Gu Junxing saw that Nian Suian was so excited she was about to speak, so he quickly sat back down.
"Don't get excited. We'll eat soon. You go back to sleep."
Gu Zhijing also sat up straight, nodding obediently.
Only then did Nian Suian nod in satisfaction, taking her medicine back to her room.
She hadn't slept much the night before, and now she was extremely tired. Too exhausted to care about discomfort, she took her medicine and fell asleep immediately.
Meanwhile, father and son obediently ordered food and ate.
Gu Zhijing asked his father, "So, you two are together now, huh?"
Gu Junxing nodded. He felt there was no need to hide this, and besides, as long as Gu Zhijing wasn't blind, he could see it anyway.
Gu Zhijing clicked his tongue, "Who would've thought, you're quite the charmer. A divorced dad with a kid still managed to snag someone like my little stepmother."
Gu Junxing was in a good mood and didn't get angry. Instead, he nodded and said, "Thank you for the compliment."
Gu Zhijing froze... Wait, who was complimenting him?!
"Grandpa was right."
"What did your grandfather say?"
"In business, you need thick skin."
Hearing this, Gu Junxing shared another piece of news with his son, "Your grandparents are coming home soon, to spend the New Year."
When Gu Zhijing heard this, his eyes immediately lit up. With his grandparents back, his backup had arrived! Let's see if his dad still dares to withhold his allowance.
"When your grandparents return, you can go stay with them."
Gu Zhijing's joy lasted barely three seconds before this sentence left him stunned. "What do you mean? Are you kicking me out of the house now?"
Just yesterday, Qu Zizhou had consoled him that at least his dad hadn't kicked him out, but now he was about to be in the same situation as Qu Zizhou.
"Yes," Gu Junxing admitted directly. "Didn't you say your grandfather was right? Go there and let him tell you more."
"..."
Gu Zhijing's lips puckered up. His grandparents' place was nice, but right now, he still liked his own home the best.
Seeing this, Gu Junxing ignored him. Actually, he was tricking Gu Zhijing. His parents were indeed coming back to the country, but they didn't plan to stay long. They had already told him they intended to visit an old friend who had cancer and didn't want to spend his final days in bed with tubes attached. The elderly couple was returning home for two reasons: one was to spend the New Year at home, and the other was for this friend.
After the New Year, the three elderly people would set off again, embarking on another journey.
Having enjoyed his son's sulky expression enough, and with the food arriving, Gu Junxing ate a bit more.
After a while, he stood up and said to his son, "I'm going back to my room first. Take your time eating, and think about what you want to bring to your grandparents' house. When they come back, you'll move over there."
Gu Zhijing stared at his father's back, gritting his teeth.
With a "crack," he bit right through a rib bone.
Gu Zhijing snorted inwardly. Did his father think he'd move just because he was told to? If Gu Zhijing was that obedient, he wouldn't be a Gu! He wasn't going to move out. He was going to be a stubborn tenant!
Not only that, he'd get his grandparents to stay at home too. The three of them would be like light bulbs, illuminating every corner of the Gu Family house!
After returning to his room, Gu Junxing didn't disturb Nian Suian's sleep, nor did he go back to his own room. Instead, he sat directly in the living room to handle some work matters.
Nian Suian slept for quite a while. When she opened her eyes and reached for her phone, it was already nearly six o'clock.
Whether it was due to the effectiveness of the medicine or just her psychological state, she felt her throat was much better.
Opening the door, she immediately saw Gu Junxing sitting on the sofa. He was wearing headphones at the moment, occasionally responding to something. Nian Suian listened and thought it sounded like French.
The room's air conditioning was on, and he was wearing just a black turtleneck sweater, with the sleeves rolled up, exposing his wrists and half of his forearms.
He hadn't finished his call when Nian Suian had already opened the door. She didn't make any more noise, instead leaning against the doorframe and watching him.
About five minutes later, Gu Junxing took off his headphones, and Nian Suian moved to walk out.
Hearing the sound, Gu Junxing turned around. "Awake?"
Nian Suian gave a soft "mm" and walked over to sit beside him.
She tried clearing her throat and said her first words of the day in a hoarse voice.
"Gu Junxing, you're so sexy."
Gu Junxing was surprised. He never thought the word "sexy" could be associated with him, nor did he expect Nian Suian's first action upon waking would be to call him sexy.
He paused for a moment, then said, "Thank you."
"You can speak French too?"
"You heard?" Only then did Gu Junxing realize that Nian Suian must have been out for a while.
"In college, I joined a French club. I learned a bit and found it interesting, so I kept studying after that."
"Is your throat better? But you still shouldn't talk too much. If you want to say something, text me on your phone."
Nian Suian nodded. Although she could speak now, her throat still hurt, so it was best to talk less if possible.
There wasn't much to do in the room, so they both decided to go out for a walk.
"Where's Zhijing?"
Gu Junxing told her, "He went to play with the dogs. There might be some stray dogs or free-range dogs from a nearby village that came to the hotel and had a litter of puppies. With the weather so cold now, the puppies might freeze to death outside, so Liu Jian just adopted them into the hotel."
The dogs had all been checked by a vet and vaccinated, so Gu Junxing didn't object to Gu Zhijing going to play with them.
"Sister Suian!"
Nian Suian turned her head, and sure enough, it was young Yuchun. It had been a while since they'd seen each other, and Nian Suian thought she looked even prettier. Looking closer, she realized her features hadn't changed; it must be because she was standing straighter and her smile was brighter.
Nian Suian responded in her hoarse voice, "Oh, it's Yuchun."
"Sister Suian, please don't speak. I heard from Sister Yue that you've hurt your throat."
Xin Yuchun had just come back from Zhao Yue's place. Ever since that incident, Zhao Yue had been taking care of Xin Yuchun, even offering to teach her high school knowledge. Now, whenever the kitchen wasn't too busy, she would go to Zhao Yue for lessons.
Zhao Yue was a top student, more than capable of teaching Xin Yuchun. She had been thinking about getting Xin Yuchun back to school.
Zhao Yue had just told Xin Yuchun about Nian Suian's throat injury because Xin Yuchun had told Zhao Yue about her first encounter with Nian Suian, so Zhao Yue thought to mention it to her.
Xin Yuchun had wanted to find an opportunity to check on Nian Suian, and unexpectedly met her outside.
"Let me make you some pear soup. When I was little and had a cold or sore throat, my grandmother would make me pear soup. Her pear soup was unmatched, and I've learned how to make it too!"
Nian Suian naturally wouldn't refuse the young girl's kind intention. After listening, she smiled and nodded, saying that Yuchun could just call her when the soup was ready.
Seeing her agreement, Yuchun's smile grew even brighter, and she immediately ran back to her dorm to put down her books before heading to the kitchen to make the soup.
On her way back from the dorm, Xin Yuchun happened to meet Liu Jian and his group.
Liu Jian was the boss and had helped her a lot, so Xin Yuchun stopped to greet him.
Liu Jian was with important guests, so he didn't speak to her, just nodded slightly.
However, one of the women in the group found Yuchun's face somewhat familiar.
She wanted to look again, but only saw the girl's back as she walked away.