Chapter 29
Unusually, Gu Jijing was confused.
He couldn't understand what the adult and two children in front of him were doing, nor did he know why he had been penalized before even speaking.
And what line had he cut in?
"Excuse me."
A man's voice came from behind him. Gu Jijing subconsciously turned to the side and saw a flamboyant man sit down opposite Yun Chuman and the two children.
He dramatically straightened his red suit, smoothed his hair which was held firmly in place by hair gel, and confidently declared, "My name is Wang Liu, the sixth child in my family. I'm humorous, witty, love life, and adore children."
"More importantly, I'm ambitious. I've already built a business empire with my own hands! You know Gu Jijing, right? We were competing for the same project a while back, neck and neck, a tug-of-war that lasted for over a month. But just yesterday, he became my defeated foe!"
Gu Jijing's gaze swept over him, carefully searching his memory, and he was certain he had never seen the person before.
He frowned almost imperceptibly, and the smell emanating from the other person…
"Achoo~"
Yun Chuman, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu sneezed simultaneously.
Yun Juan wrinkled his little nose and asked Wang Liu in confusion, "Uncle, don't you think the smell on you is bad?"
Yun Shu covered her nose with her two chubby little hands, looking aggrieved, and said, "Little Shu's nose don’t feel so good."
Yun Chuman felt dizzy and lightheaded. She couldn't stand it and held her breath, leaning back slightly.
But she didn't forget to fan the two children with both hands, trying to dispel as much of the smell as possible.
"Smell bad?"
Wang Liu exclaimed in surprise, raising his voice, "I smell bad?"
He chuckled at the two children, "You're still just kids, you don't know how to appreciate things."
He winked at Yun Chuman, "But someone as beautiful and mature as you, Ms. Yun, certainly wouldn't think that, would you? You must know how to appreciate this smell."
As he spoke, he fanned his red suit jacket twice, making the pungent fragrance even stronger.
Yun Chuman winced in pain. Her head was already throbbing. Seeing his greasy expression, she finally couldn't help but gag, "Ugh..."
The two children were startled and forgot about covering their noses.
They wriggled their chubby little bodies, knelt on the chair, and raised their chubby arms, using their small hands to cover Yun Chuman's nose.
Yun Juan said anxiously and earnestly, "Mommy, don't smell it, it's poisonous."
Yun Shu's worried little face scrunched up: "Mommy, are you feeling unwell?"
Yun Chuman was too weak to speak, only able to shake her head to comfort the two children. She hadn't expected the original owner's body to react so violently to this inferior fragrance, just like herself in her previous life.
Gu Jijing was somewhat stunned by this scene.
The others in the coffee shop couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"That smell is terrible! He was sitting next to me just now, I almost suffocated from the stench."
"Ms. Yun and the two children are so pitiful. Someone take him away!"
Wang Liu's face turned ashen upon hearing the whispers.
Feeling humiliated, he glared fiercely at the people behind him. Those who had just been speaking immediately shut their mouths and turned their heads away, refusing to look at him.
Wang Liu snorted with satisfaction, deliberately raising his voice, "Looks like I misjudged Ms. Yun. But it's understandable. After all, you're just a minor celebrity. It's normal that you don't understand perfume. Especially since I use the world's most expensive men's cologne, costing 430,000 US dollars a bottle. Let alone a minor celebrity like you, ordinary people don't even have the chance to smell it!"
430,000 US dollars?
Yun Chuman frowned. She didn't believe it for a second!
She wanted to retort, but her reaction was too strong. This cheap fragrance made her feel uncomfortable all over and she felt like vomiting as soon as she opened her mouth.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu covered her nose while puffing out their cheeks and glaring at Wang Liu. They didn't like this uncle; not only did he smell bad, making their mommy uncomfortable, but he also spoke strangely.
Just when Wang Liu thought he had everyone in awe...
A cold voice sounded beside him: "If you're talking about Clive Christian’s His Majesty, I can say with certainty that you're using a fake."
Gu Jijing lowered his eyelids expressionlessly, looking down at Wang Liu, and said in a calm voice: "This perfume has rare ingredients, including cardamom, cedarwood, tonka bean, mandarin orange, and other notes. There are only ten in the world, but that's not the main reason for its high price. Its bottle is made of crystal, with gold foil on the neck and a five-carat diamond as an embellishment." [1]
"And the perfume you're using smells like the kind of perfume you can buy for ten bottles for five yuan at a street stall."
