Chapter 126
Ms. Ran Qingqing, now fully devoted to “saving all living beings,” brushed the housekeeper aside and scooped up a spoonful of pork knuckle soup. The knuckle had been simmering since noon, and its tenderness needed no explanation. The broth was rich and silky, a milky white with a glossy sheen, mellowed with radish. Ran Qingqing tasted it and found it fresh and fragrant, rich without being greasy. A satisfied smile spread across her face at once.
This would be perfect for giving Gu Yanqiu a good supplement.
In the living room.
Under Lin Yuewei’s perfunctory explanations, Gu Yanqiu temporarily set aside her suspicions about Ran Qingqing’s odd behavior and asked about reshooting the wedding photos. “Have you decided where to go?”
Lin Yuewei said, “Don’t you only have five days off?”
Gu Yanqiu nodded.
Her company had been extremely busy lately, and she couldn’t free up any more time for now. Getting even one day off was already good.
Lin Yuewei said, “Then we can’t go too far, or the schedule’ll be too rushed. How about Southeast Asia? Isn’t Bali pretty close?” She pulled out her phone and started looking up places in Southeast Asia that would be suitable for wedding photos.
Seeing her like that, Gu Yanqiu felt a twinge of guilt. “How about, after I finish up at the company, I take you to Europe or the U.S. again?”
Lin Yuewei lowered her head and waved a hand. “No need. We can’t keep putting this off. The longer we wait, the busier I’ll get in the future, and I might not be able to spare the time. Besides, I’m not traveling just to take wedding photos.”
Gu Yanqiu asked, “Then what for?”
Lin Yuewei said, “For...” She suddenly stopped and glanced at Gu Yanqiu.
“Mm?”
Lin Yuewei beckoned her over. Gu Yanqiu leaned close.
In a soft whisper by her ear, Lin Yuewei said, “To have a honeymoon with you.”
Gu Yanqiu coughed twice and struggled to keep the corners of her mouth from lifting.
Lin Yuewei wrapped her arms around her neck. “If you want to laugh, then laugh. Why keep holding it in?”
Gu Yanqiu let out a single laugh.
Lin Yuewei pinched her cheek. “That’s better.” She lowered her head and kept looking. The famous Southeast Asian spots that were good for wedding photos were only those few places. “Malaysia or Singapore and Thailand, or Bali?”
“Bali? Maybe it’d be livelier?”
“Alright, then this is it.” Lin Yuewei made the decision with the same astonishing speed as always. “When we have a long vacation later, we can go play in Europe or America, and maybe shoot a few new sets of wedding photos too.”
Gu Yanqiu clicked her tongue. She had never heard of anyone taking wedding photos like that. But just because other people didn’t do it didn’t mean it couldn’t be done; as long as they were happy.
After Lin Yuewei settled on the plan, she sent a message to the friend who would handle the shoot, giving the other side more time to prepare.
As Gu Yanqiu watched her typing and chatting with a bright smile, she suddenly remembered something.
“Besides Jiang Congbi, I don’t think I’ve met any of your other friends?”
“Hm? Do you want to?” Lin Yuewei asked without looking up.
“...”
Gu Yanqiu said nothing. Lin Yuewei suddenly stopped typing, looked over with great interest, and smiled wickedly. “President Gu?”
“Wasn’t it my name you were just calling? Why are you suddenly addressing me like that?”
“Don’t change the subject.” Lin Yuewei put her phone face down on the sofa, braced both hands on either side of Gu Yanqiu’s shoulders, and leaned in. “Do you want to meet my friends?”
Gu Yanqiu rolled her eyes. “No, I was just asking.”
“Just asking?” Lin Yuewei let go and went back to her phone. “Then I’m not telling you.”
Gu Yanqiu: “...”
After a while, Gu Yanqiu nudged the back of her hand and said softly, “I do want to.”
Lin Yuewei was delighted and started telling her about her social circle.
