Chapter 15 Part 2

“…”

Chi Nuan led Gu Ningzi to her room. It was small; Chi Qingchuan had repapered the walls before his wedding in soft pink tones, very girly.

Chi Nuan cleared her desk to make space for Gu Ningzi’s homework. Gu Ningzi shut the door and called out from behind her, “Hey.”

Chi Nuan turned.

“You got locked in the Chinese Language Group Office yesterday?”

Chi Nuan: “…You heard?”

Gu Ningzi nodded.

Chi Nuan said, “It was nothing. Just a prank.”

They both understood without saying more.

Chi Nuan changed the subject. “Brother’s taking us cherry picking at the Picking Garden tomorrow. Come with?”

Chi Nuan looked expectant, and since Gu Ningzi set down her bag without refusing, Chi Nuan took it as a yes. “Then get some early sleep. We can do homework after we get back.”

Yue Yun finished eating and went to bed. Chi Qingchuan washed the pots and dishes in the kitchen before retiring too.

Chi Nuan pulled Gu Ningzi out to shower. Gu Ningzi had brought her own pajamas and toiletries. Chi Nuan turned on the shower for her and showed her how to lock the bathroom door. “It’s a bit faulty. Lift it up a little.”

While Gu Ningzi showered, Chi Nuan checked her homework. Sure enough, not a single problem was done—she really couldn’t do it.

Chi Nuan chuckled.

Gu Ningzi came out after her shower, and Chi Nuan was sprawled on the bed flipping through a book. Their eyes met, and Gu Ningzi’s damp look stirred something in her.

“Your mom and dad must be really good-looking.”

Chi Nuan meant it sincerely, complimenting Gu Ningzi’s features. But Gu Ningzi stiffened for a moment at the words.

Chi Nuan didn’t notice. She hopped off the bed, dug her wallet from her bag, unzipped an inner pocket in front of Gu Ningzi, and carefully pulled out a photo. “These are my mom and dad. Do you think Brother and I look like them?”

Gu Ningzi had guessed from past chats—Chi Nuan often mentioned her brother but never her parents. Still, confirmation shocked her. “Your parents…”

Chi Nuan answered frankly, “Yeah, car accident. They’re gone.”

The photo was old but well-preserved, without a single scratch. Gu Ningzi looked at it and said softly, “You and your brother look more like your mom.”

Chi Nuan nodded in agreement. “What about you? Do you look like your mom?”

Gu Ningzi didn’t answer, just said, “I’ll introduce you next time.”

…

Chi Nuan woke abruptly in the middle of the night and found her wrist gripped in Gu Ningzi’s hand again. Moonlight spilled across half the bed from the window, bathing Gu Ningzi, who lay on her side, sleeping deeply.

The next morning, after breakfast, they headed downstairs to the Picking Garden. Yue Yun spotted a white Porsche Supercar parked in the neighborhood and nudged Chi Qingchuan. “Who’s driving that here? Never seen it before.”

Chi Qingchuan said casually, “Some relative or friend, probably.”

Yue Yun replied, “Yeah, anyone who can afford that would’ve moved out of this godforsaken dump long ago.”

Chi Nuan felt a twinge of embarrassment and glanced at Gu Ningzi, whose expression remained neutral, as if they were talking about strangers.

Mr. Ji’s cars were all pricey too. Chi Qingchuan usually kept them at the company, not bringing them home. The neighborhood was old without garages, parking spots scarce, and he worried about scratches or bumps leading to disputes. When he did bring one, he parked it outside the neighborhood at a new development.

The outer shops there weren’t all rented out yet, leaving plenty of space.

They walked over and spotted a crowd from afar. Chi Qingchuan paused, shoved his fruit bag into Chi Nuan’s arms, and pushed through the throng.

Chi Nuan hadn’t even asked what was wrong when Yue Yun shrieked, “The car… that’s Mr. Ji’s car!”

The owner had arrived, and onlookers parted. An old man with a birdcage told Chi Qingchuan, “It was like this first thing this morning on my walk! Nice car—I saw it last night and thought it looked fancy. Expensive, right?”

Through the gaps in the crowd, they saw Mr. Ji’s car… splattered entirely in red paint, its original color obliterated. Headlights and all windows front and back were shattered. Up close, Chi Nuan saw the interior hadn’t been spared—shards littered the leather seats amid globs of paint.

Deep scratches covered the body, and the doors were bashed in.

Chi Nuan shivered involuntarily.

Even though he’d chosen Mr. Ji’s cheapest car to drive, it still cost a few million. Chi Qingchuan stood stunned until someone prompted him. He took out his mobile phone and called the police, then the insurance agent, and finally Mr. Ji, stammering, “M-Mr. Ji, the car’s been smashed…”

Yue Yun kept berating Chi Qingchuan. “Why not park that white supercar in the neighborhood? You had to be all fussy and park outside. Now look! You’ve caused a huge mess! Mr. Ji won’t fire you over this, will he!?”

The insurance agent called back. “Send some photos first.”

Chi Qingchuan did, but got no reply for a while.

“How’s the insurance set up? Do they cover this fully?” Yue Yun pressed Chi Qingchuan, who opened his mouth but said nothing.

“They’ll cover it since you have insurance. What else can they do?”

“How much will repairs cost? At least a hundred thousand, right?”

“A hundred thousand? Dream on. You see what car this is? Fully imported! Hood pried open, paint poured in—who knows if the engine’s damaged. Fifty thousand would be lucky; could run over a million.”

Onlookers chimed in. Someone added, “Insurance pays, but not fully. Our company manager’s new car got smashed once—full coverage plus extras—and they still only covered 70% of repairs. No culprit found, so he ate the loss and got sick from the stress.”

Yue Yun mentally multiplied a million by 30% and nearly fainted.

“No one would be happy about this, culprit or not. It’s not just repairs—a perfectly good car needing a full overhaul? What bad luck!”

…

Gu Ningzi looked around. No cameras here either—it wouldn’t be easy to find the culprit.