Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Chapter 279 I am your ex-husband

Lin Qingping remembered that Gu Youlian had said she would steam some mutton shumai for her to eat on the road, so this must be it. However, this also made Gu Juncheng's intention in taking it out very clear.

But Gu Youlian's move was clearly misguided. It wasn't that Gu Juncheng was too shy to see her, giving her an excuse; rather, he simply didn't want to see her. When you don't like someone, seeing them more often only brings more trouble.

Lin Qingping said calmly, "Please thank Sister Gu for me."

Gu Juncheng grunted in response, but stood there without moving.

He Xin, being very perceptive, quickly said, "I'll wait for you in the car." After saying that, he took her luggage and went to the car.

Only Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng remained on the sidewalk.

"Is there anything else?" Lin Qingping asked as if she were looking at a stranger.

Gu Juncheng pursed his lips. "I'll wait for Zhiyuan, and then I'll take him and Xiaomai to school."

"Oh, okay." Since that's the case, Lin Qingping prepared to get into He Xin's car.

As a result, a voice calling "Lin Qingping" stopped her again.

Isn't everything alright?

Then someone behind her said, "Lin Qingping, I have a few words to say to you."

Lin Qingping turned around, calm and composed, and said, "Speak."

"Lin Qingping." He approached her, his brows furrowing slightly. "If you want to live a good life, then live it properly. Don't be so irresponsible and treat matters of conduct as trivial."

A matter of conduct?

Lin Qingping laughed in anger. What right did he have to comment on her conduct? His own conduct was impeccable!

"What's wrong with my conduct? Tell me then!" Lin Qingping asked him with a cold smile.

His expression was very serious. "When you're dating a gay man, you have to be devoted to him and not have your cake and eat it too!"

Having two relationships at the same time?

Lin Qingping thought for a while before realizing that he had misunderstood her, thinking she had relationships with both Liang Jiaqi and He Xin.

Lin Qingping chuckled and asked him with a smile, "So, do you think Liang Jiaqi is better, or this Comrade He Xin?"

Gu Juncheng never expected her to ask that. After a long pause, he replied in a muffled voice, "I don't know!"

Lin Qingping found it even more amusing and asked with a smile, "Tell me, I'm also worried about which one is better."

Gu Juncheng actually frowned and started to think. "Liang Jiaqi is too loud and not mature enough. I don't know much about this one, but she looks too young..."

Lin Qingping really found it outrageous. No matter what, Gu Juncheng was her ex-husband, and this ex-husband was actually helping her advise on her next partner.

Her smile held a hint of sarcasm. "So what? You think no one is as good as you?"

Gu Juncheng was taken aback, his expression becoming somewhat unnatural. "That's not entirely true..."

"Gu Juncheng," Lin Qingping said with a faint smile, "what right do you have to judge my life? We're divorced, you don't even remember who I am, so what gives you the right to tell me what to do? Whether I'm dating two, three, or four men at the same time, what does it have to do with you?"

Gu Juncheng's face grew even darker. "You said it yourself, I am your ex-husband."

"So what? Forward! Forward! It's forward!" Lin Qingping repeated the word several times.

"Since you're my ex-husband, that proves we were once family. Whether I remember it or not, I just want you to be happy." He suddenly became serious and began to tell her stories: so-and-so and so-and-so were convicted of indecent assault for having affairs; so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so were involved in a love triangle, and the woman was murdered by her lover, her body severed from her head; so-and-so…

They started presenting facts and case studies, going on and on.

Lin Qingping rarely saw him so talkative, and couldn't help but interrupt him, "Stop, stop, stop! Are you hoping I'll get better?"

He said with a serious expression, "I'm just reminding you."

"Thank you!" Lin Qingping said sarcastically. "Commander Gu, I'm not your soldier, and I don't want to listen to your ideological work! What happens to me is none of your business. We'll go our separate ways and wish each other well!"

Lin Qingping turned and walked towards He Xin's car, but stopped halfway there and turned back to find Gu Juncheng still watching her.

"Commander Gu," she laughed, "Didn't your Xiaxia end up with you? What a pity. Your eyes are all healed, why didn't she stay with you? Was it because I didn't pay enough?"

She saw that Gu Juncheng's face was taut at that moment.

Did those words hurt him?

The childhood sweetheart he cherished and protected was nothing more than a transaction.

He said that Chen Xia would not hide anything from him, so when he learned that Chen Xia only visited him every day for a reward, did he feel any pain in his heart?

