#81: Not as Good as You (3)

On the day of Gou Jingwen’s engagement banquet, Shi Yin spent three hours on her styling.

Bold and confident, like a fighter jet among hens.

She got her hair done to be 300 times smoother, with just a hint of unruly curls at the front that now lay obediently in place. Then, she used all her skills to apply makeup that reached the pinnacle of perfection.

It was often said that a good makeup artist must have a foundation in drawing portraits, and Shi Yin had been particularly skilled at human likenesses back in her school days. She handled facial shading with ease. Considering that Qin Yan, now a rising starlet, would undoubtedly have professional makeup artists and assistants, Shi Yin pulled out all the stops.

Finally, when she received the outfit Gu Congli had sent her, she stared blankly at the chest area for a while.

Shi Yin contemplated whether she should add two extra padding inserts.

Just as she was holding them up to her chest to compare, Gu Congli suddenly opened the door and entered the bedroom.

Her hands were still on her chest, and she looked up in shock.

Gu Congli stood at the doorway, calmly observing her for three seconds, showing no signs of surprise.

On the contrary, it was Shi Yin who reacted first, her face turning red. She quickly stuffed the padding into the cabinet, slammed the door shut, and glared at him: “Why don’t you knock before entering?”

Gu Congli raised an eyebrow slightly.

Shi Yin scolded him fiercely: “This is my boudoir, a sacred private space for maidens. Don’t think that being my boyfriend gives you the right to barge in.”

Gu Congli scanned the room, taking in this so-called private space filled with his belongings, nodded lightly, and said nonchalantly: “Yesterday, in your sacred private space, on your bed, you cried and begged me not to—”

Before he could finish, Shi Yin shrieked and lunged into his arms, covering his mouth tightly with both hands.

Gu Congli embraced her naturally, lowering his gaze.

She glared at him, equal parts annoyed and embarrassed: “Shut up!”

Gu Congli’s eyes softened with amusement, but since his mouth was covered, all he could do was hum softly in response.

Shi Yin removed her hands, took two steps back, and was about to shoo him away when she remembered something. She scrutinized him from head to toe.

With a critical eye, she scanned him up and down, only to find that this man was indeed flawless—there was nothing to improve.

From his eyes, nose, and mouth to his physique, charisma, and fashion sense, everything about him was perfectly aligned with her aesthetic preferences, hitting all the right notes to captivate her heart.

Love makes one blind to flaws, and Shi Yin couldn’t find anything to criticize. She tugged him out the door.

When they arrived at the hotel entrance, Gu Congli had just parked the car when Shi Yin suddenly leaned over and slapped his cheek lightly: “Teacher Gu, you better make me proud.”

Gu Congli obediently replied: “Mm.”

Only then did she remember that she had forgotten to ask Gu Congli about Qin Yan.

The car was parked at the entrance, and the valet attendant was still standing there waiting. Shi Yin got out of the passenger seat first and waited for Gu Congli to join her before they entered together.

Gou Jingwen, or “Er Gou,” was dressed to impress today. Though he was short, his fiancée towered over him—a gentle and sweet-looking young woman. They stood together at the far end of the banquet hall, chatting with others.

Shi Yin didn’t call out to him. Instead, she and Gu Congli entered quietly until someone called her name.

She turned around to see a classmate from high school.

The classmate came over to greet her. He hadn’t attended the last reunion, so it had been many years since they’d seen each other. The male classmate looked at her in awe: “It really is you! I almost didn’t recognize you.” He pulled out the chair next to him, flashing a wide grin. “Sit here. This table happens to be full of classmates from our class.”

Gu Congli glanced indifferently at the girl beside him.

Indeed, she was beautiful—long legs, slim waist, almond-shaped eyes, cherry lips. Her youthful innocence had been polished away by three hours of expensive styling, leaving her looking both pure and alluring.

Without making it obvious, Gu Congli stepped slightly in front of her, blocking half of the male classmate’s view. Leaning down to whisper in her ear, he asked: “The hotel air conditioning is quite strong. Are you cold?”

Shi Yin turned her head, assessing the situation herself. She didn’t feel even a hint of cold air and shook her head in confusion: “No, I’m not cold.”

Gu Congli straightened up casually and murmured: “Oh.”

His question drew the attention of everyone at the table. The group of high school classmates exchanged various expressions.

Back when Gu Congli was a teacher in the art studio at Experimental High School No. 1, he had only graduated a couple of years prior and was still outside the official teaching staff. Although the school was known as a fine arts experimental base, the art studio and the main school were managed separately, so most students rarely interacted with him.

However, Gu Congli was famous because of his good looks. Everyone in the school knew there was a handsome young man in the art studio.

Later, when trouble arose, those who had met Gu Congli and interacted with him mostly believed it was likely a misunderstanding.

Deep down, this man’s inherent coldness was unmistakable to anyone who had seen it with their own eyes—it wasn’t something he pretended.

During their high school years, the mundane routine of daily life was occasionally spiced up by such incidents, and no one cared whether they were true or false.

Back then, being young and naive, they didn’t understand the impact rumors could have. They thought they were just bystanders enjoying the spectacle. It was only later, as they grew older and wiser, that they realized the most devastating harm had already been inflicted during those blurry, youthful years.

So when the male classmate saw Gu Congli appear here, he felt a bit guilty at first. But after that pang of guilt passed, he also felt relieved.

Thankfully, Gu Congli seemed to be doing well now.

But if he was doing well, why was he here with Shi Yin?

The male classmate was dumbfounded. He had clearly seen someone in the group chat claim that this “celestial being” Gu had been “captured” by Qin Yan and even taken out to dinner.

