“Miss Song, what a coincidence. We meet again.”
At the sound of that familiar voice, Gu Baozhu grabbed Song Shixue by the arm and hurriedly pulled her up the stairs.
Song Anhao stopped. The instant he saw Qiu Wangzhi, his sharp gaze swept over him from head to toe.
Average looks, average height, an ordinary face—at a glance, he clearly wasn’t a good person.
Gu Congwen and Gu Jinghong stared expressionlessly at Qiu Wangzhi. Three encounters in a row—he really was like a piece of dog-skin plaster, impossible to shake off.
Being watched by three pairs of eyes as though he were an enemy, every hair on Qiu Wangzhi’s body stood on end. He froze rigidly in place.
Watching the five of them leave with cold, indifferent backs turned toward him, Qiu Wangzhi braced himself against the wall and slowly crouched down.
In the private room upstairs, Gu Baozhu sat by the window, her gaze following the despondent figure disappearing below.
“Looks like he’s found a new target.”
Song Shixue calmly picked up a bright-red cherry from the table and popped it into her mouth.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving tomorrow anyway.”
The door opened as Song Anhao pushed it inward, with Gu Congwen and Gu Jinghong following behind him.
Not long after everyone had taken their seats, the dishes were served. They were all the restaurant’s best-selling signature specialties.
Gu Congwen said, “Qiu Wangzhi is very good at making friends with his fellow students at the academy. I never expected him to harbor ambitions of currying favor with the powerful.”
Gu Jinghong said, “You can know a person’s face but not their heart. Over the years, have we not encountered enough people who act one way to your face and another behind your back?”
As the grandsons of the Southwestern Provincial Administration Commissioner, both Gu Congwen and Gu Jinghong were treated with flattery wherever they went.
The number of people who were sincere toward them could be counted on one hand.
The next day, Gu Baozhu brought Song Shixue to the stone forest and flower sea once more. This time, the Gu brothers came along as well.
Song Anhao led Xuetuan, whose enormous body drew everyone’s attention wherever it went.
“Oh my goodness, that looks like a tiger!”
Everyone wanted to keep their distance while also wanting to get closer. In the end, they could only watch from afar as Gu Baozhu and the others walked away.
The sunlight was gentle, and a spring breeze stirred the air. Lying on a blanket spread over waterproof paper and cotton cloth, gazing up at the sky, made all their worries seem to disappear.
“It’s a pity you’re leaving tomorrow. Otherwise, I would have to take you sightseeing and show you the mountains and rivers.”
A satisfied smile curved Song Shixue’s lips.
“There are many patients at the clinic. I’ll come visit the next time I have some free time.”
Gu Baozhu propped herself up on her right elbow and turned her face to the side.
“When you have time next time, send someone to deliver a message to me. I’ll go to Suining City to find you.”
As she spoke, she leaned close to Song Shixue’s ear and whispered, “When the time comes, let’s travel west. I really want to see how the people of the southwestern ethnic tribes live.”
Song Shixue’s pupils widened slightly. “You’re incredibly bold. If your uncle and aunt find out, they’ll lock you up for another two months.”
Gu Baozhu raised an eyebrow. “Then they just can’t find out.”
Song Shixue shook her head. When that time truly came, she absolutely would not agree.
If anything happened, she could not bear the responsibility. The Gu family’s wrath was no joke.
“Awooo~”
Xuetuan leaped high into the air, bit down on the kite string, and ran back.
The tourists below the mountain all looked up. It was the cry of the white tiger from earlier.
“Xuetuan—”
Song Anhao rushed over and pried open its mouth. By the time he managed to rescue the string, it had already snapped.
The kite fell onto a crabapple tree. Gu Jinghong climbed up to retrieve it, only to discover that the branches had torn it to pieces.
Seeing this, Song Anhao grabbed Xuetuan by the ear and scolded it. “Look at what you’ve done! Now we don’t have a kite anymore.”
Xuetuan wrinkled its nose and shook its head. Then its huge body curved around and leaned into Song Anhao’s embrace, knocking him onto the ground and leaving his backside covered in dew.
“Xuetuan, get up right now!”
