"Of course. Just look at what kind of genes his parents have."
Gu Yanqing: "..."
Xu Han held back her laughter so hard it hurt. For someone in Gu Yanqing's position, probably very few people dared to talk back to him so brazenly.
Fortunately, Xu Han was fairly considerate and politely invited him, "President Gu, eat first. It won't taste as good once it gets cold."
Gu Yanqing washed his hands and sat down at their dining table.
The plate Xu Han had prepared for him was probably meant for a guest, which was why it looked even better than the one she had been holding earlier. The rice noodle rolls had been rolled up and cut into sections, neatly arranged on a white plate and glistening with sauce.
He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and after chewing twice, was surprised to find that it was even more delicious than he had imagined.
Rice noodle rolls made from stone-ground rice batter had more chew to them. Dipped generously in sauce, they were springy, flavorful, soft, smooth, and refreshing. The sauce contained tiny shrimp for extra freshness, and whenever he bit into one, the more he chewed, the more fragrant it became.
Most impressive of all, the rice noodle rolls contained not only minced meat and egg, but also lettuce. Gu Yanqing was not particularly fond of lettuce; he thought it tasted a little strange.
Yet this lettuce completely overturned everything his taste buds knew about it. It was crisp and refreshing when bitten into, carrying the distinctive fresh sweetness of vegetables. Together with the rice noodle rolls, it was like putting the finishing touch on a painted dragon—an absolutely perfect match.
Gu Yanqing had not expected Qiao Wanqing to be such a skilled cook, and he was quite surprised.
When he had first seen her, he had assumed she was the sort of woman whose delicate fingers had never touched housework. Looks truly could be deceiving.
Gu Yanqing ate with gentlemanly elegance. His movements were unhurried, and every gesture carried the natural poise of someone born into privilege. Even eating a bite of rice noodle roll was a pleasing sight.
It was precisely because he had raised him that the male lead was so outstanding. The male lead in the novel was especially swoon-worthy, having inherited all of his strengths.
On top of that, the male lead possessed the particular roguishness of a rich second-generation heir. He was cold and gentlemanly before others, but a little lecherous before the female lead, tossing out dirty little jokes that teased her until she could not close her legs.
When Xu Han read the novel, she especially loved watching the interactions between the male and female leads. Every time, her girlish heart would overflow, and she would wear a doting auntie smile.
Xu Han let her imagination wander through the plot of the novel while openly observing his reaction. Seeing him take the first bite, she asked, "Do you feel that the lettuce is especially delicious?"
Gu Yanqing felt somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze, but he still nodded. "Mm, it's delicious."
Xu Han smiled. He would never guess that this had been grown with his son's pee.
At that moment, Koukou, who had been sleeping in the little crib, slowly woke up. He used to cry as soon as he woke, but now that he was a little older, he no longer did that. He would play by himself in the crib for a while, and only start crying if no one came to pick him up by the time he reached his limit.
And when he cried, it was usually all thunder and no rain. His little voice would howl loud enough to shake the heavens, yet not a single tear would fall.
Xu Han picked him up. Three-month-old Koukou could recognize his mother a little now. Seeing her hold him, his little mouth split into a broad smile, and he eagerly held out his tiny hands.
He could raise his arms now. Every time he did, Xu Han would hold his little hands. It was as if he knew, and he especially liked it. His first reaction whenever he saw Xu Han was to raise his hands.
Xu Han grabbed his little hands and shook them, making the little fellow giggle.
Gu Yanqing saw this
warm
scene, and a strange feeling rose in his heart. He could not describe it. Then he heard Xu Han say, "Take your time eating. I'm going to feed him."
With that, Xu Han carried Koukou into the room.
After feeding Koukou until he was full, Xu Han changed his diaper. By the time she came out of the room, Gu Yanqing had finished eating as well and was sitting in the living room playing on his phone.
When he saw Koukou, his gaze paused briefly, but he only reached out to tease him and did not ask to hold him.
Xu Han already understood how he felt about this child. She had Grandma Qiao push the excited, overstuffed Koukou outside in the stroller for a walk, while she sat down beside Gu Yanqing.
"Wang Xiao was rude last time and offended Miss Qiao. I apologize." Gu Yanqing got down to business.
Xu Han had not expected him to actually apologize. That was rather rare. She had thought wealthy young masters like them would think she did not know her place.
This Gu Yanqing was clearly far more gentlemanly and polite than Wang Xiao.
Xu Han had long since stopped being angry. "It's fine."
"You're an unmarried woman, and raising a child must be inconvenient in many ways. Are you sure you don't want him to return to the Gu family with me?" Gu Yanqing asked first.
"Thank you for your concern, but there's no need."
Seeing that she had made up her mind, Gu Yanqing did not pursue the matter further. Instead, he said, "In that case, I won't force you. But if you change your mind, you can contact me anytime. This is my number."
As he spoke, Gu Yanqing slid a business card toward her.
Xu Han looked at the business card and suddenly found it rather ironic.
The original owner of this body had practically thrown away her pride to seduce Gu Yanqing, yet apart from sleeping with him for one night, she had gained nothing.
If she had had Gu Yanqing's phone number, perhaps during the time he went to another province to develop his career, she could have contacted him by phone. Even if she could not achieve her so-called goal of using the child to climb the social ladder—
Given Gu Yanqing's bearing, he would at least have acknowledged Gu Siqiao and given her compensation.
Gu Siqiao would not have suffered the tragedy that came later.
But a novel was still a novel. If there were even one "what if," the author's plot would not be able to continue.
Yet after transmigrating into this world, she had unintentionally obtained his contact information and had even made him come to her twice to negotiate...
Seeing her stare blankly at the business card, Gu Yanqing did not know what she was thinking, nor was he interested in guessing. He continued, "As for the child, as his father, I'll transfer a sum of money to this card every month. The password is 123456."