Ji Anyao neither dodged nor moved her face towards him. Instead, she stared at him coldly. Although her gaze wasn't hateful, she didn't seem like she was looking at her father, and the two of them seemed particularly distant. There was even some inexplicable melancholy in her eyes.
That woman's instigation was a large part of the reason for Gu Mingyuan's attitude towards her.
However, now that she no longer carried any hopes or expectations, she naturally wasn't disappointed.
Gu Mingyuan took a deep breath and stopped himself from slapping her. However, he was clearly still infuriated. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her away without hesitation!
"Go home with me, don't embarrass yourself in someone else's home!"
"Why didn't you think about the consequences before you got into trouble? You're not a child anymore, why don't you know how to behave yourself? The older you got, the worse you've become!"
"Once you go home, stay in your room and reflect on yourself. You're grounded!"
Ji Anyao did not struggle and simply let him drag her outside.
"Anyao!"
Yin Mei'er immediately stood up and wanted to sprint over to stop them, but she was stopped by her mother who grabbed her arm.
She secretly winked and admonished softly, "This is their family's affair, you should not get involved! This is a serious matter that can't be resolved by a few brats like you."
"But..."
"No buts. Since Han Yi brought Old Gu here, he can naturally handle the relationship between Anyao and her father. Even if you are prejudiced against Old Gu, do you think Han Yi would harm Anyao!?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it." Su Chengyu remained still in his seat, looking as if nothing had happened. "Han Yi told me on the way here that he would find a way to solve all the problems..."
Bang!
Yin Mei'er smacked Su Chengyu's away when he was trying to help himself to some vegetables and glared at him angrily.
"You're still in the mood to eat?! Put your chopsticks down! What can Han Yi do? Can he solve all the problems? Didn't you just say yourself that this is a difficult task to handle? Besides... the Gu Family has been embroiled with those nonsensical things for years, how can it be solved so easily?!"
"Sister, you don't understand."
"Understand what?"
Taking the opportunity to chuck a piece of roasted pork into his mouth, Su Chengyu chewed twice with a grin before speaking slowly.
"Actually, the Gu Family's matters are not difficult to handle. As long as Anyao leaves the Gu Family, her life would be much more carefree, wouldn't it be?"
"Leave the Gu Family?" Yin Mei'er was still confused. She asked in bewilderment, "Where can she go after leaving the Gu Family? Besides, why should Anyao leave and give that shameless old woman a place in the family?"
Meeting her furious yet puzzled gaze, Su Chengyu couldn't help but sigh, feeling a little mentally exhausted.
"Yin Mei'er, are you stupid? I've already made it so clear, why do you still not understand? Han Yi likes Anyao, can't you see that? If Anyao gets together with Han Yi and marries into the Han Family, there will be no need for her to continue to suffer in the Gu Family. Then... those so-called scandals will also be debunked and overshadowed by this news, won't things come to a successful end and the problem be perfectly resolved?"
"Perfect, my foot!"
Yin Mei'er raised her hand and smacked Su Chengyu's head with a worried expression.
"Han Yi does like Anyao, but she... isn't romantically interested in him at all! You're forcing Anyao by doing this. What if she doesn't agree? Wouldn't things get worse?"
"You're so silly! This is just a temporary measure, a temporary measure, do you understand? It's not like they're getting married tomorrow, we're just going to release the news first. As for whether Anyao agrees to it or not... that's a matter to be solved later. It has nothing to do with the issue at hand."
Yin Mei'er's expression eased a little after hearing his explanation.
"So that's your plan? It might sound absurd, but... it seems feasible. Not bad."
Outside the courtyard.
Ji Anyao was dragged away by Gu Mingyuan, but she did not utter a single word at all along the way.
It was normal for her and Gu Mingyuan to be hostile towards each other. They would either ignore each other or get into a heated argument as soon as they spoke. However, taking that situation just now for an instance, winning the argument would do her no good. It would only make the situation worse and aggravate her mood.
Gu Mingyuan finally let go of her when they reached the car.
He opened the door of the car and ordered in a deep voice, "Get in the car."
Ji Anyao didn't move.
Gu Mingyuan was about to throw another fit.
Han Yi stepped in front of Ji Anyao and tried to persuade him.
"Uncle Gu, let me talk to Anyao."
Physically and emotionally exhausted, Gu Mingyuan let go and turned around to walk towards the tree. He lit up a cigarette and began smoking vigorously!
Holding onto Ji Anyao's hand and wrapping his hand over it, Han Yi spoke to her conscientiously in a gentle and apologetic tone.
"Anyao, I'm sorry... Uncle Gu asked me where you were, but I didn't cover up for you. I didn't want your reputation to be affected. I don't want others to think of these unpleasant things at the mention of you either. So... I discussed with Uncle Gu and we've decided that you and I will get engaged next week. No matter what happens next, we should resolve this issue first. Okay?"
There was a silvery white sports car parked in the shadows not far away.
The engine was not started and the lights were not on either. Hence, no one noticed that there was a person sitting in the driver's seat of the car.
With one hand on the steering wheel, Bai Siyu stared calmly at the duo who were leaning against each other under the street light. They were standing so close that they seemed to be snuggling up to each other. The night breeze blew past, raking up the leaves on the ground and producing a rustling sound. The sounds of their conversation was blown towards him too.
He was not far away from them, so even though Han Yi was speaking softly, he could hear it clearly.
After Han Yi finished, Ji Anyao did not reply.
She was lowering her head a little and pondering about something. She neither agreed nor declined, and simply stayed silent for a long time.
Han Yi waited patiently for her answer.
Bai Siyu was waiting too.
"Anyao..."
After staying silent for a long time, Han Yi finally couldn't wait any longer.
He pleaded in a hoarse voice, "Will you give me a chance?"
Bai Siyu slightly subconsciously clenched his fist and gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Finally, Ji Anyao spoke up... She raised her head and met Han Yi's affectionate gaze before parting her red lips to speak gently in an alluring voice.
"Okay."
Her voice was very soft, gentle and dreamy.
However, as the wind blew, he was very certain that he didn't hear her wrongly... He had heard it right.
His cold eyes were covered by another layer of frost because of her answer.
Overjoyed, Han Yi opened his arms and pulled Ji Anyao into his embrace.
The wish that he had been dreaming of for a long time had finally come true at this moment. All of a sudden, he couldn't contain his joy and excitement, and he became too happy. He could only hold her tighter in his arms and repeat his words.
"Wonderful, Anyao... this is great..."