Aunt Lin was a tidy and meticulous person. She treated everyone in the household with great courtesy and kept herself in a very humble position—which, in turn, made Gu Xi feel a little embarrassed.
There were only two pots and some scraps to clean up, so Gu Xi took care of it herself. When she came back out, the man was still eating. He had finished the noodles at the bottom of the bowl, but the shredded pork with green peppers on top had barely been touched.
She also noticed that his eyes and lips were slightly red, as if the spice was getting to him.
Gu Xi was taken aback and blurted out, “You don’t like spicy food?”
But in her previous life, when she ate spicy dishes, he had eaten them with her too—and had seemed perfectly fine.
The man took a sip from the glass beside him and said calmly, “I’m not very good with spice.”
“Oh.”
Gu Xi suppressed the odd feeling stirring inside her. She sat down nearby and watched him prepare to continue eating. Unable to help herself, she said, “If you don’t like it, don’t force yourself. Eating too much at night isn’t good for you.”
Hearing this, his hand holding the chopsticks paused for a moment. Still, he finished all the noodles at the bottom. Gu Xi figured he must have been genuinely hungry—but she wasn’t about to offer to cook him another bowl. She wasn’t that kind-hearted.
She had been sitting there for a while, and he still hadn’t asked her anything.
That was just how he was—he always had to keep the upper hand.
Gu Xi didn’t have time to waste, so she spoke up first. “Uncle Bai, I’m going out for work soon. Could I borrow a car from you? Preferably a minivan.”
Now she remembered to use the formal address.
The man caught the shift in her tone. As he lifted his teacup, he let out a soft laugh. He raised his eyelids and gave her a faint glance. The girl had probably just gotten out of bed—her loose hair was a little messy, her fair face bright with clear, dark eyes, and her lips gleamed under the light, as if she had applied something.
The house wasn’t cold, and she was only wearing a set of cotton pajamas—white with lace trim—which made her look softer and sweeter than usual.
He ran his long fingers along the rim of the cup and said flatly, “That bodyguard of yours—he’s been to prison?”
Gu Xi was startled, unsure how he knew that.
But then she thought—after she and Bai Yuzhou had broken up, Grandpa Bai must have called him quite a bit. It was only natural that he would have looked into her and Bai Yuzhou.
She nodded. “I know. ‘If you trust someone, don’t doubt them; if you doubt them, don’t use them.’ As long as he does his job, that’s all that matters.”
That was something he had once taught her—though she’d never had the chance to put it into practice.
The man gave a low “Mm” in response. “I see.”
Gu Xi hated this kind of vague answer. She pressed directly, “Can I get it tomorrow?”
The man raised his eyes to her again, with a hint of helplessness, and said, “Yes.”
Good enough.
Gu Xi nodded and stood up. “Then get some rest, Uncle Bai.”
Without any lingering attachment, she turned and walked away.
The man watched her figure disappear up the stairs and let out another soft chuckle. Using him and tossing him aside, just like that.
The spicy taste still lingered in his mouth. He picked up his cup and took another sip.
Looking down at the cup, he suddenly felt a little puzzled—what had he even come all this way for?
The next morning, Aunt Lin had prepared several kinds of breakfast items.
The old master loved porridge and steamed buns. Since Gu Xi had come over yesterday and Aunt Lin remembered she had a good appetite, she also made small wontons and steamed some frozen soup dumplings—they had been made a few days ago and were still fairly fresh.
She had just finished ladling out the porridge when she saw Bai Shulin coming down the stairs. She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “Good thing I made a little extra this morning.”
The old master noticed him too. He put down his newspaper, calmly picked up his teacup, and took a sip. “When did you get back last night?”
The man walked over to the table and sat down. “A little after nine.”
The old master cleared his throat. “Don’t work yourself too hard sometimes. Money’s not everything.”
This time, the man didn’t respond. The old master waited a long while but got no reply. His beard twitched in annoyance, and he turned his face away, refusing to look at him.
Aunt Lin went back to the kitchen and brought out a cup of freshly blended soy milk, placing it across from Bai Shulin. The man glanced up and said, “Pour one for me too.”
Aunt Lin paused, then smiled and said she would. She went back to the kitchen and returned with another cup, setting it by his right hand. She added with a smile, “It’s made according to Miss Gu’s recipe—not a hint of beany flavor.”
The man gave a low “Mm.”
Breakfast was quiet. Neither father nor son said another word. After wiping his mouth, the old master glanced at his son, who was still eating, and asked Aunt Lin, “Has Xixi not woken up yet?”
He figured if she came down now, his son could drop her off at school on the way and save her a trip.
Aunt Lin looked up at the stairs and hesitated. “Should I go up and check?”
“Forget it. Let her sleep a little longer. She probably stayed up late playing on her phone again—she did that all through school.”
The old master’s tone was indulgent. He knew Gu Xi well—back in her school days, she had loved staying up late reading novels, and sometimes she’d wake up with her eyes all red and puffy.
Bai Shulin calmly finished the wontons in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and rose to leave.
He couldn’t help but think—his own youth had been filled with beatings and abuse. This old man had never once treated him with such leniency.
