Chapter 130

Tianrui Group.

There was still half an hour left in the workday, but almost everyone in the office had already put down what they were doing. Desks were neat and clear, and the supervisors, whether usually lenient or strict, all turned a blind eye.

There was a reason for that. Today was the last workday before the Spring Festival.

By the time the minute hand slowly, leisurely reached the twelve, everyone stood up.

“Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.”

New Year greetings rang out one after another across the office. Whether they usually celebrated or not, everyone was wearing bright smiles now. In traditional culture, the Spring Festival was the most important holiday; it was a time for reunion.

Lin Zhi’s desk was the closest to Gu Yanqiu’s office. He’d originally planned to leave with everyone else; he had to pick up his girlfriend and go home today. But after glancing back at Gu Yanqiu’s tightly shut office door, he turned around and went back, raising a hand to knock.

“Miss Gu?”

“What is it?” Gu Yanqiu’s voice came from inside.

“I’m off work. You’re not going home yet?”

“Soon. In a bit.”

“Remember to lock the doors and windows.” Lin Zhi peered inside, trying to make out something through the crack at the door. Her attitude toward reunion was so indifferent that he was starting to wonder if she’d had another fight with her girlfriend.

He was still debating whether to go in and take a look when Gu Yanqiu pulled the door open from inside, and his eyes widened in shock.

Lin Zhi staggered backward. “Ah!”

Gu Yanqiu held back a laugh. “Mm?”

Lin Zhi: “Why aren’t you going home yet? Did you fight with your partner?” Since it was almost New Year and no longer work hours, he’d gotten bolder and asked with full curiosity.

Gu Yanqiu: “No. She went out with her mother and hasn’t come home yet.”

Lin Zhi looked relieved. “Oh, that’s good. That’s good.”

Gu Yanqiu: “Why are you so concerned about our relationship?”

Lin Zhi straightened his back and said solemnly, “As a married man, keeping an eye on a newbie still struggling down the road of love is a matter of social responsibility.”

Gu Yanqiu: “……” She had no idea where Lin Zhi had even been when she and Lin Yuewei got married. She waved him off. “Alright, go home.”

Lin Zhi put on a cute voice. “Okay, bye-bye, Miss Gu.”

Gu Yanqiu: “Bye-bye. And may you have a son soon.”

Lin Zhi clasped his hands. “May you both grow old together in harmony, and may your love blossom for a hundred years.”

Gu Yanqiu lowered her head, one heel touching the floor as she lifted the toe of her boot. Lin Zhi instantly slipped away. “Bye, bye, bye. Happy New Year.” By the time the last word fell, he was already gone beyond the main door.

Gu Yanqiu lifted the hand that had been hanging at her side, the one holding her phone, and brought it to her ear. A natural smile curved her lips. “Alright, keep going.”

Lin Yuewei’s voice came through the receiver, sounding utterly astonished. “I never thought President Gu would deliberately tease an employee.”

—Turns out Gu Yanqiu had been on the phone with Lin Yuewei the whole time.

Gu Yanqiu said, “There are plenty of things you haven’t thought of.”

Lin Yuewei: “Like what?”

Gu Yanqiu: “Anything you can imagine, I can do.”

Lin Yuewei let out a soft, mischievous laugh, and beside her, Ran Qingqing coughed lightly. “Watch the influence. In broad daylight and all that.”

Lin Yuewei turned her head and said helplessly, “Mom, I wasn’t even planning to say anything. Besides, how is this broad daylight? It’s only the three of us.”

Ran Qingqing silently rolled down the car window. Lin Yuewei looked up and locked eyes with a bored child in the neighboring car who was idly gripping the window frame. She immediately covered her face with one hand. “Hurry up and close it. What if someone recognizes me?”

“You’re not all that famous, but your idol baggage sure is heavy,” Ran Qingqing mocked her, then shut the window.

Ran Qingqing and Lin Yuewei had eaten a vegetarian meal at the temple. By two in the afternoon, they set off for home. They’d originally expected to arrive before Gu Yanqiu got off work, but unfortunately they got stuck in traffic; it looked like it would be seven or eight in the evening before they made it back. That was why Gu Yanqiu wasn’t in a hurry to go home.