“I have quite a few friends, but not that many either. We’ve all known each other since we were kids. Jiang Congbi is the one I’m closest to; I’ve got three or four others I’m pretty close with too. One of them is the one who studied photography; her surname is Fang.
“After I got into the entertainment industry, I stopped getting together with everyone as often, but we still chat privately, just not very frequently. We’re definitely all getting together for the New Year this year. Since I’m going out of town with Fang-classmate on the second day of the new year, the gathering will probably be on New Year’s Day or before the New Year.”
Lin Yuewei said, “Better to arrive early than to arrive at the perfect time. Since you brought it up, do you want to come with me to this year’s gathering?”
Gu Yanqiu: “Would that be inappropriate?” She then asked, “Do they know you’re married?”
Lin Yuewei said, “Guess.”
Although Lin Yuewei hadn’t invited most of her friends to the wedding itself, such a huge marriage alliance couldn’t possibly have been unknown to them. At most, they’d kept it secret and not spread it around. Gu Yanqiu tilted her head. “My guess is yes?”
Lin Yuewei smiled. “Not only do they know, they very much want to meet you.”
As she spoke, she lifted her phone. The chat log on the screen had just reached:
[Fang-classmate: Hahahahaha, finally I’ll get to see what my little sister-in-law really looks like]
Gu Yanqiu: “...”
Now she was starting to suspect she’d become the monkey on display for a crowd.
Lin Yuewei sent her friend an emoji and formally asked Gu Yanqiu, “Want to go? To the gathering. It’s fine if you don’t; these people are all a little unhinged, especially once they start having fun. They might even tease you.”
Gu Yanqiu pressed her lips together.
Lin Yuewei said seriously, “I mean it. You can say no.”
Gu Yanqiu asked, “Do you think I should go?”
Lin Yuewei thought about it and answered, “Probably not. After all, you don’t know them, and you won’t be able to let loose.”
Gu Yanqiu said expressionlessly, “Oh.”
After admiring her expression for a moment, Lin Yuewei laughed. “I was joking. Of course I want you to go. If you want to meet them, I’d be happy.”
Gu Yanqiu had just been toyed with, and she kept a straight face to show she wasn’t falling for it.
Lin Yuewei clamped a hand over the back of Gu Yanqiu’s head and kissed her on the forehead. “Don’t be angry, okay?”
Gu Yanqiu, who wasn’t angry at all, still showed no expression.
Lin Yuewei pushed her back into the sofa and kissed her. In the end, Gu Yanqiu couldn’t help laughing. One hand steadied Lin Yuewei’s shoulder, the other braced against the cushion behind her, and she slowly returned the kiss.
Ding-dong. “Your dear old mom is back on duty. Dinner’s ready.”
Ran Qingqing tossed out the line and left.
The little wifey couple, long used to being caught in the act, didn’t even have time to blush. Lin Yuewei stood up first; Gu Yanqiu took her hand and let herself be pulled up as well, then they went to the dining room for dinner.
The housekeeper had already served rice for all three. Ran Qingqing lifted the lid off a casserole and filled Gu Yanqiu’s bowl with steaming pork knuckle and radish soup, then set it in front of her. “Drink a bowl of soup first.”
Lin Yuewei stared longingly at the pork knuckle soup. Gu Yanqiu didn’t understand and asked, “You want some?”
Before Lin Yuewei could say anything, Ran Qingqing said, “It’s fine, she doesn’t need it. You drink it.”
Lin Yuewei withdrew her gaze. “Right, you drink it. I’ll just eat some vegetables.”
Gu Yanqiu pointed at the pot. “Isn’t there still a lot left?”
Ran Qingqing said, “You’re really going to let her drink it?”
Wasn’t this for beauty? Gu Yanqiu frowned, then nodded.
Ran Qingqing tapped the rim of the bowl with her chopsticks and said to Lin Yuewei, “Serve yourself.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Drink less.”