However, whether she feels pain or not is irrelevant to her.

"Gu Juncheng, I wish Chen Xia would come back to you." She said softly, "If she doesn't, then I wish you would find your happiness soon."

That's enough! I've already rambled on enough this early in the morning.

Lin Qingping got into the car, and in the rearview mirror, she could still see Gu Juncheng's figure standing at her door.

"Is he you..." He Xin asked, looking at the man who had been standing motionless behind her.

Lin Qingping didn't hide anything and said directly, "Ex-husband."

Such a frank answer left He Xin stunned for a while. However, there were many married classmates at the school, and of course, there were also divorced ones. He quickly recovered and was a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just a little surprised. I thought you were single."

"It's okay, I already have a son!" Lin Qingping became even more straightforward.

He Xin had already seen the boy coming out of the courtyard gate and meeting up with the man standing at the gate. The two were talking.

But the boy's age...

Forget it, he decided not to pry into other people's privacy.

Lin Qingping also saw Zhiyuan. The father and son walked side by side towards Gu Youlian's house. They must be going to pick up Xiaomai. Gu Juncheng was there to wait for Zhiyuan, that's for sure.

He Xin's car gradually drove away, and after turning the corner, the father and son were no longer visible.

After picking up the other two girls, He Xin's car took them to the train station.

The four boarded the train smoothly, and their seats were still together.

Zhong Xiaoxiao and another girl from the art department hadn't had breakfast yet, so Lin Qingping took out the mutton shumai that Gu Juncheng had given her and gave it to them.

She really thought it was mutton shumai steamed by Gu Youlian, but when she opened the brown paper package, she found that it contained steamed buns instead.

"Wow, it smells so good!" Zhong Xiaoxiao exclaimed.

Why doesn't it smell good? These must be freshly made and baked this morning, right? They're a bit like the kind her family used to eat on weekends. Gu Juncheng would buy them early in the morning when he went out for his morning exercise. The skin is thin, and the oil from the meat filling has soaked into the skin. They look so tempting.

But isn't it mutton shumai?!

He Xin also brought food. When Lin Qingping saw that there were even pastries from her own dessert shop, she couldn't help but laugh. He Xin kept recommending the desserts to them, saying how delicious they were and how long he had queued up to buy them yesterday.

"Here, Lin, try some and see if you like it! My sisters and I are all crazy about this pastry and tea." He Xin gave Lin Qingping the first one.

Lin Qingping would definitely praise anything that belonged to her family! Even if it meant going against her conscience! Besides, it was a good product to begin with!

Zhong Xiaoxiao and her friend also praised it highly and even asked He Xin for the address, planning to take their children there on the weekend.

Another girl noticed, "Isn't this the tea shop near the back gate of our school?"

The girl glanced at Lin Qingping and laughed at He Xin, "You're still queuing? You even recommended her? Do you know that with her around, you can have whatever you want to eat! Why would you queue!"

Zhong Xiaoxiao was also stunned. "Lin Qingping, is this really from your shop?"

Zhong Xiaoxiao had almost never been to the shop that Lin Qingping ran at the back gate of the school.

Lin Qingping was a little embarrassed, but nodded in agreement.

He Xin was embarrassed and laughed, "I really didn't recognize your greatness!"

Zhong Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise. She knew that Lin Qingping's shop behind the school was doing well, but she thought it was just a small shop. She never expected that she could open a shop in the Capital Department Store! Her eyes lit up when she looked at Lin Qingping.

Under the admiring gazes of He Xin and Zhong Xiaoxiao, Lin Qingping couldn't help but blush and quickly changed the subject to their research project.

This research trip wasn't just for fun; they'll be writing a research report when they get back, and they might even be finding the direction for their graduation thesis based on this experience.

The four chatted about their studies, and the nine hours didn't seem so difficult to pass.

This train journey seemed to bring the four of them closer together. The girl from the art department, named Gong Jing, was lively and often came to find Lin Qingping and Zhong Xiaoxiao at mealtimes. He Xin usually came along too.

The final week of the research trip is for free fieldwork. Students can travel in groups to collect materials they need to supplement their research reports or papers.

Zhong Xiaoxiao wanted to go with Lin Qingping, and He Xin and Gong Jing also joined in.

They formed a group of four. Although they had different majors, they had no problem discussing the research subjects together. When it came to the specific research, each of them just looked for answers to their own questions.

