Chapter 41
Gu Changan sprang to his feet the moment he heard Gu Xi's words. He glared at his daughter, eyes sharp and voice stern. "What are you going to Beijing for?"
"My second cousin and I want to visit my eldest cousin," Gu Xi replied calmly, her tone as gentle as ever as she sat at the breakfast table.
"You—!" Gu Changan looked over at his equally baffled wife, then tried to tamp down his rising anger. He clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "Stay home. You're not going anywhere!"
"Dad, school is about to start. I just want to take a short trip to Beijing before that," Gu Xi reasoned softly.
"You're still recovering. Absolutely not!"
"She's right, Xixi," Wei Xiangqin chimed in with concern. "Your body hasn't fully healed. When you're better, I'll take you to Beijing myself, okay?" She had no idea there was any trouble involving her eldest nephew—her words were simply those of a loving mother worried about her child.
Gu Changan nodded in agreement, clearly relieved. "Your mother's right."
"But I've already made plans with my second cousin," Gu Xi said as she turned to look out the window. Outside, Zhan Mingyuan was standing at the gate with a simple travel bag in hand, knocking politely.
"You…" Gu Changan finally realized his daughter had come prepared. Yet he hadn't told his brother-in-law about Wei Jinsong being held hostage—he was afraid the man might lose control and act recklessly. The less the kids knew, the better.
Seeing the hesitation on her father's face, Gu Xi added gently, "Dad, we're just going on a short trip. Mingyuan and I understand what's important. If anything happens, we'll call right away."
"Uncle." Zhan Mingyuan stepped inside and spoke earnestly, "Please don't worry. I'll make sure Xixi is safe."
"But you two are just kids…"
"Dad, haven't I been doing well these past two days?" Gu Xi smiled, interrupting him sweetly. "Haven't I been acting more mature than my age?"
Then, with a meaningful tone, she added, "With you holding things down in Jiangcheng and Uncle in Yunzhou, isn't it the perfect time for Mingyuan and me to take a short break?"
Gu Changan frowned deeply. He opened his mouth to object again but caught his wife's curious glance and swallowed the words.
"Dad, school's starting soon," Gu Xi pleaded, walking over to clutch her father's arm and giving it a little shake. "Please let me go to Beijing. We really just want to visit Big Brother. Mingyuan's about to graduate, and there's a lot he wants to discuss with him."
"Yes," Zhan Mingyuan added quickly, "I want to talk with Big Brother about grad school plans."
Nonsense! Gu Changan glared at his nephew. This kid making it to graduation was already a miracle—now he wanted to talk about postgraduate exams?
"Honey," Wei Xiangqin said gently, sensing her husband's wavering, "if Xixi really wants to go, let her go. Mingyuan will take good care of her."