A Marshmallow: Chapter 25

Chapter 25: I want to see you smile.

Princess, Your Highness.

It's time to go home.

Gu An's eyelids were red, and her little nose was too. She looked like a child who had been bullied in kindergarten and finally saw her parent coming to pick her up. She gently placed her hand on Jiang Yan's hand.

His fingers were slender, and his palm was dry. He loosely held her wrist through the cuff of her sweatshirt, with an indulgent and doting look, but he never crossed any boundaries. A gentleman to the extreme.

Through that thin layer of fabric, it felt like she could sense his body warmth.

Jiang Yan walked ahead, and from the side, she could see the long and beautiful curve of his eyelashes, a cleanly trimmed crew cut, and a jawline that looked even more handsome and sharp. Even from this angle, which could be called the death angle for selfies, this unparalleled face effortlessly surpassed half of the entertainment industry's leading fresh meat.

In this situation, on the road home while being led by the person she liked, those tiny grievances instantly seemed as insignificant as dust. What was infinitely magnified was her heartbeat, her increasingly warm cheeks, and her reddening ears.

The night was peaceful, and even the evening breeze turned gentle.

She loved these moments so much.

She loved them to the point of wanting to treasure them forever.

Before going to sleep, Gu An took out her digital tablet and drew and edited until late into the night.

In the comic, the chibi crying face held its fist, held back tears, drooped its little shoulders, and had lips curved into a wavy line.

And her Prince Charming bent down gently, extending his hand to her, like a knight guarding only her.

"Princess, Your Highness."

"It's time to go home."

Her Weibo account already had twenty thousand followers. In the few minutes after she posted, message notifications kept popping up one after the other.

"Ah, this is too sweet, I'm getting diabetes!"

"Is there really such a handsome police officer...please assign him to our region, thank you!!!"

"Goose, hurry up and catch him. Where can we find such a perfect guy?"

"When a dog dies, no couple is innocent. Dog head."

"I'm from the Civil Affairs Bureau, I'm here to officiate your wedding, please stay in place, okay?"

"Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up! I can't handle this, ahhh!"

Gu An couldn't help but curl up the corners of her lips.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, its radiance pure and brilliant, yet not a fraction as gentle as he was.

Jiang Yan, so gentle.

Only she knew.

-

After the October holiday, Gu An returned to school. Her daily routine consisted of going to classes, art studio, dormitory, and the cafeteria.

The dormitory was a four-person room, with one top student, one beauty, and a girl who dressed in a cool, neutral style.

They hadn't known each other for long, and they couldn't be considered close friends. But they were polite, didn't interfere with each other, and shared the same taste in TV shows and variety programs. There was no intrigue or hidden agendas, making their interactions very harmonious.

On weekends, she found a part-time job. Having just completed the college entrance exams, she still had some foundation to tutor a high school girl in math and English, slowly saving up for the upcoming semester's tuition.

This was her entire university life—ordinary, with no dramatic ups and downs, yet different from before. Every step she took was a new beginning, and every scene she witnessed was brand new.

As the weather grew colder and November approached, Gu An's birthday was just around the corner.

She didn't have much contact with Jiang Yan. Sometimes the messages she sent took days to receive a reply. She guessed he must have an endless stream of missions, cases to solve, and police work to do. It was better not to disturb him.

But she missed him, kept thinking of him.

Even though she faced a completely new life, everything in front of her had no connection to him.

Yet there were always those moments when she suddenly thought of him and wished he could be by her side.

Before going to sleep at night, Gu An wrapped herself in a SpongeBob SquarePants blanket, sat cross-legged on the upper bunk, and curled up into a small bundle. From a distance, she looked like a soft and squishy steamed custard bun. The custard bun propped up her chin, her eyes fixed on the WeChat conversation with Jiang Yan.

What should she say?

Big Brother Jiang Yan?

Brother?

Hey! Bro!

Have you eaten?

What did you eat?

Is it tasty?

The custard bun's face slowly creased into folds, turning into a freshly steamed dumpling.

Steamed dumpling tossed her phone and lay back on the soft and fluffy quilt, staring blankly at the ceiling.

When her phone rang, she was still a bit dazed, thinking it must be another message from her class group.

Gu An reached for the phone she had thrown earlier, unlocked it slowly, and her eyes froze when she saw the message.

She rubbed her eyes vigorously to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

【Jiang Yan: What are you doing?】

Inside Gu An's head, a hundred screeching roosters seemed to crow simultaneously, causing her a mild headache. She grabbed her jacket and rushed to Jiang Ning's dorm, pulling her out.

