Boyfriend Always Thinks I'm a Little Pitiful Chapter 4

Gu Yongnian, who was in a meeting, received a message from Lao Zhou. He couldn't suppress the joyful smile on his face and waved for his secretary to go to the lobby to greet someone in advance.

The other directors at the round table noticed this and secretly glanced at Gu Yong'an. He was flipping through project documents, his expression unreadable, but they could somewhat sense that he wasn't welcoming his nephew who had suddenly returned to the country.

The sudden return of President Gu's son, who was raised in Country D, might be signaling something.

As soon as Gu Yufeng got out of the car, he saw Secretary Lin Ying waiting at the lobby entrance. She was a smart and capable woman in her thirties and also his dad's mistress.

He was used to this. After all, his mom also had a bunch of lovers.

The two old folks had been living apart for years, each busy with their own careers, meeting only a handful of times a year. It wasn't surprising that they each did their own thing.

As long as they didn't bother him, they could play however they wanted.

Lin Ying, dressed in professional attire, quickly approached with a polite smile when she saw Gu Yufeng. "Young Master, President Gu is in a meeting and asked me to come down to greet you."

"Okay." Gu Yufeng grabbed his backpack and, with Robertson, walked through the lobby towards the elevator.

With his outstanding appearance and status, Gu Yufeng immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the lobby.

A few young ladies at the front desk were starstruck. Once the group entered the elevator, they couldn't help but gather and whisper.

"The boss's son is here at the company?! Where is he? Is he handsome? We need details!"

"He just went upstairs, and he's super handsome. I couldn't even blink!"

"He just passed by my workstation. He's so friendly and polite, definitely a well-mannered kid."

"The boss has a son? I've been here for half a year and this is the first I've heard of it."

"The boss often flies to Country D on weekends to visit his son. It's said that his father-in-law's family is a major financial power in Country D, and the boss's wife's assets are even larger than Gu's. People used to speculate that the boss's son would inherit the assets over there, but who knew he'd come back."

"Someone's going to have sleepless nights."

Lin Ying dutifully introduced the functions of each office area to Gu Yufeng. Seeing his lack of interest, she suggested, "President Gu's meeting will end in about twenty minutes. Shall I take you to the lounge first?"

Just as Gu Yufeng was about to nod, he suddenly heard a shout, which was particularly abrupt in the serious and busy office.

"What's going on?" Robertson instinctively moved closer to Gu Yufeng, looking warily in the direction of the sound.

On the right side of the large office, against the wall, was a big fish tank where two middle-aged men were having a dispute.

"The fish was fine half an hour ago. Did you kill it? This was a fish that Old Master Gu got from a feng shui master. You couldn't afford it even if you sold yourself!"

"Why would I kill it for no reason?"

"Then how did the fish die?"

"I came back from getting water and saw it belly-up. I was just about to check what happened!"

"If you didn't do it, how could it die on its own?!"

"What's going on?"

Hearing footsteps behind them, the middle-aged men turned around. Seeing it was Gu Yufeng, they quickly greeted him, "The fish kept here suddenly died, and we're trying to find out why."

The employees observing the fish tank quickly stepped aside.

"The fish died?"

Gu Yufeng's gaze shifted to the fish tank, his tone teasing, "With such a big fuss, I thought it was my dad who died."

His light remark left the entire office silent.

The other middle-aged man spoke up, "This was Old Master Gu's favorite fish, blessed by a feng shui master. It took several requests to get it. Every time he comes to the company, he personally feeds it. It's always been fine, but today, for some reason, it died just as you arrived..."

As he spoke, his voice grew softer, but everyone heard what needed to be heard.

The implication was clear.

They were subtly accusing Gu Yufeng of being the reason the old master's fish died.

Now, everyone understood.

This was a power play against Gu Yufeng, using the highest-ranking member of the Gu family to pressure him.

Lin Ying's face turned cold. "What do you mean by that?"

The middle-aged man replied, "I mean nothing, just stating the facts."

Lin Ying was about to call for a surveillance check when she heard a light laugh.

Gu Yufeng glanced at the middle-aged man's name badge, seeing he was the assistant to the vice president, and wasn't surprised.

Only that second uncle would play such petty tricks.

"No wonder it's a fish blessed by a master, it really has a spirit."