Speaking of which, just as people were thinking about them, the engagement banquet began, and everyone stopped talking. Shi Yin and Gu Congli took their seats, while Qin Yan arrived fashionably late.

There were three tables for the high school classmates—two for the experimental class and one for acquaintances from other classes that Er Gou knew. Qin Yan wasn’t from the experimental class and originally wasn’t seated here, but since the other tables were full, the only empty seat left was next to Gu Congli.

The rising starlet Qin Yan wore red and carried large sunglasses, entering alone. Shi Yin glanced back but didn’t see anyone else come in.

Once seated, Gu Congli had Shi Yin on his left and Qin Yan on his right. The already quiet atmosphere of the experimental class became even more subdued.

In their grade at Experimental High School No. 1, the two most admired girls secretly ranked by the boys were Shi Yin from the experimental class and Qin Yan from a regular class.

The male classmates stole glances at this scene and then looked at Gu Congli sitting calmly in the middle. They sighed inwardly: “What great fortune.”

Many couldn’t contain their curiosity any longer. Their eyes gleamed as they stared at this trio, questions bubbling in their throats, wondering when to blurt them out. After ten minutes of observation, they realized there was no need to ask anything.

Actions and gazes don’t lie.

Throughout the entire event, Gu Congli’s eyes seemed glued to the left side—he constantly attended to what Shi Yin wanted to eat, not once looking toward Qin Yan, acting as though he didn’t even know her.

Qin Yan, for her part, didn’t seem to mind much. She greeted everyone when she sat down and remained calm for the rest of the time.

Qin Yan did indeed like Gu Congli. Seeing these two together today made her feel bitter inside.

But at this stage in her life, especially having entered the entertainment industry, many things were different.

It didn’t matter anymore what kind of man she liked. What mattered now was which man could make her famous—far more important than liking someone, an intangible feeling.

Moreover, she only realized much later that perhaps Gu Congli had never been interested in her.

His cooperation a year ago, even agreeing to attend the class reunion with her, wasn’t because of her. His target likely had always been someone else.

This was Shi Yin’s first time attending the engagement banquet of a peer, and she was struck by how busy everything was. Er Gou was running around nonstop, only managing to exchange a few quick greetings. Just as he was about to leave, his gaze landed on Shi Yin, pausing abruptly as he came to a hard stop.

His eyes shifted to Gu Congli beside her, and a curse slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. His fiancée discreetly pinched his arm.

Er Gou let out a yelp, turning his head with a pitiful expression: “Honey, go easy on me.”

The girl smiled brightly: “Sorry about that. Just pretend you didn’t hear it.”

Shi Yin also grinned mischievously: “Well? Isn’t my boyfriend’s appearance clearly better than Teacher Gu’s?”

Er Gou stuttered for a while, unable to form a coherent sentence, finally waving his hand in a daze and giving her a thumbs-up: “You win. I’m defeated.”

Only then did the pent-up frustration in Shi Yin dissipate. Being constantly thought of as having a boyfriend involved with another woman was incredibly vexing.

But seeing Qin Yan’s lack of competitive spirit, Shi Yin wondered if she was being too petty.

Still, jealousy was jealousy—it wouldn’t vanish just because the rival appeared calm.

As soon as the engagement banquet ended, the two got into the car. Once inside, Shi Yin leaned over and asked softly: “Teacher Gu, I have a question. You’d better answer honestly, or there’ll be consequences.”

This was usually how she started when she was feeling jealous.

Gu Congli silently curved his lips: “Mm, ask away.”

“It’s about something from a long time ago—the class reunion a year ago. Why did you go with Qin Yan?”

Gu Congli glanced at her: “Something from a year ago, and you’re only asking now?”

Shi Yin pouted: “I forgot about it until recently, when this person reappeared in my line of sight, and I remembered.”

Gu Congli spoke slowly: “I’ve forgotten too. What was the reason again?”

His obvious attempt to brush her off without giving a truthful answer made Shi Yin’s eyes widen with suspicion. She raised her hand, pointing her index finger at his nose, and scolded him angrily: “Did you originally plan to seduce Qin Yan, but when she rejected you, you settled for me instead?”

Because he was thirty and needed to find someone to marry.

It made sense.

Shi Yin was furious.

After her anger subsided, she became puzzled: “Is there really a woman who would reject you?”

Gu Congli looked at her, his expression strange, as if marveling at the workings of her mind. After a pause, he pulled her pointing finger down and said softly: “No woman but you has ever looked at me twice.”

Shi Yin exploded in anger: “So you really did settle for me!”

He finally couldn’t help but chuckle softly, pulling her finger to his lips, kissing it gently, and nibbling lightly. His voice was calm and tender: “Shi Yin, the reason I went was because you were there.”

After graduating, Shi Yin chose to become a manga artist. At first, Gu Congli wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad choice.

She came from a happy and harmonious family, and her student life was simple. As she had said, the biggest setback she had ever faced was him. After graduation, she chose freelancing, doing work as she pleased, without experiencing the workplace or being tainted by society.

She was clever yet pure, perceptive yet sometimes naive. She had lived a simple, clean life for over two decades, like a pristine sheet of paper.

Gu Congli was the ink. From childhood to adulthood, he had seen through too many ugly facets of human nature. Long ago, when he saw peers with happy families, he used to think fate was unfair to him.

But now, he felt differently. Perhaps this was a blessing from above.

Perhaps it was fate.

The filth she had never seen, he would see for her.

The setbacks and darkness she didn’t know, he would endure for her.

Fate made him experience double the malice of the world, but he willingly shouldered the suffering meant for her, bearing it all alone.

Thus, she could continue to see only the light.