Jiang Ning was utterly bewildered, looking at the student in front of her with smiling eyes, small lively canines showing, "What's going on?"

Gu An was delighted, "He asked me what I was doing."

Jiang Ning thought for a moment, "What are you doing' generally means 'I miss you.'"

Gu An blushed in an instant, transforming from a dumpling into a strawberry mochi, white with a touch of pink.

The two of them stood in the hallway, and Jiang Ning asked again, "So, how did you respond?"

Gu An shook her head, acting a bit like a simpleton, "I didn't respond. I got excited and ran to find you."

Jiang Ning sighed, "You're not making any progress." Gu An quickly took out her phone from her pajama pocket. She saw another unread message, and her heart raced noticeably.

【Jiang Yan: Are you free tomorrow night?】

-

November 22nd, Friday, was Gu An's birthday.

On this day, her schedule was packed from morning till night.

But she couldn't help but smile at the corner of her mouth. With each passing hour, her excitement increased.

She had plans with Jiang Yan at 7 o'clock in the evening.

After class at 6 o'clock, Gu An hurried back to her dorm room, opened her wardrobe. Most of the time, she was in the art studio, and paint easily found its way onto her clothes. So, she typically wore simple sweatshirts and pants and never thought much about dressing up.

However, among her monotonous sportswear, there was one stunning dress.

It was a gentle, creamy color with elegant long sleeves, and the dress was adorned with delicate flowers that seemed to float and shimmer in the light.

Gu An changed into the dress, leaving her dormmates completely astonished.

"Where did this little fairy come from?"

"Oh my goodness, it's so beautiful!!!"

"I feel like I've seen some celebrity wear this dress..."

Gu An chuckled and looked down at the small flowers on the hem of the dress. "Maybe it just looks similar?"

When Jiang Yan gave her the gift, the exquisite packaging had startled her. He immediately noticed what she was thinking and casually said, "It was on sale for less than 200 bucks."

[Jiang Yan: I'm downstairs.]

Gu An slung her cream-colored shoulder bag and dashed. From the third floor to the first floor, there was only a long corridor left to the dormitory building entrance. She slowed her steps, quietly breathed to calm her racing heart, but it felt as if her heart was exploding with the sweet and sour taste of candy.

Would he find her attractive... 

Just like her classmates did a moment ago.

Would he think, Gu An has grown up, she's not a child anymore.

The dormitory building exit was getting closer and closer.

"The handsome guy downstairs, I need all his information within a minute!!"

"Those eyes, that nose bridge, they're simply amazing! And he's at least 185 cm tall, right? The tall, handsome guy with long legs totally shocked me!"

"I've seen a live 'forbidden fruit' for the first time!"

"I really want to know which girl he's waiting for..."

"I can only say 'wow' now."

Even if she hadn't seen him in person, just listening to others talk about him made her heart flutter.

Gu An looked up, and in the shadow, the man was slim and erect, dressed in a somber black.

She couldn't resist it any longer. She lifted the hem of her dress and ran down the stairs from the dormitory towards him.

Her dress flowed, radiant and dazzling.

"Brother Jiang Yan..." She stood in front of him, tilting her small head to look at him.

Jiang Yan made a soft "hm" and lowered his eyelashes to look at her.

After two months without seeing each other, her hair had grown longer, tied in a loose bun. She wore the dress he had given her, with a soft knit cardigan on top.

From his perspective, he could see the gentle curve of her curled eyelashes and slightly darker lip color than usual.

Moving his gaze up, those round eyes innocently drooped at the corners, now blinking incessantly at him.

Jiang Yan averted his gaze.

His heart inexplicably beat irregularly for a few seconds.

Gu An carefully observed the handsome guy's expression.

He still had that aloof young master's face. Not to mention amazement, he didn't show any surprise at all.

And he didn't even look at her.

Dressed up all nice and fancy, but it was when she had a bad haircut that caught his eye!

"We should go for a meal first," Jiang Yan spoke, sounding as if he had reverted to the way she first knew him: cold, calm, very good-looking, and not to be messed with.

Gu An obediently nodded, with the handsome guy walking beside her, the gazes of passing girls glued to Jiang Yan without interruption. If the bluntness of their stares could be turned into a physical force, it would probably shred Jiang Yan's coat.

She had countless fantasies of walking the same path with Jiang Yan every day. She even thought about how to introduce him to her university, but now she didn't know what to say.

Her heart felt like a lemon being punctured, a sour taste slowly spreading.

In reality, she rarely wore dresses, and she never really dressed up.

