“Alright. When I come back tonight, I’ll bring you…” Ming Li wanted to say “bring you some treats,” which was what she usually said when Ming Xi helped watch Mingyue. But now that the person was Gu Qingshuang, the words felt stuck in her throat.
Bring Gu Qingshuang treats? She didn’t even know what kind of snacks the woman liked.
Gu Qingshuang lived a life seemingly devoid of desire. She never ate snacks. At most, she would eat a bowl of instant noodles when she was busy—and she wouldn’t even add a marinated egg or a sausage. Her three meals a day were provided by either the house or the hospital; she ate whatever was served and was never picky.
Ming Li couldn’t even associate the concept of “gourmet food” with Gu Qingshuang.
This was something Ming Li understood all too well. Shortly after they were married, Gu Xueqiang had given her a specific lesson: Never let others see what you like.
The gist was that if there were twenty dishes on the table, you must never keep reaching for the one you like best. It would allow others to see through you and manipulate you. The best way was to take one or two bites of every dish equally.
Gu Qingshuang was essentially the living embodiment of Gu Xueqiang’s education.
“Never mind,” Ming Li corrected herself. “I’ll just try to be back as early as possible tonight.”
Ming Li hurried downstairs. The ground floor was already peaceful, showing no signs of the tense confrontation that had occurred earlier. Gu Xueqiang was nowhere to be seen in the living room.
Ming Li let out a sigh of relief, but before she could leave, she ran into a hurrying Gu Fei.
Gu Fei wasn’t wearing makeup, but her face radiated a vibrant, youthful energy.
“Where are you going?” Gu Fei asked, balanced on her hoverboard.
Ming Li pulled out her car keys. “To work.”
“I heard you’re planning to acquire a company recently?” Gu Fei asked.
“Yes.” Ming Li knew that nothing in this house escaped Grandmother Gu’s eyes. After all, the woman was in her seventies but still held the core power of the Gu family in a tight grip.
If Gu Xueqiang’s dominance was overt and aggressive, the Grandmother’s was subtle and restrained. But when she spoke, no one dared to disobey. She was kind, but she was not to be underestimated.
Ming Li knew Gu Fei hadn’t come just for small talk. She cut to the chase. “Does Grandmother want to see me now?”
“Of course not,” Gu Fei said. “My mom loves hard workers. Knowing you have to go to the office, she definitely won’t look for you during the day.”
Ming Li understood. That meant it would be tonight.
“Then why are you here?” Ming Li arched an eyebrow, confused by Gu Fei’s visit.
“Didn’t you bring back Zhu Hanxing’s sister? I came to take a look,” Gu Fei said. “And to see if you needed help. I have nothing to do today, so I can help you babysit.”
Ming Li hadn’t told Gu Fei that the girl was Zhu Hanxing’s sister. Surprised, she asked, “Who told you she was Hanxing’s sister?”
“Your own sister is a senior in high school,” Gu Fei said as if it were obvious. “And you only have one friend, Zhu Hanxing. If it’s not her sister, who else could it be? It’s not like you actually have an illegitimate daughter out there, right?”
Ming Li smiled, joking back, “What if she’s Gu Qingshuang’s?”
“Oh,” Gu Fei tutted. “Well, that would give you a perfectly good reason to get a divorce.”
Ming Li shrugged. “A pity, then.”
“A real pity,” Gu Fei said, her tone somewhere between jest and sincerity.
Ming Li knew Gu Fei’s life in this house was better than hers, but she still wasn’t entirely free from control. Moreover, Gu Fei had looked after her a lot since she moved into the Gu family; she didn’t want to trouble her further.
“Mingyue is upstairs playing with Gu Qingshuang,” Ming Li explained. “Qingshuang is looking after her today.”
Gu Fei froze. “Gu Qingshuang? She’s not at work?”
“It’s her day off.” Ming Li wanted to say that Gu Qingshuang seemed like a different person today, proactively offering to help. But the words reached her mind and she swallowed them down.
Ming Li never liked discussing such things, especially regarding her relationship with Gu Qingshuang. She and Gu Fei had been on good terms since university, but they weren’t close enough to discuss personal matters like that.
Especially since Gu Fei was Gu Qingshuang’s young aunt. No matter what, her surname was still Gu.
In the span of a breath, Ming Li’s thoughts shifted, and she simply offered Gu Fei a gentle smile.
Gu Fei stared at her intently until Ming Li waved a hand in front of her eyes to snap her out of it.
“What are you looking at?” Ming Li asked. “Is there something on my face?”
Gu Fei was blunt. “Yes.”
As Ming Li reached up to feel her face, Gu Fei laughed. “A bit of beauty.”
Ming Li: “…”
“Always joking.” Ming Li checked the time. “I have to go. Let’s chat tonight.”
Gu Fei waved. “Bye~”
Gu Fei watched until Ming Li’s car disappeared around the corner of the courtyard. The smile on her face vanished instantly. After a moment, she rode her hoverboard away.
Ming Li spent the entire day in a whirlwind of activity. She didn’t even have time for lunch. Assistant Lin had to shove a yogurt into her hand just so she’d have something in her stomach.
The negotiations with President Hu had stalled as expected, but there was still a mountain of follow-up work. By the time Ming Li finished the yogurt, it was already after three in the afternoon. The small piece of bread she’d eaten for breakfast had long since been digested.
The yogurt was strawberry-flavored, sweet and tart. Halfway through, Ming Li thought it was the kind of thing a child would enjoy; Mingyue would surely like it. She did a quick search online and ordered a variety of snacks.
When the pile of goods arrived, Assistant Lin was shocked. “Are you planning to live off yogurt now?”
Ming Li shook her head. “No, I’ll eat something else. This is for the kid at home.”
Lin was confused. “A kid? You… Miss Gu…”
She was so startled her words became a jumbled mess, and she didn’t dare say another word. Ming Li explained with a smile, “It’s my friend’s sister. I’m looking after her for a few days.”
Lin sighed in relief, then commented, “Then you certainly chose the right person by asking Miss Gu to help.”
Ming Li stopped typing, her hands hovering over the keyboard. “Oh? Why is that?”
