Chapter 60: Investigation! Has She Had a Child?

Ruan An picked up the mango juice beside her and poured a glass for Meng Shutang, then moved to pour one for Bai Cixian.

"Miss Bai, you're not allergic to mangoes, are you?"

Bai Cixian shook her head. "No, I love eating mangoes."

She paused. "I'm allergic to peaches—fuzzy ones especially. Even a light touch and I'll break out in a rash all over."

Meng Shutang's heart gave a lurch.

She was allergic to peach fuzz; Meng Zhibang was severely allergic to peach fuzz.

For as long as she could remember, she had never once seen Meng Zhibang eat a peach.

"I recall that your father passed away when you were very young," Meng Shutang said, looking at her calmly.

Bai Cixian gave a faint smile. "That was my godfather. When I was little, I wasn't with my father—I was in the countryside.

I only came back to my father's side when I was ten."

Meng Shutang's lashes fluttered. Though her face remained expressionless, her hand hanging at her side curled, almost imperceptibly. "What's your father's name?"

Bai Cixian set down her chopsticks and was about to answer.

Just then, her phone rang. She said, "Excuse me, it's my mom calling."

With that, she got up and left.

She stood outside talking for a while. Meng Shutang kept eating unhurriedly, waiting for her to finish before coming back over.

Five minutes later, Bai Cixian waved her phone at her—the meaning being that she was leaving.

Seeing her go, Ruan An asked Meng Shutang, "Sister Tangtang, what's wrong? Do you know Bai Cixian's father?"

Meng Shutang's mind was in turmoil. She set down her chopsticks. "An'an, finish eating and tidy up. I'm going outside to call Manman."

Ruan An said, "Okay, go ahead!"

Once outside, Meng Shutang called Chen Man.

Chen Man was busy—three calls in a row went unanswered.

Clutching her phone, heavy-hearted, she turned around, and the moment she looked up, she saw the man standing with one hand in his pocket, having no idea how long he had already been there behind her.

Her thoughts thrown into disarray, she leaned back slightly.

The man was quick-eyed and swift-handed, reaching out to catch her slender waist.

Meng Shutang shoved him away. "Don't touch me."

His long fingers froze in midair. He looked at her, smiled faintly, and withdrew them.

"Auntie Zhang went to Chengxi Bieshu a couple of days ago to clean. She said the chrysanthemums and the soup flowers in the courtyard are in full bloom. A lot of those were planted by you—when you have some free time, why don't you go take a look?

You haven't seen Auntie Zhang in a long time either, so it'd be a perfect chance to catch up!"

Meng Shutang lowered her gaze slightly and said nothing.

The man noticed. "The Cangpinge in Chengxi—you still remember it, right? I had it renovated and even set up a large event hall there.

Quite a few events are held there now."

Meng Shutang looked at him, her face a mask of cool indifference, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

"President Gu, I'm very busy. Could you step aside?"

The light in Gu Yunci's eyes seemed extinguished by a sudden downpour, but he still smiled faintly and stepped aside to let her pass.

Meng Shutang went to the storage room work area and didn't come out the entire afternoon.

The spiral staircase of the duplex soared upward. Gu Yunci sat on the stacked steps, his gaze crossing the open space to land on her from afar.

It was only right that she hated him.

Just now, when his fingers had touched her slender waist, a scene from four years ago at a private kitchen restaurant suddenly surfaced in Gu Yunci's mind.

She and Bai Cixian had fallen at the same time.

He had reached out to protect Bai Cixian and hadn't paid any attention to her at all.

It was only right that she hated him. Being treated like this now—he deserved it.

When work ended in the afternoon, Chen Man came to Gu Clan to find Meng Shutang.

"What was it at noon? You called me three times in a row.

Then I called you back, but you didn't pick up."

Meng Shutang was about to speak when she saw Gu Yunci walking toward them.

Seeing Chen Man, Gu Yunci was very warm. "Mrs. Chen, here to pick up your husband from work?"

Chen Man nodded. "He said he's working overtime tonight, so I came to pick up my bestie."

