Gu Nianzhi laughed at Yin Shixiong’s witty remark.
Yin Shixiong was a very considerate and understanding man; he knew better than to ask her why she had slapped herself. Gu Nianzhi did not offer an explanation, either.
She said her goodbyes, hung up, went downstairs, and walked towards the bedroom window. She drew the curtains apart before opening the window, and was immediately greeted by the sun, shining full and warm on her face.
She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh morning air. Happiness radiated throughout her.
She was happy to learn that Huo Shaoheng had not been trying to push her away.
The apartment was supposed to be a gift for her but she certainly wasn’t going to accept it. She would find an excuse to see him again, and give it back to him.
For the moment, however, she was grateful for his kind and thoughtful gesture. She had not had many opportunities to know that he cared about her.
What she needed was this sense of security: the knowledge that she had not been abandoned.
He was still her Uncle Huo.
Gu Nianzhi was no longer in a hurry to leave the apartment.
She called Mei Xiawen and said, with a smile in her voice, “Xiawen, something’s come up. I won’t be heading back, for now. I’ll go back this Sunday night instead.”
“Okay. I’ll pick you up Sunday night.” Unbeknownst to Gu Nianzhi, Mei Xiawen had been feeling down the past few days; Ai Weinan’s text about “ginger tea” had reminded him of certain memories from his high school days.
But it was no use wallowing in the past. He had to soldier on.
He had also discovered that he desperately wanted to see Gu Nianzhi again, after having been apart from her for several days now.
It was a novel experience for him.
Given enough time, perhaps Gu Nianzhi would be able to erase the old yearning and regret in his heart. Gu Nianzhi was, after all, the only other woman he had met in the last four years who had been able to make him feel again.
…
On Sunday night, Mei Xiawen arrived at the gate to Fengya Precinct, right on time.
Gu Nianzhi only had her backpack this time. She did not have her little suitcase with her.
Mei Xiawen opened the car door, and quickly looked Gu Nianzhi over before asking, “Where’s your suitcase?”
“I left it in the apartment. I don’t have to bring it with me today.” Gu Nianzhi smiled as she got into the car.
The two of them drove out of Fengya Precinct, then pulled into a gas station to refuel the car.
At that moment, Feng Yichen came out of the gas station’s convenience store. She spotted Mei Xiawen at once, and then Gu Nianzhi, sitting inside his car.
It had only been a few days since she last saw Gu Nianzhi, but it seemed to Feng Yichen that she had gotten even more lovely and charming.
Feng Yichen stared at the two of them for some time, before finally leaving in her own car.
She was going to the detention center the next day to visit her parents and her sister, and wasn’t in the best of moods. She had gone for a drive to take her mind off things.
She hadn’t expected to come across Gu Nianzhi—the absolute last person she wanted to see right now – and her rich, handsome boyfriend, all lovey-dovey together in public. Her mood soured further.
Mei Xiawen had returned to the car after he was done refueling. He chatted amiably with Gu Nianzhi as he drove to the university.
“Nianzhi, where do you want to go for our class graduation trip?”
“Anywhere’s fine,” Gu Nianzhi said indifferently. But then she was struck with a thought, and had to add, sheepishly, “But I hope it isn’t too far away. My family won’t let me go on the trip if it’s too far away.”
“Oh, I see.” Mei Xiawen nodded, then said, “That’s what I thought, too, so the class committee chose Dufeng Mountain Resort Villa for our trip. It’s only 25 kilometers from the city. We can get there in less than an hour by car.”
“Dufeng Mountain Resort Villa?” Gu Nianzhi got out her phone and looked up the location; it was in the exact opposite direction of the Special Operations Forces military base.
The Special Ops base was located north of the city, while Dufeng Mountain was south of it.
But they were both reasonably close to C City. Gu Nianzhi did not think Brother Xiong would object to the trip.
Gu Nianzhi gave an “Oh” as she looked at the phone, and said, “Looks like a good choice. We can swim and hike.”
