Zhou Jiayi was restless, having not slept a wink all night.
On one hand,
Gu Changsheng's behavior yesterday was truly abnormal. Although his illness was intermittent, she had never seen him exhibit such a domineering side.
On the other hand, the birthday gift had not been properly prepared, and she just couldn't fall asleep.
The next morning.
"Changsheng, I've thought it over. Let's go out and pick another birthday gift," she said.
Gu Changsheng was taken aback. Seeing the dark circles under Zhou Jiayi's eyes, he could only offer a wry smile, "Wife, did you stay up all night because of this? Wait for me..."
That said,
Gu Changsheng left Zhou Jiayi standing there, turned into the study, and came back with a stone.
Upon seeing it, Zhou Jiayi's mouth fell open slightly, "Changsheng, you can't be serious. Isn't this the stone we use as a doorstop at home?"
"This is no ordinary stone; it's chicken blood stone."
"Chicken blood stone?!"
Seeing Zhou Jiayi's bewildered expression, Gu Changsheng knew she didn't understand anything about curios and had to turn around to find a box to store it in, "Trust me, this stone is a hundred times better than the Jade Ruyi that cost eight hundred and eighty thousand yesterday. Granny will definitely be satisfied."
"But..."
"Trust me, wife. I know these past years have been hard on you, and because of me, granny hasn't been valuing you, but rest assured, after today, I'll make granny see both of us in a new light," he said.
The couple locked eyes, and Gu Changsheng's pupils radiated sincerity and confidence.
For some reason, Zhou Jiayi felt her heart flutter, "Okay, I trust you, Changsheng!"
"Hehe, then let's hurry up and leave. It's not a short drive from our place to granny's house."
...
Yun City's East Suburb, Zhou Family mansion.
Zhou Jiayi drove Gu Changsheng to the mansion's lawn, with only half an hour left until the start of the birthday banquet.
They got out of the car, naturally dressed to the nines.
Just as they were about to walk up the high platform to enter, the roaring sound of an engine from afar suddenly captured their attention.
A sports car was speeding over, and it showed no signs of slowing down even as it approached the gate.
"Watch out, wife!" Gu Changsheng quickly pulled Zhou Jiayi back.
And the sports car stopped right where Zhou Jiayi had been standing just moments before.
The car door opened.
"Zhou Jiaming!" This person was the eldest grandson of the main branch of the Zhou Family, Zhou Jiayi snapped out of her daze and shouted angrily, "Zhou Jiaming, do you even know how to drive?!"
"Oh, I thought who it was. Little sister, ah! My bad. You wouldn't know, I just got a new car. Granny gave it to me, two and a half million. It's fresh on the road, and I'm still not used to it. Sorry about that."
"But I still have to say this to you. Watch your manners, how dare you call me by my name? You should call me big brother!"
There was no hint of an apology in his tone.
He was obviously showing off his fancy car.
And his behavior hit Zhou Jiayi right where it hurt.
Zhou Jiayi was currently driving the company car, an old Volkswagen that was nearing its end of life and would break down from time to time. Granny's favoritism was no longer a secret.
"You're going too far!" Zhou Jiayi trembled with rage.
But Zhou Jiaming didn't care, his disdainful gaze scanning the surroundings before landing on Gu Changsheng. He casually tossed the car keys to him, his voice cold and harsh, "You, go park the car. If there's even a scratch, you'll pay!"
Zhou Jiayi was shaking with anger, "Zhou Jiaming, don't be too much, why should Changsheng park your car!"
"Why? Because he's a good-for-nothing. He lives off the Zhou Family, uses the Zhou Family's resources, and yet you, Zhou Jiayi, still speak up for him? I really can't understand how you and grandpa were deceived by him, letting a retarded good-for-nothing marry into our Zhou Family and bring shame upon us," Zhou Jiaming sneered.
"What are you standing there for? Park the car already! How many times do I have to tell you, Gu Changsheng?!"
Zhou Jiayi's face turned stern, ready to retort.
But Gu Changsheng stepped forward, offering only a smile, "Big brother, I'll do it right away, I haven't had a chance to drive such a nice car yet."
Huh?!
At those words, everyone was stunned.
Since when was Gu Changsheng so obedient?
Zhou Jiayi was even more panicked. Could it be that Changsheng was having another episode?!
Gu Changsheng, holding the car keys, slowly walked towards the sports car. When he was two meters away, he pointed gently with his right hand, without moving his arm or making a sound.
