Chapter 81: Bringing Beauty Home

By the time the two of them finished giving their detailed statements with the police, it was already dark outside.

No sooner had they walked out of the police station than two figures came charging at them, sobbing uncontrollably.

Chen Yu was crying so hard he was hiccuping: "Bro! Where the hell have you been these past few days?! I searched everywhere for you!"

It really hurt—his dad had nearly beaten him to death!

Gu Jinghan, tears streaming down his face, lunged at He Huanhuan to hug her: "Huanhuan! We don't have a home anymore! Mom and Dad have lost their minds, they don't care about you at all. From now on, I'll be your dad..."

He Huanhuan shoved him away: "Are you trying to pull one over on me?"

What was this, suddenly moving up a generation?!

Gu Jinghan had a chest full of grievances he'd had nowhere to vent, and today he'd finally found his outlet. He clung to He Huanhuan and wailed:

"Huanhuan, we're just unloved kids. When we were little, Mom and Dad were always biased—they only ever believed what Gu Chacha said. Anything I said was 'nonsense' or 'lying'... we're just pitiful, that's all..."

That wail of "pitiful" was so tragic and loud it threw Chen Yu's sobbing completely off its rhythm.

Offended, Chen Yu sniffled: "Second Young Master, it's my turn to cry now. Hold on a sec."

Gu Jinghan ignored him and cried even louder: "Huanhuan! Let's run away from home! Let's make them never find us!"

Chen Yu: This is provocation! Outright provocation! He could not lose!

He let out a howl at maximum volume: "COUSIN!!!"

Han Mo reached out and clamped a hand over his mouth: "Stop singing mountain songs. Too noisy."

The stage instantly became Gu Jinghan's solo showcase: "When Gu Chacha turned eighteen, Dad gave her ten million! When I turned eighteen, I only got five million! He's biased!"

"When Gu Chacha went to France, Dad said 'have fun!' When I went to France, Dad said I was out there running wild every day!"

"When Gu Chacha went to Antarctica to watch whales, Dad hired bodyguards to follow her. When I went to Antarctica to watch whales, Dad just booked me a spot on a national team group tour. I've suffered so much~~~"

What exactly was so suffering about that?

Daggers of murderous glares shot at him from all directions, and He Huanhuan quietly took a step back. She'd never been to any of those places—don't drag her into this.

Gu Jinghan didn't notice the crowd's fury at all: "When Gu Chacha went to Africa to see the Great Migration, Dad transferred her a million. When I went to Africa to see the Great Migration, he only gave me five hundred thousand! That trip I was so broke! So humiliated!"

......

Forget the passersby—even He Huanhuan wanted to hit him now.

Five hundred thousand and he calls it "broke"? What about the middle-class people who start planning a year in advance and manage Africa's Great Migration with an average budget of thirty thousand per person? How are they supposed to live?

What about her, someone who stretches a two-hour walk just to go to the county seat? How is she supposed to survive that comparison?

Brother's grievance was taller than the sky, deeper than the sea: "When Gu Chacha went to Egypt..."

"Why does everything Gu Chacha does, you have to do too? Are you a copycat?"

A flash of bright red hair came storming across the road from the opposite side!

Qi Meili hadn't wanted to come over at first—she was afraid since she was technically an unregistered resident, she might draw trouble if the police noticed her.

But she absolutely couldn't listen to another word from Gu Jinghan!

Damn rich kid, she was going to fight him!

She zoomed up to Gu Jinghan, slapped him so hard he staggered aside, and said: "Shut up, you rich—"

"Oh my god! Baby, are you okay? Does your head hurt? Want me to blow on it?"

Gu Jinghan hadn't even steadied himself when she pulled him back over.

Qi Meili gently stroked his head: "Baby, I was way too rough just now~ Go on, tell me slowly. How is your dad biased? That nasty old man, how could he be so mean? Want me to go hit him for you later?"

Gu Jinghan suddenly felt goosebumps all over. Why did he feel a chill down his back?

He instinctively turned to look—whoa! When had his big brother shown up?!

His brother stood at the intersection with a grim face, staring at him with heavy eyes.

Also looking black as thunder beside his brother—was that Liang Zheng?

Liang Ye's older brother? Why was HE here?

Gu Jinghan shrank his neck and timidly called out: "Brother..."

Gu Jingchen didn't even look at him. With long strides, he walked straight up to He Huanhuan and asked: "All done? Tired?"

He Huanhuan nodded: "All done. Not tired."

Gu Jingchen patted her head: "Come home with me. I had the kitchen make your favorite dishes."

Standing beside He Huanhuan, Qi Meili nearly fainted from happiness.

So handsome. So attentive. So gentle.

The charm of an older man—who gets it? She gets it!

She was about to speak when a shadow suddenly fell over her, completely engulfing her.

Startled, she looked up to see Liang Zheng glaring at her with a black face: "So THIS is your 'socially anxious husband'? Since when is Gu the Second married?"

His gaze swept over Gu Jinghan with a scrutinizing look, and Gu Jinghan inexplicably felt a chill run through his body.

He forced out a smile: "Brother Zheng, good evening..."

Damn, the pressure! He was crying about his dad being biased—what did Liang Zheng have to be upset about?

Wait a second... did that mean Liang Ye's stinginess wasn't just his personality, but actually because of family favoritism?

Oh?

Major gossip!

His eyes lit up instantly, but under Liang Zheng's oppressive presence, he sneakily averted his gaze.

Liang Zheng's face darkened further. What was he skulking around smirking about? His shifty eyes kept darting toward Qi Meili like he was up to no good.

He stepped to the side, inserting himself between the two of them, and lowered his head to interrogate Qi Meili: "Yesterday you said I was your husband. Today it's Gu the Second? Miss Qi, exactly how many husbands do you have?"

Qi Meili blinked: "I just called him 'baby,' not 'husband.' You misheard."

"Is there a difference?"

Qi Meili nodded: "Of course there's a difference. 'Husband' is too stiff. Calling him 'baby' is more intimate~"

......

So she was saying he ranked below Gu the Second?

Liang Zheng was so angry he almost laughed out loud. In all his life, he'd never felt this defeated.

But Qi Meili wasn't paying attention to him at all. The girl was staring blissfully at Gu Jingchen: "Big Brother is really so gentle, I love it~"

Liang Zheng: ...Why was she dragging Gu Jingchen into this too? Exactly how many men did she love?

Well, uncountably many, of course—as long as they were handsome, they were all her loves.

His face was at rock-bottom gloom, and Qi Meili paid it zero attention. She just patted him: "Move aside, you're blocking my view."

......

Now he truly understood what "out with the new, in with the old" felt like. He shot a glance at Gu Jingchen. Gentle? It was just average.

He tried to soften his expression: "Where do you live? I'll—"

Before he could finish, He Huanhuan yanked Qi Meili in front of Gu Jingchen: "Big Brother! This is my best friend Meili! I can bring her home with me, right?"

Gu Jingchen smiled and nodded: "Of course."

A warm smile curved at the corners of his lips as he looked at Qi Meili: "Meili, is it? Huanhuan lived through a lot of hardship before. Thank you for taking care of her. I hope you'll give us the chance to host you properly."

Qi Meili's voice instantly softened: "Of course. Thank you, gege~"

She tried to hold back her grin, but it was a total failure.

The gentle type—in all her years in the wild club scene, she'd never met one!

Jackpot. Absolute jackpot.