Chapter 167: Retreat
On the first day of the New Year, “Walking with the Light” shot up onto countless trending topics. Unexpectedly, on the second day, topics such as “Police Report on Ye Weiyu’s Assault Case,” “Ye Weiyu Drug Use,” and “Police Report on the Arrest of Jinding General Manager Yan Guanglei” caused an even bigger uproar.
Gu Qinghuan had been busy to the point of exhaustion yesterday. Since Mingde was on holiday today, she naturally slept like a log at home and even skipped breakfast.
By the time she crawled out of bed after ten, her WeChat messages had already exploded.
Jiang Chuchu: [Confess honestly—how much did you know about this whole thing?! @Gu Qinghuan]
Xu Xinghe: [Class monitor! Bai Qingyin posted a statement saying this operation showed her the strength of young people—was she talking about you?!]
Yu Xin: [I had guessed a little, but it seems even more outrageous than I imagined…]
Song Yi: [Sis, you’re my only sis! So awesome!]
Bao Qingsong: [Hehe, the “liaison police officer” mentioned in the statement—that’s my sister, right!]
Xie Xiangxue: [Hahahaha Yan Zhengqing, you’ve got your day too! What goes around comes around!]
Gu Qinghuan closed her eyes and decided it was better to eat breakfast first.
She stepped out of her bedroom. Gu Haiyan and Wang Jia’an were sitting on the sofa—one holding a tablet, the other staring at a phone—reading aloud as they watched.
Hearing movement, both of them looked up at the same time. “You’re up?”
Gu Qinghuan nodded. “I’m up. Is there anything to eat?”
“There’s scallion pancakes on the table. Heat them up in the microwave first,” Wang Jia’an said.
Gu Qinghuan heated the pancakes, came back, and sat on the sofa, munching while listening to what they were discussing.
After just a moment, she almost choked.
Why were they also talking about Jinding and the show?!
Gu Haiyan turned to her and sighed in relief. “Good thing the artist you worked with wasn’t from Jinding. I heard that the boy who performed with Lou Cheng got his bones broken by that drug addict.”
Wow. At home, Ye Weiyu had already been reduced to “that drug addict.”
Gu Qinghuan cleared her throat. “That boy is Bai Hanshan—I told you before, a senior in second year. He didn’t break any bones, they’re just not sure if there are other aftereffects, so Su Lin replaced him later.”
At the mention of Su Lin, Wang Jia’an perked up. “Right, right, Su Lin—that top student in your grade. Truly amazing! With such little time, she still performed so well.”
Gu Qinghuan tilted her chin up, full of pride. “Yes, she’s incredible! When she tutors us, she teaches really well too!”
That said, Gu Qinghuan secretly wiped a cold sweat: good, it seemed her parents hadn’t realized her involvement in the incident.
If the authorities heard that, they’d probably be speechless—“involved”? From beginning to end, which part did you not participate in?
After finishing the pancake, Gu Haiyan told her to go change clothes. They were going to her grandmother’s house for a meal.
Yesterday, because of filming, the family hadn’t been able to gather. Although Gu Min was happy watching Gu Qinghuan on TV, it still couldn’t compare to seeing her in person.
Gu Qinghuan paused.
Just in time—she also wanted to see Yu Wenxiu.
Yesterday, when Yu Yuan came to Class Three, Gu Qinghuan had already guessed from her expression that Cui Wanning’s so-called “surprise” wasn’t a good one.
But since it was Yu Yuan’s private matter, and there were so many classmates around, she hadn’t asked directly. She had also hoped Yu Yuan could temporarily put it aside, so she let it go for the moment.
Although she still didn’t know exactly what had happened, it was enough to tell that Yu Yuan had been treated badly and was currently upset.
It might be a bit like “taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability,” but Gu Qinghuan judged that this was the right moment to step in. Yu Yuan’s disappointment in the Yu family could better guide her toward thinking about what a real family should be.
When Gu Qinghuan’s family arrived at her grandmother’s house, they could already hear Gu Min’s voice through the door:
“Is Huanhuan here yet?”
“Grandma!” Gu Qinghuan responded loudly.
Gu Min opened the door with a cheerful “Ah!” and pulled Gu Qinghuan close, looking her up and down with a face full of smiles. “Our Huanhuan is on TV now! A little star!”
Gu Haiyan, who was completely ignored by her own mother: …Just spoil her as much as you want.
Yu Wenxiu was busy in the kitchen. The living room had the air conditioner on, so the glass sliding door to the kitchen was closed to keep out cooking fumes.
Gu Qinghuan quietly observed Yu Wenxiu, but couldn’t read anything from her expression.
Not long after, Yu Wenxiu suddenly put down the knife and hurried out to get the medical kit.
Gu Min looked over. “Oh dear, you cut your hand. Does it hurt?”
“It’s fine,” Yu Wenxiu smiled. “Just need a bandage.”
Seeing that the cut was quite large, Gu Min said, “Haiyan, help Wenxiu treat it. My hand’s almost healed anyway—I can still chop vegetables. Let Wenxiu rest for a bit.”
Wang Jia’an quickly stepped forward. “Mom, I’ll do it! I’ve learned quite a bit from my night classes lately—let me show you my knife skills!”
Gu Min glanced at him. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Grandma and Dad went into the kitchen. Gu Qinghuan brought over the medical kit, while Gu Haiyan pressed Yu Wenxiu onto the sofa and sat beside her to bandage the wound.
Unable to refuse, Yu Wenxiu let her do it, saying apologetically, “Sorry to trouble you.”
“What trouble is that?” Gu Haiyan said while cleaning the wound. “Cutting your hand is normal. Even machines make mistakes, let alone people. Don’t take it to heart.”
Yu Wenxiu gave a soft “mm,” but fell silent.
Gu Qinghuan didn’t speak, but she noticed that Yu Wenxiu seemed restless. In just a few minutes of bandaging, she had already shifted her feet several times.
It might be difficult for her to speak first.
After thinking it over, Gu Qinghuan decided to take the initiative.
“Aunt Yu, did you watch our school’s program yesterday?”
The moment she said this, Yu Wenxiu’s expression turned anxious. She grabbed Gu Haiyan’s hand, her face filled with distress.
“Haiyan…” Yu Wenxiu’s voice trembled slightly, “that girl who performed with your daughter yesterday—the one who acted so well—I… I feel like she…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence.
But from the strength of her grip, Gu Haiyan already understood what she meant.
“You suspect… that’s your daughter?” Gu Haiyan asked carefully.
Yu Wenxiu didn’t speak, only nodded vigorously. Her hair had come loose, and her back bent deeply. “She really looks like me when I was young… but… but…”
At first glance last night, she had already felt the resemblance. The more she watched, the more she suspected. After Gu Min went to bed, she even found the program again and rewatched it.
Yu Wenxiu didn’t know if she had simply been searching for her child for too long and lost her sense of judgment—but she felt that girl was her child.
And then… she retreated.
The Yu Yuan in the program looked so outstanding. Healthy, lively, serious, and hardworking in her performance.
Netizens affectionately called her “Yu Yuan,” like a soft and colorful dessert—sweet and lovable.
What mother wouldn’t like such a child? Her adoptive mother must love her very much.
For more than ten years, she hadn’t fulfilled any responsibility in raising her. To the child, she was nothing but a stranger.
Even if Yu Yuan really was her daughter… if she went to acknowledge her now, would the child be able to accept it?