Gu Yunci looked at Meng Shutang, but his words were directed at Chen Man. "Don't let Chen Mu work too hard. Gu Clan… never exploits its employees."

Gu Yunci gave a slight nod and was about to leave when Chen Man suddenly put her arm around Meng Shutang. "I did as you asked and talked to my neighbor again. She now has five suitable listings. Tomorrow's Saturday, and it'll be sunny—shall I go with you to look at apartments?"

Gu Yunci had already started walking away, but upon hearing this, he turned back.

"You want to buy a house? Don't you already have several apartments in the city center?

The ones you wanted had great locations—close to the subway, close to government offices, with easy access in every direction."

Meng Shutang simply found Gu Yunci noisy.

Wasn't he supposed to be aloof, restrained, and sparing with words? How was he now chatty like this, showing up everywhere!

While she was thinking, Chen Man chimed in, "Those apartments are nice, but Tangtang never wanted your things. These past few years, she's kept telling me she'd find the right opportunity to give them back to you.

Also, there are no kindergartens near those apartments. Xin…"

Before she could finish, Meng Shutang immediately clamped a hand over her mouth.

Chen Man realized what she'd done, her face full of guilt.

Gu Yunci slowly raised his eyes. The emotions in them were exceedingly complex, and his voice was terribly hoarse.

"An apartment near a kindergarten…"

If calculated by time, Meng Shutang disappeared while pregnant four years ago; the child would have been born and would now be over three years old.

That is the age for kindergarten.

"Tangtang, there really is a child between us, isn't there?

What does he look like? Does he resemble you, or me? How old is he this year? What's his name?"

His hands joyfully gripped Meng Shutang's slender, fragile shoulders, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably, a soft, hoarse laugh rolling from his throat, carrying the ecstasy of recovering what was lost and a searing tenderness.

Chen Man was stunned.

Could Gu Yunci have found out?

Meng Shutang had hidden it for so long, and only just returned, yet she had let it slip with her big mouth—she was truly lacking in morals.

She was about to salvage the situation, only to see Meng Shutang shove Gu Yunci away. "Are you sick in the head? I told you there's no child between us."

After saying that, she grabbed Chen Man to leave.

But her wrist was again caught by the man. "Then why did you buy a place near a kindergarten?"

Meng Shutang's gaze was cold and dark. "Can't I plan ahead? President Gu, you don't actually think that without you no one would want me, and I'd never have another child, do you?"

Gu Yunci stood frozen in place.

She and Lu Shenyang were so loving, already living together; having a child was only a matter of time.

Watching Meng Shutang and Chen Man walk far away, Gu Yunci said to Qin Zheng: "Look into where she's buying a place."

Since returning to the country, Meng Shutang had still been staying at Jixiang Hutong.

As soon as she got back, she found the property purchase contract that Qin Zheng had previously delivered from the safe, stuffed it into her bag, and planned to give it to Gu Yunci when they met next Monday.

She had said that in the divorce, aside from the over one million in cash that was in her card at the time, she would not take anything from Gu Yunci.

The next day, Saturday.

The real estate agent showed Meng Shutang several properties, and in the end, she took a fancy to Qingluju.

It was a high-end residential complex, with a subway at the entrance, shopping malls and kindergartens nearby, as well as a key secondary school.

The surrounding greenery was also good, with a lake, hills, and a park.

In Jiangcheng, it was absolutely a natural oxygen bar.

These past few years, Xin Xin had mainly been looked after by her grandmother and Aunt Li.

Close to the subway and shopping malls, with convenient living, they wouldn't have to run back and forth to the market to buy daily necessities.

She decided on the spot to buy it!

Qian Shui Wan.

The man stood on the attic terrace, looking at the distant mountain ranges.

One hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone.

Qin Zheng's voice came through from the other end of the line.

"President Gu, Miss Meng bought a place at Qingluju.

This property is in a school district, surrounded by key primary schools through key high schools—a twelve-year continuous system.

Many of the people buying homes here are parents with children.

The property prices are very expensive; one unit costs nearly six million."

"What about the matter I asked you to investigate before? After the divorce, did she… have a child abroad?"