“Okay, okay.”
Ran Qingqing was determined to carry her care-and-concern plan through to the end, but Lin Yuewei kept interrupting her and whispered in her ear, “If you keep doing this, you’re going to scare my wife away. Too much is as bad as too little.”
Only then did Ran Qingqing finally stop.
Gu Yanqiu looked at Lin Yuewei, then at Ran Qingqing, and lowered her head to quietly finish the soup in her bowl.
After dinner, Gu Yanqiu rested for a bit but still felt a little too full, so she took the initiative to suggest taking the dog out for a walk to help digest. Ran Qingqing agreed, and Lin Yuewei went along too.
The housekeeper finished cleaning the kitchen and dining table, then saw Lin Yuewei following Gu Yanqiu out. She sighed to Ran Qingqing, “Those two children really are inseparable, like glue.”
Ran Qingqing narrowed her eyes. “Tell me, between those two, which one’s the top and which one’s the bottom?”
Housekeeper: “...”
She was old; she didn’t understand that.
Lin Yuewei held Gu Yanqiu’s hand while Gu Yanqiu held the leash. The short-legged Corgi ambled slowly along the neighborhood path. This dog was very unlike the others. While other corgis played themselves into a frenzy, this one was very quiet. Since Schrödinger had come along, it was often shut in a cage and didn’t make a fuss, eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, with only two walks a day, morning and evening, which had caused its weight to shoot up at a terrifying speed.
A cold wind blew. Lin Yuewei closed her eyes for a moment and pressed the lapel of her overcoat tighter with her left hand.
Gu Yanqiu lifted her chin slightly; her jawline was smooth and clear. “Why don’t you take my scarf?”
“No, it’ll warm up in a bit.” Gu Yanqiu had worn a ginger-yellow scarf when she came out that night, making her look much brighter overall. Lin Yuewei kept turning her head to look at her from time to time.
Gu Yanqiu lengthened her stride a little, and the corgi ahead broke into a trot. Lin Yuewei gave a soft “Ah,” and jogged after it. After running for a few minutes, her body started to warm and she began to sweat.
“Warmer now?” Gu Yanqiu turned her head and smiled at her.
“Warmer.” Lin Yuewei nodded, then felt like laughing too, and she didn’t even know why. She stood in front of Gu Yanqiu, resting her forehead against her shoulder. Gu Yanqiu lifted one arm to hold her, patting her back lightly.
The corgi paddled its legs furiously, only to be yanked back by the leash. In the end it simply sat on the ground and watched in silence as the couple behind it embraced without warning.
“I really like you,” Lin Yuewei said in a muffled voice against her shoulder.
“What’s so bad about liking me? Why does that sound so reluctant?” Gu Yanqiu asked, amused.
“I’m not reluctant. It’s just that it feels like I’ve got a tie now; it feels very... complicated?” Lin Yuewei kept her posture and asked, “Do you understand?”
“No.”
“No tacit understanding either?”
“No.”
Lin Yuewei couldn’t keep lying there. She had finally managed to be sincere for once, and yet Gu Yanqiu was being utterly unromantic. She lifted her head to look at Gu Yanqiu, indignation rising, and pinched both of her cheeks, leaving two red marks when she let go.
Gu Yanqiu drew in a light breath. “Domestic violence?”
Lin Yuewei arched a brow. “Yeah. Domestic violence.”
Gu Yanqiu spread her arms. “Then let the domestic violence come more fiercely.”
Lin Yuewei froze, then looked utterly shocked. “I didn’t know you were this kind of Gu-jiejie.”
Gu Yanqiu choked on the wind. “What did you call me?”
“Nothing.” Lin Yuewei refused to say anything more. From Gu Yanqiu’s reaction, this had to count as a killer move, so she’d save it for an important moment. “Sister Lin” was impossible, but “Sister Gu” still had some hope.
