CH 85

Luo Bei has already become accustomed to the somewhat outdated name of Zhou Jianguo. Hearing his own introduction like this, he couldn’t help but laugh. He realized that she had done the same.

He walked up to her and said helplessly, “I always feel like you’re used to my fake name, but I still want to tell you my real name. Gu is that Gu, the Gu of ‘Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage’, Qian of modesty, Yan of speech. It seems like the old man who named me hoped that I would be humble. Don’t laugh.”

Luo Bei raised her hand in surrender and asked, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. So, should I call you Xiao Zhou or Xiao Gu in the future?”

Zhou Jianguo, oh no, it should be Gu Qianyan now, thought for a moment and replied, “Whatever you want. Actually, I’m still getting used to this new name. Sometimes when the old man calls me, I think he’s calling someone else.”

What does he mean…?

Luo Bei was confused for a moment and asked, “Haven’t you regained your memory yet?”

“It’s pretty cold standing here. Let’s go to the car. I didn’t drive today, so we’ll take your little donkey1.”

The sun had already set and they were standing in the wind. It was so cold that Luo Bei felt like she was turning into an icicle. Once they got into the car, they continued their conversation from earlier.

“I’ve only recovered about thirty percent, but these things can’t be rushed. My family has hired a doctor to help me treat it, and it seems to be somewhat effective. Beibei, for me, whether or not I fully recover my memory is no longer important. The old man can tell me what happened in the past anyway. As long as my brain is functioning normally and I haven’t forgotten what I’ve learned, that’s enough.” He had always been very accepting of this matter and never forced himself.

Luo Bei nodded, “Indeed, you can’t force yourself. By the way, have you been doing well these past few days? I actually wanted to tell you that day, but I didn’t expect that Teacher Zhou, oh, I should say your grandfather, would come to pick you up faster than I can tell you. I’ve been busy these past few days, so I didn’t get a chance to call you.”

“When they brought me back home that day and I saw the old man, I understood everything. Actually, I didn’t tell you before, but I always felt like he was too concerned about me. I couldn’t believe it either at first, and I really didn’t expect that I’m really his grandson. But he told me about my amnesia, though he didn’t go into much detail, and I digested it myself.”

Gu Qianyan spoke calmly, and Luo Bei could imagine that he’s someone who could remain composed even when their mind was completely blank, so even if Grandpa Gu had told him everything, he would have been able to accept it.

“I actually wanted to come back and let you know the next day, but there were too many things going on, and I was too busy to come. So I thought I would wait until I had some free time to talk to you properly.”

In fact, the situation that night was not much different from when he woke up and found his mind completely blank.

Before, although he suspected that the old man knew him, it was only a suspicion. For him, the old man was just a familiar but annoying client. But in the blink of an eye, he became his grandfather, and he also had parents. Although his parents were more flattering than loving towards him, he didn’t feel as calm and composed as he pretended to be in the face of such a situation.

When Gu Qianyan heard that Fang Jingzhou was leaving, he was a little stunned, but he urged Luo Bei to quickly drive back to the urban village to pick the kid up and go to Pizza Hut. This kid had been talking about it for who knows how long, but they never had the time to take him there. Now they finally had the chance to fulfill his wish. Actually, Fang Jingzhou could eat Pizza Hut with his grandma too, but they both knew that this kid wanted to eat it with them.

Along the way, Gu Qianyan also explained his family situation to Luo Bei.

It’s not much different from what Grandpa Gu told her. The Gu family is not a family with a lot of family members, because Grandpa Gu only has one son, and then his son only gave birth to one son, Gu Qianyan. Excluding collateral relatives, there are only a few people in the Gu family.

Gu Qianyan also has a maternal aunt and a maternal uncle. The aunt married and went abroad, and they only meet a few times a year. His maternal grandfather’s side of the family also has simple family relationships.

“To be honest, among the Gu and Chen families, it’s only my dad and my mom who are the odd ones out.”

Robe was puzzled, “How can you say that about your own parents?”

Gu Qianyan said indifferently, “I’m being lenient with them. But their hearts are not bad. They were just raised too freely and loosely when they were young. You should have heard the old man say that they were more like friends than a couple. But they were indeed friends before they got married. It’s not surprising that they haven’t clashed into love after so many years. Anyway, they don’t interfere with anything, have no ambitions, and just want to live a carefree life. But come to think of it, it’s fortunate that my dad and mom have lived in peace for so many years, and they haven’t caused any trouble for the family.”

He paused and said again, “If you have the chance, you can still meet them in the future. They don’t care about anything, not about the family, not about the company. They have a very casual and laid-back personality and are not difficult to get along with.”

Luo Bei’s face blushed.

She hasn’t agreed to be his girlfriend yet…

However, a Gu Qianyan who talks like that made Luo Bei feel comfortable. She thought that he would have changed in his speech, behavior, and personality after returning to his original place. However, she didn’t expect that apart from having an additional identity, nothing else had changed.

“My maternal grandparents are similar to the old man.” Gu Qianyan didn’t want to talk about how the three old people sitting together, eating while watching videos of him washing car. They looked so pleased that it made one’s teeth ache.

His maternal grandfather said, “You shouldn’t have brought him back so early. Let him stay outside for a while. Look at this child, his body is stronger than before. It’s still the rice outside that makes people healthy.”

