Chapter 37 Gu Xubai's Ideal Type
Back at the camp, Yun Qingqing saw Gu Mingyan leaning against a cedar tree, frequently glancing in the direction she had just left.
Upon seeing her, Gu Mingyan immediately stood up straight and quickly walked over.
"What does Jiang Mingqian want with you?" Gu Mingyan's gaze swept over her, and she asked warily, "He didn't give you any trouble, did he?"
Yun felt a warmth in her heart and shook her head with a smile: "It's nothing, we just said a few unimportant words."
"Oh." Gu Mingyan's expression instantly relaxed, and she completely forgot about Jiang Mingqian in the blink of an eye.
She then enthusiastically took Yun Qingqing's arm and began sharing about the music video: "By the way, Qingqing, have you seen the comments online? Many netizens praised my singing and dancing skills, and several music platforms have approached me to discuss exclusive collaborations! Humph, let's see who dares to say I'm just a pretty face who only relies on my looks in the future."
She chattered away, dreaming about trying more musical styles in the future, and perhaps even holding a small concert, her face beaming with excitement.
Yun Qingqing was infected by her high spirits, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
As darkness fell, the first day of wilderness survival was drawing to a close.
The guests returned to the tent. Yun glanced at the time on her phone and guessed that Gu Xubai should have finished his class by now.
To show her sincerity, she decided to make a video call to thank him in person for lending her the PR team.
Gu Mingyan knew who she was going to call. Although her face clearly showed her reluctance, her feet still walked to her side.
The video call was connected after only two rings.
However, what appeared on the screen was not Gu Xubai's aloof and noble face.
What came into view was a stunningly beautiful face.
She no longer looks young, with fine lines around her eyes, but her striking features alone make it easy to imagine how stunningly beautiful she must have been in her youth.
The woman appears to be in an elegantly furnished room, looking at the camera with a hint of curiosity.
Yun Qingqing: "!!!"
So late at night, such a beautiful woman answered Gu Xubai's private phone call...
Yun Qingqing's mind began to race with all sorts of melodramatic scenarios.
Seriously? Didn't the original book state that Gu Xubai was aloof from women and kept at a distance? What's going on here?
Just as Yun Qingqing's pupils dilated in shock, and she almost accidentally dropped the call, Gu Mingyan beside her widened her eyes and exclaimed in surprise:
"mom?!"
Yun Qingqing: "...Huh?"
On the screen, the beautiful woman also saw Gu Mingyan squeezed into the camera and immediately smiled: "Oh, it's Yanyan! Xu Bai just went downstairs to take an urgent international call. His phone was in the study, and I saw it kept ringing, so I just answered it."
Yun Qingqing then realized that this was Ms. Xu Manhua, Gu Mingyan's biological mother.
The original book doesn't describe this woman in much detail, only vaguely mentioning that she was an accomplished botanist who spent many years traveling around the world conducting field research and scientific work, and rarely saw her family.
Later, during a survey of endangered plants in the tropical rainforests of Borneo, the person tragically fell into a canyon and died due to a malfunction in their safety equipment.
It was this incident that made Gu Mingyan's behavior increasingly extreme, causing her to oppose Meng Xian at every turn and adding countless twists and turns to the relationship between the male and female protagonists.
Thinking of the book's understated yet tragic ending, and then looking at the bright and lively Xu Manhua on the screen, Yun Qingqing felt a strange pang in her heart, a complex mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.
"Mom, why did you suddenly come back? Wasn't this research project supposed to last for several months?" Gu Mingyan asked with surprise. "You didn't even tell me you were coming back!"
“The first half of the project has come to an end, and we need to organize the data and samples. Next month, the team plans to go deep into the tropical rainforest of Borneo for research, so I thought I would come back first to rest for a while and also to see you two siblings.”
As Xu Manhua explained, her gaze turned to Yun Qingqing with a smile, "This must be Qingqing, right? I've often heard Yanyan mention you, and today I'm finally meeting you in person."
"Hello, Auntie." Yun Qingqing quickly straightened her expression and greeted her.
"Oh, okay." Xu Manhua's tone was gentle, like an elder having a casual chat. "How old is Qingqing this year?"
Yun answered honestly, "I'm twenty-four."
"Twenty-four, a good age, exactly two years older than our Xu Bai." Xu Manhua nodded, her smile deepening. "The young lady has a good temperament. Is she also doing academic research? Where is she from? Are you friends with Xu Bai?"
"Mom!" Gu Mingyan couldn't help but interject, "Are you checking my household registration?"
"What's wrong with me asking? I like Qingqing very much, shouldn't I care about her more?" Xu Manhua glared at her daughter, then her gaze returned to Yun Qingqing, waiting for her answer.
Yun Qingqing felt that this Aunt Gu seemed to be a little too enthusiastic towards her.
Under the elder's focused and loving gaze, she could only continue, "Auntie, my previous profession was a short drama actress, but I do intend to pursue academic research. My hometown is also in Yuncheng, and I'm related to Gu Xubai..."
Just as Yun was answering and her forehead was slightly sweating, she heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps approaching from the other end of the phone.
Gu Xubai appeared behind Xu Manhua: "You just said someone was looking for me?"
Xu Manhua explained with a smile, "It was a quiet call."
