Gu Shiyun and Cheng Mingze?!
"Impossible!" Wu Wanjun instinctively snapped in anger.
Given her relationship with Li Sitong, how could Gu Shiyun possibly be involved with Cheng Mingze!
"Gu Xue Jiao, don't talk nonsense!" Gu Jingxu slammed his chopsticks on the table, face flushed with rage.
Cheng Mingze was indeed an outstanding young man among his peers, but he was Cheng Shuo's son! The stepson of his ex-wife!
How could these two possibly be together?
Gu Jingxu refused to believe it, thinking Xue Jiao was just spouting nonsense.
Only Gu Shiyun's eyes flashed with panic. After a moment, following Gu Jingxu and Wu Wanjun's denials, she suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Sister! There's absolutely nothing between me and Mingze!"
"So you like him then?" Xue Jiao blinked.
"No, I—"
"You don't like my brother? Then I'll go tell him you don't like him at all." Xue Jiao nodded seriously.
Gu Shiyun instinctively panicked: "Don't—"
The moment the words escaped her lips, she immediately clamped her mouth shut.
Damn it!
"It's fine if you like my brother. We all remember how you risked danger to save him last time. Maybe Auntie Wanjun and my mom can become in-laws someday!"
As Xue Jiao's words landed, Gu Jingxu felt his temples throbbing, veins bulging on his forehead, eyes widening in towering rage.
Seeing his expression, Xue Jiao quickly stood up.
"Well, I'm done eating. Thanks for the hospitality. See you."
With that, she dashed off.
In the original storyline, Li Sitong died early, and while relations between the two families remained strained, they weren't this deeply entangled.
Moreover, with Xue Jiao being useless in the original, Gu Shiyun was even more important to Gu Jingxu than now.
Thus, when Cheng Mingze and Gu Shiyun finally overcame all obstacles to be together, Cheng Shuo—having exhausted himself worrying over Gu Xue Jiao—handed Pengcheng over to Cheng Mingze earlier than planned.
It was also at this time they formally confessed to Gu Jingxu. Though somewhat reluctant, by then Gu Jingxu's company was far inferior to Pengcheng. Valuing Cheng Mingze's potential, he happily accepted.
In the original, parental pressure was minimal. But in this life, with Xue Jiao's changes and Li Sitong still alive, the pressure from their parents would be immense.
Gu Jingxu's company hadn't yet declined, and Cheng Mingze was still a student.
By exposing Gu Shiyun's feelings early, Xue Jiao might have bought herself some peace... for a while at least.
——
At the Gu residence.
When Xue Jiao left, the Gu household fell into silence. Gu Jingxu was too furious to speak, while Wu Wanjun looked utterly shocked.
How could this be?
How dare Gu Shiyun!
"You really..." Wu Wanjun pointed a trembling finger at Gu Shiyun.
"No, I'm not!" Gu Shiyun's eyes reddened, but she could only repeat this denial.
Damn that Gu Xue Jiao!
"Gu Shiyun." Gu Jingxu's voice came through gritted teeth. "Tell the truth! Do you have feelings for that Cheng boy?"
"I..." Gu Shiyun bit her lower lip. Under Gu Jingxu's gaze, she couldn't speak.
If she denied it today... would that mean she could never be with Cheng Mingze in this lifetime?
She truly loved Cheng Mingze—had loved him since their first meeting. The more she learned about him, the deeper she fell.
"Speak!" Gu Jingxu glared, his voice growing harsher.
Tears streamed down Gu Shiyun's face as she looked at Gu Jingxu with watery eyes. "Dad..."When Gu Shiyun was young, Gu Jingxu could only spend most of his time with Xue Jiao, so whenever he occasionally saw Gu Shiyun, he would feel both heartache and affection for her.
Compared to Xue Jiao, who had been somewhat spoiled since childhood, Gu Shiyun had always been obedient, sensible, and academically outstanding.
Later, after marrying Wu Wanjun, this well-behaved daughter stayed by his side, becoming both his pride and his most beloved child.
But now, this most beloved daughter had fallen for the stepson of his estranged ex-wife, with whom relations were terrible.
Would this daughter eventually want to marry into the Cheng family like Li Sitong had?
Cheng Mingze was indeed an outstanding young man, but his surname was Cheng!
A vein throbbed on Gu Jingxu's forehead. After a long moment, he suddenly swept the dishes off the table, stood up, and stormed upstairs.