Gu Yufeng walked to the fish tank, directly reached in to grab the fish, and examined it closely. "It knew I don't like fish, so it ended itself before I arrived. It's the first time I've seen such a self-aware fish. But dying so decisively makes me seem a bit heartless. It's just a fish. As long as it behaves, I wouldn't do anything to it."

He then turned to the vice president's assistant. "What do you think?"

The assistant was taken aback, not expecting Gu Yufeng to say that. He lowered his head slightly to avoid Gu Yufeng's gaze, awkwardly replying, "You're right."

Hearing this, Lin Ying couldn't help but take another look at Gu Yufeng.

The young man's hand was raised, water dripping down his long, attractive fingers, disappearing into his rolled-up sleeves. He had a faint smile on his lips, seemingly unaffected by the situation, with a youthful vigor and innocence in his eyes.

But this might just be a facade.

His earlier words were a double entendre, clearly a warning to Vice President Gu Yong'an.

She had thought that being targeted like this, Gu Yufeng would get angry or embarrassed. But unexpectedly, he resolved the situation with a few words, even turning the tables on Gu Yong'an.

Clearly, the young man wasn't as naive and easy to bully as she had imagined.

Thinking of this, Lin Ying walked to Gu Yufeng's side, extending her hands with a more respectful attitude than before. "Let me handle this dead fish."

Robertson, standing nearby, grimaced in disgust, pulling out a tissue from his pocket and handing it to Gu Yufeng. "Give it to her quickly, it's filthy."

Gu Yufeng placed the fish in her hands. "This fish has made significant contributions to the company. It can't be disposed of casually. If word gets out, people will say Gu's mistreats its old employees, which wouldn't look good."

Lin Ying asked, "So what do you suggest?"

Gu Yufeng wiped his hands, exuding a calm confidence as if everything was under control. "The I Ching mentions that the east belongs to the wind, and the south belongs to wood. Hang it at the southeast entrance of my dad's office floor, so it can continue to bless the company after its death."

The staff, who had been eavesdropping, instinctively recalled the southeast corner of the president's office, their expressions becoming more and more interesting.

That spot, wasn't it the vice president's office?

Was he planning to hang the dead fish at someone's door?

Lin Ying agreed, almost laughing.

Gu Yufeng added, "Remember to sprinkle some salt. It can't be moved for forty-nine days, or it will affect the company's fortune."

Lin Ying bit her lip to hold back her laughter. "I'll have someone take care of it right away."

With the heavy implication of affecting the company's fortune, who would dare stop it? No one would.

The vice president's assistant could only watch helplessly, feeling both embarrassed and uneasy.

Gu Yufeng wasn't a pushover, making things difficult now.

Not long after Gu Yufeng entered the lounge, the entire company knew that the vice president had tried to use the fish to intimidate Gu Yufeng, only to be publicly outmaneuvered by him.

In the first round of the uncle-nephew struggle, Gu Yufeng won decisively.

In the lounge, Gu Yufeng was flipping through the files Lin Ying had found for him. They detailed Gu's support projects for the First High School over the years.

His dad, Gu Yongnian, was an alumnus of the First High School and had donated several teaching buildings. Besides that, he sponsored many underprivileged and talented students every year.

Gu Yufeng went through nearly three years of records but didn't find Xie Ci's name. He looked up and asked Lin Ying, who was making coffee, "Why isn't Xie Ci from the First High School basketball team on the list?"

"Xie Ci?" Lin Ying recalled, "Oh, him. He doesn't meet our support criteria."

"Doesn't meet?" Gu Yufeng was puzzled.

"We've been monitoring him since he was in middle school. His parents are divorced, and he's living with relatives. With his conditions, he could have applied for Gu's scholarship."

Lin Ying placed the freshly brewed coffee on the low table beside Gu Yufeng. "But later, we found out that his relatives live in Prosperous Lane in the new city, which is a high-end villa area. Three years ago, the house prices there exceeded fifty thousand. Such favorable living conditions don't qualify as underprivileged."

Favorable?

Gu Yufeng recalled the scene when he saw Xie Ci in that alley.

That cold face exuded stubbornness, different from the Xie Ci he knew who never showed his emotions. His mouth was injured, his complexion pale, looking malnourished. His sneakers were so worn that the soles were almost flat, standing in an alley full of trash, surrounded by delinquents for a hundred or so yuan.

This looked like a pitiful kid, definitely not someone from a wealthy family.

