Will the cat win?
It will.
Because the big, stupid dog is so cute.
The moment Zhou Cibai saw this text, he understood what Gu Jiqing meant.
However, when he suddenly raised his head, Gu Jiqing’s back had already completely disappeared at the end of the security check passage.
Xia Qiao told him this Weibo account secretly, and Gu Jiqing didn’t know that he already knew it, so Gu Jiqing wanted to hide it from him from the beginning to the end and go to fight secretly.
But how can such a soft-hearted and gullible person fight with others?!
Why does this Gu Maomao not let people free from worry at all?
Zhou Cibai really wanted to break into the airport security lane and catch Gu Jiqing, but it was obviously unrealistic, so he ran to the counter without thinking and planned to buy a ticket to Nanwu immediately.
However, as Gu Jiqing had expected, due to the heavy snow and bad weather this year, many flights were cancelled. In addition, it was the Spring Festival travel period, so there is no ticket left for Nanwu today or tomorrow on New Year’s Eve.
After he patiently confirmed with the staff several times that the last ticket was indeed sold out ten minutes ago and the flight might be cancelled at short notice, Zhou Cibai stroked his hair in annoyance.
If he had known earlier, he would have bought an extra ticket for himself when he helped Gu Jiqing buy a new ticket. If he really has a large dog, he can just check in for pet shipping for himself ah.
As a result, he just let Gu Jiqing return to Nanwu alone.
He only knew that Gu Jiqing had said that he would give him a lot of complete love and had also promised him that he would learn to love himself first. He had been working hard to make money and try to be independent.
But Gu Jiqing had never shown any willingness to try to solve the problem in front of him, so Zhou Cibai never expected that Gu Jiqing would go back home for the New Year to fight. He also didn’t know how Gu Jiqing planned to fight, who he would fight with, or what the result would be.
This Gu Zhizhi—didn’t he told him that he could try to rely on him? Why isn’t he listening?
Although Zhou Cibai thought so, he was not really angry with Gu Jiqing in his heart. He was just distressed and anxious. He wanted to make a phone call immediately and give Gu Jiqing a good scolding.
But he knew Gu Jiqing’s personality. Once he made a decision, it was the result of his calm thinking, and it was difficult to change it. He must have his reasons for not wanting to tell him. Even if he called to ask now, he would not get any results, and it would most likely distract Gu Jiqing.
So after a brief thought, Zhou Cibai quickly walked towards the parking lot and called Xia Qiao.
Xia Qiao did have some exchanges on WeChat with Zhou Cibai on WeChat regarding Gu Jiqing’s matter, but this was the first time he called him so directly.
He was a little surprised and asked, “Mr. Zhou, what’s wrong?”
Zhou Cibai opened the driver’s door of his Hummer and asked, “Did Gu Jiqing say anything to you recently?”
“No ah.” Xia Qiao was a little anxious when he heard this. “Did something happen to Gu Gu?”
Zhou Cibai turned the car key and started the engine. “It’s hard to say what happened. Did you see the Weibo post he just posted?”
“What Weibo? Let me see… f*ck! Zhou Cibai! You and Gu Gu are going too far! You guys still posting dog food on New Year’s Day?!” Xia Qiao opened Weibo and was overwhelmed by the cute cats and dogs. “Have you ever considered the feelings of us singles?!”
Zhou Cibai rarely didn’t take the opportunity to show his affection and just whispered, “Look at the words on the bandage.”
Xia Qiao took a closer look and was stunned. “What does this mean? Is Gu Gu planning to go back and confront his family head-on?”
“Not sure, but very likely. However, since he doesn’t intend to tell me about this matter, I won’t be able to get any information from him, so I would like to trouble you to see if you can help me take care of Gu Jiqing’s condition in the next few days. If he shows any abnormality, you must tell me as soon as possible.”
“But…”
“Xia Qiao, I really love Gu Jiqing.” Zhou Cibai’s tone was so firm that no one could doubt it. “So I don’t want him to get hurt in any way.”
