Chapter 171: Utter Chaos
The New Year holiday ended quickly. Back at school, Gu Qinghuan was still troubled over Yu Yuan’s reunion with Yu Wenxiu, as well as the task rewards for Xie Xiangxue and Bao Qingsong.
Qin Yue had spent the past two days intensely following gossip online and was excitedly planning to discuss it with everyone. Seeing Gu Qinghuan frowning, he couldn’t help but ask, “The plan succeeded—why aren’t you happy?”
Gu Qinghuan cupped her cheeks with both hands, lifting them slightly to force out a smile.
Qin Yue burst out laughing. “What’s going on?”
After thinking for a moment, Gu Qinghuan asked, “Does your family have those kind of business marriage arrangements like in novels?”
“No,” Qin Yue replied. “My parents were in a free relationship. My mom even said, instead of tying interests through marriage, it’s better to hire a lawyer and draft a contract for notarization.”
Gu Qinghuan glanced at him sideways. “Your mom is really clear-headed.”
Qin Yue lifted his chin proudly. “Of course, my mom is amazing.”
Just then, Jiang Chuchu walked in and saw his smug expression. “What are you so proud of this early in the morning?”
“The class monitor asked me about business marriages,” Qin Yue replied.
“Business marriage?” Jiang Chuchu thought for a moment. “Now that you mention it, a few years ago someone approached my dad, wanting to introduce his daughter to my brother.”
Gu Qinghuan grew curious. “A few years ago… was your brother even an adult yet?”
“Just turned eighteen. That’s exactly why people came after his coming-of-age ceremony,” Jiang Chuchu shrugged. “They said it was just to get to know each other, so my dad couldn’t refuse. Later, they hosted a few banquets and invited my brother.”
“And then?” Gu Qinghuan and Qin Yue leaned in eagerly.
“The first two times were fine. The third time, my brother absolutely refused to go. He said during the first meeting, the girl’s perfume was too strong, so he tried to keep his distance—but she leaned closer. If he hadn’t turned his head in time, he would’ve spit right in her face,” Jiang Chuchu said, clearly exasperated.
“What happened the second time?” Gu Qinghuan asked, holding back laughter.
“The second time she changed perfume, so it wasn’t irritating anymore. But it was an outdoor barbecue. My brother loves grilled garlic—he tried to restrain himself, but the seasoning was too fragrant. He ended up eating five skewers in one go and completely scared her off with the smell,” Jiang Chuchu spread her hands.
Qin Yue collapsed onto the desk laughing.
Gu Qinghuan widened her eyes. “Grilled garlic is delicious!”
When roasted long enough, garlic becomes soft and creamy, losing its sharp bite, almost like steamed potatoes. Add barbecue seasoning—it’s irresistible.
“It makes your farts stink like crazy,” Jiang Chuchu pressed her forehead.
Gu Qinghuan stared at the ceiling. That… was hard to argue against.
Jiang Chuchu concluded, “Anyway, it all fell through. My dad said if my brother wants to date in the future, he can find someone himself.”
Then she remembered. “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
“Mm… there’s a small reason,” Gu Qinghuan said vaguely. “Let’s talk about it at lunch.”
This “we” clearly included Yu Xin.
Jiang Chuchu nodded. If Gu Qinghuan said so, she would wait.
After Yu Xin arrived, Gu Qinghuan spoke to her privately and asked if she could invite Yu Yuan to lunch.
Yu Xin knew it was about the engagement and directly went to ask. After two class periods, Yu Yuan finally replied with a simple “okay.”
At noon, Yu Yuan didn’t eat with Lin Xiaoxue. The Yan family was under investigation, and Yan Zhengqing hadn’t even come to school.
Lin Xiaoxue was extremely anxious. After holding it in all morning, she finally couldn’t take it anymore and skipped school to look for him.
Class Twelve was also buzzing with discussion about the Yan family. Ever since Yang Xiao and the others had reported Shen Mingzhe, the four of them had become very quiet and low-profile.
Although Yan Zhengqing hadn’t said anything, he had clearly grown distant from them and even taken in two new followers.