After Gu Jijing finished speaking, he turned and opened the window next to him.
Fresh air rushed in, and the pungent fragrance gradually dissipated. Yun Chuman finally felt a little better. Her nose and head were throbbing and her sense of smell was somewhat numb.
Yun Juan picked up the lemonade from the table and handed it to her, saying, "Mommy, have some water."
Yun Shu simply took off her shoes and stood on the chair. Her chubby little hands pressed against her temples, asking softly, "Mommy, are you still feeling unwell?"
Yun Chuman took the glass of water, gulped down half of it, and shook her head, saying, "I feel much better, thank you, little Juan and little Shu."
The two children breathed a sigh of relief.
Yun Chuman glanced again at the man who had just opened the window and nodded gratefully.
Gu Jijing nodded slightly in response.
He finally understood the situation. Yun Chuman was on a blind date and they had mistaken him for one of the potential candidates. The two children were probably helping Yun Chuman with the selection process.
He was somewhat stunned by this thought. Were the two children and Yun Chuman really that close? They even followed their mommy on her blind date…
Should he just tell her the truth later? The two children's intelligence should be able to understand and accept this, and it also aligned with Yun Chuman's style of not hiding anything from her children.
Wang Liu, seeing that he had been exposed, became enraged and turned his anger towards Gu Jijing.
He slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and, with chin raised, fiercely shot out, "Who do you think you are! Daring to say my perfume is fake!"
Gu Jijing frowned: "Sir, you've frightened the children."
Yun Chuman weakly glared, thinking, "That's right, what did the table do wrong to deserve being slapped? There are two children present!"
However, Yun Juan and Yun Shu, hearing Gu Jijing's words, eyed him suspiciously and blinked. They weren't that timid; how could this uncle talk nonsense!
"Heh, you're quite arrogant, aren't you? Dare to give your name? Believe it or not, I'll bankrupt your company tomorrow!" Wang Liu continued.
"Bankruptcy?" Gu Jijing raised an eyebrow, took out a business card, and handed it to him. "Gu's Group is always at your service."
Gu's Group?
Wang Liu was stunned. Could it be the Gu's Group he was thinking of? But why would someone from that group be here?
No, no, no, the other person was definitely just putting on an act, like him.
He swallowed hard and took the business card. The three large, gold-embossed characters "Gu Jijing" stung his eyes. He quickly flipped the card over, and upon seeing the Gu's Group's distinctive mark, his face drained of color.
Wang Liu stared at the man in disbelief. His legs trembled uncontrollably as cold sweat poured down his back: "President Gu... President Gu..."
What had he just said? Gu Jijing was his defeated opponent? His company had only just started; he couldn't let it fail here!
He forced a smile, repeatedly apologizing, "President Gu, I'm so sorry, my eyes are blind and did not recognise your greatness. What I said just now was all nonsense. Please forgive my rudeness..."
Seeing his expression, Gu Jijing frowned almost imperceptibly, subconsciously glancing at Yun Chuman and Yun Juanyun.
He saw two identical shocked and bewildered puppy-dog eyes staring at him.
He stiffened slightly, not wanting to leave a "brutal" impression on the three of them from the start. He said coldly to Wang Liu, "I have something to discuss with Ms. Yun. If possible, I hope you can leave as soon as possible."
Wang Liu looked at Yun Chuman in shock. She actually had a connection with Gu Jijing!
Looking closely, the two children seemed to bear a resemblance to Gu Jijing…
A guess formed in his mind, his legs trembled even more violently, and he wiped the spot where he had just sat with his sleeve, bowing and scraping, “Okay, okay, President Gu, please have a seat, I’ll leave right away.”
With that, he turned and rushed out of the coffee shop without looking back.
Most of the people attending this blind date were shrewd individuals. What Wang Liu could guess, they could also guess to some extent.
They just hadn’t expected that Gu Jijing, who was rumored to need mitosis to have children, already had such grown children.
They didn’t want to provoke such a person, so they all got up and made excuses to leave.
Seeing this, Aunt Sun panicked: “Hey? Hey? Where are you going? Who’s that person?”
The last one walking was a very fashionable-looking young man.
