The girl who took Kouko away earlier came over to apologize.

She said she just saw Kouko wanting to eat fruit and gave him a piece, not expecting him to eat so much.

Qiao Wanqing said it was okay.

She took Kouko back to change his clothes.

Gu Yanqing also told everyone he’d be gone for a while and followed them.

They walked in silence.

If it weren’t for seeing Xia Yuchu, Qiao Wanqing wouldn’t have remembered those strange past events.

To her, it was just a memory, not an experience.

But now…

In the room, Qiao Wanqing took Kouko to wash his face and hands.

Gu Yanqing helped by handing her a towel.

Qiao Wanqing first wiped Kouko’s mouth and face clean.

She took the towel from Gu Yanqing to wipe Kouko’s face, but found that Gu Yanqing hadn’t let go.

“Let go,” Qiao Wanqing said.

“I’ll do it.”

Seeing Qiao Wanqing holding Kouko with one hand and wiping his face with the other, Gu Yanqing felt it was inconvenient and offered to help.

The atmosphere between them turned silent again.

Little Kouko was still concerned about the dirt on his hands and didn’t try to lighten the mood as usual.

“About the past…” After a long pause, Qiao Wanqing finally spoke, “I’m sorry.”

“Hmm?” Gu Yanqing seemed to think for a moment before remembering what she was talking about. “You don’t need to apologize for that.”

Just as Qiao Wanqing was thinking how open-minded Gu Yanqing was, she heard him say, “I know that wasn’t you.”

Qiao Wanqing, who was washing Kouko’s hands, froze and almost dropped him.

Leaning against the door, Gu Yanqing said calmly, “You said your mindset changed a lot after having a child, but I don’t believe someone’s nature can change that much. So, I looked into your past.”

Gu Yanqing explained, “I didn’t mean to investigate you. I just wanted to understand what you went through during your pregnancy that caused such a big change. Grandma Qiao told me that your personality suddenly changed a few days before giving birth, which made me suspicious.”

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

So, Grandma Qiao had her suspicions too

Her personality changed drastically.

She couldn’t pretend to be as vicious and greedy as the original Qiao Wanqing.

At first, she tried to act like her, but after Koko was born, most of her attention was on him.

She had to rest after childbirth and couldn’t focus on maintaining the original persona. Gradually, she forgot about it.

“I don’t know who you were before, but now that you’re Qiao Wanqing, you’re my fiancée.”

Gu Yanqing was so accepting.

If it were someone else, they would have been scared and sought out a Taoist priest or something!

And then, “Fiancée?”

Gu Yanqing nodded and took out a ring box from his pocket. He had picked it up earlier today.

Since he didn’t go back, he had it with him, and now it came in handy.

He smiled softly and said, “I planned to propose during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but it looks like I can’t wait.”

Qiao Wanqing’s eyes suddenly became warm.

She knew she was about to experience the most important and happiest moment of her life, but she asked, “Mr. Gu, are you sure you want to propose in the bathroom?”

Meanwhile, little Kouko, who had been secretly playing with water, saw his dad take out a beautiful ring box.

He immediately stopped playing and reached out toward Gu Yanqing.

“Give, give to Kouko, give to Kouko.” His hands were still dripping with water, which he shook off, splashing his parents.

“This is not a toy, be good.”

Qiao Wanqing washed his little red hands under the faucet and carried him out of the bathroom.

Gu Yanqing silently followed her.

She dressed Kouko in clean clothes, but she felt that Gu Yanqing was unusually quiet today.

“Maybe you should go downstairs first,” she suggested.

He was the boss and had been away too long.

Besides, the wine toasts weren’t finished.

“I’m dizzy,” Gu Yanqing said.

“…” He was drunk, wasn’t he?

Qiao Wanqing remembered that he had been drinking red wine during the toasts.

Red wine doesn’t feel strong while drinking, but its effects hit later.

More rest would only make it worse.

The toasts weren’t even halfway through. Qiao Wanqing worried he might pass out, so she pushed him gently, “You should go down first. I’ll come down after changing Koko. I’ll ask the hotel to prepare some hangover soup for you.”