-

When Xie Ci returned to school, his homeroom teacher, Xiang Haibin, had been called to a meeting. Fang Size said he was lucky not to have to listen to the old man preach for two hours.

From school to his aunt's house, it was only a fifteen-minute walk.

Xie Ci hadn't walked this path home in seventeen years. He thought he might get lost halfway, but some memories were deeper than he imagined.

Prosperous Lane was considered an old community. With the surrounding educational resources gradually gathering, it had become a "school district house," causing property prices to skyrocket.

Xie Ci walked along, looking around, standing outside the familiar yet unfamiliar iron gate, gazing at the house he had lived in for ten years.

Living in such a beautiful garden villa was something to be envied, but it didn't bring him many good memories. The first thing that came to mind was his uncle's flushed, ferocious face after drinking, the dull pain of fists landing on him, and his aunt's indifferent gaze afterward.

He thought he would never have any dealings with this family of three again.

He could allow them to live where he couldn't see them, each minding their own business.

Living under the same roof again, that was another story.

After all, he wasn't a good person either.

Xie Ci pushed open the iron gate, a bit worried if he could resist not getting physical.

As he entered the yard, he faintly heard voices coming from the small terrace on the right, one of which was his aunt's gentle voice.

"Raising two kids, the pressure must be immense. If you don't watch them, they'll get hurt. You have to revolve around them every day. You're so kind to have raised your sister's child for so many years."

"I couldn't just watch the child wander the streets, could I? Besides, my sister's child is my child, even if he's a bit naughty."

"I heard he gets into fights every few days, and his grades are terrible. You're so good to him, but he's just a hopeless case. I get annoyed and have a headache just seeing such a wild kid."

"My Pengpeng's grades aren't that great either."

"Didn't Pengpeng make it into the top hundred in the grade last time? He's much better than him. Besides, Pengpeng is so well-behaved."

"I always feel like the adults owe him, so I try to compensate as much as I can. My husband always says I spoil him too much. Maybe it's my way of educating that's the problem. The homeroom teacher just called, saying he missed the exam again today, and no one knows where he went. Sigh, this child."

"He's like this, and if you raise him until he graduates high school, you've done your duty. After that, let him do whatever he wants. You can't control him, and you shouldn't."

"What can such a young kid do in society? Really let him go to the construction site to move bricks?"

"That's his choice. Are you going to support him for life? He's just taking advantage of that..."

Xie Ci listened for a bit, finding it amusing.

His aunt always liked to act like she cared about him, exposing his shortcomings in front of others, occupying the moral high ground, and enjoying the satisfaction from others' praise and belittlement.

Feeling playful, Xie Ci turned the corner and stood in front of them. "Aunt, I'm back."

The two women sitting at the table drinking tea froze simultaneously.

Caught talking behind someone's back, the neighbor felt awkward, hurriedly picking up her teacup to drink.

Aunt Ye Yurou's expression remained natural, as if she wasn't afraid of being overheard by Xie Ci, or she was confident that even if he heard, he wouldn't understand her true intentions.

"Xiao Ci, where did you go? The homeroom teacher called, very angry, saying you missed the exam." Ye Yurou sounded a bit angry, but her voice was gentle, lacking any real threat.

Xie Ci hesitated before speaking, "Zhanpeng borrowed money to go online, didn't pay back, and got beaten up. I went to help him out."

The neighbor looked up sharply, surprised.

Ye Yurou was also taken aback by his words, but with an outsider present, she couldn't lose her temper. She scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could he borrow money?"

"Ask him yourself."

Xie Ci glanced at the neighbor, as if reluctant to say more with an outsider present, then turned to leave. Suddenly, he remembered something and said to Ye Yurou, "The study can be renovated again, but if he keeps borrowing like this, one day he might get beaten to death outside, and you wouldn't even know. You should advise him."

With that, leaving the shocked Ye Yurou and the neighbor behind, Xie Ci opened the door and went inside.

The neighbor's expression changed repeatedly, frequently glancing at Ye Yurou.

Ye Yurou felt extremely embarrassed, forcing a smile. "You know how kids are... How could Pengpeng borrow money?"

"Exactly."

The neighbor said this, but her expression was unnatural as she put down her cup and stood up. "It's getting late, I'll head back first. Let's meet again next time."

Once outside the gate, the neighbor immediately shared the incident in her group chat with her girlfriends.