Chapter 435 Overseas Chinese

As the morning light filtered through the gauze curtains, Nan Zhiyi felt a warm breath brushing against her ear.

"Wife, I'm taking Gu Zhao to school today."

She buried her face in the fluffy down pillow and stretched out a small, pale leg from under the covers to give him a light kick.

"It's all your fault..."

Her ankle was immediately grasped by a warm palm, and Gu Xiao's smiling breath pressed against her calf: "Still have the energy to make a fuss?"

Fragments of last night flashed through her mind: him supporting her waist in the steamy bathroom, the cool glass by the window making her shiver slightly, and finally, as she sank into the down comforter, his burning lips lingered on the back of her neck...

She shrank into the covers, not wanting to talk to him.

Gu Xiao patted her lower back through the blanket and tentatively pulled the blanket down a little, "Don't suffocate..."

Nan Zhiyi hurriedly pulled the blanket back, squinted at him, and saw that he had already neatly tied his tie.

Minister Gu, dressed in military uniform, was a completely different person from last night, with only a hint of tenderness in the corner of his eye.

Seeing her looking over, he bent down and kissed her forehead. "Good wife, I'll come back for lunch with you."

Nan Zhiyi snorted, becoming more and more coquettish the more she was coaxed.

"Who needs you to accompany them?"

"Okay, okay, please, my dear wife, spend lunch with me..."

From downstairs came Gu Zhao's clear, childlike voice: "Dad! Where's my red scarf?"

Gu Xiao responded, then said to Nan Zhiyi, "I'll apologize when I get back..."

"Um."

Nan Zhiyi closed her eyes and continued to sleep.

After the soft sound of the door closing, the bedroom returned to silence. She listened to the fading roar of the Jeep engine downstairs and fell asleep again.

When the sun was high in the sky, she slowly descended the stairs, supporting her aching back.

Sister Zhang was simmering soup in the kitchen. "I just finished making chicken soup. Shall I serve you a bowl?" Minister Gu told me he would pick up Xiaoman at noon.

Nan Zhiyi sat down at the dining table. The soup in the white porcelain bowl was clear, with a few goji berries floating among the oil.

I had just taken two sips when I heard the sound of a jeep braking outside the gate.

A moment later, Gu Xiao led Gu Zhao in. When he saw his wife holding a bowl of soup and obediently drinking it, his cold and stern face instantly softened with a gentle warmth.

The annoyance she felt from being tormented all night quietly dissipated under his gaze.

After lunch, the father and son went out separately, one to school and the other to work, while Nan Zhiyi stayed in the study revising her thesis.

Li Xiaoxuan called to invite her to go shopping tomorrow. She couldn't refuse and had to agree. Luckily, she still had a day off tomorrow.

In the stillness of the night, Gu Xiao thought about how intense he had been the night before, so he pulled her into his arms and gently massaged her lower back.

Nan Zhiyi was dozing off with her head on his arm, but she noticed that his breathing was different from usual.

"Wife, there's something I need to tell you." His voice was unusually calm in the darkness.

She was half-awake and looked up at his sharply defined jawline: "What is it?"

"Some time ago, a group of overseas Chinese contacted us to return to China to visit relatives. Among them was your cousin and his children."

Nan Zhiyi was stunned.

My mother lost contact with her cousin, who lived in Singapore, after 1949. She only vaguely remembered her mother stroking old photos and saying that her cousin had donated medicine to airplanes during the War of Resistance against Japan.

Now that she has suddenly returned to China, Nan Zhiyi is reminded of the horrific events of those ten years...

Gu Xiao noticed her nervousness and gently patted her back: "Relax, it's okay. Your cousin's children contacted us through the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, saying that the old lady keeps talking about your mother-in-law."

Nan Zhiyi relaxed her body and pressed against his chest, "How...how did they suddenly get in touch?"

“They found us through the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office.” Gu Xiao warmed her cold ankles between his legs. “The organization has already verified that your cousin donated three fighter planes and medicines during the War of Resistance Against Japan, and last year he also sponsored Chinese schools in Southeast Asia.”

"Will this affect you?" Her voice was strained. Over the years, she knew all too well how many people were eyeing Gu Xiao's position.

"Don't overthink it. Things are different now than they were a few years ago. That document was stamped by the United Front Work Department. Mr. Rong Yiren's relatives were also on the guest list."

Realizing it wouldn't affect Gu Xiao, Nan Zhiyi's anxiety subsided. She snuggled closer, her soft lips brushing against his chin: "I've never met my uncle before. I didn't expect... he's still alive? Mom always said this cousin dotes on her the most..."

She bit his jaw in the darkness. "When will they be back?"

"The review process is underway. The United Front Work Department said that the departure procedures in Southeast Asia will be completed as early as after the Spring Festival, and we also need to arrange the reception schedule, itinerary and accommodation."

His rough palms stroked her back, and he felt her relax like a cat.

"That's wonderful, spring is here and the flowers are in full bloom," Nan Zhiyi said with longing, "perfect for reuniting with family..."

She suddenly sat up, found his lips in the night, and released the joy in her heart.

He indulged her lingering kiss, his hand on her waist tightening slightly. "Are you happy now?"

Nan Zhiyi, like a cat that had just gotten amused, gave him another random kiss on the chin: "Hmm! It won't bother you, and you can see your family, so of course it's a good thing."

She suddenly stepped back, propped herself up on her elbow, and poked his chest with her finger. "How long have you been keeping this a secret? Why are you only telling me today?"

Gu Xiao chuckled and took her mischievous hand, bringing it to his lips and gently biting his fingertip: "Heaven and earth bear witness. We can only report to my precious wife after the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office issues the official approval. If the news leaks out beforehand and it doesn't work out in the end, leaving us disappointed, you'll beat me up again, won't you?"

He rolled over slightly, pinning her beneath him.

Nan Zhiyi twisted her body in dissatisfaction, but he gently pressed her down with his knee.

A soft rustling sound of fabric could be heard in the darkness.

She quieted down and buried her burning face in the crook of his neck: "Gu Xiao..."

"Um?"

"I just suddenly felt like calling you."