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Xie Wen was not one to meddle. Since they had things under control, he would stay out of it.

"I'll call the driver in a bit, then. For the next week, nothing work-related is allowed in our villa. A hundred thousand for every violation. If we're here to have fun, then have fun properly. You'd better get creative about it."

The room Gu Bai was staying in was probably the master bedroom. It came with a small balcony where he could sit outside with a drink in the evening.

Xie Wen had arranged the entire itinerary in advance. The villa was fully equipped, the duvet covers and sheets were all new, and a faint fruity fragrance lingered in the rooms.

After returning to his room, Gu Bai sprawled on the sofa. He really still did not particularly like traveling long distances. Even though he had nothing to worry about, the long journey was still physically tiring.

He had been away for less than a day and already missed the sofa at home. It was big enough and very comfortable to lie on.

Gu Bai lay there for half an hour, until Mocha came upstairs and knocked on the door.

Mocha had already learned how to knock. He used both his paws and his head to knock twice, then kept at it when the door did not open. He had some manners, but not many.

The moment Gu Bai heard the rhythm of the knocking, he knew the little troublemaker was outside. He got up to open the door.

Mocha had recovered his energy. He bounded excitedly to Gu Bai's feet, then made a sharp turn toward the stairs.

"All right, I'm coming down."

By the time Gu Bai went downstairs, the others were ready to leave.

Seeing Gu Bai come downstairs, Xie Wen filled him in. "We were originally going to the resort hotel this afternoon, but my uncle heard I was here and invited us over for a meal. Don't worry, it's not a family banquet, just an unconventional buffet. They also have a golden retriever, so Mocha will have some company."

Gu Bai had no objections to the itinerary. As long as there was food and drink, he was fine.

They were all guests, and the four people from the villa opposite would be going too. The moment they heard they were visiting the Guan Family, they spent half an hour changing their entire outfits.

Only Gu Bai went as he was, with just a faint trace of the fruity room fragrance on him.

Gu Bai took Mocha into the back of the minivan. Chu Zeshen sat beside him, while Lu Shengfan and Xie Wen sat in front.

Compared with the four of them keeping a low profile, when Gu Bai looked out the window, he saw three sports cars parked outside the opposite villa, with drivers waiting beside them.

Xie Wen glanced over and let out a "Whoa." "Quite the procession. But why are there only three cars? Which young master and young lady are sharing?"

Gu Bai looked away. "Probably my eldest sister and second brother. They don't like sharing cars with other people."

When they left the airport, they had each taken their own car, and it was the same with the sports cars now.

Xie Wen put it tactfully. "The relationship between you siblings is pretty unusual."

Gu Bai said, "There are even more unusual things you haven't seen."

Xie Wen's curiosity was immediately piqued. "What else is unusual that I haven't seen?"

"Young Master Xie, we need the address," Lu Shengfan said, reining in Xie Wen's appetite for gossip. "Stop being nosy."

Xie Wen gave the driver an address, then turned to debate with Lu Shengfan over whether he was being nosy.

The front row was endlessly noisy, while all was peaceful in the back.

Gu Bai received a WeChat message from Elder Chu, along with a red packet below it, saying it was spending money for his trip.

Gu Bai did not accept it. He turned and held out his phone for Chu Zeshen to see. "Grandpa sent me a red packet. I don't feel right accepting it."

Chu Zeshen accepted it for Gu Bai. "This is what's unusual about our family. Keep it."

Seeing the string of zeros in the spending money, Gu Bai asked, "Why didn't Grandpa send you any?"

Chu Zeshen handed the phone back to Gu Bai. "One person managing the money in the family is enough. You can give me spending money too."

In an instant, the noise from the front seats stopped, replaced by unrestrained laughter.

"Hahaha, why does that sound so sickeningly sweet? A Sheng, feel this. Have I got goosebumps?"

"Don't come over here and disgust me."

Gu Bai did not quite understand what Xie Wen and Lu Shengfan were laughing at. Their senses of humor were not on the same wavelength.

"I'll transfer it to you." As he spoke, Gu Bai started transferring the money from the red packet he had just accepted to Chu Zeshen.

Chu Zeshen said, "You don't need to send all of it. You... keep some to buy food for Mocha."

Gu Bai hesitated for a moment, but still transferred all the money to Chu Zeshen. "You buy it for him."

Chu Zeshen accepted the spending money. "All right."

Xie Wen's uncle, Guan Yuan, often came to the island on business, so he had simply set up a home here. This villa complex was close to the shore; it took only ten minutes to see the sea after stepping outside.

When the car reached the entrance, Xie Wen sensed something was wrong. Why were there so many cars outside? Wasn't it supposed to be just family?

One look at the makes of the cars told Lu Shengfan what had happened. "Go ahead and send a red packet in our little group chat yourself."

Xie Wen swore under his breath. "I guarded against everything except my own family. Isn't this just work and networking in disguise? I said we shouldn't come to the island. Whose idea was it?"

Lu Shengfan turned to look at Chu Zeshen. "I came here the year before last. A Ze suggested it."

Chu Zeshen said, "I've never been here."

Xie Wen sighed. "You're the only one who hasn't. I heard from Gu Ruilin that the Gu Family has been here several times. If I'd known, I would've arranged a trip abroad for you."

Compared with traveling domestically, Gu Bai was even less interested in going abroad and taking a flight lasting a dozen hours or more.

"This visit feels different from before. I'm very happy."

Xie Wen said, "It hasn't even been two hours since we got off the plane. What are you so happy about?"

Gu Bai gave a lazy smile. "Young Master Xie, you can't put it that way. Whether you're happy depends on your mood, and whether your mood is good depends on the people around you."

Xie Wen raised an eyebrow. "You really are a literary man. That was quite a pleasing thing to hear. So which person around you is making you happy?"

Without a change in expression, Gu Bai said, "The people and the dog in this car."

Xie Wen froze, then suddenly burst out laughing.

That particular distinction was rather subtle.

Chu Zeshen chuckled along with him, marking his first smile of the trip.