Feed Me, Husband - Chapter 72

Chapter 72

When Gu Xiaonuan pushed the door open to leave, Lu Yichen was already waiting outside.

He was dressed in loose, casual clothes with a crossbody bag slung over his chest and a pair of rimless glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

Compared to the average Asian complexion, his skin was excessively pale-exactly like Lu Yichen’s.

“Good morning, Teacher Gu. Have you had breakfast yet?”

He had been leaning against the doorframe, but he straightened up with a smile when he saw her come out.

“I’ve eaten,” Gu Xiaonuan replied. Lu Yichen gave a light chuckle. “Is being this self-disciplined while living alone just part of the professional standards of a middle-aged person?”

Gu Xiaonuan could tell he was joking. She twitched the corner of her mouth and stepped into the elevator.

On the way to the subway, Gu Xiaonuan watched as he casually bought a steamed bun from a breakfast cart. He took a bite and said, a bit sheepishly, “I’m just going to eat my breakfast.”

Gu Xiaonuan frowned slightly but said nothing.

The weekend morning rush hour on the subway was still packed. During the five years Gu Xiaonuan had lived this life, she had settled down to observe the humans around her.

Whether for work or leisure, humans loved rushing from place to place.

Gu Xiaonuan stood in a corner at the back of the carriage. At one stop, a massive crowd boarded, and the previously loose carriage was instantly crammed full.

Lu Yichen had been standing next to her with headphones on. The two of them never spoke while riding the subway.

Lu Yichen had originally suggested sharing an earbud with her, but Gu Xiaonuan had refused.

With the sudden surge of people, Lu Yichen ended up standing directly in front of Gu Xiaonuan. As the space grew tighter, he braced his arm above her against the wall.

A shadow fell over her head, shielding her as she was boxed in between the carriage wall and Lu Yichen.

A few young, fashionably dressed figures squeezed over. They were three girls dressed in spicy, trendy outfits. “Hey, handsome, do you have a girlfriend?”

One of the girls was very direct and had a beautiful smile. Seeing the headphones Lu Yichen was wearing, she reached out, plucked one out, and tucked it into her own ear.

“Classical music? That’s so old-school.”

The girl giggled. Wearing the earbud, she leaned her midriff-baring waist toward him, seemingly wanting to rest against Lu Yichen’s arm.

Lu Yichen reached out and took the earbud back. A smile played on his handsome face. “I have a girlfriend.”

“That’s fine. I can compete with her fairly.”

The girl smirked, her sultry body leaning closer still. Lu Yichen smiled but didn’t answer, shifting to avoid her.

As the subway pulled into a station, the girl, who wasn’t holding onto a handrail, let out a low cry and looked like she was about to fall right into Lu Yichen’s arms.

Gu Xiaonuan watched him dodge with an expression of flustered annoyance. She reached out and caught the falling girl.

“Thank you, Teacher Gu.”

Lu Yichen looked at her hand and spoke in a low voice. The girl froze, her eyes-heavy with makeup and long lashes-staring at Gu Xiaonuan before she irritably shook off her hand.

“This isn’t school. Do teachers still interfere with students’ dating lives?”

“Please show some respect to my teacher.”

Lu Yichen frowned. “I have a girlfriend. She doesn’t need to compete with you fairly, and I have no interest in you whatsoever.”

The girl’s face flushed. “Whatever, I don’t care anyway.”

The surrounding passengers couldn’t help but turn their heads. “Little girl, the handsome young man said he has a girlfriend, yet you keep talking about fair competition.”

“Besides, his teacher is right there. He looks like a good, hardworking kid. Don’t distract him from his studies.”

“Mind your own business!” the girl snapped, her temper flaring. “He’s just a bookworm with nothing but a face. What’s the big deal?”

Lu Yichen stood there without offering any rebuttal. As the subway started moving again, the girl lost her balance once more and stumbled toward Lu Yichen.

This time, it didn’t seem intentional.

Gu Xiaonuan reached out again, but the girl violently shoved her hand away. The force of the movement struck Gu Xiaonuan’s face, knocking her glasses off.

“Teacher Gu!”

Lu Yichen cried out in alarm. Seeing this, the three girls immediately hurried to another carriage. Gu Xiaonuan said she was fine and started to crouch down to pick up her glasses, but Lu Yichen beat her to it and handed them back.

“Thank you.”

Gu Xiaonuan took them, keeping her head down as she quickly put them back on.

“Teacher Gu, here… did the frame scratch you?” Lu Yichen’s voice came from above. Gu Xiaonuan looked up slightly as he pointed toward her cheekbone.

Gu Xiaonuan touched the spot; there was indeed a bit of blood from a small cut.

“It’s nothing. Just a minor scratch. It doesn’t matter.”

“I have a band-aid. Let me put it on for you.” Lu Yichen smiled. “I’m always getting into little bumps and scrapes, so I carry them with me.”

“No-”

Before Gu Xiaonuan could finish, he had already taken the glasses off her face. Her features were fully revealed to his beautiful eyes.

“Tea… Teacher Gu…” The young man’s face suddenly turned red. “You… you’re so… beautiful.”

“Thank you for the compliment, but the band-aid won’t be necessary.”

Gu Xiaonuan expressionlessly took her glasses back and put them on. Lu Yichen gave a soft “mm” with a flushed face, cleverly positioning his body to completely shield her. Aside from him, no one else had seen her face just now.

“Teacher Gu, you’re really young. You look like you’re only twenty,” Lu Yichen said softly. “If I didn’t know your real age, I would truly think you were only twenty.”

