Chapter 524: Chapter 524: Dong Yuanyuan Demands a Divorce
Second Brother Gu thought about how they were already an engaged couple who had held an engagement party.
It was one thing to sneak a kiss in a secluded corner, but with so many people in the restaurant, he didn’t dare kiss her in front of everyone.
But holding her hand, he couldn’t help but want to kiss her. Her lips were like candy to him, and he constantly longed for another taste.
So he squeezed Li Xiulan’s hand tighter and walked even faster, afraid he might do something embarrassing that everyone would laugh at.
Li Xiulan, however, had no idea what her fiancé was thinking. She just assumed he was in a hurry to see his sister.
She didn’t want to keep Jiaojiao waiting either, but he was squeezing her hand so hard it hurt. ’Is he really that desperate to see Jiaojiao?!’
He wasn’t even considering her feelings. It made her uncomfortable and upset.
So, she deliberately slowed down. It was a little petty of her, she knew, but she just didn’t want to walk so fast anymore.
When he showed no sign of slowing down, she couldn’t help but ask accusingly, "Second Brother Gu, are you that eager to see Jiaojiao?"
"Huh? I’m not in that much of a hurry."
"If you’re not in a hurry, then why are you walking so fast?"
"Heh heh... Xiulan, I’m a little embarrassed to say."
"What’s so hard to say? I’m not a stranger."
"Xiulan, the truth is, I really want to kiss you. But there are too many people here, and I just don’t have the nerve. That’s why I wanted to walk faster."
Li Xiulan was rendered speechless.
When he finished speaking and saw his fiancée just staring at him silently, Second Brother Gu grew terribly embarrassed. He let go of her hand and hurried away.
"That blockhead, honestly..." Li Xiulan muttered, her face flushing red as she stared at his retreating back.
Ever since they’d kissed, she knew Second Brother Gu liked her, but she never imagined he liked her *this* much.
Still, she was quite happy about it. After all, she had been the one to like Second Brother Gu first—because he was handsome.
Before, she truly believed she would like him whether he was poor or rich. It was only after getting to know him that she discovered he was actually very wealthy.
After finding out, she’d even felt a little regret, thinking she had been too impulsive. ’Would someone as outstanding as Second Brother Gu even be interested in me?’
But now she knew. Not only did he like her, he was crazy about her. And most importantly, he treated her very well.
Li Xiulan mulled this over, but she didn’t slow down, hurrying after Second Brother Gu until she reached the table where Gu Jiaojiao and the others were sitting.
"Second Brother Gu, why didn’t you wait for my sister-in-law? Look at her, she’s all flushed from rushing over."
Gu Jiaojiao said with a contemptuous curl of her lip, seeing Li Xiulan chasing breathlessly after her brother.
Before Second Brother Gu could speak, Li Xiulan jumped to his defense. "Jiaojiao, your brother was fine. It’s just that the hot pot in this restaurant is so steamy. I’m just hot from that."
"Heh heh, the hot pot certainly is steamy. Sister-in-law, hurry and sit down. See what you’d like to eat."
Gu Jiaojiao agreed with a grin, but she was complaining internally: ’The one who is loved always takes it for granted. My sister-in-law likes my brother so much, and he doesn’t even know how to appreciate her.’
"My lady, let’s get the beef hot pot." Han Jingyi had already looked over the menu, so as soon as Gu Jiaojiao mentioned ordering, he made his choice.
"Mm, you have good taste, Han Jingyi," Second Brother Gu began his sales pitch. "Our beef here is very fresh. It’s tender yet crisp, fragrant, and has a wonderful spicy flavor."
"That’s right. I came here once with my cousin. The beef, when cooked in the hot pot, has a texture that’s both resilient and tender, with a rich, savory aroma."
"And the well-done steak, even though there’s no pink, is exceptionally tender and has a great bite to it."
The group chatted happily about the food, while Li Xiulan quietly poured tea for everyone.
