After that night, Nian Suian locked her door early the next evening, not allowing Gu Junxing to enter.
Men were too terrifying; it was better to sleep alone.
Facing the tightly closed door, Gu Junxing rubbed his nose and had no choice but to return to his own room.
On Monday, after Gu Zhijing went to school, he made an appointment with Qi Anlu for Saturday morning.
"Anlu, do you have time this Saturday morning?"
"Yes, why?"
Gu Zhijing chuckled mysteriously, "I've prepared a surprise for you. I'll come find you then."
Qu Zizhou, who was nearby, was puzzled, "Didn't we agree to celebrate Anlu's birthday on Saturday night? Why are you looking for him in the morning?"
"Of course, it's for something important."
"What's the matter?"
"It's a secret; I won't tell you."
"Then I want to go too!" The more Gu Zhijing called it a secret, the more curious Qu Zizhou became, itching to find out the details.
Even during class, Qu Zizhou kept pestering Gu Zhijing with questions... almost resulting in both of them being punished.
Unable to do anything about it, Gu Zhijing had to reveal his plan to Qu Zizhou. After hearing it, Qu Zizhou calmed down and no longer insisted on joining them on Saturday.
Qi Anlu couldn't imagine what kind of surprise Gu Zhijing had in store for him, but he couldn't help but look forward to this birthday.
A week ago, his mother had already been talking about what dishes to prepare and what kind of cake to order for his birthday. Originally, she had even suggested inviting his friends over on Friday evening to celebrate together, but they all agreed that it would be better for them to spend the evening alone and celebrate with friends on Saturday.
Qi Anlu agreed with this proposal, celebrating first with his mother and then with his friends.
Qi Anlu had wanted to change his surname before his birthday, but after inquiring at the police station, he learned that even after his parents' divorce, an underage child needed both parents' consent to change their surname.
Zhou Xinfang, seeing her son's desire to change his surname, wanted to approach Qi Wenhan to get his agreement.
Qi Anlu, however, said he could wait until he turned eighteen.
"It's actually quite troublesome to change it now. My teachers and classmates at school are used to calling me by my current name. It's better to change it after I go to university."
Zhou Xinfang had agreed not to approach Qi Wenhan at her son's request, but while Qi Anlu was at school, she still went to Qi Wenhan's workplace.
To her surprise, she found out that Qi Wenhan had been temporarily suspended from his job at the school. After inquiring about the details, she was astonished at how things had unfolded.
It turned out that the woman Qi Wenhan had an affair with, knowing he had divorced, wanted to marry him immediately, but Qi Wenhan was reluctant.
Zhou Xinfang wasn't surprised; Qi Wenhan was the kind of person who loved only himself and his reputation.
Just after divorcing her, to save face and avoid gossip, he wouldn't rush into another marriage.
But the woman couldn't wait. She had been a secret mistress for a long time, and Qi Wenhan, fearing exposure, never took photos with her or accompanied her in public, meeting her infrequently.
Now that the opportunity had finally come for her to marry Qi Wenhan openly, she was unwilling to let go.
Qi Wenhan's attempts to pacify her were taken as excuses for not wanting to marry her, and in a fit of anger, the woman went to the school to cause a scene.
Normally, a teacher's private moral issues wouldn't lead to suspension, but Qi Wenhan was unlucky; a higher-level official happened to be visiting the school, and the school leaders were furious, ordering his immediate suspension, with no clear timeline for his return.
This incident was still the talk of the school, and Zhou Xinfang, merely asking a staff member in the teachers' office, learned everything when she mentioned she was Qi Wenhan's ex-wife.
Even the woman's appearance, what she wore, and what she said and did during her visit were vividly described to her.
Zhou Xinfang felt a sense of satisfaction; the wicked deserved their fate, and Qi Wenhan's current predicament was of his own making.
Qi Wenhan had been so cautious that Zhou Xinfang shouldn't have discovered his infidelity.
But it seemed even fate was on her side...
Once, Qi Wenhan told her he had to stay late at school to review students' papers, a common occurrence. Zhou Xinfang didn't pay much attention.
But the next day, while passing by a residential area on her way to buy groceries, she saw Qi Wenhan coming out of it.
She had never frequented that market before; it was only by chance that she heard a neighbor mention it had a larger selection and fresher produce, so she decided to check it out, only to stumble upon this scene.
From that day on, Zhou Xinfang kept an eye on that neighborhood.
With plenty of time on her hands, she often visited the area, and eventually, she saw a woman get off Qi Wenhan's car and enter the complex.
She memorized the woman's appearance and later followed her discreetly, first determining the direction, then the building, and finally the exact apartment after several visits.
One day, taking advantage of Qi Wenhan's deep sleep after drinking, she unlocked his phone. Qi Wenhan was careful; he deleted chat records regularly.
That day, however, the woman sent a new message, which Zhou Xinfang didn't open but was enough to confirm Qi Wenhan's infidelity.
The explicit language in the message disgusted Zhou Xinfang, but she managed to take a photo with her own phone, suppressing her anger and discomfort.
Aliali: 6747c480c4f3f33ac46fd021She had intended to endure until her son went to university, but... her tolerance only harmed her son.
After learning about Qi Wenhan's current situation, Zhou Xinfang didn't mention it to her son. It was best for Qi Wenhan to completely disappear from their lives.
Before long, Friday arrived, Qi Anlu's birthday. After school, he didn't go straight home but stopped by a flower shop to buy a bouquet.
"Why are you buying me flowers on your birthday?"
When Qi Anlu returned home, Zhou Xinfang was cooking. Seeing her son handing her the flowers with both hands, she wiped her hands on her apron before accepting them.
In the past, Qi Anlu only bought flowers for his mother on Mother's Day, not putting much thought into the selection, as he harbored resentment towards his parents for not divorcing.
"Mom, today is my birthday, but sixteen years ago, it was you who suffered. I want to thank you for bringing me into this world."
"There's no need to thank me. The happiest thing in my life is having you." Zhou Xinfang couldn't help but shed tears.
Sixteen years ago, when she gave birth to Anlu, Qi Wenhan was delighted to have a son, and his parents were thrilled to have a grandson. No one cared about how arduously she had just given birth or how much pain she was in.
Sixteen years later, the little one she had struggled to bring into the world had grown up, showing concern for the suffering his mother had endured sixteen years ago.