Nian Suian followed the direction Xu Jiasong was pointing and saw two girls holding their phones, saying something to them.
Nian Suian thought: "It might not necessarily be about WeChat, right? Could be something else."
"I think they're definitely asking for WeChat. I noticed them coming over earlier. Come on, let's go join the fun."
After observing for a while, she felt certain from the girls' expressions and gestures that they had come to ask for WeChat contacts, though it wasn't clear who they were approaching.
As they were sitting not far away, the two of them had just walked over when they heard one of the girls say: "Hi, do you have a girlfriend? If not, can I have your WeChat?"
And the person the girl was addressing was none other than—
Gu Zhijing!
Everyone instantly perked up at the drama unfolding, with Liu Jian even letting out a whistle.
As Nian Suian got closer, she saw that the two girls looked quite young, probably new campers who had just arrived, with their campsite not far from where the barbecue grills were set up.
"Little sisters, are you here for camping?" Xu Jiasong asked the girls.
"Yes, big sister. We're students from the University of Science and Technology, here with our club."
Gu Zhijing, caught off guard by the situation, looked helplessly towards Gu Junxing.
"Dad..."
"Dad!" The girl's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked from Gu Zhijing to Gu Junxing, seemingly unable to process how they could be father and son.
Gu Junxing suppressed a laugh and said to his son: "You handle this yourself."
Gu Zhijing thought for a moment, then said to Gu Junxing: "Dad, can you give me your phone watch? These two sisters want to add me on WeChat."
By this point, Nian Suian was crouched on the ground laughing, her face buried in her arms, shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, little brother, I'm really sorry!"
The girl finally realized her mistake, that she had asked for the WeChat of a minor. Red-faced with embarrassment, she grabbed her friend and ran off.
"Not bad, Zhijing. Your charm surpasses your dad's back in the day!" Liu Jian patted Gu Zhijing's shoulder, teasing him.
Gu Junxing pulled up the still-laughing Nian Suian from the ground with one hand, while telling his stunned son: "It's alright, go back to eating your meat."
"Oh!" Gu Zhijing seemed a bit shy now, quickly grabbing his plate of meat and sitting down at the table with his back to everyone.
"You laughed so hard you're crying?" Gu Junxing found it amusing to see Nian Suian with tears in her eyes from laughter. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe her face.
Nian Suian took the handkerchief herself and said to Gu Junxing: "You should go check on your son. This might be his first time encountering something like this."
Gu Junxing considered her words and nodded, heading over to his son.
"Dad, why did you come over?"
Gu Junxing thought for a moment, then picked up two cans of cola from the table, opened them, and placed one in front of Gu Zhijing while keeping one for himself.
After a moment of contemplation, Gu Junxing began speaking to his son: "You're growing up. At your age, you'll be very curious about things like dating."
"Dad, are you here to give me some kind of puberty talk?"
"Yes, shouldn't I?"
"The teachers at school have already talked about this. They say it's normal to be curious about and attracted to the opposite sex at this age, and that puppy love isn't some terrible thing. But as students, our most important task right now is studying. Dating can wait until after graduation. We need to learn to control our behavior at this stage and understand what's truly important. Right, Dad? The teachers often say these things."
Gu Junxing was at a loss for words. After a while, he said: "You're right, but it's not just about saying it—you need to put it into practice."
"I know, Dad. Besides, I don't have any girl I like right now. You're worrying about this a bit too early."
Gu Junxing paused, then added: "It's not just about girls. If it's boys or something else, Dad will support you too."
Gu Zhijing laughed when he heard this. "Dad, I didn't realize you were so open-minded, talking about boys or other things. Would you agree if I wanted to marry a video game?"
"Why wouldn't I agree? Even if you wanted to marry that chicken wing in your hand, I'd agree."
"Really? Grandpa always talks about how our family has only had one son for three generations. He says I'm the only seedling of the Gu family, and they're waiting for me to give them great-grandchildren."
Gu Junxing was speechless. His parents always liked to talk about these things with Zhijing, about being the only heir and continuing the family line...
"Do you know how many people with the surname Gu there are just in Jinjiang City? Even if you don't have children, the Gu name won't die out."
Gu Junxing continued earnestly: "Some things your grandparents say, you should just listen and let it go. The same goes for what I say. You can listen to what your elders say, but don't take it all to heart. Elders aren't always right. If you ever dare to practice favoritism towards boys over girls, I'll beat you senseless."
Gu Zhijing laughed. How did his dad get so worked up while talking about this...
"Dad, stop worrying so much! I'm only in my first year of high school. You don't need to worry about these things yet. Worrying too much will make you age faster, and then you'll be even less suited for my little stepmom-sister."
Gu Junxing picked up a lamb skewer and stuffed it into his cheeky son's mouth: "Just eat your food!"
"Honey, I just found out that Yuanyuan is actually in the same class as Zhijing! Isn't that a coincidence?" Xu Jiasong told Qin Wei about what she had just learned.
"Oh! That really is quite a coincidence." He then said to Gu Junxing, who had just returned: "Our two families seem to have a connection."
"What?"
"Jiasong's niece is in the same class as Zhijing. You should remember, right? The pretty young girl I mentioned during the sports meet."
Gu Junxing nodded, recalling the memory. "That is indeed quite a coincidence."
After finishing grilling the meat, everyone sat down together to quietly appreciate the view of the distant mountains.
The orange-red sunset cast its light on everyone's faces, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere.
It wasn't until the sun had completely sunk into the valley that everyone got up to pack their things and prepare to head down the mountain.
Gu Junxing asked Nian Suian: "Are you coming back with us tomorrow, or staying here for a few more days?"
"I'm not going back with you," Nian Suian had already made up her mind. The scenery here was beautiful, and staying was very relaxing. Plus... "Isn't Xia Xia's case going to court on Monday? I promised her that once it's resolved, she'd bring Jiaojiao here to play." She had originally wanted to invite Jiang Yun to come as well, but Qu Zizhou had school and there was no one at home, so she couldn't make it.
It was also a good opportunity to avoid the Wei family. Even if the court made a ruling, there was no guarantee they wouldn't try something else.
"That's fine. When you want to come home, let me know and I'll come pick you up. If you need anything while you're here, just tell Liu Jian and he'll take care of it. The place is about to open for business, so he'll be staying here during this time."
"Mm, I understand."
"Little stepmom-sister, I'll miss you when you're not at home~" Having waited for the two to finish talking, Gu Zhijing finally had a chance to act coy with Nian Suian.
Nian Suian held back her laughter and comforted him, "Be good now, I'll be back in a few days."
Gu Junxing couldn't stand seeing such a grown boy act like this. "Have you finished your homework?"
Hearing this, Gu Zhijing let out a wail: "My dear father, you really know how to ruin the mood!"