As soon as Lin Yuewei was put in her place by her mother, she complained to Gu Yanqiu instead. “Did you hear that? My mom’s at it again, picking on me.”

Gu Yanqiu wasn’t sure whether Ran Qingqing could hear her; if she did and turned her comforting Lin Yuewei into ammunition against herself, that would be trouble. So she only smiled and changed the subject. “What did you do at the temple today?”

The moment Lin Yuewei started talking about this, she was unstoppable. “Weren’t we there around nine in the morning? We first went into the main hall to burn incense and donate incense money. I’d told you before that I’m a materialist, but once I got into the temple, it felt completely different. That temple is kind of magical. No wonder people online keep saying it’s efficacious. It really does feel like there are bodhisattvas there.”

Ran Qingqing cut in, “There are.”

Lin Yuewei said, “Mom, is it really okay to interrupt your daughter’s love life like this?”

Gu Yanqiu laughed out loud.

Lin Yuewei kept going. “We also drew fortune sticks. My mom drew one herself, and I drew one for you; it was for your father’s health. It was the best possible result, so he’ll definitely be fine.”

“Thank you.”

“You saying it like that is giving me goosebumps. If you keep using that tone, I’m going to scold you.”

Then she asked, “Want to guess what my mom got?”

“What was she asking about?”

“Marriage.”

“That was also the best possible result?”

“Yeah!”

“Congratulations, congratulations.”

Lin Yuewei looked at the unmoving line of cars ahead and, since she had nothing else to do, told her every last detail. She said she didn’t know how Ran Qingqing had done it, but even though it was her first time at the temple, she’d somehow caught the attention of a master, who had spoken to her at length about Buddhism. Ran Qingqing looked as though she’d been enlightened; if the temple hadn’t barred women from becoming monastics, Lin Yuewei suspected she might have shaved her head on the spot and taken vows right there and then.

After taking a sip of water, Lin Yuewei asked, “What did you do today?”

Gu Yanqiu answered, “Worked.”

“And?”

“Thought about you.”

Lin Yuewei’s heart turned sweet. She looped a strand of her long hair around her finger and asked coyly, “Which was more? Work or thinking about me?”

Ran Qingqing’s teeth were almost aching from the sweetness of it; she sucked in a breath. Amid the discomfort, she also reflected that she might have misjudged Gu Yanqiu. She hadn’t expected her future daughter-in-law to be like this.

Lin Yuewei pretended not to hear her.

Gu Yanqiu said, “I was thinking about you while I was working. I was still thinking about you after work.” In other words, thinking about her more than work.

Lin Yuewei said sweetly, “Why are your words getting so sugary lately?”

Gu Yanqiu answered in kind, “I’ve always been sweet. Want to try?”

Not just Ran Qingqing; even Lin Yuewei herself was almost done for. She shook the goosebumps off her arms and said, “Stop. Flirt when we get home.” There was nothing to see and nothing to eat; if Gu Yanqiu kept flirting while she was stuck in traffic, who was going to take responsibility for that?

Gu Yanqiu took the hint and answered briefly, “Okay.”

Lin Yuewei asked again, “You’re still not coming home?”

Gu Yanqiu rested one arm on the crook of the hand holding the phone and looked out at the lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the high-rise. She shook her head slightly. “I’ll stay a little longer.”

“Are you... in a bad mood?”

“A little.”

A little meant a lot. With Gu Huai lying in the hospital with cancer, and maybe other things weighing on her as well, Lin Yuewei knew she wouldn’t be able to feel happy either. She coaxed her, “Go home first. It’s New Year, and there’s no one left at the company. I don’t feel good about you going back so late.”

“Okay.” Gu Yanqiu agreed. “I’m heading back now.”

“If you’re hungry, eat something first.”

“I’m not hungry. I’ll wait for you all to get home.” Gu Yanqiu had already picked up her bag and keys. She came out and locked the office door with one hand; the keys clinked loudly. Lin Yuewei heard it and praised her like she was comforting a child. “Good girl.”

“I only listen to you.”

Lin Yuewei choked.

Hearing a sweet line or two from Gu Yanqiu was one thing, but getting hit by them one after another was different. That casual, effortless style of flirting was completely unlike Gu Yanqiu. In short: Gu Yanqiu was extremely abnormal right now; every love line she said was just her way of releasing stress.

