It was said that Xu Han was treating them to dinner, but in reality, Gu Yanqing used a phone call as an excuse to leave early and settle the bill himself.

So, he simply found an excuse to treat them to a meal.

Xu Han felt a bit conflicted for a moment.

But considering Gu Yanqing had already eaten at her home three times, it was normal for him to treat her once.

After all, wealthy people like him wouldn’t want to owe favors.

Thinking this way, Xu Han accepted the meal gracefully.

After dinner, it was already late.

Xu Han had been busy all day and was exhausted.

All she wanted was to find a bed and rest well, at Tang Hei’s house where she was staying for the night.

Unlike Qiao Wanqing, who liked to climb the social ladder, her best friend wasn’t someone who could work hard for ten years and still not afford a small apartment.

Tang Hei was also from a wealthy family and hadn’t dated yet, having just bought herself a two-bedroom apartment on installment.

So, Xu Han had a place to stay there.

She returned in Gu Yanqing’s car as usual.

The male lead, who was fragile and often ill, fell asleep as soon as he got in the car.

Koukou, having eaten his fill and drunk enough, also fell asleep.

Gu Yanqing played soft music with a soothing rhythm flowing gently from the speakers, creating a sense of peaceful times.

“The road is a bit far, you can rest for a while,” Gu Yanqing set up the navigation and said.

“Okay.”

Xu Han responded without much sincerity, not because she distrusted Gu Yanqing’s character, but because she always maintained some vigilance in the car of someone she didn’t know well.

She looked at the rapidly receding night scene outside, realizing unconsciously that she had been away from this bustling metropolis for more than half a year.

Having lived in a place where all was quiet after nightfall, she found herself a bit unaccustomed to such noise.

“Where are we going to play tomorrow?” Gu Yanqing glanced at her through the rearview mirror, casually asking.

Xu Han came over to pack up her things, planning to meet Tang Hei briefly.

She hadn’t intended to stay long, as her family couldn’t do without her.

So, she bought a plane ticket for the day after tomorrow.

Xu Han: “Not going to play. It’s inconvenient with the kids.”

Gu Yanqing nodded thoughtfully but didn’t say anything.

When they arrived downstairs at Tang Hei’s building, Xu Han took several cans of dried fruits and vegetables from her backpack and gave them to Gu Yanqing.

These were what he promised to give to Gu Mingyuan; she couldn’t afford to break her promise to the male lead, or she’d be seen as someone who doesn’t learn from her experiences.

This time, Xu Han deliberately brought over quite a few dried fruits and vegetables.

Of course, it wasn’t to curry favor with anyone; she had a bit of a plan.

She wanted Tang Hei to take them to her company and share them with her colleagues to see if they liked them.

After all, dried fruits and vegetables, also known as essential office snacks, are loved by women for being nutritious, healthy, and not easily fattening.

If everyone liked them, she could consider developing in this direction.

She could turn surplus vegetables into dried fruits and vegetables to sell, and even, as Tang Hei suggested, create her own brand.

Xu Han’s thoughts were simple and hopeful, but Tang Hei hit her hard with a reality check: “It’s fine for me to give them to them to eat and even help you sell them, but… do you have licenses like production permits and hygiene permits?”

“… Actually, Xu Han had vaguely thought about this issue before, but due to being too busy, she had pushed it to the back of her mind. It was only now, with Tang Hei bringing it up, that she remembered.

Xu Han rubbed her forehead. “I completely forgot about this until you mentioned it.”

“It’s really important. Without these two certificates for food products, people might eat them, but they won’t be willing to pay for them. I genuinely think your dried fruits and vegetables are delicious. If you really want to sell them, I’m sure they’ll sell well. So, do you want to consider getting the permits?” Tang Hei suggested.

Xu Han nodded. “I’ll look into the process later. I’m not sure if I, as a small business owner, can get them.”

“Don’t worry, there are so many individual producers now. Things like those trendy internet-famous foods, they all manage to get permits, right? But, Qingqing, are you really planning to go down this path?” Tang Hei always felt that her best friend going back to farming was a sort of escapism, a passive way of avoiding the world.

