CHAPTER 131: CHAPTER 121: THE PERSON RAN FAR AWAY...

Qiao Yuxian ran from the study to her bedroom.

Once she got to the bedroom, she closed the door and stood by it for a while. She remembered Gu Yanjing’s look and, unusually, locked the door.

Then after standing still for a bit, she ran to her bed, threw herself onto it, and covered her face while lying down.

After lying there for a while, she rolled over, wrapped herself in the quilt, and curled up like a caterpillar on the bed.

"Ah—Help, Qiao Yuxian, what have you done, what are you doing?"

She covered her face, lay on the bed, and whispered to herself.

Her whole body flushed red, like a cooked crab, from head to toe.

She wanted to hide herself away, unseen by anyone.

After a long time, she finally moved, took out her phone from her pocket, and made a call.

When the call connected, with her face buried in the bed, Qiao Yuxian said muffledly, "Uncle Wen."

"What’s with your voice? Are you sick?" The man’s voice on the other end sounded concerned.

"No, I’m fine." Qiao Yuxian lifted her head, her voice cleared up a bit.

The person on the other end was relieved, then asked, "What’s the matter? Are you out of money?"

Qiao Yuxian: "...Can’t I call you for something else?"

"Never encountered such a situation," the man replied frankly.

Qiao Yuxian: "......"

"Alright then, since you mentioned it, go ahead and send me some money," Qiao Yuxian said.

"No problem," the man agreed readily, "but tell me, the whole company is yours, why do you still need to ask me for money?"

"You don’t understand the joy of young people asking their parents for money," Qiao Yuxian laughed.

The man chuckled, "Go on, what’s up?"

"Is there someone named Sheng Chendong who wants to see you?" Qiao Yuxian asked.

"Sheng Chendong?" The man thought for a moment, "Wait a moment, I’ll ask."

The man used another phone to call his assistant, and after a minute, he hung up and said, "There is indeed a man named Sheng Chendong who has an appointment to see me. From A Continent? Why, is there a problem?"

"He wants to expand in the Capital City," Qiao Yuxian turned on the speaker and placed the phone on the bed, fiddling with the bedsheet.

The man was silent for two seconds and then said, "Ah, understood, I won’t let him come."

"It’s not about not letting him come, just feels a bit odd, why come all of a sudden," Qiao Yuxian said. "You can meet with him, just watch and pay attention to them."

"Oh~~ understood," the man said, "Meet casually, no commitments, mainly just see him."

"Right."

"Got it," the man replied and then asked, "Anything else?"

"Nope."

"Tsk, you little heartless one. Don’t you know how to care about your Uncle Wen?" the man said.

"What? Are you at an age where you need to inquire about your health over the phone?" Qiao Yuxian asked suspiciously.

"Hey! You little girl. What kind of talk is that? Can’t you care about my life?" the man said.

"What! Do I have an aunt now?!"

Man: "... Hanging up! Keep in touch less if you have nothing important to say!"

Qiao Yuxian looked at the hung-up phone, pouting, "Such a bad temper."

Just after saying this, a bank transfer notification came through on her phone.

Looking at the large sum of money, Qiao Yuxian’s flushed face buried itself into the quilt again, smiling.

...

Gu Yanjing’s lifestyle has always been regular, no matter how late he sleeps at night.

He always maintains his daytime routine.

Without fail, he keeps up with his morning exercise every day.

Early the next day, he went for his workout, glancing at Qiao Yuxian’s room as he came out of his own, then headed downstairs.

But when he returned, as soon as he entered the living room, Aunt Mei told him that Qiao Yuxian had left for school.

Gu Yanjing instinctively glanced at the time in the living room.

She left almost an hour earlier than usual to go to school.

Gu Yanjing: "......"

After a brief silent pause, he asked, "Did she take breakfast?"

"Yes, I packed it for her," Aunt Mei responded.

"Alright," Gu Yanjing responded and went upstairs.

What he didn’t expect later was that not only did she leave early in the morning, but she also didn’t return at night.

Off work in the afternoon, he came out of the office and saw Shang Chen walking with Su Qi.

He stopped and glanced at him.

Shang Chen immediately said, "Miss Qiao said I don’t need to pick her up, she has something to take care of."

Gu Yanjing retracted his gaze and walked toward the elevator, pulling out his phone as he went.

Just as he took out his phone, Qiao Yuxian messaged him, right at his off-work time: [I’m at the Qiao Family’s tonight, not coming back.]

She then added a sticker of a well-behaved little cat lying down.

Gu Yanjing looked at the message, his eyes faintly clouded with gloom. He closed his phone and walked briskly to the elevator doors with an air of wanting to apprehend someone.

However, once inside the elevator, he reopened his phone and replied with a message: [Okay.]

But after sending this message and putting his phone back in his pocket, Su Qi suddenly shivered as if the whole elevator had been encased in ice. He looked at his boss, not quite sure what had happened.

Meanwhile, Shang Chen looked excited, thinking someone had crossed their boss, and now he had a task.

But after waiting three days, no task was assigned to him.

His boss just became more gloomy, and it seemed like he had discovered something.

Another day, Qiao Yuxian sent another message that she wouldn’t be returning to Fenglin Villa.

Receiving this message, Gu Yanjing didn’t return to Fenglin Villa but went to attend a banquet.

Gradually, people noticed the once-missing-for-a-few-months Mr. Gu had begun attending various parties, banquets, and dinners more frequently.

People couldn’t fathom it.

No one dared to ask.

They could only quietly endure and observe.

At the banquet that Gu Yanjing was attending, Shang Chen, Meng Yan, and Su Qi had nothing to do, so they tagged along.

Their boss liked quiet; even when attending events, he mostly stayed upstairs, meeting people succinctly.

For the rest, Su Qi took the lead.

Standing outside the upstairs drawing room, Shang Chen looked around and noticed no one, then softly said, "Have you noticed that the boss has been in a bad mood every time Miss Qiao isn’t around?"

Su Qi glanced at him, exchanged looks with Meng Yan.

Shang Chen maintained a stern face, like a cold-faced killer.

But this cold-faced killer wasn’t sharp-minded, yet he loved to demonstrate his lack of wits: "Do you think... why is that? Why does Gu Yanjing get upset when Miss Qiao isn’t around? Do you think it’s a coincidence, so coincidental that it seems a bit weird?"

Meng Yan looked at him, smiled, and patted his shoulder, "I’ll go down to have a look, you stay here and protect the boss."

With that, he went downstairs.

Shang Chen frowned and looked at Su Qi again.

Su Qi adjusted his clothes, took a look at him, and gently said, "I’m really curious, how have you managed to stay by Mr. Gu for so many years?"

After saying this, he patted Shang Chen’s shoulder heavily and also went downstairs.

Shang Chen’s brow furrowed deeper, looking at their backs with utter confusion.

I’m talking about Gu Yanjing.

What are you both talking about!

Did you both understand?!