When he said this, his strong and protective attitude was very different from the image of the big, stupid dog, who was always being teased by the kitten and was so anxious that his tail was spinning in the illustration.
But then again, if Zhou Cibai was really just a naive and innocent big dog, how could Gu Jiqing open his heart in front of him?
Xia Qiao originally thought that if he did what Zhou Cibai said, he would be disloyal and betraying his good friend, but after hearing what Zhou Cibai said, he suddenly thought, It’s okay to betray him, as long as this person can protect Gu Jiqing.
“Then I want to sit at the children’s table1I’m sorry, idk about Chinese wedding etiquette, so I also dunno what kind of position is this xDwhen you get married!”
Zhou Cibai turned the steering wheel without a second thought: “If you’re willing, you can even be the groomsman. I’ll give you the biggest red envelope.”
“Then it’s settled. You keep the news flowing these days, and leave the rest to me!”
Xia Qiao happily reached a deal with Zhou Cibai that was both evil and just.
So the first message Gu Jiqing received after getting off the plane was a GIF of a big, angry dog and a sentence from the innocent little landlord: “Gu Zhizhi! Just you wait!”
Gu Jiqing chuckled and replied [OK], then backed up all the chat records, changed Zhou Cibai’s remarks back to [A Landlord Zhou Cibai], and deleted all the records of ambiguous bickering in the dialog box, leaving only some necessary and serious exchanges.
Then he clicked on the message sent by Xia Qiao.
[Xiao Qiao is not Xiao Qiao]: Gu Gu!!! What does your Weibo post mean? Are you planning to break away from the Gu family?
Xia Qiao and Gu Jiqing grew up together. He knew everything about the Gu family, and Gu Jiqing didn’t intend to hide it from him. But before he could reply, he heard a familiar voice: “Gu Jiqing! Here!”
Gu Jiqing raised his head and saw Gu Jue’s figure outside the airport exit.
Not sure if it’s because he was in a hurry to leave or for some other reason, but Gu Jue’s usually meticulously combed hair was a little messy, and there was a kind of uneasiness and anxiety between his eyebrows that was difficult to hide.
This uneasiness and anxiety were answered when Gu Jiqing opened the back door of the Bentley Continental.
The man sitting in the back seat had a handsome and neat look similar to Gu Jue, but because of his years of experience and accumulation of inner qualities, he had a calmness and majesty that Gu Jue could not match at all.
By just sitting there in a black suit, his looking down at documents posture naturally revealed the oppressive feeling of someone who has been in a high position for many years.
This is the husband that Yin Lan has been afraid of for more than ten years, and this is the father that Gu Jue has been in awe of for more than twenty years.
“Sit.”
He casually wrote the three words “Gu Zhifeng” at the bottom of the document with a fountain pen without even raising his head.
Gu Jue came back after helping Gu Jiqing put away the luggage. When passing by the back seat, he tried hard to wink at Gu Jiqing.
However, Gu Jiqing just sat in the passenger seat without changing his expression, fastened his seat belt, deleted Xia Qiao’s message, and replied: [Just got in my brother’s car, talk later]
Gu Jue looked at his series of reactions and felt that what he had just said to Gu Jiqing on the road was in vain. He glared at Gu Jiqing in disappointment but could only sit in the driver’s seat helplessly.
When the car started, Gu Zhifeng raised his eyes and casually asked, “Why don’t you sit in the back?”
Gu Jiqing tilted his head to look out the window and calmly answered, “I don’t have that qualification.”
The eldest son of the Gu family was driving the car himself, and if he sat side by side in the back seat with the head of the Gu family, he would be a little too proud of his status.
Gu Zhifeng seemed to be satisfied with this answer. He nodded and continued to read the document: “You are in love.”
Gu Jiqing said, “No.”
He indeed had not confirmed any romantic relationship with Zhou Cibai, so he answered very frankly.
