After a day of socializing, Du Hao loosened his tie, lit a cigarette, leaned back on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and gazed out at the sparkling swimming pool outside the villa, his thoughts drifting away.

  He also remembered that Gu Mian was a poor swimmer, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hold his breath underwater and couldn't swim at all. Every time after swimming class in school, he would come to complain, blaming the crowded and small school swimming pool for his failures.

  He knew that Gu Mei was open-minded and wouldn't avoid troubles when she encountered them, because she thought that avoiding them couldn't solve any problems. Only by summoning up the courage to face them head-on could she possibly change her predicament and find a new way out.

  So Gu Miao went to find him after learning about his marriage to Qiao Qingya, and asked him clearly, rather than beating around the bush like he did because he didn't know how to bring it up.

  When handling things in Taiyuan, at the moment I saw Gu Mian, saying that he was not surprised would be a lie.

  Watching Gu Mian effortlessly deal with a scammer, smiling brightly as she spoke to the people around her. This confident Gu Mian, this radiant Gu Mian, was once his favorite sight to behold. Yet now, for some reason, his heart felt slightly stifled.

  He thought that if something like that happened, Gu Mian would again refuse his check and might not give him a good face next time they met, at least for a while.

  But he didn't expect that this time, Gu Mian saw him, but it was as if she had seen an acquaintance yet not a familiar person, simply nodding her head and giving a distant yet polite smile, and that's how they got past each other.

  Looking back on that scene, he sometimes wonders if it was real or not.

  "Are you very tired?" Qiao Qingya walked to Du Hao's side with a plate of cut fruit, seeing him looking as if he was reminiscing about something.

  "A bit." Du Hao came back to himself and stubbed out the nearly extinguished cigarette in the ashtray.

  "Things are never done, if you're tired, take a proper rest." Qiao Qingya considerately stepped forward and gently rubbed Du Hao's forehead.

  Du Hao let out a comfortable sigh and continued: "It's just these few days, once the matter in Taiyuan is settled, it won't be so busy."

  "Why don't you take a bath? I'll go and put water for you." Qiao Qingya smiled slightly, without intending to continue the conversation.

  "Hmm." Du Hao nodded and gently kissed Qiao Qingya's forehead, showing affection.

  Qiao Qingya was very measured, never relying on his family background to point fingers at him, nor did he overstep his bounds in interfering with his official duties. In this regard, he was both appreciative and satisfied.

  Such a well-born, elegant and beautiful wife who is dignified in her comings and goings, gracious and refined, and can also bring help to his career, is indeed a good choice.

  Company matters are already annoying enough, after going home he needs a gentle and considerate wife.

  Things in Taiyuan are not going very smoothly, it seems that I need to find some time to visit my father-in-law recently, and also make a good impression on him.

  After closing the bathroom door and making sure Du Hao wouldn't come out for a while, Qiao Qingya slowly walked towards the balcony, took out her phone and quickly dialed a number.

  "Go check it out. Du Hao went to Taiyuan and met someone, something happened." After saying this, Qiao Qingya hung up the phone and quietly looked at the swimming pool downstairs.

  A woman's intuition told her that something was off about Du Hao.

  After being away from home for more than a week, Gu Mei received a warm hug from Ji Yun as soon as she entered the house, and Grandpa Gu Ning also looked at her with a smile.

  "Mengmeng is back." After a week of careful nursing, Gu Ning's body recovered quickly, his speech became more fluent, and he was able to get out of bed and walk around, only unable to persist for too long.

  "Grandpa, I've brought a lot of local specialties for you this time. You can either eat them yourself or give them to your old friends." Gu Mian opened her luggage and took out the things inside one by one.

  Ji Yun looked at that big pile of things and couldn't help but laugh: "Look at what my silly daughter has bought, isn't it heavy to carry?"

  "This is exactly what I want." Gu Mei refused to let go of Ji Yun's arm.

  "Alright, alright." Ji Yun smiled and nodded: "The dishes are almost ready, just wait a moment."

  "Then I'll go pick up the stuff." Gu Mian smelled the fragrance that had already wafted out of the kitchen, exaggeratedly swallowed his saliva, and provoked Grandpa's teasing laughter.

  Since the activity of redeeming cultural relics at one's own expense started, Gu Ming and others have been busy identifying various things. After removing most of the counterfeit products, there are still some gains. Yu Xiao also recovered some through certain means.

  She knew that Du Hao had been quietly standing by her side for a long time, but she didn't have the slightest intention of going over to talk to him. As far as she was concerned, past events were in the past and there was no point in bringing them up again. No matter what Du Hao thought, she would never be interested in a married man.

  But Du Hao didn't stay for long, leaving the next afternoon. On the other hand, Guan Tong kept asking her about her well-being for several days in a row, with an expression that seemed to fear she would be saddened by the surroundings, which made her want to laugh.

  This time, she went to Taiyuan with Professor Wang. Her gains were not small. Her notebook was full of summaries from this practice. In addition, Fu Wen told her that they had put in a lot of effort this time, and after returning, there might be unexpected surprises, which made her feel good no matter what.

  The next day happened to be a school day, so Gu Mei got up early from bed, had breakfast made by Ji Yun, and went to school under her grandfather's reminders.

  It just so happened that the first class was a public lecture with Bai Fangfang, and she had already occupied a good seat. As soon as Gu Mian sat down, she started asking questions nonstop before the class even began.

  When in Taiyuan, Gu Mian called home every day and occasionally contacted Bai Fangfang. However, this girl was as enthusiastic as if they hadn't seen each other for several months, making Gu Mian almost unable to defend himself.

  "You're finally back, you have no idea how miserable I was when you were gone. Professor assigned a lot of homework and without you, I almost couldn't handle it." Bai Fangfang temporarily satisfied her curiosity and began to complain with a bitter face.

  "Is it that difficult? I think you're just lazy and don't want to do it, not that you can't handle it!" Gu Mian bluntly exposed Bai Fangfang.

  "Hmph, after following Professor Wang out for a stroll, you've become so bold! How dare you speak to me like that? Have you forgotten who helped you with your thesis materials in the first place? Who stayed up all night to help you with your homework? White Fangfang stretched out one hand and tilted her head, saying: "Cut the nonsense, where's the gift you brought for me?"

  "Don't worry, you won't be left out." Gu Ming patted Bai Fangfang's hand.

  Just then the class bell rang, and Gu Mei and Bai Fangfang stopped talking. She turned around and was about to open her textbook when she saw a small piece of paper on her desk that had appeared out of nowhere.

  (Thanks to Luoyan Xianju for sending mooncakes, there will be a second update today~~~~)