She even suspected that Gu Yanqing might have threatened her somehow, like telling her to leave the city.

But judging by Gu Yanqing’s behavior today, it didn’t seem like it.

Xu Han said, “I think things are fine as they are now.”

“Are you serious about that? If you have any difficulties, you can tell me. Although I’m not that capable, I should be able to help you,” Tang hh said.

Xu Han smiled. “I really don’t have any. Next time you come to my place, you’ll see that I’m living quite well and relaxed.”

Tang hh was somewhat doubtful but brightened up at Xu Han’s invitation. “Sure, when I have time off, I’ll come visit you.”

---

The next day, Xu Han had just gotten up when she heard someone ringing the doorbell.

She dressed quickly and opened the door to find a strange man standing there, pushing… a stylish-looking baby stroller.

“Excuse me, is Miss Qiao Wanqing living here?” the man asked politely.

Xu Han nodded. “That’s me.”

The man pushed the baby stroller forward and said, “Mr. Gu Yanqing sent you this stroller. He said, since you’ve come here rarely, if you want to go out and play, pushing the baby around won’t be so tiring.”

Xu Han didn’t expect Gu Yanqing to be so considerate, even thinking of this.

However, she declined without much thought, “No need. I told Mr. Gu that I’m only staying for a day, so there’s no need for the trouble. Besides, I can’t take this back with me, it would be wasteful to use it for just a day.”

“I’m only responsible for delivery, not returns. Miss Qiao can discuss with Mr. Gu herself. Goodbye.” With that, the man left the items and hurried away.

Xu Han muttered to herself, “Are all you men this domineering?”

Although Xu Han had Gu Yanqing’s business card, it was back home without any contact information stored.

Unable to return the stroller, she could only push it inside.

She did plan to go out and buy some things.

With Chinese New Year approaching in over a month, she needed to buy a few new outfits for Kou Kou.

Grandma Qiao also wanted to give her a new outfit.

While these things could be bought online, she couldn’t return empty-handed from this trip.

Tang Hei had been encouraging her to go out, so finally, Xu Han compromised and unpacked the stroller Gu Yanqing had given her.

She took Kou Kou and Tang Hei to the mall.

First, they bought clothes for Grandma Qiao.

Knowing how cold it could get in the mountains, Xu Han went to a down jacket store and got her a warm down jacket.

After buying the jacket, they found themselves next to a maternity and baby store.

They went inside to see if there was anything they could buy for Kou Kou.

“Wow, everything here is so cute! It makes me want to have a baby,” Tang Hei exclaimed with an auntie-like smile, looking at the wide array of baby products.

Xu Han teased, “Then you better hurry up and have one.”

“First, I need to have a boyfriend. Oh well, let’s not talk about this awkward topic. Let’s go take a look,” Tang hh joked.

It seemed like Tang Hei was exploring this kind of place for the first time, finding everything interesting and tossing whatever she liked into the shopping cart.

Xu Han looked at the two pink bowls shaped like rabbits that Tang Hei threw into the cart and said with a wry smile, “We don’t need to buy bowls. Are you planning to have me carry two sacks back? I can’t even lift them.”

“Let Gu Yanqing take you back,” Tang Hei suggested.

Xu Han chuckled, “Don’t joke.”

“No, seriously, I don’t think Gu Yanqing dislikes you. In fact, he seems quite willing to get along with you. Maybe if you try a little harder, you’ll have a chance,” Tang Hei remarked.

“It’s not like that. He’s only doing it for the child,” Xu Han shook her head. “He’s just being gentlemanly, nothing more.”

It had been five months since Xu Han and Gu Yanqing first met, with only three meetings besides that, and no private contact at all.

Gu Yanqing seemed like the type who would treat you with the same attitude you showed him.

He was courteous and gentlemanly, but if you tried to push further and crossed a line, he would step back countless steps, leaving you in the dust.

Xu Han often thought of the tragic fate of Qiao Wanqing in the books, which made her feel uneasy.

Farming seemed happier after all.

“Oh, isn’t this Qiao Wanqing? Tut tut, after disappearing for so long, you come back and your child is already this big. Have you finally struck it rich?” Suddenly, as they were talking, they heard a voice dripping with sarcasm.

