Chapter 297 - 295: Wait for Me to Come Back

Chapter 297: Chapter 295: Wait for Me to Come Back

"How could your grandmother be like that?" This time, it was Gu Nuan Nuan’s turn to be surprised.

"I know, right?"

Lin Qiao kicked the floor of the bus in frustration. "It’s all my second aunt’s doing, egging her on from behind the scenes. Ever since she got divorced and moved back in with my grandparents, there hasn’t been a moment of peace. My grandmother was never like this before. Well, she always favored boys over girls a little, but never to an unreasonable extent. She still cared about my mom and her other two sisters. But my second aunt—"

She shook her head. "I really don’t know what’s going on in her head. When our family was poor, she looked down on us, wouldn’t lend us money, and was always making cold, sarcastic remarks. I bet if my grandmother hadn’t already lent us money back then, she would have tried to stop her. Now that our family’s situation is slowly improving, HMPH, she still can’t stand it. She’s more green with envy than a total stranger, always stirring up trouble by provoking my grandmother behind our backs. That’s why my parents don’t dare tell anyone how much they earn in a year. They have to hide the money they make. You can’t imagine how frustrating it is. My mom gets so angry. She says that’s not how a sister acts; she’s more like an enemy."

"Some people are just like that. They can’t stand to see those closest to them do well," Gu Nuan Nuan said with a comforting smile. "Don’t be angry. You live your life for yourself. Besides, this works out perfectly. It’s wise not to flaunt your wealth. Isn’t it great to make a fortune on the down-low? Why let everyone know? In a couple of years, people will know your family is well-off even if you don’t show it."

"You’re right." Lin Qiao nodded. "Look, now when I go home every week, I don’t have to lug my quilt back and forth anymore. It’s just like you—if it weren’t for a long break like winter vacation, I wouldn’t even need to pack clothes. It’s so much easier. And my two younger sisters are at home. So many kids in the village want to play with them now. Putting other changes aside, just look at their clothes. They used to wear my old hand-me-downs, which my mom would alter to fit them. But where would my mom find the time to alter clothes for them now? She doesn’t even have time to buy fabric to make them new ones. She’s busy all day, taking care of my little brother and helping my dad. Luckily, my two sisters are very sensible. The older one is in school now and helps with chores when she gets back. My youngest sister is at home, and even though she’s little, she can still help my mom out. That’s why my mom really dotes on us three sisters now and is more generous with us. She gives me money for our clothes and tells me to take my two sisters to the department store in the city on weekends to buy them."

Lin Qiao looked a little smug. "My mom has started to become very generous with money. She isn’t stingy with us sisters just because she has a son now. She even told my dad that in the future, even if our brother gets a little more, the three of us will still get a share of the family property. Every time she gives me money for clothes, she tells me not to be frugal. My two little sisters are like the village’s two golden flowers now when they go out."

"That’s not right. It should be three golden flowers!" Gu Nuan Nuan teased her. "And I’m sure you’re the most popular flower of all." Lin Qiao’s face instantly turned red. It just so happened to be her stop. She gave Gu Nuan Nuan a light tap and pouted, "You’re awful! I’m not talking to you anymore." In a flash, she was off the bus, waving from beside the bus stop sign.

Gu Nuan Nuan smiled and waved back.

After Lin Qiao got off the bus, it was almost time for Gu Nuan Nuan to get off as well. The stops weren’t far apart. After getting off, she began a leisurely walk toward the villa district by herself. The bus stop wasn’t far from the villas, but there was still a short distance to cover. She hadn’t gone far when a figure suddenly darted out from behind a tree on the roadside. "Nuannuan."

"It’s you."

Gu Nuan Nuan wasn’t frightened. She merely gave a nonchalant glance at Luo Hongyi, who had been gone for over a year without a word, and walked around him expressionlessly to continue on her way.

"I just got back from a trip to Mira Country. For the next three or four years, my focus will be there," Luo Hongyi explained, keeping pace with Gu Nuan Nuan. In this life, Gu Nuan Nuan, acting as a ’Prophet,’ had helped the Zhang family establish the sizable Zhang Group.

Although he was also a Prophet and had changed the course of some events—like accelerating his startup—his company had ultimately gotten a late start. He didn’t have enough capable people, so its development had always lagged behind the Zhang Group.

He was a man who cared deeply about his pride. As long as he felt his own assets couldn’t compare to the Zhang family’s, he simply didn’t have the face to openly declare his feelings for Nuannuan to everyone.

’Fortunately, Nuannuan is still young, far from an age where she can start dating, so my focus inevitably has to be on my business for now.’

To speed up his success in this life, he had ultimately decided to invest the money he’d earned so far in Mira Country. Over there was a huge opportunity he knew about from his past life...

You could say that from the moment he was reborn, he had been preparing for that massive, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Mira Country—one that could save him at least fifty years of struggle.

Luo Hongyi stared at Gu Nuan Nuan, reluctant to look away. He felt like he could never get enough of looking at her. After more than a year apart, she had changed so much again. She seemed even more radiant and beautiful than she had been in their past life. ’If I could, I’d just watch her like this forever, stay by her side and see her grow up... but I can’t—’

He sighed. "So I’m afraid that for the next few years, I won’t be able to personally come see you very often."

He reluctantly held out a thick stack of envelopes, speaking quickly before Gu Nuan Nuan could refuse. "Nuannuan, listen to me. Most of what’s written in here are things that happened in our last life after you were gone. I wrote down whatever I remembered. It’s mostly about Shengnan’s day-to-day life, and some things about Mom, and of course... there are also some things I wanted to say to you, both from my past life and now... I just never dared to mail them after I finished writing. I was afraid you wouldn’t accept them, and I couldn’t write an address on them anyway..."

Gu Nuan Nuan stopped walking. She looked at the thick stack of letters being offered to her, hesitated for a long moment, and finally took them, tossing them directly into her storage ring. Then, with her head lowered and her expression still blank, she said, "I’ve accepted them. You can rest assured now. Can you go?"

"..." Luo Hongyi continued to stare intently at Gu Nuan Nuan. Only when she finally started to look impatient did he temper his fervent gaze slightly. "Nuannuan, I’m going to keep writing to you. I’ll mail the letters directly to your school."

"I won’t write back," Gu Nuan Nuan replied without a hint of hesitation.

"I’ll be content if you’re just willing to accept the letters and open them," Luo Hongyi said, forcing a smile to hide the disappointment in his heart. ’There will come a day,’ he told himself, ’a day when my little girl comes back to me. I just have to wait with one-thousand-percent patience. This is good enough for now. At least my little girl isn’t refusing my letters anymore, right?’

"Don’t flatter yourself. If you hadn’t gone to the unnecessary trouble of writing anything about yourself in them, I think I’d be much happier to read them," Gu Nuan Nuan said mercilessly.

"You..." ’So heartless.’

Luo Hongyi knew that no matter how reluctant he was, he had to leave. He took one last, deep look at Gu Nuan Nuan. "Wait for me to come back." After saying that, not daring to wait for more hurtful words to come from her mouth, he vanished in a flash, disappearing in the blink of an eye just as he had appeared.

Gu Nuan Nuan stopped. She paused for a long time before lifting her foot and continuing forward, her expression still impassive. But perhaps even she herself didn’t realize that her steps, when she started walking again, had lost their earlier light and leisurely pace.