Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
She didn’t have a good reputation.
When Yu Tingchuan heard these words, his slender fingers paused for a moment as he flicked the cigarette ash. He recalled the brief glimpse he had taken at the entrance of the Yu family’s home and asked, “In what ways?”
“This involves a nephew of mine. Otherwise, at my age, I wouldn’t care about these kids.” Gu Zhengshen took a sip of tea to moisten his mouth, put the teacup back, and continued, “It has been more than a year. One day, my nephew suddenly came home and said that he wanted to buy an apartment with three bedrooms and one living room. My cousin is not an easy person to fool. She definitely wouldn’t take out more than two million yuan without careful consideration. I got someone to investigate and found that a girl named Song Qingcheng had something to do with it.”
Gu Zhengshen sighed with emotion. “This girl is quite something. No matter how my cousin interrogated him, my good-for-nothing nephew insisted that it was his idea. After that, my cousin locked him up at home to stop him from thinking about it. He even jumped out of the window and ran away. Eventually, when the girl saw him, not only was she not surprised, but her attitude was also very cold. She taught that rascal a lesson on the spot.”
Yu Tingchuan exhaled a puff of smoke slowly and did not interrupt.
“She passed the novel she was reading to my nephew and even recited a line in it. Love without substance is like a plate of sand. It doesn’t even need the wind to be blown apart.” Gu Zhengshen let out a short laugh. “That rascal couldn’t get over it. In the end, it was my cousin who told him the inside story. She gave the girl 200,000 yuan to break up with him. The girl agreed without a second thought. She even, very professionally, became a life coach.”
Having said this, Gu Zhengshen looked over at the man who had kept silent all this time. “Earlier on, in the car, you mentioned she was Jingjing’s classmate? Jingjing is a simple girl. As her uncle, you need to tell her whom she can hang out with and whom she should stay away from.”
Yu Tingchuan stubbed his cigarette butt against the bottom of the ashtray. “She’s just a young lass.”
“…22 years old, not young anymore.”
“…” Hearing this, Yu Tingchuan looked up at his good friend again.
Gu Zhengshen tapped Yu Tingchuan with the cigarette between his fingers. He had an expression that said ‘I knew you didn’t know.’ He took the lighter and lit up the cigarette. After taking a puff, he said, “She’s in her twenties and still in her second year of high school. This is already very abnormal. I’m not the one who made things up about her behind her back. This woman is not simple.”
Yu Tingchuan picked up his teacup and changed the topic. “Are you leaving tonight? Before Xu Dong leaves, let him send you.”
“I’m not leaving. I’ll stay here for the night.”
Gu Zhengshen waved his hand and, clutching his throbbing head, went to the guest room to rest.
“If there’s nothing else, CEO Yu, I’ll take my leave now,” Xu Dong said.
Yu Tingchuan nodded. Just as Xu Dong was leaving, he stopped the man and said, “I’ll rest for a day tomorrow. If anything happens at the company, look for Vice President Zhang first.”
“Okay, CEO Yu.” Xu Dong answered before shutting the door and leaving.
Only a standing floor lamp was lit in the elegant study room. The mellow amber light cast a faint warm glow on the wall.
Yu Tingchuan was lying lazily on the sofa. His long legs were crossed, his heels were anchored at the edge of the tabletop, and his head was slightly tilted back. The fatigue from the past few days made him close his eyes to take a nap. His slightly opened collar and protruding Adam’s apple made him look very sexy.
After some time, the door of the study was pushed open.
The Border Collie came running in silently, panting and sticking out its tongue. It bent its forelegs, and it lay down at its master’s feet.
Hearing the movements, Yu Tingchuan opened his eyes and looked at his beloved dog.
Howl! The black and white Border Collie met its owner’s deep gaze like a spoiled child, wagging its tail and crying pitifully.
As for what it was feeling aggrieved over, other than itself, no one knew.
…
When Song Qingcheng woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day. The injury on her left hand was slightly painful. Perhaps because of the rain, the temperature was not very high. She lifted the blanket and got up. She washed up with one hand and chose a T-shirt and jeans from the wardrobe to put on.
When she went downstairs, Lu Xishan and Ge Wenjuan were having lunch in the dining room.
Lu Xishan immediately asked the nanny to get another set of cutlery.
“Heh, with this attitude, those who didn’t know better might think that we are also servants in this house.” Ge Wenjuan did not stop picking up food, but her words ruined the initially harmonious atmosphere.
Lu Xishan didn’t want to argue with her so he simply said gently to his niece who was walking over, “Auntie Liang made green pepper shrimp today. If I remember correctly, this is your favorite dish.”
The sound of Ge Wenjuan putting the bowl back on the table was very loud. Song Qingcheng acted as if she didn’t see or hear anything. She lifted her bowl and picked up another prawn. After tasting it, she gave Lu Xishan a thumbs-up. “Auntie Liang’s cooking is comparable to the chefs of five-star hotels.”
Lu Xishan smiled and did not ignore the bandage on her left hand. “How did you hurt your hand?”
“I was bitten by a dog yesterday.” Song Qingcheng didn’t hide anything.
“Did you get a vaccine? It’s important to take a dog bite seriously. A few years ago, I had a business client who didn’t go to the doctor after being bitten by a dog, and he later developed rabies…”
Bam! The chopsticks in Ge Wenjuan’s hands were slammed onto the table.
Lu Xishan’s dissatisfied speech was interrupted. He turned his head and frowned. “What’s wrong with you again?”
Ge Wenjuan looked at Song Qingcheng who was sitting opposite her. Her face was bare, and her skin was so good that water could be squeezed out of it. Sunlight shone in from the side window, illuminating her fair and translucent cheeks. Looking at the girl’s indifferent appearance, she just knew it! A vixen mother would bear a vixen daughter!
“When you decide to display your close uncle-niece ties, I suggest you also think of your company that is about to go bankrupt!”
With that, Ge Wenjuan backed her chair away from the dining table and walked off in a huff.
There were only two people left in the dining room.
“Let’s eat.” Lu Xishan calmed down and picked up his bowl again.
…
After lunch, she went upstairs and met Ge Wenjuan at the landing. Ge Wenjuan had changed into a silk dress. Her hair was tied up in a bun. She looked dignified and elegant, probably going out.
“Auntie you’re going out to play cards?” Song Qingcheng took the initiative to ask.
Ge Wenjuan shot her an icy glance before trotting off in her high heels.
When she returned to her room, Song Qingcheng thought of the house she rented for the summer break. She started to tidy her clothes.
She had just shut the suitcase when her mobile phone rang.
Song Qingcheng looked at the caller ID and saw that it was an unknown number. When the phone rang for the second time, she walked to the window and answered the call. “Hello, who is this?”
“Is it Qingcheng?” a woman asked.
It was a somewhat familiar voice. Be it in Yu Rao or South City, Song Qingcheng did not know many people. She would have been able to guess who the other party was by simple elimination. So the caller was Xue Min, the daughter of Yu Rao’s local hardware store owner. They were in the same middle school, but they didn’t know each other very well. The reason why she knew Xue Min was purely because of another person.