The two stood side by side, and Qin He was the first to ask, "How is Mrs. Gu's condition?"
Gu Qichen's lips curled slightly, "Much better."
Qin He nodded, "It's best to be careful from now on. You should have your medication checked before taking itβ"
After she finished speaking, she realized she had been too specific and had overstepped.
Qin He pursed her lips and remained silent.
Gu Qichen stood beside her, his gaze falling on Xu Wanwan's parents not far away. He wore a fitting smile, but his words were directed at Qin He.
"Song Nuan has already been sent out of Qingcheng by me. You don't have to worry about her anymore."
Qin He looked at him with some surprise.
He was actually willing to send away Song Nuan? Wasn't she his darling?
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, and Gu Qichen suddenly turned to look at her. "I've spoken to my mother about Song Nuan's matter. My mother is very grateful to you and would like to invite you to our home for dinner to thank you when you have time."
Qin He thought about Mrs. Gu's arrogant demeanor. "Let's forget it. I appreciate the thought, but it was just a small favor, so please don't trouble yourself, Mrs. Gu."
Qin He thought to herself that even Mrs. Gu's expressions of gratitude probably wouldn't be very pleasant.
When the banquet ended, Qin He and Di Shishi drove home. Qin He looked in the rearview mirror. The black commercial car was no longer following them.
However, on the way home from the banquet that day, Gu Qichen's car was openly tailing her!
As their car drove back to the Qin residence, Gu Qichen's car stopped a distance away. Qin He and Di Shishi tacitly pretended not to see it and went straight home.
In the following days, Qin He was busy. When she had free time, she would pay attention to the movements in the West District.
The mortise and tenon pavilion in the West District was a difficult problem. The authorities had recently issued another notice stating that the pavilion was absolutely not allowed to be dismantled or rebuilt; only repairs were permitted.
Meanwhile, the mortise and tenon master Gu Qichen had contacted had not been reachable. If the stalemate continued, the entire area would have to halt construction, resulting in significant losses.
While Qin He was worried about these work matters, a rumor began to spread in Qingcheng!
Her pregnancy was now becoming obvious. Some ill-intentioned rumors claimed Qin He had a promiscuous private life, while others speculated that she herself didn't even know the father of the child in her womb. The gossip was dirty and vulgar.
On the weekend, Qin He received a call from Lu Mingxi.
"He'er, have you heard any rumors recently?"
Qin He raised her eyebrows slightly. "I have. What's wrong?"
Lu Mingxi was furious, more so than Qin He, the person directly involved. "Are these people so bored that they have nothing better to do? If I find out who started this, I'll sew their mouth shut!"
Qin He imagined the scene and let out a light laugh. "Why bother with them?"
"He'er, why don't you reconsider me? If you publicly claim that I am the father of the child, we can have a wedding then! These rumors will disappear on their own!"
Before Lu Mingxi could finish speaking, Qin He interrupted him.
"That will only make things more complicated."
She was certain that Gu Qichen had some feelings for her now, likely tinged with regret.
She knew these regrets would eventually fade, so she forced herself not to pay too much attention to Gu Qichen's words.
After speaking, Qin He ended the call with Lu Mingxi and continued to handle her affairs.
It wasn't until five in the afternoon that her phone on the desk rang. She had just finished organizing Shen Yizong's surgical records; his surgery was scheduled for next month.
The call was from Gu Qichen. His voice was calm.
"Qin He, I've found the mortise and tenon master."
The master's surname was Liu. He used to live with the Vinson family and had a very close relationship with them.
Qin He hummed, "Is there any trouble?"
"We've only found out that Master Liu is with the Vinson family. I've already visited them. Solly Vinson said that Master Liu is currently at the Vinson Castle in Country L. He has relayed our request for repairs, but Master Liu is unwilling to accept."
Mortise and tenon work is a treasure of China. Qin He felt that no matter how temperamental such a master was, they had to persuade him.
"Besides Master Liu, are there many people in the country who can repair that mortise and tenon pavilion?"
Gu Qichen's voice was heavy. "Yes."
Qin He looked up at the surgical records on her desk, with the surgery scheduled for next month. She had nothing else to do during this period.
The reconstruction project in the West District was very important to both the Qin Corporation and the Gu Corporation. If successful, both groups would advance to the next level, and the GDP of Qingcheng might even rise significantly. They couldn't let the work be halted because of a mortise and tenon pavilion!
Qin He rubbed her temples. "Vinson Castle in Country L, you say? If the mountain won't come to me, then I'll go to the mountain! I'll go to Country L and invite him!"
Gu Qichen's voice deepened slightly. "You are five months pregnant now. Country L is a very cold country, bordering the Arctic."
Qin He smiled indifferently. "It's okay."
Her recent prenatal check-up showed everything was healthy.
Besides, her trip to invite someone wouldn't be like the story of "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage," waiting in the snow for someone.
After discussing with Gu Qichen, Qin He immediately asked Di Shishi to book her tickets.
The Qin family had a private jet, but flying to Country L required too many procedures. Qin He didn't want to wait.
Di Shishi booked her a ticket for noon tomorrow. Qin He packed a few essentials.
She had been in charge of the matters in the West District. When Qin Yun came home from work in the evening, Qin He briefly explained the situation to her brother.
Qin Yun's face turned ice-cold. "Absolutely not, you can't go!"
Qin He frowned. "Why can't I go?"
"If someone has to go, I'll go!" Qin Yun's attitude was firm. "Your current situation is already dangerous, and you want to go abroad while pregnant, do you know that!"
Qin He touched her lower abdomen. "It's okay. The baby isn't too restless now, and the doctor even told me to exercise moderately a while ago~"
Qin Yun gritted his teeth in anger. "That's moderate exercise! Not for you to go to a freezing foreign country!"
Qin He patiently persuaded her brother for more than ten minutes, but it had little effect. She sneered, changed her strategy, and used a combination of coaxing and threats. It wasn't until late at night that she finally got Qin Yun to agree.
If it were any other time, she wouldn't mind Qin Yun going. However, Qin Yun's leg injury hadn't healed yet, and Qin He didn't want him to go through hardship.
Qin He stayed up all night, researching information about Master Liu, the mortise and tenon master, online.
Master Liu, whose full name was Liu Xing'an, was an intangible cultural heritage inheritor of mortise and tenon work.
She had made thorough preparations. This time, she was determined to bring the master back!