"Zhiqiu, Auntie is talking to you. What are you thinking about?" Zhou Xiaoran saw that Shen Zhiqiu had been keeping her head down and not responding, so she quickly nudged her arm with her elbow.
"Ah, what?" Shen Zhi Qiu suddenly woke up as if from a dream, and raised her head in a daze, just in time to meet Mu Zi Qi's gentle gaze.
"What are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed in your thoughts," Mu Ziqi asked gently, a smile playing on her lips, showing no sign of reproach.
"I'm sorry, Mom, it's all my fault. I was just thinking about something and my mind wandered. What did you say?" Shen Zhi Qiu smiled awkwardly and quickly replied.
"It's alright. It's good that you're back. Your dad and I were so worried." Mu Ziqi smiled and gently patted Shen Zhiqiu's hand. "Just don't run away from home again. It's so hard on you while you're pregnant!" As she spoke, her eyes reddened slightly, and she carefully instructed, "Next time anything happens, ask Mom to stand up for you. If Gu Qingyan dares to bully you, Mom will kick him out, and you stay." Then she called out to Gu Suian, "Isn't that right? Say something!"
How could Gu Suian not listen to his wife? He quickly replied, "Of course! You're always right, honey!" Then he turned to Shen Zhi Qiu and said, "Zhi Qiu, if you've been wronged, tell Mom and Dad. Don't be afraid, we're here for you!"
Shen Zhi Qiu looked at the two of them with some emotion, her mind racing, unsure of what to say. Zhou Xiao Ran, standing beside her, sighed silently. How could such wonderful parents have given birth to such a cold-hearted bastard son? Apart from his good looks, he didn't inherit a single good gene!
"The bird's nest soup is ready, everyone come and eat together." Suddenly, Gu Ningning's voice came from the direction of the kitchen. She smiled sweetly and invited everyone to come to the table to drink bird's nest soup, holding a bowl of bird's nest soup in her hand.
Mu Ziqi glanced at Gu Ningning with some surprise but also some relief, then lowered her voice and said to Shen Zhiqi, "It seems Ningning really wants to apologize to you. Otherwise, when has she ever done this kind of work? She's usually a pampered young lady who doesn't lift a finger, yet she's so enthusiastic about serving bird's nest today. Let's get up, and not let her kindness go to waste." As she spoke, she gently pulled Shen Zhiqi up from the sofa and turned to Zhou Xiaoran, saying, "Xiaoran, come and eat with us too."
Shen Zhi Qiu pursed her lips, a feeling that things weren't so simple, yet for now, there seemed to be no flaws. She glanced at Zhou Xiao Ran, noticing her worried expression, and gave her a cautious look; it was always good to be careful.
As soon as she sat down, Gu Ningning eagerly placed a bowl of bird's nest soup in front of Shen Zhi Qiu, smiling with her eyes crinkled, and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm really sorry about what happened before. I sincerely apologize to you and hope you can forgive me." After saying that, she even bowed to Shen Zhi Qiu in a very serious manner, looking genuinely apologetic and remorseful.
However, Shen Zhi Qiu was still skeptical. After all, she knew Gu Ningning well; even if she wanted to apologize, she wouldn't lower herself so drastically, especially in front of so many people. It didn't fit her usual behavior, so she remained cautious.
But now that Gu Ningning had said that, if she were to question her further, it would seem as if she were petty, calculating, and unwilling to forgive her. Seeing her parents' relieved expressions, she smiled, thinking, "Then I'll play along and see who's the better actor." Shen Zhi Qiu looked at the bird's nest and said softly, "Thank you, Ningning. It's good that you admit your mistake and correct it. Since you've apologized like this, I'll definitely forgive you."
"Then drink some bird's nest soup, sister-in-law. I brought it to you specially to apologize. It's freshly stewed, so drink it while it's hot. It's good for you. Bird's nest soup is very nourishing for you while you're pregnant, so eat more." Gu Ningning looked at Shen Zhi Qiu, her lips were clearly smiling, but there was no smile in her eyes. Instead, a flash of hatred passed through them.
Shen Zhi Qiu keenly noticed this, so she asked casually, "Was this sweetened?"
The nanny quickly replied, "It's already been added, quite a lot. Miss said you like sweet things, so she specially asked for extra."
Shen Zhi Qiu subtly curled the corners of her lips, speaking softly with a hint of regret, "That's really unfortunate. During the last checkup, they found my blood sugar was slightly high, and the doctor told me to strictly control my sugar intake. So I've been eating sugar-free things lately, otherwise it's not good for the baby." Shen Zhi Qiu glanced at Gu Ningning's bowl, knowing that Gu Ningning always drank sugar-free beverages, so she took a gamble.
"Oh, okay, bring me a bowl without sugar." Mu Ziqi quickly said to the nanny.
Gu Ningning pursed her lips into a straight line, feeling extremely angry, but she couldn't show it now, so she could only suppress her anger and let it churn inside her.
"There's none left, only the second young lady's bowl is sugar-free," the nanny said somewhat nervously. She felt a pang of regret for listening to Gu Ningning; she should have asked Shen Zhi Qiu first, after all, Shen Zhi Qiu was the mistress of the house.
Mu Ziqi glanced at Gu Ningning, thinking of discussing it with her, "Ningning, could you switch with Zhi Qiu? Gestational diabetes is no joke; the doctor said we have to control our blood sugar, and that's what we need to do. What do you think..."
Gu Ningning lowered her eyes, her lips twitched slightly, and then she raised her head and smiled, saying, "That's what I think too. After all, health comes first." As she spoke, she handed her bowl to Shen Zhi Qiu.
Shen Zhi Qiu's eyelids twitched. Could it be that she had misunderstood? Otherwise, how could Gu Ning Ning have changed so readily? But looking at the coldness emanating from Gu Ning Ning, she felt that it was definitely not a misunderstanding.
Gu Ningning returned to her seat and sat down. Looking at the bowl of bird's nest in front of her, she unconsciously clenched her fists under the table.
"Ningning, why aren't you eating? Eat!" Mu Ziqi urged, taking a sip of bird's nest soup. "Drink it while it's hot."
"I, I, I don't want to drink right now..." Gu Ningning was thinking about something when Mu Ziqi suddenly interrupted her. She sat up straight in a panic, her neck stiff and looking a little nervous.
"Haven't you always liked bird's nest?" Mu Ziqi looked at her with some confusion.
"This bowl has sugar in it, so I won't drink it. I prefer sugar-free." Gu Ningning came up with a reason and relaxed a bit.
"Oh, then I'll drink it. I like it sweet." Mu Ziqi's lips twitched down, a bad feeling rising in her heart. She intuitively felt that something had been added to the bowl, otherwise Gu Ningning wouldn't have been so nervous just now, so she enthusiastically suggested it.
"Let's not." When Gu Ningning saw Mu Ziqi reach out, she suddenly stood up and nervously pulled the bowl closer to her. Her flustered look was noticed by everyone.
The atmosphere suddenly became very strange.
Gu Suian glanced sharply at Gu Ningning and asked with a stern face, "Ningning, what's going on?"
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