CHAPTER 389: CHAPTER 388: HARD TO SAY GOODBYE

She forced a smile, but her racing heartbeat made it impossible for her to say more.

"Fang Shaohan, I won’t go back on my word. What you said was sincere, right?" She touched his cheek, cupped his face, and gazed intently at the man in front of her.

Deep down, she was overwhelmed with emotion, things she wasn’t aware of, things deeply hidden in Fang Shaohan’s heart. She only knew this man admired her, wanted to pursue her.

But these deeper feelings, these struggles and desires, this helplessness and vulnerability, were things Gu Xiaoqing was discovering for the first time.

A shiver ran through his entire body. "Every word is sincere, every sentence heartfelt."

Fang Shaohan lightly kissed the fingers resting on his lips, and those slender fingers had a magic that made him irresistibly want to get closer.

For a moment, he seemed at a loss for words.

"Me too."

Gu Xiaoqing kissed his chin, "I won’t ask for what you can’t give. I know what you do. I won’t ask you to give up your job, even though it’s dangerous, something I can’t deny facing separation. We’ll think of a way to solve it."

It’s a fact neither of them can change.

Police, especially detectives, face dangers that Gu Xiaoqing had experienced, like when Wei Ziyun was a stand-in and this time when Fang Shaohan got injured, each a vivid warning.

But what can be done now?

This is the lover she chose.

He held her soft, delicate body tightly, feeling at peace, "You’re so good to me."

"I don’t want to make things difficult for you."

"After all this time, we finally got together, nothing can stop me, nor scare me away. You always surprise me, but don’t expect me to let go," Fang Shaohan rambled on about his feelings.

Now that they were together, everything seemed to be perfect, Gu Xiaoqing thought calmly while leaning against Fang Shaohan’s chest.

That night, Fang Shaohan slept on the sofa.

Of course, if someone said Fang Shaohan didn’t want to stay in Gu Xiaoqing’s bedroom, it would be a lie, but he also knew that was impossible.

If things moved too fast, it would scare away the woman he’d worked hard to win over.

Having waited all these years, would he really be unable to hold on for the last two years?

Every time he thought of his beloved woman sleeping in the next room, Fang Shaohan would wake up with a smile.

The next day, Gu Xiaoqing took leave to send Fang Shaohan to the airport. This separation was hard to bear, more so than previous ones, yet somehow it felt sweeter and harder to let go.

It was only after countless kisses from Fang Shaohan that he resolutely walked through the airport’s security gate.

The end of the winter break was approaching, Gu Xiaoqing had finished all her course exams and had basically passed, barring any issues.

Next year would be the internship phase for university students, with most on-campus courses already completed.

Those with connections might even have found their future job placements, while others began busily searching for suitable internship opportunities to lay the foundation for job hunting.

Gu Xiaoqing continued with her initial plan; she wanted to seize the opportunity to study abroad in the United States for a year. Although the time might be short, it could be the last of her student days.

After all, according to Fang Shaohan’s wishes, she would likely be labeled as Fang Shaohan’s wife upon graduation, severely restricting any travel plans.

Besides, she didn’t want to be separated from Fang Shaohan for so long.

Returning to her hometown seemed like an inevitable decision.

In that case, Gu Xiaoqing would have to give up a lot, practically uprooting her life here.

Career, company, these employees, everything would have to be properly handled within a year.

Gu Xiaoqing felt a headache coming on.

The price was indeed steep.

But she had promised not to ask Fang Shaohan to give up his job, so it had to be her making the sacrifices.

However, Gu Xiaoqing wasn’t overly upset; she wanted to discuss these things with Guo Donghua, because ending it all would be a shame.

But if Shanghai was the headquarters and she opened a branch back home, it would make sense.

Of course, opening an investment company hadn’t been planned yet; it could be directly set up in her own city later, avoiding many issues.

These were things she needed to start working on.

Gu Xiaoqing had applied for an exchange study program in the United States, only applying for one year to prevent interfering with many things afterward.

She hadn’t mentioned it to Fang Shaohan before the application was approved.

Their usual exchanges were sweet talk over the phone, and although Fang Shaohan was a cold and hard man, his syrupy words genuinely shocked Gu Xiaoqing.

This man really dared to speak.

It made Gu Xiaoqing, someone who had lived two lives, feel a bit outpaced.

Fang Shaohan had already said that when Gu Xiaoqing’s vacation started, he would come back to pick her up.

After all, this winter break was very special.

After a deep conversation with Gu Xiaoqing, Guo Donghua essentially agreed with her plan because Guo Donghua didn’t want to return to his hometown. Parents naturally hoped their children would succeed and had made arrangements, but Guo Donghua deeply resented those arrangements.

So staying in Shanghai and managing the company under his control was perfectly agreeable to Guo Donghua, especially since he had been handling company affairs alone while Gu Xiaoqing was away. Now that the company was on the right track, there was even less to worry about.

This was a ready-made career.

Guo Donghua was wholeheartedly in favor.

Gu Xiaoqing didn’t want to make things difficult, mainly because the company wasn’t hers alone; it belonged to both of them. If possible, it would be better not to end it.

After all, the career was already a mature endeavor, and giving it up now would be a shame.

Now it seemed everything was resolved.

Winter break arrived.

Guo Donghua and Gu Xiaoqing booked the earliest flight home.

They didn’t bring much luggage, just a small suitcase each.

As they walked out of the airport gate, Gu Xiaoqing immediately saw the handsome figure leaning against the Mercedes car and couldn’t help but quicken her pace.

Seeing this, Guo Donghua couldn’t help but sigh, making Gu Xiaoqing stop in her tracks.

"You forget friends when you see a pretty face."

Gu Xiaoqing’s face flushed slightly as she jokingly scolded, "Come on, stop it. You’ll get your turn, and don’t blame me if I don’t hold back then."

Guo Donghua raised his eyebrows at Gu Xiaoqing in a cheeky manner, then looked over at Fang Shaohan. That odd expression was certainly testing the limits of Gu Xiaoqing’s patience.

"Gu Xiaoqing, how can you not make people jealous? I’m going insane here."