Gu Qianyan did not have shame when facing Luo Bei. He sighed, “No one cares about me. There was a sentence I said before that I was right. I have a very poor relationship with people.”

Luo Bei didn’t know what to say. After all, from Grandpa Gu’s words, she could also tell that before Gu Qianyan lost his memory, his temperament was indeed overbearing, and he didn’t listen to anyone’s words, and he was very stubborn…

Gu Qianyan looked at Luo Bei again, “Shouldn’t you say something like you care about me at this time?”

Luo Bei : “…As a small boss who earns tens of thousands of yuan a month, how could I care about a CEO of a large group? I care more about myself.”

Gu Qianyan thought for a moment, nodded, “You’re right. When I was still Xiao Zhou, which rich person dared to act pitiful in front of me, I couldn’t be bothered to talk to them.”

“Let’s not talk about it.”

Gu Qianyan smiled at her again, “Sorry, Sister Bei, my family is very stingy. I don’t think anyone will give you a five million check.”

Luo Bei was stunned, then laughed.

It’s really a pity. It seems no one will ever give her a five million yuan check in this lifetime.

But she has a watch that can make her legs weak just by checking its value! It’s worth more than five million yuan, and at that moment, Luo Bei suddenly felt like she had attached herself to a big thigh.

“I have a watch,” Luo Bei said.

Gu Qianyan reacted, “Don’t sell it, keep it as a collection. It might appreciate in value in the future, and even the rich can’t buy it.”

“I didn’t say I want to sell it.”

“If you want to sell it, you have to let me know. I’ll help you keep an eye on it, or else you won’t even know if you’ve been ripped off.”

On second thought, Luo Bei suddenly realized that if she sold the watch Gu Qianyan gave her, he would only be upset that she didn’t sell it for a good price, not that she sold his heartfelt gift… She then thought, he said his parents were odd, but she didn’t think he was any better.

Fang Jingzhou was happy to see Gu Qianyan back, especially since they took him to Pizza Hut, and although the child didn’t have a big appetite, Luo Bei ordered everything he wanted to eat.

After the three of them ate their fill and returned to the urban village, Luo Bei thought that Gu Qianyan would return to his mansion, but little did she know that he was going to stay here tonight. Fang Jingzhou was about to leave and he really liked Uncle Xiao Zhou. Plus, they hadn’t seen each other for several days, so he kept clinging to him and even wanted to sleep in his basement.

Both Luo Bei and Gu Qianyan tried their best to satisfy the reasonable request of the child.

Gu Qianyan carried Fang Jingzhou downstairs on his back. Because it was winter, he didn’t give him a bath, but still insisted that he brush his teeth, wash his face, butt, and feet thoroughly before he could sleep on his bed.

One adult and one child snuggled up on the bed, and Fang Jingzhou, who was too excited, couldn’t fall asleep. He pulled Gu Qianyan into a conversation, “Uncle Xiao Zhou, I’ve been here for so long, how come you haven’t chased after Beibei yet?”

“Why do you think about these matters about men and women every day? I’m 100% sure that you’re going to have puppy love in the future.”

“I care about you, Uncle Xiao Zhou!” Fang Jingzhou emphasized seriously.

“Your Beibei is different from other girls in my heart.” Gu Qianyan thought for a moment and decided to chat with the kid a bit more, after all, he would be leaving soon. “I didn’t pursue her before because Beibei is very kind and has a beautiful heart. Now, I want to give her some time to adapt.”

“Adapt to what?” Fang Jingzhou asked.

“Adapt to my new identity.” Gu Qianyan paused, “Each of us has our own identity and labels in this world, just like you. Your identity is a six-year-old kid, you are Fang Jingzhou, a kindergarten senior, and when September comes, you will be a primary school student. These are all your labels, and when you go to elementary school, your grandparents will have to adapt to your identity as a primary school student. As for me, I now have an additional label and identity. I’m not sure if Beibei can accept it.”

Fang Jingzhou said affirmatively, “Beibei will accept it, because she also likes you.”

Gu Qianyan paused for a moment, “I know, but out of respect for her, I have decided to let her understand my new identity, new label, and new life before she decides whether to accept me or not.”

Fang Jingzhou let out a deep sigh, “Adults’ minds are really complicated.”

“I can protect Beibei and create a false sense of everything staying the same for her, but adults don’t like lies, and I dislike them even more.”

Fang Jingzhou asked again, “Then what if Beibei doesn’t accept you? Will you not be together?”

“… Do you have to make me lose sleep tonight?”

Fang Jingzhou looked at Gu Qianyan with a disdainful expression, “You said it yourself.”

“So I plan to start fasting and recite Buddhist chants tomorrow, praying that Beibei can accept me.”

“What if she still doesn’t accept you?”

Gu Qianyan pulled his blanket and said in a slightly stern tone, “Then I will shave my head and become a monk, living a life of fasting and prayer forever. Are you satisfied with this answer?”

Fang Jingzhou said again, “Uncle Xiao Zhou, I think you are a bit hypocritical. You say that Beibei should decide for herself, but you also say that if she doesn’t accept you, you will become a monk. This is… ” He thought for a moment and learned a new word from Pianpian today, “moral blackmail!”

Gu Qianyan took a deep breath, “Amitabha, good is good, let go of the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha on the spot.”2

rokumi’s note : no matter how many times I read this novel, I always remember the ML’s name as Zhou Jianguo and not Gu Qianyan