novelraw Chapter 445 "Gu Zhiheng, Are You Really Faking It?"
Chapter 445 "Gu Zhiheng, Are You Really Faking It?"
Chapter 445 "Gu Zhiheng, Are You Really Faking It?"
Hearing his lover's cheerful tone, Gu Chenghuai knew that she really didn't lack anything. He said regretfully, "It's a real pity that I have no chance to use my skills."
Lin Zhao looked puzzled. "Use what?"
"I'll buy you everything," Gu Chenghuai said matter-of-factly.
Everyone is vying for him, which has left him unsure how to win over his wife.
Seeing the calculation in her husband's eyes, Lin Zhao laughed so hard she fell against him.
"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of opportunities. There will be room for you to shine." She patted Gu Chenghuai's shoulder, her eyes filled with laughter.
Gu Chenghuai seemed to have been appeased, and his eyes softened slightly. "That's good. I need to be of some use."
Otherwise, Zhaozhao might forget about him.
Ever since the Lin family returned, she's been so happy she's forgotten all about home! It's rare for her to even think of him occasionally.
"It's useful, it's useful. Now I'll punish you by making you buy me a lipstick!" Lin Zhao raised her chin slightly, ordering people around arrogantly.
Gu Chenghuai's smile deepened. He took his wife's hand and walked to the counter. Without her prompting, he picked out one she liked.
"How about this one? I think you'll like it." His eyes were deep, and his gaze towards Lin Zhao was focused and gentle.
“Very good, it’s what I like.” Lin Zhao’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “Thank you, Yao Bao’s dad.”
Gu Chenghuai's smile was both helpless and indulgent. "What else do you want?"
"Let's forget about it for now, we'll come back another day to choose, and we'll bring Yaobao with us then." Lin Zhao still remembered the key point of today.
“Sure,” Gu Chenghuai replied.
With time to spare, the couple saw a group of people queuing to buy cakes not far away. They exchanged a glance, walked over, and bought two cakes.
Both of them are outstanding in appearance and have a special temperament. They attract a lot of attention when they walk on the street, and they are just as good-looking when they stand there. If everyone had a mobile phone in this day and age, this good-looking couple would have been photographed countless times.
Gu Chenghuai frowned uncomfortably, his deep, cold black eyes sweeping over them. Everyone who met his gaze was startled and quickly looked away.
This man is handsome, but he's really fierce and looks terrifying.
Lin Zhao tugged at her husband's sleeve, teasingly asking, "Did you scare someone?"
"Hmm." Gu Chenghuai responded with a calm "hmm."
Lin Zhao burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Gu Chenghuai looked over.
"It's nothing." The sun was quite strong, so Lin Zhao opened the parasol, which Gu Chenghuai took with one hand and tilted it towards his wife.
"Why don't you wait for me in the shade for a while?"
Lin Zhao shook her head, "No need, it'll be quick, I'll be in line soon."
As she spoke, she saw the person in front of her take a few steps forward, so she quickly pulled Gu Chenghuai to follow.
Gu Chenghuai let her push him forward, and after buying the item, he led Lin Zhao away and drove towards the examination hall.
When they arrived, no examinees had come out yet. After waiting for a while, they spotted Yao Bao, who had handed in her paper and come out early.
Lin Zhao waved to her, "Yaobao!"
A beautiful young girl with a radiant smile ran over as lightly as a butterfly.
"Dad, Mom, I'm so hungry! Let's go eat!"
Gu Chenghuai took the things from his daughter's hands. "What do you want to eat? You decide today. Your mother and I will listen to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he remembered something and added, "Choose healthy ones. I have an exam tomorrow, so I don't want to get an upset stomach."
"Dad, after the exam, I want to eat hot pot!" Yao Bao has a strong palate and likes food that's oily and spicy. Just thinking about the numbing and spicy hot pot makes her mouth water.
"Okay, I'll take you to eat tomorrow afternoon," Gu Chenghuai readily agreed.