He glanced at Gu Jijing, grabbed Aunt Sun's arm, and whispered, "Aunt Sun, don't talk anymore, come with me! The legitimate partner is here! We can't afford to mess with that person, let's run! Oh dear, I just came to join the fun. How did it end up like this!"
The legitimate partner? Aunt Sun turned her head in surprise. It seemed like the scene of a wife catching her husband's mistress.
But judging from Xiaoyun and the two children's expressions, they didn't seem to know the other party very well.
Really want to eat melon!
Aunt Sun screamed inwardly, but she was a gossipmonger with principles, knowing she couldn't pry into other people's privacy.
So she followed the fashionable young man, reluctantly leaving, and also dragged the smiling coffee shop owner who was offering menus. The kid's gone mad from making money, daring to go near such a dangerous place!
The once crowded coffee shop was now only occupied by two adults and two children.
Yun Chuman, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu stared blankly at the man sitting opposite them.
What was going on? This person wasn't here for a blind date? Judging from Aunt Sun and the others' reactions, this person seemed to be some important figure?
Gu Jijing felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by three identical pairs of eyes.
He lowered his gaze slightly, focusing on Yun Chuman's chin: "Hello, Ms. Yun."
He quickly glanced at the two children: "Little Yun Juan, little Yun Shu, hello, I'm Gu Jijing."
The two children frowned, tilted their heads in unison, and said simultaneously, "Hello..."
Gu Jijing's eyes flashed with surprise at their synchronized action, and the corners of his mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.
"What can I do for you?" Yun Chuman shook her head vigorously to come to her senses. She tentatively asked, "Do we...know each other?"
The information she had received didn't include someone named Gu Jijing, but she already knew the information was incomplete; it was possible the original owner knew this person.
Gu Jijing's eyes darted away. "The Imperial View Hotel...do you remember it?"
Yun Chuman felt the hotel name was familiar. After thinking for a moment, it dawned on her—wasn't this the place where the original owner had been with the strange man?
She widened her eyes in surprise: "It's you?"
"Yes," Gu Jijing nodded without hesitation, pursing his lips. "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you."
Yun Chuman didn't speak. She wondered if Gu Jijing might be the biological father of her two children.
The original owner's genes were strong; Yun Juan and Yun Shu looked very similar to her, but upon closer inspection, Yun Juan's nose was a spitting image of Gu Jijing's.
But why was he apologizing for arriving so late?
Gu Jijing looked at the two children, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Ms. Yun, if I'm not mistaken, Yun Juan and Yun Shu should be my children, right?"
Yun Juan and Yun Shu's eyes widened in shock.
What was this uncle talking about? Who were his children? Was this some kind of new matchmaking tactic?
They exchanged a glance, wrinkling their noses simultaneously. What to do? They hadn't considered this scenario!
Yun Chuman narrowed her eyes and asked, "President Gu, why did you come to this conclusion?"
"Here," Gu Jijing pointed to the bridge of his nose.
Yun Chuman looked over and saw a small red mole on the bridge of his nose, near the corner of his eye. A thought immediately popped into her head.
Gu Jijing glanced at the red mark on Yun Shu's face and continued, "This is a family trait. Every generation has children who inherit it. It gradually disappears after age six, turning into a red birthmark. Mine is here, and my mother's is on her right nostril."
He finished speaking and looked at Yun Shu's bewildered face. The red mark was fully visible, but she remained cheerful and sunny.
Gu Jijing had heard Yun Chuman's explanation about the red mark to Yun Shu and he felt touched and grateful. Even though the mark was hereditary and would fade in the future, their children would still feel inferior because of it.
Therefore, he deliberately avoided mentioning the words "red mark" and "birthmark" to avoid shattering the beautiful dream Yun Chuman had woven for Yun Shu.
Gu Jijing opened his mouth, but only managed to squeeze out, "Thank you."
Yun Chuman didn't understand why he suddenly thanked her. She was more concerned about Yun Shu's reaction. She quickly glanced at the little girl and, seeing that she didn't understand, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew some birthmarks faded over time, but she'd never heard of one turning into a mole.
Gu Jijing seemed to sense her confusion: "It's understandable that Ms. Yun doesn't believe such an absurd thing. If you don't mind, I can have a paternity test done with the two children."
Yun Chuman pursed her lips. No need. She was already certain that Gu Jijing was the biological father of the two children.
