Gu Jia

In the early morning, He Huaizhi's mood was as pleasant as the clear sky.

Long nights bring many dreams.

On the second day after He Huaizhi arrived in Zhoujia Village, he began to carry out the tasks he had been instructed to do the day before. The most important task, of course, was to take Zhou Tian away, who was responsible for taking Zhou Shusheng away.

Therefore, when he sent someone to the next room to bring Zhou Tian over, he overheard Zhou Tian's family talking.

Why did you leave so suddenly?

"What about the road repair? He's not even in the village anymore. If we can convince Dad, we'll get the money..."

He Huaizhi and the others had already heard from the gossipy Zhou Li about Zhou Lexing's plan to fund road repairs in Zhoujia Village late at night when they arrived, and their phoenix eyes immediately became alert.

"Who left?" Danfengyan grabbed Zhou Tian's collar without any politeness.

Zhou Tianren was still sitting at the dining table and had time to get up when his collar was grabbed, causing him to twist awkwardly and his lips to tremble.

Seeing that this person was so rude to her son, Zhou Qinyu no longer cared whether this person was a guest or a distinguished guest who might bring her son wealth. She slammed down her chopsticks and abruptly stood up to pull the arm of the man with phoenix eyes.

"What are you doing! What are you doing! You barged into this house without a sound and I haven't even told you what to do yet! What did my son do that you had to grab his collar?! If you hurt him, are you going to pay for it?!"

Danfengyan was considered slender among her companions. Compared to Zhou Qinyu, who was used to doing manual labor, she was no match for her strength. She was almost dragged down and staggered a couple of steps before she could barely stand up. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes.

He was by nature vindictive, and having not suffered any mistreatment in the two years he had been with He Huaizhi, he immediately stepped forward to slap Zhou Qinyu without hesitation.

Out of fear, Zhou Tian kept a close eye on his expression. When he saw him make a move, she instinctively stepped forward to protect her mother.

"Smack!"

A crisp, loud slap.

A brief, shocked silence fell over the room. Zhou Qinyu was the first to react, yelling as she lunged forward to attack the man who had come to her house to cause trouble.

When He Huaizhi arrived, this was the chaotic scene he saw.

Danfeng eyes, disheveled hair, rumpled clothes, and several scratch marks on her face; the venom in her eyes turned into tears when she saw He Huaizhi.

The other brothers surrounded Zhou Tian and the others, forming small hills around them.

He Huaizhi's forehead twitched: "So, Zhou Le has left?"

Seeing that He Huaizhi didn't care about her immediately, Danfeng felt a mix of emotions welling up inside her, but she didn't make a scene in front of He Huaizhi.

"Yes, but with Zhou Le gone, Gu Jiansheng is missing an assistant, so we don't need to worry about how to get rid of him..."

Danfengyan's words gradually faded away as He Huaizhi's expression grew increasingly grim.

He Huaizhi: "A Liang, you and Yi Ming go and check on the Gu family."

It's only the third day of the Lunar New Year, and Zhou Lexing still has road repairs to do this year. Although he has allocated half of the funds, the carefulness with which he assigns people to handle the matter shows that he cares about it very much. How could he possibly leave Zhoujia Village at this critical moment?

He Huaizhi's heart churned as he thought about how many times Gu Jiansheng had secretly tripped him up over the years.

Are we going to be led by the nose by Gu Jiansheng again this time?

But if he really leaves, we don't know where he'll go. Even if the plan is to continue, there needs to be a place to send messages. Otherwise, are we going to let him perform a one-man show?!

Finding someone takes time...

grass!

He Huaizhi grew angrier the more he thought about it, and kicked the dining table over. The porridge on the table spilled onto the ground, and the steam rose up, quickly turning into nauseating smudges.

.

Zhou Lexing and Gu Jiansheng set off in the early morning, and Lao Yang gave them a ride.

Zhou Lexing gave him another red envelope, but fearing he would refuse, he simply put the red envelope under the oil paper containing the steamed buns and handed it to Lao Yang just before he got on the bus.

When Old Yang heard that the buns were homemade, he didn't refuse. He waved to them with a smile and watched for a while after the truck drove away before finally returning to the tractor with slightly unsteady steps.

He is getting old.

Old Yang has been driving this road for many years, but this year he can clearly feel the stiffness in his legs.

The children stayed in the city for the Spring Festival and didn't come back. My grandson is still young and can't handle the long journey. But once the road to Zhoujia Village is repaired, I guess we won't have this worry anymore.

Old Yang chuckled to himself, took out a steamed bun to eat, and then noticed something bright red under the outer layer of newspaper.

He paused in his chewing, and his rough, withered fingers, like the bark of an old pine tree, gently lifted the newspaper that was obscuring his view, finally revealing the rather thick red envelope.

"...This kid, this kid." Old Yang murmured, his vision gradually blurring, before taking another bite of his steamed bun.

"That kid."

.

"How are you?"

Gu Jiansheng looked at Zhou Lexing.

Although Zhou Lexing was still like a little sun with its own heat this morning, warming Gu Jiansheng up nicely, and everything was packed properly, there was nothing for Gu Jiansheng to worry about on the way. He only needed to point out the direction after arriving at the destination.

However, Gu Jiansheng still noticed that ever since Zhou Lixing kept Zhou Lexing behind to talk last night, Zhou Lexing had been absent-minded from time to time, as if something was holding him back. His brows were always unconsciously furrowed, but when he noticed Gu Jiansheng's gaze, it turned into a smile and a large, comforting hand.

