Ming Yuzhu smiled, "I have no objections."
Qin Yun, though somewhat indignant, felt as though his prize cabbage had been plundered.
Even though the one plundering the cabbage was visiting for the second time, and possessed commendable qualities in all aspects.
But in his eyes, his sister was the best.
"Gu Qichen, as long as my sister agrees, I will respect her choice. However, I must warn you, if you dare to hurt my sister like last time again," Qin Yun's face turned cold, "from this moment on, the Qin family and the Gu family will be sworn enemies."
Qin Yun's words were grave. Xu Wanwan tugged at his sleeve from the side.
Gu Qichen nodded, "Alright."
The atmosphere in the living room was tense. Xu Wanwan immediately changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, He'er, do you know that Di Shishi from your organization and Zuo Xiuxian seem to be dating recently?"
Qin He frowned, "Who did you say? Di Shishi and Zuo Xiuxian? How is that possible?"
Yu Jing, who was standing by Gu Qichen's side, stiffened.
Xu Wanwan, oblivious to the subtle shift, continued, "Really, I heard Zuo Xiuxian was pursuing Di Shishi. I heard it from Qian Zimo when he was gossiping last time. But recently, I've seen Di Shishi's attitude towards Zuo Xiuxian is quite good. Perhaps he's already succeeded in his pursuit."
Gu Qichen's gaze was deep as he glanced at Yu Jing.
Yu Jing's face paled, and he said no more.
Qin Yun added, "The three doctors who were tied up with you, Gao Lang, Li Fengrui, and Wang Jiming, have been visiting frequently lately. They want to thank you for letting them go.
And Wang Jiming, a man in his thirties, cried buckets of tears, saying he had come to his senses and shouldn't have blamed you back then."
Qin He smiled, "It's alright. Let me know when they come, Brother, and I'll meet them."
In fact, when they were escaping through the underground pipes, if Wang Jiming hadn't yelled, she probably wouldn't have been discovered.
But Qin He could understand the mistakes made under psychological breakdown.
Since Wang Jiming didn't do it intentionally, she didn't have strict criteria about people's resolve when making friends.
As long as a person's fundamental intentions were good under normal circumstances, she felt that was enough.
After the four of them chatted for a while, as darkness fell, Gu Qichen stood up to leave.
Qin Yun was about to see him off, but Ming Yuzhu stopped him, "Let He'er see him off. You stay and chat with me a little longer."
Qin He escorted Gu Qichen to the front door of the Qin residence.
She smiled at Gu Qichen, "Be careful on your way back. I'll visit Grandma Gu tomorrow."
Gu Qichen glanced inside the gate, seeing no one at the villa entrance.
He lowered his head and gently kissed Qin He's lips.
"Alright. Then I'll pick you up tomorrow. Don't go out running around by yourself, understand?"
"I'm not a child," Qin He said, a little embarrassed and annoyed.
Gu Qichen's eyes held a smile, "It's a sensitive time, just bear with it for now. Once Shen Yizong is found, I'll let you go wherever you want."
Qin He watched Gu Qichen get into his car before turning back into the Qin residence.
In Gu Qichen's car, Yu Jing wore a faint smile.
"Ever since you found Miss Qin, Mr. Gu has been smiling much more than before."
Gu Qichen, sitting in the back seat, raised his eyes, "Really?"
"Yes! Mr. Gu never seemed to smile before," the driver added with a sigh.
Then he fell silent, wondering if he had said something he shouldn't have.
The next day.
Qin He had gone to bed early last night and woke up feeling refreshed and energetic, her cheeks rosy as she left the house.
As the end of spring approached again, the air carried the scent of flowers and a warm breeze.
As Qin He walked into the yard, she saw a black car parked by the distant gate.
It was Gu Qichen's car. She picked up her bag and walked towards it with a smile.
The car door opened, and Gu Qichen got out and helped her into the car.
"Have you had breakfast?"
"No, I was craving the cooking at your family's old residence, the fish porridge. Since I woke up early, I can have breakfast with Grandma Gu."
As soon as Qin He sat down, she saw Gu Qichen smile, lean over, and kiss her lips before sitting back up.
Qin He froze for a moment, then turned to look at him with a frown, "You seem to have gotten used to taking advantage of me."
Pecking me whenever you feel like it.
Gu Qichen's deep eyes were clear, "Have I?"
Looking at his seemingly ascetic demeanor, Qin He gritted her teeth, "Yes!"
Yu Jing, in the passenger seat, heard their bickering and silently pressed a button.
The partition between the front and back seats rose.
Only the two of them remained in the back seat—
Gu Qichen's lips curved slightly as he saw this, "Yu Jing is quite perceptive now."
Looking at the rising partition, Qin He felt that this small space was suddenly filled only by her and Gu Qichen, and she eyed him warily.
Gu Qichen reached out, smiled, and gently ruffled her hair, teasingly saying, "Don't overthink it."
Qin He gritted her teeth, "Who's overthinking?"
Why did she feel like she was the one being taken advantage of and bullied?
And why did Gu Qichen appear so noble, when he was clearly the one causing trouble?
An hour later.
Gu Qichen's car drove into the Gu family's old residence. After the car stopped in the courtyard, Qin He got out.
Having heard that Qin He was coming today, Madam Gu and Gu Ranran were waiting at the entrance.
Qin He felt it was a bit too formal. After getting out of the car, she immediately greeted the elders, "Hello, Aunt Gu."
Gu Ranran walked down the steps, "Qin He, you're finally here. Coincidentally, I need your help with something."
Her suddenly spirited demeanor surprised Qin He, who glanced at Gu Qichen and asked, "What's wrong?"
Madam Gu smiled as she greeted Qin He, but her expression turned grim as she looked at Gu Ranran.
"Even if you're asking Qin He to back you up, you still can't be with that man."
Qin He narrowed her eyes, understanding dawning on her. It seemed Gu Ranran had found a boyfriend, but Madam Gu disapproved.
She inexplicably felt a connection to Gu Qichen's past marriage.
Seeing Madam Gu and Gu Ranran walk ahead, Qin He leaned closer to Gu Qichen.
She whispered, "Ranran, as long as she's dating someone who isn't a scoundrel, someone with good character and sound values, then free love should be acceptable, right?"
Gu Qichen looked deeply at Qin He, "She's dating a scoundrel."
Qin He: ???
Gu Qichen's judgment of people was always accurate, and Qin He's brow furrowed.
This meant it was highly possible that the man had seduced Gu Ranran, as the status of the Gu family's eldest daughter was a temptation for many men.
Upon entering the living room, Qin He immediately saw the elderly Mrs. Gu sitting on the sofa.
Qin He immediately ran up to her with a smile, "Grandma, I'm here."