The dog had been walked enough and the digestion walk was done as well. The two exchanged a look; it was time to go back and eat the main meal.
“Mom, we’re back.” After changing her shoes, Lin Yuewei took the leash from Gu Yanqiu, sent the corgi back into its cage, and saw that Ms. Ran Qingqing was still in the living room watching TV; it was a foreign drama, and the screen was covered in blood and gore.
Lin Yuewei made a startled sound and quickly looked away. “Mom, aren’t you afraid of having nightmares watching that at night?”
“Afraid.”
“Then why are you watching it?”
“Because I want you to sleep with me tonight.”
Lin Yuewei: “...”
Gu Yanqiu nearly panicked. She’d waited all day, and they were just about to get to that part; then Ran Qingqing barged in at the worst possible moment, and she couldn’t even refuse.
Ran Qingqing watched the changing expressions on the two of them with great interest. A few seconds later, she laughed. “I’m messing with you. I’m sleeping with my granddaughter tonight.”
Schrödinger lifted its head at the perfect moment and went, “Meow.”
Lin Yuewei couldn’t have been happier. Afraid her mother might change her mind, she hurriedly waved Gu Yanqiu over to get a move on.
Ran Qingqing glared at her.
Lin Yuewei pretended not to see it, stuck out her tongue, and tugged Gu Yanqiu upstairs.
They got straight to the point without any nonsense and, following the plan they had agreed on during the day, chose a new model of car.
The new car was a two-seater, huge and spacious; even more miraculously, it had a steering wheel at both the front and the back, allowing the two of them to drive it together. From the foot of the mountain to the halfway point, they worked in tandem and gradually picked up speed, heading all the way toward the summit.
But halfway up, they started competing with each other. Each relying on her own skill, they had originally been evenly matched, but Lin Yuewei’s sudden little whine of “Gu-jiejie” broke the balance. Gu Yanqiu clenched her jaw and gripped the steering wheel tightly, but she could no longer control the direction. With a bang, the steering wheel snapped in her hands. The initiative was completely seized by Lin Yuewei, who shot ahead alone and reached the top of the mountain in one breath.
Lin Yuewei’s long hair was stuck to her face with sweat, making her very uncomfortable. She casually lifted a hand to sweep it back, revealing a fresh, bright face, then lowered her head and used her foot to hook under Gu Yanqiu’s chin. “President Gu, are you alright?”
Gu Yanqiu was breathing a little heavily; only after slightly lifting her head could she see her in her field of vision. “Weren’t we supposed to have agreed in advance that cheating wasn’t allowed?”
Lin Yuewei raised her brows. “And you didn’t say it wasn’t allowed.”
Gu Yanqiu rested her head back down again and closed her eyes to recover.
Lin Yuewei crawled over to lie beside her, turned her head to look at her profile, then reached out and gently touched the tip of her nose. When she tasted it, it was all salty with sweat; there also seemed to be something else mixed in. After she figured out what it was, she immediately grabbed a tissue and spat twice.
After thinking it over, she still couldn’t get past it and ran off to rinse her mouth.
Gu Yanqiu lay on the bed, turned her head to watch her, one hand supporting her forehead, and sighed before sitting up as well.
After rinsing her mouth, Lin Yuewei stood there for a while and then squeezed out some hand soap and washed her hands as well. Halfway through, she felt that something behind her was off; it seemed warm breath was brushing her neck. She had already seen the person behind her in the mirror, so without turning around she leaned back directly, nestling into Gu Yanqiu’s arms. “Washing your hands?”
“Mm.” Gu Yanqiu rested her chin on her shoulder. Her slightly cool nose affectionately brushed the side of Lin Yuewei’s face, and her voice was thick with a melting stickiness.
What should have been a hand wash ended up taking nearly two hours. By the time they came out, Lin Yuewei’s eyes were barely open. She was drowsily carried to the bed and fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.
