Koukou’s favorite thing is the large balcony that offers a distant view.

He clings to the railing and stares without moving, though no one knows exactly what he’s looking at.

When they were about to leave for the airport, Koukou seemed reluctant.

Qiao Wanqing reassured him that they could come back to stay later, which finally convinced him to leave.

The journey to the airport was quiet.

When they landed in X City, the Gu family’s car was waiting for them.

As they sat in the car, Qiao Wanqing started to feel nervous, like an ugly daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws for the first time.

If it were an ordinary family, she might be okay.

She was pretty, capable, and had a good income.

She thought she could get along well with them.

But this was a wealthy and prestigious family.

Qiao Wanqing knew it wasn’t very dignified to think this way, but she couldn’t help it!

In the book, Gu Yanqing’s father was portrayed as a stern and serious old man whom many younger relatives feared.

Qiao Wanqing wondered if his father was like that too.

Seeing her uneasy, Gu Yanqing chuckled and held her hand. “Here, let your man give you strength.”

Qiao Wanqing was so nervous that she couldn’t joke with him. “Is my outfit inappropriate?”

Today, Qiao Wanqing was dressed youthfully and neatly, with her hair in a bun that made her look like she was in her early twenties, nothing like a child’s mother.

Originally, she had chosen a more elegant and mature outfit, but Gu Yanqing insisted she wear what she had on now—a youthful and sunny look that forced her to change her appearance accordingly.

“Will my dad think I’ve abducted a minor?”

“…”

Should she find his sweet words endearing, or should she point out that he isn’t very comforting?

The car sped along the elevated highway, and since it was afternoon, traffic was light, so they quickly arrived at their destination.

The Gu family’s residence was not located in the city center but near the exit of the elevated highway, which had no traffic lights.

As long as there were no special circumstances, the roads were clear, making it convenient to travel anywhere.

The area was beautifully landscaped with lush greenery.

Trees lined both sides of the road as they descended from the highway, driving along a shaded road for about ten minutes until they stopped in front of a villa.

Someone came to open the door, a person in their forties who respectfully said, “Young Master Gu, Miss Qiao, Yuanyuan, Young Master, welcome. I hope you had a pleasant journey.”

When Qiao Wanqing heard terms like “Young Master,” she couldn’t help but stiffen.

It was how the author arranged it in the book.

At that time, Yuanyuan was referred to as Young Master Gu, while Gu Yanqing was already addressed as Mr. Gu.

When she read it, she didn’t think much of it because other novels used similar terms, as if it were a matter of class.

But now, experiencing it firsthand was quite awkward and embarrassing.

Yuanyuan clearly knew the person well and called out loudly, “Grandpa Steward.”

“Ah,” the steward smiled politely, “Yuanyuan, it’s been a long time.”

“It has indeed.”

With the steward’s assistance, Yuanyuan got out of the car, revealing Koukou’s face.

The steward noticed him, “This must be Young Master Koukou. He looks just like the Young Master.”

Feeling a bit shy in front of strangers, Koukou was held by Qiao Wanqing as she got out first.

The steward then helped her take Koukou out of the car.

Qiao Wanqing politely said, “Thank you.”

“No need to be polite, Miss Qiao,” the steward replied courteously and introduced himself, “I am the steward here. You can call me Uncle Liang, along with Young Master Gu.”

“Alright.”

Gu Yanqing approached and said, “Uncle Liang, we have some things in the rear car. Could you help bring them in?”

Since their party, including Chen Feng, consisted of five people, the Gu family sent two cars to pick them up from the airport.

The four of them sat in one car, while Chen Feng took the other with their luggage and gifts.

“Alright, you and Miss Qiao, along with the kids, go ahead inside. It’s hot out here,” the steward advised.

Yuanyuan was familiar with the place and had already taken Koukou inside.

Gu Yanqing reached out to Qiao Wanqing, saying, “Let’s go inside too.”

Qiao Wanqing held his hand, feeling calmer now that the tension from the journey had subsided.

They crossed the yard and arrived at the entrance, where a young girl was already opening the door for them.

