Lin Sui’s pupils suddenly contracted. Chen Qinghe was staying at Guanghui Hotel — the second-best hotel in the entire county. A single night there cost more than 30 yuan. It struck her that Gu Shaonan had actually arranged for him to stay here. Back when they were dating, after their dates, he would always go back to his uncle’s house and share a bed with his cousin. Never once had he ever offered to put her up in a hotel.
So now that he’d made some money from buying stocks, was that how things changed?
Lin Sui suddenly felt her whole past life had been nothing but a joke. She let out a hollow laugh and looked straight at Chen Qinghe. “So you’re staying here at the hotel?”
Chen Qinghe’s attitude that evening was far warmer than Gu Shaonan had expected. He smiled at Lin Sui and said, “Yes. You can come by anytime to visit, if you’d like.”
Lin Sui suppressed the urge to feel sick. “Sure… I’d love to.”
Then her gaze drifted to Ma Qiurong. In her past life, Ma Qiurong had raised her children all alone, and it had been incredibly hard. She had become extremely thrifty, refusing to spend even a single cent unnecessarily. After adopting Xiao Rong and Xiao Xuan, she never bought them a single piece of candy or one toy. Even later, when the family grew wealthy and sent her plenty of money, her habits never changed. The red envelopes she gave the children during Lunar New Year never exceeded five yuan.
There was no way Gu Shaonan had told Ma Qiurong about Chen Qinghe staying here.
Just as she guessed, the moment Ma Qiurong heard the word “hotel,” her eyes went wide. “You’re staying here? Goodness, that must cost at least ten or twenty yuan a night!”
She had already felt pained watching them eat just now, but with so many people around, she had held her tongue. Now she quickly closed her mouth and tugged at her son’s sleeve, ready to drag him home — as if Lin Sui would just let Gu Shaonan leave that easily.
Lin Sui followed up on Chen Qinghe’s words. “Staying here is nice. The place is clean and comfortable. I stayed here once before, too. It’s just a bit pricey, so I never came back again.”
Hearing that, Chen Qinghe assumed Lin Sui’s family background wasn’t any better than average. Adding to that, he already felt wary of her, so he said with a faint smile, “It’s not that bad. Only thirty yuan a night.”
There — now she would see just how much Gu Shaonan doted on him.
But the moment the words left his mouth, Ma Qiurong’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Thirty yuan a night?! Shaonan, we have a perfectly good home to stay in! Check out! Check out right now!”
Guests were walking back and forth in the hallway. Her voice was loud, and everyone turned to look. Chen Qinghe and his aunt were both startled — especially the aunt, whose expression shifted instantly.
Gu Shaonan’s face stiffened. “Mom, it’s not expensive. I can afford it.”
Ma Qiurong thought to herself: How much do you earn in a month anyway? Ten nights here would eat up your whole salary! Afford it? My foot!
It felt as though someone was cutting right into her flesh. But she knew this was no place to argue. “Let’s talk outside, let’s talk outside!” she urged, yanking her son toward the exit.
Chen Qinghe truly had no idea Gu Shaonan had kept this from his mother, nor had he expected such a dramatic reaction. He felt thoroughly humiliated. He glanced quickly at Lin Sui, then pulled his aunt along and hurried after them, while his younger brother followed behind.
Lin Sui let out a cold laugh. Seeing her expression turn sour, her aunt-in-law asked in confusion, “Sui, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Lin Sui replied. “I just feel… a little sick. And angry, like I’ve been betrayed.”
All those decades together, all those years walking side by side — what had they ever meant to Gu Shaonan?
Her aunt-in-law guessed at her thoughts. “Wait a minute… you’re not falling for that handsome young man, are you? You two only just met today.”
“Love at first sight?” she asked teasingly.
Lin Sui shook her head. “Some people you know your whole life, and yet they still feel like strangers.”
Her aunt-in-law didn’t quite understand what she meant. Worried that Lin Sui might develop feelings for someone who was already taken, she said gently, “If you’re looking for someone to date, I’ll keep my eyes open for you. There are plenty of capable young men here in Nanfeng County. You’re beautiful and smart — finding a good match won’t be hard at all.”
Lin Sui felt comforted by the words. “Thank you, Auntie.”
