“You go take a shower first,” Gu Yanqing said to Qiao Wanqing. “I’ll look after the kids.”

Sometimes, when the two children get into a tangle, they don’t even get their baths, so it’s best to take advantage of the times when they’re behaving well.

Qiao Wanqing nodded and went to the bedroom.

Koukou was lying on the floor, his little bottom in the air, drawing with colored markers.

At just over three years old and having just started kindergarten, he could only draw some squiggly lines that he called “people,” “sun,” and “trees.”

What these drawings actually represented was only known to him.

Zhenzhen was sitting next to him.

Initially, she was playing with her own toys, but when she saw Koukou using the colored markers, she decided to sneak one from his pencil case.

Not yet understanding how to open the marker cap, Zhenzhen tried to draw on the playmat.

Her attempts didn’t look like her brother’s drawings, and she got a little frustrated.

She crawled over to Koukou, grabbed his arm, and lifted the marker, making sounds like “ah, ah” to get his attention.

Seeing her with the marker, Koukou said, “You’re not allowed to use the markers. They’ll get your hands dirty.”

“Ah~” Zhenzhen pouted and tried to insist.

Koukou, with a serious older brother’s tone, said, “If big brother says no, then it’s no.”

Zhenzhen pouted, clearly upset.

Koukou reached out and touched her little face, saying, “Being angry won’t help you grow up or get taller.”

“……”

Zhenzhen wasn’t at an age where she could understand reason.

Her brother’s teasing made her feel instantly distressed, on the verge of tears.

The housekeeper, seeing this, hurried over to pick her up, but Gu Yanqing, who had just come out, said, “I’ll handle it.”

Uncle Qing saw that the two of them had finished talking and said, “I’ll get back to work. Call me if you need anything.”

Gu Yanqing nodded, walked over, and scooped Zhenzhen into his arms.

He kissed her little face and asked, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Koukou, relieved that the little troublemaker had been taken away, continued drawing on the ground.

Zhenzhen pointed at Koukou and babbled, “Pa, pa~”

Gu Yanqing didn’t understand her, “What’s up with your brother? Do you want what he’s holding?”

When the two kids were together, they often fought over things.

Even though they made sure to buy two of everything, conflicts still arose, like over Koukou’s alphabet book or learning tablet, which Zhenzhen didn’t understand but wanted just because Koukou had them.

Zhenzhen shook her head.

Her brother wouldn’t let her take the caps off the colored pens and told her she wouldn’t grow up if she got angry about it.

But Zhenzhen couldn’t speak yet, so she couldn’t express all this.

She babbled a few sounds only she understood and then, frustrated, lay in her dad’s arms, chewing on his shoulder, drooling all over him.

Gu Yanqing helplessly wiped her drool with a tissue.

Koukou looked up, saw this, and teased, “Little dirty girl, Gu Zhenzhen.”

Feeling wronged, Zhenzhen burrowed deeper into her dad’s arms.

Gu Yanqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He had always thought that with Koukou being so much like him, he would become protective of his sister once she was born.

But that wasn’t the case. Koukou still acted like he needed everyone’s attention, while Zhenzhen seemed to be developing a strong attachment to her brother, wanting to play with him every day.

Just as Gu Yanqing was about to tell Koukou that he was just as messy when he was younger, Koukou got up from the ground and walked over to them.

He took a sticker from his pocket, held it up to Zhenzhen, and said, “Don’t be mad, sister. I’ll give you a sticker. Only good kids get this, a little red flower!”

When Zhenzhen heard this, she instantly perked up and looked eagerly at the little red flower in Koukou’s hand, clearly wanting it.

Koukou tore a red flower sticker from the sheet and said to Zhenzhen, “Put out your hand.”

Zhenzhen obediently extended her little, soft hand.

Koukou placed the sticker on her hand and gave it a couple of pats, saying, “Now Zhenzhen is a good girl!”

Hearing this, Zhenzhen looked at her hand with delight and proudly showed it to Gu Yanqing, expressing her joy.

“Zhenzhen is great,” Gu Yanqing said, giving her hand a kiss and praising her.

Zhenzhen smiled happily, forgetting her earlier unhappiness, and began to examine the little flower on her hand.

Seeing Koukou seriously convincing his sister, Gu Yanqing joked, “Is Zhenzhen being good, or are you being good?”

Koukou, seemingly prepared, proudly raised his two little hands and said, “I have two!”

Gu Yanqing: “……”

Zhenzhen raised her other hand and saw there was no flower on it, while Koukou had two.

She held up her empty hand towards Koukou, indicating she also wanted one.

Koukou, with a serious tone, said, “No, you’re not very good yet, so you can only have one. When you’re better, I’ll give you another one.”

Zhenzhen seemed to understand a little but chose to listen to her brother anyway.

Whatever her brother said, she would follow.

Gu Yanqing looked at Koukou with newfound respect.

This kid might seem silly, but when it came to convincing others, he was quite like him.

Since the summit speech was settled, Qiao Wanqing felt relieved.

Gu Yanqing advised her to familiarize herself with the speech and PowerPoint presentation, practice several times, and make them her own, so it wouldn’t feel like she was just reading from a script.

