Chapter 51: What are you planning to do after your comeback?
Ji Wei felt that since she had come all this way, she wouldn't give up just because of his few words.
“It’s been almost a year since the divorce, and she hasn’t paid a single penny of Chen An’s child support. She falls silent whenever the topic comes up. Oh, and she even borrowed money from me. I suspect she’s had a falling out with that guy.” Gu Zhiyuan thought to himself, “I should have brought her along.”
"Borrow money from you?" Ji Wei's tone was hesitant, and for a moment she didn't understand Fang Qing's thought process.
"Yes, I didn't expect that either." Gu Zhiyuan thought to himself that his understanding of Fang Qing was still too superficial.
Now Ji Wei also couldn't understand Fang Qing's intentions. Was she trying to extort money from him after failing to win him back?
"No matter what, it's a good thing she's leaving now." Gu Zhiyuan said, staring at Gu Chen'an's back. Although Gu Chen'an hadn't said anything these past two days, he had clearly sensed that something was wrong with him.
"That's true. Well, let's not talk about her then. Are you going out again tomorrow?" Ji Wei asked.
"Yes, this is the schedule we arranged beforehand. We'll be going out less often next month. Brother Lü is negotiating land deals. If the deal goes through, we'll gradually shift our focus there." The freight company is operating very smoothly now, so they don't need to keep an eye on things every day.
"Are you confident you can take it down?" Ji Wei was somewhat surprised by their speed.
"Probably. It's just a matter of price. After that, there will be all sorts of paperwork to deal with." Gu Zhiyuan's tone was unhurried, as if he didn't think it was a difficult matter.
"If all goes well, our plan to move to the city center should be able to be brought forward." With the date when Ji Shengzhou and his wife will be laid off getting closer, Ji Wei thinks that physical separation is probably the best solution for them.
“If you want to move, you can do it now,” Gu Zhiyuan said seriously.
"Let's at least finish this semester first." Ji Wei hadn't initially considered resigning, but once the thought of resigning took hold, she couldn't stop herself.
"Okay, whatever you say." Gu Zhiyuan said, reaching out to hold her hand, roughly understanding the reason for her hesitation.
"You always say that, it makes me sound like I'm being domineering," Ji Wei said, feigning displeasure.
“You’re the boss at home, so it’s only right that you’re a little domineering,” Gu Zhiyuan said, nodding in agreement.
Ji Wei was amused by him, and then gave him an instruction: "Then the leader wants to eat something good tonight."
"Got it." Their laughter made the two little ones running ahead turn around repeatedly. Lulu even ran towards them: "Mommy, what are you and Daddy laughing about?"
“We’re happy.” Ji Wei bent down and touched her cheek. Yes, she was happy, happy that she and Lulu had such a completely different start in life.
"I'm happy too. My brother just said he'll come back and play beanbag with me," Lulu told her happily.
"As long as Lulu is happy."
Fang Qing's appearance did not affect their relationship; on the contrary, it brought them closer together. Gu Zhiyuan would even take the initiative to tell her about their journey from blind date to marriage. At the end, he chuckled and said self-deprecatingly, "Back then, I still thought my family wanted the best for me."
The two shared a similar plight, and Ji Wei understood his feelings best. She reached out and held his palm tightly, her voice gentle: "Let's not dwell on the past. We both have to look forward."
"Yes, we should look forward. The days ahead will be good." As Gu Zhiyuan spoke, he reached out his other hand to gently brush the stray hairs from her forehead.
*
Just as Ji Wei had guessed, Fang Qing wasn't so easily appeased. Her previous departure was merely out of fear that Gu Zhiyuan would retaliate and demand child support for Gu Chen'an. She felt she had a lifetime of memories beyond others and was certain she could achieve great things, but reality always teaches her a lesson.
After her business failed, she set her sights on Gu Zhiyuan and his son. This time, she took a different approach, buying Gu Chen'an's favorite chicken cake from his childhood and taking it to school. She even bought Lulu a pair of hair clips. Ji Wei felt a headache coming on; this person had certainly improved this time. She looked at Gu Chen'an beside her and asked, "Are you going to see her?"
"I'll go say a few words to her." Compared to the nervousness he felt when she suddenly visited a month ago, Gu Chen'an was very calm this time.
"Go ahead, Lulu and I will wait for you here." Ji Wei thought that there were some things he still needed to figure out completely on his own. His ability to bravely face Fang Qing was a kind of healing.
"Chen'an, I still remember that you loved eating chicken cakes when you were little. And this is for your sister. I don't mean anything by it, I just hope I can come to see you often." Fang Qing said, trying to reach out and touch his cheek, but Gu Chen'an turned his face away. Her hand missed its mark, and she looked a little embarrassed.
