But coming back too late is definitely not good; she'll have to have a serious talk with him when he gets back.

Gu Huanian nodded, closed the courtyard gate, and pulled her into his arms again. He leaned down and cupped Su Li's face in his hands, slowly drawing closer.

"Ah Li, I love you so much."

As he spoke, his warm lips pressed down...

After the kiss ended, Su Li looked at Gu Huanian with flushed cheeks; "Okay, I'm really tired, you should go back now!"

Gu Huanian knew that she had been on the train all day and was indeed tired.

He kissed her forehead and said with a smile, "Okay, you get some rest, I'm going back."

Su Li nodded haphazardly.

After Gu Huanian left, she quickly took a shower, then lay down on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

She was sleeping so soundly that she didn't even know when Gousheng came back.

In the early morning, after Su Li finished washing up, she smelled the aroma of food.

She went to the kitchen, where Gou Sheng had already prepared breakfast.

Su Li helped bring out breakfast, and the two sat down at the table. Su Li took a sip of porridge before asking Gou Sheng, "How have you been while I was away?"

Gou Sheng looked up at Su Li, his ears slightly red; "During this time, I've been helping Tang Yue and her sisters sell clothes, clothes from your factory. But I got the goods from the deputy factory manager at the price you gave to Song Beifeng."

Gou Sheng didn't intend to hide it from her. Su Li continued to ask, "I remember those sisters had jobs, right? And national research institutions at that. How did they end up selling clothes?"

"Sister, it's Tang Xin. Their professor's research, which lasted six months, was just one last set of data away from yielding results. She messed it up. It's one thing for her to make a mistake, but she said she did the data analysis with Tang Yue, so they were both fired."

The professor had initially shown them some leniency out of consideration for their parents and because they were indeed talented. Little did he expect it would cause so much trouble for the lab.

He had heard Tang Yue say that this wasn't the first time Tang Xin had done something like this, and the members of the research institute had long since had enough of her.

This time, the professor couldn't tolerate the mistake any longer and fired the person.

"What time did you get back last night?"

“I got back around eight o’clock yesterday.”

Su Li found the timing acceptable; in modern times, the nightlife would have just begun.

But these days, it's getting dark and there are no streetlights, so it is indeed quite late.

It's too unsafe to encounter bad people on the road.

"Come back before dark next time."

Gou Sheng looked at Su Li and said truthfully, "But it was almost dark by the time Yueyue and the others finished packing up. By the time I finished helping them pack up, it was almost eight o'clock."

Did you have dinner last night?

Mentioning Gou Sheng made his expression change.

Su Li understood everything about him; he had done the work for someone and hadn't even gotten a meal in return.

Gousheng was indeed a little embarrassed to speak up, so Yueyue would always make him finish his meal before leaving.

But every afternoon around four or five o'clock, Tang Xin would go back and cook dinner.

Her health wasn't very good, so after she went back and cooked, she didn't need to come over again. She basically left the rest of the clothes and the stall to Yueyue.

If he didn't help, Yueyue, a young girl, would never be able to finish all the work. He noticed that she had lost a lot of weight recently.

But every time he went back with Yueyue, Tang Xin only cooked for the two of them.

If he eats it, Yueyue will go hungry.

He would rather come back and cook it himself than take her food away.

But he still feels embarrassed when his sister asks about it now.

Su Li wasn't harsh, knowing that Tang Yue was the person he couldn't let go of most in his life. She could understand what he was doing now, as long as he was happy.

Su Li didn't want to interfere; "Next time, bring a flashlight. It's dark and the roads are slippery. Try to come back earlier."

Gou Sheng nodded.

After breakfast, the two went to their respective schools.

Su Li walked to the school gate and ran into Bai Zhenzhu.

She glanced at Su Li with an arrogant air, strode up to her, and deliberately bumped into her.

Then, pouting, she looked at Su Li and said, "I'm getting married to Lu Huai in just one month. You didn't expect that, did you!"

Su Li was genuinely surprised, and she simply chuckled and said, "Then congratulations!"

Seeing that she could still smile, Bai Zhenzhu felt a little depressed.

She said angrily, "Su Li, I know you're having your cake and eating it too. You already have a boyfriend, but you're still stringing my Lu Huai along all the time. After I marry him, if you still dare to go near him, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Smack!"

A crisp slap attracted the attention of several students at the school gate.

"White Pearl, if you want to show off, don't do it in front of me. I've never wanted to compete with you for anything. You know better than anyone that if you dare to spout nonsense in front of me again, don't blame me for being impolite."

After saying that, Su Li strode towards the campus.

Bai Zhenzhu stomped her foot in anger, while several classmates pointed and whispered about her.

She knew that some things weren't Su Li's fault, but she just couldn't help it—why should the person she liked like her back?

She was genuinely jealous that Lu Huai valued Su Li so much, yet always acted coldly towards her.

The reason she was able to be with him and get married this time was also something she had planned.

It's not a very honorable thing to say, but she really can't let it go.

They resorted to underhanded tactics, giving Lu Huai sleeping pills and then stripping him naked.

Grandma Lu even saw it and forced him to marry her.

She actually just wanted to show off in front of Su Li today, but she didn't expect Su Li to be so disrespectful.

As soon as Su Li entered the classroom, she randomly found a seat and sat down.

A tall boy walked up to her and silently placed a notebook on her desk.

Su Li looked up at the boy and asked, "What is this?"

"Someone asked me to give this to you."

He was a man of few words; after saying that, he went straight back to his seat.

Su Li opened the notebook and looked at it, finding that it was exactly the same as the one Lu Huai had given her before.

It seems that Lu Huai must have given it to him.

Su Li didn't stand on ceremony and picked up her notebook to read it. She had indeed fallen behind in her studies these past few days.

She desperately needed such notes.

At this moment, Su Jiaojiao, who was sitting at her computer desk, had just finished breakfast and hadn't even washed her face when she saw the latest chapter.

She murmured, "Su Li is really lucky. I'm not going to let her have her way."

As soon as she finished speaking, her keyboard started clicking.

Bai Zhenzhu stormed into the classroom and saw the notebook spread out in front of Su Li.

Then I remembered that this notebook was exactly the same as the one Lu Huai had given to Su Li before.

She was even angrier. She stormed up to Su Li's desk, snatched the notebook, and started tearing it apart. "You bitch! I already told you Lu Huai is my boyfriend now. How dare you accept his things? Can't you live without flirting with someone?"