Chapter 14

The last time Gu Zhun saw his father and mother was during the Qingming Festival. It was in front of his sister's tombstone. It was drizzling and the air was full of moisture.

According to all the previous situations, every meeting between them was filled with fierce quarrels and the mother's tears, but only that time, everyone was calm, which was a scene that rarely happened even when the sister was around.

To this day, Gu Zhun still hasn't figured out the situation at that time.

In the empty underground parking lot, Gu Zhun parked his car in the parking space at home, sat in the car, and leaned his whole body on the steering wheel. He felt tired just from driving this short distance from the company - it was like going to the execution ground, the torture was unbearable.

This wasn't like how he handled work. He could solve it with just a little extra effort, even completing it perfectly; but when it came to the trivial matters at home, he was always helpless, even unable to speak up.

Originally, people in a family owe each other a debt, and they could live in peace if they just muddle along. But in this family, everyone is calculating carefully, and the only one who is confused dies early.

Gu Zhun always understood that he was a child born in love, but not a child born in love.

He sighed deeply and took out the gift box from the trunk - he had asked the clerk to prepare it on the way, so he could just pick it up when he arrived.

Gu Zhun carried bags of things and took the elevator to the 15th floor.

There was a mother and daughter in the elevator. The child was wearing a tight dance costume with a loose coat on the outside. The mother held the child's hand tightly, and the child's braids were very cute.

The daughter sweetly told her mother that she wanted to eat ice cream, and her mother responded with a smile.

They stopped at the 11th floor, leaving Gu Zhun alone in the corner of the elevator, carrying large bags and wearing a mask, looking very out of place in this hot summer day.

bite--

When they reached the 15th floor, Gu Zhun gently patted his cheeks, as if to cheer himself up, or as if to advise himself.

Gu Zhun walked to the door of his house and put down the things in his hands. He was thinking about whether to press the doorbell or unlock the door with his fingerprint.

He hesitated and subconsciously took out his phone, as if seeking some kind of comfort, and he seemed to have really found that little bit of comfort - he saw the message sent by Chen Shiman ten minutes ago:

[AAA Chosen One: I just woke up and saw your live broadcast]

[AAA Chosen One: The results are quite good, but the revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades still need to work hard]

[AAA Chosen One: And why are you still working out? You have endless energy, don’t you?]

This was followed by a frantic emoji of a bear pulling a small, smiling fox.

Gu Zhun only glanced at it but didn't reply. Perhaps it was because Chen Shiman himself had a strong sense of humor, or perhaps it was because there was endless fun between the lines of his words. In short, Gu Zhun put his phone away and finally decided to open the door himself.

The electronic lock turned, and the sound exploded in Gu Zhun's ears. The door opened slightly, revealing a crack.

Gu Zhun opened the door and was about to bend down to pick up the things on the ground when he felt a huge force rushing towards his arms - he almost subconsciously stepped back, but the command from his pituitary gland made him open his arms and catch the child steadily.

"Uncle, I miss you so much!" Xu Wei wrapped his hands tightly around Gu Zhun and raised his innocent face.

That face had begun to take on the expression of her mother for the first time, with the corners of her eyes slightly raised, her nose raised when she was acting coquettishly, and her eyes flashing with clear and visible flattery.

Gu Zhun rubbed Xu Wei's hair and asked softly, "Where are grandpa and grandma? They must be inside."

"Yes, uncle..." Unlike the innocence just now, her face now revealed some complex emotions that were not suitable for her age.

The little face was frowned, and there seemed to be a pleading look in the eyes. The little mouth was trembling slightly, which made people feel adorable and distressed.

Gu Zhun easily caught the meaning in Xu Wei's eyes. In this family, guessing what was going on became the easiest thing.

He lifted Xu Wei up high and said, "Trust your uncle, I can handle it." Gu Zhun put his forehead against his niece's, then took the gift home with one hand.

Gu Zhun had just put down his things when he heard a roar from the study: "Take your things out! They are not needed!" It was an elderly man's voice, a little trembling. According to what the books said, it seemed that his dantian was unstable.

Gu Zhun turned a deaf ear, changed into slippers, and took Xu Wei's hand to the study.

Arriving at the door of the study, General Gu pushed Xu Wei in and gave her a look. Xu Wei, who was also a smart person, ran over and lay down beside Gu Shouyun who was correcting homework, and said coquettishly: "Grandpa, my uncle is back and brought a lot of delicious food."

In this family, Gu Shouyun loves this granddaughter the most. It is a kind of unreserved love that even his daughter Gu Gu has never received before.

Gu Shouyun pinched Xu Wei's chubby cheeks, his face full of pampering and tenderness: "Okay, I got it, Xiao Wei, go to the bedroom to play, or go find grandma, grandpa and uncle have something to say."

Xu Wei nodded, "Grandpa, don't quarrel with uncle." Then she looked at Gu Zhun eagerly when she passed by him, and finally pinched his fingers gently and left reluctantly.

Only after Xu Wei left did Gu Zhun walk into the study and close the door.

He was very familiar with this study. In the past, Gu Zhun had always been scolded more often in it than his sister Gu Gu.

"Dad." Gu Zhun sat in the chair in front of the desk, staring at Gu Shouyun intently. He looked older than before, his face covered in wrinkles, and his hair mostly white. Only his eyes, like those of an eagle, were still sharp. Perhaps because he had been a dean for many years, they glared at him, vicious and fierce.