When Lin Yuewei woke up, Gu Yanqiu had already gone to work. She was clutching the pajamas Gu Yanqiu had changed out of, sleeping soundly, and just before opening her eyes she had been having a beautiful dream.
Lin Yuewei slowly blinked awake, still unwilling to leave that dream behind.
Sizzle—sizzle—sizzle—
Several times, Lin Yuewei tried to sink back into sleep, only to be interrupted by that sound. She irritably grabbed at her hair, got out of bed barefoot, and opened the door. Schrödinger’s scratching paw froze in midair, then dropped.
Its sapphire-blue eyes looked up at Lin Yuewei as it let out a pitiful “meow.”
Come to think of it, these days it had been either running around for publicity or indulging in pleasure; it had rarely had time to play with Schrödinger. Lin Yuewei bent down and gently picked Schrödinger up, rubbing its head.
Sitting against the bed, Lin Yuewei held Schrödinger’s two front paws in her hands and made it dance. Thinking of the wildness of last night, she couldn’t help laughing. “If you’d scratched at the door last night, your dad would’ve kicked you out of the house by now.”
Schrödinger: “Meow meow meow?”
Lin Yuewei shook its little paw. “What’s that meowing for? How was it sleeping with Grandma last night?”
Schrödinger: “Meow meow.”
Lin Yuewei didn’t care whether it understood her or not. Anyway, she chatted at Schrödinger for a long while, getting happier and happier as she talked, until she even felt a kind of peaceful, tranquil contentment. Her mother was downstairs chanting scriptures, her wife was out at work and would come home on time, and there was a cat and a dog in the house too. A winner in life couldn’t ask for more than this.
***
“This is my proposal this time. Also, I disagree with Manager Liu’s view. First...” In the conference room, after finishing her presentation and returning to her seat, Gu Yanqiu’s phone, tucked into her coat pocket, vibrated. She took it out and glanced at it under the table.
[Two Woods: Suddenly lazy.jpg]
Gu Yanqiu lowered her head and typed:
[West Gu: In a meeting]
[Two Woods: Okay, tell me after it ends [eating hands.jpg]]
The meeting lasted the entire morning and was chaired by Vice President Wu. After it ended, the younger Mr. Wu kept Gu Yanqiu behind, patted her shoulder, and smiled. “Yanqiu, aren’t you afraid of offending Chairman Gu by doing this?”
Manager Liu was an old hand at the company and a staunch member of Gu Huai’s camp. Although his position wasn’t high, the spot he held was very important.
“Am I not offending him enough already?” Gu Yanqiu asked flatly as she collected the documents in her hands.
Vice President Wu laughed heartily. “Chairman Gu’s health has been getting worse and worse. A few days ago, one of my relatives ran into him at the hospital. His secretary was carrying a bag full of medicine.”
Gu Yanqiu said without expression, “Really?”
“Of course. Didn’t you know?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been back there in a long time.” Gu Yanqiu said coldly, “Maybe it’s retribution.”
“Oh, come on,” Vice President Wu said. “How can you talk about your father like that?”
Gu Yanqiu’s brows tightened, and the emotion in her eyes surged fiercely for an instant. After a pause, she said calmly, “He’s not my father.”
The emotion she let slip was caught immediately by Vice President Wu. He soothed her, “Alright, alright, we won’t mention him. Let’s talk about your big brother then—no, let’s talk about Gu Feiquan.”
“What about him?”
“He’s been carrying out sweeping reforms in his department lately; it seems like he got Chairman Gu’s approval.”
Gu Yanqiu let out a derisive snort.
Vice President Wu raised his brows in mock surprise. “What?”
Gu Yanqiu looked at him steadily, then curved her lips into a slight smile. “However much he jumps around, he’s just a grasshopper after autumn. He won’t be hopping for many more days.”
Vice President Wu laughed again and patted her shoulder hard. “Good, good.”
