Chapter 37 Nobody's going to take it from you

The girl's thoughts were disrupted by the frequent ringing of her phone.

Guan Xiang: Zhao Zhao, where do you live? I'm coming to visit you. I'm at my grandma's house in Lin'an City right now.

Guan Xiang: Zhao Zhao, aren't you online?

Guan Xiang: Where is he?

The girl rubbed her fingertips, unsure how to respond. She didn't want Guan Xiang to know her current situation, lest she worry unnecessarily.

Zhao Zhao: I'm sorry, Xiang Xiang, I've been staying at my grandma's house for the past few days, so it's probably inconvenient for me to come out and play.

Guan Xiang: Ah! It's been so long since we went out together.

After meeting once at Danyuan during the winter break, Guan Xiang was kept being dragged by her family to attend gatherings, and the two of them haven't seen each other since.

Zhao Zhao: Let's go out and have fun together when we get back to Nan'an City.

Guan Xiang: Okay, then see you in Nan'an City.

Sensing Guan Xiang's aggrieved expression, the girl forced a smile, but accidentally pulled at her own face, causing her to wince in pain.

After chatting with Guan Xiang, the girl composed herself and, carrying her black suitcase, wandered aimlessly along the sidewalk.

The girl planned to first look for short-term jobs that would last for about ten days, which would solve her food and lodging problems for those ten days.

If all else fails, find a cheap hotel and stay there for ten days or so.

We should thank Su Wenjing for inspiring the girl to have such thoughts.

During the Chinese New Year, Su Wenjing not only gave the girl a lot of desserts, but also a large red envelope. This money should be enough for her to stay in a small hotel for a few days.

Before the girl could even begin her plan, she was stopped in her tracks.

The man had a somber expression, his eyes were as black as ink, his prominent brows were furrowed, and he looked down at the girl in front of him.

"Uncle Dan." The girl's swollen eyes were almost filled with tears from the cold wind as she looked at Dan Anwen in surprise.

What's Uncle Dan doing here? She had a feeling she'd been caught red-handed.

"Little girl, what are you doing in Nan'an City? And who hit you?" The man's voice was deep as he stared at the girl's swollen cheeks and wet eyes.

He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was afraid it would hurt her.

The girl lowered her eyes slightly and hesitated before speaking, "My mother kicked me out."

After saying that, the girl lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, trying hard not to cry.

She really has no home anymore!

Dan Anwen's astonished expression made it hard for anyone to believe what they had just heard: he had been kicked out of his home by his mother on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

The man didn't say much, and there was no need to ask who had caused the bright handprint on his face.

After calming herself down, the girl looked at the man with reddened eyes and a thick nasal voice, "Uncle Dan, I'm leaving now."

While Dan Anwen was still in a daze, the girl had already taken several steps with her suitcase.

The man strode forward, grabbed the girl's slender wrist, and realized that she was extremely cold; her low body temperature made his warm fingertips tremble.

"Where are you going?" the man asked in a low voice.

Gu Zhaodi thought for a moment, then pursed her lips and said, "I'll find a hotel to stay in for the night."

The man pointed out the problem sharply, "So what's next? Nan'an Middle School doesn't start until the seventeenth day of the first lunar month."

The girl blinked and said calmly, "I'll just find a short-term job."

She was trying her best to find a way out; she didn't want to be alone on the streets of an unfamiliar city.

The man took a deep breath, wanting nothing more than to dig into the girl's head and see if she would ask for help when he was standing right there.

"Let's go, I'll take you there."

Dan Anwen took the suitcase from the girl's hand and, without giving her a chance to refuse, pulled her into the car.

The girl didn't have time to refuse, and she thought the man wanted to take her to a hotel.

After getting into the car, the man turned the air conditioning up as high as possible, hoping the girl could feel a little warmth.

Warm air filled the entire carriage, and the girl's pale cheeks slowly regained their color in the warm air, while the redness on her nose gradually faded.

The girl's voice was hoarse, and her eyes, red from the cold, looked at Dan Anwen. "Uncle, are you going to take me to the hotel?"

