Song Huaizhi was holding several paper bags in his hands, which seemed to be filled with all Meng Ruyi's favorite snacks. The bags were so stuffed that they looked ready to burst.
Xu Fanglian caught Song Huaizhi's eye. In the young man's eyes, she saw nothing but calmness, like a stagnant pool of water that had never known a ripple. There was a rare composure in him, unusual for someone his age.
"Huai Zhi," Xu Fanglian suddenly realized that this boy was incredibly smart. Instead of beating around the bush, it would be better to be straightforward. "Can I ask if you know the family next door?"
Song Huaizhi couldn't help but smile. He subconsciously glanced at the girl beside him, whose big eyes were blinking at him. For some reason, he found it rather amusing.
The mother and daughter were quite alike.
Before he could say a word, Xu Fanglian said nervously, "Do they know you? Don't worry, Huai Zhi. If there's any connection between you and them, just tell Auntie. We'll find a way to handle it."
Song Huaizhi was taken aback. When he saw the genuine concern in her eyes, his gaze lingered for a moment.
He slowly curved his lips and said to Xu Fanglian, "It's okay, Auntie. I only heard my parents mention the Gu family, the Generals of Dingguo in the capital, when I was at home. Coincidentally, this family is also from the capital, and that boy has the same name as the General's eldest legitimate son."
"That's good," Xu Fanglian let out a sigh of relief. Then she said to Song Huaizhi, "Huai Zhi, we truly regard you as part of our family. We'll never forget your great kindness to Yu Yu in this lifetime. If you ever encounter any trouble, just tell us."
Rarely, Song Huaizhi didn't say anything flowery. Instead, he looked into Xu Fanglian's eyes and nodded with a gentle smile.
Meng Ruyi stood to one side, witnessing her mother's kindness and fondness for the young man in front of her. She was utterly astounded.
Goodness! Her mother was not an easy person to deceive. If Song Huaizhi really had ill intentions towards their family, Meng Ruyi reckoned she wouldn't even have a chance to struggle.
Thinking this way, when Meng Ruyi saw the paper bags in Song Huaizhi's hands, she suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. So she stepped forward, took them from him, and gave Song Huaizhi an obsequious smile. "Brother Song, let me carry these for you!"
Song Huaizhi found it funny. He knew Meng Ruyi's thoughts were always jumping around. He wondered what she was thinking this time, so he just nodded and said goodbye to Xu Fanglian.
...
Gu Ling pushed open the door with a glum face. He saw his servant, whom he had sent away earlier, kneeling on the ground. The servant didn't even look up when he heard Gu Ling come back. Gu Ling's heart skipped a beat, and he was about to turn and run.
"Gu Ling," a gentle female voice sounded, tinged with a hint of anger. Gu Ling froze in his tracks. Gritting his teeth, he turned around and bowed.
"Mother."
"Um," Madam Gu glanced at him. Her tone was still gentle as usual, but it made Gu Ling's heart skip a beat. He knew he had made her angry, so he hung his head and shuffled towards the woman step by step.
Madam Gu waited until he stood in front of her before continuing, "Look up at me."
"Did I ever forbid you from going out?" Madam Gu was angry. The look in her eyes as she stared at Gu Ling was full of annoyance. Seeing her son avoid her gaze, she took a deep breath.
This brat!
"No..."
Gu Ling felt wronged. Looking at Madam Gu, he said, "Mother, I thought you were busy, so I went out on my own."
"What did you go out for?" Madam Gu asked.
"I went next door to play with Sister Ruyi," Gu Ling remembered Song Huaizhi's cold face just now. His voice was tinged with grievance, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Madam Gu was full of frustration.
"You..." Madam Gu knew her son liked good - looking people, but he wasn't a fool who couldn't tell right from wrong. That Song Huaizhi beside the little girl looked so dangerous. How could Gu Ling not see it?
The air around that young man was so imposing that even Madam Gu, who was used to seeing noble people, was impressed. Moreover, when he faced her, he was neither overawed nor overbearing. Maybe he had guessed which family they were from as soon as he heard about them.
Although Gu Ling was straightforward and seemed carefree, he was still the eldest legitimate son of the General of Dingguo, and his maternal family was also a very prominent noble family. He couldn't be someone who couldn't read people's expressions.
Madam Gu really wanted to knock open her son's head to see if he had water in his brain recently. Why did he keep running into Song Huaizhi?
"Hahaha," Gu Ling knew his thoughts couldn't escape his mother's eyes. So he simply stopped pretending and told her the truth. "I always feel that Song Huaizhi is not an ordinary person. He may achieve great things in the future. So I thought I'd make friends with him now. Maybe I could even recruit him to my side."
"Ruyi is also very cute. She's very suitable to be..." Gu Ling was about to say the next three words, but suddenly, the image of Song Huaizhi's dark, inky eyes and his cold tone when talking to him popped into his mind. For some reason, he just couldn't say it.
The General's Mansion of Dingguo had reached the peak of power among the nobles in the capital in his generation. It was impossible to rise any higher. So Gu Ling knew that his future wife would probably not be the daughter of a noble family.
In that case, he might as well find someone he liked.
Madam Gu thought her son had been spoiled too much. It was obvious that the little girl was being protected by Song Huaizhi. The friendship between children was always beyond the understanding of adults. How could she not know her son's true abilities? Yet she had to watch him go and get rebuffed by Song Huaizhi.
It seemed that Gu Ling had indeed been flattered too much. He could see things clearly but couldn't act accordingly.
Madam Gu sighed and decided to let her son learn his lesson on his own.
...
Meng Ruyi watched the live - streaming bullet comments, which were discussing the conversation between the mother and son next door. Her hand, which was running along the pages of the book, slowed down, and she subconsciously pinched her own face.
She was furious. She had thought Gu Ling was a simple and innocent person. When he was tricked by Song Huaizhi, she had genuinely felt sorry for him and even occasionally reminded him.
Meng Ruyi admitted that she sometimes took pleasure in other people's misfortunes, and she really liked having a friend like Gu Ling, who was simple - minded and rich. In return, after Meng Ruyi learned that the gifts she received were very valuable, she had discussed it with Xu Fanglian and sent some local mountain delicacies and small gifts to the family next door. The value was about the same as the gifts she received, which made Meng Ruyi feel heart - ache.
But it turned out that Gu Ling had ulterior motives. He wanted to recruit her and Brother Song as his subordinates?
Meng Ruyi gritted her teeth. Her chubby little face, which had gotten a bit rounder recently, puffed up in anger, looking really cross.
Song Huaizhi stopped. Seeing Meng Ruyi's pouty little face, he found it rather amusing. "What's wrong, Ruyi? Are you angry?"
Meng Ruyi was startled. Looking at the faint smile on Song Huaizhi's face, she suddenly deeply regretted her soft - heartedness a few days ago. She wished she could go back in time and slap herself.
Brother Song must know about it!
"Brother Song," Meng Ruyi hesitated. Under Song Huaizhi's gaze, she covered her face with her hands and asked, "Is Gu Ling not as simple as he seems?"
"Yeah," Song Huaizhi answered without hesitation. Smiling, he said, "What? Did you think he was really that simple?"
"As the eldest legitimate son of the General of Dingguo, no matter what, he must have more wits than an ordinary person," Song Huaizhi stroked Meng Ruyi's hairpin today and suddenly let out a laugh. "But don't worry. Gu Ling isn't really a very smart guy."