Now that the Yan family was on the verge of collapse, those two quickly distanced themselves from him. Meanwhile, other students commented about Yang Xiao’s group: “Good thing they cut ties with Yan Zhengqing early.”
In such an environment, no one noticed that Yu Yuan went to lunch with Gu Qinghuan and the others.
Even if they had, no one would think much of it. During the program filming, Yu Yuan and Gu Qinghuan had gotten along well, and with Yu Xin as her sister, eating together was perfectly normal.
Seeing Yu Yuan again after a day, Gu Qinghuan immediately noticed the dark circles under her eyes—she clearly hadn’t rested well.
Yu Xin knew Yu Yuan was in a bad mood, but as a fellow member of the Yu family, it was hard for her to speak.
If business marriage was a bad thing, Yu Yuan might feel even more like an unloved “fake daughter.”
If it was a good thing, Yu Xin worried that bringing it up might make Yu Yuan think she was jealous.
Gu Qinghuan’s willingness to step in was a great relief.
“Yu Yuan, what do you want to eat for lunch?” Gu Qinghuan asked.
Yu Yuan forced a smile. “Anything is fine.”
“How about something spicy?” Gu Qinghuan remembered how she had eaten mala tang enthusiastically the other night.
Yu Yuan paused, then seemed slightly more alert. “Okay.”
The four of them discussed briefly and decided on mala xiang guo. Since their spice tolerance differed, each ordered separately.
They didn’t eat in the cafeteria but brought the food to Gu Qinghuan’s office.
The weather was nice. The calico cat was lounging on the windowsill, basking in the sun. Seeing the four of them, it didn’t even bother to move—they were all familiar faces.
Gu Qinghuan first cleaned the litter box and refilled the food. Yu Xin helped open the windows and rearranged items moved during filming.
Jiang Chuchu was about to unpack the food when she noticed Yu Yuan standing awkwardly. She pulled her along. “Sit wherever you want and put your portion there. Follow me—open the packaging. They’ll eat once they’re done.”
Yu Yuan, who had never done housework at home, fumbled a bit but managed.
After washing their hands, Gu Qinghuan and Yu Xin returned to find everything ready. “Thanks!”
“No need to thank me,” Jiang Chuchu waved it off. “Hurry and eat before it gets cold.”
Yu Yuan felt a bit uncomfortable hearing thanks but sat down as well.
The mala xiang guo was even better than she expected. Every ingredient was something she had chosen herself—various hotpot balls she never saw at home, cooked and mixed with seasoning, spicy and fragrant with rice.
Her lips turned red from the spice, but her mood gradually relaxed.
She actually knew why they had invited her. That night, Gu Qinghuan had already noticed something was wrong, but didn’t say anything.
Yu Xin must have told her about the engagement.
But since it was Gu Qinghuan, Yu Yuan didn’t feel resistant. She knew Gu Qinghuan wouldn’t treat it as gossip.
And if Yu Xin told her, it must be because she was worried and wanted help figuring out what to do.
After lunch, the four of them fell silent, looking at each other. Gu Qinghuan was the first to stand and clap her hands.
“Close the doors and windows! Time to talk business!”
Jiang Chuchu had been waiting for this. She quickly shut the door and locked it, while Yu Xin closed the windows.
Gu Qinghuan took charge. “First, Yu Yuan—are you okay with Chuchu being involved?”
“Yes,” Yu Yuan nodded, then looked at Jiang Chuchu. “I think you might be able to give better advice.”
Jiang Chuchu looked at Gu Qinghuan, her eyes asking: what’s going on?
Gu Qinghuan took a deep breath and said seriously, “The Yu family arranged an engagement for Yu Yuan—with Wei Xiao from the Wei family. He’ll transfer to Mingde next semester.”
“According to information from Senior Bai, the Wei family is currently very influential and capable.”
Jiang Chuchu looked shocked. Gu Qinghuan thought she was reacting to the engagement—but the next second, her words left the other three completely stunned.
“But Wei Xiao is an illegitimate child! Even though Wei Yan only brought him and his mother back after divorcing his first wife, I heard Wei Xiao and the first wife’s daughter are only a few months apart. That’s definitely an affair during marriage plus an illegitimate child!”
