After leaving the study, Gu Zhijing went straight to Nian Suian's room. Upon entering, he found Nian Suian just applying a face mask.
Seeing Gu Zhijing, she handed him one casually.
"Here you go."
Gu Zhijing took it and obediently went to wash his face before applying the mask.
Earlier, after leaving the study, he had been in the mood for some drama, planning to play the part of a "hurt child in a blended family" to scare Nian Suian. However, before he could even start, the face mask had already stopped him in his tracks, so he decided to drop the act.
Once he settled down, he said, "Sister-in-law, my dad told me everything."
Nian Suian listened quietly, curious about his thoughts on the matter.
Externally, Gu Junxing's actions might be seen as a conspiracy—leaving the inheritance to his young second wife rather than his biological son. It was easy to imagine what people would say.
But Zhijing, she knew, wouldn't think that way. Gu Junxing's decision to tell him showed his confidence in the child he had raised.
Then, Gu Zhijing spoke with a mock seriousness, "I think my dad is just too calculating! How could I not take care of you in the future? What kind of person does he think I am?"
"I believe you," Nian Suian replied.
Gu Zhijing continued, "My dad practically built everything from scratch. All the money in the family is his. Even if he wanted to light it on fire, I wouldn't have the right to stop him. And don't worry, I'll make my own money too. When you're old, I'll definitely take care of you, so you can be a rich and beautiful lady all your life!"
Nian Suian felt a warmth in her heart, appreciating Zhijing's pure spirit. She teased, "Well, intentionally damaging RMB is illegal, so your dad can't just burn it for fun."
She paused and added, "Thank you, my good son. I believe you'll make it big in the future."
Gu Zhijing grinned, already dreaming of making big money, seemingly having shaken off the shadow of earning just forty yuan in a night.
Or perhaps, Zhijing had never really been in that shadow to begin with.
After ten minutes of wearing the mask, Gu Junxing knocked on the door. Since it was ajar, Nian Suian called out to him, and he entered directly.
Nian Suian pointed to the mask on Gu Zhijing's face and offered, "Want one?"
"No, I..."
—Three minutes later
Gu Zhijing shifted to make room for his dad on the small sofa.
The tiny bedroom sofa now accommodated three people.
Nian Suian happily took out her phone and snapped several photos of the father and son, both with face masks. Gu Zhijing posed for the camera, while Gu Junxing looked serious, as if the mask on his face was a bomb.
After taking the photos, Nian Suian sat back down, and the three of them leaned against the sofa, looking up at the ceiling.
"Hehe," Gu Zhijing couldn't help but laugh first, and soon all three were laughing, not really knowing why, but perhaps feeling happy was enough reason.
A few minutes later, Gu Zhijing received a message from a friend asking him to log in for a game. Checking the time, he decided it was about right and removed his mask, dashing out. Between being a third wheel and playing games, Gu Zhijing chose the latter without hesitation.
Just as he reached the door, he turned back, walked up to Nian Suian, leaned in, and gave her a hug, whispering something in her ear.
Before Nian Suian could react, he was gone, closing the door behind him.
Nian Suian was stunned for a moment before leaning closer to Gu Junxing and whispering, "He just called me 'Mom'."
Gu Junxing was also a bit surprised but thought it made sense.
"That kid has long since accepted you."
"It's so strange to hear someone call me 'Mom'!" Nian Suian lay back, savoring the moment.
For most people, "Mom" is often the first word they learn to say. This word, in almost all languages, has a similar pronunciation.
To have a child, without any blood relation, accept her as his mother and use this sacred term to address her, Nian Suian found the feeling quite extraordinary.
After removing her mask and washing her face and hands in the bathroom, Nian Suian returned and picked up her phone to post on social media.
Gu Junxing, reminded that the mask time wasn't up yet, remained seated on the sofa, gazing tenderly at her smiling profile.
Nian Suian posted the photo of the father and son with face masks, captioning it: [Mom's face masks are running out!]
She showed it to Gu Junxing, who asked her, "Who am I?"
Nian Suian was puzzled, "Huh? Who are you? You're Gu Junxing."
"And what is Gu Junxing to you?"
Realizing he was displeased with her referring to herself as "Mom," Nian Suian decided to play along, remaining silent to see his reaction.
Instead, Gu Junxing picked up his phone and took a selfie.
Nian Suian watched him curiously as he opened his social media app.
He posted his selfie with the caption: [Tried my wife's face mask. Feels good.]
Nian Suian was speechless...
All she could do was give him a like.
She noticed his phone screen—a fearless warrior who posts without any privacy settings.
"Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"
Gu Junxing was puzzled, "Why would they laugh at me?"
After a while, Nian Suian asked Gu Junxing to show her his phone, wanting to see the comments.
They leaned together to check, finding quite a few responses in such a short time.
The first comment was from Fang Anzhi: [Your old face could use some good care.]
Hmm... His sharp tongue remained unchanged.
"He commented so quickly. Maybe you two aren't really enemies. Maybe he likes you."
Gu Junxing's face twisted as if he had swallowed a fly, "He once had eight girlfriends in a month."
Gu Junxing had once scolded him for not fearing disease. Fang Anzhi, unashamed, boasted that anyone wanting to sleep with him had to provide the latest health report.
Though Gu Junxing disapproved of his behavior, since Fang Anzhi wasn't breaking the law or being a homewrecker, there wasn't much he could say about consensual matters.
The second comment was from Liu Jian, simply "hahaha."
Others asked if his account had been hacked, and some posted "99" in the comments.
Nian Suian found Qin Wei's comment the funniest: [Your wife is so good to you, giving you face masks. Songsong only gives me the paper from the mask; she says I'm not worthy.]
Below that was Xu Jiasong's reply: [Do you know how much my masks cost? The paper is fine! If you don't want it next time, you won't even get the paper.]
Nian Suian laughed and told Gu Junxing, "I'm generous with you, right? My masks are expensive too."
After saying that, she glanced at Gu Junxing's lower body and added, "I didn't want to say it... I was afraid you'd get excited."