Yuanyuan went in and called out to Koukou, “Koukou, come on.”

However, Koukou hesitated and stood there for a moment.

Finally, he turned back and hugged Qiao Wanqing’s leg, saying, “Mommy.”

Understanding that he was feeling shy, Qiao Wanqing bent down and lifted him up, then they entered together through the door.

In the living room, Gu Yanqing’s father, Gu Jingzhi, and Madam Gu were sitting on the sofa.

Yuanyuan happily informed them that Koukou had arrived.

Koukou remembered Madam Gu and happily called out “Grandma” as soon as he saw her from afar.

Madam Gu immediately smiled and walked over to hug him, saying, “My dear, you’re getting heavier. Grandma can hardly lift you.”

“Koukou, big mouth!”

Koukou proudly opened his mouth wide and patted his little belly, indicating that he ate well at every meal and that’s why he grew so fast.

Madam Gu was amused by him and kissed him several times, saying, “Koukou is so amazing!”

“Auntie,” Qiao Wanqing greeted Madam Gu.

“Well,” with Koukou around, Madam Gu smiled warmly at Qiao Wanqing and asked with concern, “Are you tired from the journey? Come and sit down.”

Although Madam Gu loved children, Mr. Gu Jingzhi seemed indifferent.

When Madam Gu came over to hug Koukou, he even took a sip of tea with an air of calm authority.

Gu Yanqing comfortingly squeezed Qiao Wanqing’s hand and led her over, saying, “Dad, Wanqing is here.”

Gu Jingzhi resembled Gu Yanqing in demeanor, exuding a strong presence that made one feel uneasy.

Qiao Wanqing greeted him politely, “Uncle Gu, hello.”

“Hmm,” Gu Jingzhi nodded faintly, “Please, have a seat.”

Madam Gu walked over carrying Koukou and sat beside Gu Jingzhi, smiling warmly. “Old Gu, look how adorable our grandson is, right Koukou? Say hi to grandpa.”

Despite Koukou’s fondness for his father, he appeared quite fearful in the presence of Gu Jingzhi, who bore a resemblance to Gu Yanqing.

He shrunk into Madam Gu’s embrace, avoiding eye contact with him.

“Don’t always put on that stern face. You’re scaring Koukou,” Mrs. Gu chided gently, noticing his reaction.

Gu Jingzhi glanced at Koukou, who was clinging to Madam Gu, burying his head in her arms and refusing to look at him, clearly frightened.

Koukou was undeniably cute, resembling Gu Yanqing in some ways, which prompted Gu Jingzhi to scrutinize him for a moment longer.

Already nervous, Koukou burst into tears with a loud wail, struggling out of Madam Gu’s arms and running to find his mother.

“Mama,” he sobbed as he threw himself into her arms, “scared!”

Gu Jingzhi blinked in mild surprise.

Was he really that frightening?

The scene became momentarily awkward. Qiao Wanqing held Koukou, explaining, “Um, Koukou is a bit shy around new people.”

Madam Gu, heartbroken to see her grandson cry, scolded Gu Jingzhi, “Look what you’ve done, scaring Koukou like this. Children are easily frightened, especially in unfamiliar places. Now he might have trouble sleeping later!”

Gu Jingzhi, who had always considered himself composed, found himself unfairly blamed.

He rubbed his nose and said, “I thought I was rather gentle.”

Qiao Wanqing, equally nervous, thought to herself, He’s probably redefining the meaning of “gentle.”

Gu Yanqing seemed unsurprised by his father’s reaction, suggesting he knew him well.

The steward then brought in their belongings, and Gu Yanqing instructed him to take everything except the gift boxes to their rooms.

Seeing the gifts Qiao Wanqing had prepared, Madam Gu graciously expressed her thanks with a warm smile, looking genuinely pleased.

While Gu Jingzhi remained silent, he seemed pleased as well.

For Qiao Wanqing, meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time went relatively smoothly.

At least she wasn’t put on the spot or questioned about any unwed pregnancy, which was probably due to Gu Yanqing’s preemptive measures.

The family sat and chatted for a while, gradually easing the initial awkwardness.