By the time they finished eating and went outside, the sky had already grown dark. Second Brother Gu offered to take Li Xiulan home.
Gu Jiaojiao hadn’t wanted Han Jingyi to give her a ride, since she had a sports car in her dimensional space.
But Xiao Rui and Han Jingyi were worried about her, and so was Second Brother Gu. Their kindness was hard to refuse, so Gu Jiaojiao had no choice but to let Han Jingyi drive her home.
Only after watching her get out of the car and walk into her courtyard did Han Jingyi turn around and drive back to the compound.
The sudden rain had just cleared, and the damp air, rich with the fragrance of soil, was refreshing to the soul.
Gu Jiaojiao looked up at the star-dusted sky and finally thought of Su Shuochi. She wondered where he was now.
She was certain, however, that he was still on the train, as the journey back to Qing City took almost twenty hours.
The trains hadn’t been upgraded to run any faster yet. ’With his cold personality, I wonder if he’s bored on the train,’ she thought.
The thought made Gu Jiaojiao feel a pang of unease. ’I should have persuaded him to take a plane.’
Her melancholy lasted only a few minutes before she entered her dimensional space to practice martial arts. She didn’t feel like walking alone in the courtyard.
She practiced martial arts in her space for an hour, soaked in the hot spring for a bit, and then came out and slept soundly until dawn. It was a wonderfully comfortable and satisfying sleep.
Su Shuochi’s train arrived at four in the morning. Song Zijie and Sheng Shiwu were there to pick him up.
Song Zijie’s health had been steadily improving since his surgery, so waking up early was no problem for him.
"Su, you must be tired after being on the train all day. Should we head straight back to the compound?"
"It’s too early. Let’s go to Xiangyang Street instead," Su Shuochi said, afraid of waking his parents.
"Are you worried about waking Uncle and Aunt Su? You don’t have to be. You probably don’t know this yet, but they get up at four every morning to steam buns and sell them at the gate of the textile factory."
"What? They get up at four to steam buns?" Su Shuochi asked in disbelief.
"It’s true, Su," Sheng Shiwu said meekly.
He never dared to call Su Shuochi his brother-in-law. Su Shuochi didn’t seem to mind, but Sheng Shiwu just couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Even Jiaojiao’s biological brother didn’t dare call the man his brother-in-law, so there was no way Sheng Shiwu would.
Sheng Shiwu didn’t dare mention that back when his sister was living with the Su family, Uncle and Aunt Su, while never fat, hadn’t been as frighteningly thin as they were now, their skin all wrinkled. It was a painful sight.
The drive from the train station to the compound was at least forty minutes, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Su, things have been pretty chaotic in our compound lately. Let me tell you about it. That Dong Yuanyuan is trying to get a divorce. Do you remember her?"
"Xiao Wu, are you an idiot? How would Su remember her? Just get to the point," Song Zijie said as he drove.
When Su Shuochi said nothing, Sheng Shiwu let out a whoop and launched into the story of Dong Yuanyuan’s divorce drama with great gusto.
But partway through the story, Sheng Shiwu grew embarrassed, because the main culprit behind the whole affair was Sheng Yueyue.
It was an utter embarrassment to the Sheng family. But his parents weren’t living in the compound, and his grandfather refused to get involved.
He wanted to deal with her even less. Anytime he tried to lecture her, she would just start sniveling and ask him for money.
Sheng Shiwu did his best to avoid his sister. He’d go to class during the day, and head straight to the factory after school.
He had been assigned a single room in the factory’s employee dorms. His older cousin was constantly purchasing medical equipment, so his commission wasn’t bad at all.
He was saving up to buy a house in the Imperial City because he wanted to live in the same city as his adoptive sister, Jiaojiao. As a result, Sheng Shiwu was incredibly frugal.
He was reluctant to spend any money on himself, so he certainly wasn’t going to give any to his sister.
He refused to be like Eldest Brother Gu, who would wear his work uniform to go to the movies. That was just beyond embarrassing.