There were nearly two months left to prepare for the summit, so there was no rush, and she didn’t need to worry too much.

Recently, Qiao Wanqing relearned her long-lost driving skills.

Initially, she would tremble and feel nervous when driving, but now she dared to drive alone.

Gu Yanqing planned to give her a car. Coincidentally, there was a car show in their city on Saturday, so he decided to take Qiao Wanqing to see it and buy a car if they found one they liked.

Koukou and Zhenzhen were excited when they heard they were going out.

They woke up early, clamoring for their parents to get them dressed.

Usually, Koukou led the way, and his confused little sister followed him.

The two of them could be quite a handful.

Ever since having children, sleeping in had become a luxury.

The kids had great sleep schedules, going to bed early and waking up early, usually around six or seven in the morning.

Once they woke up, they would start making noise, demanding to get up, disturbing their still-sleeping parents.

With two kids, it was even more chaotic.

No matter how lazy or tired you were, they had ways to wake you up, and you couldn’t hit or scold them, making it particularly exhausting.

Qiao Wanqing dressed the younger Zhenzhen first.

Since they were going out, she dressed her in a light pink cheongsam-style dress with a butterfly headband, making her look cute and stylish.

“That looks so beautiful,” Qiao Wanqing praised, “Just like a pretty little princess living in a castle. You look amazing.”

Zhenzhen was thrilled by Qiao Wanqing’s compliment.

She eagerly tugged at her brother Koukou, who was getting dressed, wanting him to see.

“It’s beautiful. Zhenzhen is the most beautiful,” Koukou said, rarely giving her such praise.

Zhenzhen smiled with delight, as if she had just received her favorite candy.

Gu Yanqing, feeling a bit left out, pinched his daughter’s little face and said, “Daddy is so good to you, yet you never share with Daddy first, hmm?”

Qiao Wanqing, seeing this, gently swatted his hand away and rubbed Zhenzhen’s reddened cheek. “Are you jealous?”

“I’m hurt.”

“Isn’t it jealousy?”

“……” Gu Yanqing was indeed envious of his son’s place in Zhenzhen’s heart.

Once Koukou had finished putting on his underwear, he stood there with his little hands covering his chest, not wanting anyone to see.

Gu Yanqing handed him his clothes and noticed that Zhenzhen, clumsily copying her brother’s gesture, was also covering herself.

Amused, he said, “You’re not a girl. Why are you covering up so tightly?”

“I’m shy,” Koukou replied with righteous indignation.

Gu Yanqing suddenly recalled his own childhood desire to wear a dress and asked, “Would you like to wear a dress like your sister?”

Qiao Wanqing said, “…Don’t say that, or he might really want it.”

She still remembered Koukou crying for a dress when he was younger.

Koukou shouted, “No, only girls wear that.”

Oh, he knows now.

Gu Yanqing raised an eyebrow. “You loved wearing dresses when you were little. Don’t you remember? Should Daddy find some pictures of you in dresses?”

Koukou shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum. “No, no, no!”

Zhenzhen mimicked him, shaking her head and making “puh puh puh” sounds, spitting saliva everywhere.

“I don’t want Daddy to dress me.” Koukou thought his dad had too much dirt on him and refused to play along.

Qiao Wanqing took a tissue to wipe Zhenzhen’s drool and told Gu Yanqing, “Stop teasing him.”

Koukou was at an age where he cared a lot about his image and dreaded those embarrassing memories.

Gu Yanqing suppressed a laugh, thinking, “You’ve got a taste of your own medicine, kid.”

After getting dressed, washing up, and having breakfast, the family set off.

Since Zhenzhen couldn’t walk yet, they brought the stroller.

The family of four made a grand appearance as they headed to the car show.

The car show was crowded, with various luxury brands showcasing their cars.

Beautiful models posed in front of the cars, and many people took photos with their phones.

Their guide led them around the different booths, introducing the cars to them.

Gu Yanqing knew a lot about cars, understanding the pros and cons of each model and engaging in discussions with the representatives.

Qiao Wanqing didn’t know much about cars or their performance features, so she focused on watching the kids.

Zhenzhen was fine in the baby walker, not causing much trouble.

The main issue was Koukou.

He couldn’t stay still in front of the exhibit.

Whenever the staff were introducing things, he was eager to wander off to other places.

Qiao Wanqing was worried he might get lost, so she wouldn’t let him explore, which made him unhappy.

“I’ll take Koukou and Zhenzhen to look around. You stay here and check out the booths. Call me if you find anything interesting,” Qiao Wanqing said quietly to Gu Yanqing as they moved to the next exhibit. “The kids can’t sit still.”

“Alright, be careful. Call me if you need anything,” Gu Yanqing replied.

Qiao Wanqing nodded.

At the car show, there were both high-end and regular cars.

They were browsing the more prestigious brands, but Koukou insisted on going to where the crowd was.

So, Qiao Wanqing pushed Zhenzhen’s stroller and took Koukou over to that area.

“Mommy, look at that lady with the mask,” Koukou said, tugging at Qiao Wanqing’s skirt and pointing.

