Gu Jinxiu did not agree with An Junxi’s words. He said, "Anyway, we cook so many dishes every day, and we can’t finish them all."
An Junxi put on a stern face, "You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, how could you understand the value of food? There are still many children in this world who can’t eat enough every day."
Gu Jinxiu didn’t believe it, "You’re lying to me."
An Junxi felt it was necessary for him to experience it firsthand, "How about this: when you have summer vacation, we’ll try to take you to see the impoverished mountain areas. We’ll try our best, but if your father doesn’t agree, we won’t go."
Gu Jinxiu cheered up, "Okay!"
Seeing him happy, An Junxi also felt relieved.
She sang to lull Gu Jinxiu to sleep, then adjusted the room’s wall lamp to a soft light, leaned down to gently kiss Gu Jinxiu’s forehead, and turned to return to her room.
As she turned around, An Junxi was scared out of her wits and almost screamed.
The last bit of sanity reminded her that Gu Jinxiu had just fallen asleep, and she couldn’t scare the child.
She covered her mouth, her lips trembling, "Mrs. Gu, Mrs. Gu."
It’s really the legendary Old Madam Gu! Wasn’t she in the United States? When did she come back? And she stood silently at the door of the room—An Junxi patted her chest. If she had been a bit more timid, she would have been scared to death!
Mrs. Gu, dressed in casual house clothes with her hair meticulously combed, glanced behind An Junxi, seeing Gu Jinxiu sleeping soundly, and said to her, "Come with me."
After speaking, she turned and walked out.
An Junxi hurried to follow, seeing Mrs. Gu go downstairs, bypass the hall, and push open the door to a room next to the flower room.
Along the way, they saw several servants who were not surprised at all, respectfully greeting Mrs. Gu. When they saw An Junxi, their eyes showed a bit of sympathy.
An Junxi felt uneasy, followed Mrs. Gu into the room, and closed the door.
The room was filled with Mrs. Gu’s personal items and a faint scent of incense. An Junxi noticed the half cup of tea left on the table, guessing that Mrs. Gu might have been back for a while but had been staying here without making herself known.
When exactly did she come back? How long had she been observing her?
An Junxi felt goosebumps all over, thinking about being secretly watched in this building all the time.
Mrs. Gu sat down on a chair. Seeing An Junxi staring at the half cup of tea on the table, her eyes, which had seen through the vicissitudes of life, flashed with interest. This An Junxi was quite smart.
She raised her chin slightly, indicating the chair in front of her, "Have a seat."
An Junxi sat down nervously, cautiously glancing at Mrs. Gu. She had seen Mrs. Gu’s interviews and biographies, so she was not unfamiliar with this powerful woman in the business world. But being in such close proximity, especially under the premise of having rumors with Gu Yikun, she was indeed very nervous.
Old Madam Gu, perhaps used to giving orders, had an extremely serious expression. Although she was over fifty and had lost the brilliance of her youth, leaving some traces of time on her face, An Junxi still found her very... beautiful. Yes, beautiful. This beauty had nothing to do with appearance; it was the aura left by a woman over the years.
There was no readable emotion on Mrs. Gu’s face. Seeing An Junxi’s fearful look, she said, "Rest assured, I just returned today and haven’t been watching you for long. Jinxiu doesn’t know either."
An Junxi suddenly breathed a sigh of relief but immediately wondered if her overreaction would make Mrs. Gu think she was unworthy. She tried to relax and said, "Mrs. Gu, are you here to talk to me about the news?"
She knew Mrs. Gu would find her and had imagined countless times the scenario of Mrs. Gu approaching her. She never expected it to be so abrupt today.
Mrs. Gu glanced at the time and said, "I’ll talk about something else first. Do you know that no one in our Gu family has ever hit Jinxiu? But you, what right did you have to lay hands on him!"
Mrs. Gu’s last words were emphasized, making An Junxi’s heart tremble. She looked up at Mrs. Gu, who also looked at her with an imposing aura that left An Junxi with no escape.
Thinking she would be questioned about the rumors with Gu Yikun—which she really couldn’t feel justified in defending herself—she found that since it was about hitting Gu Jinxiu, she would not back down.
She met Mrs. Gu’s gaze calmly and said, "Mrs. Gu, this is actually a matter of communication. Jinxiu was wasting food and being disrespectful. As a tutor, of course, I can discipline him. Mr. Gu said so himself. Whether in academics or life, I should be responsible for Jinxiu. Later, it was proven that Jinxiu was not wrong without reason. I knew I was wrong and apologized to him. He forgave me and realized his mistake, promising that he would communicate well in the future instead of bottling things up. I believe this is not a bad thing for a child. He will remember why I hit him today, but he doesn’t hate me. I think the matter should end here."
Old Madam Gu snorted coldly, her eyes showing disdain as she looked at An Junxi, "You’ve quite the sharp tongue. We Gu family members can educate our own children; we don’t need you pointing fingers. Are you implying that I don’t know how to educate children?"
An Junxi had her stance on this issue, "Mrs. Gu, I only know that before I came, Jinxiu was in trouble every day and had never had a proper conversation with his father. He saw his grandparents only once or twice a year and had tutors who changed several times a month. I don’t know what kind of educational method this is."
Mrs. Gu raised her hand and slapped the armrest of her chair, "An Junxi, do you know who you’re talking to? Do you have any semblance of respect for your elders!"
An Junxi was startled and leaned back a bit but still did not bow her head, "I am telling the truth. If Mrs. Gu doesn’t like it, then I’ll return to my room first."
Just as she was about to stand up, Mrs. Gu said again, "Before Yi Ke returns, you should leave on your own."
An Junxi suddenly thought of something and sat down again, asking, "Did you arrange for Mr. Gu to suddenly go to South Africa? If I’m not mistaken, Mr. Gu should not know that you have already returned."
Mrs. Gu was enraged by her nonchalant attitude. She said in a low voice, "An Junxi, have you always been this arrogant? So what if you guessed correctly. Do you think you’re such a big deal that I had to make a special trip back?"
An Junxi said, "Mrs. Gu, you really misunderstood me. I know I am not an important person and really not worth the trouble for Mrs. Gu. The news is just a piece of drama. Mr. Gu doesn’t have that kind of feelings for me."
"It’s expected that Yi Ke doesn’t fancy you, but it doesn’t mean you won’t try to climb up to our Gu family. Since everything is out in the open now, prepare to move out in a few days."