Gu Mingzhu bit her lip. "I heard it from a lot of people. That woman used to be one of Sister Ding Ning’s artists. Isn’t that enough to make you die of anger?"
Gu Anxi nodded. "It is pretty infuriating! But I don’t think Ding Ning is the impulsive type. Maybe in the end she won’t leave."
"How could she not leave? If it were I’d be gone, okay? Who could put up with that?" Gu Mingzhu pulled a long face.
Looking at her pitiful little expression, Gu Anxi found it a bit funny. "Hey, since when were you this kind? Selfish and self-serving, only caring that you’re comfortable—that’s how Gu Mingzhu is supposed to be. Don’t be like this, I’m not used to it."
Gu Mingzhu was furious, her voice jumped a few notches. "You think I want to be like this? Gu Anxi, if it weren’t for you I’d still be like before. Everyone said I was cute."
"A cute, black-hearted apple." Gu Anxi mocked her.
Gu Mingzhu got even angrier, completely bristling. "You’re bullying ."
"How am I bullying you? If anyone’s bullying you, it’s you running over here to ask for it." Propping her chin in her hand, Gu Anxi smiled squint-eyed. In fact, seeing Gu Mingzhu all timid like this actually made her feel quite pleased.
Gu Mingzhu refused to leave, sticking to her like she expected Gu Anxi to uphold justice for her. In the end, it was Gu Anxi who exploded. "Gu Mingzhu, have you just had it too easy lately? Can you get your head on straight?"
She jabbed a finger at Gu Mingzhu’s forehead. "Right now you’re being taken in by Brother Changqing, and you still dare ddle in his private business?"
Gu Mingzhu shrank back and fell silent.
What Gu Anxi said was true. She was just a pitiful little thing living under soone else’s roof now. Technically she really shouldn’t be sticking her nose into things. But she... She looked at Gu Anxi, her voice going softer. "Brother looks like he really likes Sister Ding Ning, and Sister Ding Ning should like him too."
Still playing her ga, Gu Anxi said slowly, "So what then... Gu Mingzhu, are you missing a brain cell? They like each other but still broke up—obviously that’s their own problem. It has nothing to do with outsiders, or at least nothing directly to do with them. What are you worrying yourself sick for, thinking a few words from and they’ll magically get back together?"
Gu Mingzhu got scared by her fierceness. Her temper had always been bad, but this ti she didn’t dare talk back, and even felt that what Gu Anxi said kind of made sense.
Once Gu Anxi felt she’d said enough, she waved her hand, sounding quite impatient. "Alright, alright, you should head back. Go study properly."
She was only a year older than Gu Mingzhu, but the way she talked right now sounded like so old fogey.
Gu Mingzhu, however, clung on and refused to go. "I haven’t eaten yet."
"Go ho and eat. Don’t you have plenty of people cooking at ho? Don’t freeload off ." Gu Anxi said bluntly.
But today Gu Mingzhu was like a piece of superglue, stubbornly refusing to leave. In the end, there was nothing Gu Anxi could do. She stood up. "Fine, we’ll go eat at the hospital cafeteria. Let warn you, there’s no delicacies of the mountains and seas. If you dare say one word about it being bad, I’ll knock your teeth out."
She snapped her laptop shut, shoved her hands in her pockets, and walked out first. Gu Mingzhu trailed behind her like a little shadow, looking completely spineless. The assistant outside watched them, struggling not to laugh. "Little Gu, where are you going? Professor Bo’s surgery will be over in a bit."
Gu Anxi pointed at the one behind her. "Taking her to eat."
The assistant smiled and watched them leave.
Gu Anxi kept walking ahead, with Gu Mingzhu behind. When they reached downstairs, Gu Anxi stopped. "Why aren’t you keeping up?"
Gu Mingzhu huffed. "I don’t want to walk next to you."
"Fair point," Gu Anxi nodded in agreent. "If you hadn’t begged , I wouldn’t want to walk with you either."
She forced out a smile. "Isn’t that right?"
Gnashing her teeth, Gu Mingzhu strode up to her to walk side by side. Gu Anxi said venomously, "I know I’m a bit prettier than you, so you don’t want to walk with . It’s like how you don’t want to admit we have the sa mom. But that’s the reality. Sorry about it."
She was infuriating enough to kill soone. Gu Mingzhu’s temper flared; she didn’t even want to eat anymore. Gu Anxi grabbed her hand. "You’re mad already? Gu Mingzhu, there’s no Tang Yuan to coddle you now. If you’re going into the workplace, you’ll be eating this kind of crap all the ti, unless you plan on being a rice worm forever. But think about it: you and Gu Changqing aren’t blood-related. His future wife may not be able to tolerate you. Are you sure you want to be soone who explodes at the slightest poke?"
Gu Mingzhu glared at her, eyes fixed and unblinking.