Whoosh.
The Qi Force shot out silently without causing any disturbance.
Bang!!
Out of nowhere, an explosion sounded.
The front left tire burst on the spot.
The corners of Gu Changsheng's mouth twitched upward before he quickly composed himself and pretended to be startled, "Ah, that scared me to death, what's going on? A blowout? My goodness...this piece-of-crap car, the quality just isn't up to snuff."
His words carried an implied meaning.
Zhou Jia Ming was slightly stunned for half a second before he reacted, "Who are you calling a piece of crap?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry, big brother, I meant the car worth two hundred fifty thousand, I wasn't talking about you!" Gu Changsheng feigned terror and hurriedly took Zhou Jiayi's hand, ready to depart. "The tire's blown, I dare not drive it now. If the undercarriage grinds down, my family can't afford the compensation."
"You stay right there. You must have tampered with it, right? You dare to sabotage me?"
"Clear skies and broad daylight, Big Brother, you can't slander me like that. I haven't touched your car. Could I possibly have supernatural powers? If you ask me, there's something wrong with the car's quality. You should check with the dealership, in case..."
"One day on the highway, if the tire bursts with a 'bang'!"
"Then it's over, it would be the end of both the car and the driver!"
A flicker of coldness passed through Gu Changsheng's eyes. Without saying more, he turned away and left with Zhou Jiayi.
At the spot.
Zhou Jia Ming involuntarily shuddered, clearly intimidated by Gu Changsheng's gaze just now.
He forgot all about the blown tire and was just shocked and bewildered, "What on earth was with that kid's eyes? Could I have been mistaken? It must be so. A good-for-nothing couldn't possibly scare me... Damn it, I need to look after myself better recently, can't keep partying all night."
...
Upon entering.
Zhou Jiayi finally snapped back to her senses, belatedly asking, "Changsheng, what happened just now? How did Zhou Jiaming's tire suddenly explode?"
Gu Changsheng smiled faintly, "He must've gone for a bargain, bought a second-hand one for sure. Forget about him, let's hurry in, I'm starving."
As soon as Zhou Jiayi heard Gu Changsheng was hungry, she became urgently concerned, "Okay, okay, we'll leave him be. Let's fill Changsheng's stomach first. There will be lots of delicious food at Grandma's birthday feast today."
Inside the hall.
The banquet was ready, and the guests filled the room, bustling with excitement.
At the main seats, naturally, sat the members of the Zhou Family's first and second branches, but the third branch was conspicuously absent.
As the two of them looked around, a middle-aged couple approached them—it was Zhou Jiayi's parents, Zhou Jianmin and his wife Liu Jinhua from the Zhou Family's third branch.
Before Zhou Jiayi could even greet them, her mother berated her—
"What have you been doing? The birthday feast is about to start; why have you just arrived? And... who let you bring this idiot here? Don't you know your grandmother detests him!"
"Zhou Jiayi, do you want to bring more misery to our family by purposely bringing him here to trouble us?"
"Gu Changsheng, ugh, idiot, get out of here, I feel sick just looking at you!"
They unleashed a torrent of scolding.
Gu Changsheng, however, remained expressionless, as he was long accustomed to this kind of treatment.
Zhou Jiayi felt so wronged she was on the verge of tears.
In the end, it was Zhou Jianmin who spoke up, "Enough, since he's already here, and many guests have seen him, it would cause more of a scene to send someone away now, attracting ridicule and criticism."
"Gu Changsheng, you, go sit in the corner. Eat or drink whatever you want. If someone asks, just say you are a representative from the company. If you dare to spread nonsense or claim any relation to our family, I will not spare you."
"Mom, Dad, can you not be like this, please? Changsheng is also a member of our family. How, how could you make him sit in the corner?"
Gu Changsheng, however, squeezed Zhou Jiayi's hand and whispered, "It's alright, it makes no difference where I sit. They are right. The old lady doesn't like me. Make sure you keep the Chicken Blood Stone safe. During the gift-giving, it will surely make a sensation."
Consequently, Gu Changsheng gave Zhou Jiayi a reassuring look and headed to the corner.
It didn't matter to him.
If it weren't for Zhou Jiayi's sake, he wouldn't have bothered to come to this birthday feast.
He had just found a spot and sat down in the corner when Zhou Jianmin and Liu Jinhua took Zhou Jiayi to the side of a young man—
"Zhang Hai!!"
"He dared to come?!"