"Did you come back because you felt less comfortable with that person than before?" Gu Chen'an asked seriously. Since she left last time, he seemed to suddenly realize that the person who could punish and beat him at will wasn't so powerful after all. His father could send him away with just a word, and his mother and sister were always by his side, so what did he have to be afraid of?
"No, I just miss you. We've never been apart for so long before. Don't you miss me at all?" Fang Qing had lost both of her pregnancies with Tie Yanfei in her previous life, so her feelings for Gu Chen'an were complicated.
"I didn't want to. It was only after you left that I realized life could be like this. It was also then that I learned that not every mother loves her child. And it was only after you and him left that I had a good life." Gu Chen'an clearly recalled how she had instructed him to buy cigarettes for Tie Yanfei. He had only been a little late coming back, and she hadn't given him dinner.
"I don't dislike you. I'm just a first-time mother and don't know what to do. Chen'an, please forgive me this once?" Fang Qing said gently, trying to coax him into understanding her.
"No, don't come again. I know what you're up to. Aren't you afraid Dad will make you give him money?" Gu Chen'an knew how much she cared about money from the years he lived with her.
"I'll pay you child support once I find a job and start earning money." Fang Qing's patience was wearing thin; she hadn't expected him to be so difficult now.
"Will you go look for a job?" Gu Chen'an asked with a mocking smile.
"Qingqing, I've finally found you." Before Fang Qing could speak, someone suddenly jumped out and grabbed her arm. Gu Chen'an shook his head and walked towards Ji Wei.
Fang Qing never expected that Tie Yanfei would come looking for her: "What are you doing? I'm talking to the child. Let me go."
"Your son is gone, what are you still looking at? Are you planning to dump me and go back to my old flame?" Tie Yanfei sneered. He had run out of money these days, so he had the idea of finding Fang Qing again. They had been entangled for so many years, she wanted to get rid of him? No way.
"Didn't we agree before? All that money is yours, and from now on we'll go our separate ways." Fang Qing was a little anxious; she hadn't expected Tie Yanfei to come looking for her.
"Can't I regret it? Or can we go back to how things were before?" Tie Yanfei grinned lewdly as he spoke of the past. He didn't care if she had a husband or not, as long as she was willing to give him money and continue being with him. Now their reputations were ruined in Yun County, and since he couldn't find another wife, she had to take responsibility for him.
"This is the school gate, please watch your behavior," Ji Wei reminded them as she stepped forward. The security guard at the school gate also began to question them, and the two then left.
"Mom, let's go back too." Gu Chen'an shook his head as he watched the two figures pulling each other away.
"Did you explain it to her?" Ji Wei patted his head.
"It's all clear now, but she probably won't have a chance to come looking for us anymore." Gu Chen'an knew that Tie Yanfei wasn't so easy to get rid of.
"Then let's go back first." Ji Wei originally thought she would have to argue with Fang Qing for a while, but unexpectedly, someone suddenly appeared and solved the problem for her. The moment the man appeared, she guessed his identity, and she couldn't help but wonder why he was here.
*
Because of Tie Yanfei's appearance, Fang Qing's plan was interrupted. Realizing his intentions, she felt suffocated. In her previous life, she had seen through his true colors. He was capable of anything for money. In her previous life, she had abandoned her husband and children for such trash and ended up with such a tragic fate. In this life, she must stay away from him.
"How did you end up here?" Fang Qing softened her tone, trying to calm him down.
"My wife has run away, shouldn't I come looking for her? Qingqing, I've thought about it, and it's really not good for you to be running around with me. Why don't you remarry Gu Zhiyuan and we can go back to how things were before?" Tie Yanfei regretted letting them get a divorce.
Although she had already experienced his shamelessness in her previous life, Fang Qing was still shocked to hear him say this. How could a person be so shameless? She lowered her eyes to hide the disdain in them and whispered, "I would like to, but Gu Zhiyuan has already remarried."
"He remarried?" Tie Yanfei asked, somewhat surprised.
"Well, given his circumstances, it's normal for him to want to remarry." Fang Qing thought that perhaps she could use this incident to resolve the potential threat posed by Tie Yanfei.
"That's true. So you went to the school today hoping to start with the children?" Tie Yanfei didn't believe she had a loving mother's heart; she never did anything in vain.
"Yeah, but you've messed it all up now," Fang Qing said, giving him a reproachful look.
"What does that woman do?" Tie Yanfei asked casually.
"You should have met Chen An's teacher when we went to pick up our kids from school before. Didn't you compliment her on her looks back then?" Ji Wei steered the conversation towards Ji Wei.
Upon hearing the last sentence, Tie Yanfei chuckled softly. When Fang Qing looked up at him, he spoke with a half-smile: "Fang Qing, what are you planning? Do you want me to teach this woman a lesson, then get rid of me, so you can reap the benefits?"
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