Chapter 91: Last-Minute Change of Mind

Early the next morning, before the two of them were even out of bed, there was a knock at the door.

Gu Jinghan's voice came through, sounding anxious: "Huanhuan! Meili! I can't make it to Sava!"

The two of them sat bolt upright and hurried over to open the door.

At the doorstep, Gu Jinghan looked utterly dejected: "The City Construction Commission and the Fire Department suddenly announced a major inspection of all the hotels in our area. I need to be at the hotel to keep an eye on things over the next few days, so I can't go to Sava."

"Ah?"

They couldn't help feeling a little disappointed—neither of them had ever been abroad, and they'd been counting on Gu Jinghan to guide them so they could travel with peace of mind.

Gu Jinghan apologized guiltily: "I'm sorry, Huanhuan. Big brother can't go with you. How about I set you up with a handsome local guide instead?"

He Huanhuan waved her hand to decline: "No need, go do what you need to do. Meili and I will be fine."

She'd done some online research the night before, and lots of people in Sava spoke Chinese. The two of them should be able to manage on their own just fine.

So Gu Jinghan forwarded her all the tickets he'd bought, telling them to use them however they liked once they got to Sava.

With that, he hopped in his car and drove off in a hurry.

The two women stared at their suitcases on the floor, feeling a little lost.

He Huanhuan couldn't help but suggest: "Why don't I ask Han Mo?"

Maybe he'd be free.

Qi Meili shot her a look: "You just want to go on a date with him! And make me the third wheel!"

He Huanhuan felt a twinge of guilt: "I just thought, since we've never been abroad, it'd be more comfortable to have someone else along—"

"Pfft."

Qi Meili couldn't be bothered to call her out. She nodded in agreement: "Then go ahead and ask if he's free."

Compared to Liang Ye, at least Han Mo was good-looking!

He Huanhuan immediately pulled out her phone and texted Han Mo: [Meili and I are going to Sava next week. Want to come along?]

A reply came quickly: [Been pretty busy lately. Company's a mess right now. Probably can't spare the time.]

The next second—ding—a transfer came through.

One, two, three, four, five zeroes.

[Have fun with Meili. Buy whatever you want, don't worry about the money.]

Damn!

That kind of generosity was dangerously charming.

He Huanhuan's disappointment vanished in an instant. She shoved her phone in front of Qi Meili: "Meili, our dream three-bedroom just grew by another fifteen square meters!"

Qi Meili's eyes lit up instantly: "Han Laodeng's not bad after all! I hereby declare—you two have my blessing to get married!"

Generosity really was the most captivating virtue.

The two of them stared at the 1.8 million yuan balance on He Huanhuan's phone and giggled like idiots.

They could practically feel the dream apartment waving at them.

At the Ai Luwei boutique, Chen Jiarong sat on the sofa in the VIP room, waiting for Gu Chacha to pick out her goods.

In the quiet private lounge, his phone suddenly buzzed.

He opened it, read the message, and the corners of his mouth curved up involuntarily.

Gu Chacha was hesitating between two handbags. He walked over, wrapped an arm around her, and said: "Why hesitate? If you like them, just buy them both."

Gu Chacha wrinkled her nose: "They're too similar. Buying both would feel redundant."

"Haha..."

Chen Jiarong laughed heartily: "As long as you like something, you can buy two identical ones if you want!"

He gave the sales associate a nod: "Wrap up everything she was looking at. Checkout."

Gu Chacha looked at him: "You're in a good mood?"

Chen Jiarong pulled her closer: "What? Am I not usually good to you?"

Gu Chacha shook her head: "No, it's just that you seem really excited..."

Could it be...

Just as her thoughts drifted toward that possibility, Chen Jiarong leaned in and whispered in her ear: "Being able to foot the bill for the only daughter of the Gu family—isn't that worth being happy about?"

There it was!

Her eyes lit up immediately: "Really?"

Chen Jiarong waved his phone: "The plane tickets just came through. Two of them. Flying to Sava tomorrow."

Tomorrow?!

Gu Chacha's heart started pounding. Flying out tomorrow morning?

That meant, by tomorrow night, everything would be settled?

It all felt too easy, leaving her with a nagging sense of unreality.

She thought for a moment, then said to Chen Jiarong: "I don't want to shop anymore. Can you drop me back at the Gu estate? I want to go see Mom and Dad."

She needed to confirm it. She had to see it with her own eyes to feel at ease.

Chen Jiarong, of course, knew what she was thinking. He playfully tapped her nose: "What? You don't trust me?"

Gu Chacha gave a coaxing smile: "I just feel a bit uneasy. I want to go check."

"Of course."

Chen Jiarong led her out: "If you're uneasy, I'll take you to see for yourself. Anything you want, I'll give it to you."

The car quickly pulled up to the Gu estate. After greeting Old Mr. Gu, Gu Chacha barely contained herself: "Where's sister? Why don't I see her?"

Old Mr. Gu smiled: "She got lucky—won one of those luxury seven-day tours of Sava. Right now she and Meili are upstairs on the third floor packing."

Her heart was racing so fast it felt like it might leap out of her mouth. She stood up, forcing herself to stay calm: "I'll go see her."

Gu Chengye waved a hand: "Go on, go on. If you want to go too, Dad will give you the money. Go have fun with Huanhuan."

Gu Chacha shook her head: "No thanks, Dad. I have a performance in a couple of days. I just want to say hi to sister."

She flew upstairs—didn't even think to take the elevator, sprinting up to the third floor.

Gu Chengye sat on the sofa, laughing and sighing: "That girl. Finally starting to care about her sister."

Oh, she cared. Just not in the way he thought.

On the third floor, two huge suitcases lay open, stuffed haphazardly with several tubes of hair dye and over a dozen temporary tattoos.

He Huanhuan had a big black plastic bag over her head, and both arms stuck out with a temporary tattoo on each—not yet peeled off.

Seeing Gu Chacha come up, she looked surprised: "What are you doing here?"

Hadn't they gotten to that level of just dropping by each other's rooms?

Gu Chacha stood at the door, watching the two of them bustling around getting ready for their trip.

The frantic racing of her heart finally settled back down. A gentle smile tugged at her lips: "Dad told me you're going to Sava, sister?"

He Huanhuan shot her a glance: "What's it to you?"

That was from a lottery she'd won herself—it wasn't money from the old man. So don't try to compare!

Gu Chacha smiled: "I have a lot of haute couture dresses in my room that I've never worn. If you want, sister, I can give you a couple. They'd look great for photos at the beach."

He Huanhuan wrinkled her nose in distaste: "No way. I'd look like a liquor commercial in those! So tacky!"

Every single one of Gu Chacha's couture gowns looked like it belonged in an ad.

"Gu Jing" liquor—China's finest.

Beyond flashy.

"Well then, sister, have fun on your trip."

With that, Gu Chacha turned and walked away quietly, not a single sharp word. It was almost unlike her.

He Huanhuan was baffled: "Why's she being so docile today?"

"Who cares? She's probably green with envy in there!"

Qi Meili carefully pressed her down and lifted the plastic bag off. He Huanhuan emerged with pineapple-yellow hair and asked: "Sava enough for you?"

Qi Meili nodded like crazy: "Now that is so Sava!"