Chapter 943

In Deng Lanxia’s eyes, Song Zihui was mentally unstable; as a twenty-two-year-old adult, she naturally ignored the idiot.

“That McDonald’s next to our school?” Deng Lanxia leaned over the bedrail and looked down.

“Yes!” Zhou Anqin nodded: “My friend says her manager is really nice. I’ll go tomorrow and ask her to plead my case—maybe it’ll work.”

“Hope so!”

Deng Lanxia had been to McDonald’s but failed. Later, she went to Dunkin’, but seeing its decor was even more upscale and its business even busier, she first grew timid, convinced she’d never get hired, so she didn’t even ask before leaving.

“Just try!” Zhou Anqin smiled. “Asking won’t cost you a thing.”

“That’s true!” Deng Lanxia laughed. “Thanks, Xiao Qin!”

“No need to thank me!” Zhou Anqin leaned against the headboard, pulled out her cassette player, and slipped one earbud into her ear. “We’ll live together for four years—you’re family now. We’ve got to help each other.”

“Exactly!” Kang Na chuckled. “We’re family now, gotta help each other—except for certain people. If anything happens to her, I’ll buy firecrackers to celebrate.”

“That works!” Gao Xue kicked the bedframe above with her long legs. “If you’re short on cash, I can chip in.”

Song Zihui snorted, rolled over in bed, and pulled the blanket over her head.

Huang Yu rolled her eyes at Song Zihui. “Sister Xue, have you heard of Anqiu Hutong?”

Gao Xue paused, then shook her head. “No.”

Huang Yu excitedly said: “I went to Anqiu Hutong today. There’s a five-courtyard house under renovation. I heard from locals it was bought by Zhou Andong. The name ‘Anqiu’ comes from one character each in Zhou Andong’s and his girlfriend’s names.”

Hearing Huang Yu’s words, Zhou Anqin’s expression shifted dramatically, then she smiled faintly.

“Zhou Andong!” Gao Xue suddenly became excited. “My idol! Where’s that house? I’m going to see it tomorrow.”

Huang Yu said: “Let’s go together tomorrow—I haven’t finished exploring the area yet.”

Gao Yujing glanced at Zhou Anqin, and her round face broke into a faint smile.

Song Zihui also pulled her head out from under the blanket, glancing at Zhou Anqin with a complex, unreadable look.

“Huh!” Gao Xue suddenly said: “Zhou Anqin, Zhou Andong—Xiao Qin, your name differs from his by just one character. Are you two siblings?”

Zhou Anqin nodded seriously. “Zhou Andong is my brother.”

The dorm fell silent. Then Huang Yu burst into laughter. “I’d believe you if you weren’t so dead serious.”

Gao Xue lay flat on her back, groaning: “Oh no, if Xiao Qin really were Zhou Andong’s sister, I’d finally have a chance to get close to my idol!”

Wen Yingluo, who had been reading, put down her book, her eyes sparkling. “I actually really like Zhou Andong—he’s truly talented.”

Zhou Anqin’s expression brightened, though no one noticed the quiet pride on her face.

Night deepened. The girls chattered on, growing more energetic, recounting past memories, gossiping about the present, and dreaming of the future.

………………

Worried about Su Su, Zhou Andong and Jian Qiu woke early. After a quick wash, they left the hotel without waking Wu Chao and took a taxi to Compound Six.

“Why are you here so early?” Gu Minglan and Zhao Ping had just gotten up.

“How’s the baby? Did she cry last night?” Jian Qiu asked urgently.

Gu Minglan smiled. “She whimpered a bit while sleeping. I gave her milk, and she fell right back asleep. She wet the bed at midnight, so I changed the sheets—she’s still asleep now.”

“Phew!” Jian Qiu exhaled. “I barely slept last night, afraid she’d refuse to settle.”

Zhao Ping brushed her teeth, mouth full of foam: “If she’s too noisy, we’ll send her right back.”

“Dongzi!” Gu Minglan suddenly called out.

Zhou Andong straightened his chest. “Mom, speak.”

Gu Minglan said: “I’m taking Su Su back to Fengjing for a few days. When your father’s free, we’ll return together.”

Zhou Andong didn’t hesitate: “As long as Qiuqiu agrees, I have no objection.”

“Alright,” Jian Qiu agreed. “I’ll go back and pack the baby’s clothes and diapers.”

At this point, she dared not anger the old goddess. Since the baby was fine with her, let her go.

After breakfast at Compound Six, the old lady’s attitude toward Zhou Andong softened considerably, and she even offered a few words of concern—probably because the old master had spoken to her.

After breakfast, Zhou Andong and Jian Qiu returned to the hospital. As soon as they entered the ward, Lao Si came running out.

“Where’s Su Su?”

Jian Qiu rubbed Lao Si’s head. “Su Su’s with Grandma. She’ll be back in a few days.”

“Huh?” Lao Si drooped his head and shuffled back, then flopped onto the sofa, rolling over onto his back. “I miss her.”

Jian Qiu rushed over to comfort him. “Just a few days. She’ll be back soon.”

“You’re just bored because no one’s playing with you,” Zhou Andong cut straight to the point. “You’re starting school in two days—still thinking about play?”

At the mention of school, Lao Si sat up. “School means lots of kids to play with!”

“All you think about is playing!” Zhou Andong tapped Lao Si’s head.

“Ugh!” Lao Si glared at Zhou Andong, puffed cheeks. “You’ve knocked me stupid—if I can’t count when I start school, what then?”

“Exactly!” Jian Qiu smacked Zhou Andong. “You’re so annoying.”

Zhou Andong chuckled, about to speak, when his phone rang suddenly.

“Probably Lao Wu.”

He picked up the phone—and to his surprise, heard Gu Qing’s voice.

“Chairman, we got word from Qishi: they’ve granted us an additional fifty mu of land for free, with one condition—the shopping center’s floor area can’t be smaller than Jiangzhou’s.”

“Really…” Zhou Andong sighed. “Since they’ve made the request and granted the land, we’ll build bigger.”

“That’s what I thought too,” Gu Qing said. “I have high hopes for Qishi’s future development.”

Zhou Andong said: “Teacher An has already sent designers over. I estimate the blueprints won’t be ready until after the New Year. So just finish the demolition before then.”

“Understood!” Gu Qing chatted two more minutes, then hung up.

As if prearranged, the moment Gu Qing hung up, Man Hongshan called.

“Chairman, yesterday, a superior approached me about taking Xuri Sheng public.”

This was exactly what Zhou Andong had expected: “Fine. I’ll call Wu Zong immediately to spin off Xuri Sheng within the group, restructure equity, then acquire a related company in Xiangjiang for a backdoor listing.”