Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Rong Yuan listened and frowned slightly, suddenly feeling a bit sorry for Yan Yu. Yan Que really did have someone he liked—that must be what Yan Yu had guessed, that there was someone, but he just hadn't let him know.

"Then it really is better to move out sooner," Rong Yuan said. "I'll keep him busy with other things, help him come to terms with it sooner."

"I'll have someone find a few suitable places quickly for you to choose from. Any specific requirements?"

"No. But if I'm going to use it to rest during pregnancy later, somewhere quieter with fewer people would be better."

"...You're right."

Rong Yuan didn't need to turn around to know he still didn't believe him. But now he understood—everyone here thought that way.

He had briefly wondered if he shouldn't have his child, but then decided that as long as he was careful, it should be fine. Besides, Gu Shenhan had no biological siblings, and his parents weren't around. If he had his own child, it might make him feel different.

He would be a good father, wouldn't he? He was already so good to him.

Rong Yuan silently prayed to the Child-Giving Goddess again, but before he finished, Gu Shenhan pulled down his lounge pants.

In broad daylight, Rong Yuan was startled and quickly grabbed Gu Shenhan's hand, only to have it wrapped in a warm palm, caressed, and slowly he gave up struggling.

His butt print was imprinted on the mirror-finished light gray desk. Gu Shenhan pointed it out to him, and the embarrassment kept him from daring to look at that table again until he left the study.

So mean.

Gu Shenhan even laughed at him: "What's there to be shy about? There's no one else here."

Rong Yuan buried his face in Gu Shenhan's neck and whispered, "Don't come out yet. Stay a little longer."

Gu Shenhan carried him back to the bedroom, like a koala clinging to him.

Every step in the hallway made Rong Yuan's heart race, his toes curling up. He knew Gu Shenhan wouldn't call anyone up unless he specifically asked, but he still felt incredibly nervous.

Wrapped in Gu Shenhan's black half-sleeve, he asked, muffled, "Babe, are we at the bedroom yet?"

Gu Shenhan said, "Not yet."

A moment later, Rong Yuan asked again, "Still not there?"

Gu Shenhan glanced at the bedroom door that had automatically closed and let out a low chuckle. "No."

Rong Yuan suddenly punched him: "I heard the door close, and you're still tricking me!"

Gu Shenhan hissed, clearly not from pain.

Rong Yuan immediately calmed down.

That noon was completely unrestrained. Later, Rong Yuan retreated to the guest room on the second floor.

Gu Shenhan rapped on the door: "An An, I won't tease you anymore. Open the door."

Rong Yuan said, "No way. I promised Xiao Yu I'd embroider magnolias for him. You've made my hands so shaky I can't even hold a needle. Do I dare open the door?"

Gu Shenhan knew he was in the wrong: "Then I'll come fetch you for dinner?"

Rong Yuan said, "Babe, Grandma called yesterday and said she had a fun little thing for me. I promised I'd go see her today and get it. Can we head over to the main house this afternoon?"

He'd almost forgotten about that; luckily, coming downstairs helped clear his head a little.

Gu Shenhan said, "Sure, let's go back and eat there tonight."

As it happened, Gu Shenhan also wanted to talk to the old lady about the wedding preparations. It was still in the early stages, and he had been handling as much as possible with the wedding planning company. But there was a lot more to follow up on, so it would be better to have someone dedicated to it.

Rong Yuan got a bit drowsy while embroidering and took a short nap. At 2:30 PM, he got up, freshened up, and went out with Gu Shenhan.

They usually preferred to stay at Cuixi Garden, but they also had a villa at the main house. Rong Yuan had never been inside it. When they arrived, he pointed to the building that should belong to the second branch and asked Gu Shenhan, "Babe, that villa is ours, right?"

Gu Shenhan didn't seem to want to say much about it, only briefly responding, "Mm."

Rong Yuan sensed he was in low spirits at the mention of it, so he didn't press further, though he couldn't help being curious. The first branch all lived here, and the third branch and the younger aunt occasionally stayed here too. But Gu Shenhan never brought up that building.

The servant brought out their slippers: "Second Young Master, Second Young Madam. The old lady is in the study on the fifth floor. She said you can go straight up to see her."

"Is the old master home?"

"No. He went to the new factory in Jiangcheng and won't be back until tomorrow."

"Okay. Please bring a hot honey yuzu tea to the fifth floor."

"Thank you, Aunt Wu." Rong Yuan smiled warmly, because he knew that hot drink was ordered by Gu Shenhan for him. He's been enjoying it lately.

