Fortunately, the snow in City X was quite substantial.

The next morning, everything outside was covered in a thick layer of snow, about 20-30 centimeters deep, making it perfect for building a snowman.

Kouko finally got to build his long-desired snowman and was very happy.

Recently, everywhere was experiencing cold weather.

Qiao Wanqing and her group were originally supposed to head back in the afternoon, but the snow had caused flight cancellations, trapping them here.

Her home was also experiencing heavy snow, so her restaurant’s business had stopped, and deliveries couldn’t be made due to the unplowed roads.

Therefore, she wasn’t in a hurry to return.

Gu Yanqing mentioned that there was a party in the evening and invited her along to meet an important person.

Curious about who this important person was, Qiao Wanqing asked, but Gu Yanqing remained vague, only increasing her curiosity about who could be so significant.

Despite the cold, Qiao Wanqing had to wear a beautiful dress for the party.

Once she put on the thin, flowing dress, she felt very cold.

“Are you cold?” Gu Yanqing asked as they were on their way to the party.

Although the car was warm, the winter outside was harsh.

Qiao Wanqing was well-dressed on top in a thick down jacket, but she was wearing high heels and no socks on the bottom.

“It’s okay, just a bit chilly mentally.”

Gu Yanqing reached into a small bag and pulled out several ultra-thin heat packs, saying, “Do you want to use these?”

Qiao Wanqing laughed at the sight of the heat packs. “How do you have these?”

“It’s useful to stick a few on in formal settings to stay warm.”

Both City X and City C lacked central heating.

Gu Yanqing often attended meetings and found that wearing thermal underwear and a suit wasn’t always sufficient for warmth.

Experienced people would use heat packs to stay warm.

So, Gu Yanqing always keeps heat packs in his car.

He applied two heat packs to Qiao Wanqing’s feet and told her, “You can peel them off later. Aren’t I clever?”

“Not at all like a domineering CEO,” Qiao Wanqing replied.

“Hmm, I’m a domineering chairman.”

Qiao Wanqing: “……”

When they arrived at the venue, Qiao Wanqing was holding Gu Yanqing’s arm.

As soon as they stepped out of the car, the cold was so intense she felt like she wanted to shrink into herself.

Luckily, it was only a short walk to the venue, where it was warm and comfortable inside.

They were a bit late, and by the time they arrived, the venue was already buzzing with activity.

Gu Yanqing, being a prominent figure in the city, caused quite a stir when he arrived.

Many people came over to greet them, and Gu Yanqing handled it with ease while introducing Qiao Wanqing to everyone.

Qiao Wanqing took a quick look around and was surprised to see many familiar faces—some big names, popular stars, and even some well-known directors.

She recognized them from following social media.

It seemed like a star-studded event.

“Mr. Gu.”

Just after finishing with a group of people, Qiao Wanqing heard a clear female voice.

A graceful woman holding a glass walked over to them.

！！！

Qiao Wanqing recognized her immediately. The woman was Wu Manni, a top actress who had become very popular over the summer with her role in a historical drama.

The star smiled charmingly and raised her glass, saying, “Long time no see.”

“Long time no see, Manni.” Gu Yanqing clinked glasses with her and introduced her, “This is my fiancée, Qiao Wanqing.”

Wu Manni looked Qiao Wanqing up and down without any pretense, making Qiao Wanqing feel a bit uncomfortable.

Then, with a light laugh, Wu Manni said, “Are you trying to get into Huang’s circle? You wouldn’t want your future Mrs. Gu to debut, would you? Because if that’s the case, I wouldn’t agree. It would just set up an unnecessary competitor for myself.”

Hmm?

Did Wu Manni mean that if Qiao Wanqing debuted, it would create competition for her, implying that she would be a big deal?

Gu Yanqing said, “It’s been a long time, and you’re still as humorous as ever.”

“It’s been a long time, but you’ve changed.”

Qiao Wanqing: “……”

Why did she sense a hint of rivalry in the air?

So the prominent figure Gu Yanqing introduced was actually this potential rival star?

Gu Yanqing must not have considered the potential drama here.

Just then, there was a bit of commotion at the entrance, which provided some relief from the slightly tense atmosphere.

Wu Manni glanced toward the door and said, “They’re here.”