“Drive slowly. Don’t rush,” Lin Yuewei said after a pause; that was all she could manage.

“Mm? Mm.” Gu Yanqiu watched the elevator doors open in front of her, took a long step inside, and said, “Got it. You’re not home anyway; why would I drive fast?”

“Do you have enough battery?” Lin Yuewei asked.

Gu Yanqiu checked. “Sixty-five percent left. Why?”

“Let’s stay on the phone like this.” Her tone was full of concern.

Gu Yanqiu heard it and didn’t point it out. “Okay. I’ll be at the garage soon.”

“Walk slowly. Be safe.” After saying that, Lin Yuewei suddenly felt something vaguely familiar.

Gu Yanqiu laughed. “I’m not a child.”

Lin Yuewei let out a soft “ah.” She remembered now; not long ago, when she’d met Jiang Congbi, Jiang Congbi had said that exact line to her little girlfriend. Back then, Lin Yuewei had mocked her for it and claimed she would never say something like that herself. She hadn’t expected to be slapped in the face by reality so soon.

And yet, rather than feeling embarrassed, Lin Yuewei felt an inexplicable sense of steadiness.

“In my heart, you’re just my little treasure,” she said sweetly into the phone.

Ran Qingqing could bear it no longer. “Enough already.”

Even the driver gave an exasperated glance in the rearview mirror.

Lin Yuewei shut her mouth and said in a small voice, “My mom’s jealous. Let’s talk when we get home. Ah—”

Ran Qingqing smacked her on the back.

Gu Yanqiu understood what had happened and said, torn between amusement and heartache, “Behave.”

“How am I not behaving? I’m very well-behaved. You know exactly how well-behaved I am, don’t you?” Every word she said was steering things toward something suggestive.

Gu Yanqiu heard that and immediately took it the wrong way. Well-behaved... she was indeed very well-behaved, but there were times she wasn’t. Whenever it came down to the end, she struggled fiercely, cursing at Gu Yanqiu while she struggled. Not literal profanity, but things like, “I’m going to hit someone,” “Believe me if I say I’ll beat you,” “If you’ve got the guts, let me go,” “Are you even human?” She’d scold her while making soft little sounds, and after that she’d start begging her too, asking for more.

...Like a little demon.

Gu Yanqiu drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, then opened the driver’s door and got in. “I’m driving now.” Enough was enough; otherwise she’d get distracted on the road.

Lin Yuewei said happily, “Okay, okay, drive. I won’t say anything.”

Then she gave another miserable cry. “Mom—why did you hit me? She really is driving, driving home! That kind of driving!”

Gu Yanqiu was so amused she could only lean on the edge of the window and laugh.

Lin Yuewei and Ran Qingqing bickered back and forth. In the midst of all that noise, Gu Yanqiu drove out of the underground garage and into the city’s stream of traffic, merging into the lights and car flow like a river returning to the sea. In the blink of an eye, it was as if she had left no trace at all.

Gu Yanqiu parked in the Lin family garage and came in through the side door. “I’m home,” she said into the phone.

“Okay. Then stay home and sit tight. I’ve started moving on my end; it’s not jammed anymore. I should be there in about an hour.”

“Mm.”

Gu Yanqiu passed the garden in front of the house. The weather was too cold, so most of it had already withered, but when spring came next year, it would bloom again. Gu Yanqiu stood there blankly for a moment, then lightly touched it with her palm and pulled up the collar of her coat before striding into the house.

If they could just get through this winter, everything would be fine. Spring would come soon.

The moment Lin Yuewei got out of the car, she hurried toward home. Ran Qingqing lingered behind, watching her back; it was like seeing her younger self in her. She smiled with nostalgia.

“I’m back!” Lin Yuewei had barely reached the door when it was already opened from inside. She froze.

Gu Yanqiu took her hand and nodded toward the floor. “Change your shoes.”

Lin Yuewei changed shoes quickly. “You heard the car?”

Ran Qingqing appeared behind the door and said, in an expression that made direct eye contact impossible, “With the way you shout, the whole neighborhood could hear you.”

Lin Yuewei touched her nose and laughed. “No way. I only shouted when I got here.”

