Meanwhile, Su Ningyue pulled Yanyan along and hurried away. Only after they had walked out of the mall did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The moment she looked up, she saw Yanyan staring at her without blinking. Su Ningyue felt a twinge of guilt and her gaze darted away. “Yanyan, why are you looking at me like that?”
Lin Xiyan crossed her arms, tapping her chin with her index finger, and asked with great interest, “Ningning, when did you meet a man that fine? He’s way better than Duan Mingrui. If you were to get together with that man instead, I’d definitely support it with both hands.”
In Lin Xiyan’s eyes, Duan Mingrui wasn’t as honest as he appeared on the surface. He lacked decisiveness and didn’t deserve their Ningning.
Teased by Yanyan, Su Ningyue’s face grew warm, and her fair ears turned red enough to drip blood. “Yanyan, don’t talk nonsense. I only met that man for the first time a couple of days ago.”
“You’ve already met twice in less than two days—seems like you two have quite a connection.” Lin Xiyan winked. “Your first meeting must have been anything but ordinary. Tell me about it.”
Su Ningyue: “…”
Unable to resist Yanyan’s prying, Su Ningyue recounted the embarrassing incident from that night.
Lin Xiyan couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Given Ningning’s reserved nature, it really must have been awkward.
“Yanyan, stop laughing.”
Su Ningyue bit her lip lightly, and Lin Xiyan quickly stifled her laughter. “So that means he heard us complaining about our boss just now too.”
Su Ningyue nodded dejectedly. “Yeah, that’s why it’s so awkward.”
“Hopefully we won’t run into him again.”
Lin Xiyan comforted her, “It’s fine. He’s a grown man; he won’t go around talking about it. How about staying at my place tonight?”
It had been a while since they’d had a chance to share secrets with each other anyway.
Su Ningyue agreed, and the two took a cab straight back to Lin Xiyan’s place.
As night fell, in a luxurious residence in the heart of Linjiang City—a sprawling flat of about two hundred square meters—Gu Jingchuan stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows in a black robe, gazing at the city’s splendor. Holding a wine glass in one hand, he took a light sip, then set it down and picked up his phone from the bar counter to dial a number.
The phone rang once, and the call connected.
“Jingchuan, what’s the occasion for you to call me?”
The voice on the other end belonged to Gu Qianyin, who teased her younger brother in a lighthearted tone.
“Sis, did Xiaoxue call you back today?” Gu Jingchuan pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone betraying no emotion.
“Mm, she said she’d hang out with her classmates in Linjiang City for a couple of days before heading home.”
Gu Qianyin knew that her daughter’s call back must have been prompted by her brother’s persuasion.
“But you didn’t call today just to ask about that, did you?”
Gu Jingchuan didn’t deny it and said directly, “Sis, I heard from Xiaoxue that you’ve been trying to divorce your husband recently. What’s going on?”
Gu Qianyin was silent for a moment, only the sound of her steady breathing audible. Gu Jingchuan waited quietly for her to speak.
“Jingchuan, what exactly did Xiaoxue tell you?”
Gu Jingchuan relayed exactly what his niece had said to him. “Sis, I know there must be more to it than that.”
Gu Qianyin didn’t hold back either, her voice low and hoarse. “Jingchuan, your brother-in-law had an affair!”
Hearing this, Gu Jingchuan instinctively frowned. “Sis, did you see it with your own eyes?”
“Not at all, but recently he’s been getting quite close to a young nurse at his hospital. Last time, because of that girl, he missed our wedding anniversary.”
“You know I can’t tolerate even a speck of sand in my eyes. If he dares to betray me, I won’t hesitate to divorce him.”
Gu Jingchuan’s tone was firm. “Sis, my brother-in-law is devoted to you. I don’t believe he would ever do anything to hurt you or Xiaoxue. There must be a misunderstanding. You two should sit down and talk it out.”
Gu Qianyin refused outright. “There’s nothing to talk about between him and me.”
“Xiaoxue doesn’t want you two to get divorced. The reason she ran away this time is because she doesn’t want to face this. Sis, I believe you and my brother-in-law still have feelings for each other.”
Hearing this, Gu Qianyin fell silent for a moment before speaking. “Did Xiaoxue tell you something?”
“All these years, you and my brother-in-law have been busy with work, spending very little time with her. Now that divorce suddenly comes up, she simply can’t accept it.”
Gu Qianyin felt a pang in her heart. For her daughter’s sake, she would try to make a change.
“Sis understands. I won’t rush into a divorce impulsively.”
After hanging up, Gu Jingchuan gently swirled the red wine in his goblet, then downed it in one gulp. He sent Xiaoxue a message, and the little girl quickly replied with a string of flattering words. A faint smile appeared on his usually stern face.
The weekend passed quickly. During those two days, Su Ningyue and Yanyan ate and drank, chatting and laughing, completely leaving their work troubles behind. But once Monday arrived, everything returned to normal.
Hong Lingling made it to her seat at the very last minute and greeted, “Morning, Ningyue.”
Su Ningyue nodded and smiled. “Morning. I bought you your favorite steamed dumplings.”
Hong Lingling was deeply touched. “Mmm… thank you, Ningyue. You’re so thoughtful.”
She immediately stuffed a dumpling into her mouth and mumbled, “Gotta eat a good breakfast. There’s a ton of work waiting for us later.”
Suddenly, she noticed Su Ningyue’s rosy complexion and teased, “Ningyue, you look all glowing. Did you go on a date with your boyfriend this weekend?”
“No, don’t guess nonsense.”
Su Ningyue quickly denied it. At the office, besides Lingling, no one else knew she had a boyfriend.
But to Hong Lingling, her explanation was just an attempt to cover up.
“Hong Lingling, Su Ningyue, what are you two chatting about? Don’t you want to work anymore?”
Team leader Feng Mengna swayed her hips in a pencil skirt as she walked over, scolding the two with borrowed authority. But her eyes were fixed on Su Ningyue, as if she were specifically targeting her.
Su Ningyue and the other immediately sat up straight. Feng Mengna found it boring, snorted coldly, and went into Director Liu’s office.
Hong Lingling stuck her tongue out at Su Ningyue. “She’s definitely going in there to tattle on us to Director Liu.”
Su Ningyue was amused by Hong Lingling’s cuteness.
“Ningyue, you can still laugh.” Hong Lingling clicked her tongue and whispered, “I feel like Feng Mengna is targeting you. She must be jealous of your beauty.”
“No way. It’s not like I’m drop-dead gorgeous.”
Hong Lingling immediately made an exaggerated gesture. “Ningyue, you’re absolutely beautiful, okay? Your skin is fair, your figure is great. If I had your looks, I’d definitely find myself a rich and handsome boyfriend.”
Only after saying it did she realize her words could be misconstrued, and she scratched her head awkwardly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to belittle your boyfriend.”
Su Ningyue pressed her lips into a smile. “It’s fine~”
After all, she thought Duan Mingrui was a great guy—steady and capable, and attentive to her.
Hong Lingling secretly glanced at Su Ningyue, who was focused on her work, and couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. Although Ningyue’s boyfriend was somewhat handsome, he was just an ordinary working man. It seemed Ningyue was still too naive.
In today’s society, finding a boyfriend with power and influence was far too important.