"Speaking of hot pot, I'm getting a little hungry too." Lin Zhao also looked craving it.
After Yao Bao got into the car, Gu Chenghuai whispered in her ear, "Bear with it for now. Tomorrow morning, after I take Yao Bao to the exam hall, I'll take you out to eat."
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "I'd better not, I'm afraid your daughter will be tempted."
“We can’t let you go hungry. You eat yours, and we’ll set up another table for her this afternoon,” Gu Chenghuai said matter-of-factly.
In short, everyone has to make way for Zhaozhao when it comes to him.
Who wouldn't like to be favored by someone? Lin Zhao was an ordinary person, and she liked it and was content with it.
The smile on her face could fly to the sky.
She said, "Okay, then let's just have a quick bite tomorrow morning, and after we take Yaobao to the exam hall, we'll go out for hot pot."
There are quite a few hot pot restaurants in the capital, but Lin Zhao hasn't tried any yet.
"Okay." Gu Chenghuai nodded.
As they were talking, the car window opened.
Yao Bao poked her head out, her cheeks puffed out with collagen, and her eyes held a resentful look.
"Could you whisper a little quieter? I can hear you."
Eating alone behind her back is going too far!
"There's no way around it, you have exams to take." Gu Chenghuai opened the passenger door, Lin Zhao got in the car, he turned around, sat in the driver's seat, and then continued, "Of course we have to satisfy your mother first. You only have to wait half a day to eat, and then you can do whatever you want."
Yao Bao instantly brightened up and happily said, "Daddy, my great-aunt said she's going to take me to the port city. Can I go?"
The expectation in his words was crystal clear.
Gu Chenghuai started the car, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, and nodded. "Go if you want to."
He had met the Lin family's bodyguards; none of them were ordinary, and they were capable of protecting Yaobao.
"Can Mom go?" Yao Bao wanted to go with Lin Zhao. In the end, out of the four children in the family, this girl was the most attached to home and the most clingy to Lin Zhao.
She truly deserves to be called my little darling.
"It would be too much trouble for me to go. You go first, and I'll go another time if I have the chance," Lin Zhao said, turning to Yao Bao.
Yao Bao lowered her eyes in disappointment, "Okay."
"Your second brother will probably be going too. When you go with him, don't forget to bring me a gift," Lin Zhao said bluntly.
"I definitely won't forget!" Yao Bao exclaimed.
"Second brother is going too? What's he going there for?!" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
“He wants to go out and see the world, to learn how to do business from the Lin family in Hong Kong.” Lin Zhao explained gently, “You know your second brother admires your great-grandfather so much after he found out how big his business is. He sticks to him and wants to learn. He’s wanted to go for a long time, but no one can take him. Your dad and I didn’t dare let him go alone. When he heard that your great-aunt said she would take you to Hong Kong after you finish your college entrance exam, he couldn’t sit still anymore.”
He wanted to go, and Lin Yu naturally agreed, so one more person returned to Hong Kong.
"Great!" Yao Bao was even more excited about the trip. "Mom, I'll take lots of pictures for you to see."
"Okay," Lin Zhao said with a smile.
……
After two days of college entrance exams, Yao Bao finally got to eat the hot pot she had been longing for. Eating spicy beef and mutton and drinking some iced beverages, the girl's face was full of satisfaction.
Gu Zhiheng was also there.
He looked at his sister and said with amusement, "You're eating so heartily! Did Dad and Mom starve you or something?"
"I was afraid of getting diarrhea, so I didn't dare to eat spicy food. I've been craving it for a long time." Yao Bao kept eating bite after bite.
Gu Chenghuai served her food.
They took such good care of Lin Zhao and her daughter that they didn't even have to lift a finger.
Seeing that he hadn't eaten much, Lin Zhao put some vegetables on his plate and said, "You eat too, don't just focus on me and Yaobao."
Gu Zhiheng said, "Why isn't anyone serving me anything? Am I superfluous?"
"Self-reliance leads to abundance." Gu Chenghuai glanced at him.