Then she glanced down and saw that even her mother’s shoes had already been lined up beside the rug. She couldn’t help but look at Gu Yanqiu with warm approval.

The three of them were finally together. The auntie brought out steaming dishes and called in a drawn-out voice, “Dinner’s ready!”

Lin Yuewei pointed at the auntie and laughed. “And you still say it’s me. Clearly Auntie’s the loudest; she’s the one the whole neighborhood heard.”

The auntie looked up at them, bewildered. “Huh???”

All three burst out laughing.

After dinner, with a little wine, the three of them sat by the sofa. Lin Yuewei took out the blessed items she’d spent good money on at the temple, all of them made of jade: one Guanyin statue and one Buddha statue.

“Men wear Guanyin, women wear Buddha,” she said. “This Guanyin is for your dad; this Buddha is yours.”

“You really went to a lot of trouble, thank—” Under Lin Yuewei’s sharp stare, Gu Yanqiu swallowed the last half of the word. She picked up the Guanyin statue meant for Gu Huai. The jade was translucent and smooth to the touch, warm in her palm; inside it, it almost seemed as though a stream of light were moving. Her eyes brightened slightly.

Lin Yuewei asked, “Did you see the light inside?”

Gu Yanqiu nodded.

Lin Yuewei looked delighted. “Right? I saw it too at the time. I thought I was seeing things.”

Gu Yanqiu smiled and put the Buddha statue back into its box. “Thank your father for me.”

Since that thanks was meant for her father, Lin Yuewei had no objections. She took out the jade Buddha from the other box, pinched it between both hands, and asked, “Want me to put it on you?”

“Okay.” Gu Yanqiu tilted her neck and leaned a little closer.

Lin Yuewei’s hands went around the back of her neck, but she didn’t move. Gu Yanqiu lowered her eyes in confusion. Lin Yuewei quickly bent her head and kissed the long line of her neck. Smiling, she said, “Couldn’t help it.”

Gu Yanqiu: “……”

She looked over Lin Yuewei’s shoulder and shut her eyes in pity.

Lin Yuewei: “???”

Ran Qingqing: “Ah!!!”

A sudden shout exploded beside her ear, and Lin Yuewei felt as if her ears had gone deaf; all that remained was a buzzing echo. That roar nearly made her dizzy.

Ran Qingqing sat back down with great composure.

Lin Yuewei didn’t dare act up again. She obediently fastened the jade Buddha for Gu Yanqiu. It hung just right, nestled perfectly at the center of her pale collarbones, and it was impossible to tell which was brighter: the jade Buddha or her skin.

Lin Yuewei pressed her lips together and started to test the waters again, but Ran Qingqing drew in a breath and made a threatening “yi-yi-ah-ah” sound, clearly ready to strike again with thunderous force.

After thinking it over, Lin Yuewei decided to drop it. A lion’s roar wasn’t something she could easily take. So she narrowed her eyes and smiled. “So pretty.”

Ran Qingqing said gently from the side, “Jade nourishes the body. Once you’ve put it on, don’t take it off too often.”

Gu Yanqiu said, “I know.” She touched the jade Buddha hanging at her neck and closed her hand around it. After rubbing it for a while, she suddenly remembered something. “Didn’t Weiwei ask for one?”

“I did.” Lin Yuewei pulled a Pixiu from inside her collar, grinning so hard her teeth showed. “For attracting wealth.”

Gu Yanqiu lightly tapped her forehead and smiled. “Money-obsessed.”

Lin Yuewei pulled Gu Yanqiu into one arm and the reluctant-looking Ran Qingqing into the other. “You can’t make it through life without being obsessed with money. I’ve got to support my mom and my wife now; is being the pillar of the family that easy?”

She looked extremely pleased with herself.

Ran Qingqing said darkly, “I already told your dad to transfer his company shares into my name. Then I’ll let Gu Yanqiu take over our family company as chairwoman and general manager. And you still have the nerve to say you’re supporting the household?”

Lin Yuewei: “……”

Gu Yanqiu endured it for a moment, but couldn’t help adding the finishing blow. “The company my family owns is mine too.”

Ran Qingqing: “Exactly.”

Lin Yuewei looked at the two women in front of her, then dramatically clutched her chest and stood up. She took three steps backward, glanced behind her to make sure the distance was right, then flung herself backward onto another sofa. “Ah, my heart hurts.”

