Wang Chenxi pouted coquettishly. "Oh, I... I just forgot at the time."
In truth, she had been completely scared out of her wits by Gu Weiguo back then.
"Xiaoyang, come on, Auntie will go with you to the police station to see how your dad is doing!"
With that, Wang Qian started to get up, but Gu Yang gave a firm shake of his head.
"You don't need to worry, Auntie, my dad is already fine."
"Huh?" Wang Qian, half-risen, paused in surprise.
"Your dad told you?"
Gu Yang nodded.
Only then did Wang Qian sit back down beside Gu Yang. "Today was all thanks to you and your dad. Auntie really doesn't know how to thank you..."
"Oh, Mom, I've already talked it over with Gu Yang. He's staying at our place tonight, and tomorrow we're going to the amusement park together. Besides, his family just sold their house, so he doesn't have a place to stay right now."
"Oh? Is that so, Xiaoyang? Auntie has another house over in Dongcheng. You can stay there first, what do you think?"
Gu Yang shook his head. "No need. My dad and I sold the old house because we wanted to see which city we'd go to for college after the gaokao, and buy a place there. For now, I'll just rent somewhere."
Wang Qian insisted firmly, "Alright, that settles it. I've made up my mind. By the way, give me your dad's number. I need to properly thank him and talk to him about this."
Wang Chenxi hid off to the side, too timid to speak. But when she pictured Gu Weiguo's fierce appearance, she wondered if her mom would end up with jelly legs just like she had.
"No need, my dad is... afraid of strangers!"
"Huh?" Wang Qian stared at Gu Yang in utter bewilderment.
"Pfft—" Wang Chenxi couldn't help laughing out loud.
Wang Qian glanced at Wang Chenxi, then looked back with a strange expression at Gu Yang, who was completely deadpan.
"Your dad??? Afraid of strangers?"
"Yes, and in our family, I call the shots!"
Wang Chenxi didn't want her mom meeting Gu Weiguo either—after all, that required a whole lot of nerve. So she chimed in to help, "Mom, I can vouch for this. The money from selling the house, his dad gave it all to him!"
Wang Qian nodded in sudden enlightenment. Then she picked up the glass of red wine she had poured earlier, swirled it gently, and took a small sip.
"Xiaoyang, since you call the shots, then listen to Auntie, okay? You helped Xiaoxi so much today, Auntie doesn't even know how to thank you. You're still young, just listen to Auntie!"
Gu Yang looked at Wang Qian, flushed from the wine. Her smooth, porcelain-white neck was faintly tinged with a red glow. Her long, flawless white legs were crossed and tucked to the side as she sat sideways on the sofa, her crystal-clear little bare feet catching the eye. Her soft body leaned against her daughter.
"I'm not young, I'm 23 this year!"
"Huh?" Wang Qian was stunned all over again. Why did she always feel like talking to Gu Yang made her seem so foolish? She hurriedly cast a pleading look at her daughter, and Wang Chenxi nodded affirmatively.
Clueless, Wang Qian pursed her moist, red lips. "23... old enough to get married, how are you still a high school senior?"
Gu Yang paused slightly. "Our family was rather poor, so I've been... well... working odd jobs!"
"Oh~~~~ is that so!" Wang Qian nodded in sudden understanding, her eyes filled with deep sympathy. "Such a young kid having to work, how truly pitiful."
Gu Yang remained silent. He wanted to leave; after all, with three women in the house, he felt thoroughly awkward staying here. Just as he was about to speak, Wang Qian asked another question.
"By the way, have you guys figured out which universities you want to apply to?"
Wang Chenxi immediately nodded. "Tsinghua or Peking University, for sure. Mom, don't worry, I'll definitely get accepted for you."
Wang Qian curled her red lips in mild dissatisfaction. "You're taking the exam for yourself, not for me."
With that, she turned her head and looked at Gu Yang with a smile. "What about you, Xiaoyang?"
Gu Yang hesitated. "I don't know yet!"
"Were your mock exam scores bad?" Wang Qian asked curiously.
Before Gu Yang could answer, Wang Chenxi chimed in, "Mom, Gu Yang's grades aren't bad at all. It's just that his Chinese and math drag him down a bit. Getting into a Tier-1 university is a breeze for him. By the way, Gu Yang, why don't you stay at our place for the next few days? How about I tutor you in math while you're here?"
Leaning back against the sofa cushions, Wang Qian narrowed her pretty eyes as she sized up her daughter. She was just realizing something was a bit off with her girl. Though subtle, offering to tutor a male classmate and asking him to stay over was a first! Gu Yang might not have a place to stay at the moment, but it was obvious from his expression that he didn't want to stay. Yet her own daughter was dead set on keeping him.
"No thanks, I really appreciate it! It's getting late, I..."
"Oh, what do you mean it's late? Didn't we agree you're staying at our place tonight? Besides, it's already ten o'clock, you won't be able to catch a taxi this late!" Wang Chenxi hurriedly jumped up to block Gu Yang's path. Her fair, slender legs made Gu Yang blink in momentary dizziness.
"I'll... call a ride-hailing app."
"Oh, Mom, say something!"
Wang Qian looked at Gu Yang with a smile. "Xiaoyang, is Auntie not taking good care of you, or is the food not to your liking?"
Gu Yang took a deep breath as two different scents rushed into his nose.
"No, it's fine. Alright, I'll stay for one night and leave tomorrow!"
"No, tomorrow we're going to the amusement park. We agreed to go together!"
Gu Yang frowned.
Wang Qian smiled and shot a meaningful look at her relentless daughter. Only then did Wang Chenxi reluctantly sit back down.
Gu Yang let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Xiaoyang, the gaokao is coming up soon, you need to relax. Being too high-strung all the time is bad for the exams. Do you want to give your dad a heads-up beforehand?"
Gu Yang could remain calm and collected around the youthful Wang Chenxi, but against the fully ripe Wang Qian, he stood zero chance. Struggling to steady his racing heartbeat, he said, "No need to tell my dad, I'll go with you guys tomorrow."
Wang Chenxi bounced up in excitement. "That's great! You should've just agreed in the first place. Honestly... Aunt Zhuang, please go tidy up the guest room."
With that, Wang Chenxi ran off to find the housekeeper.
Wang Qian set down her wine glass as well. "Xiaoyang, have a seat, I'm going to take a bath. I'm exhausted after running around all day!"
"Okay! Um..."
Wang Qian looked at the hesitant Gu Yang. "What is it?"
"Can I smoke?"
"Of course, make yourself at home."
Watching Wang Qian sway as she walked away, Gu Yang let out a heavy sigh of relief. He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. The nicotine hit his lungs, finally helping him regain his composure.
Despite appearing calm on the outside, he had been panicking inside.
When it all came down to it... he lacked love. Maternal love.