She raised an eyebrow, her tone casual: "President Gu, what is the purpose of your visit today?"
She didn't need to ask to guess; he simply wanted to take the two children back, give her money, and keep her out of the picture—that's how it was always portrayed in novels and TV dramas.
But she wasn't buying this routine.
Seeing her straightforwardness, Gu Jijing didn't hide anything: "Before, for certain reasons, I didn't contact you and didn't know I had two children. But now that I know, I think I should take responsibility."
Look at this high-sounding opening—exactly like in novels and TV dramas.
Yun Chuman snorted.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu looked at her, their expressions somewhat worried. They vaguely understood that the man before them wasn't a blind date, nor had he used any new tactics; he was their real father!
Gu Jijing continued, "However, I have no intention of forcibly taking the two children away. I wasn't involved in their birth or their upbringing, nor did I contribute anything, therefore I have no right to take them away."
Yun Chuman was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. Huh? This seemed different from the tropes in novels and TV dramas.
The two children became wary upon hearing this. Take them away? Was this person going to separate them from their mommy?
They instinctively moved closer to Yun Chuman, their little hands tightly gripping her arms.
Gu Jijing tapped the table with his finger, his tone sincere. "As for how to take responsibility, I have two options, Ms. Yun. You can choose for yourself."
He pursed his lips and continued, "One is that we get married and raise the two children together. We can develop our relationship slowly. My romantic history is clean, so Ms. Yun doesn't need to worry about exes or 'white moonlight's' coming back."
"The second option is that we remain strangers. The two children will still live with you, but I will be responsible for all their future expenses. If you choose this option, you don't need to worry about my future wife and children being dissatisfied, because I have no plans to get married."
Both options were actually perfect and thoughtful.
However, Yun Chuman was somewhat surprised. The information she received was that the original owner of this body had used despicable means to try to have a relationship with the male lead in the book, but ended up spending the night with Gu Jijing by a twist of fate.
Logically, Gu Jijing should hate her, right? Instead, there was marriage and child support... Could there be some hidden story behind this?
However, she wasn't interested in any of this; she didn't want to get entangled with Gu Jijing.
She frowned slightly: "President Gu, it's little Juan and little Shu who are related to you. Instead of asking me, why don't you ask their opinions?"
Gu Jijing was taken aback, but not surprised. He already knew Yun Chuman respected the children's opinions, so he frankly admitted his mistake: "I'm sorry, it was my oversight."
Yun Chuman raised an eyebrow. She found Gu Jijing's speech very straightforward; dealing with someone like that was actually less tiring.
She looked at the two children, her tone softening considerably: "Little Juan and little Shu, how much of what President Gu said did you understand?"
The two children secretly glanced at Gu Jijing.
Yun Juan puffed out his cheeks and said, "He's our daddy."
Yun Shu pouted: "He wants to take our mommy away from us."
Gu Jijing: ?
Did what he just say conveyed this?
He was about to explain when Yun Chuman glanced over, and he instinctively shut his mouth.
Yun Chuman patted the two children's heads and smiled, "It's not snatching Mommy."
"President Gu means he wants to take responsibility for you. If you need a daddy, he can live with us; if not, we can maintain the current state, but he's willing to cover your living expenses."
Yun Juan and Yun Shu tilted their heads, taking a moment to understand.
They exchanged a glance and asked simultaneously, "Does Mommy like him?"
Yun Chuman hadn't expected the two children to ask such a direct question. She felt a little shy for a moment, secretly glancing at Gu Jijing, and truthfully replied, "Well… it's not a matter of liking or disliking. Mommy, like you, isn't really familiar with him."
"Then does Mommy want to be with him?" the two children continued asking.
Yun Chuman noticed Gu Jijing looking at her, slightly turned her head away, and used her answer to respond to Gu Jijing: "I don't want any relationship with President Gu, including financial one."
She thought for a moment, gently pinched Yun Juan and Yun Shu's cheeks, and smiled tenderly, "But this is just my opinion. Little Juan and little Shu, you can do what you want. No matter what you choose, I will always be with you, because I am your mommy, and you are my favorite children."
The two children breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that she had no intention of being with Gu Jijing. They didn't dislike Gu Jijing, but they didn't like him either. Just as Yun Chuman said, Gu Jijing was a stranger to them, and they didn't want a stranger to enter their lives.