Qiao Wanqing followed her gaze and saw a short, plump man in his 40s walk in, accompanied by a tall, slender young woman, who was also a star.

The contrast made the man look even shorter and chubbier.

“Huang, is it?” Gu Yanqing asked.

Wu Manni nodded slightly, “Yes, let’s go over.”

Wu Manni was quite a notable figure in this context.

As she approached, the crowd of admirers around Huang naturally parted.

Huang, seeing her, said, “Oh, Manni, you’re here so early.”

“I wouldn’t dare be late compared to someone as important as you. If I was behind you, the headlines tomorrow would read ‘XXX is acting like a diva’,” Wu Manni replied with a smile.

Huang laughed, “You think too much.”

“Mister Huang, let me introduce my friends. This is Gu Yanqing, the eldest son of the Gu family, and this is his fiancée, Miss Qiao.”

“Gu Yanqing? It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Huang said, his face showing a moment of surprise before becoming more humble. “I’ve heard much about you, and today it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“I’ve long admired Mr. Huang’s reputation; it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Gu Yanqing said with a calm demeanor, though his attitude was noticeably warmer than usual.

Mr. Huang glanced at Qiao Wanqing, his eyes lighting up, and said, “Mr. Gu is so charming, and Mrs. Gu is as beautiful as a fish in water. You’re truly a life winner, as people say.”

Qiao Wanqing smiled politely and replied, “Mr. Huang, you flatter me.”

Mr. Huang was just being courteous, and quickly turned his attention back to Gu Yanqing, clearly eager to get to know him.

Gu Yanqing was equally interested.

Although they didn’t know each other, their conversation flowed easily as if they were old friends.

Qiao Wanqing listened to them chat for a while and felt a bit confused.

By the end of the event, Qiao Wanqing felt her presence was meaningless—she had barely made an impact.

The so-called big shots, aside from Wu Manni, were all unrelated to her.

Was it all just a setup for the earlier mentioned popular gift for Jiang Yi?

“Mr. Gu.”

As the event was winding down and they were preparing to leave, they heard Wu Manni’s voice.

She approached with a small bag and handed it to Gu Yanqing, saying, “This is the handmade soap I owe you.”

Gu Yanqing accepted it and said, “Thank you.”

Wu Manni’s eyes flickered, as if she wanted to say something more, but in the end, she just said goodbye.

The two got back into the car.

Qiao Wanqing wrapped herself in her coat and noticed Gu Yanqing carefully placing the bag of handmade soap in the empty front seat.

With a hint of jealousy she wasn’t fully aware of, she commented, “Old flames, huh?”

Gu Yanqing had never seen Qiao Wanqing feel jealous before.

He was the type of man who was always proper and well-behaved, never flirting with anyone except for Miss Tan.

He had no other romantic entanglements.

Now, hearing Qiao Wanqing ask in such a jealous tone, he didn’t rush to explain. Instead, he said slowly, “Not really, just an old friend.”

That’s good, Qiao Wanqing thought to herself, feeling relieved.

But before she could be happy, she heard Gu Yanqing say, “We tried dating, but it didn’t feel right.”

Qiao Wanqing: “……”

So, technically, he was still a sort-of ex.

Feeling her jealousy rise, Qiao Wanqing couldn’t help but be a bit sharp with her words: “So, when you said you’d introduce me to an important person, you meant your ex?”

Gu Yanqing chuckled: “If I said yes, would I get beaten up?”

Gu Yanqing then took out a warm patch and placed it on her feet as usual.

The warmth spread up from her feet, making Qiao Wanqing feel a bit more comfortable.

She said, “Maybe you’d still get a chance to breathe.”

Gu Yanqing, enjoying his wife’s jealousy, felt quite pleased.

He explained that while he and Wu Manni had once thought they were a good match and had tried dating, it was similar to how Qi Xing and Tang Yueyue were earlier.

But Gu Yanqing realized that being a good match didn’t matter if there were no feelings involved.

He had no feelings for Wu Manni, so their brief relationship ended without making any waves.

However, Wu Manni did have feelings for him and even pursued him for a while.

But at that time, her career was just starting, and she didn’t have much time to invest in a relationship, so it eventually fizzled out.

