Chapter 37 I've Made Friends Today

It was already dark when Gu Nianbin returned home.

He looked through the car window as the iron gate slowly opened, but the lawn was empty with nobody there.

The path had been cleaned up, however, and in the grass, there were few leaves, which probably had just fallen.

The car stopped under the tree. A gust of wind swept over, and palm-sized leaves started falling, some yellow and some yellow and green, all wilted and lifeless in the dusk. Gu Nianbin picked up a fallen leaf on top of the car and looked up at the tall phoenix tree. For the first time, he felt annoyed about the falling leaves.

Some branches, bare with no leaves, were swaying in the wind like tentacles of a monster.

He gazed at it for a while, and then threw the leaf and entered the house.

Fang Yaru was glad to see him back, "It's just time for dinner. Perfect timing."

Gu Nianbin smiled, "There is a boring business dinner. Baiqing went to it for me."

Gu Nianbin put down his purse, went to the kitchen to wash his hands and then sat at the dining table to have dinner.

Fang Yaru mentioned that they had invited Xia Xiaowan over to have dinner while serving her son with dishes.

"She had agreed to come tomorrow. Come back early.

You'd better pick her up after work and go back home together."

Gu Guangxian said to his son jokingly, "You are such an important figure, to have assistants and secretaries to take care of business affairs and your mother to help you with personal matters. Remember to pay her a salary."

Fang Yaru rolled her eyes at her husband and said, "I enjoy this, shouldn't I? Don't be jealous when Nianbin get married and I become granny of a lovely chubby baby."

"Mom," said Gu Nianbin, "don't push it so hard. Miss Xia and I still have a long way to go."

"Nonsense."

Fang Yaru disagreed, "You had taken her home and to formal occasions. How much time do you still need? One must strike while the iron is hot. Nianbin, you have to hurry up about this. Talk with her tomorrow and try to set a date for your wedding."

Gu Nianbin glanced at his father and sighed helplessly, "Mom, if this is the case, I'll reject her tomorrow, so as not to waste her time."

"How dare you?"

Fang Yaru's eyes widened.

Gu Nianbin curled his lips slightly and picked something to chew slowly without saying anything further.

Fang Yaru was suddenly discouraged. Her son was no longer the obedient teenager he used to be. Now president of the Gu's Company, he was the center of attention and prime of his life. He was a calm, decisive, wise adult with his own plans and opinions and would never be threatened by her anymore.

He sounded joking, but Fang Yaru knew his son well enough to believe that he meant his words.

"Nianbin, I was indeed a little bit anxious. Alright, take your time. I won't interfere. Fine?"

Gu Nianbin answered with a "H'm". He was absent-minded, glancing at the side door intentionally or otherwise.

He hadn't seen Du Xiaoxian after back home. What was she doing now?

After dinner, Gu Nianbin did not go upstairs but sat in the living room with his parents, chatting over tea.

Two maids were cleaning up the dishes in the dining room, making faint noises. Gu Nianbin took a glance at them and was about to drink tea when he heard a maid saying, "Xiaoxian, bring this to the kitchen."

He turned back at once and found Du Xiaoxian carrying a soup pot to the kitchen.

Her tiny figure somehow made him feel a rush of palpitation, as if his heart were pricked with a needle. However, it was not pain but an indescribable feeling...

He called her without hesitation, "Du Xiaoxian!"

Du Xiaoxian had already reached the door with the soup pot in her hand. She then returned and answered him, "Sir, did you call me?"

"Have you finished your homework?"

"Yes."

"Bring it to me."

"OK," Du Xiaoxian replied, "right after I put this away."

Fang Yaru smiled at her son, "Now you have the leisure to care about her."

Gu Nianbin smiled back, "I won't call it caring, just a brief review for her."

Fang Yaru took the chance to urge him, "If you had married earlier, you could take care of your own child by now."

As soon as she brought this up, Gu Nianbin shut up and drunk tea quietly.

After a while, Du Xiaoxian brought her homework to Gu Nianbin and stood aside with a blush. She felt embarrassed to have her homework checked by the young master in front of the master and the lady. He must be tired after a day's work. How could she bother him with her homework?

Gu Nianbin casually flipped through it and said, "There are a few mistakes. Let's go to the study and I'll explain to you."

Du Xiaoxian replied softly, "OK."

She lowered her head and followed him upstairs.

Watching their backs, Fang Yaru was a little bit surprised and asked her husband, "Isn't Nianbin excessively attentive to Du Xiaoxian?"

Gu Guangxian disagreed, "Nianbin is conscientious. Now that he had sent Xiaoxian to school, he must take care of her. A man must finish what he starts."

"But Du Xiaoxian is a girl after all," said Fang Yaru.

"Don't worry. Nianbin is over ten years older than her. Besides, Xiaoxian is an honest kid. She won't have improper thoughts about Nianbin."

"I'm not worrying about Xiaoxian. I'm afraid that Nianbin..."

"He is less worrisome. He has been obsessed about Xia Xiaowan for all these years. No one can sway him."

Fang Yaru agreed with her husband. More than ten years' obsession, not just a strong attachment.

Du Xiaoxian was quite familiar with Gu Nianbin's study and his habits. Without being requested, she took out a bottle of water from the cabinet and placed it on the table.