She thought that if Uncle Dan took her to the hotel, she shouldn't go. The hotel Uncle Dan chose was not something that ordinary people could afford.

The man gripped the steering wheel, turned his head to look at the girl, and said in a calm voice, "Come stay at my place."

"Ah!" This was an answer the girl hadn't expected.

Once she came to her senses, Gu Zhaodi hurriedly refused, "Uncle Dan, it would be fine if you just found me a small hotel. Going to your house is too much trouble."

It's the first month of the Lunar New Year now, so it's really impolite to stay at someone else's house, especially since I'm not very familiar with them.

The man's voice carried an air of undeniable authority: "You can choose to stay at the Jinglan Hotel or at my place."

The name "Jinglan Hotel" made the girl gasp. It was the most expensive hotel in Nan'an City, and she couldn't afford even one night's stay there with all her savings.

If a man knew what a girl was thinking, he would definitely be disappointed in her. How could he, a grown man, let a little girl spend money?

The girl's fingers were almost tangled together, and she kept her eyes downcast.

The man wasn't in a hurry for the girl's decision. Instead, he parked his car on the side of the road, told her to wait in the car, and then disappeared.

After the man got out of the car, Gu Zhaodi swallowed hard, wondering how likely it was that she could escape now.

Ultimately, I thought we would meet again in the future, so I put the idea aside.

After waiting a short while, I saw the man returning in the distance carrying a cup of milk tea, his trench coat swaying slowly in the cold wind.

"Drink up." The man inserted a straw into the milk tea cup and handed it to the girl.

The girl thanked her softly, then lowered her eyes and took a sip of her milk tea.

The sweet, hot drink instantly warmed the girl's stomach; she hadn't eaten since morning.

The white skin that had curled up at the corners of her lips was moistened by the tea, and her pale, dry lips began to turn rosy, making her overall complexion look better.

Watching the girl quietly drinking her milk tea, the man's eyes softened, no longer as cold and indifferent as before.

"Little friend, have you thought it through?"

A man's magnetic voice suddenly rang in the girl's ear. The girl choked on the pearls in her milk tea, which got stuck in her tiny throat.

The girl's face flushed red as she coughed, and her whole body began to tremble violently.

Dan Anwen stretched out his large hand and gently patted the girl's thin back, trying to make her feel better.

"Drink slowly, no one's going to take it from you," the man said with a smile.

After the girl finally managed to get the pearl down, perhaps still dazed from coughing, she glared at the man with a fierce look, as if to say, "It's all your fault."

The man chuckled softly, a smile spreading across his lips. The deep chuckle assaulted the girl's mind and pounded against her heart.

She then realized what she had just done.

A flush, like vines, climbed up the girl's fair neck and gradually spread to her cheeks. The blush that had finally subsided due to the coughing stopped was now made even more vibrant.

"Uncle Dan!" Seeing the man laughing uncontrollably, the girl was slightly annoyed, and her tone unconsciously carried a hint of coquettishness.

Watching the girl go from embarrassment to shyness, and now to anger, the man felt that she was finally no longer like before, with only one expression and no other emotions.

"Okay, I'll stop laughing." Seeing the girl's slightly annoyed expression, the man knew he had to stop.

Dan Anwen straightened his expression and asked in a low voice, "So you've already decided where you want to stay?"

The girl pursed her lips and finally chose to stay at Uncle Dan's house.

As the car drove into Jinshan Villa, the girl's heart gradually calmed down. She had thought that Uncle Dan would take her to Dan Garden, which had scared her to death.

Noticing the girl's relaxed posture, the man finally realized that she thought he would take her to Danyuan Garden. No wonder she was so nervous the whole way, her hands were almost bleeding from scratching.

He originally planned to take her to Danyuan Garden, since she was Dan Si's classmate. However, he eventually realized that there were so many people in Danyuan Garden, and it wouldn't be appropriate for her to go. More importantly, he was afraid she would feel uncomfortable.