That day, after descending from the largest group of grottoes, it was already evening. Exhausted and hungry, the four of them found a small restaurant in the city, intending to eat something quick and then go back to shower and rest, as they had an important trip planned for the next day!

They were going to find a cave artist.

But this artist has been working hard to protect the grotto heritage for many years, and his whereabouts are unpredictable. He is always either in this grotto or in that grotto, or he is exploring whether there are any undiscovered grotto ruins.

This time, after much difficulty, I finally found out where they were staying temporarily in a mountain, where they were maintaining the grottoes.

When you're too tired, you lose your appetite. The four of us each ordered a bowl of knife-cut noodles and chatted while we ate.

Lin Qingping inexplicably felt as if someone was watching her. She looked around and made sure she didn't recognize anyone; it was probably just her imagination.

"Eat quickly," she said. "After you eat, go to sleep. I'm so tired I'm almost hallucinating."

Lin Qingping genuinely believed that her sixth sense that someone was watching her was an illusion, until the shop owner refused to accept her money when she went to pay the bill.

Lin Qingping found it strange. She had been to this shop before, and the owner had always taken money from her. Why wasn't he taking money this time?

"Sister-in-law!" With a loud greeting, a young, smiling face appeared before her.

It was Oda...

This sudden jump from the kitchen really startled her.

But she was happy nonetheless.

She's a very clear-cut person; she keeps things separate and won't hold a grudge against others.

For example, even though she and Gu Juncheng had broken up, she still stayed with Gu Youlian and didn't stop Zhiyuan from being with his father. So now, when she saw Xiaotian again, she only felt the joy of seeing an old friend again. Of course, the name Gu Juncheng still flashed through her mind, since in her memory, Xiaotian always appeared with Gu Juncheng. However, this fleeting name was quickly replaced by the joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

"What are you doing here, Xiaotian?" Lin Qingping asked happily.

"This is my home!" Xiao Tian grinned. "I'm back to visit my family. These are my parents."

Xiao Tian pointed at the shop owner.

No wonder...

So it wasn't her hallucination at all; someone was indeed watching her!

Xiao Tian smiled sheepishly, "I thought it looked like you just now, but I didn't dare to recognize you. It was only when you came over and saw it clearly that I was sure it was you, sister-in-law."

Xiao Tian's parents are honest people, and they felt embarrassed about accepting money from Lin Qingping for meals these past few days. "We didn't know she was Xiao Tian's friend, otherwise, we would have accepted it. From now on, come to our house for meals, and your aunt and uncle will cook for you, just like family!"

How could Lin Qingping possibly accept such a free meal?

Let alone the future, she absolutely has to pay for today's meal. Every business is a business.

As a result, Xiaotian's family couldn't refuse her request, so they accepted the money and gave her a large amount of local specialties to take back and eat.

Lin Qingping thought to herself, "This is terrible. It costs far more than the price of noodles. I might as well not have paid at all."

Unable to refuse the hospitality, Lin Qingping left the restaurant with a full load of gifts.

Because she brought too much stuff, she left a notebook at the store with her notes from today's field trip. During dinner, she took it out to discuss a few questions with the three of them, but then forgot to bring it back.

Zhong Xiaoxiao was already taking a shower. Lin Qingping was anxious, worried that it would be troublesome if she got lost, so she went out alone.

He went out and ran into He Xin.

He Xin had just come to borrow today's notes from Lin Qingping. Upon hearing that he had left them at the restaurant, he immediately went to look for them with Lin Qingping.

The wind picked up at night, carrying some sand. Lin Qingping's eyes stung as sand got into them.

She stopped and covered her eyes.

"What's wrong? Did sand get in your eyes? Let me blow on it for you?" He Xin asked, staring into her eyes.

Lin Qingping shook her head. "I'll just close my eyes for a bit. Blowing won't help."

This is her own habit; she's quite afraid of having sand blown into her eyes. Before the other person even blows it, she closes her eyes first. So, blowing sand into her eyes is useless for her. It's better for her to close her eyes for a while and let the tears wash the sand away.

However, He Xin was overly concerned. She closed her eyes, and He Xin stood very close to her, observing her eyes. From a distance, the two seemed to overlap.

At that moment, someone approached this side.

After a while, Lin Qingping's eyes recovered, but they were still teary, as if she had been crying. When she opened her eyes, she saw a person standing not far away with an angry expression.