Qiao Wanqing doesn’t have many things because she wants to climb the social ladder and needs to appear very “high-end.”

So, she buys expensive brand-name bags, clothes, cosmetics, and so on.

Her income is limited, even if she could drink dew every day like a fairy, she couldn’t afford much.

Kou Kou had already fallen asleep.

Xu Han put him to bed in his room and then they worked together to pack up the remaining things that needed to be collected by the delivery later.

Other things Tang Hei needed were given to her.

Tang Hei didn’t want some of them, and Xu Han planned to see if she could sell those.

Some items were just thrown away as trash.

Xu Han had already moved some things when she left originally.

They both worked quickly, and it didn’t take long to finish.

Xu Han called the landlady and asked her to come for the rental refund.

Kou Kou woke up at this time.

Xu Han picked him up and changed his diaper.

Tang Hei saw her familiar actions and felt a little emotional for a moment.

“I never thought you would go back to your hometown to develop. I thought you were going to stay here with Gu Yanqing forever.”

Xu Han used her usual excuse: “My mindset changed a lot after I got pregnant.”

“What are your plans for the future? It’s not easy for a woman to raise a child, you know…”

Of course, Xu Han knew it wasn’t easy for a woman to raise a child, but so far she didn’t have a better plan. She said, “Let’s take it step by step.”

“Have you ever thought about letting Gu Yanqing… acknowledge the child? You’re still so young.”

Qiao Wanqing hasn’t even celebrated her 25th birthday yet; she is still very young.

With a child in tow, it’s likely that the whole world can’t understand her thoughts.

“Or…” Tang Hei’s tone was a bit hesitant, “You still haven’t given up on him, have you?”

“How could that be? I long lost any such thoughts.”

Xu Han dressed Kou Kou in his diaper.

He was a bit uncooperative with putting on his pants, kicking his little feet.

Xu Han patted his little bottom and rubbed his small tummy.

Kou Kou thought Xu Han was playing with him, and he laughed happily, showing the two little sharp teeth that had just emerged.

As soon as he smiled, his hands and feet went limp.

Xu Han quickly finished dressing him.

Seeing that Tang Hei was still hesitant to speak, she really didn’t want to continue this topic.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Han said, “I brought some homemade fruit and vegetable dried snacks. Try them and see if you like them.”

Tang Hei was indeed distracted and took out the dried vegetables from her backpack, sealed in a plastic jar.

When Tang Hei saw they were all green vegetables, without meat and probably not spicy, they didn’t look like they had much flavor.

Nevertheless, she opened them, took out a piece of purple sweet potato dried snack, chewed a couple of bites, and her eyes lit up: “Wow, delicious!”

Xu Han sometimes bragged, telling her how delicious her homegrown vegetables were.

Tang Hei thought she was exaggerating, after all, everyone has eaten farmhouse food, and after a while, it all tastes the same.

Plus, city vegetables are fresher and richer.

But today, after tasting it, she was immediately convinced.

It was really delicious!

“When did your cooking skills get so good?” Tang Hei munched loudly while chatting away, “Did you really grow these vegetables yourself? Wow, they are so crispy and sweet.”

“Yeah, I told you I went back to grow vegetables!”

Xu Han was talking and started to open her shirt to feed Kou Kou, but he was more interested in what Tang Hei had eaten.

He looked so delicious that he didn’t want to drink milk, and his mouth watered when he saw Tang Hei eating.

“Huh, does Kou Kou want to eat too?” Tang Hei was surprised to see his reaction. “He’s so small and already craving food? I always thought babies this young only knew how to drink milk.”

“Many little kids are quite greedy. They want to taste everything they see.”

Xu Han took a piece of purple sweet potato strip from Tang Hei’s hand and gave it to Kou Kou.

His teeth had just started to grow a little, so he couldn’t bite yet and didn’t understand how to.

He just sucked on it like he was drinking milk, enjoying the sweetness.

Kou Kou happily sucked on one end of the purple sweet potato strip.

Xu Han chuckled and tapped his nose, “You little greedy cat.”

“Uwa” Kou Kou saw Xu Han teasing him and squealed in excitement.

Kou Kou was only six months old and could only make simple sounds.

He instinctively used his mouth to make noises, not even imitating parrots.

Xu Han continued to play with him, holding his little hand. “Where did this handsome little guy come from? Why are you smiling so happily? Is there something good happening?”

Kou Kou didn’t understand her words, but when Xu Han interacted with him, he occasionally gave her a big smile, showing off.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“Hmm? Is the landlord coming so soon? I’ll go open it.”