“I’ve been there a few times and it’s really fun. There are many quaint, classical-style courtyards in the villa, and there’s also a really long cloister, a covered walkway, built alongside a small lake. In the summer, you can dive into the lake, right from the balcony of your room.” Mei Xiawen was already planning on staying in a room close to Gu Nianzhi’s this time around.
There were more than 20 students in their class, and there were six, maybe seven rooms within a villa courtyard, including the bigger rooms in the main building, and the smaller rooms in the wings. There would be enough rooms for everyone.
“We’ll have an entire courtyard for ourselves. Food, drinks, and entertainment will all be covered by our holiday package. At night, we can barbecue, sing, dance, swim in the lake, fish, play games…”
As she listened to Mei Xiawen’s vivid descriptions, Gu Nianzhi could not help but begin to look forward to the trip.
“If you have no objections, I’ll let the others know we’re all decided. I’ll negotiate the price with the resort, and have the rooms reserved. If everything goes as planned, we’ll have our trip at the end of May.” Mei Xiawen was extremely efficient when it came to organizing activities of this sort; not only that, he had good taste, and knew how to enjoy himself in style.
…
The following Monday was by no means a beautiful day; the weather was gloomy, and the skies were heavy with dark clouds.
Feng Yichen walked out of the luxury apartment she was currently living in and spotted a familiar BMW 7 parked right outside.
She gracefully stepped into the car. Someone else was already inside, wearing sunglasses; she smiled at him, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. “Brother Bin, why are you here?”
“You’re visiting your family. Of course I’m coming with you.” The man took off his sunglasses, revealing a swarthy, intimidating face.
He was already past the age of forty. He was no longer young, but he was still in very good shape.
He had thick, dark eyebrows, a large nose, and a mouth that was very wide and very square; his face matched, with its fierce expression. His body, too, seemed to be made up entirely of muscles.
His arm was thick and scarred.
Feng Yichen clung to him, and buried her head in his chest. She was extremely upset. “Brother Bin, you don’t have to go—not to a place like that.”
Feng Yichen was going to the detention center to visit her parents and her sister.
Brother Bin chuckled, then said to the driver, “Go.”
Brother Bin dropped Feng Yichen off at the detention center, but did not get out of the car himself. He waited for her inside the car, parked at a distance.
The driver had served Brother Bin for many years, and was therefore a close confidant, but he could not wrap his head around Brother Bin’s behavior. “Brother Bin, why are you being so nice to Miss Feng? Is she really worth it?”
“Heh, I was just playing around, at first. I wanted to see what it was like to have some “fun” with a rich, beautiful graduate student… Then her family got arrested, and look at her, she’s still trying to bail them out. That really got to me, you know. Think about it, we aren’t exactly upstanding citizens, if you get what I mean. If we end up in a detention center ourselves one day, well, wouldn’t you want a nice, caring person on the outside, busting her ass to get us out? Aren’t I right?”
The driver had not thought of this, but now he understood. His fingers tapped on the steering wheel as he smiled and said, “Brother Bin, you think of everything.”
…
Feng Yichen sat in the meeting room of the detention center, and watched her mother, Hu Qiaozhen, slowly shuffle in. Save for a few strands, her mother’s hair had gone entirely white. Feng Yichen’s heart ached at the sight.
“Why are you crying? Last time you came, you told me there’s a law firm over in the capital city with an impressive track record. Did you hire them?” Hu Qiaozhen looked at Feng Yichen with eager eyes. “Your father and I are counting on you!”
Feng Yichen shook her head. “I tried, but they refused to take the case.”
Hu Qiaozhen suddenly gave a loud cry. “Why?! Did you not offer them enough money?! This isn’t the time to be cheap! Your father and I will go to jail!”
“Number 38! Lower your voice!” The policeman standing guard at the detention center shouted.
Hu Qiaozhen immediately shrunk back; her voice was much smaller now. She looked at Feng Yichen with wide, helpless eyes and said, “Yichen, you must think of something! Your father and I haven’t been able to eat or sleep in here. We’re counting on you! And think of your sister, too!”