He left behind a mess on the floor, a shocked Wu Wanjun, and a sobbing Gu Shiyun.
"Shiyun..." Wu Wanjun's voice trembled.
She was actually more shaken than Gu Jingxu. Her daughter... liked Cheng Mingze? Wanted to deliver herself to Li Sitong as a daughter-in-law?
"Absolutely not! Gu Shiyun, if you get together with Cheng Mingze, don't ever call me Mom again!" Wu Wanjun suddenly stood up. "You want to let Li Sitong trample all over me?"
With that, she followed Gu Jingxu upstairs.
Gu Shiyun sat there, crying in anger and frustration.
Gu Xue Jiao! That bitch!
She just liked Mingze—why wasn't she allowed to?
——
Amidst the New Year celebrations, the Gu household was in complete disarray. Xue Jiao was the only one who had eaten her fill during lunch.
When she returned to the Cheng residence, Li Sitong was surprised.
"Why are you back so soon?"
Xue Jiao changed her shoes and replied, "I left when I saw they were about to start arguing."
"They argued?!" Li Sitong's voice rose in pitch, then she leaned in, her tone laced with curiosity and schadenfreude. "What happened?"
Xue Jiao shook her head, indicating it wasn't something she could talk about.
Li Sitong assumed she meant she didn't know and didn't press further, though her steps were noticeably lighter.
That woman who married into the Gu family used to flaunt her happiness all the time. Well, look at her now—fighting?
What goes around comes around!
"Mom, I'm going upstairs to study for a bit!" Xue Jiao said, quickening her steps toward the stairs.
"We're going to the old house for dinner tonight, so get ready early. It's the New Year—you shouldn't be studying these two days," Li Sitong called after her.
"Mm-hmm."
Xue Jiao responded vaguely and hurried upstairs.
The math problems Lin Zhihua had given her were too difficult, and she was worried she wouldn't finish them in time.
"This child..." Li Sitong sighed helplessly, then hummed a cheerful tune under her breath.
——
Evening, 5 p.m.
"Jiao Jiao! Hurry up and get ready—we're leaving soon!"
"Okay!" Xue Jiao responded but kept her head down, scribbling furiously.
In previous years, the third round of problems involving calculations had always required multiple pages of complex work.
Xue Jiao now felt stuck in a loop—she would keep calculating until she hit a dead end, only to realize she had made a mistake.
She crossed out her previous work, grabbed fresh sheets of scratch paper, and started over.
Math problems weren't inherently difficult to understand. With a solid foundation, they could always be solved—especially when looking at the answers.
Many people struggled to find the right approach on their own, but once they saw the solution, it suddenly seemed simple.
This was actually a dangerous phase. Without breaking through that barrier, one would remain perpetually stuck at the stage of only understanding the answer after seeing it.Therefore, even if she made many mistakes, Xue Jiao wouldn’t look at the answer key. Instead, she would recalculate from scratch.
Since solving time was often a factor, after painstakingly spending a long time solving a problem, she made sure to carefully review the process to identify where she had previously gotten stuck.
By repeatedly analyzing and familiarizing herself with the steps, she ensured that the next time she encountered a similar or related problem, she could solve it quickly and accurately.
Right now, Xue Jiao was deep in calculations, her focus entirely on the test paper.
Another ten minutes passed when a voice called from downstairs—
“Jiao Jiao, are you getting ready?”
“I am!” Xue Jiao replied absentmindedly, her response automatic as her brain barely registered the words.
Her fingers moved faster, her eyes brightening slightly.
This time, it seemed right!
Another ten minutes later.
“Jiao Jiao! Come down, we’re about to leave!”
“Okay—” she answered reflexively.
But her eyes remained fixed on her notebook, gleaming as she checked her calculations against the solution steps beside them.
Soon, her fingers stilled.
Correct!
She had finally solved it!
Xue Jiao smiled, about to pick it up and review it carefully when—
She suddenly remembered something.
In a flash, she stood up, grabbed the down jacket she had worn to the Gu family’s house earlier, threw it on, and dashed downstairs with her phone.
“Jiao Jiao, hurry— Oh my, you didn’t even get yourself ready!”
“Huh?”
For a moment, Xue Jiao looked blank, her expression dazed as she stared at Li Sitong. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her delicate face carried a silly expression.
