"Brother An Gang, wait for me a moment."
After saying this, Wan Chu’er didn’t wait for An Gang to respond and hurriedly turned back to her dorm.
At this moment, Wan Chu’er wanted to find someone to chat with and share the little bits of her university life.
"Ah, the apples I bought for you..." An Gang anxiously called out, but it was too late; Wan Chu’er had already disappeared into the girls’ dormitory building, and he couldn’t enter, so he could only wait at the door.
Wan Chu’er returned to her dorm and began packing up. She didn’t have much in her dorm, just grabbed a few books, packed a few clothes, folded her bedding, covered it with a tarp and was done.
She was the last to pack, but she finished the fastest.
Ma Tianjiao glared at her, and Mai Qiqi asked, "Chuchu, who was looking for you?"
"My brother," Wan Chu’er said with a smile, then picked up her things and left.
"Brother?" Mai Qiqi mumbled to herself, wondering since when did Wan Chu’er have a brother?
Lin Yufei heard and quickly opened the window to look down.
"Hey, Wan Chu’er is outside with a man."
Her comment made Mai Qiqi and Ma Tianjiao both look out, seeing Wan Chu’er talking and laughing with the man as they walked away.
They didn’t recognize the man.
After leaving the building, Wan Chu’er, carrying her luggage, said to An Gang, "Brother An Gang, I have a house in Beijing, you can take me home."
An Gang was surprised that Wan Chu’er had a house in Beijing, but felt it impolite to ask more, quickly reaching out to take a bag from her.
Upon leaving the campus, Wan Chu’er hailed a taxi, reported the name of the residential complex, and headed straight home.
An Gang started looking around in awe as soon as they entered the residential area, and when he saw Wan Chu’er’s small one-bedroom apartment, his mouth fell open in surprise.
From the decorations inside the room, it appeared that the house belonged to Wan Chu’er.
Wan Chu’er smiled and said, "Brother An Gang, make yourself at home, this is the house I bought in Beijing."
"You should know, I sold our house in Wutong County and added the money from closing down the pickled vegetable business. I spent some taking care of my mom’s medical expenses, and what was left was just enough to buy this apartment," she explained.
An Gang looked around and smilingly said, "Hmm, it’s perfect for a single girl to live in, the security here should be okay, right?"
Wan Chu’er joked, "You’ve forgotten, I studied Martial Arts with Teacher An for two years. If anyone dares to mess with me, they’ll be the unlucky ones."
"I heard from my dad that he’s no match for you now," An Gang laughed.
Wan Chu’er washed a few apples An Gang had brought, and the two of them ate the apples, sitting in the cozy living room like a regular brother and sister, chatting endlessly about each other’s lives.
When An Gang heard Wan Chu’er proudly mention winning five thousand yuan at the welcome party with a sword dance, his mouth opened wide with praise.
Seeing An Gang happy for her, Wan Chu’er felt pleased too.
An Gang now works as a programmer at an internet company.
Wan Chu’er smiled and said, "Brother An Gang, looks like we’re in the same field now, I’ll need more advice from you in the future."
An Gang cheerfully replied, "No problem, if you run into programming issues, just come to me, and if you have problems in other areas, you can seek help from me too."
Wan Chu’er cheerfully agreed.
An Gang noticed a computer in the corner of Wan Chu’er’s living room, originally thinking to help her check for viruses and optimize the system, but when he turned it on, the computer ran very smoothly, with the disks neatly organized.
He was impressed by how well Wan Chu’er had arranged everything, and was even more shocked after looking at her computer’s specifications.
"Your computer setup is very advanced."
Wan Chu’er said, "A friend I know helped me with the setup, Brother An Gang. If you need, I can introduce him to you. He works in the electronic mall and is really skilled with hardware."
Xiao Shan was very enthusiastic towards her, and later when she would browse the electronic mall, she would occasionally run into Xiao Shan, who always gave her two genuine software CDs to play with.
An Gang waved his hand. He mostly used his company’s computer and didn’t need such a good setup at home.
That day, An Gang had dinner here before he left. The meal was cooked by An Gang himself, unexpectedly showing that this programmer also had great cooking skills; perhaps it’s because children without mothers learn to take charge early.
It was the first time she felt so relaxed after the death of Bai Zhixi.
After spending the afternoon together, Wan Chu’er and An Gang had become as close as family.
During the New Year, An Gang was busy at work and didn’t return to Wutong.
On New Year’s Eve, An Gang and Wan Chu’er were eating hotpot and watching the Spring Festival Gala.
Just when they were enjoying their time, there was a knock on the door of Wan Chu’er’s house.
Who would it be at this time? It’s the big New Year’s celebration after all.
They looked at each other, both baffled.
"I’ll go open the door," said An Gang.
Just yesterday, Jiang Kechu had returned to Beijing after completing his mission, and only finished briefing his work by noon today.
Once home, after hearing from Xiaoxiao that Wan Chu’er hadn’t gone back to Wutong and was alone in Beijing, and seeing his lively family, he felt restless thinking about Wan Chu’er alone.
Finding an excuse, Jiang Kechu drove out from his home, wandered around the city for a while, found a still open supermarket, hurriedly bought a lot of New Year goods, and then rushed to Wan Chu’er’s house.
As the door opened, he didn’t see Wan Chu’er, but a young, unfamiliar man.
Seeing An Gang, the expression on Jiang Kechu’s face instantly darkened.
An Gang looked up at the tall man in front of him, his demeanor immediately turning submissive; he could clearly sense Jiang Kechu’s displeasure, involuntarily stepping back.
He asked cautiously, "May I ask who you are looking for?"
By then, Jiang Kechu had calmed his emotions, heard the Spring Festival Gala music coming from inside, and also smelled the hotpot, replied nonchalantly:
"I’m a friend of Chu’er, and may I ask who you are?"
"Brother An Gang, who is it?"
Wan Chu’er saw An Gang still standing by the door and walked over, spotting Jiang Kechu holding two large bags of items.
She paused, wondering why Jiang Kechu would come here.
It felt like ages since she last saw Jiang Kechu. Had he finally completed his mission?
An Gang stepped aside and looked inquiringly at Wan Chu’er.
During the New Year, Wan Chu’er wanted to have a joyful and peaceful time, so she smiled and said, "Uncle Jiang, you’re here, come in."
Then to An Gang: "He’s from my dad’s military unit."
Jiang Kechu, carrying the items, followed Wan Chu’er and An Gang, his heart a bit heavy.
He had clearly seen Wan Chu’er wearing casual home clothes, and her face had a relaxed smile, something he had never seen before; was it because of this ’Brother An Gang’?
To be called so affectionately, Brother An Gang.