But everything became an exception when it came to the person she liked.

She wanted to look nice and fancy in front of him.

But... he didn't react at all.

At that moment, the person by her side reached out and tapped the back of her head, "Gu An."

"Hmm?" She walked with her head hanging low, fingers tightly clutching the strap of her messenger bag. She mumbled, "What is it?"

"Have you encountered something that's bothering you?"

Gu An let out a sigh. In the 24 hours she had heard that Jiang Yan was on a business trip to A City, every minute and second had been joyful.

"No, not at all." He was right beside her, how could she be anything but happy?

Jiang Yan stopped in his tracks, slightly bending down to meet her eye level. He placed his hand on the top of her head and gave it a gentle rub. "Who's been bothering you? Tell your big brother."

He looked at her calmly, and his features visibly softened at an eye-catching speed, revealing his original gentle and refined self.

Gu An's lips curved, her voice soft and plaintive as if she were reporting to a parent, "Will you help me seek revenge?"

Her childlike face turned serious, and her upturned lips formed a downturned curve, concealing her cute little fangs.

Jiang Yan nodded, "Mm."

Gu An let out a sigh, her childlike temper flaring up, "Jiang Yan, Jiang Yan is bullying me."

The little girl in front of him avoided his gaze, pouting, muttering incoherently, her voice barely making it past her throat.

He didn't hear clearly, so he leaned in closer to her mouth, "What did you say, big brother didn't hear it."

She was about 1.6 meters tall, while Jiang Yan was 1.87 meters, so often he would have to bend down. When he couldn't hear her, his ear would come close to her mouth, tenderly and completely...

In this situation, Gu An's earlier temper was completely extinguished, but she still forced herself to repeat, "I finally put on a dress..."

His temple was clean, his profile delicate and fair. Gu An's voice got smaller and smaller, "But why don't you, you compliment me at all?"

Jiang Yan froze for a moment, his long eyelashes innocent. After a moment, the corners of his eyes helplessly bent down, forming a beautiful, upward arch. Even his usually cold voice had a hint of a smile, "Just because of this, you say big brother is bullying you?"

Why was he laughing!

And he was laughing so beautifully!

She almost suspected that he was using a charm offensive without evidence!

Under his gaze, she blushed, both shy and annoyed, unable to lift her head. But she still stubbornly puffed her neck, like the times when she was about to explode with anger because of Gu Zhen bullying her.

"You, touch your conscience and say, isn't this dress cute?"

"Look at this little flower and the lily border, I think it's very pretty, don't you?"

She liked it so much!

Because he gave it to her!

But he didn't even look at it!

Gu An huffed, feeling wronged, and clenched her little fist, adding, "You're such a straight guy in terms of taste!"

This time, Jiang Yan laughed out loud. The corners of his lips lifted sharply, and the dimples at the corners of his mouth were impossible to hide.

A well-behaved, handsome guy of the forbidding type, his laughter had the clean, youthful tone, and it was especially... pleasant to hear.

When he lowered his gaze to look at her, his deep black pupils had a gentle hue that was simply irresistible.

Gu An blushed, her heart racing, but her eyes were moist, like an injured fawn. "Please don't laugh... I won't wear it anymore, I promise..."

Jiang Yan lowered his eyes.

How was he going to explain this to her?

He was amazed by a child who barely reached his shoulder.

Gu An walked forward with her head down, but she suddenly felt the strap of her bag being tugged by a tall guy with long legs.

She raised her head in annoyance but unexpectedly bumped into the clear depths of Jiang Yan's eyes.

He lightly pursed his lips and softly said, "The dress is cute, but you're even cuter."

This was way too much! Was he complimenting her? This was like setting off fireworks in her heart!

Gu An sniffled, and her lips couldn't help but curl up for a brief moment, a sign of embarrassment that was difficult to conceal.

She really hadn't grown up. She'd pout like a little child when not praised and then act as if she was about to explode, but a casual compliment could easily calm her down.

Incredibly cute.

Jiang Yan chuckled as he looked at her, lightly tapping her forehead with his fingertip. "Are you happy now?"

Gu An turned her head to the side and murmured softly, her stubbornness resembling Gu Zhen's: "Well... it's okay..."

In the next instant, completely without warning, the handsome guy leaned over in front of her, supporting himself on his knees.

The corners of his eyes curved slightly, with a hint of helplessness and an inexplicable indulgence.

His thin lips gently parted, each syllable brushing against her earlobe:

"Now, can you show me your little fangs?"

"I want to see you smile."

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