Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Gu Nianzhi restrained her temper as she listened to it for a long time. She looked calmer. She had a smile on her face that was so aloof and indifferent that Gu Yanran couldn’t tell what was behind it.
“Finished?” Gu Nianzhi looked up at her. She knew that if she could not persevere at that time, Gu Yanran would talk for a while. She stretched out her hand and took the invitation. “OK. If I’m free tomorrow, I will go.”
“Awesome! Nianzhi, just use my name when you go tomorrow. I will send people to bring you inside.” It was clear that the happiness was from Gu Yanran’s heart.
Gu Nianzhi said nothing.
She looked at the invitation in her hand. “Having this invitation still wouldn’t get me inside? I still need to go find Ms. Gu to get in? Then, what good is the invitation? I’ll just use your name tomorrow.”
Gu Nianzhi returned the invitation to Gu Yanran again.
Gu Yanran quickly corrected herself and winked at her and said, “Of course not. Nianzhi, of course you can also go by bringing this invitation, but if you use my name and say that you are my little sister, they will be more respectful toward you. Furthermore, you wouldn’t have to wait in line. You could come in immediately. Isn’t it that great? Didn’t you say that you are busy?”
Gu Nianzhi made an indifferent “uh-huh” sound. “OK, I’ll look at tomorrow’s schedule,” she said as she put the invitation into her bookbag carelessly. She stepped on the pedal. “I’m going to go.”
“You have to come tomorrow!” Gu Yanran waved her hand at her. Then she went back to her own car.
Gu Nianzhi parked her bike in the bicycle parking shed and raised her eyes to look at Gu Yanran’s car driving away with an air of superiority. There were motorcycles in the front and in the back making way for it. It was very ostentatious and extravagant. Gu Nianzhi curled her lips in disbelief at Gu Yanran’s habit of bullying-others-by- flaunting-her-powerful-connections. She really was speechless.
She carried the bookbag on her back as she came out from the bicycle parking shed. Just as she was about to enter the dormitory, she heard someone call her name behind her. This time, it was Yin Shixiong’s voice. Gu Nianzhi’s face bloomed into a smile.
She turned and faced Yin Shixiong, who was standing under the stairs with open arms. “Big Xiong! Are you here to see Qiqi?”
Yin Shixiong gasped.
If it weren’t for a certain person who was in the shadows keeping an eye on him in an unknown place, he would have complained about it while crying to Gu Nianzhi… but he was there to see Qiqi. He was “forced” to see Qiqi! Of course, he could only gladly endure the hardship.
“Nianzhi, it’s like this.” Yin Shixiong took out two invitations from his pocket. “This is an invitation for the prime minister’s daughter’s birthday party at the Prime Minister’s Residence tomorrow. I want to ask Qiqi to go with me…”
Gu Nianzhi’s eyes brightened and patted Yin Shixiong’s shoulder hard. “Good job, Big Xiong! Keep it up!”
“…But, on the phone Qiqi said that she’s not used to that kind of event and that she doesn’t want to go.” Yin Shixiong forced a smile. “I’m wondering, could you help me and go to the banquet at the Prime Minister’s Residence with Qiqi?”
Gu Nianzhi thought about how Gu Yanran had just specifically come to give her the invitation. Her eyeball moved and said, “OK, but can you let me see the invitation?”
Yin Shixiong quickly put the invitation in Gu Nianzhi’s hand. Gu Nianzhi looked at it. It was almost exactly like the invitation that Gu Yanran had given her. However, the invitation she got had her name on it, whereas the two invitations that Yin Shixiong had didn’t have names on them. That was a bit interesting.
At first, Gu Nianzhi didn’t want to go. It was a no brainer that since Gu Yanran came to specifically give her the invitation, she had to go to the event. She wouldn’t let her feel comfortable. Why would she bring trouble upon herself?
But, seeing how rare it was for Yin Shixiong to ask and that it was to go see the world with Qiqi — and especially because it was to see the real people that they hated on Weibo — it looked like it would be very interesting…
Gu Nianzhi thought about it and she nonchalantly asked, “It’s Tan Guiren’s birthday party, right? What about her mother, Cai Songyin? Will she be present?”
She knew that on the day Cai Songyin was driven mad at court that she lost control of her feelings and was temporarily detained. That was why the person who would host Tan Guiren’s party would not be her own mother, but the person with a strange identity, Gu Yanran.
Yin Shixiong secretly smiled as he looked to his left and right. He moved close to Gu Nianzhi’s ear and whispered, “…This is the specially prepared birthday present we are going to give Ms. Tan. At that time, not only will Ms. Tan be shocked, but even the Prime Minister and his pretty assistant might also be surprised…”
“They have a really good appetite. Even if it were a whale from deep in the sea, they would still eat it.” Gu Nianzhi made fun of her in an indifferent manner as she thought of how just then ,Gu Yanran had that overweening and arrogant look. She was suddenly very interested in tomorrow’s party.
