Chapter 321 Making Friends

Nan Zhiyi spent the afternoon playing mahjong at Li Xiaoxuan's house. Although it was for entertainment, she still had to deal with social situations, which made it exciting and interesting.

As the sun began to set, she politely declined Li Xiaoxuan's invitation to stay for dinner and insisted on going home.

"Xiaoxuan, thank you so much for today. Next time we get together, I'll definitely spend more time chatting with you."

Li Xiaoxuan readily saw her out.

The two walked and talked. When they reached the alley entrance, Nan Zhiyi told Li Xiaoxuan not to see them off any further, "You should go back now. They're still waiting for you. Let's get together again next time."

"Okay, take care on your journey, and keep in touch."

Li Xiaoxuan reluctantly stopped. She didn't know why, but she felt an instant liking for Nan Zhiyi and couldn't help but want to befriend her. After spending the day together, her liking for her increased even more. Zhiyi was sincere and spoke meaningfully, making her a truly worthwhile friend.

She watched as Nan Zhiyi boarded the tram before turning around and going home.

As soon as Nan Zhiyi arrived at the entrance of the courtyard, Gu Xiao, as if he had calculated her return time, came out to greet her.

"Fifth Brother! I'm back!"

Seeing her smiling eyes, Gu Xiao felt a surge of relief after a whole day apart and smiled back, "Mm."

He responded and took the things from her hands. "So heavy? Did you carry them all the way back yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty good, right?"

Gu Xiao frowned disapprovingly, carrying the things in one hand and pulling her into the house with the other, saying, "Go wash your face first, look at how sweaty you are."

Nan Zhiyi did feel hot, and obediently followed him into the bathroom.

Gu Xiao turned on the tap, rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung it out until it was half dry, and handed it to her.

He leaned against the door frame, watching her take the towel to wipe her face and wash up.

“If you buy this much stuff again, just find a place nearby where you can make a phone call and let me know, then I’ll come pick you up. I offered to take you this morning, but you wouldn’t let me… It’s so hot, and you’re carrying such heavy stuff.”

As he spoke, he pulled her hand over and, sure enough, saw several red marks on her palm from being pressed against the skin.

He gently rubbed the red marks with his fingertips, his brow furrowing even more. "They're all red. If it's really bad, we'll just have to take a taxi..."

Nan Zhiyi found Gu Xiao's rambling manner particularly adorable. She glanced around and, seeing that Xiaoman wasn't there, quickly kissed him on the lips when he wasn't looking, successfully silencing his further nagging.

Gu Xiao was caught off guard by her sneak attack. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. His voice deepened, carrying a dangerous chuckle: "You've learned how to shut people up?"

Nan Zhiyi's eyes sparkled. Without saying a word, she leaned in and bit his chin, leaving a shallow tooth mark.

"It's even learned to bite..."

Gu Xiao's eyes darkened, and he tightened his arm, intending to place her on the sink next to him, his intentions clear.

Nan Zhiyi gasped softly and quickly pressed her hand against his chest, but he grabbed her wrist and kissed her firmly.

After a long while, he slowly released her.

"Honey, why did it take you so long to get back? I thought you'd be home before lunch."

Nan Zhiyi blushed, leaned against his chest, and happily took his hand, leading him to the living room sofa.

"Guess what I did this afternoon?"

Gu Xiao obediently followed her and sat down on the sofa, casually guessing, "They went to the bookstore..."

Nan Zhiyi reached out, pinched his lips, and shook her head. "No, no. Guess again!"

"Went to buy some snacks? Did you run into Anping and chat?"

Gu Xiao readily agreed and continued guessing.

"None of them are right!" Nan Zhiyi finally couldn't help but announce the answer, "I played mahjong this afternoon! I even won two yuan!"

Gu Xiao laughed, and his laughter tickled Nan Zhiyi's ears.

"So happy? Just for this?"

"Of course! This is my first time playing mahjong properly, and I'm having such good luck, which means I'm smart!"

She tilted her head back, waiting to be praised.

Gu Xiao pinched her raised chin. "Yes, of course my wife is smart. She learns everything quickly."

He then asked, "You like playing this?"

Nan Zhiyi shook her head: "I saw my mother play with other people a few times when I was little, but I can't say I liked it. It's just that Li Xiaoxuan was too enthusiastic. She made an appointment with her friends and insisted on dragging me along, so I didn't want to spoil the fun."

Recalling the scene from the afternoon, she became talkative again, chattering to Gu Xiao, "You have no idea, several female comrades came, all friends of Xiaoxuan and Minister Qin. There's the wife of Director Wang from the Ministry of Culture, the wife of Deputy Editor-in-Chief Deng from the newspaper, Dr. Zhao from the People's Hospital's surgery department, and..."

She told Gu Xiao about the people she met at the card table that day, as well as those seemingly casual but actually witty conversations, as if they were interesting stories.

"They always speak indirectly, subtly inquiring about our family, asking if you've been busy lately, and if there's any news from the military."

"But I'm not stupid. When they ask me questions, I beat around the bush and don't tell them anything. I also casually ask them about their families and work. It's quite interesting to go back and forth like that."

As Nan Zhiyi spoke, she started laughing, seemingly finding this kind of tentative social game novel and interesting.

Gu Xiao listened quietly, his fingers occasionally stroking her waist.

Nan Zhiyi leaned against him and made a promise.

"Don't worry, Fifth Brother, I know what I'm doing. Even if I hang out with them, I'll only say what I should say and won't say a word more than necessary. Besides, you know how busy I am right now. I have to write articles, take care of Xiaoman, and go to school. I can't find the time to join in this kind of fun."

Gu Xiao, however, felt great pity for his young wife.

“Do you think I don’t know my wife is smart and capable? You’ll naturally know how to handle things. Actually, I’d be happy if you could go out, meet some people, and have some entertainment of your own. I’m just worried that you’ll get bored staying at home all day.”