Chapter 53 Leaving the Secret
Tie Yanfei naturally wouldn't agree to Fang Qing's request. He glanced at her impatiently and said, "I know, go and prepare some food first."
"Oh." Fang Qing replied reluctantly, her eyes practically overflowing with a smile as she turned away. Just like that, Tie Yanfei and his cronies got in touch. Just as Fang Qing had guessed, they soon began to collude in their evil deeds, which was exactly the effect she wanted.
Before Gu Zhiyuan could even figure out a way to get Tie Yanfei out of Wu'an, he received news that Tie Yanfei had been arrested on charges of theft.
"He got caught so quickly?" Ji Wei thought this person was too amazing; he had only been back for a short time and was already eating for free.
“They have no money and are unwilling to look for work, so this is probably the fastest way to make money.” Gu Zhiyuan glanced at Ji Wei after saying this. He had told her about this after meeting Tie Yanfei that day, not only because he didn’t want to hide it from her, but also to remind her to be careful. Now that the danger had been removed, he breathed a sigh of relief: “It’s good that he’s in. I don’t have to worry about him doing anything reckless anymore.”
“That’s true.” Although Ji Wei was very careful, there’s no reason to guard against a thief for a thousand days. Most importantly, she was afraid that he would harm the children. Now that he’s in jail, it’s actually a good thing for them.
"I suspect Fang Qing was behind this. I bet she'll be sneaking away by the time she receives the news from the court." Gu Zhiyuan knew Fang Qing fairly well. She would rather run away than pay back the money or Chen An's child support. In her eyes, money was more important than many other things.
"It seems they weren't doing well in their time away from home." Otherwise, the two wouldn't have fallen out.
“They’ve gotten used to getting something for nothing these past few years. When they have money, they’re naturally all lovey-dovey, but once they get involved with money, they’re bound to run into trouble sooner or later. I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.” Gu Zhiyuan’s tone was unusually cold. It would be a lie to say that he had no resentment towards the two of them.
"This time, she must really be leaving, right? We're fine with this back and forth, but I'm afraid she's given Chen An hope only to disappoint him again." This is what Ji Wei has been most worried about.
"Even if it isn't, by the time she comes looking for us again, we'll probably have moved. Oh, and I forgot to tell you some good news." Gu Zhiyuan beamed with joy as he spoke of the good news.
"Is it related to that piece of land?" Ji Wei looked at him curiously.
"Yes, Brother Lü has acquired that land and is currently handling the other formalities." Once all the permits are obtained, they will be venturing into another industry.
"That's really good news. Should we celebrate?" Actually, Ji Wei wanted to celebrate. She hadn't told anyone about her potential transfer, and she planned to tell them when she succeeded.
"Once all the formalities are completed, the three families will celebrate together." Gu Zhiyuan's tone was filled with anticipation. The three of them had once said that they hoped to come back and make a name for themselves, and now they were beginning to realize their bold words.
"That's true, it's a good opportunity for the children to have some fun together."
Just as they were discussing a three-way gathering, Fang Qing was happy about Tie Yanfei's arrest. In her opinion, without this obstacle, she could do many things. Before she could go to Gu Chen'an again, she received a summons.
Fang Qing truly hadn't expected Gu Zhiyuan to sue her, not only for child support but also for the family's savings. She cursed inwardly. She knew she had no chance of winning, so she quickly decided to leave. He was suing her for money; the possibility of remarriage was probably already sealed off by Ji Wei. Thinking of Ji Wei, Fang Qing felt a pang of resentment. Gu Zhiyuan, usually so cold, had been so gentle with her. If he hadn't been so cold to her, how could she have believed Tie Yanfei's sweet talk? In Fang Qing's view, while her infidelity was wrong, it was all Gu Zhiyuan's fault. If he had been there for her like other men, why would she have chosen Tie Yanfei?
Perhaps to disgust them, Fang Qing left a letter for Gu Chen'an at the school gate when she left. In the letter, she first expressed her apologies, then explained to Gu Chen'an the various hardships she had faced in the Gu family, and finally told him that she left because Gu Zhiyuan and Ji Wei forced her to, and that she would come back to see him once she made money.
Ji Wei glanced at the letter on the table, then looked at Gu Chen'an beside her, her tone gentle: "Chen'an, what do you think?"
“Mom, I know she’s trying to sow discord. I remember everything that happened before.” Gu Chen’an said earnestly, and he was the one who took the initiative to show the letter to Ji Wei.
"Her last sentence wasn't wrong. In a way, your father and I forced her to leave Wu'an." Ji Wei pointed to the last few sentences on the letter.
"It's better that she's gone. I actually don't want to see her," Gu Chen'an said, indicating that he didn't care about the matter.
Ji Wei gently explained to him what Fang Qing meant by "forced to leave." She didn't want this matter to become a thorn in everyone's side in the future. Finally, she looked at Gu Chen'an and continued, "In this case, we have a 100% chance of winning, so if she doesn't want to respond, she has no choice but to leave."
Gu Chen'an looked at her as if he understood but not quite, and finally said, "She has always been unwilling to spend money on me."