"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Zhou Lexing ruffled Gu Jiansheng's hair again, pressing down the distinctive tuft of hair on his head, which was quite unique even in winter.

"Your brother," Zhou Lexing choked for a moment after realizing he had subconsciously referred to himself as Gu Jiansheng's brother again, but continued nonchalantly, "I've traveled all over the country so much that I'm practically turning into an iron butt and a speedster."

The real estate industry is not easy to break into, and there are many troubles even in the early stages. However, the garment factory is already on the right track and Zhou Lexing doesn't need to worry about it. He had already let go of it in the middle of last year and was busy running around outside investing in real estate, which made him two shades darker.

Gu Jiansheng looked at Zhou Lexing and suddenly grabbed his hand, which he was trying to pull away: "Did Brother Lixing say anything to you?"

Zhou Lexing: "...Just told me to be careful on the road, nothing more."

Gu Jiansheng was not surprised to hear this. Since the car had just arrived at its destination, he didn't say anything more and led Zhou Lexing out of the car.

Zhou Lexing was somewhat surprised when he saw the Gu family.

After all, as the male protagonist's help in starting his career, Zhou Lexing always thought that the Gu family was a large family that could survive turbulent times, and that their residence should be an old mansion with a powerful atmosphere.

Unexpectedly, the place Gu Jiansheng brought him to was a two-story brick-concrete villa with mosaic tiles on the exterior walls. It was similar to many old houses that Zhou Lexing had seen in coastal cities in his later years, except that there was no air conditioner unit, no exposed cement blocks after the tiles were cut off, and the black and gray mold spots caused by long-term dampness were also gone. It looked quite exquisite.

But it takes on a different appearance when viewed through the mysterious lens of Gu Jia.

Is your dad home?

Zhou Lexing placed the items by the gate.

Gu Jiansheng shook his head, took his hand and continued walking inside: "He's rarely home. It's quietest here during the New Year."

Zhou Lexing's gaze swept quickly across the room, thinking: It's not quiet at all, it's practically untouched by human habitation.

Although Gu Jiansheng's decision to bring Zhou Lexing to the 'Gu family' was a spur-of-the-moment decision, he was not entirely unprepared.

Two years ago, Zhou Lexing's main area of ​​activity was Guangzhou. At that time, he thought that it would be great if he could be closer to Zhou Lexing.

In Gu Jiansheng's plan, the Gu family was never a must-have. He would leave the Gu family sooner or later, and without Zhou Lexing, Zhoujia Village would lose its last bit of appeal.

Because of this idea, Gu Jiansheng purchased this house a year ago. He had looked at the design drawings more than once, and also asked the people in Yangcheng who were responsible for reporting the situation to send people over regularly to clean the house so that it would not become deserted.

Although there were few traces of life left, Gu Jiansheng was not flustered.

He pulled Zhou Lexing to the study, pushed him to sit by the French windows, and casually pulled out two books and put them in his lap: "I'm going to make a phone call. Can you wait for me here?"

Zhou Lexing took the book, puzzled, and nodded.

A study with no signs of life can be concealed, but a bedroom without even a blanket or quilt is suspicious.

Gu Jiansheng went to the lobby to make a phone call.

Zhou Lexing flipped through the pages of the book, and his gaze soon drifted around the room. Then, he noticed a small door next to the bookshelf that was the same color as the wallpaper.

Zhou Lexing hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't suppress his curiosity. He got up, walked to the door, and turned the doorknob.

"Shall we go out for dinner first?" Gu Jiansheng replied with a smile.

The purchasing agents will arrive soon, and they'll just have to avoid them.

Zhou Lexing looked at Gu Jiansheng with a complicated expression, but ultimately said nothing, got up and followed Gu Jiansheng away.

Gu Jiansheng had never been to this house before and was unaware of any discrepancies between the design and the actual layout.

A small door on the wall next to the study leads directly to the master bedroom, making it convenient for the owner to come and go while working at night.

The master bedroom is indeed spacious, with a floor-to-ceiling window leading to a large balcony, but the bare bed frame and empty bathroom and toilet speak volumes, not to mention the open wardrobe, which is completely empty.

Can we sleep together tonight?

When Gu Jiansheng personally opened the door to the master bedroom and showed a completely different appearance from an hour and a half ago, Zhou Lexing's smile cracked for a moment, and he didn't even hear Gu Jiansheng's question clearly.

"……What?"

Gu Jiansheng assumed that he was still distracted by what Zhou Lixing might say, and said naturally, "The other rooms haven't been cleaned for a while. If you're going to stay in one of the other rooms, it might need to be cleaned."

Gu Jiansheng paused, then raised his eyebrows and added, "By the way, my dad might be back tomorrow... He doesn't really like me touching things in other rooms..."

Zhou Lexing looked into Gu Jiansheng's light-colored eyes, which often seemed to have a watery sheen due to their brightness, and fell completely silent.

He turned to look at the large bed with its bedding laid out. There were also tissues and face cream on the bedside table. The corner of a coat was hanging down to the side of the wardrobe door. He could easily guess what the toilet and bathroom would look like.

Zhou Lexing's thoughts were in turmoil, and in the end he just nodded slightly. When Gu Jiansheng smiled, he ruffled his hair again with mixed feelings.