Chapter 150: Reconciling with Gu Pingsheng?

Wen Xiazhou bit her lip and whispered a soft agreement.

Leaning against the pillows, she read a magazine while Xu Qichen headed to the bathroom to take a quick, hot shower.

Her attention drifted toward the bathroom, looking somewhat distracted. Suddenly, her phone rang beside the bed. Seeing the caller ID displayed as Gu Pingsheng, she hesitated and let it ring until it stopped.

Expecting Gu Pingsheng’s stubborn persistence to yield another call, she was surprised when he remained silent, sending only a brief text message instead: *Youzhi has a habit of kicking off his blanket. Please keep an eye on him.*

Staring at the screen, Wen Xiazhou muttered, *Kick off his blanket?*

Just as she lifted the covers to get up and check on the child, a gentle knock sounded at the bedroom door.

The door pushed open to reveal the little dumpling of a child. Clutching the toy bear she had placed by his pillow and wearing only a milky-yellow pajama set, he stood in the doorway with reddened, tearful eyes.

Glancing down at his bare feet, Wen Xiazhou asked, "Why did you come out without your shoes?"

"Dumpling wanted... Mommy to sleep with me," he whimpered, one small arm hugging the bear while the other wrapped tightly around her leg.

Stepping out in his bathrobe, Xu Qichen halted mid-motion as he was drying his hair upon hearing the little boy's words.

Hearing footsteps approach from behind, Wen Xiazhou felt a prickle of awkwardness.

"Let the maid settle him back down. You've had a long day and you must be tired," Xu Qichen suggested.

*A maid?*

Wen Xiazhou looked down at the little boy gazing up at her with big, pleading eyes, silently doubting whether he would ever allow a maid to come near him.

"Mommy, do you not like Dumpling anymore?" The child's chubby little fingers tugged plaintively at the hem of her shirt, his large, round eyes swimming with unshed tears, as if a single shake of her head would cause him to burst into loud sobs.

Her heart softening instantly, Wen Xiazhou turned slightly. "Qichen, why don't you go ahead to sleep? I'll put him to bed first."

It was already very late, and letting such a young child stay up was bad for his health.

Facing her, Xu Qichen found himself unable to utter a refusal. His gaze fell upon Gu Youzhi, and whether it was his imagination or not, he always felt that this child wasn't as innocently naive and pitiful as he pretended to be.

Children raised in wealthy elite families learned how to conceal their emotions and true natures from a very young age. Xu Qichen had grown up that way himself. Knowing Gu Pingsheng’s methods, he doubted the man would raise his heir to be nothing more than a spoiled fledgling that only knew how to act cute.

As Gu Youzhi took Wen Xiazhou's hand and led her away, he turned his small head back to cast a single glance at Xu Qichen. Unlike the soft, endearing vulnerability he showed Wen Xiazhou, his eyes were completely devoid of any emotion.

That coldness reminded Xu Qichen of the fact that the child suffered from autism.

Children with autism sometimes possessed talents far surpassing those of ordinary children in specific areas.

Lying in bed with Gu Youzhi curled tightly against her chest, Wen Xiazhou could feel him clinging to her, inhaling the faint, pleasant scent he loved so much.

She began telling him a bedtime story to lull him to sleep, but the little fellow seemed unusually energized and showed no signs of drowsiness whatsoever. Even after two stories had ended, his eyes remained wide and bright.

"Mommy, will Daddy be very lonely all by himself?"

Wen Xiazhou paused, offering no reply.

"Daddy will miss Mommy so much. Because when Dumpling can't see Mommy, I miss you... so, so much."

"Daddy said... he knows he was wrong..."

The little boy had a remarkably good memory. Not forgetting the mission that had brought him here in the first place, he fought off his sleepiness to whisper milky, indirect words of persuasion in her ear.

Early the next morning.

Wen Xiazhou was woken by the persistent vibration of her phone. Seeing it was an unknown number, she glanced down at the little boy who had spent the entire night curled securely against her in a peaceful slumber. She silenced the ringtone, carefully extricated herself from his grip, and walked out of the room to answer the call.

It was Zhao Fuhe on the other end, demanding to know how her preparations for the money were coming along.

"Let's set a meeting place," Wen Xiazhou said.

Holding the phone, Zhao Fuhe let out a breath of relief. "Ten o'clock. At the café on New City Road."

Checking the time, Wen Xiazhou saw she had plenty of spare minutes. "Alright."

"Come alone. Don't tell anyone about our meeting," Zhao Fuhe added with deliberate caution before ending the call.

"Got it," Wen Xiazhou replied.

As she prepared to leave, the little boy clung to her, insisting on accompanying her to work.

Taking the cup of coffee handed to him by Jin Mao, Xu Qichen took a calm, measured sip. "It's not very convenient for you to drag him along like this. I'll have Jin Mao drop him off at the Gu Xia Corporation."

To remain this composed and unhurried when dealing with the child of one's romantic rival required a level of emotional restraint far beyond ordinary people.

Jin Mao chimed in, "Madam, please rest assured. I will safely deliver him to President Gu."

Hearing that they intended to send him away, Gu Youzhi opened his wide, watery eyes and shook his head frantically at Wen Xiazhou.

Hesitating for a moment, Wen Xiazhou said, "I'll take him. He's afraid of strangers."

Inside the car, because Wen Xiazhou insisted on returning him to Gu Pingsheng's side, the little boy pouted in quiet indignation, resembling a disgruntled little pufferfish.

Reaching out, Wen Xiazhou poked his chubby cheek. "Are you really mad at me?"

"Dumpling doesn't want to leave Mommy," the child declared with utmost solemnity.

Frowning slightly, Wen Xiazhou checked her watch. "Let's talk about this later. I have some business to attend to. Can you be a good boy and wait for me in the car?"

Gu Youzhi nodded obediently.

Reaching into the back seat, Wen Xiazhou retrieved a black pet carrier case. Before locking the car doors, she gave one final instruction, "There's a phone inside here. If anything happens, press the button and I'll receive it. Don't run outside, and don't open the door for anyone, understand?"

Assuring her with a nod that he understood everything, Gu Youzhi watched as Wen Xiazhou finally headed toward the café.

When she arrived, Zhao Fuhe was already waiting at a table near the window.

Placing the carrier case onto the table, Wen Xiazhou stated, "Here is the one million you asked for. Now, tell me what you were talking about in the office last time."

"There's no rush. Let me check if you're trying to trick me first," Zhao Fuhe replied.

With this million, she could finally escape far away. That was the only reason she had sought out Wen Xiazhou; regardless of whatever Wu Wenjing and Gu Pingsheng were fighting over, she had no intention of getting involved ever again.

Three years of living a nightmarish, ghost-like existence had made her realize one absolute truth: the vicious entanglements of the rich were never meant for someone like her to meddle in.

The only thing she could do now was protect herself, take the money, and vanish forever to a place where no one knew her name so she could live in peace.

Yet neither Wu Wenjing nor Gu Pingsheng would ever let her go easily—just as her recent release from the underground facility was merely the outcome of a stalemate between those two warring factions.

After meticulously counting the cash, Zhao Fuhe placed the carrier case onto the chair beside her. "What is it you want to know?"

"What on earth... is going on between you and Gu Pingsheng?"

Hearing this, Zhao Fuhe suddenly let out a faint laugh. "Before I answer your question, let me ask you one first. What kind of answer are you hoping to hear? And if it turns out there was never anything between Gu Pingsheng and me, what will you do then? Will you choose to stay with Xu Qichen, or will you reunite with Gu Pingsheng?"