The moment Geng Haoyi started talking about Gu Jiaojiao, it was as if a floodgate had opened, and he couldn’t stop.

Not only had Gu Jiaojiao saved his father’s life and cured his grandfather’s chronic illness, but more importantly, her husband had also helped him make money.

She was practically his idol. Now that someone wanted to hear stories about his idol, Geng Haoyi wouldn’t rest until he’d painted her as a legend.

So he chattered endlessly to his cousin, the adoration in his voice practically overflowing.

This made Eldest Brother Gu, sitting in the front passenger seat, cringe. His sister was indeed very impressive.

But hearing Geng Haoyi’s fawning praise was so cheesy that it made his skin crawl. He could never bring himself to say such things.

Eldest Brother Gu not only thought he was exaggerating but also felt that much of it wasn’t true.

In reality, Geng Haoyi wasn’t exaggerating. It was just that after Eldest Brother Gu left the Imperial City, his family had been unwilling to share anything about Gu Jiaojiao with him.

So he was unaware of his sister’s recent accomplishments. As he listened to Geng Haoyi driving beside him, practically spitting with excitement, he felt the man was just talking big. Embarrassed, Eldest Brother Gu kept sneaking glances into the back.

He hoped to see the girl in the back seat wearing the same look of disbelief as him.

However, to his profound disappointment, Geng Susu was a lively and cheerful girl.

Far from being put off, she was listening with rapt attention, even chiming in from time to time. "For real? Is this sister-in-law of yours really that incredible?"

"Of course it’s true! My sister-in-law is incredible. You know Professor Frank? He formally took my sister-in-law as his teacher!"

"No way! Professor Frank? Even the president of my university idolizes him!"

"You bet. Even Professor Xia from Imperial University calls Professor Frank his teacher."

"Oh my god! Then wouldn’t Professor Xia have to call your sister-in-law ’Grandmaster’?" Geng Susu was so shocked her jaw dropped.

She leaned forward, draping her arms over the back of her cousin’s seat and pressing on, "Cousin, your sister-in-law sounds so amazing. Can you introduce me to her? And is she pretty?"

"She’s gorgeous! Ten times more beautiful than any celebrity you see on TV..."

"Really? Ten times? Cousin, do you even know what beauty is?"

"Pfft, you make it sound like I’ve never seen a beautiful woman in my life. Let me tell you, my sister-in-law is prettier than the Seven Immortal Maidens."

"Whoa, I really want to meet her! How old is she?"

"She just turned nineteen after the New Year..."

"Aaaah! She’s younger than me!" Geng Susu let out a high-pitched squeal.

"Eldest Brother Gu, what’s wrong? You seem out of it," Geng Haoyi asked with concern, suddenly noticing that the man beside him was listless.

Eldest Brother Gu shook his head. "I’m fine. Just a little tired from the train ride."

"Heh heh. If you’re not feeling well, we don’t even need to take you to a hospital. We can just go home and have my sister-in-law give you some acupuncture. You’ll be fine in no time."

"What? He gets to go to your house and have your sister-in-law give him acupuncture? Is he that important?" Geng Susu exclaimed in astonishment.

"That’s not necessary. I’m just a bit sleepy," Eldest Brother Gu said quietly.

’I’m too ashamed to tell this girl that Jiaojiao is my sister, that she saved my life, and that I’ve never once thought about repaying her.’

’Instead, I focused all my attention on my adoptive sister, and even that wasn’t enough for her.’ The more he thought about it, the more vexed he became.

"Is our chatter bothering you? You should get some sleep. We’ll be quiet for a bit," Geng Haoyi said apologetically, noticing Eldest Brother Gu’s unhappy expression.

Geng Susu, on the other hand, shook her fist at Eldest Brother Gu’s back, cursing silently. ’You idiot! You’re being so dramatic! It’s sickening!’

Eldest Brother Gu saw Geng Susu’s gesture in the rearview mirror, and a wave of bitterness washed over him.

"Susu, stop fooling around," Geng Haoyi whispered, turning to scold her.

In truth, he was thinking the same thing as his cousin. ’This guy is just being dramatic.’

Unfazed, Geng Susu just pouted and pointedly continued to press her cousin with curious questions.

Geng Haoyi looked at Eldest Brother Gu and said, "Actually, Susu is a gentle girl. My aunt and uncle spoiled her a bit, so she can be willful, but she’s not thoughtless. And she certainly doesn’t have a bad heart..."

Eldest Brother Gu didn’t interrupt Geng Haoyi, just smiling faintly. ’This girl helped me on the train. She is indeed kind-hearted.’

Geng Haoyi wanted to explain further but felt it wasn’t necessary. He gave a slight smile and said, "I was just worried you’d misunderstand. You should rest your eyes for a bit."

Seeing her cousin trying to suck up to this man, Geng Susu decided to keep quiet.

Instead, she silently mulled over everything she’d heard about her cousin’s sister-in-law.

Meanwhile, Gu Jiaojiao, the object of Geng Susu’s curiosity, had just finished dinner with her group.

Since Su Shuochi wasn’t home, she thought about taking Eldest Brother Sheng to the Gu Family home to stay for a couple of days.

But then she remembered that Second Brother Fu had just gotten back and figured his family would be worried, so she decided to take the Fu siblings home first.

The Fu family’s villa was right next door to her house. She glanced at her watch—it wasn’t even eight o’clock.

’If I drop off the Fu siblings and then go to the Gu Family home, it’ll take over an hour. My parents might be asleep by then.’

’But if the Fu siblings ride with me to the Gu Family home first, it’ll be awkward for me to linger there.’

So, Gu Jiaojiao said, "Second Brother Fu, Guoguo, how about I take you two home first?"

She was only asking out of politeness and was surprised when they both agreed.

Second Brother Fu smiled. "Sounds good."

He had planned on getting a ride from Gu Jiaojiao anyway, as he knew his older brother had bought the house next door to hers.

But Sheng Shijing understood his adoptive sister’s predicament. Even though he had raised her, they weren’t related by blood.

It wouldn’t normally be improper for him, a grown man, to stay at his adoptive sister’s house, but her husband wasn’t home.

"Jiaojiao, just take me to a hotel. With Shuo Ci away, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to stay at your house."

Gu Jiaojiao was immediately embarrassed. "Eldest Brother, you raised me yourself. An elder brother is like a father. There’s nothing inappropriate about you staying at my house."

Fu Guoguo seized the opening. "Jiaojiao, if your brother is worried about it being improper, then I’ll just stay at your place for a couple of days!"

Gu Jiaojiao looked at Fu Guoguo’s eager face. ’Her intentions are as clear as day.’

She smiled and said, "Alright. My eldest brother is just very traditional, always so particular about these things."

The four of them happily piled back into the car and headed straight home, the ride filled with almost constant laughter.

What Gu Jiaojiao didn’t know, however, was that Su Shuochi had rushed his trip and had already gotten off the train.

The drive from the train station to their house was about the same length as Gu Jiaojiao’s drive from Yuetai Restaurant.

A motorcycle might be slower than a car, but it could take shortcuts, so he arrived home before Gu Jiaojiao. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

He got home and saw that the furnishings were all neat and tidy; everything was just as he had left it.

The only thing missing was his wife. He was just about to call his father-in-law when he heard a car pull up to the gate.

He recognized the sound of the engine and knew she was back. He quickly put down the phone and, still in his slippers, headed for the front door.