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The second madam fell silent. Of course she did not want to, but Chu Zeshen was now in charge of the Chu Family, and her nephew was a man whose word was final.

She glanced at Gu Bai and said hesitantly, "But Ze Shen has a guest here. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to discuss this here today..."

Chu Hanjin cut her off. "Just sit tight. My brother and I are here. Don't worry. You're his elder, after all. He'll respect you."

Hearing her daughter's words, the second madam settled down.

Chu Ningwei's appearance was highly deceptive. Influenced by the old foxes of the business world, he had something of the air of a cultured scoundrel, a smiling tiger.

"Hello, I'm Chu Ningwei, Chu Zeshen's younger brother. Are you a friend of my brother's? How come I've never seen you before?"

Gu Bai set down his coffee cup and ignored him. Chu Ningwei persisted. "Shouldn't we introduce ourselves when we first meet? Let's be friends."

Gu Bai still ignored him, never so much as sparing him a glance.

Chu Hanjin found Chu Ningwei's eager advances meeting such a cold reception amusing and could not help laughing aloud. "He's ignoring you, and you're still shamelessly throwing yourself at him. Aren't those few you've got outside enough for you to play with?"

When had Chu Ningwei ever lost face in romance? This was just how these icy beauties were. They only pretended to be prim and proper in public.

Looking at the profile of the person before him, he could not resist moving a little closer. A faint woody fragrance drifted over, cold and captivating, making him want to draw closer still.

"I really would like to be friends with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Bai finally looked at him. Before the delight on Chu Ningwei's face could fully spread, he heard him say, "Mocha."

Confused, Chu Ningwei asked, "What mocha?"

Mocha had been napping in the corner. Hearing Gu Bai call his name, he immediately opened his eyes and ran over without a care for anything else.

Chu Ningwei felt something suddenly step on his foot. Looking down, he discovered a Border Collie.

"Since when did our cousin have a dog?"

Chu Hanjin was curious about this too. "How could someone like him possibly keep a pet?"

Gu Bai patted the sofa. "Up."

Mocha obeyed Gu Bai's command, leaping onto the sofa in a flash before lying down between Chu Ningwei and Gu Bai.

Mocha had his backside toward Chu Ningwei and even searched for a suitable spot like a person, continually pushing against Chu Ningwei with his rear to make him move aside.

Chu Ningwei disliked pets to begin with, and now this dog had pushed him out of his seat. Resentful, he cursed, "Who said you could get up here? Who knows if you're dirty or diseased?"

Gu Bai frowned slightly at those words and reached up to rub Mocha's head. Mocha glanced at Gu Bai, then rested his head on Gu Bai's lap.

"I think he's probably cleaner than certain people. Mocha isn't diseased, but you..." Gu Bai raised his eyes and swept a glance over Chu Ningwei. "That I don't know. Who said you could get up here?"

Gu Bai threw Chu Ningwei's words back at him exactly as they were.

Chu Ningwei glared at Gu Bai, unable to say a word for a long while.

Chu Hanjin could not stand watching any longer. "Brother, he's a guest. We're family with our cousin. Why fuss over so much? Anyone who comes here is a guest."

Chu Ningwei blurted out a curse, then stood up and moved to the sofa beside them.

At last, the incessant chattering by Gu Bai's ear was gone. He idly rubbed Mocha's belly, and Mocha made soft rumbling sounds of contentment.

When Chu Zeshen returned, he knew who had come as soon as he saw the car outside. After opening the passenger door for Elder Chu, he hurried inside.

Behind him, Elder Chu laughed as he watched his grandson's retreating figure. "That little brat. Today I've finally seen what it means to forget your mother once you have a wife. No, forget your grandfather."

Uncle Li saw Chu Zeshen return from his place by the door and hurried to greet him. Before he could speak, he heard the young master say, "Grandpa's behind me."

With that, he went inside, leaving no opportunity for anyone to speak.

Seeing Chu Zeshen return, Chu Hanjin quickly stood up. "Cousin, you're finally back. We've been waiting ages for you."

Chu Ningwei rose with a lackadaisical air and greeted Chu Zeshen with, "Cousin."

Both waited for him to respond, but he completely ignored them and strode straight toward the sofa, stopping in front of the person there.

Gu Bai looked up and smiled at Chu Zeshen. "You're back."

Chu Zeshen asked without preamble, "Everything all right?"

Chu Hanjin sneered at those words. "Cousin, do you think we're some kind of monsters? Were we going to eat this guest alive?"

Gu Bai sighed. "No."

He paused, then softened his voice. "They disturbed Mocha's sleep."

Chu Hanjin's sneer froze on her face, looking awkward and stiff.

Just then, Uncle Li helped Elder Chu inside. Seeing him, the second madam called out respectfully, "Uncle."

As though he could not see the undercurrents in the living room, Elder Chu said with a smile, "What brings you here, Yun Tong? Where's my second nephew?"

The second madam froze for a moment, unsure how to answer. Chu Hanjin seized the opening and stepped forward to act coy. "Great-uncle, how have you been feeling lately? It's been so long since I saw you. I've missed you a little. Let's sit down and talk."

Elder Chu remained all smiles. "Good, good, everything's been good. But we won't sit here. Let's go to the front courtyard so we don't disturb Mocha's sleep."

Those words made it perfectly clear who was a guest and who was family.

The atmosphere in the living room grew even stranger than before. Uncle Li tactfully said, "Everything is ready in the front courtyard. Second Madam, Young Master Ning, Miss Han, let me take you there."

After Uncle Li led the three away, Elder Chu looked toward the two by the sofa, one standing and one seated.

Gu Bai stood up and greeted Elder Chu. "Grandpa."

Hearing that "Grandpa" in person made Elder Chu many times happier than hearing it over the phone. He could not hide the smile in his eyes.

In the end, the affection behind calling him Grandpa was different from calling him Great-uncle.