So calling it an ex is a bit of a stretch, but Gu Yanqing couldn’t resist teasing Qiao Wanqing: “I’m already yours, and you’re still hung up on the past?”

“Hmph.” Qiao Wanqing huffed a few times but didn’t say anything.

Actually, people with high emotional intelligence would usually act like they’re not bothered by such things, but Qiao Wanqing found it really hard to do that and was feeling quite upset inside.

Gu Yanqing reached out to embrace Qiao Wanqing, but she avoided him.

Gu Yanqing ended up hugging thin air, sighed, and said, “Sigh, I sold myself short to help my wife by contacting an ex, but she’s not appreciative. I’m so heartbroken.”

Qiao Wanqing, who felt unjustly accused: “……”

“What did I ask you to do?”

“Aren’t you trying to get Jiang Yi into the reality show ‘Let’s Rush Together’ that starts filming next year? That Mr. Huang you met just now is from the production company of that show. I don’t have a direct way to meet Mr. Huang, so I had to use indirect methods. But you… sigh, it’s so disheartening.”

Qiao Wanqing: “……”

She had vaguely guessed that it was related to Jiang Yi, but just now… cough, Qiao Wanqing said, “You didn’t tell me in advance, how was I supposed to know!”

“I did tell you.”

“Where did you say that? You said you were going to introduce me to an important person.”

“Isn’t Mr. Huang an important person?”

“What kind of introduction is that!”

“Our goal was to meet important people, wasn’t it?”

“……” This logic… actually makes sense.

Qiao Wanqing realized she couldn’t compete with Gu Yanqing’s intelligence and was thoroughly outmatched.

She decided to ignore him.

Gu Yanqing persisted, “Koukou admits mistakes whenever he makes them. Ms. Qiao, what about you?”

Qiao Wanqing replied, “…What do you want?”

Gu Yanqing whispered something in her ear.

Qiao Wanqing’s ears immediately turned red, and she pushed him away, exclaiming, “Get lost!”

…

By the time they went home, it was already 10 PM. Koukou, who had never seen snow before, had spent the whole day playing and was exhausted by evening.

He fell asleep early.

Qiao Wanqing first checked on him in his room.

Yuanyuan was still at home, so their driver would likely take him to kindergarten the next day.

The two little ones were snuggled together under the same blanket, looking like real brothers.

Even while sleeping, they puckered their lips in the same way.

Qiao Wanqing couldn’t help but lean in and kiss each of them.

They both stirred and grumbled in response, and she finally covered them up with the blanket.

Her little treasures.

After covering them up, Qiao Wanqing took their clothes from the side and placed them by the heater to warm them up, so they wouldn’t be cold when they woke up.

As she folded and placed the clothes, she noticed Koukou’s jacket had a small wet spot on the pocket.

It was unclear where it got wet, and he hadn’t noticed it.

She tossed the jacket into the laundry basket in the bathroom and got another jacket for him to warm by the heater.

That night, because of the “old flame” incident, she was “punished” by Gu Yanqing for half the night.

The next morning, she didn’t want to move, and her hands still bore the marks from being held tightly.

What a weirdo!

Qiao Wanqing thought to herself but couldn’t help smiling.

Gu Yanqing had already gotten up and was dressing the two awake little ones.

Just as she was about to turn over and get some more sleep, she was awakened by Koukou’s loud protests.

“No, Koukou doesn’t want to wear this one!”

Gu Yanqing was trying to get Kouko dressed.

Most of the clothes were already on, but Kouko refused to wear the outer coat.

“So, what does my little treasure want to wear?” Gu Yanqing asked him.

“The one for tomorrow.”

This silly kid couldn’t distinguish between yesterday and tomorrow.

What he meant by “tomorrow” was actually “yesterday.”

“What did you wear yesterday?”

Qiao Wanqing, barely opening her eyes and speaking hoarsely, said, “The coat from yesterday got its pocket wet. I’ve already washed it. Why insist on wearing that one?”

The only reason Kouko might want to wear the coat from yesterday was that he had hidden snacks in the pocket.

But Qiao Wanqing had checked thoroughly and found nothing.

“Snowman,” Kouko said. “In the pocket, snowman.”

Qiao Wanqing: “……”

So, the reason his pocket got wet was because he had a snowman in it?