Following his gaze, Qiao Wanqing saw a model at a booth wearing a mask that covered most of her face, revealing only part of her chin and a well-defined red lip.

The model was tall and slender, wearing a short skirt that showed off her long legs and ample bust.

Many people were taking photos, and she seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable, slightly turning her face away.

Qiao Wanqing thought she looked a bit familiar.

“Hey, does that masked model look a bit like Jiang Yi?” she overheard a man and a woman discussing nearby.

“Jiang Yi? Who’s that?”

“You know, the one who was very popular with ‘Let’s Rush Together’ last year, and then got exposed as a mistress.”

“Oh, that’s her? Even if she’s fallen from grace, she wouldn’t be a car model, would she?”

“Yeah, I guess. Let’s go take a photo anyway.”

Jiang Yi? With this hint, Qiao Wanqing took another look at the model.

It did look very similar.

After Jiang Yi was exposed for being a mistress last year, her attempts to clear her name were unsuccessful, and she vanished from the public eye.

There hadn’t been any news about her online, leading many to speculate whether she had been blacklisted or banned.

Qiao Wanqing, being an “insider,” knew the reasons behind the situation.

Gu Yanze had faced pressure from his family, Chu Shishi, and her family, as well as public opinion.

The negative impact of the news about his affair caused his company’s stock to plummet.

The multiple pressures left him at a loss, and he was quite downtrodden for a while.

He was a ruthless person and, in this situation, he quickly severed ties with Jiang Yi, trying to salvage something.

So, the so-called true love was a lie.

When faced with real tests, it was worthless.

However, the situation had already turned against him.

Gu Yanze failed to turn things around, lost his divorce case miserably, and ended up with neither his career nor his family, becoming utterly destitute.

After the divorce, Chu Shishi seemed much more spirited.

She won custody of Yuanyuan and often brought Yuanyuan to City C to play with Koukou and the others.

As for Jiang Yi, after parting ways with Gu Yanze, Qiao Wanqing lost track of her.

She knew that Jiang Yi couldn’t be doing well.

Regardless of whether she was Jiang Yi or not, Qiao Wanqing didn’t care anymore.

She took Koukou and Zhenzhen to wander around elsewhere.

Then she received a call from Gu Yanqing, saying he had found a nice car and asked her to come try it out.

In the end, Qiao Wanqing chose a very low-key car.

Unlike Gu Yanqing, she didn’t need to maintain an image.

Driving a flashy car wasn’t suitable for her.

As a rural entrepreneur, driving an extravagant car might attract attention from busybodies who could post it online, accusing her of showing off.

Public opinion could be terrifying.

As they were leaving, it seemed like something was happening at the car show.

It was quite chaotic inside, but since Zhenzhen needed a diaper change and a clean-up, they didn’t stay to find out what was going on.

In the afternoon, Qiao Wanqing received a browser notification on her phone.

It was about Jiang Yi. Her heart skipped a beat as she opened it.

The headline read, “Former Internet Sensation Jiang Yi Now a Car Model: How the Mighty Have Fallen.”

Sure enough, Qiao Wanqing clicked in and saw the same masked car model she had seen in the morning.

It really was Jiang Yi.

It was clear that Jiang Yi had fallen on hard times.

Qiao Wanqing remembered that at car shows, the earnings were only a few thousand a month, and it was exhausting to stand all day long.

In contrast, Jiang Yi’s previous pay per episode had nearly reached a million!

Qiao Wanqing suddenly recalled a saying: “Knowing that you’re struggling makes me feel better.”

However, Jiang Yi wasn’t related to them, so Qiao Wanqing quickly put it out of her mind.

The e-commerce summit was approaching quickly.

Gu Yanqing went with her, along with Koukou and Zhenzhen, turning the serious summit into a family outing.

It was unavoidable; the kids couldn’t be away from their mom.

The summit spanned a whole day and required check-in the day before.

By the time it was over, it was already evening, and it would be too late to fly back.

Since it was on a Saturday, they decided to go as a family.

Despite the thorough preparations, Qiao Wanqing was still quite nervous.

Especially when she went to check in on Friday and learned about the other attendees, who were all highly renowned in the e-commerce industry.

The summit was at the pinnacle of the e-commerce world, with attendees holding very prominent positions.

On Saturday, Gu Yanqing had to take care of the kids and couldn’t accompany her to the event.

“Good luck, General Manager Qiao,” Gu Yanqing encouraged her before she left. “Don’t be nervous. Everyone else is just a small fry.”

“Pfft,” Qiao Wanqing laughed at his attempt to cheer her up. “Do you think this way when you’re giving a speech?”

“When I’m speaking, usually they’re the ones who are afraid of me. They’re probably more nervous than I am,” Gu Yanqing replied with a smile.

“… I guess that’s true.”

“It’s fine. You’ll be nervous at first, but it’ll get better later,” Gu Yanqing said with experience, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Just stay calm, and you’ll succeed.”

“Got it.”

Koukou and Zhenzhen also gave their mom a kiss and said goodbye.

As Qiao Wanqing left the house, she glanced back at the three most important people in her life, who were watching her.

She smiled and said, “I’ll be back for dinner.”

END