Gu Yanqing didn’t move.

He looked at her with a hint of grievance and said, “You haven’t answered my proposal yet.”

“……”

“I’m very sad.”

“……” Qiao Wanqing saw that whenever he got drunk, his intelligence plummeted, making him just like Kouko.

Helplessly, she said, “I didn’t say no.”

Gu Yanqing’s eyes brightened.

He took out the ring box again and proposed properly.

After she nodded and agreed, he put the ring on her finger and kissed her forehead.

Kouko saw that his mom had a ring and he didn’t, so he got upset and refused to wear his clothes, looking extremely aggrieved.

In the end, Qiao Wanqing tore a red ribbon from one of the dress boxes and tied it around Kouko’s little finger.

Seeing that his was prettier and bigger than his mom’s, Kouko finally pouted with satisfaction.

The family of three had been dawdling in the room for only about 15 minutes.

When they went back down, Qiao Wanqing saw Gu Yanqing elegantly toasting with other executives again.

Having just succeeded in proposing, he looked even more spirited.

Qiao Wanqing: “……”

She felt that Gu Yanqing wasn’t as drunk as he seemed.

It was all a ploy! Definitely a ploy.

Qiao Wanqing touched the engagement ring on her hand and smiled helplessly.

It seemed that someone enjoyed tricking her.

Recently, they watched a movie where the female lead was a strong woman who helped her boss in his career and eventually ended up together.

Qiao Wanqing jokingly said he should find a strong woman like that, so they could conquer the world together.

Gu Yanqing pinched her nose and said he preferred someone a bit foolish, which earned him a beating.

Now, it seemed Gu Yanqing indeed liked someone who wasn’t as smart as the scheming characters in novels or dramas, someone easy to trick…

The banquet ended around 9 or 10 PM.

On the way home, Koko got sleepy, and Qiao Wanqing, tired from the “fast food” she and Gu Yanqing had at noon, also felt drowsy in the car.

“Yuchu said she wants to visit us this Saturday. What do you think?”

The genuinely drunk Gu Yanqing looked at his phone screen, showing his chat with Xia Yuchu.

Qiao Wanqing, who was almost asleep, instantly woke up.

Xia Yuchu had ill intentions.

After Gu Yanqing protected her today, Xia Yuchu was probably not happy.

“You decide.”

After all, she was his friend.

“Then I’ll refuse,” Gu Yanqing typed on his phone. “I’ll talk to her privately.”

“Okay.”

Refusing was best.

If Xia Yuchu came, it would be a storm.

Being a pregnant woman, Xia Yuchu had the upper hand, and Qiao Wanqing couldn’t argue.

The thought of it made her feel uneasy.

So, that matter was settled.

Life returned to normal.

Qiao Wanqing continued studying, Gu Yanqing continued working, and Koko continued being his silly self, making everyone laugh every day.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather started to cool down.

Qiao Wanqing’s training program lasted three months, and the first month quickly passed.

They began group studies, with a few people per group.

The training organization gave them a shell of a Taobao store, teaching them step-by-step how to run it and create best-selling products.

The items they sold were specified by the organization and were all agricultural products.

Chen Yu and Qiao Wanqing were in the same group.

Hearing that they had to return the store later, Chen Yu pouted and said, “No wonder they didn’t let us use our own stores. Clearly, they want to use our hands to run their store and create best-sellers, making a fortune off of it.”

“…” When Qiao Wanqing heard that the store would be taken back, she also felt it was suspicious.

However, she was there to learn skills and didn’t care too much about it.

She comforted Chen Yu, “But they also invest a lot in channels and order-boosting fees, right?”

“You think so? It’s funded by the government,” Chen Yu sighed. “It’s killing my motivation!”

Seeing Chen Yu’s frustration, Qiao Wanqing said, “Think about it, if we manage to create a best-seller, we’ll become key support targets. Then we can get startup funds and additional support. Once we know how to create best-sellers, we can do it again.”

“It’s not that easy to create a best-seller with agricultural products,” Chen Yu’s enthusiasm plummeted. “So frustrating!”

