Holding him in her arms, Qiao Wanqing had faced Wen Yao and the others' attempt to set her up with complete composure. She hadn't panicked in the slightest, remaining almost excessively calm. Gu Yanqing watched the video three times and came to a conclusion.
Qiao Wanqing was actually quite interesting.
After thinking it over, he took out his phone. Yesterday, he had gotten Qiao Wanqing's new number from the landlord. He hadn't meant anything by it; he just worried there might be an emergency where he needed to contact her, like now.
He found Qiao Wanqing's number and dialed it.
Meanwhile, Xu Han was washing Koukou's butt. Oblivious to the world and carefree, Koukou had just pooped a handful of mushy stool into his pants pocket. The stench was awful. Xu Han called him Little Stinky, and Koukou thought she was teasing him, happily sucking on his fingers.
"You just grabbed a diaper covered in your own poop, and now you're putting those fingers in your mouth," Xu Han said helplessly as she pulled his hand away. "You little scamp."
Little Scamp seemed to know his mother had scolded him. He buried his head in Xu Han's arms and stuck his little butt out at her.
Xu Han wiped his little butt clean and put on a diaper, about to dress him in his pants. Koukou stiffened his little legs and refused to cooperate, so Xu Han had to pull his head out and helplessly pat the back of his head. "You already know how to get mad at this age—holy shit! Koukou, you little brat!"
Koukou had just drooled all over her chest...
Xu Han reached for some tissues to wipe her clothes, while Koukou giggled happily. She knew he was too young to understand anger or revenge, but with that naughty-kid look on his face, she really felt like smacking him.
Just then, her phone rang. Xu Han saw that it was an unfamiliar local number. After hesitating, she answered it. She still had to put Koukou's pants on, so she switched on the speaker.
"Hello?"
"It's me." Gu Yanqing's cool voice came through the phone.
Xu Han: "...How did you get my number?"
Gu Yanqing asked in return, "Is that strange?"
Fine, it wasn't strange. It really wasn't difficult for Gu Yanqing to get her phone number if he wanted it.
Koukou recognized Gu Yanqing's voice. Hearing it, he cried out happily, "Ah, ah, ah!" Gu Yanqing chuckled softly when he heard him and said, "Be good, Koukou."
"Ah?" Koukou looked around curiously, as if searching for where he was.
While Koukou was distracted, Xu Han quickly pulled up his pants. Then she turned off the speaker, picked up the phone, and asked, "Why are you calling me?"
Feeling that her privacy had been invaded, Xu Han was a little angry, and her tone wasn't very pleasant.
Gu Yanqing was already used to her treating him this way, so he spoke as calmly as ever. "I've had someone deal with the matter, but don't go out for now. Some people are still trying to dig up information on you. It'll be troublesome if you're recognized."
"..." So it was... Gu Yanqing who had helped them?
Xu Han's feelings were a little complicated, though she wasn't really surprised. Aside from Tan Yue, Gu Yanqing was the only person she knew who would help them and had the ability to do so.
"Oh." Xu Han's voice softened considerably as she said a little sullenly, "Thanks."
Gu Yanqing gave a low laugh. For some reason, seeing the person who had just bared her claws at him like a little wildcat suddenly soften up made him feel especially accomplished.
His voice remained composed. "Mm. Also, a lawyer may contact you later to ask a few questions. Remember to answer the call."
"A lawyer?" Xu Han's heart skipped a beat. "What lawyer?"
"You don't need to be nervous. The mother-and-baby store was behind this. They were using it as marketing."
"..." Xu Han had never expected that twist. The mother-and-baby store had actually been stirring things up behind the scenes. They were utterly shameless.
If this had happened to ordinary people, they would have been exploited for free.
What 12% discount? Who knew how much money they had made from it.
Xu Han was disgusted by them. Over this period, she had learned quite a few business tricks from Tan Yue, including marketing tactics. She also knew that this kind of shameless, unethical marketing was called black marketing.
"So what do we do now? Is there anything I can help with?"
"You and your friend just need to cooperate with the lawyer. I've arranged for people to gather evidence. We're preparing to take legal action and demand an explanation and compensation from them."
At that, Gu Yanqing's voice turned icy. "I'll make them cough up every cent they earned from that marketing."
Gu Yanqing wasn't someone who nitpicked, but this matter had angered him.
They had crossed his people once, so he would make sure they learned a proper lesson.
Xu Han was utterly won over. Dad Gu, you're so cool.
After two tense and thrilling days in the city, Xu Han was exhausted. Thinking that she could go home tomorrow, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
Farming was still simpler and happier.
Author's note:
Xu Han: Finally, we're going back to the village. Does that mean the male lead is finally going offline? Hahaha.
Gu Yanqing: Don't forget, this isn't a business-startup novel. It's a sweet little romance about us falling in love.
Xu Han: Get lost. Don't touch me!
Back to the Village
That night, Gu Yanqing returned home and saw Mrs. Gu looking at her phone in the living room.
Because he hadn't come home yesterday, things between mother and son had become a little awkward. He truly had no interest in that Miss Tan, but Mrs. Gu clearly liked her very much, which gave him quite a headache.
"You're back. Perfect, come over here. I want to show you something." When Mrs. Gu saw him, she smiled and beckoned him over, as though yesterday's unpleasantness had never happened.
"What is it?" Gu Yanqing handed the clothes in his hand to the butler who came to take them, then walked over.
"Look at this little baby. He looks quite a bit like you did when you were little!" Mrs. Gu showed him her phone screen. On it was a candid photo from today's trending Weibo incident.
The photo happened to capture Koukou from the front. That damned uploader hadn't even blurred Qiao Wanqing or Koukou's faces, and his son's adorable little face had suddenly been exposed to the world.
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