Tang Hei put down the snack jar and went to open the door.

It wasn’t their short and chubby landlord outside, but an unfamiliar man with a child.

The man was extremely handsome with a slender figure, a strikingly handsome man who clearly wasn’t someone Tang Hei knew.

―― Tang Hei didn’t recognize Gu Yanqing.

“Uh, sir, may I ask who you’re looking for?”

“Qiao Wanqing, does she live here?”

The man gave off a somewhat imposing vibe. Tang Hei stuttered, “Y-yes, you are…”

“I’m a friend of hers. Is she here?”

“Yes.” Seeing that the man didn’t seem hostile and was incredibly handsome, Tang Hei nodded, completely unaware that she had just betrayed her friend.

Xu Han quickly buttoned up her shirt after finishing breastfeeding and looked up, momentarily puzzled.

Then, she frowned, “Why are you here?”

No, how did he know she had come to this city? And how coincidental was it that he found his way here?

“I heard you guys moved here, so I came to see Kou Kou.”

Gu Yanqing’s gaze shifted to Kou Kou.

The last time he saw Kou Kou, it seemed like he still recognized him.

When Kou Kou saw him, he made excited noises and reached out his chubby arms towards him, clearly wanting to be held.

Xu Han: “…”

You mischievous little thing!

Tang Hei sensed the awkward atmosphere and finally noticed the resemblance between Kou Kou’s features and the man standing before them.

That’s when she realized that this was Gu Yanqing, the man who had mesmerized her friend.

Um…

So, what’s happening now?

Tang Hei noticed the tension between them and discreetly stuck out her tongue, then took the snack jar and watched from the sidelines.

Gu Yanqing saw Kou Kou’s reaction and a faint smile crept onto his face.

He took a few steps forward and said, “Can I hold him?”

Xu Han didn’t need to answer; Kou Kou, who was half out of her reach, was already pushing most of his body into Gu Yanqing’s arms.

Sigh… men always have a way with children, Xu Han sighed silently in her heart, letting Gu Yanqing take Kou Kou.

Gu Yanqing wasn’t used to holding sleeping babies, but he found it easy to handle Kou Kou, who was lively and bouncing.

Kou Kou stared at him curiously with his small eyes, and Gu Yanqing even managed to use one hand to pinch Kou Kou’s upturned little nose.

Clearly enjoying the interaction with Gu Yanqing, Kou Kou’s eyes narrowed with joy when he was teased.

At this moment, the young boy who had come with Gu Yanqing tugged on his sleeve.

Gu Yanqing bent down to look at him, “What’s wrong, Yuanyuan?”

Xu Han, still lamenting her son’s wilfulness, suddenly looked up.

Yuanyuan, Gu Mingyuan??

She had just shifted her attention to the young boy who had come with Gu Yanqing.

He appeared to be about four or five years old, with slightly blond hair and delicate, three-dimensional features.

She remembered from the book that the male lead’s grandmother was French, making him a mixed-race child…

However, his complexion didn’t look quite right, and he seemed a bit weak.

This matched perfectly with what the book described about Gu Mingyuan’s childhood health issues and frequent illnesses.

At this moment, Gu Mingyuan was still a small sprout, far from the dominant and cool male lead in the story.

He eagerly eyed the vegetable snacks in Tang Hei’s hand, clearly wanting some.

Tang Hei noticed the boy’s gaze and handed him the jar, saying, “Would you like some too, little friend?”

Gu Mingyuan timidly glanced at Gu Yanqing, who nodded in approval.

Only then did Gu Mingyuan dare to take the jar and reach inside to grab a piece of dried goods, which he promptly put in his mouth.

His eyes lit up as he exclaimed, “So tasty!”

Gu Yanqing affectionately ruffled his hair with his hand.

Xu Han looked at the room full of people with a complex mood.

She never expected to confront the male lead so directly like this.

Meanwhile, her naive son was being held by Gu Yanqing, tilting his head to look at Gu Mingyuan.

Gu Mingyuan, content with his snack, looked back at him and, thinking he wanted some, grabbed an okra and held it out, giggling and hiding behind Gu Yanqing’s shoulder to play peek-a-boo with him.

How did things suddenly develop like this?

Seeing Xu Han staring at Gu Mingyuan, Gu Yanqing sensed her discomfort.

He touched his nose awkwardly and said, “He’s my nephew, Gu Mingyuan.”

Upon hearing Gu Yanqing’s explanation, which sounded like an introduction but also like an explanation that he wasn’t the father, Xu Han felt mixed emotions but didn’t delve into deeper meanings.

