Chapter 393: Chapter 392: Gu Kai Zhi and Daya (3)
Seeing the two of them talking and completely ignoring him, Xue Xingjun let out a cough.
Daya snapped her head toward him. "Weren’t you leaving? What are you still standing here for?"
Xue Xingjun shot her a look, left in a huff, and slammed the door hard on his way out.
Daya frowned. "That kid needs to be taught a lesson."
Gu Kai Zhi picked up his cup to drink some water. At her words, his eyelids twitched. It was clear they knew each other well.
He asked, seemingly out of the blue, "That was...?"
Daya said, "Oh, him? He’s my aunt’s younger brother—my uncle’s brother-in-law. His name is Xue Xingjun."
’Xue Xingjun? So he’s related to Xue Xingzhou... I see.’
"Are you two close?"
Daya nodded. "Mhm, we see each other every day. He can be a bit of a nag, but he’s a good person."
Gu Kai Zhi didn’t pursue the topic.
"Your uncle invited me to his place for dinner tonight. I was originally planning to ask you to a movie, so it looks like we’ll have to do it another day."
"A movie?"
Gu Kai Zhi looked at Daya. "Want to go?"
"Just the two of us?"
Gu Kai Zhi nodded. "Mhm. Did you want to bring someone else?"
Daya shook her head. "No."
"Then it’s a date. The day after tomorrow, I’ll take you to a movie."
Gu Kai Zhi didn’t have any experience pursuing girls; he had only heard his teammates talk about it. To pursue a girl, you had to be thick-skinned: dinners, movies, shopping. Gu Kai Zhi could only follow their example.
After finishing his glass of water, Gu Kai Zhi stood up. "Alright, I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll come over when you get off."
Daya nodded. "Okay. In that case, I won’t see you out."
Gu Kai Zhi smiled at her. "No need."
After Gu Kai Zhi left, Daya stared blankly at the report on her desk, lost in a daze.
She had the strange feeling that she was being led along by Gu Kai Zhi, that their relationship had suddenly become ambiguous.
But her wildly beating heart couldn’t lie. Biting her lip, she began to face this inexplicable relationship head-on.
Lately, his name had been popping into her mind far too often. It had become a habit—the habit of checking the mailbox every so often. A while back, when she hadn’t received a reply, she had felt a sense of loss, as if a long-held routine had been broken.
She was a little flustered, yet also a little excited. It was a feeling she couldn’t quite describe.
Daya remembered what her aunt had told her before: follow her heart.
"Follow my heart..."
Daya repeated the words to herself a few times, and her mind gradually calmed.
As quitting time approached, Daya kept watching the clock. When it was finally time to go, she glanced downstairs but didn’t see any sign of Gu Kai Zhi.
She stood up, gathered her things, put on her coat, and walked out of the office.
Just then, she heard voices coming from her uncle’s office. As she drew closer, she recognized one as Gu Kai Zhi’s.
’So he’s already here.’
Seeing Daya, Gu Kai Zhi stood up.
He Lang stood up as well. "Let’s go. Time to head home. Your aunt has already bought the groceries and gone back."
Gu Kai Zhi was carrying something, and Xue Xingjun was trailing behind them, looking at them with wide, expectant eyes.
Ever since hearing from He Lang that Gu Kai Zhi was the soldier who had saved Shiyi, Xue Xingjun’s attitude had changed. He felt immense gratitude toward Gu Kai Zhi; besides, people like them always had a favorable impression of soldiers.
By the time they all got home, Mr. He had already picked up Shiyi and Ruanruan. As soon as Shiyi saw Gu Kai Zhi, he ran over.
"Uncle Gu."
Gu Kai Zhi smiled at him and patted his head.
"Uncle Gu bought toys for you and your sister. See if you like them."
Gu Kai Zhi handed him the box he was carrying.
Shiyi only needed one look before saying he liked it.
Gu Kai Zhi moved to pick Shiyi up, but Daya saw and cried out, "Don’t! Be careful with your arm."
The others looked at Gu Kai Zhi. He glanced at Daya before smiling at everyone. "It’s nothing, just a minor injury to my arm."
When Shiyi heard Gu Kai Zhi was injured, he looked at him with a worried expression. "Uncle Gu, did you get hurt catching bad guys?"
Gu Kai Zhi smiled and nodded. "That’s right."
Mr. He came over and said to Gu Kai Zhi, "Mr. Gu, I’m always hearing Shiyi talk about you. It’s great to finally meet you in person. Thank you so much for your help last time."
He Lang introduced them. "This is my dad."
Gu Kai Zhi bowed slightly to Mr. He. "Hello, Uncle. It was nothing. Brother He and the others have already thanked me many times. I really don’t deserve it."
Mr. He said with a smile, "You absolutely deserve it."
Xue Xingzhou and Zhang Qian arrived fashionably late with their child.
The moment he walked in and saw Gu Kai Zhi, he teased, "I say, Kai Zhi, when did you get here, you rascal? Why didn’t you give us a heads-up? This isn’t for another mission, is it?"
Gu Kai Zhi said with a smile, "It is a mission, but it’s a personal one."
Xue Xingzhou understood in a flash. He glanced at Daya, then raised an eyebrow at Gu Kai Zhi. "So you’re finally making your move, huh?"
"Ahem." He Lang shot them a heavy gaze.
Xue Xingzhou glanced at him and said irritably, "Honestly. You’re supposed to be a man of the new era, so how can your views be so old-fashioned? You won’t even let anyone talk about it. Tsk. You’re so overprotective. I’m already starting to worry about Shiyi and Ruanruan’s future."
Mr. He didn’t understand. "What about Shiyi and Ruanruan’s future?"
Xue Xingzhou said with a laugh, "It’s nothing, Uncle. I’m just saying He Lang is petty."
Mr. He looked at He Lang and nodded. "Mmm, our third son is indeed a bit petty. And he holds a grudge."
Xue Xingzhou and Gu Kai Zhi couldn’t help but laugh.
He Lang frowned, watching them laugh at his expense.
As for Xue Xingjun and Daya, they only got the gist of it and didn’t understand the inside joke.
Gu Kai Zhi turned to see Zhang Qian and Tun Tun and said, "This must be Sister-in-law?"
Zhang Qian smiled and said, "Hello, I’m Zhang Qian."
"Hello. Gu Kai Zhi."
"My son. His nickname is Tun Tun," Xue Xingzhou said.
As he spoke, he brought his son over. Tun Tun was very quiet, holding a small gadget that he was constantly fiddling with.
Gu Kai Zhi pinched his little cheek. Tun Tun just looked up at him for a moment before lowering his head again.
Gu Kai Zhi had never seen such a quiet child. A moment later, he watched in astonishment as Tun Tun took the object apart piece by piece, laid the parts on the table, and then reassembled it exactly as it was.
Gu Kai Zhi was amazed.
He couldn’t help but say, "Brother Xue, your son has a great memory."
Xue Xingzhou leaned down, kissed his son’s hair, and said with a smile, "He certainly does."
"Great" was an understatement. Tun Tun’s memory was astonishing, a fact Xue Xingzhou had discovered long ago. The boy had taken apart many things around the house, studied them for a long time, and then reassembled them. Of course, there were also times he broke something and couldn’t put it back together.
So they were used to it by now. The child just didn’t like to talk, and Xue Xingzhou didn’t interfere, letting his son do whatever he wanted.
Mr. He took out some liquor, wanting to have a couple of drinks with Gu Kai Zhi and Xue Xingzhou, but Daya stopped him. "Grandpa, Brother Gu is injured. He can’t drink."