After a long while, she turned her face away. "I know I’m not as good as you. I’m nothing right now. I don’t need your fake concern reminding ."
"It’s not fake concern. I just don’t have a heart." Gu Anxi let her go and strolled lazily into the cafeteria.
At this hour, there weren’t many people in the cafeteria, but the mont the two of them walked in together, they still drew everyone’s attention.
This... the world had gone fantastical.
Little Gu was actually eating with Gu Mingzhu. Weren’t they supposed to be mortal enemies?
Gu Anxi didn’t care about those looks at all. She swaggered over and picked a table to sit at. Gu Mingzhu was still a bit picky, but one look from Gu Anxi and she didn’t even dare let out a fart. She just wiped the table and sat down.
The cafeteria manager, seeing Little Gu co in, hurried over. "Little Gu, what brings you at this hour? What would you like to eat?"
Gu Anxi took out her phone. Playing as she spoke, she pointed at Gu Mingzhu. "Ask her what she wants. And pack a bento for —just the dishes Professor Bo likes."
The manager agreed and turned to ask Gu Mingzhu. Miss Mingzhu had always been used to delicacies of the mountains and seas, so she actually asked the manager to bring over a nu. The manager went and fetched it. One look—just hostyle dishes—and she couldn’t help feeling disappointed, her appetite gone.
Still playing her ga full throttle, Gu Anxi said, "You should be glad there’s food at all. Don’t be so picky. This fussiness is exactly what Ms. Tang spoiled into you."
Seething, Gu Mingzhu randomly ordered a few dishes, getting more and more upset as she did. "Gu Anxi, that’s enough."
Gu Anxi shrugged. "If you insist on staying here, you’ll have to get used to it."
Gu Mingzhu got even angrier, but had no way to vent, and swallowed it down.
The manager just smiled and went to put in their order.
The two of them sat in silence for quite a while, only the sound of Gu Anxi frantically tapping away at her ga left. Finally, Gu Mingzhu couldn’t hold it in anymore. She cleared her throat lightly. "Gu Anxi, are you really not going back to school?"
"Nope." Gu Anxi thought for a mont and said, "I’m heading to Jiangcheng soon. After that, if you need anything, just go to Min Xin, or let Brother Changqing handle it for you."
That said, these past few days, every little thing or nothing at all, Gu Mingzhu would still call her—over trivial nonsense. It made Gu Anxi feel like she was being treated as a mom. Please no, she was only twenty-one.
After she finished speaking, Gu Mingzhu fell silent.
Gu Anxi played for a bit longer, sensed sothing was off, and put her phone aside with a small smile. "What’s wrong? Don’t you like being Min Xin’s daughter?"
Gu Mingzhu lowered her head. After a pause, she said slowly, "He’s not my dad. I don’t have anything to say to him, and he doesn’t like either. He said he’d look after just because you asked. I’m not that delusional. Besides, he has a wife and is about to have a kid. What am I to him?"
Gu Anxi’s lips moved. She’d originally wanted to throw a few more barbs at Gu Mingzhu, but when the words reached her mouth, she swallowed them back down.
Right now, Gu Mingzhu did look a bit pitiful.
Her heart softened, and Gu Mingzhu imdiately followed that opening, pressing her lips together. "Gu Anxi, can I go to Jiangcheng with you?"
What the...?
Gu Anxi’s eyes widened.
Just then, the manager personally brought their dishes over. Taking the tray, Gu Anxi set it in front of Gu Mingzhu and chuckled. "Eat. Don’t go imagining things that aren’t going to happen. Let’s just maintain our previous ’good’ relationship. I’m not ready to be your nanny."
Gu Mingzhu’s eyes glistened a little. She stared at Gu Anxi for a long ti before saying softly, "Actually, you’re the only one I have left."
Min Xin didn’t really count—he had his own family.
She knew how shaless this sounded, but she really was out of options. She felt so lonely, like she was the only one left in this world. No one cared about her anymore. Brother Changqing was very busy, and besides, he only looked after her because of Gu Anxi.
When Gu Mingzhu finished speaking, a chill ran all over Gu Anxi.
After a while, she cautiously asked, "You’re okay in the head... right?"
Gu Mingzhu was on the verge of tears, sniffling. "There is nothing wrong with ."
Gu Anxi said nothing.
She could actually tell that Gu Mingzhu wasn’t quite the sa as before—sothing was a bit off ntally. But she didn’t point it out, just put down her phone and watched Gu Mingzhu eat.
In her heart, Gu Mingzhu was disgusted with the food, but with Gu Anxi watching, she didn’t dare show even a hint that it tasted bad. She just kept her head down and wolfed it down...
Until a tall, slender figure ca to stand beside them. Only then did Gu Anxi look up. "Little Uncle?"
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