Gu Yanqiu started to go over and comfort her, but Ran Qingqing grabbed her sleeve. “Let her act.”

Gu Yanqiu hesitated. “Is that really okay?”

Ran Qingqing shook her head. “It’s fine. Consider it training for her acting skills. As family to an actor, we have to remember to create opportunities for her and improve her acting.”

Lin Yuewei rolled around on the sofa, looking as “agonized” as possible. Ran Qingqing somehow produced a bag of sunflower seeds from who-knew-where and shared some with Gu Yanqiu. The two of them cracked seeds while pointing and discussing Lin Yuewei’s performance.

Ran Qingqing said, “She says her heart hurts, but why does it look to me like she’s clutching her stomach? Tsk. The stomach and the heart are a bit far apart, aren’t they?”

Gu Yanqiu said, “Maybe the heartache caused stomach pain?”

Ran Qingqing: “Hungry?”

Gu Yanqiu: “We just ate dinner. Not likely. My guess is indigestion.”

The one clutching her heart, Lin Yuewei, made sure to check: “……” She really was clutching her heart, okay? Were these two blind? And they were discussing the wrong information with such seriousness.

Ran Qingqing kicked the trash can a little closer to Gu Yanqiu. “Why doesn’t she have a single tear? Isn’t she supposed to be heartbroken?”

Gu Yanqiu said, “High-level acting probably doesn’t cry, right?”

Lin Yuewei thought with satisfaction: Gu Yanqiu is still on my side.

Ran Qingqing gave her a sidelong glance. “Could you remove your high-level filter?”

Gu Yanqiu cracked another seed; from the sound of it, she wasn’t very skilled at it and probably didn’t eat this kind of snack often. She smiled. “Alright, then she probably just can’t cry?”

Lin Yuewei: “!!!”

Ran Qingqing burst out laughing. “See? I think so too.”

Gu Yanqiu seemed a little afraid Lin Yuewei might settle scores later, so she tried to recover her footing and said solemnly, making a completely absurd statement, “Actually, reaching the level where you want to cry but can’t is even harder.”

Ran Qingqing shot her a look. “Does she usually keep you on a very tight leash?” She didn’t even dare joke around. “It’s fine; I’ve got your back. If she says one word to you, I’ll scold her to death.”

Gu Yanqiu hurriedly denied it. “No, no.” Lin Yuewei might be a little spoiled, but she didn’t bully her. Besides, lately her temper had become much gentler; maybe because so many things had happened recently, small matters no longer counted.

Gu Yanqiu paused. “If I had to say who’s ‘bullying’ whom, it would probably be me bullying her.” Once, Lin Yuewei had even cried. A person like her crying was shocking enough; even in that kind of situation, it was... very hard to hold oneself back.

Gu Yanqiu’s ears reddened. She cleared her throat and pressed her lips together.

When Ran Qingqing heard that, her imagination immediately ran wild. There was an old saying: only exhausted cows and ruined fields. By that logic, Gu Yanqiu, as the “field” being plowed, could also count as a kind of “bullying.”

Ran Qingqing patted Gu Yanqiu on the shoulder and looked at her with gratitude and pity. “You’re so kind. For Lin Yuewei to marry you, for our family to have you, that’s blessing from eight lifetimes.”

Why had she suddenly become kind?

Gu Yanqiu blanked for a moment, then automatically shifted gears and caught up to her train of thought; her face turned even redder. “You’re too kind, Auntie.”

Ran Qingqing said, “You should... be a little more tolerant of her, but don’t spoil her too much either.” These things had to be sustainable. Pork hock might be delicious, but as with any food, too much was worse than too little.

Gu Yanqiu misunderstood her again and thought she finally understood what she meant. “No, I won’t. I usually don’t spoil her.” Some things, when they reached the critical point, how could she possibly listen to Lin Yuewei? If she did and then Lin Yuewei regained her senses, she’d be unhappy too. When Lin Yuewei said no, it meant yes; when she said stop, it meant don’t stop. Gu Yanqiu had already learned that the hard way.

Ran Qingqing laughed. “That’s good. I was worried you’d be too softhearted. She really does like to push her luck.”

