Chapter 49

Yu Xia was stunned.

What are her parents doing here?

Gu Yubai was also taken aback when he heard the voice.

Mom and Dad?

Yu Xia frowned in confusion, closed the door, placed the tea set on the table, and asked the two people sitting at the main table, "Mom and Dad, what are you doing here?"

Seeing her daughter's scrutinizing gaze, Xia's mother coughed awkwardly, suppressing her earlier delight and adopting an upright and official demeanor: "Of course we're here to discuss business."

Yu Xia stared at her suspiciously.

Xia's mother guiltily looked away: "Oh, this ceiling is really white."

Seeing her mother's guilty look, Yu Xia didn't even bother to say anything.

She then looked at her father: "Dad, are you here to discuss business?"

Xia's father also looked away awkwardly, took a sip of tea, and forced a smile, saying, "Of course."

"What are we talking about here if not business? Dating?" Xia's father put down his teacup, his tone tough on the outside but weak on the inside. His gaze met Yu Xia's but quickly looked away, his eyes darting around.

Yu Xia: "..."

Her family does indeed own a company, which involves many projects requiring business trips. They travel to various places every month to discuss cooperation, so this excuse is not entirely unreasonable.

However, as their daughter, how could Yu Xia not know what these two were thinking?

How did the discussion about cooperation come to her company so conveniently?

Not to mention the couple's equally flawed acting skills; they practically wore their thoughts on their sleeves. Yu Xia didn't even bother to comment.

Yu Xia pulled out a chair and sat down, exposing the act: "Stop acting."

"You two have seen right through the ceiling."

The couple, caught red-handed, gave an awkward laugh, but were too proud to back down. They thought they could still put on a brave face for a while and stubbornly said, "How can you talk like that? You have no manners. Don't you see your CEO Gu is still here? I'm talking to him right now."

Gu Yubai, whose name was mentioned, finally understood.

It turns out that the people he had been trying to collaborate with were actually Yu Xia's parents.

No wonder the other party suddenly contacted me a couple of days ago, saying they wanted to have dinner to discuss cooperation. They also inquired about the new employees in his company, asking whether he usually brought new employees or old partners when discussing cooperation. They also said they wanted to see the company's business capabilities, saying that new employees best reflect the company's average level. All of this was implying that they wanted to meet Yu Xia.

At the time, he thought the other party just wanted to test the level of their company. In addition, he wanted to give Yu Xia a chance, and also wanted to spend more time with Yu Xia out of his own selfishness. So he didn't think much of it and brought Yu Xia along.

I never expected it to turn out like this.

It turned out that he was longing for his daughter and used the pretext of cooperation to come to his place to see her.

Gu Yubai chuckled. How come Yu Xia always manages to reveal an unexpected side of him?

"Uncle and Aunt, hello. I didn't know you were Yu Xia's parents. I'm so sorry for not greeting you properly." Gu Yubai nodded slightly to Xia's parents.

"Hey, what are you saying? They're just in business, what does it have to do with us being her parents?" Xia's father said, glancing at Yu Xia deliberately.

Yu Xia was speechless and exposed him: "Do we need to come all the way to Beicheng to discuss business?"

Upon hearing this, Xia's father bristled and glared, "Why not?"

Yu Xia snorted and gave him a look that said, "You know it yourself."

Feeling guilty under his daughter's gaze, Xia's father looked away again, took another sip of tea, and stopped nagging.

The air suddenly became still.

Seeing that the two of them had quieted down and the atmosphere was a bit awkward with no one speaking, Gu Yubai took the opportunity to offer a way out: "Yes, there are indeed many projects running around in the North City and South City."

“That’s right,” someone chimed in, and Xia’s father immediately echoed, his voice more confident than before. “Are you allowed to work in Beicheng, but we’re not allowed to come here to discuss cooperation?”

As he finished the sentence, Xia's father let out a heavy snort, full of dissatisfaction, as if afraid that Yu Xia wouldn't know.

Yu Xia: "..."

Gu Yubai could tell they had something to say, and since it wasn't convenient for him to be there, he said, "I'll go check on the dishes. You two talk first."

"Well, then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Gu," said Xia's father.

Gu Yubai smiled politely at the couple, indicating that everything was alright, then stood up and considerately left the private room, leaving them some private space.

The door was closed.

Only Yu Xia and her parents remained in the private room.

"Dad, Mom, I'm not going back." Seeing that they had left, Yu Xia stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the point.

The respectable smiles the couple had maintained in front of Gu Yubai vanished immediately upon hearing this, and they retorted righteously, "What are you saying! Is this all your parents want?"

Yu Xia remained silent, squinting as she looked at them.

“Okay,” Xia’s mother touched her nose, “this is only a small part of it.” Xia’s mother made a dot gesture with her little finger.

"How did you know I was in Yubai?" Yu Xia asked.

