Chapter 2 I hope the marriage can be arranged as soon as possible so that I can have a child.

Gu Chen'an was too excited, and while speaking, he didn't forget to grab Gu Zhiyuan's arm next to him. Compared to his excitement, Gu Zhiyuan was calm. Before Aunt Wang introduced them, he already knew that Ji Wei was Teacher Ji, whom Gu Chen'an always talked about. This was also the reason why he was willing to come to the blind date.

Although Aunt Wang already knew that Ji Wei was a teacher at Gu Chen'an's school, his excitement still surprised her. Her smile widened: "Chen'an seems to really like Xiao Ji!"

“Ms. Ji is our homeroom teacher, and everyone likes her very much.” Gu Chen’an nodded to Ji Wei, then took out a lollipop from his pocket and handed it to Lulu, saying ingratiatingly, “Little sister, have some candy.”

Lulu glanced at the lollipop Gu Chen'an handed her, then looked up at Ji Wei. Seeing Ji Wei nod at her, she accepted the lollipop, not forgetting to thank her brother.

Gu Chen'an quickly waved his hand, "No need to thank me." Gu Zhiyuan, who was next to him, also took out a doll he had prepared in advance and handed it to Lulu. Then he looked at Ji Wei and explained, "This is a gift for the child."

Ji Wei recalled a similar incident in her past life. She had refused the doll and even snatched it from Lulu's arms, returning it to them, which was why Lulu had always coveted the doll. However, the awkward part was that she hadn't prepared anything for Gu Chen'an. Fortunately, Aunt Wang noticed her embarrassment and stepped in to ease the tension, saying, "With so many teachers at the school, it's incredible that Xiao Ji is Chen'an's homeroom teacher." After saying this, Aunt Wang smiled and introduced them to each other before taking a moment to leave, giving them some space.

When Aunt Wang was around, they hardly had a chance to speak. After she left, Gu Zhiyuan, who was sitting opposite, took the initiative to speak, his tone sincere: "Aunt Wang has already explained my situation. Is there anything else that Teacher Ji would like to know?"

Ji Wei looked up and examined the man before her for the first time. He had striking features, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a rare good-looking man. Perhaps his features were too sharp, giving him an aura of coldness. But when he spoke, his demeanor softened. She couldn't remember the details of her past life clearly, only that she had directly refused him. Now, looking at Gu Chen'an, who was playing with Lulu, she had other thoughts. She looked up and met Gu Zhiyuan's gaze, asking, "Can you tell me the reason for your divorce from your ex-wife?"

In her past life, she had taken care of Gu Chen'an because he was from a single-parent family. However, he transferred to a school in the city when he was in fourth grade. Although Wu'an Town and the city were only half an hour's drive apart, they never had a chance to meet except when Gu Chen'an came back to school to see her. Therefore, she didn't know much about them.

"I was in the military for a long time, and we were in a long-distance relationship. We had no feelings for each other, so we got divorced," Gu Zhiyuan explained.

"I see." Ji Wei nodded. Before coming, Aunt Wang had mentioned the reason for their divorce, saying that his ex-wife didn't get along with her in-laws and often complained about her raising the child alone. That's why Gu Zhiyuan decided to transfer back home. Who knew that as soon as the transfer was finalized, his ex-wife rekindled her old relationship with her junior high school classmate and was demanding a divorce. The implication was that it was all the woman's fault, but fortunately, the man didn't seem to put all the blame on her, which improved her impression of him somewhat.

Seeing this, Gu Zhiyuan was unsure of her meaning, so he took the initiative to speak frankly with her again: "Teacher Ji, I'm currently working at the tax bureau. This job requires me to go to the countryside frequently, so I'm very busy on weekdays. I can't take good care of Chen'an much. So, my initial reason for looking for someone was to help me take care of the child. Of course, I will try to change the current situation, but I don't know the specific timeframe yet. For now, all I can do is give you my salary card, and you can arrange everything at home. Can you accept that?"

Ji Wei thought that this man was honest enough. However, if he said this twenty years later, he would definitely be criticized for just wanting a free nanny. But now, this was the general consensus. Remarriage was simply about finding someone to share life with. However, the fact that he was willing to give her his salary card suggested that he might be a good partner. It's said that second marriages are like marriages on the sidelines, and everyone is wary of each other. At least he was honest for now.

Seeing her silence, Gu Zhiyuan wasn't disappointed. After all, he himself felt it was unfair to her. He thought that if all else failed, he would first hire someone to help take care of Chen'an, and then slowly plan his work. Meanwhile, Gu Chen'an, who had been playing happily with Lulu, suddenly ran up to Ji Wei, his tone somewhat urgent: "Teacher Ji, if you're willing to be my mother, my dad and I will treat you and my sister very well, really!"

Meeting the urgency in his eyes, Ji Wei recalled the look in his eyes when he pushed her away without hesitation when they saw the truck, and her heart softened involuntarily: "Okay!"

"Teacher Ji, does this mean you've agreed to my request?" Gu Chen'an looked at her with some surprise.

"I guess so, but your dad and I need to get to know each other better before that." Ji Wei smiled and patted his head. She thought, consider it repaying a debt of gratitude, and also finding herself a business partner. After all, it's just marriage, and Gu Zhiyuan's family doesn't live here, meaning she won't have to live with her in-laws. And as he just said, he's often away from home, so her life will only have Gu Chen'an in it, and she'll get extra income every month. It seems like a worthwhile deal, doesn't it?

"Teacher, you won't go back on your word, will you?" Gu Chen'an suddenly became a little nervous.