Qiao Wanqing observed that Gu Jingzhi was reserved and serious but didn’t seem to have any particular issue with her or Gu Yanqing.

His demeanor was consistent towards both of them, without expressing any dislike or concern.

She quietly breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that she had passed the test with Gu Jingzhi.

Koukou, however, remained fearful of Gu Jingzhi.

No matter how they tried to coax him, he wouldn’t dare to call him grandpa.

Madam Gu seemed quite pleased and deliberately flaunted it, making Koukou say “grandma” several times as if to show off.

Qiao Wanqing sighed inwardly, thinking, So much for the difficult-to-get-along-with high and cold image. It’s all a facade.

After chatting for a while, Qiao Wanqing took Koukou to change his diaper.

It had been nearly five hours since they left from Gu Yanqing’s place, and Koukou hadn’t had his diaper changed since then.

The diaper was heavily soaked, bulging out comically as he waddled around, which was quite amusing.

The layout of the Gu residence was clearly divided. It leaned towards the style of a duplex villa, with a high-ceilinged living room that was open to the top, occupying only one floor.

The rooms connected to it were on the same level, with the ground floor designated for servants, and the bedrooms of the masters were on the second floor.

Mr. and Mrs. Gu occupied one of the master bedrooms, while Gu Yanqing had another large bedroom on the opposite side.

There was also a smaller single room prepared and cleaned for Qiao Wanqing and Koukou to stay in.

Guest rooms and others were located on the third floor.

“Your room is so huge.”

Qiao Wanqing, a rural girl, was quite shocked when she entered Gu Yanqing’s room for the first time.

The size of the room alone could have accommodated a whole living room in some places.

“They thought a large room would be more comfortable,” Gu Yanqing explained. “But honestly, I used to be a little scared of living in such a big room when I was a kid.”

Qiao Wanqing couldn’t imagine Gu Yanqing being afraid of anything, so she became interested. “What did you do when you were scared?”

Gu Yanqing thought for a moment and, meeting Qiao Wanqing’s expectant gaze, replied without changing his expression, “I forgot.”

Qiao Wanqing gave him a skeptical look.

He definitely didn’t forget! He was just too embarrassed to say.

After Koukou had his diaper changed, despite his fear of Gu Jingzhi, it was his first time here and he was curious.

With Gu Yanqing tempting him to play, Koukou couldn’t resist and ended up going with him.

Gu Yanqing had the household servants accompany them, keeping a close watch to prevent them from wandering into any dangerous corners.

Qiao Wanqing had been on edge all day, but now she felt like she had just finished a challenging exam.

She slumped onto the sofa, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over her.

She didn’t even want to think about unpacking their luggage. “I really want to take a nap.”

“Go and sleep in the bed. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner,” Gu Yanqing said.

Qiao Wanqing checked the time; it was just after 4 o’clock.

She remembered from the books that the Gu family always had dinner promptly at 6:30.

It should be similar here.

So, she stood up, planning to go back to her room to rest for a while.

“You haven’t made the bed on your side, so you’ll have to sleep on my side for now,” Gu Yanqing said.

Qiao Wanqing wasn’t foolish enough to sleep on his side.

She knew he would probably say later that he was also tired and wanted to rest.

What would they do with only one bed?

This guy is so predictable!

They had been together for some time now, even though their child was over a year old, they had never slept in the same bed.

Wait a minute, just wait a minute…

“It’s okay, I can do it myself,” Qiao Wanqing said, not letting him have his way, and hurried back to her own room.

Unfortunately, her room didn’t have any bedsheets or mats.

Gu Yanqing followed her and, seeing the situation, said considerately, “I’ll have the housekeeper send someone up.”

Before long, a young girl hurried up, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry, Mr. Gu, Miss Qiao. The bedsheets in the room were taken for washing this morning, but I forgot to dry them. I can put them in the dryer now; it’ll only take an hour!”

“…Don’t you have any other bedsheets?”

The girl replied, “We do, but they’re all new and haven’t been washed.”

Gu Yanqing shrugged. “Looks like you’ll have to sleep on my side for now.”

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

Was this really not on purpose?