"You're welcome, Second Young Madam." Aunt Wu went to prepare it.

The old lady was practicing calligraphy. Rong Yuan knocked and entered, immediately drawn to the large calligraphy on the desk.

A harmonious family brings prosperity?

After looking at it, Rong Yuan glanced thoughtfully at the old lady and went over: "Grandma, are we disturbing you?"

The old lady's face lit up when she saw Rong Yuan. She put down her brush and gestured for the couple to sit on the sofa: "You're never a disturbance, no matter when you come."

Gu Shenhan said, "Then I'm basking in my better half's glory."

The old lady shot her grandson a glance, her smile deepening: "How's it going in Qianhai lately?"

"Not bad. There's some pushback on the ship environmental upgrades, but that's about it."

"In the short term, it does seem more trouble than benefit. Those old fogeys won't like it. But you're not wrong. The market shifts fast. If you think long-term and grab the chance, you'll benefit first. Have you seen Chengzhi recently?"

"Almost never. He's mostly out and about. With his personality, now's not the time for him to show up in front of me."

"I heard he had a girlfriend for a while, but it didn't work out."

"..."

"How are the wedding preparations going?"

"That's actually what I wanted to ask your advice on. I've found a company specializing in large-scale weddings and they've come up with some plans. The attire and venue are being designed too. But it's more complicated than I thought, and coordinating is tricky. I was wondering if you have someone experienced who could help me follow up on this."

Instead of answering directly, the old lady asked Rong Yuan: "Xiao An, is there anything special you want for the wedding?"

Every time the old lady spoke to Rong Yuan, she was especially warm and patient, like talking to a child. Rong Yuan suddenly thought of his own grandmother and smiled: "No, Grandma. Brother Han asked me before too, but I don't have any special requests. As long as it's after October next year."

The old lady spoke to Gu Shenhan as a grown-up: "Then compile your preferences and send them to Secretary Xu. I'll assign someone to handle this. The Gu family hasn't had a big banquet like this in a long time, so we need to take it seriously."

Rong Yuan then said, "Grandma, actually, Han Ge and I are already legally married. It might be more appropriate to have the wedding after our eldest brother's wedding. We can postpone it a bit longer and wait for our eldest brother's wedding to happen first."

Gu Shenhan: "That would be too long. Besides—"

Rong Yuan shot him a look, interrupting him: "There's a proper order of seniority—it's fine to wait for big brother."

The old lady said, "My second grandson's husband is truly understanding. But you don't need to hold off indefinitely—who knows when he'll settle down. So your matters should proceed as planned."

Rong Yuan replied, "Then we'll follow Grandma's wishes."

Gu Shenhan looked at him fondly but said nothing more.

That Little Antique seemed to understand Grandma better than he did.

Grandma said she had something fun to give Rong Yuan. On the way, Gu Shenhan and Rong Yuan had guessed what it might be, but neither was right.

Grandma gave Rong Yuan a pair of gold bangles.

These bangles were very plain—just two solid circles with no design whatsoever.

They weren't cheap given their weight, but compared to Grandma's previous gifts, this was a drop in the bucket.

Gu Shenhan and Rong Yuan didn't find them inferior; they just couldn't figure out Grandma's intention.

"Grandma, should I wear these at the wedding?" Rong Yuan asked.

"No. I just found them amusing, so I thought you'd have fun with them."

"Amusing?" Gu Shenhan examined them in his hand. "What's amusing about them?"

"Boring people wouldn't see it—that's what makes them amusing." Grandma shot Gu Shenhan a glare.

"Thank you, Grandma. I'll keep them safe." Rong Yuan carefully placed them in the box, deciding not to dwell on it for now.

That evening, few people gathered for dinner at the mansion—First Branch was absent, along with Aunt's family. Only Uncle and Aunt from Third Branch were present.

Logically, fewer people should mean less bustle but more intimacy. The reality was the opposite. At the table, Uncle and Aunt were almost silent, merely eating without a shred of warmth.

Though they could have sat facing them, they deliberately shifted two seats away, positioning themselves diagonally across. They seemed to be intentionally avoiding eye contact with Gu Shenhan.

Gu Shenhan, in turn, didn't glance their way or greet them.

Rong Yuan was momentarily unsure whether to break the silence or stay quiet. Fortunately, Grandma kept asking him questions, sparing him much awkwardness.

"I heard from Grandpa that Xiao An has been going to the Lianshan headquarters lately. How is it? Any difficulties adjusting?"

"No, Grandma, I find it all quite fine. And Aunt Anran has been very kind to me."

