Gu Chenxi's eyes widened in disbelief.
What on earth was happening?
The reason she had insisted on having a child within two years was twofold. Firstly, Gu Chenxi feared that her path to revenge might be far more difficult than she had imagined. In essence, she had staked her life on seeking vengeance, with no guarantee of survival. For the sake of her grandfather and her deceased parents, she needed a child to carry on her will.
Secondly, she had heard a significant secret from Gu Qinghe last night, which was a crucial factor prompting her to make this request to Lin Rui. It turned out that Gu Chenxi's two uncles were not Gu Qinghe's biological sons; they were both adopted by him. Gu Qinghe's only biological son was Gu Chenxi's father. This had been a closely guarded secret within the Gu family, known to very few. Essentially, Gu Chenxi was now the only direct descendant of the Gu family, so regardless of what she might face in the future, she felt it necessary to leave a successor for the family.
Although the Lin family might pale in comparison to the Gu family in terms of wealth and overall strength, marrying Lin Rui meant that at the very least, the Lin family would do everything in their power to protect this child.
It was the intertwining of these reasons that ultimately led Gu Chenxi to make the decision to marry Lin Rui.
"No need to... no need to rush," Gu Chenxi said, her gaze slightly avoiding Lin Rui's. "I've heard that to conceive a healthy baby, parents should spend two or three months preparing their bodies to be in optimal condition. That way, the baby born will be intelligent and healthy."
Lin Rui couldn't help but chuckle. "That makes sense."
"So, are you implying that after we get married, we can't... be intimate for three months?" Gu Chenxi blinked.
Her face flushed slightly, but she shook her head, with a hint of regret in her voice. "No, it's not that. Since I've chosen to marry you, I'll fulfill my duties as a wife."
Gu Chenxi's behavior genuinely surprised Lin Rui. He remembered the original character of Gu Chenxi in the novel—cold and arrogant. There had even been one or two men in the original story who had tried to pursue her, but she had never given them any positive response. This tragedy of a novel had been heavily criticized by readers for its portrayal of romance. Yet the current Gu Chenxi's behavior was extremely adorable, and Lin Rui couldn't muster any resistance to it.
Such a girl, who wouldn't love her?
Lin Rui pondered for a moment, wondering if he had changed Gu Chenxi's personality along with altering the course of the story after entering this world. Nevertheless, regardless of the reason, Lin Rui felt secretly delighted at Gu Chenxi's words. At least he wouldn't have to play emotional games with her.
"Okay, I agree to all three of your conditions," Lin Rui said after some thought.
Gu Chenxi nodded and brushed the dirt off her hands. "Alright, since you've agreed, go meet my grandfather now."
With that, Gu Chenxi prepared to get up. At that moment, she didn't expect Lin Rui to suddenly grab her trouser leg.
"What... what are you doing?" Gu Chenxi's face turned stiff, and her cheeks flushed red.
Lin Rui smiled faintly. "I've agreed to your conditions, but you haven't agreed to mine yet."
Gu Chenxi was momentarily dumbfounded.
"You... you dare to make demands too?"
Lin Rui replied calmly, "What's wrong? Are you human while I'm not?"
Gu Chenxi pouted slightly, looking at him resentfully. "Well, go on then, but I can't promise I'll agree."
Lin Rui said, "It's simple. Unlike you, I'm not so greedy. I have only one request."
"I'll help you eliminate an enemy, and you'll help me conceive a child. How about that?"
Gu Chenxi's face stiffened again, and her mouth fell open.
"What?"
"You... how could you?"
In Gu Chenxi's original revenge plan, she had two main targets—Xu Bingbing and her cousin Gu Boming, whom she learned from Lin Rui yesterday were both involved. So Gu Chenxi considered them both as targets for her revenge. In other words, Gu Chenxi's revenge targets totaled four.
If he helped her eliminate one enemy in exchange for her giving birth to a child for him, would that mean she would have to give birth to four children in one go?
The thought of having four children at once made Gu Chenxi feel hopeless.
"Four? Are you kidding? That's impossible," Gu Chenxi muttered, her lips pouting.
At this point, Lin Rui shook his head and said, "Did your math teacher teach you math? Your main targets for revenge are four in total—Xu Bingbing, Gu Boming, and your two unrelated uncles. But there are probably more people involved in the specifics, maybe enough for a football team. So after I help you eliminate all of them, you'll have to give birth to at least one football team."
...