Cheng Mingze, wearing a men’s short down jacket with his hands tucked into his jeans pockets, watched Xue Jiao’s bewildered state. He pulled his right hand out, coughed into his fist, and suppressed a laugh.
“Didn’t you just say you were getting ready? What exactly were you preparing?” Li Sitong widened her eyes.
Xue Jiao answered instinctively—
“Preparing my homework?”
“……”
Cheng Shuo also laughed, his eyes crinkling with amusement.
“Alright, alright, let’s go. Jiao Jiao looks lovely no matter what.”
Cheng Mingze nodded in agreement. It was true—her delicate features, long black hair, and fair complexion made her naturally striking. Now, with her small, palm-sized face half-buried in the down jacket, she looked both adorably clueless and endearing.
“…Fine, fine, let’s just hurry and leave.” Li Sitong sighed in resignation. These two at home were certainly protective of Jiao Jiao.
The four of them got into the car and headed to the Cheng family’s old house.
——
“Zhihua…” Mother Lin approached as Lin Zhihua was handling some year-end matters for the Lin Corporation.
“Hmm?” Lin Zhihua didn’t even turn his head.
“Well… your grandfather said… he wants to come over for New Year’s Eve dinner…” Mother Lin ventured cautiously.
“No.” Lin Zhihua refused without hesitation.
Even though he always spoke this way, Father and Mother Lin still weren’t used to it.
“You ungrateful brat! Your grandfather doted on you when you were young, and the Lin Corporation was left to you by him! All he wants is to come for a meal—why can’t you agree to that?!” Father Lin stormed in.
Clearly, he had been hiding outside the door, too afraid to bring it up himself. But Lin Zhihua’s immediate rejection had provoked him beyond restraint.
Lin Zhihua looked up. “New Year’s Eve? Do you really think he’s coming just to celebrate?”
Lin Changji was still locked up in prison. Even if Master Lin came, there was no way this would be a peaceful reunion."But after all, he is your grandfather. It's just a meal together, Zhihua. We'll send him off right after!" Mother Lin also persuaded.
Master Lin was, after all, Father Lin's biological father. He had been raised by Master Lin's side since childhood. The incident of Lin Zhihua's car accident was entirely Lin Changji's doing. Although Master Lin had intervened, he hadn't intended to harm Lin Zhihua.
Moreover...
"Just him?" Lin Zhihua raised an eyebrow, his fingers pausing.
Mother Lin smiled awkwardly. "And the granddaughter of Uncle Xu next door to your grandfather..."
Lin Zhihua sneered. "How thoughtful of you all, arranging a blind date for me even during the New Year."
"No! The girl just happened to be celebrating the New Year at the Xu family this year. Your grandfather only suggested bringing her over for a meal. If you don’t want to see her, that’s fine. Just let your grandfather come for dinner." Mother Lin said anxiously.
Father Lin frowned and added, "That girl is quite good. Her profession is also quite special, just right—"
"Old Lin—" Mother Lin shot Father Lin a glare, signaling him to shut up, then turned to Lin Zhihua with a smile. "It’s fine, it’s fine. If you don’t want to meet her, forget it. She’s really just coincidentally at the Xu family."
"What profession?" Lin Zhihua stared at Father Lin, his voice calm.
Father Lin hesitated, his voice unconsciously lowering. "...A renowned psychologist."
"Hah." Lin Zhihua let out a cold laugh and stood up.
He reached out, and Father Lin instinctively stepped back, but Lin Zhihua merely took the coat behind him, put it on, and walked out.
"Where are you going?!" Father Lin raised his voice.
Lin Zhihua didn’t respond, striding quickly out of the Lin residence.
Father Lin’s furious voice followed him—
"Is this your attitude?! Your grandfather said if you want him to accept you, you must spend more time with that girl! Lin Zhihua! Stop right there!"
Lin Zhihua didn’t pause, but as soon as he stepped out of the Lin family home, his footsteps faltered slightly.
He thought of calling Chen Yan to pick him up, only to remember Chen Yan had gone home for the holidays. Tan Qi had also left, and even the driver had been given a few days off. Now, he was completely alone.
The entire company was on break. Even the gatekeeper, who was usually always there, could lock up and go home to celebrate the New Year tonight.
Yet here he was, the boss—
A solitary figure, with the vast world before him, nowhere to go.