Gu Zhifeng said, “You wore a scarf, but there were still marks on your neck.”
Gu Jiqing’s tone remained unchanged: “Bed-partner relationship.”
“If I remember correctly, he said that you were his boyfriend in public.”
“The situation was special; otherwise, we can’t just admit that we are f*ck buddies.”
“But you’re living together.”
“Landlord and tenant.”
“I need the Zhou family’s help now.”
“Really sorry, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Gu Jiqing.” Gu Zhifeng seemed to have completely lost his patience with Gu Jiqing’s calm and cold answer and closed the file. “If the Gu family cannot move forward with this project and the capital chain is broken, it will not be of any benefit to you and your mother either.”
“En.” Gu Jiqing did not deny it: “But I really can’t do anything. Otherwise, why do you think the Zhou family has not responded to the things you have found out?”
The answer to this is actually very simple.
Because Zhou Cibai has already said that the Zhou family basically lets him do whatever he wants. From childhood to adulthood, no matter what troubles he encountered, they let him solve them on his own. The family never bothered to care about the mess he had at school, and naturally, they would not send someone to inquire about him like Gu Zhifeng did.
But someone like Gu Zhifeng, who has a strong desire for control, obviously cannot understand this idea of training offspring.
He frowned slightly when he heard Gu Jiqing’s words.
Indeed, if the Zhou family did not respond, it would mean that either the relationship between Gu Jiqing and Zhou Cibai was not real or they were simply unwilling to acknowledge the relationship between Gu Jiqing and Zhou Cibai.
Either way, it would be very disadvantageous for him to ask the Zhou family for help.
There was a moment of silence, and then he said, “Give me the phone.”
Gu Jiqing unlocked the phone and handed it over without hesitation.
Gu Zhifeng glanced through the chat records and couldn’t find anything wrong. After all, he didn’t think that if someone of Zhou Cibai’s status was really in love with Gu Jiqing, he would still charge him rent.
Moreover, there are a lot of messages in the chat records that reveal that Zhou Cibai and Gu Jiqing are indeed a fake couple.
But Gu Zhifeng never underestimated the ability to handle things of this stepson of his.
Otherwise, if it was just a pretty loser, he wouldn’t have been so concerned to investigate his relationship either.
Back then, he was moved by Yin Lan’s beauty and fragility, and he urgently needed to find a gentle and considerate mother for Gu Jue, who lost his mother at a young age, and a wife who could take care of the household for the Gu family. So he launched a fierce pursuit toward Yin Lan, who was just a bank teller at the time.
In order to pursue the other party, he could only accept Gu Jiqing, a burden.
His original thought was that when he grows up, he will be able to marry the daughter of a noble family who is well-matched with him. Then all the years he has raised him would pay off. But now it seems that he might be of even greater use.
After all, in their circle, there are far more male heirs in power than female heirs.
Gu Zhifeng never denied his prejudice, arrogance, and feudal patriarchal style of behavior, so after looking at Gu Jiqing’s phone, he threw it back casually and said to Gu Jue, “Let’s go to Xishan Villa.”
Gu Jue had just listened to the conversation between Gu Zhifeng and Gu Jiqing, and he was already nervous. When the words “Xishan Villa” came out, he almost slipped off of the steering wheel and anxiously said, “Dad, you clearly know that Li Wang’s family will also come to Xishan to celebrate the New Year this year!”
“En, I know. So since your brother is still single and will be 20 years old after the Chinese New Year, I will arrange a meeting for him. Is there any problem?” Gu Zhifeng lowered his head and continued to review the documents. “It’s just right. The two families can celebrate the Chinese New Year together. It’s lively.”
“But you know what Li Wang did to my brother last time!”
“Which heir doesn’t have some tricks?”
“But…”
“No buts. If you have any objections, you can resist, but you will have to bear the consequences yourself.” Gu Zhifeng’s cold voice and the rustling sound of his signature sounded at the same time.
