Xu Nianhua returned to her dorm room, holding the gleaming golden mouse with both joy and a headache. Pei Yicheng had been giving her one gift after another, and she wondered what she could give in return to show her appreciation.
She spent her days at school, or at her second brother’s shop, and at most visited Lou Fan’s factory. She was still just a student, and it was so hard!
That’s right, she forgot to ask about Cheng Hao yesterday, and she forgot again today.
Xu Nianhua thought about how she ran into Zou Yaru before the New Year and aside from meeting Cheng Hao once after the holiday, she hadn’t seen him since. Cheng Hao had been very busy, and even when they gathered for meals with Yining and the others, Cheng Hao was nowhere to be seen.
She wondered if he had managed to step out from the psychological shadow of Zou Yaru.
Xu Nianhua couldn’t shake the feeling that Zou Yaru would come to regret things.
Xu Nianhua’s intuition was spot on. After that incident where Gu Junhe drunkenly lashed out, his relationship with Zou Yaru had dropped to rock bottom. In fact, it became even worse than before. Gu Junhe had several disreputable affairs and even went so far as to flaunt them in front of Zou Yaru, just to show off.
Zou Yaru felt disgusted, but she pretended not to see.
As a man, Gu Junhe found Zou Yaru’s attitude increasingly intolerable, which only worsened their marital relationship. Recently, Zou Yaru discovered she was pregnant, and her first thought was that the child had come at an inopportune time.
Why did the child come just as she was preparing for divorce?
In the quiet of night, Zou Yaru often thought about it, frequently comparing Cheng Hao with Gu Junhe. Except for not being as wealthy as Gu Junhe, Cheng Hao did everything for her, treating her like the treasure in the palm of his hand. Zou Yaru not only regretted her choices but also wanted to divorce and reconcile with Cheng Hao.
But now, there was the child...
Zou Yaru touched her flat belly, her eyes brimming with conflict and reluctance.
"Mingzhu, is there any news?" Fang Yue had been keeping a close watch on Gu Mingzhu recently, partly wanting to know if Gu Mingzhu was faring well in her pregnancy and partly to find out if Gu Mingzhu had located that... child.
Concerning the child she had abandoned at birth, Fang Yue sometimes had nightmares about it. Yet when she thought of her son, she felt that what she did was right.
If she had brought that child back, her mother-in-law would have forced her to divorce; there would have been no chance for Mingcheng’s birth, let alone the affluent lifestyle she enjoyed over the years.
"Mom, are you sure that you left her under the Big Locust Tree?" Gu Mingzhu couldn’t quite believe what she was reading in the documents.
"Yes," Fang Yue nodded affirmatively. After all, she had watched someone else pick the child up before she left.
"Is she... could she be..." Fang Yue looked at Gu Mingzhu’s expression, feeling an ominous premonition.
Gu Mingzhu handed the documents to Fang Yue, saying, "Even though our sister was raised in a poor family, she turned out to be very accomplished." So accomplished that Gu Mingzhu felt a sense of crisis deep within.
She worked hard to earn her father’s trust in her business acumen and to gain his admiration for her abilities.
But what about her sister, whom she had never met?
Having grown up in the countryside, she had managed to get into Beining University in Ningbei, even securing the first place in Gaoliang County and entering Beining University with a perfect score in foreign languages.
How could she be so outstanding?
Gu Mingzhu subconsciously clenched her fists. Initially, she had been eager to find her sister, who could be a potential lifesaver if she needed a blood transfusion. Now, she was not so keen on finding her anymore.
"Truly my daughter, Fang Yue." Fang Yue flipped through the documents with joy, completely oblivious to Gu Mingzhu’s thoughts. She said impatiently, "Then I’ll go to Gaoliang County to find someone right away."