Even though it was just for show, it felt… too intimate.

The meal passed pleasantly with everyone enjoying themselves.

After they finished eating and had tea for a while, Gu Yanqing went out to take two phone calls.

Seeing him busy, Qiao Wanqing didn’t want to delay him further.

She had asked everything she needed to, so when Gu Yanqing returned, she stood up to say goodbye.

Before leaving, Qiao Wanqing took out a gift box she had brought and handed it to Mrs. Luo, saying, “Thank you for your time today. These are dried fruits and vegetables I made myself. They might be a bit rustic, but they taste alright. They’re made from organic vegetables from the countryside.”

Mrs. Luo accepted the gift graciously. “Thank you, we’ll gladly accept.”

After bidding farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Luo, the three walked out of the restaurant together.

Once outside, Qiao Wanqing let go of Gu Yanqing’s arm and said, “Thank you for today. It was quite enlightening.”

“No need to thank me. Let’s go, I’ll drive you.”

“No need, I see you’re quite busy. I’ll just take a taxi back to the hotel.”

“Are you being polite with me again?” Gu Yanqing chuckled. “It’s late, and I don’t have any pressing matters. Get in the car.”

Seeing he wasn’t lying, Qiao Wanqing got into the car.

Anyway, it wouldn’t take long to get back to the hotel.

But instead of heading straight back, the car stopped outside a shopping mall.

Koukou was asleep by now, so Gu Yanqing had Feng Qi carry him.

He then turned to Qiao Wanqing and said, “Let’s go.”

“Huh?” Qiao Wanqing looked at him puzzled. “What are we buying?”

“You’ll see.”

Qiao Wanqing hesitated, unsure about his mysterious intentions.

But feeling indebted, she finally got out of the car and followed Gu Yanqing into the mall.

She guessed he might want to buy clothes for Koukou, but instead, Gu Yanqing led her into a store specializing in scarves and gloves.

He said to the warmly welcoming salesperson, “Help her pick out a set of scarf and gloves that suits her.”

Qiao Wanqing: “???”

“I don’t need it!” Qiao Wanqing refused without hesitation.

“Even with your hands all cracked from the cold?”

Gu Yanqing glanced at her hands.

There was a big cut, looking fierce.

Her once fair and delicate hands now appeared rough.

Qiao Wanqing used to be a delicate girl who would wear thick gloves when washing or picking vegetables.

She would also regularly apply hand cream to keep her hands soft, avoiding them from looking like rough farmer’s hands.

But recently, due to the new fields they were developing, she had been too busy to care.

Now, with the harsh spring cold and frequent frosts, her hands had quickly cracked open.

They were painful and itchy, making her very uncomfortable.

“But I really don’t need it. I don’t do much work normally, and even when I don’t, I sit by the stove. I’ll pay more attention to protecting my hands in the future.”

Wearing cute little gloves would completely prevent her from doing any work.

As they talked, the shop assistant had already enthusiastically brought out a pair of light pink gloves with gray fingertips.

They looked surprisingly pretty and youthful.

Qiao Wanqing liked them at first sight, but of course, she wouldn’t show it.

At the same time, another shop assistant brought over a cream-colored scarf, saying, “I think this scarf would suit you, miss. You should try it on.”

“I don’t want to try… hey.”

Unexpectedly, Gu Yanqing took the scarf from the shop assistant’s hands, draped it around her neck, and in a very straightforward manner, wound it a few times before tying a knot in front of her.

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

Why are you so domineering!

The two shop assistants stifled their laughter.

“I can do it myself.”

Gu Yanqing reached out to untangle her hair that had gotten caught in the scarf.

Just wrapping the scarf around her had already been intimate enough; this could easily be considered flirtatious.

Qiao Wanqing blushed slightly and stepped back, pulling her hair out herself.

“Should I do this or you?” Gu Yanqing shook the gloves in his hand.

Qiao Wanqing naturally chose to do it herself.

She took the gloves from Gu Yanqing’s hand and put them on.

After being held by Gu Yanqing for a while, the gloves had warmed up with his body heat.

Wearing them felt warm and incredibly comfortable.