Gu Jue could only shut his mouth, his face full of annoyance and anxiety.
Gu Zhifeng added, “If you hadn’t offended Li Wang so thoroughly, the current project wouldn’t be stuck here. So since the Zhou family can’t help, you need to solve the Li family’s problems yourself. Do you understand?”
These words were spoken to Gu Jiqing.
Gu Jiqing raised his hand, changed the navigation destination to Xishan Villa for Gu Jue, and softly said, “Understood.”
He had never confirmed his relationship with Zhou Cibai because he thought that with a family like the Zhou family, Gu Zhifeng would definitely not be willing to give up on using them.
He also thought that once he lost his value in winning over the Zhou family, Gu Zhifeng would immediately arrange another way for him.
But he didn’t expect that Gu Zhifeng would push him to Li Wang again without any psychological burden.
Not only him, but even Gu Jue felt that it was a bit too much, and his brows were tightly furrowed.
On the contrary, Gu Jiqing had a nonchalant expression, as if he didn’t care about anything. After changing the navigation address, he lowered his head and sent a message to Xia Qiao: [Don’t worry, I’m fine here, but my family is going to Xishan to celebrate the New Year this year, so I can’t accompany you to the riverside to set off firecrackers. Remember to ask Shen Zhao to go with you; otherwise, it will be unsafe.]
After sending the message, he sent another message to Zhou Cibai: [I’m home now. There are a lot of things going on at home. I may be busy for the time being and may not be able to reply to messages. Don’t worry. Take good care of Zhou Zhou and wait for me to come back.]
Then he put away his phone and watched the familiar yet unfamiliar night scene of Nanwu passing by outside the car window.
His face was vaguely reflected in the brightly lit and bustling streets, and his eyes, which used to be indifferent, now contained a warm hope.
He wants to love Zhou Cibai cleanly.
Gu Zhifeng was obviously worried that he would desert the battlefield, so after bringing him to Xishan Villa, he arranged him directly in the suite opposite his own. There were also special service staff on call 24 hours a day, and even if Gu Jue wanted to say a few more words to him, it would be fine too.
Gu Jiqing was neither arrogant nor impatient, and he even felt that it was just right.
After living with Zhou Cibai, his physical energy consumption increased day by day, so when there was a rare day when he didn’t have to tutor, do any exercise, or deal with the Gu family’s young and old, and with cut fruits and personal massages available at any time, Gu Jiqing would stay in the room, fiddling with his computer and his mobile phone, feeling very comfortable.
When Gu Zhifeng occasionally asked the waiter in his room, the waiter reported truthfully. At most, she mentioned that she accidentally glanced at Gu Jiqing’s screen while cleaning and found that there were many complicated formulas and arithmetic on it, which he could not understand.
Gu Jiqing was originally from the Mathematics Department, so it was normal for him to have these things, and Gu Zhifeng didn’t think much about it either.
Until the next night before the New Year’s Eve dinner, the rest of the Gu family was taken to Xishan Villa, and Gu Zhifeng ordered someone to send a suit to Gu Jiqing.
The white high-end suit with a strong sense of design is very picky on the wearer, but it should be suitable for Gu Jiqing.
“Zhi Zhi, look, your father is so good to you. He specially asked someone to tailor this suit for you. Put it on and see if it looks good on you.” Yin Lan was holding the suit and gesturing in front of Gu Jiqing, with a happy smile in her eyes.
Gu Jiqing had seen the exquisite and textured winter skirt she was wearing in Xia Qiao’s fashion magazine. It was a spring and winter show model that had not yet been launched in China. It should be that Gu Zhifeng asked someone to buy it for her from abroad.
Gu Jiqing lowered his eyes and asked, “Mom, is he good to you?”
Yin Lan paused as she gestured with the suit, then quickly concealed the strangeness in her eyes and smiled gently. “Of course, why are you asking this all of a sudden, Zhi Zhi?”