She replied casually, “Oh.”

Gu Yanqing glanced around at the neatly packed belongings and asked calmly, “Are you planning to leave X City for good?”

Xu Han, feeling unsettled, replied bluntly, “Why stay if you’re not marrying me? There’s no point in staying here.”

“…”

Xu Han had effectively killed the conversation with her words.

In the midst of this awkwardness, the doorbell rang again.

Tang Hei went to answer it, and this time it really was the landlord.

She glanced around at everyone and quickly smiled when she saw Gu Yanqing holding a child. “Oh, you’re here too.”

the mystery of why Gu Yanqing appeared here for no reason was solved.

It was obvious that the landlord had tipped him off.

Gu Yanqing nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Xu Han already had a bad impression of the landlord, knowing she had been meddling and tipping off Gu Yanqing.

Her expression grew even colder as she replied indifferently, “Landlord, calculate the water and electricity bills, and also the extra days I’ve rented beyond the lease. I assume the deposit won’t be refunded, right?”

Due to Xu Han’s delay in finding time to move out, she had rented the place for nearly half a month beyond the agreed lease period.

When Xu Han reincarnated into Qiao Wanqing’s body, they had moved in just two days ago, signing a one-year lease and paying six months’ rent in advance.

The apartment was a standard two-bedroom with a kitchen and bathroom, rented at 2500 per month, with a three-month deposit.

At that time, Qiao Wanqing had brought her grandmother over to take care of her.

Her previous small single apartment couldn’t accommodate them, prompting the move.

With the 200,000 yuan she had just received from Gu Yanqing and her expectation of marrying into a wealthy family after giving birth, she had spent generously, not hesitating to pay so much rent.

Later, Xu Han had returned to the countryside with her grandmother, intending to negotiate with the landlord to terminate the lease early and possibly get some of the deposit and rent back.

However, the landlord had rudely refused, insisting on not refunding a penny and challenging her to involve the police if she dared, displaying arrogance.

Unfortunately, Xu Han was still recovering from childbirth and didn’t have the energy to argue.

Unsure if they could settle in the countryside, and with belongings still to move, she chose not to push further and simply blocked the landlord’s contact.

“Oh, you can have the refund,” the landlord said, suddenly acting very accommodating. “You didn’t stay long this half year anyway, I won’t charge for utilities and cleaning.”

Xu Han was a bit surprised by the sudden change in the landlord’s attitude.

But considering the landlord’s role in tipping off Gu Yanqing, she suspected there was some influence from him behind this sudden kindness.

Tang Hei heard the whole conversation indifferently, “She hasn’t lived here for half a year, yet you still want to collect rent?”

The landlord was at a loss, “Well, the thing is, the apartment has been occupied by her belongings all this time. I haven’t rented it out to anyone else either. I can’t afford to lose money.”

Xu Han remembered the landlord’s attitude from half a year ago, thoroughly disgusted.

Now with someone backing her up, she couldn’t help but feel a bit emboldened, “Half a year ago, when I tried to terminate the lease, you refused to refund anything and even dared me to involve the police.”

The landlord’s expression froze.

After a long silence, seeming to wrestle with herself, she finally spoke, “Well then, how about I refund Miss Qiao one month’s rent? As a sub-landlord, I’m barely making 200 yuan profit per month on this place. I might as well not make anything and refund you 1500 yuan.”

Xu Han didn’t buy into her claim of making only 200 yuan profit.

As far as she knew, sub-landlords usually rented out entire floors in this kind of area, making around two to three thousand yuan.

Dividing it into smaller rooms like this one, about 50 square meters, almost covered the rental cost.

But Xu Han wasn’t interested in getting all her money back; she just wanted to unsettle the landlord.

Beside her, Gu Yanqing’s tone was cold, “Three months.”

“But…”

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Gu Yanqing shifted his hold on Koukou, gently removing his hand from his mouth where he was munching on something, “I know you’ll actually lose out by refunding everything.”

The landlord: “…”

In the end, the landlord reluctantly refunded three months’ rent and the deposit, totaling a neat 15,000 yuan.

Xu Han couldn’t help but feel a rush of satisfaction at this act that felt akin to robbery.

“Thank you,” Xu Han said, reclaiming Koukou from Gu Yanqing, who had grown fond of him during the conversation.

She had to admit, Gu Yanqing had looked rather dashing just now.

Gu Yanqing proposed, “To show gratitude, Miss Qiao, would you honor us by treating us to dinner?”

Xu Han: “???”