A phone, the latest model, in rose gold, with a large screen and a stylish design.
Without even opening it, she knew it would already be preloaded with multiple social media apps, shopping platforms, and games. After all, this was the kind of gift Gu Xue Jiao had received every year in the past.
Xue Jiao looked up at the couple standing before her.
"What's wrong?" Gu Jingxu was taken aback. "Are you so happy about Auntie Wanjun's gift? You used to love her presents the most."
Xue Jiao continued staring at them, her expression unreadable, almost mocking. "Dad, do I look happy to you?"
"You always loved Auntie Wanjun's gifts before."
Xue Jiao closed the lid of the box with a smile. "Dad, Uncle Cheng has already bought me a phone. I don’t need any of these things."
Gu Jingxu’s eyes widened. "What do you mean 'Uncle Cheng'? You have a father! If you need anything, I’ll buy it for you!"
Xue Jiao blinked innocently. "I was immature before, but recently I made a bet with that Cheng Mingjiao from the Cheng family. I’m determined to beat her in academics!"
"Academics?" Gu Jingxu was stunned again, eyeing the girl suspiciously.
With Gu Shiyun as a comparison, even if he had never paid much attention to his daughter’s studies, he knew this girl had always been at the bottom of her class.
"That’s right. I have to win against her—I can’t let her look down on me! Dad, did you really mean it when you said you’d give me any gift I wanted?"
"Of course!"
"I was foolish before, only asking for things unrelated to studying. But now I want to work hard, so..." She handed the two boxes back to Wu Wanjun, then turned to Gu Shiyun. "I want the same gift as Gu Shiyun... an apartment near our school."
"What?! Impossible!" Wu Wanjun’s voice rose sharply, her eyes wide with shock.
No. 7 High School was a prestigious institution, and the housing prices near it rivaled those in the city center. Buying an apartment like the one Gu Shiyun lived in would cost several million. Gu Jingxu and Wu Wanjun could never bring themselves to spend that much.
"Jiao Jiao, why would you need an apartment?" Gu Jingxu’s expression darkened slightly.
"Same as Gu Shiyun—just for resting at noon."
Wu Wanjun couldn’t help but interject, "Jiao Jiao, you don’t need to buy an entire apartment just for a midday nap..."
"But didn’t Gu Shiyun buy one just to rest better at noon? Didn’t you say you’d buy me anything I wanted, Dad?" Xue Jiao lowered her head slightly, looking hurt.
Wu Wanjun choked back her words. She wanted to say— What kind of grades does Shiyun have, and what kind do you have? She needs proper rest for her college entrance exams, but what about you?
But she swallowed those words, leaving them stuck in her throat.
"The apartments in that area are hard to come by. If you want to rest at noon, you can just go to Shiyun’s place!" Gu Jingxu could only offer this compromise. He wasn’t wealthy enough to casually gift an apartment.
"No!" The gentle-looking girl in the car suddenly spoke up, her face briefly twisting before she quickly regained her usual calm demeanor. "Sister might not be comfortable living with me. Sometimes I don’t rest at noon—I study instead. It would be better for her to rest in the classroom than to come to my place."
Was she insane to let Gu Xue Jiao live with her?! "Yes, and staying there at noon is for proper rest, to prepare them for their future college entrance exams. Shiyun sometimes brings friends over to play, which might disturb Jiao Jiao," Wu Wanjun also said with a smile. Her gaze shifted to Gu Jingxu, and though she spoke of Gu Shiyun affecting Gu Xue Jiao, her true intention was...
Sure enough, Gu Jingxu almost immediately recalled Xue Jiao's group of troublemaker "friends." Shiyun's grades were so good—what if she got influenced...
"You're right. It's better if the two children don't live together."
Xue Jiao suddenly looked up: "So, Dad, are you going to buy me a place?"
"This..." Gu Jingxu's face darkened again. After a few seconds, he immediately put on a stern expression. "Jiao Jiao, why are you being so disobedient!"
"You said you'd buy me whatever I wanted! Dad, you don’t treat me well at all. You only buy me things that distract me from studying. You treat Gu Shiyun so much better than me! I just want the same treatment as her, but you refuse. Dad, don’t come looking for me again!"
After delivering this emotional speech, Xue Jiao immediately turned and ran off.
"Jiao Jiao—" Gu Jingxu was about to chase after her when Wu Wanjun pulled him back.
"Jingxu, Jiao Jiao is upset right now. If we don’t give her what she wants, chasing after her will only lead to more arguments."
Gu Jingxu stopped in his tracks, pondering for a moment before suddenly saying, "Jiao Jiao said we only buy her things that distract her from studying..."
A hint of suspicion flashed in his eyes. Wu Wanjun's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly took his arm, putting on a pained expression. "Being a stepmother is hard, especially since Jiao Jiao is now living with her biological mother and stepfather. I don’t dare discipline her too much—I can only give her gifts she likes..."
Seeing Gu Jingxu's expression soften slightly, Wu Wanjun continued, "How about I check if there are any houses for sale or rent in the neighborhood..."
"No need! She’s just taking naps at noon—there’s no reason to buy a place!"
Wu Wanjun’s eyes gleamed with delight.
Gu Jingxu looked in the direction Xue Jiao had left and suddenly said, "Let’s just give Jiao Jiao a key to Shiyun’s place. She’ll only be there at noon, and Shiyun can keep her door closed—it won’t affect her."
A flicker of anger passed through Gu Shiyun’s eyes, but she still managed to smile and say, "Sure. Jiao Jiao’s grades aren’t great, and she made that bet with Cheng Mingjiao. This works out—I can tutor her at noon."