Yun Juan said earnestly, "I don't need a daddy. I can earn money to support Mommy."
Yun Shu smiled sweetly and rubbed her cheek against Yun Chuman's hand. "I don't need a daddy either. I only need Mommy and elder brother."
Yun Chuman felt a warmth in her heart. Although she hadn't worried about the two children leaving, hearing them clearly and firmly choose her still made her feel very comfortable.
She couldn't help but look at Gu Jijing with a smug expression: "President Gu, as you can see, the three of us are doing very well. We don't need you or your money, and we don't need you to take any responsibility, not in the past, not now, and not in the future."
"But you're a good person. Little Juan and Little Shu are, after all, your children. If you miss them, I don't mind if you come to see them," Yun Chuman stood up, smiling and waving. "It's getting late, we should go now. Goodbye, President Gu."
She then extended her hands to the two children: "Little Juan and Little Shu, let's go home."
Yun Juan and Yun Shu happily jumped off their chairs, took her hands on either side, and as they passed Gu Jijing, they imitated Yun Chuman, saying, "Goodbye, President Gu."
They couldn't bring themselves to call him "Daddy," and vaguely felt that calling him "Uncle" wasn't quite right either, so they simply followed Yun Chuman's example and called him "President Gu." This form of address felt somewhat novel to them, and they were quite satisfied.
The family of three discussed what to eat for lunch as they walked out of the coffee shop. Their backs turned with a very dashing air.
Only Gu Jijing remained sitting at the table.
He stared blankly at the empty seat opposite him, and couldn't help but smile as he recalled Yun Chuman and Yun Juan and Yun Shu calling him "President Gu."
He hadn't expected this outcome. He hadn't delivered the person, nor the money.
Gu Jijing felt a pang of disappointment. He shook his head, stood up, and walked out of the coffee shop.
Yang Feng was already waiting outside. Seeing his boss come out, he got out of the car and opened the door for him.
Gu Jijing thanked him and sat in the back seat. While Yang Feng returned to the driver's seat, he glanced at the coffee shop again.
Yang Feng secretly glanced at him in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but ask, "President Gu, did Ms. Yun accept your proposal?"
"No," Gu Jijing said calmly.
Yang Feng was taken aback and became a little anxious.
He had been Gu Jijing's secretary for many years and knew that he actually longed for a family, but was afraid to form one due to certain circumstances. Some rumors weren't entirely unfounded, as Gu Jijing had originally planned to live a solitary life.
Yang Feng had initially held some hope. Yun Chuman was a good person, Yun Juan and Yun Shu were clever and lovely, and most importantly, Gu Jijing had proposed marriage on a rare chance. Perhaps he had a chance to find happiness.
Thinking this way, he felt even more regretful and couldn't help but say, "President Gu, didn't you mention the situation back then? You and she were both victims. Back then, you even..."
“But the fact that she raised two children alone for so many years is undeniable.”
Gu Jijing rubbed his throbbing temples, interrupting him. The scene from just moments ago replayed in his mind. He looked back at the coffee shop and sighed, “The two children are excellent. Yun Chuman is amazing and she raised them very well.”
Yang Feng hesitated before saying, “President Gu…”
“Alright, let’s go back to the company.”
Gu Jijing didn’t want to continue this topic. He could see the rejection Yun Chuman and the two children had towards him.
He understood that feeling—the sudden realization that there were still people in this world connected to him was a weird feeling.
It was just that Yun Chuman and Yun Juan and Yun Shu were too perfect, so perfect that he impulsively and shamelessly proposed marriage, fantasizing about having the opportunity to get closer and perhaps even absorb a little bit of their beauty.
Unfortunately, he lacked the qualities to move others. Yun Chuman and the two children didn’t want any connection with him.
Gu Jijing opened his phone and found a screenshot from a variety show in the most hidden corner of his photo album. It showed Yun Juan and Yun Shu helping Yun Chuman stop her nosebleed.
His long, slender fingers gently swiped across the screen. He stared blankly at the photo of the two children in the picture. Could he continue to silently watch over them? He couldn't let go of this unexpected joy.
Gu Jijing stared at the photo for a long time, finally giving a bitter smile.
He was willing to respect Yun Chuman and Yun Juan and Yun Shu's decision. If their lives were smooth and happy, he would no longer appear or disturb their lives. If they needed help, he would offer it promptly. This was his small way of making amends.