“Nothing. I just want to say that you and him are legally married. He was the one who took the initiative to pursue you. If you disagreed with his pursuit, you might have lost your job. So you never took the initiative to covet anything from him. And over the years, you have fulfilled your obligations in marriage. All your efforts are valuable and protected by the law, so you don’t have to be afraid of anything.”
Gu Jiqing was always so gentle and calm when speaking to Yin Lan.
Yin Lan’s eyes were a little hot, and she avoided his gaze. “Why are you saying this all of a sudden? Your father is good to me and to you, and he has done us a favor…”
“Mom.” Gu Jiqing interrupted her for once: “Do you know who the family is that is having New Year’s Eve dinner with us today?”
“Isn’t it the Li family? Their eldest son, Li Wang…”
“The guy who drugged me in the bar last Christmas.”
Gu Jiqing calmly and gently stated the fact that he once did not want Yin Lan to know.
Yin Lan held up the clothes and stood there in a daze, her beautiful and innocent eyes full of disbelief and incomprehension. “Didn’t he just make you drink a lot of wine?”
“If it was just for drinking, Zhou Cibai wouldn’t have shown up in my hotel room that day.” Gu Jiqing spoke to Yin Lan about the hurt he had experienced with a calm and gentle voice. “He also knew about this, so he wanted to connect me with the Zhou family. I didn’t want to, so he asked me to come and see Li Wang.”
There was too much information in his words, and Yin Lan found it difficult to digest it for a while.
Or rather than being difficult to digest, it’s more difficult to face.
She seemed to be caught off guard by the sudden mention of reality.
“If it were before, I would definitely try to spend today decently, but mom, I fell in love with someone, he told me that he has a lot of love for me, and I also want to give him a lot of love, so if you are willing, maybe you can give me a blessing, if you are not willing, I will also still love you very much.”
Gu Jiqing put on a necklace he designed himself for her and said, “Happy New Year, Mom.”
Then he turned and walked towards the reception room.
He knew that at this time, Gu Zhifeng must be having some friendly business conversation with Li Wang.
So when he pushed open the door wearing a simple coat and jeans, Gu Zhifeng frowned as expected: “Gu Jiqing, you are already grown up, how come you don’t even know the most basic etiquette? Go back and change into the suit I prepared for you, and we’ll talk later.”
Gu Jue was afraid that if Gu Zhifeng got angry, Gu Jiqing would suffer the consequences, and he was not good at persuading people, so he wanted to push Gu Jiqing out immediately.
However, Li Wang had been so frustrated before that he had nowhere to vent his anger. Today, the Gu family finally came to him. When he saw Gu Jiqing, he remembered the frustration he had felt at that time. He smiled lazily. “Hey, Gu Jue, isn’t this your top student brother? What? Didn’t we agree that he would accompany me to play after dinner tonight? Why is he here now?”
His tone was dirty and complacent, like that of a villain who had just succeeded.
No wonder.
After all, after Gu Jiqing threatened him with words last time, he did not take any actual action. He was intimidated at the time, but later he felt more and more aggrieved. Now that he saw the Gu family take the initiative to come to him on their own, he naturally thought that what Gu Jiqing said at the time was just a bluff, and he started to put it up again.
Anyway, it was just a means for the Gu family to please him.
He did not hesitate to use the most vulgar words to make Gu Jiqing feel uncomfortable.
Gu Jiqing was much calmer than he had imagined: “I mainly don’t want to disturb everyone’s mood during the New Year’s Eve dinner later, so if there’s anything, I think it’s better to say it in advance.”
Gu Zhifeng knew that Gu Jiqing was not the kind of person who would make trouble without reason, so even though he frowned in dissatisfaction, he still whispered, “If you have something to say, say it quickly, and then go back and prepare.”
Then Gu Jiqing met Gu Zhifeng’s sharp and intimidating gaze, looked up, and said six words frankly and calmly: “I want to leave the Gu family.”
