A Marshmallow: Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Congratulations on Growing Up

I just want to see your dimple.

The small dimple right here.

I want to see it.

I want to poke your dimple.

Just a little poke would make me happy.

Give me a little poke.

And now, Jiang Yan is standing in front of her, leaning down with clear eyes, and he asks her:

"Now, can you show me your little tiger teeth?"

"I want to see you smile."

This small request, compared to her previous encounters with frivolous and handsome young men, is absolutely insignificant.

At that time, she not only looked but even touched them. Now, she can still remember that the handsome guy had exceptionally good skin, and his face was incredibly soft.

But she is still helpless, her cheeks burning, and she feels her body heating up.

Every pore is steaming, and she can hardly breathe.

She usually grins, showing her little tiger teeth every day. She smiles much more when she's with the person she likes.

But now, the person she likes is so close.

How can she smile!

She's not given any time to prepare!

And her heart is about to explode!

Jiang Yan watches as Gu An slowly puffs up her cheeks, her porcelain-white face, and her fine fuzz visible under the streetlight, like a little dumpling.

The little dumpling slowly exhales a long breath, her eyelashes quivering pitifully, and she quickly reveals her sharp little tiger teeth at the corner of her mouth.

She smiled reluctantly, even though she didn't want to.

After smiling, she puffed her cheeks and didn't look at him. Like a cute little goldfish blowing bubbles, she said, "That's enough..."

So adorable it's almost illegal.

Gu An's face was burning, and she felt incredibly foolish just now, as if she wanted to crouch down and pretend to be a mushroom. But she was curious about Jiang Yan's current reaction, so she sneakily glanced at the handsome guy beside her.

Does he think he's looking silly too?

Oh, no, am I making a complete fool of myself?

Is he still looking at me?

What's there to look at... never seen a pretty girl before?!

Gu An clenched her fists, and her blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Why are you so obedient?"

His icy tone sounded soft in her ears, leaving Gu An slightly stunned.

Jiang Yan stood upright, his expression still clean and cold, giving the impression of detachment, but there were subtle curves at the corners of his eyes and mouth, full of a tenderness and indulgence that he himself seemed unaware of.

Gu An stared at him in a daze, and the sound of her heart beating felt tangible.

It felt like something in the air had changed.

Beneath the small doses of anxiety, nervousness, and shyness, there was a hint of sweetness spreading gently.

The whole atmosphere of this early winter night turned tender, serene, and filled with anticipation.

"Let's go," he lightly touched the back of her head with his finger joints. "Birthday girl."

Gu An had never believed in birthday wishes, never expected something for nothing, and never relied on luck.

All along, the only person she could depend on and rely on was herself. If she wanted something, she had to put in several times the effort, just like when she pursued her art, and even with her college entrance exams.

There are certain things that can't be achieved through effort alone.

For example, she likes him, but she can't make him like her back.

So on her birthday, Gu An made a wish just like she did when she was a child, so seriously that it approached near devotion.

"I hope that when I'm twenty years old, the person I like will be my boyfriend."

She quietly said in her heart.

When she opened her eyes, she happened to gaze into Jiang Yan's clean eyes, with soft dimples at the corner of his mouth, and the light falling from above.

"Gu An."

"Congratulations on growing up."

-

Gu An later learned that on that day, Jiang Yan had postponed a celebration to come and celebrate her birthday with her.

After dropping her off at the dormitory building, he drove back to Jing City that very night and worked overtime for several consecutive nights.

She began to eagerly await the winter break.

But when the winter break finally arrived, Gu Zhen and Jiang Yan were busy due to a department-level supervisory case they were handling together.

Jiang Yan seemed to be even busier than Gu Zhen. When he returned, she was either already asleep or just leaving with Zaizai for a walk. Unfortunately, she never had the chance to see him.

Every morning when she opened her eyes, the thing Gu An looked forward to the most was seeing him, but her hope was always in vain.

A few days later, Gu An decided to continue tutoring the high school students she had tutored during the summer break. Having something to do kept her from letting her mind automatically start thinking about that person when she had idle time.

As her part-time tutoring came to an end, the last day of the year arrived.

Even until New Year's Eve, Gu Zhen still hadn't given a definite answer, and she wasn't sure if he would be able to come home for dinner.

Gu An loved the Lunar New Year, everything related to celebrations and festivities.

She woke up and turned on the TV. The television started playing a collection of sketches from previous years' Spring Festival Galas, and the festive New Year atmosphere filled the room.

She was amused by the sketches, laughing until tears welled up, while clumsily folding several dumplings.

By 6 o'clock in the afternoon, everything was ready, and they were waiting for her brothers to return for the New Year's dinner.

Spring rolls, dumplings, glutinous rice balls, sweet and sour spare ribs, steamed seafood... The table was filled with delicious dishes, and it looked both appealing and tasted superb.

