Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Wang Yanqing, the Straight-A Student Little Brother

“Don’t be afraid, the baby likes you. Just talk to him, and he’ll warm up to you,” Gu Qinghuan comforted her.

Sure enough, Beibei started chatting with the baby.

“Baby, what’s your name? How old are you? I’m your big sister Beibei...”

Dabao glanced over at Wang Xiaowei, then asked Gu Qinghuan, “Mom, why is that lady so sad? Didn’t she get the money? And she has such a cute baby.”

Gu Qinghuan didn’t quite know how to explain.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “When a man is infatuated, it can be talked out of him, but when a woman is, there’s no talking her out of it. In marriage, women are almost always at a disadvantage. If a man makes a mistake, he usually has a way back, but for a woman, one choice can affect her whole life.”

What she didn’t say was that, in the eyes of society, Wang Xiaowei was now an abandoned woman, and with a child in tow. If she didn’t stand up for herself, her future would be very tough.

Dabao seemed to be thinking it over, then said solemnly, “Mom, I’ll definitely be a good man when I grow up. I won’t make anyone cry.”

Gu Qinghuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—he was still so young, who could say what the future would bring? Still, education starts early.

“That’s right. Dabao, you have to grow up to be a man who stands tall.”

Dabao looked as if it was only natural. He wanted to be like his dad—responsible and reliable.

Wang Xiaowei finally stopped crying because her baby was hungry.

Women—when they become mothers, they become strong. No matter how much pain they’re in, they have to keep going for their children.

“So, what are you planning to do next?” Gu Qinghuan handed the baby back to her.

Wang Xiaowei turned away, lifted her shirt to feed the baby, and sobbed, “Sis, I don’t dare go home. Before I left, I promised my parents I’d find my child’s father. Now things have turned out like this—how can I face anyone if I go back? The whole family would be embarrassed because of me.”

Gu Qinghuan sighed.

This girl was already in such a miserable state, yet she was still worried about shaming her family. Life really was hard.

While Wang Xiaowei was nursing, Gu Lanting had already turned his back, embarrassed, facing the wall.

He felt sorry for Wang Xiaowei. Kids in the city her age—sixteen or seventeen—were still in school, but she was already a mother.

“Sis, how about I stay at your place for now and let her have this room for a few days?” he suggested. A young girl with a child, wandering around, it couldn’t be easy.

Gu Qinghuan thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright, Xiaowei, my brother’s rental has half a month left. You can stay here for now. When you’ve made up your mind, or if you want to go home, just bring us the key. But I really think you should go home sooner rather than later. No matter how nice another place is, it’s not like your own home. Your family won’t turn their backs on you. If something happens to you out here, how could your parents ever be at peace?”

Anyway, Lanting wouldn’t be staying here much longer. As for the family’s little villa, Gu Qinghuan was determined to get it back. Then they’d have a place to live.

Wang Xiaowei hadn’t expected the siblings to give her a place to stay. She burst into tears again, sobbing uncontrollably.

What was wrong with the world? Strangers kept reaching out to help her, again and again, while the man who was supposed to care for her was so heartless and cruel.

She hated herself for being blind and falling for a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

After putting her fed baby on the bed, she straightened her clothes and suddenly knelt down in front of Gu Qinghuan, startling her.

“What are you doing? Get up, quick!”

“Big Sis Gu, Little Brother Gu, you two are my greatest benefactors. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me. I can’t repay your kindness now, so I can only kowtow to you. From now on, you’re my real brother and sister. I’ll never forget this favor as long as I live,” Wang Xiaowei said earnestly.

“You’re making too much of it. We’re just helping each other out,” Gu Qinghuan hurriedly helped her up.

“Yeah, even if it wasn’t us, someone else would have helped you,” Gu Lanting added.

Suddenly, Wang Xiaowei remembered something. She picked up her baby and placed him in front of Gu Qinghuan. “Sis, can I trouble you to give him a name? From now on, he’ll take my surname—he’s my son alone.”

It was the first time Gu Qinghuan had ever named someone, so she racked her brains for a while.

“How about Yanqing? ‘When the rivers run clear and the seas are calm, the land is at peace and life is ordinary.’”

“That’s a great name, Sis! It means bright spirit, pure heart, and elegant character,” Gu Lanting applauded.

“Yanqing? Sis Gu, which characters are those? I haven’t had much schooling, so I don’t know which ones you mean,” Wang Xiaowei said, scratching her head in embarrassment.

“‘Yan’ as in Yan Zi, and ‘Qing’ as in clear water,” Gu Lanting explained.

