CH 81

During those two years, Gu Qingchi wasn’t able to rent a place elsewhere nor was he able to stay at a hotel. However, there were cars in the garage of the house, so he was able to leave for short periods of time. One time, he’d tried to find his way back to his old house, his mother’s studio, his father’s company, his brother’s company.

As expected, those places no longer existed. The surrounding environment was still familiar to Gu Qingchi. However, the location where his home used to be had been replaced by a show house for a real estate company. The location where his father and brother used to work had been replaced by a large office building. 

Although, that had been two years ago. As his existence within this world slowly became more concrete, his character setting continued filling in the gaps. The content was taken from his own experiences, but there were still some differences, like his high school. These differences were for the sake of a reasonable plot.

For instance, Gu Qingchi hadn’t finished college. He got married instead. Thus, Cheng Ke remembered Gu Qingchi to have dropped out of school.

Gu Qingchi was eager to know the truth, but he soon calmed back down again. If the plot was to be reasonable, it would be impossible for him to find his family in this world.

Just like two years ago, he’d simply be running around in vain. 

He listlessly wrapped himself in his blanket.

The cat wagged its tail by the foot of the bed. It laid on a cushion, purring.

⁂

Gu Qingchi had been in good condition lately. It was as if he had returned to the past. Like a cat in winter, he lazed about in the sun. Just watching him was enough for a person to feel a sense of peace.

Dr. Jiang had made several visits. His situation would improve a little bit more each time.

“I’ve got a bit of a schedule lately. There’s an evening party on Wednesday. I need to participate in the opening ceremony.”

Xie Luyu put down the cat food and turned his head.

“What kind of party? Is it in another province?” 

The cat watched anxiously as the cat food vanished from its grasp. It grabbed at the bag with its paws, rustling it.

Gu Qingchi had a glass of milk cupped in his hands. He didn’t actually like drinking milk all that much. He would always take a few sips and then set it aside when it got cold. However, Xie Luyu gave it to him, so he didn’t refuse.

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Xie Luyu didn’t know which year it was exactly, but they started inviting a bunch of celebrities and singers to attend their evening parties. Many of their streamers had been streaming, so they streamed their little celebrity interactions. The evening party had also been live streamed on the KakaTV app.

After that, the number of downloads for the app had increased by the tens of millions, and the number of active users had shot up astronomically. KakaTV probably got a taste of success and decided that they were going to keep doing it. Every year, the company would invite a bunch of celebrities, and they spent quite a lot of money on doing so.

Frankly, their evening parties were really well done. By now, being invited to perform at their party, being on their invitation list, being paid by the company to attend had almost become a sort of affirmation of a celebrity’s popularity. 

The list of invitees was always a mystery, and it changed every year. Gu Qingchi probably received an invitation this year.

Gu Qingchi wasn’t a singer and he wasn’t an idol, so he was kind of limited in terms of what he’d be able to participate in. As an actor, he wasn’t really suited for this kind of event.

Xie Luyu was a little surprised that Gu Qingchi would accept this kind of invitation.

“Why did you suddenly pick up a job like this? It’s really quite boring. All it is is a formality.” 

Gu Qingchi’s hair had grown a little bit. It was always hanging around by his neck, causing it to itch. He had a rubber band between his teeth, trying to tie his hair up.

Xie Luyu poured out some cat kibble. Then, he washed his hands and walked towards Gu Qingchi.

“Let me do it.”

Gu Qingchi gave him the rubber band. He responded to Xie Luyu. 

“Because it pays a lot of money for not a lot of work.”

Xie Luyu carefully gathered Gu Qingchi’s hair in his hands. Several loose strands slipped out from between his fingers. Upon hearing this reply, he paused.

When the two of them broke things off, Gu Qingchi had given Xie Luyu a watch. It was worth about as much as all his earnings from both of his movies combined. Gu Qingchi didn’t really spend much money in his day-to-day life, so he probably blew all his savings on it.

Pan Xiaocheng had been afraid that he would suffer a loss, but, if he really were to actually calculate the numbers, Xie Luyu had actually come out with a profit. 

Xie Luyu’s mind spun quickly.

This kind of job had a very clear purpose. It was purely for the sake of making money. Ye Li wouldn’t have accepted this kind of job for Gu Qingchi, especially not at a time like now. It was recently revealed that Gu Qingchi was a divorcee. He should be reducing public appearances and laying low for the time being.

Gu Qingchi probably asked for the job himself, and it was most likely because he was short of money. Otherwise, Ye Li wouldn’t have accepted such a job.

However, Xie Luyu was worried that Gu Qingchi would find out about all the stuff that had happened online, what with all the people and media that would be there. 

“Still, it’s not that interesting of an event. A couple days ago, there was a clothing brand that was looking for a spokesperson for the next season. I think your image would fit the—”

Gu Qingchi closed the magazine and placed it on the table next to him.

His tone was gentle but decisive.

“This is a matter for Ye Li.” 

⁂

On a rare occasion, Gu Cheng dropped by the home. He’d been indulging himself in all sorts of sensual pleasures, playing around with both men and women. Fortunately, he was the second son of the Gu family. He had an outstanding older brother above him, so the family didn’t really expect much from him.

The only request his parents had of him was for him to get married and have a child before he went off and started messing around. Gu Cheng didn’t really care for this sort of thing himself. However, since this was their only request, he ended up getting married three separate times. Each time, the old lady had him get divorced because he hadn’t had a child.

After marrying his second wife, he finally had a son. It was only then that the old lady finally acquiesced and let him do as he pleased. Gu Cheng quickly got divorced and married the woman he favored, Chen Mei. 

The old lady had always disliked Chen Mei. She felt that Chen Mei was a sinister woman. However, Gu Cheng had been completely taken in by her. He was determined to marry her. After getting married, Chen Mei didn’t try to control him like his previous two wives nor did she tattle on him to his mother. Plus, she kept the home in pretty good order. Thus, the two of them had lived in harmony for all those years.

It was nine o’clock in the morning

Chen Mei was eating breakfast.

Gu Cheng had returned, but Chen Mei didn’t move from the table. 

“What did you borrow Gu Xie’s subordinates for? His people are used to do business. The old man even scolded me when he heard about it.”

“I’m his aunt. All I did was borrow one or two of his people. How is that a crime? If it wasn’t for the fact that all the guys under you are useless, I wouldn’t have had to borrow his. All your guys know how to do is find places for you to drink and have fun.”

She usually avoided Gu Xie. He always made her feel a little apprehensive. Within this entire family, the one she feared the most was Gu Xie.

Even if he was only her nephew in terms of seniority. 

The woman changed the topic.

“Did you know that your son quietly got divorced without saying a word? Not only did he get divorced, he’s also run off to who knows where. Explain it to me. This is what your son did. He’s ruined a perfectly good marriage.”