Feed Me, Husband - Chapter 39

On the spacious, well-equipped bus, a group of people working in professions related to writing gathered for a three-day, two-night field trip.

The destination was an ancient county town not far from T City, featuring a massive complex of ancient buildings modeled after the Song Dynasty layout, with an investment exceeding ten billion yuan.

Gu Xiaonuan sat near the back of the bus, dressed simply in sporty attire and wearing a baseball cap.

Lu Yichen, on the other hand, sat at the very front, with Xiang Kaixi beside him, her excitement barely contained throughout the journey.

“Yichen-ge, I…”

Xiang Kaixi, sitting next to Lu Yichen, was just about to start a conversation when she saw Lu Yichen pull his baseball cap down over his face and lean back against the seat, clearly uninterested in talking.

Xiang Kaixi glanced at the baseball cap covering his face and bit her lip slightly. The hats she and Gu Xiaonuan wore were obviously a couple’s set.

Lu Yichen sat with his legs crossed, his body leaning against the window, maintaining a subtle distance from Xiang Kaixi.

Unless Xiang Kaixi deliberately leaned into him, there was no way their bodies would touch.

“Kaixi, I heard you’re Editor-in-Chief Xiang’s niece, just returned from abroad?”

“Yes, my uncle wants me to follow Yichen-ge and learn as much as I can.”

The people sitting nearby exchanged knowing looks. Lu Yichen was young and accomplished, and Xiang Kaixi was the editor-in-chief’s niece-the two seemed well matched.

“At the gathering, who was that young lady who came with Lu Yichen?”

Someone in front couldn’t help but glance back. Gu Xiaonuan sat alone in the last row, her small face hidden beneath her baseball cap.

“Miss Gu is also Yichen-ge’s editor. After all, I’m still too young.”

“I see… Well, Lu Yichen is a freelance writer. With his current popularity, it’s only natural to have an editor. Editor-in-Chief Xiang probably wants you to come along to sign this dark horse.”

Lu Yichen sat quietly in his seat, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

At the back, Gu Xiaonuan gazed out the window at the scenery. These past few days, Lu Yichen’s mood had been poor. He hadn’t shown it outwardly, but the taste of his blood never lied.

Gu Xiaonuan frowned, her small face under the baseball cap growing darker.

His blood had tasted terrible these days.

Not that it was undrinkable, but she had tasted the different flavors of his fresh blood before, and she simply couldn’t accept the current taste.

Having experienced the very best, everything else now seemed bland.

A hint of blood colored Gu Xiaonuan’s eyes. Unconsciously, her appetite had become so picky.

If not for the Blood Contract, if she could use her teeth, she might have simply switched to another food source.

Gu Xiaonuan thought for a while and sighed.

Would she really switch? Like the Old Man, who, when interested, would carefully cultivate the flavor of his food, but once bored, would simply replace it.

Her cold hand unconsciously touched her own neck. She wasn’t satisfied; this wasn’t the blood she wanted. She wanted the old Lu Yichen, the sweet blood that once surged through his body.

What would it take to make him stop being angry?

After two hours of driving, they arrived at their destination.

“Everyone, we’ve arrived,” someone at the front announced. People began to get off the bus one after another. Seeing that Lu Yichen still hadn’t moved, Xiang Kaixi couldn’t help but speak softly.

“Yichen-ge? We’ve arrived. It’s time to get off.”
Lu Yichen was reclining there, as if he were asleep. Xiang Kaixi couldn’t help but blush slightly, gently reaching out to nudge his arm.

“Yichen? Yichen?”

Seeing the hat on his face, the same style as Gu Xiaonuan’s, Xiang Kaixi reached out, about to take it off, when Lu Yichen’s voice came from beneath the hat.

“I know. You go ahead.”

Xiang Kaixi’s hand froze awkwardly in midair. She could only murmur a response and walk down. Lu Yichen reached up, picked up the hat, and put it back on.

His dark eyes flickered to the back-Gu Xiaonuan’s figure was still there.

A dedicated tour guide waited below. As Lu Yichen got off the bus, the facial features beneath his cap made the male guide’s eyes light up. “Wow, such a handsome guy.”

Among those present, Lu Yichen was the youngest writer, followed by Xiang Kaixi (the youngest in age), and then Gu Xiaonuan, whose age was hard to guess just from her appearance.

Lu Yichen smiled. Not long after, Gu Xiaonuan, also wearing a matching baseball cap, got off and stood beside him.

The hats on their heads made the male guide’s eyes light up again. “A handsome man and a beautiful woman-are you a couple?”

The others couldn’t help but smile awkwardly. Xiang Kaixi stood on Lu Yichen’s other side. “No! She’s an editor, I’m an editor too! The three of us are together!”

The three stood together.

The male guide quickly caught on. “Now that everyone’s here, let me introduce your accommodations. This is a replica of an ancient-style hotel in the old county town, and the architecture is also based on…”

The guide spoke at the front, while the dozen or so participants followed behind.

Lu Yichen and Gu Xiaonuan walked at the very back, the two of them silent all the way.

“Yichen, let’s go up front. Walking in the back…” Seeing the matching hats on their heads, Xiang Kaixi wished she could separate them right away.

She reached out, wanting to take Lu Yichen’s arm, but he gently dodged away.

“Why didn’t you say just now that I was your boyfriend?” Gu Xiaonuan asked.

This question made Xiang Kaixi’s face fall at once. “You two? Since when?”

“Do I have to say it first?” Gu Xiaonuan looked up at him. “I understand.”

Lu Yichen looked at her calm little face and gave a soft laugh, then turned to Xiang Kaixi. “What did you just say?”

“I…” Xiang Kaixi looked at Lu Yichen. “Yichen, when did you two get together? Boyfriend and girlfriend-really? You don’t look like it at all.”

Except for those hats, Xiang Kaixi added silently.

“Not at all. I think so too.” Lu Yichen’s words made Xiang Kaixi’s heart leap with joy. “Exactly, you agree, right, Miss Gu?”

Gu Xiaonuan lowered her head, looking at Lu Yichen’s hand at his side-long fingers, with slightly bony knuckles, and a watch on his wrist, simple but not plain.

Her cold hand slipped between his fingers. Lu Yichen lowered his eyes, seeing her small face peek out from under the baseball cap.

“Like this… does it look like it?”

Xiang Kaixi’s eyes widened. She grabbed Lu Yichen’s sleeve. “Yichen! Let’s go up front!”

Gu Xiaonuan looked at her own palm-the warmth from their clasped hands had already slipped away. She watched Lu Yichen being pulled away by Xiang Kaixi, and quietly withdrew her hand.

Even if you could hold on, what good would it do?

In her long life, whatever she gained was destined to be lost.