She looked down at the invitations that were in Yin Shixiong’s hand and spurted out, “…This is Huo Shao’s idea, right?”
“How did you know?!” Yin Shixiong had a fake “panic-stricken” expression. He even put on an act and looked around him.
Gu Nianzhi immediately knew that Huo Shaoheng was probably nearby.
Her smile immediately disappeared and she put the invitation back in the bookbag and said, “I’m leaving. I still need to stay up late to study. I can only go if I finish the report I have right now. Big Xiong, you should beg the Gods and Buddhas to bless and protect me and let me finish my reports successfully today! Or else, I would not be able to take your Qiqi to the banquet!”
Yin Shixiong laughed at what Gu Nianzhi had said, but was pleasantly surprised he was able to accept the words “your Qiqi.”
…
Gu Nianzhi went back to the dormitory and saw that Ma Qiqi was already back. She was in the living room, eating a snack.
When she saw Gu Nianzhi come in, Ma Qiqi lifted the snack in her hand and asked, “Want to eat? Cashews.”
Gu Nianzhi shook her head. “Too oily. I don’t want to eat them. I still haven’t eaten dinner.”
Gu Nianzhi put the bookbag down and took out an invitation and put it in front of Ma Qiqi. “There, Qiqi. Tomorrow’s banquet at the Prime Minister’s Residence. Big Xiong wanted me to give it to you.”
“Ah, I told him I’m not going.” Ma Qiqi shrugged her shoulders. “I’m a commoner… I don’t go to those kinds of events for high officials and noble lords. Tell me, does he want me to make a fool of myself?”
Gu Nianzhi found it funny. She walked over and sat next to her. She pinched her nose, which was quite elevated, and said, “Don’t say that Qiqi. There’s nothing special about high officials and noble lords. Besides, don’t you want to see that person we hate on Weibo?”
Ma Qiqi looked at her and threw a round cashew into her mouth. “I have never been to an event like this before. I don’t feel comfortable.”
“I’m going. Will you go?” Gu Nianzhi could see that Ma Qiqi had a bit of stage fright. Actually, she was probably interested. Plus, there was Yin Shixion…
The moment she heard Gu Nianzhi was going, Ma Qiqi’s eyes lit up. “I’m going! Of course, I’m going!”
She put the invitation away happily and stood up and said, “OK, then you have to go with me tomorrow! The one who doesn’t go is no better than a dog!”
“…I don’t mind being a little dog. Woof, woof, woof…so cute.” Gu Nianzhi looked at Ma Qiqi’s winking eyes. Ma Qiqi almost passed out from the shock she gave her…
“Alright, alright! You win! It doesn’t matter since you have to take me, or else I won’t go.” Ma Qiqi said that as she carried the snack pail into her own room.
The moment she went in, she used her back to close the door. Then, Ma Qiqi leaned against the door and took out her phone and texted Yin Shixiong, “done.”
Yin Shixiong was sitting in his car when he got Ma Qiqi’s text. He happily turned his head toward Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting in the back seat, and said, “Huo Shao, it’s done!”
Huo Shaoheng nodded calmly and asked Yin Shixiong, “How about Cai Songyin? Is the procedure to release her on bail done?”
“Done.” Yin Shixiong stepped on the gas and the car moved. At the same time, with much emotion he said, “She sure is unlucky. I heard from people in the court of justice that she didn’t need to be locked up for that long. She could go home on the second day, but the Tan family’s lawyer acted like she had forgotten about her. Also, Tan Dongbang didn’t say a thing about it. She was locked up the whole time.”
Huo Shaoheng made a couple of “haha” sounds and said, “Isn’t it perfect? If she went home right away, where would we get to see this much drama?”
Yin Shixiong thought about it and also felt like it was funny. However, when he thought of Gu Yanran, he looked to the rearview mirror and asked, “Huo Shao, what should we do about Gu Yanran? Right now, her power and influence are quite big.”
“Yes, leave her to Nianzhi.” Huo Shaoheng lifted his wrist and looked at his watch disapprovingly. “It’s getting late. We need to get back quick and hold our regular meeting.”
At that time, their regular meetings were held on Fridays. After the meeting, there were those who had to be on duty, and those who had the weekend off.
…
Gu Nianzhi was writing her report that whole night. She only went to sleep at 6 a.m.
Gu Nianzhi planned on sleeping that whole morning because the birthday party at the Prime Minister’s Residence was at night.
On Saturday morning, Huo Shaoheng called her. He called her for a long time and no one picked up. In the end, he called Ma Qiqi. He only found out that she stayed up all night to write her report and that she was sleeping in the morning.
That was the perfect way to avoid him?
