Chapter 88 Heartbroken

Gu Yan and Zhou Zhengping, in the driver's seat and passenger seat respectively, remained silent.

Gu Yan felt utterly exhausted. This day, he had to fake smiles, observe people's expressions, and even take the blame for his brother. It was more tiring than running a long-distance trip dealing with tape recorders.

Zhou Zhengping, on the other hand, seemed to have been drained of all his energy. He leaned back in his chair, his face completely indifferent.

After a long while, Zhou Zhengping opened his eyes: "Gu Yan, I'm going back to the barracks tomorrow morning. I was hoping to talk to you a little longer."

Gu Yan hummed in agreement, seeing how pitiful Zhou Anping was, "I'm going to send Zhiyi off tomorrow, and I'll send you off too...?"

The moment he finished speaking, he held the hand and silently berated himself for being stupid.

Serves you right for being so quick-tongued! I could have taken Zhiyi home alone and chatted along the way! Now look what happened, I have to take these two hot potatoes with me! It's all my fault for being soft-hearted when I saw Zhou Zhengping's pitiful state!

Zhou Zhengping, you'd better not agree!!

Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhengping nodded, "Then we can chat more on the way."

What are we even talking about?!

Gu Yan, suppressing his anger, forced a smile and replied, "...Okay, got it. See you tomorrow morning."

The car finally stopped inside the courtyard.

Zhou Zhengping got out of the car first, his movements somewhat stiff.

Lu Linlang gracefully opened the car door and got out, saying to Gu Yan, "Thank you for your hard work, Gu Yan."

Zhou Anping nodded to Gu Yan and ran away.

Gu Yan also walked towards his front door, letting out a long sigh of relief.

This day was truly exhausting.

Pushing open the door, I saw that only a small lamp was lit in the living room.

Gu Yan tossed his car keys onto the entryway cabinet and muttered listlessly, "I'm starving! I'm starving!"

Nan Zhiyi was sitting under the lamp reading a book when she heard the voice and got up: "You're back. Aunt Wu has finished get off work and left you some food in the kitchen. I'll go get it."

"No, no, no, you sit down, I'll do it myself!" Gu Yan didn't dare let her serve him, so he quickly waved his hand and went into the kitchen.

The food was warming on the stove: a bowl of rice, a plate of braised pork, a stir-fry, and a dish of green vegetables.

He brought the food to the table and began to wolf it down.

I feel like I haven't eaten a single grain of rice all day.

Nan Zhiyi couldn't help but ask, "How was today? Did it go smoothly?"

Gu Yan said, "It's alright, it went quite smoothly. Aunt Song is amazing, she handled the situation well."

He downplayed the issue, making no mention of Zhou Zhengping's zombie-like state or the difficulties and oppression he experienced during the wedding procession.

"The food at the Peace Hotel is good, but it's noisy and tiring."

Nan Zhiyi nodded: "I hope everything goes smoothly."

Gu Yan ate a few bites of food and said, "By the way, tomorrow... when I take you, I'll also give Zhou Zhengping and his... wife a ride..."

Nan Zhiyi: "Okay, no problem."

Gu Yan was relieved to see that she had no objections.

He quickly finished his meal, saying, "I'm finally alive again."

Nan Zhiyi was about to clear the dishes when Gu Yan quickly stood up to stop her, saying, "Let me do it! You go and rest, it's late."

Without saying a word, he took the bowls and chopsticks back to the kitchen and turned on the tap to rinse them.

Nan Zhiyi watched Gu Yan's unusually proactive act of clearing away the dishes, a faint smile curving her lips. This guy seems to have really suffered a bit in the South and matured a bit.

The following morning, Gu Yan helped Wu's mother stuff bulging canvas bags, mesh bags, and cardboard boxes into the trunk.

Nan Zhiyi looked at the overflowing contents and asked, "Aunt Wu, why did Dad give us so much?"

Aunt Wu wiped her sweat and smiled, "Not much, not much! It was all ordered by the Commander. A while ago, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, many old comrades and subordinates sent gifts, mostly food and daily necessities, rice, flour, oil, milk powder, canned goods, dried goods, and new towels and thermos flasks. The Commander said that since we can't use them all at home, they're just sitting there anyway, so he told you to take them back and use them slowly."

As she spoke, she stuffed in another heavy bag of rice.

Nan Zhiyi looked at the trunk, which was crammed full, and then at her small travel bag containing a change of clothes, and smiled helplessly.

Well, she'll have to put her small bag in the passenger seat.

The thought of having to squeeze into the back row with Lu Linlang made her feel uncomfortable.

She reacted quickly, grabbing her small bag and the cloth bag that Aunt Wu had prepared for the journey, opening the passenger door and getting in.

Not long after, Zhou Zhengping and Lu Linlang walked out of the Zhou family home one after the other.

The two were at least two or three meters apart. Zhou Zhengping carried a suitcase, his expression indifferent. Lu Linlang, on the other hand, carried a brand-new leather suitcase, her chin slightly raised, still displaying that superior air.

Gu Yan leaned against the car door, looking at the two of them acting like strangers, and muttered to himself: Well, judging from this situation, let alone making up after a fight in bed, they probably won't even get past the "bedside" hurdle.

As the two approached, Nan Zhiyi rolled down the car window and nodded to them: "Zhengping, Dr. Lu, good morning."

Lu Linlang's lips curled into a mocking smile: "Oh, Zhiyi, that way of addressing me... is really interesting. You call my Zhengping so affectionately, but when you call me, you just call me 'Dr. Lu' so formally? What, it's been so long, are some people still holding a grudge and feeling resentful?"

Her words were sarcastic and provocative.

Gu Yan's temper flared up instantly!

This woman is a real porcupine! She can't wait to prick people at any chance? She can't even be bothered to pretend anymore?

He was about to retort, but then he felt that arguing with her would be beneath him, so he just gave a cold snort and didn't even bother to look at her.

Zhou Zhengping's face also darkened, his brows furrowed, and he was about to speak up in defense of Nan Zhiyi: "Lu Linlang, you..."

"Dr. Lu is overthinking it." Nan Zhiyi's cold voice rang out even faster than his, directly cutting off Zhou Zhengping's words.

She sat upright, her smile extremely faint. "These are all names I've been using since childhood. Changing them would seem deliberate, as if I had some ulterior motive. As for 'Dr. Lu'..."

“This is a sign of respect for your profession. After all, isn’t this job of ‘saving lives’ what you’re so proud of? Or do you think that calling you ‘Mrs. Zhou’ would be more prestigious? That’s fine too, Mrs. Zhou.”

Lu Linlang was taken aback, her smugness freezing on her face. Clearly, she hadn't expected Nan Zhiyi to retaliate so directly.

"Alright," Zhou Zhengping said, opening the car door and getting into the back seat.

Gu Yan honked the horn twice, urging impatiently, "Get in the car quickly! It'll be dark if you dawdle any longer!"

Lu Linlang got into the car with a cold expression, crossed her arms, looked out the window, and said nothing more.

The train carriage was very quiet on the way back.

As Gu Yan drove, he cursed Zhou Zhengping inwardly. What kind of jerk did he marry? How could he marry a wife who only makes everyone unhappy?

Why blame yourself again? Why pity Zhou Zhengping and insist on letting him hitch a ride?

He glanced at Nan Zhiyi; her eyes were closed, as if she were asleep. Her dark blue eyelashes were spread across her porcelain-white skin, making his heart skip a beat, and he immediately looked away.