“Yanqing, Wang Yanqing. Baby, you finally have a name, and it’s such a beautiful one. From now on, you’ll be called Wang Yanqing, Qingqing.”

“Thank you, Sis Gu.”

“You’re welcome. We have things to do, so we’ll head out now.”

From the upstairs window, Gu Qinghuan saw that Chen Zhaodi had already left some time ago, so it was safe for them to go out.

Sometimes, it’s better to stay in the shadows while your enemy is in the open.

The siblings still had to go to school, so they didn’t linger. They took some of Gu Lanting’s daily necessities and left.

Chen Zhaodi had come for two reasons: to bring the Chen family their monthly living expenses, and to inform them that she was about to marry into a wealthy family.

There was no way she’d invite them to the wedding—only important people would be there. What would people like them be doing there?

She was now called Gu Qingyue, not Chen Zhaodi, so she couldn’t openly have any more ties with the Chen family.

She didn’t tell them out of sentiment. In fact, she still harbored a lot of resentment toward them.

She wanted them to see that the girl they’d looked down on, Chen Zhaodi, was now far more successful than Chen Fulai, the family’s only son.

Just like today with Wang Xiaowei—she could solve things with a wave of her hand, while Chen Fulai could only hide behind his grandmother when he got into trouble.

As for the 200 yuan, she wasn’t going to pay it herself. The Chen family had just received compensation money, and her mother still sent them living expenses every month.

For the sake of her eldest grandson, Old Lady Chen reluctantly forked over 200 yuan to settle the matter.

Because of the delay with Wang Xiaowei, Gu Qinghuan and Gu Lanting hurried to make it to school by 11 o’clock.

This middle school was the best in Beijing, and Gu Lanting had studied here before.

The siblings found Gu Lanting’s former homeroom teacher.

Gu Qinghuan stepped forward, scolded Gu Lanting a bit, then pleaded with the teacher to take him back.

To her surprise, the teacher didn’t hesitate at all and agreed readily.

It turned out Gu Lanting had always been a top student—the kind teachers loved. When a top student made a mistake, teachers were willing to turn a blind eye.

Not only did the teacher not scold him, but also lent him her own lecture notes and textbooks, and even helped him get teaching materials from other subject teachers to help him catch up.

Gu Qinghuan was stunned. This wasn’t what she’d expected at all.

Shouldn’t teachers be angry if a student skipped class for two months without notice?

Gu Lanting was deeply moved by the teacher’s concern and promised to work hard from now on.

The whole thing took less than half an hour.

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t expected her “bargain” little brother to be such a star student. It was definitely worth the trip.

“Lanting, study hard. Your best days are ahead of you.”

Next year, the news about the resumption of the college entrance exam would start to spread. With his grades, he’d be able to choose from the best universities in the country.

Thinking about having a straight-A student little brother, Gu Qinghuan was in a great mood.

“I know, Sis,” Gu Lanting nodded obediently.

Dabao and Beibei had tagged along the whole time, wide-eyed and silent in awe. They hadn’t expected their uncle to be so amazing.

The teacher kept praising him, too.

In their minds, teachers were scary—kids in the village said teachers would hit you and were very fierce.

But this fierce teacher was so impressed with their uncle’s studies, praising him to their mom again and again.

They decided that from now on, their new idol wasn’t Dad anymore—it was Uncle.

Xu Huai’an had no idea that just from a trip to school, his number-one spot in their hearts was in jeopardy.

He had just gotten out of the hospital and was on his way home.

Gu Qinghuan took the two kids home, with Lanting in tow. He’d officially start classes again tomorrow.

Xu Huai’an had already made lunch—tomato and egg noodles, one of his few specialties.

Everyone praised him enthusiastically: “Dad, this is delicious!”

“I think so too, Dad’s cooking is great.”

Xu Huai’an looked at Gu Qinghuan with shining eyes.

Gu Qinghuan had no choice but to praise him, too: “It’s good, but there’s still room for improvement. Keep it up.”

Gu Lanting responded with loud slurping, eating the most and the fastest.

No wonder they say teenage boys can eat you out of house and home.

Big boys really can eat—a lot, and everything tastes good to them.

Gu Lanting was skinny as a stick, but now that his sister was here, he could finally eat his fill at every meal, no more going hungry. Of course he was going to eat a few extra bowls. As for the taste—sorry, that wasn’t his concern.

After lunch, the kids took a nap, with Xu Huai’an watching over them. The siblings headed out.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll never lose a battle. They planned to check out the situation at the little villa first."