Gu An smiled happily, showing her little tiger teeth. This is amazing!

Almost at the same time, a WeChat message from Gu Zhen appeared: [Working late, can't come home for the New Year.]

Immediately after that, a big red envelope popped up, with "New Year's money for Gu An" written on it.

The message on WeChat showed "Typing..." at the top, but no message appeared for a long time.

However, when a WeChat message appeared with a completely different writing style from Gu Zhen, Gu An's eyes suddenly turned red.

[Bringing you close to me but still leaving you alone, even making you take care of me. I'm really sorry, little sister.]

Gu An sniffled, actually having prepared for this in her heart.

She set aside the food she had cooked for herself, packed the dishes into two containers, and put on a milky-white down jacket in the hallway. She wrapped herself in a scarf and gloves, and then rushed out in a hurry.

Every household was celebrating, red lanterns adorned the streets and alleys, and the Jing City Police Bureau building was brightly lit.

Gu An felt both sad and proud.

Her brother was a police officer.

The person she liked was one too.

Gu An took an elevator to the seventh floor, where she was greeted by someone at the end of the corridor.

Short hair, black hair and black eyes, the black uniform made his broad shoulders, slim waist, and long legs look exceptionally handsome and tall.

The girl in front of him had a soft and beautiful profile, with a smile on her lips.

Gu An recognized her in almost a second.

It was the same person who had invited Jiang Yan to dinner after the concert they had attended.

Unlike her chubby self bundled up like a bear, this beauty wore an elegant beige coat. She was at least 1.7 meters tall, and standing next to Jiang Yan, she was just right in terms of height, temperament, and looks.

The delicate food container she held in her hand was just like the ones Gu An had seen on TV before.

She watched eagerly, her finger joints turning white from the pressure, and the small bear-shaped bento box in her hand suddenly seemed cheap.

The girl pushed the bento box forward and spoke with a gentle tone and twinkling eyes, "My dad told me that you've been working overtime all the time. Thank you for your hard work!"

Jiang Yan's handsome face remained as cold as snow, his restrained lips forming a thin line. But at the same time, he seemed to exude a particularly captivating aura, possibly because he appeared too unapproachable.

She smiled at him but couldn't help but wonder how someone with a perfect background, appearance, and height, yet distant from romantic relationships, would be like when in love.

"Sorry, I can't accept this." He said in an ice-cold and unfeeling tone.

Gu An's eyes widened, and her drooping little head seemed to trigger something, as she suddenly lifted it up with a "biu."

She suddenly remembered what Jiang Yan had said before, "Brother doesn't like her."

Right, this was the time to work hard and achieve something in his career.

What's the point of romance?

Why bother with lovey-dovey stuff?

"Excuse me." Jiang Yan took a step to leave with his long legs, but the girl reached out her arm to stop him.

"Why, why can't you accept them? I pre-ordered all of these with the chef three days in advance..."

The girl clearly hadn't considered being rejected repeatedly. Her soft disguise was now impossible to maintain, and even her innocent puppy dog eyes makeup looked assertive.

Jiang Yan's icy and expressionless face remained the same, but he looked up towards the end of the corridor.

A little kid in a creamy white down jacket, with the hood of the jacket covering their head, looked like an adorable little bear.

Holding the lunchbox like a jar of honey in her arms, she wore a bear scarf and stood in a corner as if she were a primary school student being punished.

"Someone brought me food."

His tone was excessively casual, even tinged with a hint of indulgence, a stark contrast to his earlier self.

The girl, watching Jiang Yan's back, almost thought she was hallucinating.

"Also, don't waste your time on me."

"Alright." Jiang Yan lightly tapped her head through Gu An's down jacket hood.

Gu An responded with a slow "Oh" and followed him.

-

Gu An placed the lunchbox on the table and pushed it in front of Jiang Yan. "Pick what you like."

Jiang Yan nodded slightly.

"Where's my brother?"

"He's on duty and hasn't returned yet."

After saying this, the child sitting on a small stool didn't say another word.

Her down jacket hood was still tightly fastened, probably due to the strong wind outside.

A pink scarf covered her nose, leaving only a pair of damp eyes visible.

"When does winter break start?" Jiang Yan's tone unconsciously softened.

Gu An replied like answering a teacher's question, without uttering an extra word,  "The 17th of the twelfth month."

She sat there, her left hand tucked inside the right sleeve of her feathered jacket, and her right hand tucked inside the left sleeve.

Her little head was tilted, looking fair and delicate, like a sticky rice ball.

Jiang Yan opened the lunchbox.

Clearly, the young girl had prepared a variety of dishes, and each one was packed neatly for him.

On a day like this, when one person was bustling around, spending New Year's Eve alone, she still brought him food.

Jiang Yan walked up to Gu An, and Gu An gazed up at her with her little head tilted.