Gu Xubai's cold gaze fell on the phone screen, pausing for a second or two when he saw Yun Qingqing's face.
But he quickly adjusted his expression and nodded slightly to the camera: "Looking for me?"
“Xu Bai,” Yun Qingqing quickly seized the opportunity to get to the point, “I’m making this call mainly to formally thank you for mobilizing your PR team to help. Thanks to the professional team’s operation, Mingyan’s transformation MV release was able to achieve such a good result.”
Gu Mingyan, standing beside her, awkwardly hummed in agreement: "...Thanks."
"You're welcome," Gu Xubai said objectively. "The PR team only contributed a small part. The key was your own proper handling of the situation, and your method of using negative information to your advantage was quite clever."
Upon hearing this, Gu Mingyan immediately hugged Yun Qingqing's arm with pride: "Of course! This idea was Qingqing's! Isn't it amazing?"
Gu Xubai: "I knew you wouldn't come up with something like this that requires thinking."
"What do you mean? How dare you mock me?" Gu Mingyan instantly bristled.
Xu Manhua watched them bickering from the side and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
After chatting briefly for a few more minutes, seeing that it was getting late, Yun Qingqing prepared to say goodnight and hang up.
Just a second before her finger touched the hang-up button, she looked at Xu Manhua's gentle, smiling face on the screen, and her heart tightened suddenly.
Impulsiveness overwhelmed her reason, and she blurted out, "Auntie!"
"Hmm?" Xu Manhua looked at her in confusion.
Gu Mingyan and Gu Xubai also turned their gazes towards them.
Yun looked directly at Xu Manhua, her throat tightening: "Auntie, could you please not go to Borneo next month?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Yun Qingqing knew she had been presumptuous.
She's not a member of the Gu family, so it's rather strange for her to interfere in other people's work like this.
Meeting Xu Manhua's questioning gaze, she quickly changed her tune: "I'm not trying to interfere with your work, it's just... the Borneo rainforest environment is too complex, and I've heard that many places are dangerous. Auntie, even if you insist on going, please make sure you carefully check all the safety equipment, and don't be careless at all!"
Yun Qingqing knew that what she was saying might sound strange, or even a bit crazy, but she couldn't care less.
As long as there is even the slightest possibility, she does not want to see this vibrant and gentle lady in front of her suffer any misfortune, and she does not want to see Gu Mingyan be heartbroken and have her personality drastically changed because of this.
After reminding Xu Manhua, Yun Qingqing nervously gripped her phone, waiting for everyone's reaction.
Although Gu Mingyan didn't understand, seeing Yun Qingqing's serious and anxious expression, she still chose to agree unconditionally: "Mom, Qingqing is right. Your old equipment has been used for who knows how many years. It's time to replace it. Borneo is so dangerous. You have to be careful!"
Gu Xubai calmly stated, "I will contact the supplier tomorrow and replace all your old equipment."
Seeing their serious expressions, Xu Manhua was taken aback for a moment, then smiled with a mixture of helplessness and relief: "Qingqing, thank you for reminding me. Auntie will keep it in mind. I promise you, I will do a thorough check before we set off to make sure the equipment is in perfect working order, and I will be extra careful once we get to the rainforest, okay?"
Receiving Xu Manhua's promise, Yun Qingqing's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down a little: "Yes! Auntie, please take care!"
The moment the video call ended, Gu Xubai quickly said to the person on the screen, "Goodnight."
Only after he finished speaking did he realize that the video had been cut off.
Gu Xubai paused for a moment, then turned off his phone screen as usual.
Turning his head, he was met with Xu Manhua's smiling face.
Her eyes were full of mischievous amusement as she stared at him.
Gu Xubai raised an eyebrow slightly: "What?"
As the illegitimate son of the Gu family, Gu Xubai had a cold relationship with his biological father, but he got along relatively well with his nominal stepmother.
When his mother passed away, the young Gu Xubai was taken back into the Gu family.
As a newcomer with an awkward background, it's inevitable that she'll encounter some snobbish servants. When Xu Manhua learned of this, she swiftly dealt with the gossipy maids and gave a stern warning to the others, finally bringing peace and quiet to the house.
Over the years, Xu Manhua has always treated him with the same gentleness. Whenever she buys clothes or chooses gifts for Gu Mingyan, he always gets a share, without any bias.
“It’s nothing,” Xu Manhua’s fine lines around her eyes smoothed out, and her smile deepened. “It’s just that I always feel that our cold and aloof boy is finally starting to show signs of first love.”
Gu Xubai's expression remained unchanged: "I have absolutely no feelings for Yun Qingqing."
"Really?" Xu Manhua said sarcastically. "I didn't mention Qingqing's name just now."
Seeing that Gu Xubai's ears were turning red and he was about to get angry, Xu Manhua slowly changed the subject, "Come on, tell me, what kind of girl do you like? I'll keep an eye out for you."
Seeing her determined attitude and insistence on getting to the bottom of things, Gu Xubai knew that she probably wouldn't give up unless he gave her a few perfunctory answers.
So he casually said, "Intelligent, independent, with her own ideas, with regular and delicate features, round doe eyes, a clean smile, and very fair skin..."
Gu Xubai unknowingly said a lot.
As Xu Manhua listened, she couldn't help but chuckle.
Isn't this exactly what Yun Qingqing described?
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