By this point Gu Yanqiu truly couldn’t follow anymore, so she just answered, “Mm, I won’t.”

Lin Yuewei still had one hand over her chest, but the two of them had already started talking on their own, and it sounded like they were discussing very private matters.

As someone who could see what both sides were thinking, she felt indescribably complicated listening to this bizarre conversation that somehow kept going. Lin Yuewei raised her other hand and waved it. “Are you two still watching my act or not?”

Ran Qingqing didn’t even look up. “Keep acting. Doesn’t matter if there are lines or not; it can be background music.”

She continued talking to Gu Yanqiu, her voice getting softer and softer as they exchanged “experience.” Even though men and women were different, this kind of thing should be universal. She was going to teach everything she knew.

Gu Yanqiu’s expression finally became visibly more and more confused.

A shadow suddenly fell in front of Ran Qingqing. She looked up and saw Lin Yuewei holding Gu Yanqiu’s wrist with one hand, while the other gathered up her things from the coffee table in a few casual sweeps and pulled them into her arms. In a low voice she said, “Mom, we’re going upstairs.”

Ran Qingqing: “Huh?”

She hadn’t finished yet.

Lin Yuewei led Gu Yanqiu toward the stairs, and Ran Qingqing called after them, “Xiao Gu, remember what I said.”

After entering the room, Lin Yuewei didn’t hurry farther in. She pinned Gu Yanqiu against the door with one arm. “What did my mom say to you?”

Gu Yanqiu frowned in confusion. “She told me not to be softhearted and not to spoil you too much?” She muttered to herself, “Do I spoil you?”

Lin Yuewei made a little fan shape with her hand and waved it beside Gu Yanqiu’s temple.

Gu Yanqiu: “What are you doing?”

Lin Yuewei said, “My mom’s always thinking nonsense and talking nonsense when she’s got nothing to do. I’m helping you chase her words away.”

Gu Yanqiu laughed softly. “I’ll forget them myself.”

“That’s good.” Lin Yuewei lowered her hand. “Do you want to shower first, or should I?”

Gu Yanqiu said, “You go first. I’ll call Gu Feiquan. He didn’t seem to be in a very good mood today.”

Lin Yuewei let out a teasing “oh” and lifted one eyebrow high.

Gu Yanqiu kissed her once, eyes curved with amusement. “Go on.”

Lin Yuewei went off happily.

Gu Yanqiu called Gu Feiquan, but unexpectedly, no one answered. She called a second time; still no answer. She sent him a message, then organized the things Lin Yuewei had brought into the room. With nothing else to do, she sat on the sofa and started thinking about those seemingly normal but slightly strange things Ran Qingqing had said.

When Lin Yuewei came out, she met Gu Yanqiu’s thoughtful gaze.

Lin Yuewei was startled by the way she was looking at her. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Nothing.” Gu Yanqiu shook her head and picked up the pajamas she’d prepared earlier before heading into the bathroom.

Lin Yuewei dried her hair herself, then held up both hands; her fingers might not be longer than Gu Yanqiu’s, but they were certainly not short, and she kept her nails neatly trimmed every other day, round and even.

They had agreed beforehand to take turns on a one-three-five, two-four-six schedule, so how exactly had she been suppressed by Gu Yanqiu until now?

Lin Yuewei let out a small hiss, finding it a little unbelievable.

She couldn’t keep going like this. Since even her mother had misunderstood, she might as well let the misunderstanding become reality. It was about time it was her turn.

Lin Yuewei trimmed her nails again, got up from the edge of the bed, and stood.

Standing made her look more imposing.

The imposing Lin Yuewei marched around the room like a patrol guard, thinking about countermeasures. What if Gu Yanqiu tried to take the initiative again like before? Right now she was clearly in the stronger position.

Gu Yanqiu came out drying her hair, steam still rising off her, her skin flushed a healthy pink.

Lin Yuewei strode over with full confidence and stopped in front of her.

Gu Yanqiu raised an eyebrow in question.

Lin Yuewei said, “Tonight, I’m on top.”

Gu Yanqiu answered casually with an “Mm,” looked at her, and said, “Sure.”

Author’s Note:

Lin: ??? This isn’t quite how I imagined it. That easy??

Raise the banner of the Lin palace, charge!