Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 780 - 781: Old Friends Meet!
She frowned but didn’t say anything, walking directly back to the car, opening the door, and climbing in. Nearby, Chen Ming finished his cigarette, didn’t linger, and simply left.
About twenty minutes later, Zhou Yunchen walked out, got into the car, and while buckling his seatbelt, asked, "Did you turn down Chen Ming? He seemed to have had quite a bit to drink."
Beauty lightly tossed her hair. "Brother, could you please not mention him? He’s an absolute idiot." With that, she started the car.
Yun Chen smiled, leaned back against the seat, and closed his eyes to rest.
It was quiet in the car. After a long while, Beauty asked softly, "Brother, did you use to have feelings for Gu Anxi?"
Yun Chen was surprised she would ask this, but he didn’t deny it. "Yes, I used to like her a lot."
"Then you’re mentally betraying my sister-in-law." Beauty seemed to care a great deal about this, her eyes fixed on the road ahead as she spoke sternly.
Yun Chen shifted in his seat and said somewhat vaguely, "Your sister-in-law knows. Besides, that was all in the past. And with Duoduo, who says that liking someone once means you don’t have the right to like someone else?"
"It depends on who is more important in your heart now," Yun Chen said softly. "I see Anxi as a sister, as an important member of my family, but your sister-in-law is my truest love. Isn’t that enough? It’s not really that complicated. A person’s heart isn’t a rigid container that can only hold one person and no more. If you think that way, then Anxi used to like someone else too. Professor Bo must find that hard to swallow, right?"
Beauty was surprised.
After a moment, she slowly said, "So, Gu Anxi had two chances to choose, and neither time was it you. Brother, are you just not good enough?"
Yun Chen felt like stamping his foot. Did he really have a sister like this?
However, he didn’t get angry with her. Instead, he tried to guide her again, "It’s like when you used to like Bo Qing; that doesn’t mean you can’t like someone else in the future. I’m not saying Chen Ming is a perfect match for you, but if you feel that liking Chen Ming would be a betrayal of your feelings for Bo Qing, then there’s no need for that... Life is so long; no one is obligated to keep liking the same person forever."
Beauty listened, somewhat dazed.
Yun Chen smiled and gently pinched her ear. "Alright, Duoduo, stop asking. Let your brother get some sleep."
Beauty felt a wave of warmth, and the resentment and indignation she had felt seemed to lessen considerably. She knew he was tired, yet she still said softly, "Brother, I told Chen Ming he couldn’t afford to support me."
Yun Chen didn’t answer at first. After a moment, he opened his eyes slightly and gave a faint smile. "Well, he probably won’t pester you anymore then. Men have their pride, especially in matters like this. He can’t keep chasing you and let others say he’s trying to live off a woman, can he?"
As her brother, he had authoritatively inventoried all of his sister’s assets, entrusting them to his wife to prevent Beauty from having any chance to flee. It was only after this thorough accounting that he discovered she possessed assets worth over a billion yuan. Chen Ming’s salary undeniably paled in comparison. However, he still felt that for someone with Beauty’s sensitive and fragile personality, a man like Chen Ming would bring her greater happiness and provide more acceptance.
But since she had said that, he couldn’t say much more. Just consider it quits with Chen Ming.
Hearing him say this, Beauty pressed her lips together. After a good while, she said again, "He... he seems to like Jiang Chaoge."
Yun Chen had had enough of his sister. He sat up straight, no longer trying to sleep, and asked her seriously, "Well, do you like him? If you don’t, then things like that from his past don’t matter. If you do like him, then it’s as we said before: everyone has a past. Jiang Chaoge is indeed attractive and talented; isn’t it normal for him to have liked her?"
When he put it that way, his sister got angry and stopped talking.
Yun Chen smiled, having a good idea of what was going on... but he didn’t point it out, letting her stew.
...
They left first. Gu Anxi and Bo Xichen were the last to leave. Because Gu Anxi had been drinking, Bo Xichen hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol. On the way back, Bo Xichen asked her softly, "You seemed a bit off today."
Gu Anxi turned her head, looking somewhat lethargic. "Uncle, you’re overthinking things."
Bo Xichen reached out and took her hand. "I think Mr. King has probably figured it out too."
Gu Anxi leaned back against the seat and, after a long pause, murmured, "I still don’t want to believe it. How could it be him? I started learning painting from him when I was just a few years old. And last time, Song Jiaren even injured him."
Bo Xichen remained silent, merely freeing one hand to gently squeeze her fingers.
They felt cold.
A few days ago, when King Jingyao had made such a grand display of inviting people to appraise those paintings, he had suspected something. His father, however, hadn’t... But thinking about it now, who else could stir up such a storm in the art world and repeatedly endorse those forgeries, other than him?
Gu Anxi turned her head away, gazing at the boundless night, and said softly, "Uncle, was I also a part of it? By having a celebrated student, his reputation would grow even greater, and the dignitaries would trust the artworks he endorsed even more, wouldn’t they?"
Bo Xichen sighed gently, holding her hand.
Gu Anxi added, "My big brother must have found out, and that’s why he had me expose that painting."
Shen Wanqing was just an unexpected occurrence.
And that person’s final struggle.
Gu Anxi closed her eyes, not wanting to speak anymore. To her, Elder He was like a teacher and a father...
The car sped like a shooting star until it reached Si Garden. Just as the car stopped, the gatekeeper ran over to Gu Anxi and said, "Someone is here to see you. They said they’re from Qingcheng."
Gu Anxi was taken aback. "From Qingcheng?"
The gatekeeper nodded. "Yes, from Qingcheng. A woman in her forties or fifties."
Gu Anxi put her hands in her pockets and turned to Bo Xichen. "Then, Uncle, you head back first. I’ll go meet them."
"I’ll go with you," Bo Xichen said with a faint smile.
Gu Anxi hummed in agreement, and the two of them walked together to the front hall.
Inside the front hall, a plainly dressed woman was wringing her hands, pacing back and forth anxiously. Hearing footsteps, she immediately turned around. She looked like she wanted to rush forward but then hesitated, softly calling out, "Anxi."
The woman was none other than Shen Wanqing’s mother, Chen Jinfeng. Earlier today, one of Chen Ming’s subordinates had contacted her, and only then did she learn that her daughter had been arrested. She immediately bought a plane ticket and somehow found her way here.
Gu Anxi gestured for her to sit down and speak, and also had someone bring hot tea and a meal, as she could tell Shen Wanqing’s mother hadn’t eaten.
Chen Jinfeng was extremely uneasy. It was her first time in such a magnificent house, and seeing the handsome, incredibly distinguished young man beside Anxi made her somewhat envious. If only Wanqing could have such a future. But now, all she hoped for was her daughter’s return.
Chen Jinfeng was grateful but had no appetite. She choked out, "I truly had no other choice but to come and beg you. I know Wanqing has many faults, but please, for the sake of the time you spent growing up together, for the sake of... the past, can you save her?"
Gu Anxi naturally understood her intentions and only felt pity for her. She observed Chen Jinfeng, still dressed as plainly as before, her hands cracked, likely from continued hard work. Yet Shen Wanqing was staying in hotels costing thousands a night. Moreover, Gu Anxi knew Si Garden had provided her with a house and several million yuan. Logically, this woman, who had toiled her entire life, shouldn’t have to endure such hardship any longer. Thinking about it now, Chen Jinfeng’s happiest and most stable period, ironically, had been before the Gu family’s collapse.