"Good. Anran is around your age and quite lively, so you two should get along well. But if you ever face any grievances, feel free to tell Grandma."

"No grievances at all. I've been in an exceptionally good mood lately." As Rong Yuan spoke, he glanced at Gu Shenhan, making it obvious to anyone what—or who—was behind that good mood.

Gu Shenhan knew why Rong Yuan was happy too. Holding back a wry smile, he found himself, almost inexplicably, wondering what it would be like if he and Rong Yuan actually had a child.

If at this table there were a few of his children...

That sounded like a fairy tale.

He was surprised that Rong Yuan had rubbed off on him, just as Gu Mingchuan and Gu Chengzhi walked in from outside.

Seeing that Gu Shenhan and his husband were there, the father and son both slowed their steps involuntarily. Rong Yuan greeted them neither servile nor overbearing: "Uncle, Big Brother."

Spotting the old lady, Gu Mingchuan couldn't be too harsh. "What brings you two here all of a sudden? Something up?"

Gu Shenhan said, "Nothing much, just came to see Grandma."

Grandma asked, "Have you eaten? If not, I'll have two more places set."

Gu Mingchuan said he hadn't. Gu Chengzhi smiled and said he hadn't either, then excused himself to the restroom.

Since the incident at the horse ranch, both sides had lost patience for pretense. Gu Shenhan especially could no longer be bothered to put on a good face for the father and son. But Gu Chengzhi seemed to have returned to his old self today.

He sat down opposite Rong Yuan as if nothing had ever happened, smiling. "How's Xiao An doing at Lianshan recently? Adjusting okay?"

Rong Yuan detested such two-faced behavior. He lightly pressed his heel into the carpet and gave a fake smile: "Pretty good. And how is Big Brother's new job suiting you?"

A flicker of tension crossed Gu Chengzhi's face, then he smiled even more warmly. "Also okay. Harder than before, but I get to learn more."

Rong Yuan said, "A rare opportunity. Keep it up, Big Brother."

Gu Chengzhi replied, "Naturally."

Rong Yuan smiled and placed some food onto Gu Shenhan's plate. "Eat up, honey."

Beneath the table, Gu Shenhan gently touched Rong Yuan's foot. He said nothing, but his eyes brimmed with satisfaction.

Gu Chengzhi, on the other hand—the girlfriend he'd chased had broken up with him, and his career had taken a nosedive. His forced smile only made him look more sinister.

Rong Yuan didn't want to keep eating faced with that father and son—it was an appetite-killer. So he said to Grandma, "Grandma, I have plans with a friend tonight. I'd like to head back soon after dinner."

Grandma said, "Alright, go upstairs and get your things, then head out. You can come over anytime in the future without waiting for Shenhan to be free."

Rong Yuan smiled obediently. "Okay, I'll come see you whenever I'm free."

Since Grandma was elderly and didn't eat much at night, she put down her chopsticks before anyone else. She then took Rong Yuan upstairs.

Gu Shenhan also had no desire to sit with that father and son, so he followed upstairs.

Grandma had not only given Rong Yuan those bangles but also several sheets of her treasured calligraphy paper.

Gu Shenhan was inwardly amazed. Those were papers she normally cherished—not even she, who rarely used them, would part with easily, as they were old items, each sheet rarer than the last, can't be bought with money.

Rong Yuan said, "Grandma, they'd be wasted on me. You should keep them."

"I've got plenty left. At my age, how much can I use? Take them—if you use them, they won't go to waste."

Rong Yuan received them carefully, overjoyed. "Thank you, Grandma."

Grandma also had Wu Ma pack some new tea for the couple, the kinds Rong Yuan likes.

Gu Shenhan carried bags of all sizes downstairs and told Rong Yuan to wait by the door. Wu Ma offered, "Let me help carry them, Second Young Master."

Gu Shenhan said, "No need, Wu Ma. An An chills easily, so just let him wait inside for a moment."

They weren't planning to stay the night, so he'd parked outside instead of in the garage. They still had to walk a bit outside.

Rong Yuan, feeling the evening chill, stayed inside for a while.

At that moment, Gu Chengzhi finished eating and started heading to the First Branch mansion. Passing Rong Yuan, he glanced around and whispered, "Xiao An, you've never met your in-laws, have you? Aren't you the least bit curious where they went?"

Rong Yuan said, "I'll find out when I need to. That's my concern, Big Brother. You should worry about your own future." Gu Chengzhi said, "Of course I care about my future. But you'd better ask your husband about some things soon, or else someday someone will laugh at you and you won't get it."