Chapter 83 Buy One Get One Free

As soon as she sighed, her waist tightened.

Gu Xiao hugged her from behind, pressing his cheek against hers: "Sighing again?"

Nan Zhiyi relaxed and leaned into his arms, whispering, "It's nothing, it just feels...too fast."

Gu Xiao didn't say anything, but tightened his grip on her arm even more.

These past two days, his wife has sighed countless times because of Zhou Zhengping's matter.

He knew that she no longer had romantic feelings for Zhou Zhengping; her concern was nothing more than a long-standing friendship and the helplessness of watching her friend jump into a fire pit.

He understood rationally, but a sour feeling still welled up inside him, and his chest felt tight.

Gu Xiao put his arm around her, walked a few steps to the sofa, sat down, and pulled her onto his lap.

“Gu Xiao…” Nan Zhiyi was at a loss.

He didn't answer, but put one arm around her waist and rubbed her earlobe with the other.

Nan Zhiyi's ears burned and her body trembled slightly as he touched her.

“You’ve been worrying too much about the Zhou family.” He tightened his grip on his fingertips, as if punishing you. “You can’t control it, and… you shouldn’t be thinking about it so much.”

Nan Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat, realizing that she had indeed been focusing too much on the Zhou family these past two days.

She quickly reached out and wrapped her arms around Gu Xiao's neck, pressing her whole body against him, her cheek rubbing against his chin, coaxing him in a soft and sweet voice, "Brother, I was wrong, don't be angry."

Gu Xiao looked down at her watery eyes, and his frustration eased somewhat.

He tapped the tip of her nose, his tone half serious and half helpless: "If you keep thinking about other people like this, I'll really get jealous."

"No! I really didn't think about anyone else!" Nan Zhiyi immediately shook her head, leaned in and quickly pecked him on the chin. "I only thought about you!"

Gu Xiao raised an eyebrow, his eyes darkened slightly, and he touched his lips.

Nan Zhiyi blushed and her heart pounded as she was captivated by his mesmerizing gaze, but she still obediently kissed him again.

This time, it wasn't just a fleeting touch. She mimicked his usual gesture and gently sucked on his lower lip.

Just as Gu Xiao was about to deepen the kiss, she stepped back slightly, then quickly leaned in again and planted a kiss on the corner of his lips.

Buy one get one free.

Looking at the charming and shy woman in his arms, Gu Xiao tightened his arms and pressed her against him, preparing to "teach" her a lesson...

"Knock knock knock!"

A rapid, loud knocking sounded at the door, followed by Gu Yan's highly recognizable, clear voice: "Brother! Zhiyi! Dinner's ready!"

Nan Zhiyi sprang off Gu Xiao's lap, her movement so sudden that she almost tripped and fell.

Gu Xiao reacted quickly, grabbing her waist and supporting her steadily.

He frowned. Why did this kid suddenly come home? And he ruined his plans…

He took a deep breath, strode to the door, and opened it.

Gu Yan, dressed in a trendy plaid shirt, stood at the door with a cynical smile on his face.

Seeing Gu Xiao's dark face and Nan Zhiyi's slightly unnatural expression, his smile froze for a moment. He then scratched his head and quickly glanced at Nan Zhiyi: "Brother, Zhiyi, Aunt Wu has prepared the meal."

Gu Xiao didn't answer, but just glanced at him sideways: "Call her sister-in-law."

Gu Yan's eyes flickered for a moment before he squeezed out two words: "...Sister-in-law."

Nan Zhiyi nodded slightly: "Gu Yan, welcome home."

Gu Yan gave an awkward "hmm" and stepped aside.

The three of them went downstairs in silence.

In the dining room, Aunt Wu was serving the last soup.

Commander Gu was already seated in the main seat, his face stern, and he didn't give Gu Yan, who hadn't been home for a long time, a friendly look.

He picked up his chopsticks, gave Gu Yan a cold "humph" as a greeting, and then stopped looking at him.

Gu Yan was already used to his father's stern face and pretended not to see it.

He sat down diagonally opposite Nan Zhiyi without a second thought, no longer trying to avoid her.

When Gu Xiao naturally served food and soup to Nan Zhiyi, she only glanced at him slightly, then lowered her head to eat her rice, without revealing any obvious emotions.

The six months of hard work in the south had taken its toll on him, smoothing out some of his rough edges, and burying his resentment and regret even deeper.

What's missed is missed. In the end, it's because I wasn't brave and decisive enough back then.

Gu Xiao's gaze lingered on Gu Yan's face for a moment.

The kid was a bit thinner and darker than the last time I saw him, but the spirit in his eyes was still there, just with a touch more maturity.

He just kept frowning and staring blankly at the rice in his bowl, his expression constantly changing, and I wondered what he was thinking about.

"The food at home isn't to your liking?" Gu Xiao suddenly asked, teasingly. "You think it's delicious?"

Nan Zhiyi was sipping her soup when she heard this and almost choked. She couldn't help but chuckle and quickly covered her mouth.

Gu Yan was taken aback, looked up and met Gu Xiao's teasing gaze, then saw Nan Zhiyi's barely suppressed laughter, and grinned as well: "Brother, what are you saying! Aunt Wu's cooking is even better than the Huacheng Grand Hotel! I'm just hungry, so hungry!"

The atmosphere at the dinner table immediately became much more relaxed.

"How are you doing in Huacheng?" Nan Zhiyi asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's alright. Things are different over there now. If you're bolder, you'll find more opportunities. I deal in some in-demand electronic products, like tape recorders, and it's not bad."

He spoke casually, but the light in his eyes revealed a sense of accomplishment and smugness.

Gu Xiao asked, "Why did you suddenly come back?"

He remembered that the kid had said in his previous letter that he wanted to settle down in the South and make a big splash.

Gu Yan put down his bowl and wiped his mouth: "Sigh! It's all because A-Ping called me yesterday and said he's getting married! Such a big event, I had to come back to be his best man!"

When he mentioned "marriage," he glanced quickly at Nan Zhiyi before looking away just as fast.

Commander Gu put down his chopsticks, clearly displeased with the words "business" and "recorder," but upon hearing that it was a joyous occasion for the Zhou family, he ultimately said nothing.

"Oh?" Gu Xiao raised an eyebrow. "You're back quickly. How did you get back?"

A smug look appeared on Gu Yan's face: "I drove back! I got a used Toyota through someone; it's fine for long trips!"

For a moment, the other three people at the table were somewhat surprised.

Toyota?

Commander Gu's brows furrowed even more. This damned brat, not only engaging in "speculation and profiteering," but also bringing in such ostentatious displays! It was simply adding fuel to the fire…

Gu Xiao raised an eyebrow.

A car? These days, owning an imported car isn't just a matter of having money.

This kid's ways in the South are even wilder than he imagined.

Nan Zhiyi didn't think as much as Gu Xiao did. She just smiled and praised Gu Yan, "You're so amazing, Gu Yan! You drove back by yourself? That must have been a long way!"

After being praised like that, Gu Yan was so proud that he could no longer hide his smugness.

He beamed with excitement: "That's right! Zhiyi, you have no idea how lively Huacheng is right now! Anyone with guts and a willingness to work hard is brimming with opportunities! I came back this time, firstly to be Zhengping's best man, and secondly to see if there are any opportunities here..."