She only told Tang Chi about this, but Tang Chi would never tell anyone. Gu Yubai didn't know them either, so where did they get their information from?

"Didn't you film a video with Yu Bai online? I happened to pass by that day and a few people from the company were watching it. They showed me the video, and that's how I found out." Xia's mother shrugged, as if that was the case.

Upon hearing the answer, Yu Xia was surprised to find that it was because of this.

I was careless and forgot how terrifying algorithms are in this era of big data.

"Then you found Gu Yubai under the guise of cooperation and came here to arrest me," Yu Xia continued her words.

“Well, your parents haven’t seen you in so long,” Xia’s mother knew it wouldn’t be right to say that, so she changed the subject. “What parent doesn’t miss their child? You’re always away from home, and you don’t even want the money we send you. How can we be at ease? If you don’t come to us, then we have to come to you.” As she spoke, Xia’s mother wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Mom,” Yu Xia said, knowing that this was her mother’s usual tactic of playing the victim to force her to go back, but she still fell for it every time.

She went over, grabbed a few tissues, put her arm around her mother's shoulder, and wiped away the few pitiful tears she had shed. "Oh, Mom," she said helplessly, "don't be like this. It's not like I'm never going back. Don't make it sound like I'm abandoning my family, or rather, my parents. I'm just working hard, aren't I? What young person doesn't work hard?"

"So, you have to work so far away from us, and do you have to work all by yourself?" Xia's mother glared at her.

"I want to see how far I can go on my own. If I were around you, wouldn't you all ask all sorts of relatives to help me with my job? I don't want that. If I don't work hard now, how will I support you in your old age?" Yu Xia said.

Hearing this, Xia's mother glared at her even more angrily: "Do we need you to support us in our old age? Even if you do nothing, the family's money is enough for us to live on for the next life after that."

"But I have my own value too, and I don't want to be a useless person at home."

“What’s wrong with your parents raising you? Why do you have to go out and suffer?” Xia’s mother said earnestly.

"I don't want to," Yu Xia said firmly.

Seeing her stubbornness as always, Xia's mother sighed helplessly.

Basically, every time they talk about this topic, these words will be repeated endlessly in their conversation.

Yu Xia wants to work hard on her own, while her parents hope that their daughter can live a comfortable life in the safe house they have created for her.

And every time the two sides have conflicting ideas, the above dialogue will repeat itself.

“Then take this card,” Xia’s mother took out a card from her bag, making a final concession. “Look how thin you’ve become. Have you been so busy all day that you haven’t even had time to eat?”

"No, I eat very regularly every day." Yu Xia touched herself.

Looking at her, Xia's mother sighed, her heart filled with bitterness, and said, "Xiaxia, why don't you come back? I really can't bear to part with you. When I wake up, the house feels empty without your voice."

Seeing how much weight Yu Xia had lost, Xia's mother felt extremely distressed.

"Mom..." Yu Xia felt a little uncomfortable at her mother's low voice, "I..."

Just as I was about to speak, the door was suddenly pushed open.

All three of them were taken aback at the same time.

Gu Yubai pushed the door open and came in, followed by a waiter pushing a cart behind him.

Seeing that they had arrived, the three of them didn't say anything more. Xia's mother composed herself, pushed the card towards Yu Xia again, and whispered to Yu Xia as she stood up, "Take it."

Yu Xia didn't want to argue with her in front of everyone, so she had no choice but to accept it and sit back in her original seat.

When Yu Xia sat down, Gu Yubai glanced at her, his eyes seemingly lost in thought.

The dishes are all served.

The four people in the private room resumed their previous behavior, and no one talked about anything else except the contract.

The contract was naturally negotiated and concluded.

After agreeing on the details and ending the dinner, Gu Yubai called a car for Xia's parents and took them back to their hotel.

The three shook hands at the entrance after leaving the restaurant.

"Mr. Gu, it's a pleasure doing business with you."

"It's a pleasure to work with you." Gu Yubai smiled.

After saying that, as Yu Xia saw them off to their car, Xia's mother turned her gaze to her daughter again and asked one last time, "Are you really not coming back with us?"

Gu Yubai was standing right behind them. When he heard those words, his gaze lingered on the two of them.

Yu Xia saw them into the car: "Come back for the New Year."

"Alright then." Xia's mother got into the car.

Only when Yu Xia walked to his side again did he relax his tense back and say, "Let's go too."

“Okay, Mr. Gu,” Yu Xia said.

The two got into Gu Yubai's car.

"Mr. Gu, did my parents cause you any trouble today?" Yu Xia asked nervously after fastening her seatbelt.

She was afraid that her parents' use of the contract as an excuse to see her would upset Gu Yubai, since it would be considered using him as a stepping stone, which was somewhat disrespectful.

"No, your aunt and uncle are doing well," Gu Yubai said.

Seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, Yu Xia secretly felt relieved.

"Shall I take you home now?" Gu Yubai asked.

