Chapter 294 Concern

When Gu Yan woke up, his temples were throbbing and his throat was burning dry.

He struggled to sit up, rubbed his temples, and glanced at his watch; it was almost eleven o'clock.

The house was quiet; Wenjing should have gone to work at her father's factory long ago.

His gaze swept across the coffee table, where a plate of steamed buns covered with a gauze cover and a cup of dark, long-cooled hangover tea were placed on it, clearly prepared for him by Ruan Wenjing before she left.

Gu Yan was taken aback for a moment, then a warm feeling welled up in his chest.

He got up, took a hot shower, and changed into clean clothes before he was fully awake.

He sat back on the sofa, picked up the glass of iced tea and drank it all in one gulp. The bitter taste of the tea suppressed the discomfort in his throat. He then picked up a steamed bun and took two bites. His appetite wasn't very good.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Gu Yan knew who it was without even having to guess.

As soon as the door opened, it was indeed Chen Jun.

He was carrying several paper bags printed with the words "Lianxianglou" when he entered. As soon as he saw Gu Yan eating cold buns, he immediately exclaimed, "Boss! You can eat frozen buns! Come on, we have fresh, piping hot char siu buns and congee here, specially bought for you to warm your stomach first!"

Gu Yan watched as he busily laid out steaming hot buns and porridge, replacing the cold buns in his hand. He felt pleased, but he just lazily raised his eyelids and twitched the corner of his mouth: "Tsk, so good at handling things. I don't think you can find a more clever assistant in the whole of Huacheng."

Chen Jun chuckled, didn't reply, but simply pushed the bowl of porridge towards him.

Gu Yan then noticed that Chen Jun was dressed unusually formally today, wearing a navy blue suit that was pressed perfectly, and his hair was combed neatly.

He raised an eyebrow and teased, "Hey, you're all dressed up today. Where are you going for a wedding reception?"

Chen Jun sighed helplessly and reminded him, "Boss, don't you remember? You have to attend the 'Foreign-Invested Enterprises Development Symposium' organized by the city at three o'clock this afternoon. You should dress more formally."

Gu Yan was reminded by him and then suddenly remembered that there was indeed such an important matter. He smiled self-deprecatingly.

"I was too drunk to remember anything."

Chen Jun said no more, went into Gu Yan's bedroom, took out a dark gray wool suit, paired it with a shirt and tie, and came out to say: "Boss, change into this after you finish your porridge. It will make you look more smart and suit your handsome and upright CEO Gu!"

Gu Yan chuckled and continued drinking his porridge.

After dinner, Chen Jun drove Gu Yanxian to the company.

Gu Yan's company is located in a five-story office building, and he has rented the entire third floor.

The office wasn't luxurious, but it was spacious and clean.

The cement floor was polished to a shine, and several heavy filing cabinets stood against the wall, with wooden desks placed side by side.

It was lunch break time, and the employees were chatting or taking a nap. When they saw Gu Yan come in, several employees stood up to greet him as "President Gu".

Gu Yan nodded and walked straight into his private office.

The office was simply furnished.

A dark wood desk, a leather swivel chair, and a set of leather sofas against the wall opposite.

On the table were a telephone, a desk calendar, a pen holder, and several stacks of folders neatly categorized.

Chen Jun followed him in, pointed to the documents on the table, and reminded him, "Boss, these are urgent documents. The finance department is waiting to process them. Below is the warehouse purchase order, which needs your approval. And this is a supplementary cooperation agreement with the Municipal Light Industry Bureau. Director Wang has urged us twice. Take a look and sign it."

Gu Yan sat down in the swivel chair and replied, "Okay, okay, you go out and rest for a while, then pick me up when it's time to leave."

Chen Jun responded and left, gently closing the door behind him.

Gu Yan glanced at the calendar, estimated the time, then reached for the phone and dialed a long-distance call.

When the call connected, a soft, sweet little voice came through: "Hello? This is Xiaoman. Who are you?"

Gu Yan smiled unconsciously. "Xiaoman, I'm your uncle. Is your father home?"

"Uncle?" Xiaoman replied obediently, "Dad went to work, Mom is at home."

"What is Mom doing now?"

"Mom brought out the dishes and said it was time for lunch."

Gu Yan then asked, "Has Xiaoman received any new toys?"

Xiaoman immediately began to mutter her report: "Yes! Mom said it was a gift from my uncle... There's a toy car... and building blocks..."

Gu Yan laughed: "Yes, I am your uncle."

Xiaoman said earnestly into the microphone, "Thank you, Uncle! You're so kind, Xiaoman likes you."

Gu Yan's heart melted at the flattery of the little sycophant; his sweet talk must have come from his mother.

He teased Xiaoman with a few more childlike words before saying, "Xiaoman is such a good girl, how about letting Mommy answer the phone?"

Xiaoman responded loudly, "Okay!" Immediately afterward, Nan Zhiyi's voice came through the receiver: "Gu Yan? It's me. How have you been lately?"

"Everything is fine, we're well-fed and watered, it's just a bit busy sometimes."

Nan Zhiyi said with concern, "I noticed your stomach wasn't feeling well during last year's Lunar New Year. Please take good care of yourself and drink less alcohol."

Gu Yan hummed in agreement, feeling inexplicably uneasy. He changed the subject: "Some of the things I asked Zhengping to bring back were chosen by me, and some were chosen by Wenjing. I don't know if you'll like them, so I called to ask."

Nan Zhiyi smiled and said, "You've all thought of everything so thoughtfully. The New Year is coming soon, are you going back to Jian'an this year? Will you take Wenjing with you?"

"I'm afraid I'll be quite busy, but I can take a day or two to go back. As for whether Wenjing will go or not... we'll see when the time comes."

"That's great, Fifth Brother and Xiaoman miss you very much."

The two chatted for a few more minutes about everyday things. Xiaoman, unable to wait any longer, grabbed the phone and chatted with her uncle for quite a while before Gu Yan finally hung up with a smile.

Xiaoman tiptoed and laboriously put the telephone receiver back on the landline. Then, standing on a chair, she looked up at her mother with her little face full of anticipation for praise.

Nan Zhiyi bent down, cupped his little face, and kissed him. "You're such a good baby! You can answer the phone and even put the receiver down properly. You're so amazing!"

Xiaoman was finally satisfied. She climbed down from the chair, pointed towards the bathroom, and took her mother's hand: "Go wash your hands and eat!"

Nan Zhiyi smiled even more broadly as she watched her son trying to maintain a serious profile, and took his hand to wash his hands.

After lunch, Nan Zhiyi accompanied her son for a nap.

She didn't sleep well last night, and with Gu Xiao working overtime recently, she was writing her manuscript while waiting for him, so she went to bed very late. Now, holding her son's soft little body, she gradually felt sleepy.

Soon, the mother and son fell asleep together.

Before falling asleep, Nan Zhiyi was still thinking about when Gu Xiao would come back and what gifts would be appropriate to buy him...