——But this should not happen to a teacher, or even to a father.

Gu Shouyun took out a cell phone from the drawer and threw it in front of Gu Zhun without any hesitation.

Gu Zhun glanced at it and saw that the page was just stuck on his afternoon live broadcast. Gu Zhun was not yet confident that his father would take the initiative to watch his live broadcast.

So Gu Zhun asked, "What's wrong, father?"

Gu Shouyun said sternly, "How dare you say that! Why is someone asking about Xu Wei? If I hadn't noticed this today, I wouldn't have known that my good son was using his own sister's child to gain attention! Gu Zhun, do you still have a heart? Your sister treated you well in the past, and yet you pushed Xu Wei to the forefront!"

The more Gu Shouyun spoke, the angrier he became.

He found the cell phone in the hand of a high school girl while patrolling the classes in the afternoon.

The school had already strictly prohibited students from bringing cell phones, yet now they were being used so openly. Gu Shouyun confiscated the phone on the spot without saying anything. A glance from him made the student tremble.

He took the phone and left, and the class teacher would naturally handle the rest.

He held the phone in his hand, and when he looked down, he saw the face of his son who was in the entertainment industry. He was saying something with a smile.

Gu Shouyun has always disliked this circle and does not support what Gu Zhun does. So he was about to exit the live broadcast room when he heard Gu Zhun answering the netizens' questions and heard about his granddaughter.

In an instant, Gu Shouyun became impatient and held the phone tightly, wishing he could smash it to pieces. Fortunately, reason prevailed, and he waited until the end of the get off work day before calling Gu Zhun home to ask him about it.

Gu Shouyun snorted coldly, his face stern and arrogant, "Why don't you say anything? You know you're being unfair to your sister, right? You're always like this, always saying things you won't listen to, always arrogant and conceited!"

This is how Gu Shouyun speaks. As long as he thinks something is bad, he will express his entire opinion in one go.

The only sound in the room was the old clock on the wall. It was bought when Gu Gu was born, and now it was about to go on strike, but his father was always reluctant to replace it and let the clock keep the wrong time.

Gu Zhun licked his dry lips repeatedly. The corners of his eyes twitched slightly several times, and his heart felt cold, as if the water in the Northeast had frozen into icicles during the coldest time of the year, piercing his heart directly.

It turns out that only the people closest to you know how to stab you in the back.

"Dad, do you think that I planned this?" Gu Zhun couldn't believe it. He never expected this to be the result.

"What else? You and Xu Ming are in cahoots with each other. Xu Ming is just scheming, did you know this on the first day?" Gu Shouyun suddenly slammed the table hard, and the book on the table seemed to be about to be slammed into the air.

Gu Zhun stared at his father absentmindedly. The man before him felt unfamiliar to him. Even before, he had never said such cold and sarcastic words. Gu Zhun thought that perhaps it was really because of the distance between the generations that Xu Wei was the most important person to him.

Gu Zhun opened his mouth several times to defend himself, but when the words came to his lips, he saw his father's distant and suspicious eyes, so naturally, he just said simply: "Father, it really wasn't me. It was just an accident that day. I promise to protect Xu Wei in the future and make sure this doesn't happen again."

"Promise? What's the point of asking for your promise? Didn't Xu Ming promise me at the beginning? You were there, what was the result? Think about it yourself-"

Seeing that Gu Shouyun was about to bring up the past again, Gu Zhun's heart sank to the bottom again.

"Grandpa!"

Gu Shouyun's voice became louder and louder, as if he could not control himself. At this moment, the door of the study was pushed open unexpectedly. Xu Wei, a little girl only the size of a thumb, stood at the door and timidly called out to the angry Gu Shouyun.

"Grandpa, don't be angry." Xu Wei ran in and hugged Gu Zhun, "It's not uncle's fault, it's not uncle's fault."

The child didn't understand what was going on, but she had lived in this family for so many years. She had heard her parents quarreling and seen her grandparents yelling.

This family is full of crazy people, only my uncle calmly endures these crazy roars.

"Xu Wei, why did you come in when the adults are talking? Go find your grandma." Gu Shouyun was used to being a teacher, and he liked to act in a pretentious manner at home.

Xu Wei said, "Grandpa, it's time to eat."

Xu Wei didn't dare to pull Gu Shouyun. The little girl's eyes were red. She was too afraid of such disputes. When she was a child, whenever her parents quarreled, she would go back to her grandfather's house with her mother and would not see her father for a long time.

"Uncle, you will stay for dinner too, right?" Xu Wei looked at Gu Zhun almost pleadingly.

Gu Zhun couldn't understand what kind of family would educate a child with a childlike innocence to become so cautious and timid.

Does Xu Wei have to go through his past again? At that time, he had his sister's protection, but now Xu Wei has nothing.

Gu Zhun stared at Xu Wei. The little girl was starting to grow up, beginning to resemble her older sister. "Okay, uncle, stay for dinner." Gu Zhun stroked Xu Wei's pigtails, rarely ignoring her father, and walked out holding the little girl's hand.

Gu Shouyun chased after her before he could finish his breath. Just as he was about to speak, he saw his wife floating out of the kitchen. She was like a ghost, with a pale face, holding a shovel, and looking at him resentfully. Gu Shouyun felt a chill on his back and couldn't hold back a word.