Back to the 70s: My Childhood Sweetheart Spoils Me Rotten-Chapter 902 - 904: Blossoming Peach Blossoms Everywhere
"Let’s go, let’s head out too." Zhao Xuran wasn’t looking for Zhao Guangran to put him to work today.
Even though there were a pile of things to handle, there was no rush to do them all at once,
"No more data processing?" With a big family business, the result was that it always got really busy around the New Year. Calculating profits and figuring out how to distribute bonuses to employees was demanding.
And then there’s figuring out how much money can be used next year to invest in buying houses and land; overall, it’s incredibly complicated work.
"We probably can’t spend New Year’s together." Zhao Xuran felt quite dispirited — even for New Year’s, they couldn’t be together and were, in fact, separated by distance.
Gong Ruini wasn’t feeling well either. Not only did she have to go back to face people she disliked, she also didn’t want to be apart from Zhao Xuran for a long time.
"It’s okay, you’ll come by mid-January. Then, we can go visit the temple festival." As the days improved, Beijing’s temple festivals became increasingly splendid each year.
While Wan Dajun and Zhuge Zhi, who grew up in Beijing, claimed that it wasn’t as lively as when they were kids, other people, including Gong Ruini, found it plenty exciting.
"Alright, I’m going to eat from the first stall to the last." At the so-called New Year festival, the main focus was food, something Gong Ruini was most interested in.
Gong Ruwen had just received his father’s instructions and wanted to tell Ni Zi that they would be leaving early the next morning, only to find out she was not in her courtyard and had gone out with Zhao Xuran instead.
Standing in the empty courtyard, looking at the dark, unlit house, with the wind gusting by, Gong Ruwen suddenly felt he was truly a bit pathetic.
Even that kid Zhao Guangran had found a girlfriend, while he was still single, facing meals and handling matters alone, frequently irked by all the unintended displays of affection from couples around him.
He hadn’t expected exams to end with a date — too disheartening. Gong Ruwen felt he really should consider finding a girlfriend himself.
"Otherwise, life would be too hard to bear." Turning back, he decided against giving Ni Zi another notice. Something had clearly spurred him on, teaching her a lesson on not leaving home when important things were happening.
Gong Ruini had no idea that just dating Zhao Xuran had caused her stubborn brother, who refused to find a girlfriend, to suddenly feel left out, digging a hole for her.
At this moment, Gong Ruini was gleefully tagging along behind Zhao Xuran, playing and having fun.
"It’s fun here, isn’t it?" Zhao Xuran had heard about it from classmates and it was his first time there too.
Though not fond of crowded places, Zhao Xuran pushed aside his displeasure seeing Ni Zi’s beaming face.
In the end, Zhao Xuran was happily dragging Gong Ruini along, making her equally excited.
Enjoying the delicacies, with a handsome young man and future domineering CEO by her side, Gong Ruini wondered if she was already a success, at least she felt truly happy now.
Gazig Zhao Xuran with pink bubbles in her eyes, Gong Ruini really wanted to pull him down for a couple of kisses to stake her claim.
Indifferent to others’ gazes in general, Gong Ruini couldn’t escape the intense stares aimed at her or those around her.
No matter how she tried to ignore them, she only succeeded in linking arms tightly with Zhao Xuran.
Feeling those stares, how could Zhao Xuran not reciprocate? Though slightly frustrated, he found the occasional attention pleasant seeing Gong Ruini so full of life.
Watching Gong Ruini cling tightly to Zhao Xuran’s arm while he returned her smiles gently, a couple of onlooking girls became displeased.
"Qiao Li, who is that?"
Qiao Li took a glance, "I don’t know, I only know Zhao Xuran’s family has two brothers, but it seems he has two younger brothers who were adopted out."
Adopted out? Isn’t Zhao Xuran’s family well-off? Why would they adopt out children?
"One took their mother’s surname, and another was given to a friend of his grandfather as a grandson," Qiao Li explained, flaunting the information she had gathered.
"Ah, I see." Zhang Yan stared solemnly at Zhao Xuran’s profile, especially impressed by his joy-filled smile, leaving her quite upset.
"Why smile so happily with that girl?" Zhang Yan felt impulsively like rushing to Zhao Xuran, pulling Gong Ruini away, yelling, "Let me in, and this blonde girl get lost!"
"Could she be Zhao Xuran’s cousin or something?" Although discontented with the girl beside Zhao Xuran, they dared not provoke her, in case she was related.
"Probably not," Qiao Li surmised, despite delving into Zhao Xuran’s affairs, his penchant for privacy made solid information elusive.
The twin brothers were known because Zhao Guangran had once brought them to Jing University to find Zhao Xuran, or these tales might never have spread.
Zhang Yan bluntly challenged Qiao Li, "Didn’t you claim to be close with Zhao Xuran? How come you don’t know?"
This turned suspicions towards Qiao Li, who had initially stated her good relation with Zhao Xuran; now, her credibility was in question.
Qiao Li was enraged by Zhang Yan’s words and wanted to leave immediately but had to swallow her pride with graduation job placements looming.
Qiao Li’s drive and ambition left her aiming high. Scoring well at Jing University promised job security with government assignment, yet Qiao Li aimed beyond just employment.
She envisioned staying in Beijing, landing a post in a prestigious government agency, which, until recent years, wasn’t too difficult.
Since the reinstatement of college entrance exams, who knew how many Jing University graduates there’d be. Despite a shortage in talent, positions left for newcomers were few.
To assist her on this path, Qiao Li courted friends with strong familial ties, hoping they’d extend a helping hand when job placements were decided.
If given a choice, Qiao Li would rather be with Zhao Xuran; though he was chiefly solitary at school, his reputation permeated everywhere.
Beyond his good looks, his academic prowess was noteworthy. The only downside was the many eyes on him, including those with influential backgrounds, leaving Qiao Li feeling helpless.
To have feelings for Zhao Xuran yet lack knowledge of his family was indeed a shortcoming. Otherwise, how could one ignore Gong Ruini’s presence?
"Seems he has quite the admiration." Taking advantage of a buying opportunity, Gong Ruini noticed several women.
They were quite attractive, too, which left Gong Ruini slightly disheartened.
Humph, even in winter, she noticed some with good figures, highlighting her small frame. Sigh.
Humph, forget it, Gong Ruini resolved to start eating stewed pigs’ trotters daily, hoping they would benefit certain areas.
If only there were papayas available. Eating them, accompanied by pigs’ trotters soup, would be even more beneficial.
