was a large oval terrace, where a tall money tree, a Brazilian wood, a phoenix tail bamboo, and a water droplet plant were placed near the glass door. The densely interspersed branches and leaves obstructed the view from inside.

The young and proud face, that hint of a gentle smile, is like the first melting of ice and snow, as spring light suddenly appears

This is so strange, she actually blushed at a boy

Amber Heart Path: These little kids are too precocious, aren't they? At such a young age, they are already infatuated with handsome boys. She is seventeen and has never liked anyone, showing no interest in any boys. Moreover, she privately does not understand what love feels like at all. What she finds particularly incomprehensible is that so many people actually like Fu Zhao.

Gu Xun stood with his hands behind his back, lowering his gaze to look at her hands

My surname is Hu, and my full name is Hu Po, while my nickname is also Hupo, pronounced the same. Near the flower rack, there is a European-style round table. Hupo was concerned that Gu Xun might not have understood, so she casually wrote the character for 'Hu' on the table. She was not aware that she was using her left hand.

Gu Xun was the only one among the group who did not smile. Tai Ran glanced at her, his gaze bright and profound, almost clear enough to carry a hint of chill.

She is not left-handed, nor has she ever deliberately practiced writing with her left hand. She has simply been equally dexterous with both hands since childhood. Whatever her right hand can do, her left hand can do just as conveniently

Looking at the arrangement of the two flower pots in the correct order, Hu Po immediately felt much more at ease and gently smiled at Gu Xun. Her eyes were large and bright, gazing at people with a calm and serene expression, exuding a subtle charm. When she smiled, her eyes would curve, appearing both soft and endearing.

She splashed her face with cold water and lingered inside for more than ten minutes before going out Naturally, she would not return to the west hall

After completing a small action, she felt a gaze lingering on her, and by instinct and direction, she believed it must be Gu Xun. She looked up and indeed met Gu Xun's gaze. Having completely lost sensitivity to the attention of boys, she felt a trace of embarrassment for the first time. ... However, there was nothing she could do; her obsessive-compulsive tendencies could not be ignored ...

As Gu Yuanshan is celebrating his seventieth birthday, in addition to his son and daughter and their families, his nephew's family and the families of two of his esteemed disciples are also present, making the living room lively and filled with guests. This is the first time Hupo has attended such an occasion, and being in a stranger's home, she inevitably feels a bit reserved, clinging to Huxiang's arm and not leaving his side.

On the flower stand beside the night-blooming cereus, there are two pots of bonsai: one is a small banyan tree and the other is a crab claw cactus. The flower pots are quite unique, made of delicate off-white pentagonal porcelain, each inscribed with the phrases "One Flower, One World" and "Three Nothingness, Three Bodhi". However, the pot inscribed with "Three Nothingness, Three Bodhi" is placed in front of the one that says "One Flower, One World". How is this order appropriate?

She sat back down next to Hu Xiang, listening to her and several ladies discuss perfumes, which was indeed boring. As she listened, she suddenly remembered her father, Hu Ming, saying that she had a keen sense of smell and that he would send her to France in the future to study perfumery and become the most famous perfumer.

Amber looked at the fruit plate on the coffee table, where one plate contained apples. Several plump red apples were placed face up, but one was turned with its bottom facing up. She simply could not resist and quietly turned that apple over.

However, even though Gu Xun left her in awe, she did not experience the legendary feeling of a heart racing or love at first sight. After calmly observing, she shifted her gaze to Fu Zhao. This glance truly left her utterly astonished.

Gu Xun looked at her and asked, "Are you Fu Zhao's cousin?"

She gently walked in following the fragrance, and suddenly froze in surprise

The first time I met Gu Xun, she was seventeen years old, still attending supplementary classes during the holidays, overwhelmed by the pressure of the college entrance examination. Her academic performance was not poor, yet she was still very worried about not doing well, fearing that she would let down her aunt and uncle.

