Back To The 80s-Chapter 354 - 364: Way Out_1

After leaving the gate of the publishing company, Gu Xiaobei started wondering about his next move. He stared blankly at the throng of people commuting back and forth on the street, then hastily headed towards Qin Li’s uncle’s place.

Qin Li was somewhat surprised to see Gu Xiaobei in such a hurry, "What’s so urgent?" she asked.

Upon seeing that Qin Li was alone at home, Gu Xiaobei blurted out, "Let’s start a company?"

Qin Li was taken aback, pausing before she asked, "What would we do with a company?"

Gu Xiaobei pulled Qin Li to sit down and explained, "We will do business. I will find out more about the market." Gu Xiaobei knew that registering a company itself would take a considerable amount of time, and the scope of operation could be expanded later on, so he was not worried about what to sell, but worrying about the procedure of registering the company.

Qin Li nodded and said, "Alright, it’s up to you. My mother gave me two thousand yuan when I came."

Gu Xiaobei waved his hand, "Don’t worry, I’ll first go back to find out more about the procedure and cost involved."

Gu Xiaobei planned to register a trading company earlier this year, but now he thought it might be better to register an industrial and commercial company directly while he could use this period to get an accounting certificate.

With a clear direction in mind, Gu Xiaobei felt a sense of relief. He hurried home. But just as he neared the entrance to his residential area, he saw Liao Qing and Zhan Hezhi walking together, disappearing into the housing area of the Coal School as if no one else was around.

Gu Xiaobei stood still watching them walk into the residential area, chuckling to himself. He had been right all along; the two indeed had an affair.

Bai Xiaolan had lately been thriving in her office. The three women, for reasons unbeknownst to her, had suddenly started treating her with courtesy and stopped bossing her around. They even helped her with her work.

Bai Xiaolan was puzzled. She did not know that Ji Xiangdong had found the head of the human resources department, who had spoken highly of her to the director and the party’s branch secretary, thereby allowing her to stay.

Everyone in the office knew that Bai Xiaolan had given Zhang Chunlan a harsh beating and managed to return to work unscathed. They were somewhat scared of her, as not only did she have a powerful backer, but she was also very savage.

Bai Xiaolan, of course, had no idea what they were thinking. She leisurely sipped her tea and read the newspaper, then waited for Ji Xiangdong to come and invite her to dine at Gu Xiaobei’s home.

As soon as work ended, Bai Xiaolan was the first to bolt out of the office and wait for Ji Xiangdong at the gate of the Cultural Centre.

Every time she saw Ji Xiangdong strolling over from the party school, bathing in the warm early summer sun, exuding a calming aura, she felt a strange sense of tranquillity. It felt as if she was a giant shark that had found her own sea.

"What are you doing standing around like an idiot?" Ji Xiangdong asked with a loving smile, teasingly mussing Bai Xiaolan’s hair.

Bai Xiaolan giggled foolishly, "Let’s hurry up. Should we buy something?"

Ji Xiangdong softly countered, "No need, haven’t I already bought everything?"

Bai Xiaolan gave him a sideway glance, "I can’t always freeload on you, can I?"

"Yes, you can. If you like, you can do it for a lifetime," Ji Xiangdong said with a smile.

Bai Xiaolan snickered, "No takebacks. And if Lu San complains about me, you have to stand up for me."

"Okay!" Ji Xiangdong agreed, smiling at Bai Xiaolan’s childlike demand.

Wen Xiuqing, although seeing both of them coming in and going out together, hadn’t noticed a thing.

During dinner, Wen Xiuqing said to Gu Xiaobei, "Invite Qin Li over when you have time."

Ji Xiangdong used public chopsticks to serve Bai Xiaolan some vegetables before slowly saying, "Mom, is it better to get married in December or early spring?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaolan choked on her food. They weren’t supposed to bring it up yet. Perplexed, she looked at Ji Xiangdong.

Ji Xiangdong raised an eyebrow, implying he hadn’t said anything at all.

Wen Xiuqing was stunned for a moment, but after seeing the way Ji Xiangdong looked at Bai Xiaolan, she suddenly understood, and was taken aback. Since when did this start happening?

Gu Xiaobei fed the children while grinning. Bai Xiaolan had finally figured it out and volunteered to make things clear with her family. This was almost as difficult as trying to get her not to be impulsive or fight.

Only after a while did Wen Xiuqing ask with a forced smile on her face, "When did you two start seeing each other? We didn’t even know about it."

Ji Xiangdong chuckled, "Actually, Xiaolan saved me in Capital City four years ago when it was dark, so she might not have recognized me."

Bai Xiaolan looked at Ji Xiangdong in disbelief, so he knew all along but didn’t say anything. But it seemed like he was the one who saved her back then.

Upon hearing this, Wen Xiuqing immediately warmed up, her smile deepened, "So you’ve met before, how fated."

Lu Songyuan also laughed, "Both of you aren’t getting any younger, get the recommendation letter quickly. It would be best to get married by the time your studies finish."

Bai Xiaolan, who had been unusually shy and hanging her head low, looked up when Ji Xiangdong said with a smile, "We should see how the Xiaolan’s family feels about it first."

After dinner, as soon as Ji Xiangdong and Bai Xiaolan left, Wen Xiuqing couldn’t help but say, "I mean Xiaolan can’t cook, and she has a bad temper, how are they going to live together in the future?"

Lu Songyuan laughed, "I see it’s quite good. Xiaolan is an honest and cheerful person, suitable for Xiangdong. You see Xiangdong, he always seems happy, but he bears a lot of things in his heart. With Bai Xiaolan around, he will certainly relax a lot."

Wen Xiuqing sighed, "It’s better than staying single."

...

Gu Xiaobei had been busy recently, studying late into the night preparing for the accounting exam. Zhanguo was also increasingly busy, and Gu Xiaobei felt sadly that although he could see him nightly, now sometimes he didn’t see him for several days. This felt worse than before he had been promoted.

At the end of May, Lu Aiguo brought along Fang Jing and Yueyue to the province’s city. As Aiguo had given them a call, Zhanguo took a day off to pick them up early.

Gu Xiaobei also woke early, preparing dumplings so that when Lu Aiguo and his group arrived, they could have some hot breakfast.

Bai Xiaolan and Ji Xiangdong also came early. Every time Gu Xiaobei saw Bai Xiaolan behaving as meek as a cat in front of Ji Xiangdong, he wanted to laugh.

"You’re mocking me, aren’t you?" Bai Xiaolan asked as she entered the kitchen and found Gu Xiaobei laughing suggestively, pretending to be cross.

Gu Xiaobei laughed, "How could I dare to? You’re my sister-in-law now."

Bai Xiaolan nodded haughtily, "That’s right."

Around nine, Zhanguo returned with his guests. Hearing the knock at the door, Bai Xiaolan ran up, intending to tease Lu Aiguo first. But when she opened the door and saw Zhou Siping standing next to Lu Aiguo, she exclaimed in disbelief, "Mom, how did you get here?"

Hearing Bai Xiaolan, Gu Xiaobei also curiously emerged from the kitchen. Seeing the people at the door, his face darkened. Lu Ruixue and Chen Dajun were also there. Surely they weren’t here to make trouble again.