“…” The problem is, we haven’t created a best-seller yet.

Since being with Gu Yanqing, Qiao Wanqing’s enthusiasm for making money had waned.

Her mindset changed, focusing more on learning skills.

So when she heard they could start running their own store, she was enthusiastic and wasn’t affected by the store reclaiming issue.

It’s like preparing for a big event for a long time; the real test of their learning had arrived.

As a result, Gu Yanqing found it increasingly difficult to have alone time with his wife.

Qiao Wanqing often locked herself in the study, either editing pictures or working on product details.

When she did have some free time, she spent it bonding with their son.

Gu Yanqing began to question if supporting her Taobao endeavor was the right decision.

One day, Qiao Wanqing finished her work early, taking a bath and heading to bed by 10 PM.

Gu Yanqing also bathed early and went to bed.

However, their little rascal Kouko, who usually fell asleep before 10 PM and stayed asleep through loud noises, seemed to sense his parents were planning to do something unsuitable for children.

By 10:30 PM, he was still energetically playing with the biting shark toy Lort bought him.

Kouko was becoming braver. He liked to press one button while his mom pressed another to see who triggered the shark.

Kouko carefully pressed a button and quickly pulled his hand back.

Seeing the shark’s mouth didn’t close, he happily exclaimed, “Ah! Ah!” and urged Qiao Wanqing, “Mommy, mommy, your turn.”

Qiao Wanqing pressed a button, and the shark’s mouth stayed open.

She said, “It’s your turn, baby.”

Kouko giggled and carefully pressed another button, quickly pulling his hand back again when the shark didn’t bite.

His eyes sparkled with excitement, and he urged, “Mommy, mommy, again!”

Gu Yanqing, watching this scene, couldn’t help but feel a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

He sighed inwardly, realizing that with Kouko’s boundless energy, having some alone time with his wife would have to wait.

Kouko’s expression suddenly became serious.

He tilted his little head, thinking for a long time before finally pressing the button in the farthest corner.

The biting shark immediately snapped its mouth shut with a “snap.”

Even though they’d played this game countless times, it still managed to startle him.

Kouko stared wide-eyed for three seconds, then let out a joyful scream, jumping up and down.

He didn’t even know why he was so happy.

Once his excitement subsided, he handed the shark to Qiao Wanqing, “Mommy, open~”

Qiao Wanqing knew what Gu Yanqing wanted.

She glanced at him, seeing his dark expression, and felt both amused and a bit sympathetic.

She patted Kouko’s head, “It’s late, baby. How about we go to sleep?”

“No~” Kouko refused.

Gu Yanqing, already annoyed, grew even more irritated when he saw the shark toy that had become a “rival.”

He picked up Kouko, “No more playing. It’s time to sleep. Be good.”

“But Kouko wants to play~” Kouko tried to wriggle out of his arms.

“Be good. Sleep now, and I’ll take you to play tomorrow.”

Kouko’s eyes lit up at the mention of playing tomorrow.

He looked at Gu Yanqing, trying to determine if he was serious.

“Really. But you have to sleep now, or you won’t be able to wake up tomorrow, and we won’t go to play.”

Qiao Wanqing thought it wasn’t the weekend tomorrow.

Gu Yanqing probably intended to take a day off for some reason and take their son out to play.

She sighed, put away the toy, and waited on the bed for Gu Yanqing to put Kouko to sleep.

Kouko, trusting his dad’s promise, obediently closed his eyes.

Soon, his breathing became steady.

Gu Yanqing gently placed him in the small bed next to theirs.

To make things easier, they had bought a small bed for Kouko.

After they finished their “business,” they would move him back to their bed.

This setup made things much more convenient.

Once Kouko was settled, Gu Yanqing sighed in relief.

He walked over to the bed and saw Qiao Wanqing smiling at him. He leaned down to kiss her.

Just as their lips met, they heard Kouko’s little voice from behind, “Daddy, don’t, don’t lie to Koko.”

Startled, they pulled apart and turned to see Kouko standing on his small bed, his eyes bright and watchful.