Gu Xiaojun ran back to continue discussing the secrets of young girls with Tang Beibei

The scene before her seemed like a beautiful painting. Hu Po originally intended to quietly withdraw while Gu Xun was unaware of her presence, but the moment she followed the direction of his hand to look, her footsteps were frozen in place.

However, Amber remained completely oblivious, her gaze fixated intently on that flowerpot

Unexpectedly, Gu Xun raised her hand and switched the positions of the two small flower pots, then asked her: "Like this?"

The writing flows like clouds and water, showcasing a delicate style of running script. The fingers are slender and long, almost transparent in their whiteness, with a small black mole beside the pinkish nails

The villa of the Gu family is magnificent and filled with the fragrance of books. Several landscape paintings hang on the walls of the corridor, all of which are works by Gu Yuanshan. The last oil painting, distinctly different in style from the previous ones, depicts a wisteria growing freely, with two birds soaring above it, and scattered purple petals fluttering in the wind. Although it is a still image, it exudes a very dynamic aura, as if one can see the birds flapping their wings and the petals drifting.

The way he looked at her was also prolonged, exceeding the bounds of polite scrutiny

Gu Xun stood with her back facing, in front of a pine flower rack. At her feet, a flower pot contained a green plant that bore snow-white flowers as large as a bowl, and the unusual fragrance emanated from it.

This gaze lasted a long time, as if the sight flowed slowly like deep water. She thought, once this gaze has passed, it would not be forgotten for ten years.

Upon seeing her, a hint of peculiarity flickered in his eyes, his attractive eyebrows raised slightly before relaxing again, and then the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile

Amber turned her face and smiled at the little girl, saying: "Of course, Gu Xun is beautiful"

Amber got up and walked to the bathroom, and indeed saw her own face flushed in the mirror

She glanced at the signature, and to her surprise, it was Gu Xun. She was astonished that he could paint so well.

The words still linger in her ears, yet the person is long gone. Her mood suddenly became a bit somber, and she quietly walked to the corridor outside to get some fresh air

Gu Xun followed her gaze to the two flower pots and asked, "What’s wrong?" This was the first time Amber had heard him speak; his demeanor was cool and aloof, yet his voice was exceptionally warm

The little girl with braided hair clapped her hands excitedly and said, "I won." Then she jumped up and ran to Gu Xun's side, pointing at the amber and said, "Brother, that sister said you are more handsome than Brother Fu"

Amber quickly glanced around and recognized no one except Fu Zhao. Moreover, it was evident that they were all a few years older than her, having already entered university, while she was still struggling in high school, separated by a chasm.

She did not lean over but instead sat down on the adjacent off-white leather sofa. Opposite her sat two young girls, around eleven or twelve years old, their small heads huddled together as they whispered, resembling two little mice. At times they giggled, and at other times they chattered, quietly debating whether Gu Xun was more attractive or Fu Zhao.

Gu Xun paused for a moment and then asked, "What is your name?"

She pretended to be calm and turned to Gu Xiaojun, asking, "Where is the restroom?"

That man, who wakes up in the morning with a messy bedhead and eats breakfast, whose socks after playing basketball could stink to death two chickens, surprisingly has admirers! There are even girls who ask her to deliver love letters to Fu Zhao, and some who give her gifts just to obtain his QQ number and mobile phone number. Even these two little girls in front of me are actually infatuated with him, which is simply unbelievable

On the day of Gu Yuanshan's seventieth birthday, Fu Jinyan took his wife and children to celebrate with his godfather, bringing along Hu Po as well, allowing her to go out and have some fun and relax.

Gu Xiaojun enthusiastically pointed her in the right direction

Amber then glanced at the young man she was pointing to. Among the group, he was not the oldest, yet he possessed an inexplicable air of elegance and composure, standing out like a radiant jade mountain. Fu Zhao was very handsome, but he seemed to be even more remarkable.