Some things, if he didn’t think about them, seemed not to exist. But at other times, they were like a needle piercing an old wound—it wouldn’t kill him, but it would still hurt.
Not long after he left, Gu Xi came downstairs. After breakfast, she packed up the remaining buns and mantou to take with her. The school was on break now, and though quite a few students were still around, only one cafeteria was open, with only a few stalls running.
Aunt Lin knew she was bringing the food for her roommates, so she went back to the kitchen and made two more meat dishes.
Grandpa Bai walked her to the courtyard gate. Gu Xi waved cheerfully. “Once I finish filming, I’ll come back to visit you.”
“Good, good, good. Our family’s about to have a big star! Xixi’s so accomplished—Grandpa’s never even been on TV before.”
Gu Xi couldn’t help but laugh. If she ever did appear on TV, Grandpa would definitely call everyone he knew to show off.
Her heart felt full. She wasn’t completely useless after all.
Back at school, when Fang Pingping saw the food Gu Xi had brought back, her eyes practically sparkled. She was deeply moved. “Xixi, you’re so good to me.”
The only cafeteria open lately had no competition, so the food was terrible—some dishes were cold by the time they were served. She hadn’t had any meat in days.
Aunt Lin had packed everything in an insulated lunch container, so when Fang Pingping ate, it was still warm and tasted just as good.
After they finished eating, Gu Xi received a call from Assistant Fang, asking where she was and if she needed the car brought over.
Gu Xi set a time and place, then hung up and contacted Xiao Chen, telling him to meet them at the agreed location.
Xiao Chen arrived early. When Gu Xi and Fang Pingping got there, he was crouched on the ground, his body hunched against the cold—his face had turned slightly blue from the chill.
But he looked much more spirited than last time, clean and put together. He wore a peaked cap, and from a distance, he looked fairly handsome.
When he saw them approaching, he stood up immediately and shoved his hands into his pockets. Today he wore a long black padded coat.
Fang Pingping handed him the milk tea she’d bought on the way.
Xiao Chen took it and muttered a thank you.
They hadn’t waited long before Fang Qi and Liu Xuan pulled up in two cars, one after the other. Fang Qi got out, handed the keys to Gu Xi, and said with a smile, “The boss said to be careful out there.”
Gu Xi took the keys, giving him a slightly odd look at those words.
She could guarantee that man would never say something like that—he probably wouldn’t even open his mouth.
Still, she replied, “Thank him for me.”
“Will do.”
Fang Qi didn’t say anything more and got into the black Bentley behind them.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Liu Xuan glanced at the keys in Gu Xi’s hand with a pained expression. He’d hardly even driven that car himself. “The boss sure is generous.”
Fang Qi just smiled.
He thought to himself—the boss wasn’t generous with just anyone.
Gu Xi turned and handed the keys straight to Xiao Chen. Over the past two days, Xiao Chen had been working for free at an auto repair shop just for the chance to practice driving. He already knew how to drive, and those two days had helped him get his feel back. Before coming, he’d felt fairly confident.
But now, looking at the minivan in front of him—even if he wasn’t worldly, he recognized the emblem—his heart started pounding nervously.
He didn’t want to lose this job, so he steeled himself and got into the driver’s seat.
Gu Xi and Fang Pingping climbed in as well. The interior was luxurious, with spacious seats. Fang Pingping couldn’t resist touching the seat—the leather felt even nicer than her part-time boss’s genuine leather jacket. “This car’s not cheap, is it?”
Gu Xi didn’t know the price. “Probably.”
Fang Pingping sighed in admiration. “Your uncle is really rich.”
Gu Xi didn’t deny it. “He is.”
Fang Pingping was envious. She said to Xiao Chen in the driver’s seat, “Drive carefully. Today we get to enjoy the high life.”
Xiao Chen pressed his lips together. He searched for the key slot but couldn’t find it—until he realized it started with a push of a button. Different from the beat-up used cars he’d practiced on. Luckily, the two girls in the back were too busy looking around to notice. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Following Gu Xi’s instructions, Xiao Chen drove around the area. He pressed the gas pedal a little too hard, and the car shot forward, throwing the two in the back forward.
“Ah—”
Fang Pingping screamed in fright. Gu Xi bumped her head against the front seat—it was soft, so it didn’t hurt much.
Luckily, Xiao Chen was bold but careful. He quickly steadied the speed. The area near the school was quiet, with wide roads and few cars—a decent place to practice.
After a few rounds, he quickly got used to the vehicle. He had to admit—a good car really did drive well.
It was just that the two girls in the back were giving him slightly reproachful looks, probably realizing his driving skills weren’t the best.
Xiao Chen touched his nose guiltily and pretended not to notice.
Gu Xi had Xiao Chen park near the school. They agreed to practice one more time tomorrow and leave the day after.
It was only then that Xiao Chen learned they were heading to a film studio—and that the prettiest girl was an actress.
On his way back, though his body was still cold, his heart felt warm. He thought, if this job went well, he would ask the young boss for a photo together. Having been a bodyguard for a celebrity would surely make finding future work much easier.
With that thought, his future no longer seemed entirely bleak.