"As long as Lulu doesn't object, it shouldn't be a problem." Ji Wei's gaze fell on her daughter beside her, her eyes full of tenderness. Seeing this, the man opposite her looked at the little girl beside him with some nervousness.

Gu Chen'an, however, couldn't wait to look at Lulu, who was holding a doll, and asked, "Little sister, would you like my dad to be your dad?"

Although Lulu was only three years old, she knew that everyone else had a father except her. She hugged the doll in her arms and nodded to Gu Chen'an. This father would give her dolls, and her brother would play with her. She liked them.

"Teacher Ji, look, Lulu agreed!" Gu Chen'an's tone was full of excitement.

"Chen'an, take your sister over there to play first," Gu Zhiyuan said.

"Okay." Although Gu Chen'an was a little reluctant, he was an obedient child and still took Lulu there to play.

Soon, their table quieted down. Gu Zhiyuan looked at Ji Wei and said seriously, "Teacher Ji, if you agree, I will definitely fulfill any requests you have that I can."

"My initial intention was the same as yours, hoping that Lulu could have a father's love. I have no other requests." Naturally, the reason for repaying the debt of gratitude could not be stated.

"Don't worry about that, Teacher Ji. I will treat both children equally," Gu Zhiyuan assured her.

"I will try my best to treat everyone equally." Ji Wei nodded to him. Now that she had made this decision, she would definitely treat Gu Chen'an well.

"I just returned from military service, and I'm very busy at work, so I hope to get married as soon as possible. This may sound a bit presumptuous, but it's my honest opinion," Gu Chen'an said directly.

Thinking about her family's current situation, Ji Wei's tone was quite frank: "I'm fine with anything."

Seeing her nod, Gu Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "What are the requirements for the wedding season, Teacher? I'm not a local, and I heard that the policy of allocating housing to my workplace will be gradually phased out. Even if it isn't, I don't know how long it will take before it's my turn. To make it easier for Chen'an to go to school, I'm currently renting a house near the school. I have some money that I can use to buy a house." In Gu Zhiyuan's mind, a woman's basic needs, such as food and clothing, are essential.

Gu Zhiyuan's words improved Ji Wei's impression of him even more. Meeting his eyes, she shook her head: "Let's not buy a house for now." Her plan was to buy a house in the city. Here, she would buy a plot of land to build her own house. In a few years, it would be difficult to buy a plot of land, but she wasn't in a hurry to tell him about it.

Gu Zhiyuan paused for a moment, then nodded: "I'll listen to Teacher Ji."

His words pleased Ji Wei even more: "Then shall we go get our marriage certificate the day after tomorrow?"

Gu Zhiyuan was genuinely surprised. Although he had suggested getting married as soon as possible, this seemed a bit too early. Nevertheless, he nodded and said, "Then I will bring Chen An to visit tomorrow."

Ji Wei originally wanted to refuse. It was her who was getting married, and it had nothing to do with her family. But then she thought that she hadn't fallen out with her family yet, and in fact, in other people's eyes, her family had always helped her. So, she decided to use this marriage to distance herself from her family, and no one would be able to find fault with her. With that in mind, she looked up at Gu Zhiyuan and said directly, "Okay, you can come over with Aunt Wang tomorrow. Let's have dinner first."

Seeing that she waved to the two children over there after she finished speaking, a smile flashed across Gu Zhiyuan's eyes. He liked her decisive and efficient personality.

Both of them were straightforward, so the meal was quite pleasant. As they were leaving, Ji Wei extended her hand to Gu Zhiyuan: "It was a pleasure working with you. See you tomorrow then?"

"A pleasant collaboration?" Gu Zhiyuan pondered these four words. Yes, although it was called a marriage, it was more like a collaboration. He glanced down at the happy Gu Chen'an beside him, and the corners of his lips slowly turned up as well. Over the years, the person he owed the most to was Chen'an. As long as he was happy, that was all that mattered.

Ji Wei, who had politely declined Gu Zhiyuan's offer to take them home, was walking home with Lulu in her hand. Lulu was still holding the doll in her arms, chattering away to her, her tone full of undisguised affection. Ji Wei was very grateful to God for giving her a second chance.

When the mother and daughter returned, the family was having dinner. Seeing that only the two of them had returned, the smile on Li Shuhui's face immediately disappeared. Did it not work out again?

"Weiwei, how did your chat with Xiao Gu go? Didn't he say he'd send you back?" Zhou Xiuzhen asked, still not giving up, since she didn't see anyone else. She knew that this girl had ulterior motives for insisting on taking Lulu with her.

Ji Wei stood at the door and took in the expressions of everyone at the table: her sister-in-law's displeasure, the fleeting look of disgust in her brother's eyes, her father's anger, and her mother's eagerness. Oh, and her four-year-old nephew's delight at seeing the doll in Lulu's arms. He then directly ordered Lulu, "Xie Luyan, give me the doll."

Normally, Lulu would have given it to him directly, but she really liked this doll, and with Ji Wei around, she hugged the doll tightly, then shook her head and refused, saying, "No, this is mine."

Four-year-old Ji Cong was always the little tyrant at home. When Lulu refused, he was stunned for a moment, then ran over, muttering, "You little burden, give it to me!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Wei's face instantly turned cold. For a four-year-old child to know the word "burden" and use it so often meant he must have heard it from others quite often. She looked at Ji Cong rushing over and stood in front of Lulu, coldly saying, "Congcong, who told you Lulu is a burden?"

A note from the author:

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Front row red envelopes continue