Tang Yuan noticed her daughter’s behavior was off and gently nudged her as a reminder, "Mingzhu."
Mingzhu ca back to her senses, lifting her head to hide her subtle discomfort.
At this mont, it was Tang Yuan who spoke, "Mr. Min, Mingzhu’s feeling a bit under the weather, so I’m going to take her ho."
She spoke softly. She no longer had any expectations of this man. He didn’t like her, and as she now realized, nor did he truly like Mingzhu. Having gone through this experience, Tang Yuan was beginning to let go. There was nothing she could do anyway. Tis had changed, and she didn’t have the sa pull as before. All she could hope for now was that Mingzhu would have a smoother future. Even she, the forr esteed Madam Gu, had to learn to read people’s faces and to keep a lower profile.
Mr. Min gave them a lukewarm glance, looked over at Gu Mingzhu once again, and remained silent for quite so ti before acknowledging her with a nod. He didn’t say anything else.
As Mr. Min and Bo Xichen walked away, Tang Yuan led Mingzhu, still in a bit of a daze, away from the party.
At the hotel’s celebration party, Old Brother wanted a cheerful atmosphere, but out of respect for the Bo Family’s feelings, he made no ntion of Bo Qing. The attendees, being perceptive, also made sure not to bring up anything that would sour the mood.
As it happened, it was the Bo Family’s act of disowning one of their own for the greater good that had brought peace to everyone.
The elite circle of Beicheng was rarely this harmonious.
Old Brother was raising his glass and toasting left and right. Despite Wang Jingchuan’s best efforts to run interference, he still wound up drinking a lot.
Of course, there were also those who wanted to get Gu Anxi drunk. However, Old Brother wouldn’t allow any ruckus, announcing that his "little sister" and "brother-in-law" were planning to have a baby. The old Mr. and Mrs. Bo were eagerly waiting to hold their grandchild.
Perhaps he had too much to drink, as his words flowed out so naturally, leaving the room silent—
Those poor old folks, what use was a son like him!
As a renowned musician, Lin Hua was also present. From afar, she watched King Jingyao with a touch of bitterness.
She knew that King Jingyao likely no longer harbored the feelings he once had for her. She also had no hope left, even though she admired him... dearly admired him. But she dared not say it, for he was so far out of her reach. Everyone around him was left waiting for him to make a move, with only one exception. However, that young woman did not seem to care for him much at all. It was he who treasured her like a precious pearl, never willing to cause her the slightest discomfort, never daring to let anything make her unhappy. It was only when he was this humble and self-deprecating that she realized he too had emotions and desires. He was a normal human being as well.
Lin Hua quietly played a piece on her instrunt and then silently left the room.
anwhile, the banquet hall was still bustling with excitent. Little Gu didn’t drink, so she inevitably found herself playing cards with a group of big shots.
This ti, it was Old Brother, Mr. Min, and Zhou Yunchen all teaming up against her. Seeing this lineup, everyone present understood Zhou Yunchen’s current status and his future prospects.
Of course, this also highlighted the strong support behind the Bo Family and Little Gu. Currently, there was King Jingyao, and in the future, there would be Zhou Yunchen. Moreover, Mr. Min’s most precious person was effectively in Little Gu’s hands... if Little Gu wasn’t happy, Mr. Min wouldn’t even have a sofa to sleep on.
Gu Anxi won quite a bit, primarily from Old Brother and Mr. Min. As for Zhou Yunchen, she went easy on him, not because he was one of her own people, but because she wanted to leave so milk-powder money for him.
After a few rounds, Gu Anxi excused herself to the restroom, asking Bo Xichen to fill in for her.
She had just returned to the banquet hall from the restroom when she heard a familiar voice. She looked over and saw it was Chu Ci.
Gu Anxi smiled and sat down next to him. "You just got back to the country, why are you attending a banquet already?"
Chu Ci, dressed entirely in black, looked rather unwell; Gu Anxi could tell he probably hadn’t rested much. Her heart softened a little, and she whispered, "Yan Yan has already gone to England. You wouldn’t have been able to see her even if you ca."
"I know." Chu Ci lowered his eyes, his exceptionally long eyelashes casting shadows on his handso face.
After a while, he whispered again, "Did she... leave any ssage for before she left?"
Gu Anxi let out a faint laugh. "If she had sothing to say to you, she probably would have told you directly. Neither of you changed your phone numbers, so why couldn’t she have said it?"
Chu Ci looked disheartened for a mont.
Yes, neither of them had changed their phone numbers. She hadn’t even removed him from her WeChat contacts or blocked him. But she also wasn’t posting any updates. On special days, there wasn’t even a single ssage from her—no accusations, not even her usual confessions about being afraid of the dark that she used to tell him about. Nothing. Not a single word. It was as if she had completely vanished from his life.
Chu Ci gave a bitter smile. "I guess I was overthinking."
Gu Anxi picked up a deck of cards and toyed with them for a bit before saying, "Chu Ci, if it’s too painful, you should find soone new. Yan Yan isn’t going to look back."
In her heart, she knew that as long as Mrs. Chu was around, she (Mrs. Chu) would never accept Chu Yan. However, even if Mrs. Chu accepted her now, Chu Yan might not necessarily want to go back. Sotis, it’s not that love fades, but that two people simply reach the end of their road together and don’t know how to turn back.
Lil’ sweetie secretly thought that she and her Little Uncle must never reach such an end. If that day ever ca, she would shalessly cling to him and not let him go—she was very flexible, after all. Fortunately, they didn’t have the problems Chu Ci and Yan Yan faced. Compared to Mrs. Chu, Bo Xichen’s mother was so much better.
She was a bit lost in thought when Chu Ci asked her again, "Does Yan Yan... want to find soone else?" They say ti and a new love are the best redies for a broken heart. Would Yan Yan be like that too?
Gu Anxi thought for a mont before replying, "If she ets soone she likes, I don’t think she’d be opposed to it."
Saying this, she patted Chu Ci. "There’s no real right or wrong in what happened between you two; you just fell for each other. Yan Yan is ready to move on. Chu Ci, you should also try to move on. Look forward! I don’t want to see you in pain forever either."
Chu Ci raised his eyes and looked straight at her. After a long mont, he said, "Why do I get the feeling... that you’re actually looking forward to it?"
Lil’ sweetie exclaid softly, then looked left and right before laughing it off. "What are you talking about? We’re buddies, friends! Why would I be so malicious as to want to see you in pain or laugh at you? I definitely haven’t been anticipating a scenario where Yan Yan brings so handso young thing to et you and makes him call you ’Big Brother.’ I swear, I haven’t! Chu Ci, I swear on our friendship, absolutely, absolutely not."
Even soone as good-tempered as Chu Ci felt like he was about to explode with anger.
Damn it!
He angrily grabbed a glass of wine and took several gulps.
Lil’ sweetie reminded him with a grin, "Oh, by the way, let remind you not to drink too much and do sothing reckless. If there’s even the slightest whisper of you doing anything, you won’t be able to maintain your devoted lover image. I’ll tell Yan Yan."
Chu Ci glanced at her disdainfully. "Weren’t you supposed to be playing cards? Bo Xichen is losing big ti over there without you."
Damn it!
Gu Anxi imdiately jumped up. How could her spendthrift Little Uncle be like this? They were going to have a baby soon, and milk powder was very expensive! If they accidentally had twins, the various expenses would be even greater...
Chu Ci watched her scurry off. He then lowered his gaze, and after a mont, drained the red wine in his glass in one gulp. He didn’t linger any longer and rose to leave.
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