Chapter 28: Another Phone Call

As Gu Lanxi began reviewing the materials, Wang Peiling pulled out an illustrated catalog and acted coquettishly, asking her mother-in-law to buy her some jewelry.

Whenever major brands released new products, they would send exquisite catalogs to them in advance. If they were interested, they could contact the representative for home delivery.

They would inspect the items in person; if satisfied, they would keep them, and if not, they would send them back. The entire process was seamless and without a single complaint, making it a very thoughtful service.

The second brother and his wife had a wonderful relationship, and his wife's maiden family was also very wealthy. Ordinarily, she never had to ask her mother-in-law for anything she wanted.

However, whenever Gu Lanxi was present, she would act spoiled with her mother-in-law, asking for this and that, and in the end, Gu Lanxi would inevitably receive a share as well.

Especially whenever she was asked for help, the gifts sent to her were always exceptionally generous.

Gu Lanxi could see through it at a glance.

They simply wanted to thank her, but felt that offering direct payment would be too formal and distant, so they took a roundabout way instead.

Gu Lanxi would always help them earnestly, and she would accept a portion of the gifts graciously.

She never specifically picked the most expensive or the cheapest; she simply chose what she liked, regardless of the cost.

She was neither greedy nor timid. She bravely showcased her evolving aesthetic sense while maintaining a sense of intimacy; she always managed to strike the perfect balance.

There was a lot of information to go through. As Gu Lanxi read, she pulled out a pen and a notebook to record the key points.

The mother and daughter-in-law did not rush her.

They planned to select several outfits for the autumn and winter seasons during this session.

In addition to the thick jewelry catalog, there were also clothes, bags, and other items that needed to be appraised one by one.

The way wealthy socialites kill time was always this simple and unpretentious.

As evening approached and the lights in the room were turned on, the mother and daughter-in-law were whispering about where to go for dinner when Gu Lanxi's phone rang.

Gu Lanxi's mind was filled with data, and she felt something was wrong with the company. Just as she was frowning in thought, she heard the phone ring and answered it directly.

"You're not home?"

They had agreed to have dinner at home before seven, but Lu Nanting had returned on time and was nowhere to be seen. Seeing that Auntie Wang was about to start preparing dinner, she naturally called to ask.

Realizing who was calling, Gu Lanxi immediately turned to look at Zhang Ruolan. Seeing that the mother and daughter-in-law were still focused on the catalog, she breathed a sigh of relief and, like a thief, lowered her voice

"Go ahead and eat, I'll be back in a bit."

Then, without waiting for a response, she hung up with a calm expression.

In fact, Zhang Ruolan was also making a call.

The moment she noticed something suspicious in Gu Lanxi's expression, she used her daughter-in-law as a shield and called her youngest son.

Hearing the message, "The number you have dialed is currently busy, please try again later," Zhang Ruolan grew thoughtful.

Seeing that Gu Lanxi had hung up, she immediately called back right at the moment the line cleared.

Sure enough, the call went through this time.

The person who had agreed to eat dinner together had suddenly vanished without a word of explanation. The phone was answered, but no reason was given.

Lu Nanting was holding his phone in confusion when he saw his mother calling and answered it.

"Ting-zai, want to have dinner together?"

Lu Nanting had long since made plans with Gu Lanxi. Upon receiving his mother's invitation, he refused without hesitation.

However, he heard his mother laugh meaningfully and add, "Manman is here too~"

Lu Nanting immediately closed his eyes in resignation.

It was over. He had been exposed.

Thinking that Gu Lanxi was alone right now and must be anxious, Lu Nanting couldn't wait to eat. He gave Auntie Wang a quick heads-up that they had something urgent and wouldn't be coming back for dinner, then immediately put on his shoes and headed downstairs.

Since he had just arrived home, the bodyguards and driver had not yet left the residential complex. Upon receiving the call, they immediately turned back to pick him up and drove straight to the teahouse.

When Gu Lanxi heard Mrs. Lu say "Manman is here" on the phone and saw her smiling eyes, she realized she had been caught and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Everyone in their social circle knew that Mrs. Lu was famously shrewd; aside from her poor eye for investments, she was flawless in every other way.

If Zhang Ruolan saw her expression was off, she could guess something was up. Gu Lanxi only had to look at Zhang Ruolan's expression while she was on the phone to understand exactly what was happening.

Gu Lanxi had lived alone for years, and since Lu Nanting had moved in not long ago, she suddenly had someone waiting for her for dinner. Who else could it be?

This was the downside of having such a simple romantic history—there wasn't even another suspect to doubt.

It was all because there was too much data to process and various figures to calculate mentally. Since the two had just registered their marriage, she subconsciously forgot that there was now another person in her life. One moment of distraction, and she ran into the old fox that was Mother Lu...

It was truly a tragic story.

The second Lu brother and his wife had their own independent residence after marriage. Both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had their own things to do, so they didn't see each other often. Since they had finally managed to gather and Gu Lanxi happened to be there, they were certainly going to eat together tonight.

Wang Peiling was still agonizing over which restaurant to choose. Seeing her mother-in-law suddenly call to invite her brother-in-law, she was utterly bewildered.

It would have been so nice for the three of them to gather and have a cozy chat about women's topics; why was the brother-in-law coming?

The age gap between her and her brother-in-law wasn't as large as it was with her sister-in-law, and aside from family gatherings, they didn't particularly enjoy eating together privately.

Although the whole family knew that the two young ones had feelings for each other, even if her mother-in-law wanted to play matchmaker, she wouldn't do something so obviously inappropriate to cause annoyance.

However, she was very obedient. As long as it wasn't a major issue, she generally followed whatever her mother-in-law said. Although she felt uneasy, she ultimately said nothing.

Lu Nanting rushed over in a frantic state, only to find his mother and sister-in-law flipping through a jewelry catalog, asking Gu Lanxi if she liked this or that.

Gu Lanxi kept glancing toward the door every few moments, her heart burning with anxiety.

She never expected that a single phone call would lead to her being caught by the tail.

That was one thing, but these two wouldn't ask a single question!

They only wanted her to pick jewelry!

How could she possibly have the heart to pick jewelry right now?!

Good heavens!

She never imagined she would be exposed so quickly, and in such a manner.

Zhang Ruolan had been secretly observing her expressions.

She was still a bit too green. No matter how good she was at acting, when something happened suddenly, a hint of difference would still leak out.

And that tiny difference could only be detected by the most patient of old hunters!

Speaking of which, Zhang Ruolan's life had been quite interesting these past few years!

As she aged, besides her grandchildren, her favorite thing to watch was young people falling in love.

The awkwardness of it—you'd sneakily go to watch my movie, I'd sneakily go to your concert, today you "accidentally" run into me, tomorrow I "accidentally" run into you...

And when you actually met, you acted so formal as if you didn't know each other, both of you playing it cool.

Tsk~

Zhang Ruolan had assumed they had simply reconciled, unaware that they were actually married.

But the moment her youngest son walked in, her sharp eyes caught the wedding ring on his hand!

When the third son had commissioned someone to make rings, it was through a designer she had personally recommended, so she had seen the finished products before.

Now, this was more than just a matter of being happy!

"Ecstatic" couldn't even begin to describe it!

Manman's mother had passed away early; as the mother-in-law, she had to put in extra effort.

The wedding house, the wedding car, the wedding dress, the wedding shoes...

Organizing a decent wedding was no easy task.

And then there were the betrothal gifts; everything that needed to be given had to be given properly.

Fortunately, she was highly experienced; she would certainly handle it perfectly!

(End of Chapter)