“Xiao Rui had surgery. The first curettage wasn't completely removed, so she had to have it done a second time. The child was traumatized after the incident and has been making a fuss with me every day, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing. I didn't dare take her home, so she rested at her maternal grandmother's house. She will return to Beijing after her postpartum period. Xiao west, if Ni Xingzhuo asks you, please keep this a secret.”
After reading the messages, Zhao Xiyin deleted them all.
Ding Yahe seems to never understand one principle: forcibly imposing one's own mistakes and life experiences on others is, in fact, a form of rudeness. "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you"—the principle is simple, but those who can truly put it into practice are always few and far between.
Cen Yue handed her her water glass and nuzzled her shoulder. "What are you looking at so intently?"
Zhao Xiyin waved her phone. "Delete the messages."
Cen Yueyuan's eyes darted around cleverly. She turned her head toward her and asked in a low voice, "What was the name of the man we met that day?"
Zhao Xiyin didn't react for a moment, "Who?"
Their eyes met, and Cen Yue winked at her.
"Oh, oh!" Zhao Xiyin nodded. "You mean Gu Heping?"
Cen Yue smiled broadly, "His name is Gu Heping. What a name that sounds like it's from a bygone era."
"Many of their family members have served in the military, and they all have this kind of vibe." Zhao Xiyin only knew the general idea; she had only heard Zhou Qishen mention it a long time ago. His sister was named Gu Anning, and his brother was named Gu Jiangong. In any case, they all had a righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor.
Her mysterious background is difficult to explain, and the language used is too sophisticated, making her seem overly respectful and obsequious. In short, Gu Heping should be considered a genuine member of a privileged family.
Zhao Xiyin suddenly frowned, her gaze suspicious. "Little Moon, why are you asking so many questions?"
Cen Yue smiled and said, "I'm just curious. I think he's quite good-looking."
Zhao Xiyin pursed her lips, her expression suddenly turning serious. "Don't be fooled by his appearance."
Cen Yue asked, "Will he lie to me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiyin knew things were going badly, but she didn't condemn Gu Heping outright. Instead, she objectively stated, "I don't know, but he has deceived quite a few people."
Cen Yue touched her ear, looked down and chuckled, "Quite the little fox."
After training, Zhao Xiyin asked Cen Yue, "Want to go for hot pot? Didn't you say you wanted to go last time?"
"I'm not going." Cen Yue quickly slung her bag over her shoulder and left. "I have something to do."
Zhao Xiyin felt that she was acting strangely, like she was being sneaky.
Since there were no appointments here, Zhao Xiyin strolled over to Li Ran's studio. There were piles of express delivery boxes and samples. Xiao Shun was squatting on the ground rummaging around. When he saw her come in, he stretched his neck and shouted, "Sister Xi, you go play by yourself first. Manager Li is on a date. I'll take you out to eat after I'm done."
Zhao Xiyin kicked aside the cardboard box at her feet and came over to help. "It's okay, don't worry about me. She's on a date? What kind of date is she on?"
"It seems like a guy is pursuing her lately. Well, not really pursuing her, I think Sister Ran is quite happy flirting with him." Xiao Shun tore off the transparent tape and quickly tied the cardboard box shut.
Zhao Xiyin asked, "Is it the same one as last time? That graduate student from Renmin University?"
Xiao Shun stopped what he was doing and racked his brains to remember. "Oh, oh! No, no, Sister Ran said he has body odor, it's fatal."
Unable to get an answer, Zhao Xiyin didn't take it too seriously. Sometimes she felt that Li Ran was actually a bit like a younger version of Zhao Lingxia, focused on her career, with friends from all over the world, and an extremely generous and forthright personality. However, she was quite clueless when it came to matters of the heart. Many people pursued her, but in her memory, the only person Li Ran had ever truly liked was that married senior.
"The store's sales were pretty good during Singles' Day. Sister Ran said she'd take us on a trip to Bali." Xiao Shun blinked. "Sister Xi, are you going?"
“I don’t have time, I have my exam next week.” Zhao Xiyin took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to him. “Shun’er, I asked someone to get me an access pass for the dance academy. Teacher Yang Lianqing will be teaching there. Haven’t you always wanted to go to school? Take this opportunity to attend a class; it will be helpful for you.”
Xiao Shun was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with a smile, and he pressed the envelope to his chest like a precious treasure. "Thank you, Sister Xi!"
Zhao Xiyin stayed there until nine o'clock before leaving. As she exited the elevator, she happened to see Li Ran getting out of a car. Li Ran was holding flowers and was chatting and laughing with the person in the driver's seat.
The black BMW SUV looks more and more familiar.
Later, as the car slowly started moving forward, Zhao Xiyin saw the driver clearly and was immediately terrified.
Li Ran was humming a song as she walked down the stairs when Zhao Xiyin grabbed her arm and dragged her aside, angrily asking, "How did you end up hanging out with Gu Heping?!"
Li Ran was terrified. "Oh my god!"
"Stop talking nonsense and get to the point," Zhao Xiyin demanded sternly.
Li Ran pushed the roses in her hand in front of her, her eyes smiling like crescent moons, "If this little fool wants to play, then I'll play with him."
Zhao Xiyin frowned. Li Ran was a paper tiger—fierce on the outside but weak on the inside, simple-minded, and only good with words. As for Gu Heping, he was notorious in Houhai a few years ago. Before dating anyone, you'd first ask if they'd been with Gu Heping. Various rumors circulated, some juicy and others unverifiable, but Gu Heping was definitely not a good person. He seemed polite to everyone, but his heart was cold.
Li Ran disagreed, saying, "Zhou Qishen and Gu Heping are sworn brothers, birds of a feather, and accomplices in evil deeds. The one surnamed Zhou is even worse than the one surnamed Gu. Yet you still married Zhou Qishen."
Zhao Xiyin rolled her eyes and calmly stated, "That's why I never had a good ending."
Li Ran immediately softened and took her hand to apologize, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that."
Zhao Xiyin also held her hand, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have poured cold water on you without knowing the truth."
The two girls are very close and will never fall out over a man in this lifetime.
Holding the flowers, Li Ran's expression softened, and her tone became sincere. "It's still far from certain. I just think he's actually a pretty good person."
Li Ran's expression at this moment seemed familiar. Zhao Xiyin suddenly thought of Cen Yue. Even their simple-minded gazes were the same. The series of unsolved mysteries suddenly became clear, and a word quietly surfaced in Zhao Xiyin's mind.
A handsome man can be a source of trouble.
Author's Note: Keep scrolling up, there's a second update coming.
Chapter 47 Tonight's Dream is Cold (4)
Tonight, my dreams are cold. (4)
In early winter on the outskirts of Beijing, far from the hustle and bustle, the old trees sway in the brisk west wind, and fallen leaves occasionally drift down.