I’m sorry
Qin Mingzhu sucked in a sharp breath.
Before she came, Qin Hai had warned her that this Auntie Li, relying on having taken care of Gu Jingchen for over ten years, already saw herself as half his mother.
Looking at the floor full of shells, Qin Mingzhu asked, “Auntie, cracking sunflower seeds?”
“Don’t block my TV!” Auntie Li waved her hand impatiently. “Don’t try to cozy up to me. Calling me ‘auntie’? I’ve never acknowledged you as Jingchen’s wife!”
“Then who do you want to acknowledge?” Qin Mingzhu asked with a half-smile.
She said it casually, not expecting Auntie Li to actually have someone in mind.
“I’ve watched Xiao Zhi grow up since she was little. Jingchen only married you because he was mad at her. If you know what’s good for you, you’d better leave,” Auntie Li said, waving her hand dismissively.
Qin Mingzhu exaggeratedly widened her mouth and walked around the living room. “Wow, may I ask does the property deed have your name on it?”
“No. Why?” Auntie Li looked confused.
“But it has mine.” Qin Mingzhu let out a cold laugh.
Auntie Li reacted immediately, agitated. “What do you mean!? You want to drive me out?”
“You’re overthinking it. I’m not the kind of evil mistress who throws the housekeeper out,” Qin Mingzhu said with a bright smile. “Li Xiaoli, where did you put the groceries?”
Auntie Li clutched her chest, panting. “What did you call me?”
“Li Xiaoli,” Qin Mingzhu shrugged. “You wouldn’t let me call you ‘auntie,’ so I can only use your name. Otherwise, what should I call you? Housekeeper Li? Ah but that might sound a bit rude.”
Her repeated use of “housekeeper” nearly drove Auntie Li who already saw herself as half the lady of the Gu household into a rage.
“You you!” Auntie Li stamped her feet, spittle flying. “You ill-mannered brat!”
“Why are you so angry?” Qin Mingzhu covered her mouth in mock surprise. “Then I’ll just call you auntie again. Or if you think of a better title, I can change it?”
“Shut up!”
Furious, Auntie Li grabbed something to throw. Qin Mingzhu nimbly dodged and pointed at the teacups on the table. “Auntie Li, that set is worth ten million be careful.”
Auntie Li froze in fright, not daring to move.
She had cleaned the house for years, but Gu Jingchen had never told her how much anything cost. She hadn’t expected it to be this expensive!
Taking the opportunity, Qin Mingzhu went into the kitchen.
There weren’t many ingredients in the fridge, so she picked out a good piece of chicken from the freezer to defrost.
Auntie Li followed in and immediately rolled her eyes. “You’re cooking just for yourself?”
“On my wedding night, of course I’m eating with Jingchen,” Qin Mingzhu said in an affected tone.
“How can you give Jingchen frozen meat!” Auntie Li pointed at the chicken in disgust. “It’s been frozen all afternoon!”
Only an afternoon…
Qin Mingzhu remembered that before she was taken back to the Qin family, she would be grateful just to eat frozen meat once a month.
She ignored Auntie Li’s nagging. Once the chicken soup was ready, she quickly ladled herself a small bowl.
Auntie Li rushed over to knock the bowl away. “You can’t drink it first!”
Qin Mingzhu almost got burned. “Auntie Li, if you want some, cook it yourself. Why are you grabbing mine?”
“You shameless vixen who wants your lousy soup?” Auntie Li put her hands on her hips and cursed loudly. “If you dare give Jingchen your leftovers, just wait and see what happens to you!”
“Auntie Li, I haven’t eaten all day,” Qin Mingzhu said with an incredulous laugh. “Everything in this pot I’m about to bring it to Jingchen. How did you twist it into leftovers?”
“I don’t care! Not only are you feeding him frozen meat, you’re even trying to fob him off with your leftovers. I’m dumping all of it right now!”
A fifty-year-old woman losing her temper was like an unrestrained stubborn mule.
The anger Qin Mingzhu had been suppressing since she entered also surged up. Her face turned cold as she said icily, “Go ahead and try.”
Her features were striking stunning when she smiled, and fierce when she turned cold.
Auntie Li’s shoulders trembled. Realizing she had been intimidated by a girl barely in her twenties, she became even more furious. “Fine, fine! Jingchen really did marry quite the formidable woman!”
The kitchen door slammed loudly. Qin Mingzhu instinctively reached to cover the bowl, then remembered this was no longer the dusty basement from years ago no matter how hard the door was slammed, not a speck of dust would fall.
She took a deep breath, finished the soup in a few gulps, then poured the rest into a thermos and took a taxi to the Gu Long Group.
The towering office buildings were brightly lit. At a glance, the entire area belonged to the Gu Corporation.
Qin Mingzhu walked toward the tallest building but was stopped by security at the entrance.
After thinking for a moment, she called Xu Yan to come down and get her. “Don’t tell Jingchen about this yet.”
“Madam, do you have some arrangement?” Xu Yan’s voice sounded a bit odd.
Through the phone, Qin Mingzhu couldn’t tell what was going on on the other end.
She answered honestly, “I brought him something to eat.”
“Please wait a moment, Madam. I’ll be right down.”
After hanging up, Qin Mingzhu sat obediently on a bench to wait.
When Gu Jingchen came out, what he saw was her dozing off under a maple tree.
His steps unconsciously quickened. As he got closer, he slowed again, walking toward her at an unhurried pace.
“Why is it you?” Qin Mingzhu’s drowsiness vanished instantly.
She lifted her neck and handed him the thermos. “You haven’t eaten yet, right? I made this for you.”
Gu Jingchen lowered his head to take it, his long fingers reaching toward her head.
A faint, cool woody scent drifted in the air. Qin Mingzhu stole a glance at his handsome, indifferent face, her heart starting to pound again.
As someone obsessed with good looks, she really found it hard to resist at this moment.
It wasn’t entirely her fault who told Gu Jingchen to have such a face while doing intimate gestures toward her?
Determined to regain some ground, Qin Mingzhu grabbed his wrist. “Why do you keep touching my head?”
She was aggressive, but Gu Jingchen calmly withdrew his hand.
Between his fingers was a maple leaf.
…A misunderstanding.
Qin Mingzhu coughed lightly and looked up awkwardly at the sky. “It’s getting late. I should go.”
“I thought you came to say something else.”
Gu Jingchen released his hand, the leaf spinning as it fell to the ground.
Qin Mingzhu felt like her throat had been seized.
Bringing the soup really did have another purpose.
The words she had carefully considered circled on the tip of her tongue. She pressed her lips together, then finally said softly, “I’m sorry. Next time, I’ll think about the consequences before making a decision.”
Qin Mingzhu had always been willful since childhood. Apologizing like this made her feel uncomfortable all over.
“Does the wound still hurt?” Gu Jingchen asked calmly.
Qin Mingzhu sensed a chance for reconciliation and nodded quickly. “It really hurts.”
“Come upstairs with me. I forgot the painkillers in my office.”