Hand in hand, this warmth spread from her fingertips all the way to her heart.

One of the shop assistants praised nearby, “This is our latest limited edition scarf of the year. We only have this one in the store, and it just arrived this evening. You two are lucky; otherwise, it would have been snatched up by others tomorrow.”

Another shop assistant complimented, “Miss, you have fair skin and beauty that perfectly complements this scarf. Our scarves are known for their elegance, and you look even more stunning than our models when you wear it.”

Gu Yanqing stepped back a bit, nodded, and said, “Hmm, this one is good.”

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

Limited edition, it must be… quite expensive.

Although the exact price wasn’t mentioned, with such a special edition tag, it definitely wouldn’t be cheap.

Gu Yanqing paid without asking for the price.

He simply handed over his card to be swiped.

Qiao Wanqing didn’t dare to peek at the amount; it would be too embarrassing.

…Is this how wealthy people always spend their money?

After leaving the boutique, Gu Yanqing had originally planned to take her to buy chilblain cream, but it seemed this mall didn’t carry it.

He decided he would have his assistant buy a good one later, as it would be more effective.

Walking beside him, Qiao Wanqing asked, “How much was it? I…”

Gu Yanqing glanced at her, his expression seeming to say, “Why don’t you find out yourself.”

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

“You’ve hosted us multiple times, so consider this a token of my appreciation,” Gu Yanqing said politely.

“You’ve already helped me a lot this time,” she replied, having benefited greatly from Mr. and Mrs. Luo’s generosity.

“For me, it was just a small gesture.”

“…”

So, is Gu Yanqing trying to clear his debt of gratitude in one go?

But that’s fine too. It’s good to reciprocate favors, so there’s no undue burden of owing someone.

Gu Yanqing probably doesn’t want too many entanglements with her, hence he tries to repay favors when he can.

Thinking this way, Qiao Wanqing accepted the towel and gloves with peace of mind.

…

Mrs. Gu noticed her son heading off to City C right after the New Year and hardly wanting to stay home.

Since Tan Xin also wanted to visit City C, she came along.

Unfortunately, Gu Yanqing claimed to be busy today and couldn’t make time.

Mrs. Gu reassured him that it was fine; she intended to stay here for a while, so he should focus on his work while she and Tan Xin explored around.

For women, exploring usually meant shopping. Mrs. Gu and Tan Xin wandered through the upscale shopping area of City C.

“Hey, look at that person over there. Doesn’t he resemble Yanqing a bit?” Mrs. Gu pointed in the distance after coming out of a jewelry store.

Miss Tan followed her gaze and indeed saw someone who looked very much like Gu Yanqing, but who was with him…

Miss Tan squinted her eyes and said, “Let’s go over and see for ourselves.”

Meanwhile, Gu Yanqing said to Qiao Wanqing, “Let’s go, let’s buy a few clothes for Koko.”

“No need, Koukou has plenty of clothes to wear. It’s getting warmer now, and he’s growing fast. The clothes we buy now won’t fit him by winter,” Qiao Wanqing replied.

Gu Yanqing shrugged, “Then let’s buy spring clothes.”

Qiao Wanqing was about to find an excuse to decline Gu Yanqing’s offer when they heard a surprised voice, “Yanqing? Is that really you?”

Both of them turned towards the voice, and instantly, the expressions of everyone present became somewhat complicated.

Although Qiao Wanqing hadn’t met Mrs. Gu before, she had seen Miss Tan.

She could tell from the elegant and refined appearance of the lady with Miss Tan that she was from a wealthy family.

Sure enough, Gu Yanqing said, “Mom, what are you doing here?”

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

Damn, this plot twist is a bit terrifying.

Mrs. Gu first gave Qiao Wanqing a deep look and then said, “Is this what you call a business engagement?”

Gu Yanqing: “…”

The most awkward thing in the world is getting caught lying.

However, Gu Yanqing remained unfazed and said, “Yes, it is.”

Miss Tan saw Qiao Wanqing and her expression turned sour.

She knew the truth, but Qiao Wanqing had clearly told her…

Mrs. Gu actually didn’t mind her son dating anyone, and was even happy about it.

