Kids say whatever comes to their minds. Su Yang just laughed it off and didn't take it to heart. Instead, before sending Gu Zichen back to the villa, she patiently explained to him again what had happened unpleasantly in the screening room that day.
"...In this world, not all adults are reasonable. For example, in what you encountered today, it was the adult who was wrong." Su Yang paused, sorted out her words and then continued, "But as you grow up and come across more and more people and things, you'll also find that not all misunderstandings can be clearly clarified with solid evidence."
"Just like the surveillance video the teacher found today?" Gu Zichen asked.
Su Yang nodded. "Because the surveillance happened to capture what really happened at that time, you could tell everyone uprightly that it was the other person who was wrong, not you. You were just wrongly accused. But what if there had been no surveillance today? Then no one could prove that you really didn't step on her skirt."
Seeing the little boy bow his head as if deep in thought, Su Yang patted his little head and said, "But even so, you can't easily compromise just because the other person is an adult, stronger and more powerful than you. Because... you're Gu Xuyan's son!"
That night, after Su Yang got home, she had a video conference with Gu Xuyan. Ji Xiaoman and other colleagues from the planning department were also in the meeting.
One of the main reasons Su Yang came back early this time was to help Gu Xuyan keep an eye on the cooperation with the Chen Group. It would be Monday tomorrow, and early in the morning, Su Yang and Ji Xiaoman would represent Yongxu to attend a planning meeting at the Chen Group. So this video conference at night was Gu Xuyan's last drill for them.
But actually, Gu Xuyan didn't say much in the meeting. He mainly watched as Su Yang led Ji Xiaoman through the process, and other colleagues would occasionally supplement the deficiencies in their explanations.
The whole video conference wasn't long, about half an hour, and the atmosphere was pleasant.
When the meeting was about to end, Gu Xuyan winked at Su Yang, signaling her to wait. Then he first said "Thank you for your hard work" to the others.
Everyone logged off one by one, leaving only Gu Xuyan and Su Yang still connected.
"Zichen called me before the meeting." The two faced each other across the screen, and Gu Xuyan got straight to the point.
Su Yang wasn't surprised upon hearing this and readily admitted, "Come to think of it, this incident might have happened because of me. She was angry with me, so she made things difficult for the kid. But it's okay. I've already made her apologize in person. On the way back, I also talked to Zichen. Kids don't quite understand the adult world, but Zichen is very smart and has a high EQ. I think he can understand."
Su Yang rambled on for a long time. At the end, she looked at Gu Xuyan. To her surprise, the man looked blank and was stunned for a few seconds, then he asked her what had happened.
Su Yang let out an "Ah" and frowned. "Didn't Zichen tell you?"
"Tell me what?" Gu Xuyan was even more confused.
"Then what did Zichen tell you?" Su Yang asked curiously.
"He said that there was a seemingly very rich uncle who talked to you alone for a long time today, and then in the evening, Wang Haoxuan's dad treated you all to a hamburger feast. He was a bit unhappy because it seemed that Wang Haoxuan's dad wanted to pursue you."
Such words, coming out of Gu Xuyan's mouth, combined with his gentle smile and elegant demeanor, left Su Yang speechless all of a sudden.
"It seems to be true..." Seeing Su Yang silent and confirming that it wasn't a network glitch, Gu Xuyan smiled faintly.
On the other side of the video, he was sitting at the desk in the hotel suite. Behind him was the night view of the city with lights twinkling. The inky sky was dotted with lights that shone brightly and dimly like stars, enhancing the lonely aura around Gu Xuyan.
"What's true?" Su Yang suddenly came to her senses and took a sip of the already cold coffee beside her.
"Is it Xu Lize?" Gu Xuyan asked with a smile.
"You don't actually have to be so smart. At least in front of me, you can pretend to be a bit slow." Su Yang finally got on the same wavelength as him.
"I can't help it. I rely on this to make my way in the world." Gu Xuyan pointed at his head and raised his eyebrows slightly.
Su Yang smiled softly. "Yes, it does work very well. You don't have to prove it to me deliberately anymore."
"So what was the thing you were talking about just now?" Gu Xuyan asked her.
Hearing this, Su Yang briefly told him about Ren Sijia's incident. Then she looked at the clock hanging right in front of her and deliberately prepared to end the conversation. "It's getting late. You also have to get up early tomorrow. Go to bed early."
"I'll be back tomorrow afternoon." Gu Xuyan nodded. "I originally wanted to rush back in the morning, but I really couldn't. The old man still needs to be observed for one more night."
"It's okay. Don't worry. I'll probably meet some acquaintances tomorrow. Anyway, it's just a preliminary exploration. I won't let anything slip."
"Thank you for your hard work. Then go to bed early." After saying that, Gu Xuyan hung up the video call.
The screen in front of her turned black in an instant. Su Yang slowly closed the computer. Just as she was about to get up to pour out the cold coffee and wash the cup, her phone suddenly "dinged".
It was a message from Gu Xuyan.
Su Yang opened it and saw only a simple sentence.
He said, Yang, maybe we should give it a try?
Su Yang stared at her phone for a few seconds, then silently locked the screen.
To be honest, she thought she would definitely lose sleep after seeing such a suggestive message from Gu Xuyan. But unexpectedly, Su Yang slept very well that night.
However, on the other side of the central urban area, Xu Lize, who lived alone in Wutong No. 1, suffered from insomnia again.
He had forgotten how many times he had suffered from insomnia this month. The sleeping pills that Shen Xizhu had prescribed for him at the beginning of the month were already gone. He called her to ask her to prescribe another bottle, but was scolded by Shen Xizhu instead.
Xu Lize was too lazy to explain to her. After hanging up the phone, he was about to find someone else to prescribe the medicine for him. But then something unexpected happened to the new project cooperation in Nanshi. He went on a business trip for three consecutive days. When he came back and learned that Su Yang had returned to the country, he was so busy that he forgot about getting the medicine.
It wasn't until he suffered from insomnia this time that he remembered the medicine bottle was empty.
After lying in bed for nearly an hour, Xu Lize still felt wide awake. He simply gave up struggling, turned over and got out of bed, then opened the door and walked out.
The motion - activated lights in the corridor lit up because of his footsteps.
As Xu Lize walked downstairs, he saw his cat already waiting excitedly not far away. It wagged its tail and meowed twice excitedly.
The man smiled softly and waved at it. The little thing quickly scurried over and then started to circle around his ankles.
Wherever Xu Lize went, it followed. Its soft body was like a blanket wrapped around his calf.
Xu Lize walked into the kitchen, poured a glass of warm water and took a few sips. Then he bent down to pick up Nanbao and stroked its long, soft fur as he whispered, "Do you want to go see mom with me?"
Nanbao squinted its eyes and nestled in his arms, looking very comfortable. It meowed twice as if it really understood his words.
"Then let's go." Xu Lize was very satisfied. He picked it up and walked towards the basement...