Gu Qimiao felt aggrieved: "How is it me spoiling him? I scold him but he doesn’t listen, and I can’t beat him. I really have no choice. When he gets injured and hospitalized, I have to take money out to save him, right?"
"Our Miaomiao is really pitiful."
Gu Qimiao nodded quickly, showing a pitiful expression: "He’s just used to bullying me. From now on, I’m confiscating all his prize money from competitions and won’t return it until he gets married."
"You don’t owe him anything, why bother so much?"
Gu Qimiao put away her smile and became serious: "Actually, I often think the same, but we’ve lived together for eighteen years. Though he’s a bit unruly, he’s still quite good-hearted. You know I don’t have any family..."
Fang Shaobei didn’t say anything. He had watched them grow up together. Even without blood ties, such feelings could not be severed overnight.
Once at school, the atmosphere was more enthusiastic than last time.
Having experienced it once, the process was familiar. As soon as Gu Qimiao entered the classroom, she saw Xiaoxiao sitting in the first row, waving at her, smiling, and then continuing to arrange her easel.
When Fang Shaobei walked into the classroom, there was basically nothing for her to do. She stood aside, watching these energetic students, and suddenly noticed a pair of intense eyes on her.
It was the boy who had flirted with her last time, apparently named Xu Shaolun.
He sat there with his arms crossed, smiling without concealing his gaze at Gu Qimiao, while his friends beside him made finger hearts at her.
Gu Qimiao’s face turned red, and she quickly averted her gaze, pretending not to see and focused on Fang Shaobei who was painting.
During the ten-minute break, Fang Shaobei was surrounded by students before he could even step out, while Gu Qimiao seized the chance and hurried into the women’s bathroom.
Seeing that it was almost ten o’clock, she wondered if he was awake.
At last night’s gathering, he hadn’t eaten much. He was drinking all night, likely without having any food, and He Ye had mentioned his poor stomach.
Worried, she made a call.
On the other end, Shen Yanchen was on his way to the company. Glancing at the caller ID, he waited for the ringing to stop before pressing the answer button on his Bluetooth headset, but he didn’t speak.
"Brother Yan Chen, are you awake?"
His icy tone sent shivers through Gu Qimiao. Even though she knew he was always , thinking of the tender Shen Yanchen who had held her to sleep last night, the stark contrast was hard for her to adjust to.
Last night, holding her must have been because he mistook her for another woman.
"...I just called to check... nothing important."
It felt like he didn’t want to talk to her.
All the concerns she had organized in her mind ultimately turned into one sentence: "Then... you go ahead and stay busy."
In a hurry, she hung up the phone, staring at the number on her phone in a daze for a long time.
Shen Yanchen on the other side was the same.
Even if they didn’t talk, just hearing her shallow breathing was nice.
At the company, everyone could feel that today, the company was inevitably covered by dark clouds.
He Ye quickly followed Shen Yanchen, gossiping: "Chen Bro, were you not satisfied last night? Why the sour face first thing in the morning?"
Shen Yanchen sat on the sofa, poured a cup of hot tea, took a sip, then looked at He Ye and asked: "Who sent me back last night?"
He Ye smiled as if seeking credit: "Your Miaomiao!"
Shen Yanchen glared at him, and He Ye spilled everything: "You didn’t know, last night you were drunk and kept calling Miaomiao’s name. Seeing you in such pain, I kindly called her for you! Didn’t you take advantage of the drunk to do something?"