"Alright, I'll do it myself." Gu Zhiheng stood up decisively, intending to serve the whole family. "From now on, Gu Xiaoer will serve you all. Just ask me for anything you need." He imitated the waiters on TV, fawning over them.
Lin Zhao couldn't help but laugh at the second son's mischievous look. She pulled him down to sit, saying, "Stop being the center of attention and sit down to eat."
Gu Zhiheng sat down following his mother's lead. "You really don't need my service?" he asked seriously.
"No need to trouble President Gu." Lin Zhao also started acting.
Gu Zhiheng waved his hand, adopting the smiling face he used in business dealings, and said with a grin, "No problem, no problem."
That's incredibly smooth and diplomatic.
Lin Zhao was least worried about her second son, Hengbao. He had a silver tongue, able to talk to anyone and get along well anywhere.
These kinds of people are really adept at doing business.
After finishing their meal, the family left the hot pot restaurant.
I ran into Jiang Rong and Lu Baozhen at the door.
"Gu Zhiyao!?" Lu Baozhen exclaimed in surprise, she hadn't expected to meet Gu Zhiyao here.
Lu Baozhen subconsciously looked at Jiang Rong, but when she saw the bright smile on his face, she clenched her right fist, afraid of revealing the resentment in her eyes, and quickly lowered her head.
Does Jiang Rong also like Gu Zhiyao?!
Yao Bao looked in the direction of the sound and, upon seeing someone she didn't like, subconsciously frowned.
She nodded slightly but didn't say anything.
Jiang Rong stepped forward, politely greeted Gu Chenghuai and Lin Zhao, and then smiled as she greeted Gu Zhiheng and Yaobao.
"Zhiheng, Yaobao, I didn't expect to run into you here. It's a pity you've already finished eating, otherwise we could have chatted while we ate," he said regretfully.
Gu Zhiheng smiled and said, "There will be another opportunity."
“That’s true. Where do you live? Let’s go out for a drink sometime,” Jiang Rong offered.
He played with Gu Zhiyu and Gu Zhiheng for a while when they were young. They had a falling out because of Lu Baozhen, but he felt it didn't affect their friendship.
Gu Zhiheng gave him his address in Haicheng.
Jiang Rong was surprised, and a strange feeling crept into her heart.
Why isn't it an address in the capital? Does Gu Zhiheng not want to have any contact with me?
His heart sank.
Gu Zhiheng clenched his fist and punched Jiang Rong on the shoulder, laughing, "I'm often in Haicheng."
Jiang Rong realized he had misunderstood and looked embarrassed.
"Okay, I'll remember that. I'll come find you when I get to Haicheng."
Gu Zhiheng responded, "You guys eat, we'll head back now, we'll talk again when we have time."
"Okay." Jiang Rong said goodbye to Lin Zhao and the others, being very polite.
The Jiang family's upbringing is impeccable, but unfortunately, Jiang Rong is clueless about Lu Baozhen's affairs, as if he's been bewitched.
Lu Baozhen was treated like she was invisible the whole time. She was indignant, and when she looked up again, a faint vulnerability showed on her otherwise pretty face.
"Brother Jiang, Aunt Lin still doesn't like me."
Jiang Rong looked at her in surprise, "Don't you know why Aunt Lin doesn't like you? You bullied Yao Bao when you were little, and Aunt Lin is protective of her, so of course she won't like you. Uncle Gu listens to Aunt Lin in everything. If Aunt Lin doesn't like you, he won't even look at you properly. Oh, no, even if Aunt Lin has no problem with you, Uncle Gu still won't pay attention to you."
Uncle Gu is just like that; he treats his father like that too. He and Lu Baozhen aren't any more important than his father, so they're not worth paying attention to.
Lu Baozhen nearly fainted after hearing these words.
His face turned pale and then flushed.
How can this person speak so rudely!
Which side is he actually on?
Jiang Rong: In the middle.
"Come in, and I'll take you to the station after you eat," Jiang Rong said.
Lu Baozhen's expression changed slightly; she didn't want to go back yet.