Gu Chenxi's eyes widened in horror, emitting a terrifying aura.
The next moment, she couldn't bear it any longer. She grabbed a handful of mud from the pit and hurled it towards Lin Rui's face.
Angry, she yelled, "You stupid pig, shameless idiot!"
Fortunately, Lin Rui was prepared, and he dodged as Gu Chenxi grabbed the mud.
Watching Gu Chenxi grow even more furious, Lin Rui found it particularly amusing. Mimicking her angry yet adorable expression, he stuck out his tongue teasingly.
"You can't hit me, you can't hit me..."
Soon, the two of them were chasing each other around the yard, as if they had returned to their childhood playfulness.
Watching this scene from a distance, Chen Bo couldn't help but feel comforted. Since the deaths of the young master and mistress, his young lady hadn't been as lively as she was today.
At that moment, he heard faint footsteps behind him. Chen Bo turned to see a figure emerging from behind the old locust tree not far away—it was none other than the head of the Gu family, Gu Qinghe.
In fact, he had been standing behind that locust tree for quite some time.
"Master!" Chen Bo turned respectfully.
Gu Qinghe nodded with a smile, but his gaze remained fixed on the two children chasing each other in the yard.
"Duan Nian, it seems like our Chenxi has never been this close to any boy before, has she?"
Chen Bo nodded with a touch of nostalgia in his eyes. In his memory, Gu Chenxi had always been solitary and reserved, rarely playing with boys even before her parents passed away. Since their deaths, she had been greatly distressed, and after coming here for recuperation, some former classmates had tried to visit her, but she had hardly ever met them, let alone spent time with any boys.
"That Lin boy seems to have changed. He used to be quite mischievous when he was young."
Gu Qinghe remarked.
Chen Bo agreed, "Yes, this young master from the Lin family has indeed undergone a significant transformation. He doesn't seem to match the image of a playboy or wastrel that is often portrayed."
"The aura in his eyes exudes a sense of inner strength and depth. To be honest, I haven't seen such a young man with this kind of aura in many years."
Gu Qinghe chuckled, "You share my view. Although I haven't spoken to him up close, this Lin boy seems to have the potential to surpass his father, Lin Entai, in the future."
Chen Bo refrained from commenting. While he thought highly of Lin Rui, he still had doubts about whether he could surpass his father, Lin Entai, who was a business genius. The success of the Lin family's enterprise today was entirely due to him.
"Duan Nian, do you think this Lin boy is suitable for our Chenxi?"
Gu Qinghe's sudden change of topic caught Chen Bo off guard.
Before he could respond, Gu Qinghe continued, "I plan to marry Chenxi to him."
Chen Bo's expression changed slightly. Although he knew that Gu Qinghe wasn't seeking his opinion, he couldn't help but express his concerns.
"Master, isn't this decision a bit hasty?"
Gu Qinghe shook his head gently.
Sighing, he pointed to the two figures chasing each other in the yard.
"Finding someone in one's lifetime who can make them laugh heartily or cry bitterly is not easy. And this Lin Rui seems to have achieved that. You know, last night, Chenxi and I played marbles for a long time. She mentioned Lin Rui's name several times while playing. At that moment, I knew that our Chenxi, she is not incapable of love, nor unwilling to love. She just hadn't found the boy who could stir her heart."
"If she is happy, that's enough for me. If she is sad, I am also comforted because only by enjoying happiness and experiencing sadness can she gradually recover."
Gu Qinghe's words contained profound life insights.
An ordinary person might not immediately understand the deep love he held for Gu Chenxi. But Chen Bo, who had spent half his life assisting Gu Qinghe, aside from Gu Chenxi, was the person who understood him best.
So after hearing Gu Qinghe's words, Chen Bo didn't voice any objections.
Gu Qinghe continued, "Although the Lin family's strength is not formidable, they are decent and free from the entanglements of wealthy families or internal struggles. Lin Entai only has this one son. By marrying Chenxi into the Lin family, she will be the only daughter-in-law of the Lin family."
"I believe that no matter what happens, Lin Entai won't mistreat Chenxi. Even if the outcome is unfavorable, I don't think Lin Entai would allow his only daughter-in-law to suffer."
Chen Bo was suddenly taken aback.
At that moment, he seemed to truly understand the core reason behind Gu Qinghe's decision.
Gu Qinghe added, "The matter I mentioned earlier, you can start planning now."
"After Chenxi gets married, take action."
...