A trace of malice surfaced in Gu Yanqiu’s smile, and the two exchanged a look of mutual understanding.
***
After finishing the performance in front of Vice President Wu, Gu Yanqiu strode back to her office and called Gu Huai. Gu Huai hadn’t come to the company for several days and had been staying at home, publicly claiming he was recuperating.
The one who answered was Gu Huai himself. “Yanqiu? Why are you suddenly calling me?”
Gu Yanqiu went straight to the point. “Did you go to the hospital a few days ago?”
Gu Huai slowly frowned. “Who told you that?”
“Don’t worry about who told me. Did you or did you not?”
Gu Huai asked, “Was it Wu Liang?” Wu Liang was Vice President Wu’s name.
Gu Yanqiu: “...Yes. He said someone around him saw you go to the hospital. What were you doing there? Are you really having some kind of health problem?”
At that, Gu Huai’s voice took on a smile. “You came at me so aggressively that I thought it was something serious. So it was just gossip you heard from Wu Liang. Since I needed to put on a show anyway, I might as well do it properly. I knew he had a relative who fell and was hospitalized with a fracture, so I deliberately picked a day to go there and make sure people saw me.”
“What about the medicine?”
“What medicine?”
“Wu Liang said Secretary Li was carrying a bag of medicine.”
“If you’re going to act, don’t you have to act the whole way through? It was just some vitamin C.”
“Is the vitamin C at home right now? Take a picture and send it to me.” Gu Yanqiu pressed on step by step.
“You child.”
“Take a picture and send it to me.” Gu Yanqiu raised her voice a little.
“Fine, fine, I’ll take it, alright?” Gu Huai seemed startled by her. The man who had dominated and ruled for half his life obediently gave in. A faint sound came from the other end, as though Gu Huai was speaking to someone and asking them to bring the vitamin C over. Then came his voice again. “I’ll take it now and send it to your WeChat.”
“Fine.”
Half a minute later, Gu Yanqiu received an image message. More than ten bottles of vitamin C were lined up neatly on the coffee table.
Gu Huai said helplessly, “Satisfied now?”
Gu Yanqiu long-pressed to save the photo and said, “Mm.”
“Anything else?”
Gu Yanqiu opened the browser on her computer. “No. Rest at home. If Wu Liang makes any move, I’ll tell you.”
“Alright, bye-bye.”
“Bye-bye.”
Gu Yanqiu then called Gu Feiquan.
“Anything unusual with Dad?” Gu Feiquan asked. “What counts as unusual?” He didn’t interact much with Gu Huai and couldn’t tell when things were normal and when they weren’t.
“His physical condition.”
“He’s pretty sturdy. He’s even exercising at home. Oh, right, he’s had a bit of a cold lately, so he’s taking medicine.”
“What medicine?”
“Just cold medicine, and some anti-inflammatory medicine.”
“You saw it?”
“I did. The medicine was on the table. I can still recognize ordinary cold and anti-inflammatory meds.” Seated in his office chair, Gu Feiquan put down his crossed leg and said solemnly, “Are you asking because you found something?”
Gu Yanqiu pinched the bridge of her nose. “No. I just don’t feel settled.”
Gu Feiquan said, “Is there anything you need me to do?”
Gu Yanqiu: “There is.”
Gu Feiquan’s mood immediately lifted. “Say it.”
Gu Yanqiu: “...Never mind.”
Gu Feiquan: “...”
Gu Yanqiu: “Mm, I’m hanging up.”
Gu Feiquan sighed at the dead line. When would he ever get a chance to prove himself?
Gu Yanqiu sat in her office for a while before remembering she had forgotten to reply to Lin Yuewei’s message. She took out her phone and typed:
[West Gu: I’m going back to the Gu house tonight; I won’t be staying over]
Ding-dong—
Lin Yuewei replied instantly.
[Two Woods: Does that count as abandoning me after the deed?]