After all, her son had finally come around, and she didn’t have any specific expectations for a daughter-in-law.

But Gu Yanqing had never told her he had a girlfriend, so she had been actively trying to set him up with Miss Tan.

Despite Gu Yanqing’s clear refusals, she believed that relationships could develop over time, so she had been eager to arrange meetings between Miss Tan and him.

Now, Gu Yanqing’s response left her embarrassed and feeling humiliated in front of Miss Tan.

She pulled a serious face and asked, “Is that so? Who is she?”

“I…” Qiao Wanqing wanted to say they were business partners discussing work, both to give Gu Yanqing an out and to explain their relationship to Mrs. Gu.

She didn’t want Mrs. Gu to misunderstand and be hostile towards her.

But before she could say anything, Gu Yanqing grabbed her arm.

He glanced at Qiao Wanqing and calmly said, “The one I love.”

The three of them present: “…”

Miss Tan, who had been silent all this time, could no longer maintain her composure.

She never expected the person who had been so cold towards her would look at Qiao Wanqing with such gentle eyes.

Qiao Wanqing tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “Hey, what are you doing?”

Gu Yanqing quietly replied, “Helping out.”

Qiao Wanqing instantly understood.

He’s using her to make Miss Tan give up on him.

After all, Miss Tan is quite persistent with Gu Yanqing.

It’s been said in books that she’s one of the most troublesome women for Gu Yanqing.

Well, just having received someone’s favor, Qiao Wanqing, who is currently at a disadvantage, didn’t say anything and tacitly accepted it.

Madam Gu didn’t expect him to say this. “You’re not without…”

“I’ve only recently started to feel something. Forgot to mention it to you, sorry.” Gu Yanqing didn’t apologize sincerely; it was more like a provocation.

Madam Gu wanted to criticize her like a malicious mother-in-law in a TV drama, but she couldn’t find the words.

Qiao Wanqing is flawless in appearance and demeanor.

If she had to find fault, it might just be that she’s too beautiful to be a suitable daughter-in-law?

Madam Gu, being well-mannered, couldn’t say such things.

But she just couldn’t stand Qiao Wanqing for no reason.

Finally, with an unpleasant expression, she said to Gu Yanqing, “We’ll talk about this properly when you come back tonight. Xiaoxin, let’s go.”

Watching Madam Gu’s retreating figure, Qiao Wanqing thought to herself, why does this scene remind me of the melodramatic scenes in soap operas where the heroine encounters a wicked mother-in-law?

“Fortunately, I’m not your girlfriend, otherwise I’d definitely have a headache figuring out how to get along with your mother-in-law,” Qiao Wanqing joked.

People like Madam Gu are probably not easy to get along with.

“No, unless it’s an unexpected situation, I won’t let my people be wronged by my parents.”

“That’s impressive,” Qiao Wanqing smiled. “But what if it’s just that my vibe doesn’t match with your parents?”

Gu Yanqing remained calm and said, “My people are with me, not with my parents. They don’t need to match vibes with them. If they can’t get along, everyone just says less, and they won’t put on a face for her.”

Gu Yanqing’s words were quite thoughtful. If more people could handle things as tactfully and assertively as him, there would probably be fewer conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law.

Because she was worried about Kou Kou, Qiao Wanqing didn’t want to go shopping anymore.

Gu Yanqing thought that he could just buy the clothes later and bring them over, so he didn’t force her.

However, he felt a little regretful inside because he thought Qiao Wanqing would enjoy shopping.

Feng Qi held the sleeping Kou Kou in his arms in the car.

Given his age, he must have been a father before.

Holding the child didn’t seem as awkward for him as it did for Gu Yanqing the first time he held a baby.

Kou Kou slept peacefully in his arms.

Qiao Wanqing thought about the future relationship between them and the series of things that might happen.

She suddenly wondered if she should remind Gu Yanqing about something.

But how should she remind him? Should she ask him to dismiss Feng Qi?

Even if Feng Qi were to leave now, there would still be others like Zhang San or Li Si who could be influenced to take his place.

Experience is something people rely on, otherwise why would there be sayings like “relying on old age and seniority”?