"Then please take me home, Mr. Gu," Yu Xia said. "My home is in Yunping District—"

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Yubai had already entered the navigation information, and the AI ​​voice in the car announced: "Navigation has been activated for you. Destination: Yunxiang Street, Yunping District. Total distance: 12.4 kilometers."

Yu Xia was taken aback.

After Gu Yubai finished typing, he started the car. Seemingly noticing Yu Xia's expression, he casually said, "The company's files contain everyone's home address."

Yu Xia said "Oh," and then turned back around. She had indeed filled out a personal information form when she joined the company.

But does the boss actually go to check each employee's home address in their file? And write it down? The boss really has a human touch.

Gu Yubai could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression.

Of course, I didn't find out from the files; I found out from the bus I took home with her last time.

The air was too quiet, so Gu Yubai asked, "What song do you want to listen to?"

"Hmm?" Yu Xia turned her head.

“You can connect via Bluetooth and listen to whatever you want,” Gu Yubai said.

"Huh?" Yu Xia finally realized what he meant. "No need, Mr. Gu, I'm fine with anything, just pick what you want."

What a joke! Who connects to their own Bluetooth while riding in their boss's car? That's practically insubordination.

Gu Yubai glanced at her and then selected a song.

Music begins.

It's a very quiet instrumental piece with no lyrics.

The music is very soothing, always giving people a sense of peace.

As Yu Xia listened, her nerves gradually relaxed, and she felt the music flowing through her ears, which was very comfortable.

Gu Yubai glanced at her in the rearview mirror and silently made a decision in his heart.

By the time the car reached Yunxiang Street, the song had already switched to the fourth track.

It's an ambiguous foreign language song.

Yu Xia unbuckled her seatbelt, and just as she was about to thank Gu Yubai and say goodbye, she said, "Mr. Gu, thank you for driving me home—"

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Yubai interrupted her, calling out to her and stopping her from doing anything else: "Yu Xia."

Yu Xia paused in unbuckling her seatbelt, then turned around, somewhat confused, and asked, "W-what's wrong?"

Meeting Yu Xia's gaze, Gu Yubai suddenly felt a tightness in his throat. The words he had prepared while driving were now stuck in his throat due to nervousness as he looked into Yu Xia's eyes.

Actually, it shouldn't have been today; it's not a suitable day. He didn't want it to be so fast and wanted to take it slowly.

We should at least get to know Yu Xia a little more, and wait until she's settled in before bringing this up again.

But today at the restaurant, he happened to overhear Xia's mother saying, "Xiaxia, why don't you come back? Mom really can't bear to part with you." He should have avoided the conversation and given them some space, but just as he was about to leave, he heard Yu Xia's voice. At that moment, for some reason, he held his breath and tensed up.

Hearing the hesitation in Yu Xia's voice when she answered, he felt a sudden, inexplicable panic. The thought that Yu Xia was going to leave arose in his mind, and almost uncontrollably, his body reacted before his brain could, pushing open the door and interrupting Yu Xia's next words.

He had previously thought that Xia's parents had come to Beicheng to see Yu Xia simply because Yu Xia was working hard away from home and they missed their daughter, so they came to visit her.

But from their conversation, he gleaned some information: Yu Xia has a good family, and this family came to her today because they wanted her to go back.

It was only then that Gu Yubai realized for the first time that Yu Xia was not like him or others who would stay in Beicheng to develop and settle down. Yu Xia's parents hoped that she could go back, and Yu Xia might not stay here for long; she might have to leave.

It was only then that he realized Yu Xia might leave at any time, and wouldn't stay there as he had originally thought, waiting for everything to fall into place before confessing his feelings and allowing their relationship to progress further.

He dared not gamble. Yu Bai had nothing that could temporarily bind Yu Xia. No one would remain unmoved or soft-hearted when faced with the sincere pleas of a loved one. Especially when he heard Xia's mother's distressed tone towards Yu Xia, he became even more flustered. He was afraid that Yu Xia would really leave with her the next second.

That's why he impulsively pushed open the door when he heard the hesitation in Yu Xia's tone, and nervously followed behind them, listening to their conversation, when Yu Xia saw her mother off to the car.

Out of his own selfish motives.

Now, he knows he can't wait any longer. He must take action before the next change arrives, before Yu Xia goes back at any time.

His throat bobbed, and his hand scratched a mark on the steering wheel.

The air inside the car was quiet, with only the soft sound of music playing.

The ambiguous love song seemed to be stirring Gu Yubai's nerves as well. He took a few quick, tense breaths and heard his own heart pounding before he could speak.

The sound came from his mouth, and for the first time, he heard his own voice tremble slightly.

All the drafts he had pondered on the way were now scattered, leaving him with only the simplest and most direct sentence, as clumsy and nervous as a middle school student confessing to a girl for the first time:

"Yu Xia, I like you."

"Can you give me a chance to pursue you?"