“It’s just good skincare,” Gu Xiaonuan replied quietly, her eyes scanning the signs above the carriage. “The next stop is ours. Let’s move toward the door.”
Lu Yichen nodded, chatting with Gu Xiaonuan as they walked together toward the library.

Because of a shift swap today, Gu Xiaonuan wasn’t stationed in the Ancient Texts Room but in the general circulation room instead.

When she finished changing into her uniform and sat down, she spotted Lu Yichen. It turned out his weekend volunteer post at the library was in this very room.

He smiled and nodded at her, then pushed a cart of books inside to begin shelving.

Gu Xiaonuan watched his figure quickly disappear behind the bookshelves, her brows arching slightly. What a coincidence.

On weekends, there were fewer students in the library than on weekdays.

As Gu Xiaonuan looked over the sign-in sheet, her brow gradually furrowed. Were all these students flocking here together?

Looking up, she realized the seating in this circulation room was actually full.

Most of the occupants were girls who looked up from time to time as if searching for something. Gu Xiaonuan understood when she caught glimpses of Lu Yichen appearing between the shelves.

A graceful figure walked in from outside. Gu Xiaonuan recognized her-it was the student who had been about to confess her feelings at the basketball court the other day.

Upon seeing Lu Yichen pushing his cart and organizing books, the girl took a deep breath, signed in, and walked inside.

Her appearance sparked a wave of hushed whispers.

“Isn’t that the Finance Department Belle, Ruan Beibei?”

“She’s definitely here to confess. Senior Lu is really in high demand. How long has he even been here? So many people have already confessed to him.”

“And the ones confessing are always the Department Belle of this department or that one. Every single one of them is gorgeous.”

“But I heard that when he rejected the first person, Senior Lu said he has a girlfriend.”

“Who knows if that’s true? It’s been a month, and no one’s seen his girlfriend come to campus.”

“True. It does seem like an excuse when you look at it that way.”

Gu Xiaonuan’s hands stopped typing on the keyboard. She remembered that on the subway, he had used the same line to reject that spicy little hottie: “I have a girlfriend.”

Maybe it was a long-distance relationship.

It made sense for someone like him to have a girlfriend.

“Senior, I really like you.”

“…I have a girlfriend. Thank you for your feelings, Junior.”

“Senior, that’s just an excuse, isn’t it? It’s been so long and your girlfriend hasn’t come to see you. Doesn’t she know how outstanding you are, and that many people will pursue you?”

“She’s elsewhere, so it isn’t convenient for her to visit. Junior, it’s not an excuse. I really do have a girlfriend.”

“…Fine. Let me see a photo of you two, otherwise I won’t give up.”

“I don’t need to prove anything to you. You are already disrupting my work and disturbing the other students.”

Gu Xiaonuan could hear a hint of impatience in Lu Yichen’s tone. She glanced behind the bookshelves and saw him placing a book back with one hand.

“I understand. I like you, Senior.”

Lu Yichen let out a sigh and said nothing more, continuing his task of organizing the books. Gu Xiaonuan watched Ruan Beibei, who refused to leave his side, then stood up and walked over.

“Lu, there are some books in the storage room that need organizing. Head over there.”

“Alright, Teacher Gu.”

Lu Yichen cast her a look of immense gratitude and quickly pushed his cart away. Gu Xiaonuan turned and left after speaking, hearing Ruan Beibei let out a sigh behind her.

“Sister Gu, I’ll take over for you. Go have lunch.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Gu Xiaonuan stood up and glanced at Ruan Beibei, who was sitting there waiting stubbornly for Lu Yichen. She was truly persistent.

*Click.*

The storage room door opened. Gu Xiaonuan saw Lu Yichen organizing inside and couldn’t help but speak up. “Are you really going to hide in here?”

“What else can I do?” A bitter smile appeared on his handsome, youthful face. “Even having a girlfriend couldn’t stop her. I really don’t know what to do anymore.”

Gu Xiaonuan walked in, the door closing behind her. “Just bring your girlfriend here and let her see her once. That should do it.”

Lu Yichen’s hand froze in mid-air holding a book. After a long moment, he lowered his head and whispered, his face flushing, “I don’t have a girlfriend. She was right-it really is an excuse.”

“Are you just in a dry spell?” Gu Xiaonuan joined him in organizing the books. “You could ask an ex-girlfriend to help out.”

“…I don’t have an ex-girlfriend either.”

Gu Xiaonuan couldn’t help but turn to look at him. He looked extremely flustered, his face red as he kept his head down to organize the books. Even his earlobes were crimson.

“…If you’re really that troubled by this, why not say you’re into men?”

“I’ve tried that line before. The result was even worse.”

Gu Xiaonuan pursed her lips slightly. It seemed he had been plagued by this for a long time; no excuse could deter the determination of his suitors.

“Then find a friend you trust to pretend to be your girlfriend,” Gu Xiaonuan said, looking at him. “Or you could consider finding a real one.”

“History is more attractive to me than relationships,” he said with a helpless, bitter smile. “As for pretending… I don’t have any female friends I trust that much yet.”

Gu Xiaonuan nodded. “I suppose there’s no other way then. Go get some lunch first. She’s still in the circulation room, so if you don’t want to run into her, stay here this afternoon and keep organizing.”

Lu Yichen hummed in response. Just as he was about to push the door open and leave, he suddenly looked back.

“Teacher Gu.”

“Yes?” Gu Xiaonuan replied, checking the call number on a book in her hand.

Lu Yichen stood at the door and took a step forward.

“Could you… pretend to be my… girlfriend?”