Gu Jingxu immediately beamed and patted Gu Shiyun’s head. "That’s my good girl. If she disturbs you, just tell me!"
"Okay!"
This meeting ended with Wu Wanjun and Gu Shiyun wearing dark expressions.
Living with Xue Jiao? What if her identity gets exposed?!
Gu Shiyun regretted calling Gu Jingxu over—she had tried to gain an advantage but ended up worse off!
——
Xue Jiao didn’t want to live with Gu Shiyun either. She just didn’t want to see these troublesome people anymore and had given herself an excuse to refuse future meetings.
Not having to eat with these three unpleasant people lifted her mood considerably.
She didn’t feel like returning to that familiar yet alien home either. Light on her feet, she strolled down the street with her headphones on.
"Huh?" Xue Jiao’s eyes widened as she spotted the row of claw machines inside.
A line of claw machines stood in a row, and the second one from the right was filled with adorable panda plushies. One of them, hugging a bamboo stalk, was facing Xue Jiao’s direction.
After hesitating for just a few seconds, Xue Jiao dashed inside and exchanged for ten tokens.Anyone who's played with a claw machine knows that the ones in shopping malls aren't easy to win, especially in the evening.
Xue Jiao failed on her first try and went for a second attempt.
"Ah—" She watched as the claw grabbed the panda's head, only for it to slip away again. Her excited expression instantly fell.
"The claw inside is loose, and you didn't aim properly. There's no way you'll get it like that," came a voice from beside her.
Xue Jiao looked up and froze.
It was unlikely anyone could forget that face. Not only did she remember it, she even remembered his name.
Lin Zhihua—like the blossoming peach, radiant in its glory.
"It's you..."
"Hello, we meet again?" Lin Zhihua slightly parted his lips.
He was dressed in a tailored suit, every inch of him meticulous, completely... out of place in this setting.
Xue Jiao noticed this man had very few expressions. Even as he spoke to her, his face remained solemn, with almost no movement.
"Hello..."
Lin Zhihua shifted his feet slightly, leaning forward a little. "Go ahead."
"Oh..." Xue Jiao somewhat blankly tossed a few more coins into the machine.
Deep breath, aim, press.
Failure.
She glanced at the man beside her from the corner of her eye and threw in two more coins: "One more try! I'll aim better this time!"
Move, aim, press.
Failure.
Xue Jiao's ears turned slightly red as she glared at the panda still staring back at her from inside.
"You were three centimeters too far to the right just now," Lin Zhihua said with the same serious expression, frowning slightly at the machine.
Three centimeters?
Xue Jiao was surprised. Could his eyes really measure that precisely?
Looking at his composed face, she tentatively suggested: "Sir... maybe you should try?"
"..." Three seconds of silence. "Alright."
Xue Jiao tossed in two coins and immediately stepped aside, watching Lin Zhihua eagerly.
Lin Zhihua raised his hands and undid his cuffs. A devastatingly handsome man in a suit standing before a pink claw machine—passersby couldn't help but stare at them.
Lin Zhihua acted as if no one else existed.
He reached out and grasped the joystick. Those hands were slender—probably the most beautiful hands Xue Jiao had ever seen.
She watched as the man quickly moved the joystick, stopping decisively right above the panda's head.
Then pressed.
The claw went straight for the panda—directly above it, just as he'd aimed!
It caught the panda!
The loose claw lifted the panda upwards, slowly—then dropped it.
Lin Zhihua's fingers, which had been fastening his cufflinks, froze momentarily. His expression showed a hint of bewilderment.
"Pfft—hahahaha!" Xue Jiao burst out laughing.
Lin Zhihua's already stiff face stiffened further. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. After a moment, he said hoarsely: "Again."
Xue Jiao wiped tears of laughter from her eyes: "Let's forget it. I can see now—this machine just won't give anything up, no matter what!"
Lin Zhihua fell silent.
Xue Jiao glanced at her watch: "I should get going. Sir, see you around."
She turned and took two steps, then suddenly paused: "Um... could we exchange contacts?"
"Yes, we can." Without hesitation, he immediately responded and took out his phone.
His slender fingers swiped across the screen, bringing up a QR code. Xue Jiao scanned it, waved with a smile, and left.She had just sent the friend request when the other party accepted it immediately, the speed so fast it was astonishing.
Xue Jiao smiled and put her phone away.
It seemed that because of this person, her mood had improved.
Thinking of the books in her backpack, Xue Jiao quickened her pace.
Almost the moment she stepped out of the mall entrance, Chen Yan and Tan Qi hurried over to Lin Zhihua, who was still watching her retreating figure.
"Boss."
With Xue Jiao's figure no longer in sight, Lin Zhihua turned back and glanced at the pink claw machine. "Who's in charge of this mall?"
"Branch manager Wang Qunguang."
"Have him report to headquarters on Monday to explain—what kind of sales philosophy is this that completely disregards consumer needs?"
"Huh?" Chen Yan froze for a second before immediately replying, "Yes, sir!"
Lin Zhihua turned to leave but paused after a step. "Take it back."
"Yes."
Lin Zhihua strode away quickly. Assistant Tan Qi tugged at Chen Yan's sleeve. "Secretary Chen, did the boss mean the claw machine? Where are we taking it?"
"Yeah. Home." With that, he hurried after the boss.
Tan Qi's mouth fell open in shock.
Author's note:
Branch manager (nervous): The big boss actually summoned me, a mere branch manager!! I'm so scared! Secretary Chen, could you tell me where I messed up? Is the future planning unreasonable? Is the net profit growth unsatisfactory to the boss? Or... does the boss have a new strategic direction???
Secretary Chen: ...Guess.
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