Chapter 48 - 1#
Chapter 48: Truth and Lies at the Piano
Undeniably, Gu Chenzhou’s interest was piqued by this sentence.
“Truth or Dare?” Gu Chenzhou asked, “What are the rules? —Rock, paper, scissors?”
“No, let’s make another rule.” He Hailou said, “No rock, paper, scissors, and you don’t have to tell the truth—” He looked at Gu Chenzhou’s expression and smiled slightly, “One turn each, one question at a time. The other person needs to answer the question directly, and the person asking the question, when asking the next question, must also judge whether the other person’s answer is true or false, with a time limit of fifteen seconds—or we can add another rule, our questions can only revolve around the attack seven days ago.”
Gu Chenzhou smiled with interest: “Oh? Then how does it end?”
“It ends when someone calls ‘stop’.” He Hailou said.
“The stakes?”
“If Young Master Gu calls ‘stop’ first,” He Hailou’s gaze, which was fixed on Gu Chenzhou’s face, unconsciously moved down, then down again, then down again… and then he stopped just before Gu Chenzhou could react, “how about you have dinner with me? Cooked by Young Master Gu.”
“What if Young Master He calls ‘stop’ first?”
“That’s a real question,” He Hailou said, “I don’t mind sleeping with you for a night…”
Gu Chenzhou, who was about to use the room as a chessboard and words as pieces, cursed in his heart on the spot, almost losing his composure.
“Just kidding,” He Hailou quickly laughed, “If I lose, how about I cook a meal for Young Master Gu? Or any other stake Young Master Gu wishes?”
Whether you cook for me or I cook for you, doesn’t the result mean I have to stay? Gu Chenzhou thought so in his heart, but He Hailou’s main bait was this “truth” game. He pondered for a moment and took the bait: “It’s just a game, no need to be too serious. Let’s do as Young Master He says.”
“First question: When Wang Rongze came to see Young Master Gu, did he imply that the attack was related to me?”
“Yes.” Gu Chenzhou said, and then asked, “Is that attack related to Young Master He?”
“True. It has nothing to do with me.” He Hailou asked, “Do you think it was done by the Wang faction or the Yu faction?”
“False. The Yu faction.” Gu Chenzhou asked, “What is the purpose of the Yu faction doing this?”
“True. To drive a wedge between the Gu family and the Wang faction,” He Hailou asked, “Is the Gu family really planning to lean towards the Wang faction?”
Within a minute, the two had gone back and forth and had already asked five questions.
When He Hailou’s third question came out, Gu Chenzhou did not answer immediately for the first time. Instead, he frowned and thought for two or three seconds, then said, “False. The Gu family has this plan. Who is the mastermind of the Yu faction this time?”
“False, the mastermind is…” He Hailou paused slightly and did not answer directly according to the initial rules, “Who, do you really think I would say it?”
He Hailou did not strictly follow the previous rules and answer directly.
Gu Chenzhou laughed.
This smile was as obvious as the one he showed to Wei Xiangjin, but it lacked the simple intimacy of that night. Instead, it was a smile mixed with emotions such as interest, coldness, amusement, surprise, and more of a sense of course.
To be fair, Gu Chenzhou was not particularly outstanding in appearance.
But as He Hailou looked, he felt that this face was unforgettable, as if carved into his heart. He could describe all the details with his eyes closed.
“When did you start suspecting the Yu faction?” He Hailou’s gaze swept across Gu Chenzhou’s face and he restrained himself from looking back. It’s not time yet, he thought to himself, paused, and a faint, elusive smile appeared on his lips, “Continue?”
“Continue.” Because He Hailou had just asked a rhetorical question, Gu Chenzhou did not judge whether it was true or false. “From the moment I saw you. That night, why did you come over?”
“True. To get you.” He Hailou said with a righteous face, “Have you been close to me these past few days to sound me out?”
‘Get you’… Gu Chenzhou thought to himself that these words were not entirely true, half true and half false: “False. Yes.” He asked again, “How did Young Master He know about this matter?”
“True. It happened right under my nose, how could I not know?” He Hailou raised his eyebrows slightly, “Although I know, I actually didn’t participate in this matter—do you believe me, Young Master Gu?”
Gu Chenzhou glanced at He Hailou: “Stop.”
As the word fell, the rapid conversation in the room stopped immediately.
Gu Chenzhou lowered his head and thought for a while, then asked He Hailou, “Why play this game?”
“I thought I made it obvious: because I want you to stay.” He Hailou said with a smile, “Do you believe me, Young Master Gu?”
Gu Chenzhou also smiled: “Since Young Master He has said so, of course I believe you.”
“It’s rare for Young Master Gu to agree with my thoughts about you for once,” He Hailou said, “I went there, I like Young Master Gu, I want Young Master Gu to stay, every word comes from the bottom of my heart.”
At this time, only five minutes had passed since the game started. After confessing, He Hailou said with satisfaction, “What has Young Master Gu decided to cook for dinner?”
“What do you have here?” Gu Chenzhou asked.
“Instant noodles.” He Hailou replied.
Gu Chenzhou: “…”
He Hailou: “You’re not planning to cook this, are you…?”
Gu Chenzhou really wouldn’t. A game is a game. If you only dare to play and can’t afford to lose, it would be too boring: “I’ll go to the supermarket to buy vegetables and rice. What do you want to eat tonight?”
He Hailou smiled with satisfaction: “Young Master Gu can decide. What can Young Master Gu cook?”
“Home-style dishes.” Gu Chenzhou answered him with certainty, “Eggplant, tofu, grass root soup, and a plate of steamed fish?”
“Okay.” He Hailou nodded readily, “Go together?”
“What do you have here?” Gu Chenzhou did not answer, but asked a question first.
He Hailou thought seriously: “Only a pot, which came with the fine decoration when I bought this apartment.”
“…Take out the pot, air it out and wash it.” As Gu Chenzhou said this, he also reminded himself not to forget to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. “Do you have bowls and chopsticks?”
“How could I not have this!” He Hailou said righteously, but when he ran to the kitchen to look, he was instantly at a loss: “Uh, I really don’t…”
With your usual situation of instant noodles and takeout, it’s not strange that you don’t have them, it would be strange if you did. Gu Chenzhou thought so in his heart, answered casually, and went out.
Time always passes particularly quickly when you have something to do.
In the years when he was still a child in Qingxiang County, climbing mountains and trees, catching fish in the river, picking fruits and chasing wild rabbits, washing dishes and clothes, there were few things He Hailou had not done. Now, although more than ten years have passed, apart from being out of practice, the passage of time has obviously not made him forget the skills he once had.
He Hailou had forgotten when he had been so diligent in the past ten years: he not only took out the steamer and wok and washed them clean, but also took out an apron that had been stuffed in the cabinet at some point and put it on, and found a rag to start wiping the dust on the counter and in the cabinets—the weekly housekeeping staff would never take care of this dust that was not in plain sight.