Gu Jinxiu really wanted to play with An Junxi. Sister Jun Xi was not afraid of him at all; she treated him like an ordinary child. He found it fresh and interesting. And besides, Sister Jun Xi had saved him before; they were allies who had endured hardships together!
Despite this, Gu Jinxiu worried that his father might blame him for not being found, so he took out his phone and handed it to An Junxi, saying, "Sister Jun Xi, save your number. I'll contact you later."
An Junxi was still hesitating whether to leave her number or not. Gu Jinxiu noticed a middle-aged man walking over from afar and urged her, "Housekeeper Cheng is coming to take me back! Sister Jun Xi, hurry up!"
An Junxi's mind jolted, and she took the phone and saved her number in the phonebook; it was her newly replaced SIM card.
Gu Jinxiu was satisfied and put the phone back in his pocket. He said to An Junxi, "I'll call you when I have time. You have to answer my call!"
An Junxi was amused and exasperated; this little kid acted like a little adult.
Housekeeper Cheng quickly arrived and scrutinized An Junxi sharply for a moment. His gaze gradually softened, and he politely greeted her, "Miss An, what a coincidence."
An Junxi was always polite to elders. She replied, "I'm here with a friend to look at a house."
Housekeeper Cheng nodded and said to Gu Jinxiu, "Young Master, it's time to go home."
Gu Jinxiu said goodbye to An Junxi, mimicking a phone gesture with his hand by his ear.
An Junxi smiled and nodded, indicating she understood.
Only then did Gu Jinxiu follow the housekeeper.
Gong Xiaoyu made the down payment, signed the contract, and completed a series of procedures. By the time she finished, it was already dark, just in time for dinner.
Gong Xiaoyu invited her to the nearby restaurant for a lavish meal to celebrate acquiring her first small villa.
An Junxi sincerely raised her glass to Gong Xiaoyu, "Senior, you truly are my role model in striving forward!"
Gong Xiaoyu clinked glasses with her, drank a cup of red wine, and said, "Jun Xi, with your help, I saved a lot of money! The real estate manager personally handled the paperwork for me and waived five years of property management fees!" Gong Xiaoyu, who runs an educational institute, is an educator and a businesswoman. Open-source and cost-saving are her usual methods, which apply well to purchasing a house. Saving this amount of money made her happy.
An Junxi was surprised, "I didn't expect Mr. Yue to give so many discounts!"
Gong Xiaoyu nodded, "I definitely have to treat him to dinner."
An Junxi glanced at her sideways, "According to Jin Xiu, Doctor Yue is planning to move into the Summer Shore. Not sure which area, but it won't be far. You have plenty of opportunities, senior!" Her eyes gleamed with gossip.
Gong Xiaoyu laughed and lightly hit her, "What are you thinking? I'm just grateful to him!"
An Junxi teased with a mischievous smile, "Sure, sure, whatever you say."
Gong Xiaoyu reached out to hit her, and the two girls playfully tussled. By the end of dinner, they were both a bit drunk.
Gong Xiaoyu couldn't drive after drinking, so she called her brother to pick them up. When Gong Tianfan arrived, he saw the two girls too drunk to walk. He sighed and helped them into the car, first dropping An Junxi home safely before bringing his sister home.
An Junxi lay on the sofa for a while before sobering up. She then fumbled her way to the bathroom for a shower. Brother Gong had advised against soaking in the tub, as it could make the alcohol go to her head. She took a quick rinse and then sprawled onto the bed, rolling comfortably on the soft bedding. Her own bed was the most relaxing.
The sound of her phone ringing woke her up in a daze. She reached for it and slid to answer, murmuring, "Hello."
A gentle voice came from the other end, "Xiao Jun, did you finish your shower?"
An Junxi woke up fully. Only Brother Gong called her Xiao Jun.
She sat up and took a sip of water, feeling her voice clear up, and answered, "Senior, I'm much better now."
Gong Tianfan said, "Do you see the hangover tea on the coffee table? Make some and drink it, then sleep well. You won't have a headache tomorrow." He then reminded her, "Don't drink so much in the future."
An Junxi responded softly, "Thank you, senior."
Suddenly, a sharp female voice came through the phone, "Who are you calling?"
Gong Tianfan hurriedly hung up, "That's it for now, remember to drink the hangover tea!"
The phone went silent, and then completely quiet.
An Junxi could imagine the scenario on Gong Tianfan's side.
She sat by the window, looking at the sleeping city. Even the bustling Yan City had nights of rest. Only a few lights flickered in the dark, and the vast darkness felt suffocating.
An Junxi tilted her head back and drank a large cup of ice water. The cold sensation made her mind clearer, but her heart felt increasingly uneasy.
If it hadn't been for what happened back then, she might have become Xiao Yu's sister-in-law.
But now there was someone else beside him, and Xiao Yu called someone else her sister-in-law.
An Junxi buried her head in her knees, pulled a blanket from the bed, and wrapped herself. She lay on the floor like that.
The world fell silent.
In the Gong household, Gong Xiaoyu was awakened by the noisy quarrelling. She turned over and covered her ears with a pillow, but the domineering and aggressive insults kept drilling into her ears. Gong Xiaoyu felt like her head was going to explode. She irritably got out of bed, pushed open the door, and walked straight to the last room in the hallway. She angrily pounded on the door, shouting, "He Mengya, haven't you had enough? Even if you don't want to sleep, others need to! The property management has complained countless times. You may not care, but we do!"
The door was immediately opened. A dishevelled woman with messy clothes pointed at Gong Xiaoyu and shouted back, "Gong Xiaoyu, what's your problem? Getting your brother to pick up that vixen in the middle of the night, can't stand me, and want to kick me out of this home? Let me tell you, you'll get married sooner or later. I'm the mistress of this house! Stop meddling all the time!"
He Mengya's hysterical accusations appeared to Gong Xiaoyu like a shrew.
Gong Xiaoyu was so enraged she felt brain fog. She looked past He Mengya into the room and saw her brother, faced away from the door and slouched on the bed, looking utterly exhausted.
Gong Xiaoyu felt a mix of anger and heartbreak. As dragon and phoenix twins, she's always sensed her brother's struggles. He used to be such a sunny, warm, and radiant young man. After making one mistake and marrying He Mengya, a shrew-like woman, for over two years, he's been tormented into this aged, weary state. No trace of his former vitality could be found.