Gu Junxing felt that this scene seemed familiar somehow... As soon as he entered the house, he heard people speaking ill of him. Considering how often he came home, these people must have been gossiping about him quite a bit.
Originally, everyone was chatting happily and lively, but as soon as Gu Junxing came home, they all fell silent. The air was filled with awkwardness. Although no one said it out loud, Gu Junxing felt as if he were some kind of killjoy.
Finally, Nanny Zhang broke the silence and asked, "Boss, I'm stewing some chicken soup. Would you like me to make you a bowl of noodles?"
Gu Junxing shook his head. "No need, I'm not hungry." Then he looked at his son and said, "Don't play games tonight. Go to bed early." After that, he went straight upstairs.
As soon as Gu Junxing reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner, he heard the commotion resume downstairs.
"Nanny Zhang, I want chicken soup noodles!"
"Me too!"
"Alright, alright, a bowl for everyone."
"Go change your clothes before eating. If you get oil on them, you'll have to wear your school uniform on Friday!"
...
How nice, the family seemed much more harmonious without him around.
This just goes to show that some money is best earned by professionals.
On Friday afternoon, just as Nian Suian woke up from her nap, the stylist and makeup artist arrived.
Nian Suian didn't pay much attention to how they worked their magic. She just sat in front of the mirror while they fussed over her, and when they were done, the face in the mirror left her stunned for half a minute.
She had thought the makeup she did for the parent-teacher conference was good enough, but compared to today's look, Nian Suian realized her own skills were nothing to brag about.
She felt that now, even a young Leonardo DiCaprio might not be quite good enough for her.
"Madam, you look absolutely stunning," the stylist complimented while fixing Nian Suian's hair.
"Oh, stop it. It's all thanks to your incredible skills. It's like divine craftsmanship," Nian Suian gave a thumbs up.
Makeup is a time-consuming process, especially for such an exquisite look. By the time Nian Suian had finished her makeup, hair, and changed into her outfit, Gu Zhijing, who had returned from school, had already played six rounds of his online game.
Gu Zhijing was on a voice call with his friends while playing when he saw Nian Suian coming downstairs in her full attire. He couldn't help but blurt out, "Holy..."
His friends on the other end of the call, not knowing what was happening, shouted, "What's wrong? Why aren't you moving?! We're about to die here!"
"I'm out, I'm out," Gu Zhijing said, not caring about his friends' fate as he shut off his phone.
"Wow, this is going to knock Dad's socks off," Gu Zhijing said as he walked a full circle around Nian Suian.
"Watch your language, young man," Nian Suian secretly rolled her eyes. As if she cared whether Gu Junxing would be impressed or not!
"Next time you go to a parent-teacher conference, you should dress like this," he said. That way, he'd be the most envied kid in school.
"We'll talk about that when you get first place in your class," she retorted. Who wears an evening gown to a parent-teacher conference? This child was so silly, he probably would never rank first in his life.
Now that Nian Suian was ready, it was Gu Zhijing's turn. But since he was still a child, he didn't need much preparation. He just changed his clothes and messed with his hair a bit, taking less than a tenth of the time Nian Suian had needed.
At 7:30 in the evening, Gu Junxing came home to pick up the "mother and son" duo. For such a formal occasion, he drove himself, and even switched to a different car – the stereotypical boss's black, extended Lincoln limousine.
Nian Suian carefully lifted her dress as she got into the car, with Gu Zhijing right behind her. They sat opposite Gu Junxing once inside.
"Did we buy a new car?" Gu Zhijing asked his father. He had been counting down the days until he turned eighteen so he could get his driver's license and drive himself. He often went to check out their family garage, imagining which car he might be allowed to drive in the future. So he was quite certain they didn't own this particular vehicle.
Gu Junxing glanced at his son and simply said, "It's rented."
?
"Are we going bankrupt?"
Interestingly, this was the same question Nian Suian wanted to ask.
"The company is doing just fine."
"Then why did you have to rent a car? Can we not afford to buy one anymore?"
Perhaps because they still had to play the role of a happy family in front of the media and everyone else today, Gu Junxing was being relatively patient with his son's questions.
"We don't need this kind of car often, so there's no point in buying one specifically."
After saying this, the car fell silent again. The three of them stared at each other, and seeing Gu Junxing just sitting there, not even looking at a laptop or anything, Nian Suian couldn't help but ask a question.
"Don't you need to handle work stuff? Aren't big bosses always super busy, working on their laptops even in the car?" Nian Suian remembered seeing this in TV shows.
Gu Junxing stared at Nian Suian for a moment, noticing the genuine confusion and curiosity in her eyes. He then glanced at his son, who hadn't said anything but whose big eyes reflected the same questions.
Gu Junxing paused before answering, "Looking at a laptop in the car makes me carsick." They might look elegant and beautiful on the outside, but once they open their mouths... Never mind, it's probably best if she doesn't speak at all later, Gu Junxing thought to himself.
"When we get out of the car, you stand in the middle and link arms with me and Zhijing," Gu Junxing instructed Nian Suian.
"Why? Shouldn't you be in the middle? You're the boss, you should take the center position."
"If Dad stands in the middle, people might think he brought a son and a daughter," Gu Zhijing chimed in. For some reason, this struck him as hilarious, and he kept laughing for a while after saying it.
Gu Junxing was so annoyed he wanted to smack his child, but realizing they were almost at the venue, he managed to restrain himself. He truly regretted not having more children when he was younger.
"You stand in the middle. It looks more balanced that way."
"Oh, I see."
Tonight's banquet wasn't just for businesspeople, but for celebrities from various fields as well, so there were quite a few reporters at the entrance.
The three of them attracted the media's attention as soon as they got out of the car. Nian Suian was nearly blinded by the camera flashes. She guessed it was probably because their "family of three" appeared to have a complex relationship from the outside.
"Who are these three?"
"That's the boss of Junxing Enterprise, Mr. Gu, with his wife and child."
"Oh, it's him. His wife looks quite young though, even with such a grown-up son. She looks like a young girl herself."
"What are you talking about? Mr. Gu just got married this year. Of course his wife is young."
"Oh, I see. So she's the stepmother. Pretty attractive, I must say."
If Nian Suian had heard this compliment, she would have been delighted. Unfortunately, at the moment, she couldn't find any word other than "embarrassed" to describe her current state of mind.
Though it was called a banquet, it was actually just a large social gathering. Gu Junxing wouldn't let her wander off with Gu Zhijing, so the two of them had to stay with him, forced to engage in small talk with others.
Nian Suian was thinking of ways to slip away when she heard Gu Zhijing excitedly call out, "Uncle Fang!"
Nian Suian noticed that as soon as Gu Zhijing's voice rang out, Gu Junxing, who was talking to a business partner beside her, paused for a moment.
A thought flashed through Nian Suian's mind: Oh boy, the legendary arch-enemies are about to meet. This should be interesting.