The chair she was sitting on was quite low, making it challenging to lift her head. But the next moment, Jiang Yan crouched directly in front of her to speak with her.

In an instant, her perspective shifted as she looked up to him.

A person she hadn't seen in three months had no buffer at all, his handsome face was right before her.

Sword-like eyebrows, deep double eyelid folds, thick eyelashes, and those beautiful eyes that could captivate a person's soul.

Gu An's gaze traveled inch by inch downward.

His nose was particularly straight, his thin lips had clear lines, and there was no dimple to be seen.

Her heart felt both stirred and melancholic.

"Have you eaten?" Jiang Yan asked.

Gu An shook her head. Not only had she not eaten, but she suddenly had no appetite at all.

Her usually talkative mouth was tightly sealed, as if she didn't want to say much.

Was it because Gu Zhen couldn't come home to spend the New Year with her?

Jiang Yan calmly watched her, his gaze clear and soft, unbelievably pure.

"Aren't you happy?" he asked.

Gu An's lips pressed even tighter.

In her heart, a mini version of herself clenched its fists and shouted:

Yes!

I am unhappy!

I'm very unhappy seeing a girl with you!

"Can you tell me big brother?"

He was dressed in a black training suit, wearing combat boots, and looked solemn, almost sacred, like a very aloof and dignified police officer.

But in those deep, clear eyes, there was only a tiny shadow of her.

Gu An was most afraid of him looking at her with such warmth and seriousness.

When he looked at her like that, she had the illusion that she was being spoiled, as if she could share any worries without processing them herself.

Her straight lips began to loosen, she sniffled, and began to talk in a roundabout way.

Her cheeks felt warm, the scarf made her feel stuffy, and her hat made her ears burn.

Earlier, when she saw Jiang Yan talking to the girl, she had intended to just leave the lunchbox behind and go...

She took off the hat of her down jacket and slowly unwound her scarf, revealing her cute little round face. Her hair had developed static electricity, inevitably forming a small cowlick.

Jiang Yan's long fingers fell on her head, smoothing the hair that had stuck up behind her ears.

Gu An's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly heard him say, "Go on."

"The girl you were talking to," Gu An used the back of her hand to touch her blushing face, "she's very pretty, huh."

Jiang Yan clearly couldn't grasp the subtleties of her girlish thinking, his eyes and brows pure and innocent. "Hmm?"

How on earth was she supposed to say it?

Did she have to directly say, "Don't talk to any girls other than me"?

Gu An's delicate eyebrows formed a wavy line, her mouth pouted slightly, and she hesitated, "Well, you know, these days, good-looking boys aren't safe either. You have to learn to protect yourself..."

After she finished, she gave him a slightly resentful look and conveyed a "you know what I mean" expression with her eyes.

Jiang Yan obviously couldn't understand Gu An's peculiar thought process.

He just found her speaking with a serious expression cute for some reason.

For some reason, when he saw her, he wanted to smile.

He curled his lips, and his beautiful eyes quietly watched her. "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

From his expression, Gu An knew that Jiang Yan probably didn't grasp her deeper intentions.

How could she make him understand not to pay attention to those girls who were after him?

And she couldn't let him realize that she had ulterior motives...

"I've seen that girl looking for you twice now, so she must have some ulterior motives," Gu An clenched her small fist, her face tense, and her round eyes stared straight at the handsome guy in front of her. "So... you understand what I mean, right?"

Her demeanor was like an educator telling a child not to engage in early romance, almost as if she should have "I'm doing it for your own good" written on her face.

Her voice was soft and slightly sweet, and her little nasal tone sounded especially cute. She had envied giant pandas for making a living by being cute, and she could do it too.

After Gu An finished speaking, there was a long silence. She lowered her head and saw the handsome guy's eyes curve and he suddenly smiled.

It seemed like he was more appetizing than the lunchbox she had prepared. With his dark hair and cold eyes, he was extraordinarily handsome, with thick, dark eyelashes under which his eyes were dark and bright. There seemed to be gentle ripples in the depths of his pupils.

They were too close, and she could clearly see the corners of his lips lifting slowly, and that tiny dimple was incredibly enticing.

Beauty is indeed captivating!

Gu An puffed out her cheeks and quietly exhaled...

He must be laughing at her for being nosy!

Oh no, it seems like she accidentally said too much...

What right does she have to say such things?!!

She's just secretly in love with him.

She's not his girlfriend!!!

Under Jiang Yan's gaze, she felt both embarrassed and helpless, pulling her cap down and adjusting her scarf. She was about to get up from her small chair and leave.

And just at that moment, her wrist was gently held through the loose down jacket by a cold and aloof young master. His voice fell near her ear, sounding innocent and even somewhat obedient:

"I understand."

"Then, big brother won't talk to her in the future."

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