That was right. He was just a man. And a man like Gu Shaonan? She wanted nothing more to do with him.
Outside the hotel entrance, Ma Qiurong could no longer hold back, though she tried to speak more carefully since Chen Qinghe and his aunt were still nearby.
“Shaonan, what I mean is… this hotel is fine, but who knows how many people have slept in those beds? It can’t possibly be as clean as home. Why not let Qinghe stay with us instead? I’ll make room, share a bed with your sister, and give him a room of his own.”
Chen Qinghe’s aunt pressed her lips together in disapproval, but said nothing.
Chen Qinghe felt deeply uncomfortable, but did not want to make a scene. With a hint of hurt in his voice, he said, “I do think it’s a waste of money staying here. But Shaonan said the villagers are very gossipy. He was worried it would cause trouble for both of us — especially since he works in a state-owned enterprise. Besides, who would want to sleep in your house anyway? The beds probably still reek of the children’s urine.”
Every time Ma Qiurong thought of thirty yuan per night, her heart ached sharply. She was about to try persuading him again when Gu Shaonan spoke up with a forced smile.
“Mom, I told you I can handle it. Please don’t worry. Let me walk you home.”
He turned to Chen Qinghe. “You and your brother Bin go ahead. Send him to see me at the factory tomorrow.”
Since Chen Qinghe knew Gu Shaonan had been very generous to his family — even paying for his father’s surgery and promising to find his brother a job — he decided to let the matter drop for now.
“Very well. Take care on your way, Auntie.”
As soon as they were out of earshot, the aunt said, “I can see your future mother-in-law holds onto money very tightly.”
Chen Qinghe felt embarrassed, but quickly tried to defend her. “She raised several children all on her own — it hasn’t been easy for her. And what matters most is Shaonan’s attitude toward me. He treats me well. He paid for my father’s operation, and he promised to find Bin a proper job.”
Hearing that, his aunt said no more.
Chen Qinghe turned to his brother. “Bin, stay over at Auntie’s tonight and get yourself ready. Tomorrow your future brother-in-law will take you to meet the manager.”
Chen Bin had stayed quiet the whole time, but had watched everything closely. Only now that the Gu family was gone did he dare speak up.
“Future brother-in-law? Not yet, he isn’t. Sister… are you really turning down Liu Gao? He found me yesterday and said if you agreed to marry him, he’d bring me to Guangzhou and make me a store manager there.”
Chen Qinghe froze. “He came looking for you?”
So Liu Gao really was still head over heels for her. “With your skills? A store manager? Don’t be naive. He was just saying that to trick you. Besides, you heard me — I’ve decided to marry Shaonan. So you’d better settle down and work at the shoe factory. Being an order coordinator there is already a good position. Shaonan says there’s a very good chance you’ll get hired.”
Chen Bin usually listened to his sister, even if he wasn’t fully satisfied. He just grunted in reply.
Back near the hotel, Lin Sui had just stepped outside when she saw Chen Qinghe seeing off his aunt and brother. She thought to herself: Now that Chen Bin has arrived in Nanfeng County, he won’t be leaving right away. Gu Shaonan will almost certainly arrange for him to come in for an interview within the next couple of days. That means Lin Sui had to move fast.
Meanwhile, after sending his family away, Chen Qinghe turned back and caught sight of Lin Sui and her group walking off. He told himself he was just being paranoid. He and Gu Shaonan had only broken up for a few days — there was no reason for another woman to come between them. Besides, Gu Shaonan wasn’t the type to fall for someone else so easily. If he were, he wouldn’t have come looking for Chen Qinghe, or promised to find his brother work.
Most likely, this Lin Sui had simply met Gu Shaonan through her uncle and had developed a one-sided crush. Nothing to worry about.
When Lin Sui finally arrived back at her uncle’s house, she had calmed down. She told her uncle about Luo Feifei wanting to apply for a position at the shoe factory.
Her uncle, Liang Junsheng, had met Luo Feifei a few times. He found her bright and capable, and the job of order coordinator didn’t require high education — it mostly involved supporting the sales team. So he agreed.
“It’s just an interview opportunity anyway,” he said. “Whether she gets hired or not depends entirely on her own ability.”