Seeing his somewhat dejected look, Ji Wei couldn't help but pat his head: "It's okay, she's unwilling to spend money on you, but we are."
"I know, Mom." Gu Chen'an lowered his eyes and stared at the somewhat messy letter on the table. He knew the reason she had explained it to him.
"Well, your dad will probably talk to you about this again when he gets back." Gu Zhiyuan went to the freight company again yesterday.
"Okay, by the way, Mom, I finished that competition test paper you mentioned last time today." Gu Chen'an quickly changed the subject to his studies.
"So fast?" Ji Wei was somewhat surprised.
"You said you need to practice more questions to become proficient," Gu Chen'an said, sounding a little embarrassed.
“That makes sense. Then bring the test paper over so I can take a look and grade it for you.” Ji Wei gestured for him to get the test paper.
Fang Qing's departure this time was a complete departure, and life quickly returned to its previous calm. Ji Wei had been waiting for good news from Lü Shuangcai and the others, but it would be another month before all the formalities were completed. It was already May, and Ji Wei stared at the calendar on the table, feeling a little dazed. It had been almost a year since she came back.
In one year, she left the Ji family and moved out with Lulu, then remarried Gu Zhiyuan. Now their lives are thriving, a completely different beginning from her previous life.
"Mom, do I look pretty?" Lulu ran towards her in her new dress.
"Beautiful." Ji Wei praised her with a smile. Although Lulu is still in kindergarten, the little one's sense of beauty is getting stronger and stronger. In the past two months, both she and Gu Chen'an have grown a lot taller.
"Brother said it doesn't look good." Lulu pointed at Gu Chen'an with a huff.
"That's because my brother doesn't know how to appreciate it." Ji Wei guessed that the two had had another small argument, so Gu Chen'an deliberately did this to annoy her, since he was usually the most qualified Lu fanboy.
"Yes, she doesn't know how to appreciate it." Lulu snorted and then began to admire her new dress again.
"Who upset Lulu again? Her lips are pouting so much you could hang an oil lamp on them." Gu Zhiyuan went up to tease her.
Ji Wei glanced at him sideways. This guy really knew how to bring up the sore spot. She had just coaxed him, and he brought it up again. Sure enough, Lulu's happy mood vanished instantly, and she took the opportunity to complain to him: "It's all because of my brother. He's so annoying."
"Oh, you two had a fight? That's rare." Gu Zhiyuan said with some surprise.
"Don't add fuel to the fire," Ji Wei glared at him.
"I just find it rare, don't I? The two of you are usually so close, like one big family, and now you're arguing." Gu Zhiyuan was genuinely curious.
"Don't worry, they'll make up in no more than half an hour." Ji Wei seemed unsurprised.
"Really?" Gu Zhiyuan glanced at Gu Chen'an over there.
"Of course, it's good. Everyone argues sometimes." Ji Wei thought it was fine this way. If they never argued, it meant someone was always being tolerant, and Gu Chen'an was that person who was always being tolerant of Lulu. Since the little incident of Fang Qing coming back and then leaving again, Gu Chen'an had slowly begun to let out some of his little nature. In Ji Wei's opinion, this was a good thing. He was still a child and didn't need to be so sensible.
"That makes sense." Gu Zhiyuan thought about it and felt that what she said made sense.
In less than five minutes, Gu Chen'an walked up to Lulu with candy in his hand. Lulu was initially aloof, but when he pretended to take the candy and leave, the little one started to get anxious: "Brother, wait a minute!"
Ji Wei gestured towards Gu Zhiyuan with her lips, and Gu Zhiyuan chuckled, leaning closer to her and lowering his voice: "As expected, Teacher Ji understands them best. I concede defeat."
"Of course." Her upturned lips betrayed her good mood, and Gu Zhiyuan smiled as well, then told her another piece of good news: "All the paperwork is complete, and Brother Lü has found an auspicious date for next week."
"Does that mean construction will start next week?" Ji Wei was somewhat surprised. If all goes well, they can open the doors for sale next year. In her previous life, she missed out on zero-down-payment mortgages in 1995. In this life, she will work with them to promote the concept of zero down payment. For a moment, Ji Wei began to marvel at the wonder of fate.
“Yes, construction will start next week. We’ll go to Brother Lü’s place to celebrate this week.” Gu Zhiyuan’s gaze fell on her face as he spoke. It had only been a few days since he last saw her, but she seemed to have gotten even fairer.
"Yes, I also have some good news to tell you in a while." Ji Wei was quite happy thinking about the news that the director had told her in advance today.
"Can't you say it now?" Gu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow at her.
"Keep it a secret for now," Ji Wei said mysteriously.
"You even have to keep it a secret from me?" Gu Zhiyuan moved closer to her, and soon the distance between them was less than a fist's width.
"Why should I treat you differently?" Ji Wei tilted her head back and took a step back, but the person in front of her took another step forward. This time, instead of his cheek, the person brought his open palm close, in which lay a ring.
Ji Wei looked at him with some surprise: "Why would you buy this?"
"For the sake of the gift, can you tell me first, Teacher Ji?" Gu Zhiyuan did not answer her, but stared straight at her, his eyes burning with desire.
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