Gu Nianbin smiled, "And yours?"

"I had some right now. I'm not thirsty."

As she spoke, she brought a chair over and sat beside him.

Gu Nianbin ruffled her hair with a smile. He then opened the exercise book and pointed out the mistakes to her. In fact, they weren't big mistakes, just misspelling, improper ordering of words, and some formatting issues.

Du Xiaoxian felt very upset every time he pointed out a mistake. She had checked it so carefully that she couldn't believe there were any more mistakes. She was not a perfectionist, but she felt sorry to trouble the young master due to her stupidity.

Under Gu Nianbin's instruction, she corrected all the mistakes and packed up the exercise books. When she was ready to leave,

Gu Nianbin stopped her, " Why did you come back late today?"

Hearing this, she smiled at him with pride, "Sir, I've made friends today."

"Really?"

Gu Nianbin pulled her to sit down and asked, "Tell me the details."

Du Xiaoxian told him about the lunch she had with Yang Liying and the others. Then she added, "When school was over, Yang Liying said her hands hurt, so I helped her do the duty and thus came back late."

Although Yang Liying and the others were said to treat her well, Gu Nianbin still figured out the truth.

Did they treat her well by asking her to run errands several times in a row? They were clearly playing practical jokes on her, but Xiaoxian was grateful to them just for a few pieces of meat.

What a silly girl!

But he had no intention to tell her the truth. In her world, there were only a handful of people who would treat her well, so he didn't want to disappoint her.

Even though she had suffered all sorts of hardships since childhood, she still had the most earnest heart towards the world.

Moreover, since he had allowed her to be independent and to discover the complicated society gradually, it would be better for herself to comprehend those things than being told about.

Du Xiaoxian checked the expression of Gu Nianbin after finishing narration. He smiled gently, but not very much excited for her.

"Sir," asked Du Xiaoxian with hesitation, "Don't you think good of my friends?"

Gu Nianbin was unwilling to give her an explicit answer. He opened the bottle and handed it to her, "Have some water first."

Used to be obedient to him, Du Xiaoxian took it and drank without thinking much. Realizing that it was his water, she scratched her head and smiled shyly, "Sir, I drank your water."

"It doesn't matter." Gu Nianbin screwed the cap of the bottle and put it aside. He eyed her from head to toe, "Do these clothes fit you?"

"Yes," Du Xiaoxian nodded happily. "The young lady looks much taller than me, but her clothes fit perfectly on me!"

"Good. I will have the rest sorted out and give them to you later."

"No, no, it's enough."

Du Xiaoxian immediately waved her hands, "The young lady is not at home. I shouldn't take so many clothes from her."

"Those are discarded by her in the grocery room and will be given to others if not to you. Besides, it's getting cold. You have to prepare some clothes for the coming season."

Du Xiaoxian looked down and tugged at her clothes quietly. He was right. She really needed clothes for the coming winter.

After going to school, she realized that it was improper to wear her old clothes. She was not afraid to be laughed at but to humiliate Gu Nianbin. The young master was so divine in her eyes that she wouldn't allow herself to discredit him.

Gu Nianbin knew that her silence meant acceptation.

Gu Nianbin learnt from the shopping experience with her last time that she wound't go there a second time because those clothes were too expensive for her to wear.

If he bought clothes for her as a gift, she would certainly refuse. The little girl had made it clear: no gains without pains.

He thought about it for a long time and finally came up with this idea. He made implicit hints that he would feel embarrassed if she went to school in those rustic clothes. The little girl got it as expected and accepted the big bag of clothes without hesitation.

Every piece of them was carefully selected by him according to her size, so they fit her perfectly, revealing some delicate and exquisite charms of her slim figure.

When they were done with the clothes, Gu Nianbin couldn't find any other topics for the moment. After a while of quietness, Du Xiaoxian stood up readily and said, "Sir, have a rest please. I'm going off."

Gu Nianbin called out to stop her at the door, "Xiaoxian."

Du Xiaoxian answered and turned back.

He then said, "Well, come back early tomorrow. Don't stroll about on the way home."

"Yes, sir. I see," replied Du Xiaoxian.

"No haste to make friends," added Gu Nianbin, "I’ve told you to keep cautious when making friends. Don't take action before knowing a person well."

"OK," Du Xiaoxian placed her hand on the doorknob, "I will, Sir."

"Hum, do you have enough money?"

"Yes. The lady has given me half month salary in advance."

"Take something good for lunch. Don't skip dishes to save money."

"I know. I have to eat meat to gain weight."

Du Xiaoxian blinked, "I had meat for lunch today. A lot!"

"If you encounter any problem, go directly to the headmaster. He will help you."

"OK."

Gu Nianbin was silent for a while and called her again, "Xiaoxian."

"Yes, Sir."

"I told you not to say yes.

"OK, Sir."

"Go downstairs and rest early. You have school tomorrow."

"OK, Sir."

Du Xiaoxian nodded and left.

As soon as the door was gently closed from the outside, Gu Nianbin let out a sigh of relief. He picked up the bottle of water that Du Xiaoxian had drunk from, drank half a bottle in a single breath, and then got up to take a bath.