Both of them looked up to see a young couple, the woman noticeably pregnant, about six or seven months along.

The man… well, he was chubby and dark-skinned, with squinty eyes, to be honest, a bit rough-looking.

Xu Han’s expression changed slightly.

The newcomer was called Wen Yao.

He was Qiao Wanqing’s… cough cough… Wen Yao’s boyfriend, rumored to be a rich second-generation with family wealth.

Although he wasn’t much to look at, once Qiao Wanqing found out about his wealthy background, she tried to flirt with him even thought she knows Wen Yao was his Girlfriend.

Though unsuccessful, the animosity was set.

Xu Han glanced at the rather unimpressive man across from her, wondering how Qiao Wanqing could have been interested in him in the first place.

However, Qiao Wanqing was in the wrong initially, so Xu Han couldn’t say much.

She nodded politely as a greeting, intending to walk around them.

But Wen Yao blocked her stroller. “What’s this attitude when meeting an old friend?”

Tang Hei interjected, “Do you want us all to find a place to sit down and catch up?”

“Why not? Let’s all talk about recent events together. I’m very interested in Ms. Qiao’s exciting experiences during this time,” Wen Yao said with a smile.

Tang Hei immediately became annoyed and was about to retort, but Xu Han pulled her sleeve.

Tang Hei could easily provoke her, and if she claimed her feelings were hurt and needed compensation, Wen Yao could really go through with it.

So Xu Han decided not to engage further.

She gave Tang Hei a look, and though annoyed, Tang Hei wasn’t foolish either.

The two of them prepared to retreat the way they came.

If you can’t provoke them, you better avoid them!

Wen Yai, seeing them about to leave, reached out and grabbed Xu Han’s stroller.

Xu Han, afraid she might harm Kou Kou, was about to pick him up when suddenly, Wen Yao exclaimed, clutching her stomach, “Ouch!”

Her companion hurried to support her, asking anxiously, “Yao Yao, what’s wrong?”

“She bumped me with the stroller. Ouch, it hurts so much,” Wen Yao complained.

Xu Han sighed inwardly.

Tang Hei was instantly furious. “Our stroller was moving backward. How could it have hit you? You’re trying to set us up, Miss Wen!”

“You deliberately bumped into a pregnant woman and won’t admit it, and now you’re accusing me of setting you up? I’m not stupid enough to joke about my child,” Wen Yao retorted, clutching her stomach as if genuinely hurt.

The commotion attracted several onlookers in the public area, even some sales assistants.

Seeing the crowd, Wen Yao quickly distorted the truth, accusing Xu Han and Tang Hei of intentionally bumping into a pregnant woman with compelling arguments that made it seem plausible.

Everyone looked at Xu Han and Tang Hei with suspicion, and some bystanders even took out their phones to record.

Worried about Kou Kou being frightened, Xu Han quickly picked him up, while Tang Hei, enraged, argued with Wen Yao.

In response, Wen Yao started making a scene, accusing Tang Hei of bullying a pregnant woman.

“Wen Miss, hold off on your tears for now,” Xu Han said calmly, holding Kou Kou.

Unlike Tang Hei, who was quick to anger, Xu Han remained composed. “If I’m not mistaken, this store has cameras. Let’s wait for the manager to come and review the footage. We’ll see if we bumped into you or if you intentionally bumped into me to scare my child.”

Wen Yao was well aware that the mall had cameras, but she felt confident because of her influential husband.

However, she was somewhat surprised by how calm and clever Xu Han had become.

Previously, she had seemed so naive, which had emboldened Wen Yao to bully her.

Seeing Wen Yao’s silence, Xu Han spoke calmly, “Miss Wen, don’t worry. If I did bump into you, even a little, I will apologize and compensate accordingly. The same goes for you.”

“Why should I be afraid? You bumped into me,” Wen Yao retorted confidently, still clutching her stomach. “Ouch.”

Seeing Wen Yao’s arrogant demeanor, Xu Han realized that she had no intention of reasoning with her.

Furrowing her brow, Xu Han knew this situation was now problematic.