The capital is so nice, with such big shopping malls, and the people on the streets are dressed very fashionably. It's much better than the boring military region. Lu Baozhen didn't want to leave.
"Brother Jiang, can I stay a few more days?"
Jiang Rong frowned. "What are you doing here? I've taken you to do all the fun things, and you've eaten all the good food... I have things to do, and I don't have time to play with you anymore. You should go back early. If you stay here any longer, Uncle Lu will worry."
Her father had long been won over by the son born to that woman, Su Yuxian, so he wasn't worried about her.
Lu Baozhen harbored resentment in her heart.
"I want to stay and find a job to support myself; I don't plan to go back."
Jiang Rong: "..."
He looked at Lu Baozhen, his gaze full of inquiry.
Lu Baozhen inwardly cried out in alarm; she had been far too hasty.
She looked at Jiang Rong pitifully, her expression broken and fragile.
"...Aunt Su forced me to go on blind dates, but I didn't want to. I didn't want to marry someone I didn't like. I wanted to support myself with my own hands. There are more opportunities in the capital, and I can always find a job. I don't want to go back to that home. That's not my home. I'm superfluous in that home."
Over the years, Lu Baozhen had long known what kind of person Jiang Rong was susceptible to; he would always soften when she played the victim.
“Alright, if you insist. You can stay here for now, and I'll keep an eye out for work for you.” Jiang Rong thought Lu Baozhen was very independent and self-reliant, and looked at her with admiration.
Lu Baozhen smiled, and her tone became charming, "Thank you, Brother Jiang. Brother Jiang is the best person in the whole world to me. I don't know how to repay you."
Jiang Rong looked at him with pity, "No need to repay me, it was just a small favor, don't worry about it."
Lu Baozhen looked at him with a joyful expression and a dependent gaze, her heart pounding.
"Why are you looking at me? What do you want to eat? Order!" Jiang Rong couldn't see the affection in her eyes; he just wanted to eat.
……
In the car.
Lin Zhao looked at Gu Zhiheng sitting to her left, poked his strong arm, and asked, "You're still in contact with Jiang Rong?"
Gu Zhiheng was taken aback. "No, this is the first time I've seen him since graduation."
In fact, he didn't see Jiang Rong very often when he was in college. He was extremely busy at the time, attending classes, being his mother's protector, and also finding time to buy and sell stocks to accumulate capital for starting a business... He had no time for socializing.
The main reason is that he and Jiang Rong weren't particularly close, so he didn't need to put in the effort to cultivate a relationship.
Jiang Rong is a good person and loyal, but he's close to Lu Baozhen, and his IQ drops drastically when it comes to Lu Baozhen. He's afraid of being influenced, so he can only stay away from her.
"Mom, why are you asking this?"
Lin Zhao's eyes were complicated. "I saw that you still made plans to meet him again, so I thought your relationship had thawed."
“If there’s no ice, there’s no such thing as breaking ice.” Gu Zhiheng was amused by his mother’s words.
“We had no misunderstandings, no conflicts, and we naturally drifted apart. Now we're just ordinary friends. The time I mentioned meeting up again was just a casual remark; I'm sure he didn't take it to heart. Mom, it seems you're out of touch with young people's social interactions…”
Lin Zhao: "..."
This is clearly implying that she is old.
"Gu Zhiheng, you're a hypocrite!" Lin Zhao retorted angrily, launching an attack. "You've changed, you're so different I almost don't recognize you. Stay away from me, I don't want to deal with you for now!"
Seeing this, Yao Bao chuckled to herself.
She moved closer to Lin Zhao and hugged her arm. "Mom, let's chat without mentioning Second Brother. Let him suffer alone. Don't be angry."
"People in the business world can be real or fake!" Lin Zhao concluded, pinching Yao Bao's little face. "Don't look for a partner who's cunning, especially a smiling tiger, they're too scary."
Yao Bao's little face flushed red, and she twisted her body shyly, "Mommy!!"
(End of this chapter)