Rebirth: He refused to Divorce Again

Chapter 97: Chapter 97 Chang Qing, I Feel Like I’m Dreaming

He was already of this age, with only a few years left in office, but fortunately, he had paved a very good path for his eldest son.

This time, sending him to a branch in the North as a general manager, he believed that spending a few more years at the grassroots level would definitely ensure a promising return to the Imperial Capital in due time.

Now, he had also given up the desire to advance any further.

Controlling everything about the Gu Family was what he should focus on now.

Especially the jade mine, he would keep a tight grip on it.

Yubao Square belonged to his five children.

And the old thing – Gu Garden, belonged to his own mother.

That was what they deserved!

As for the eldest young master…

It’s better he remains dead and without descendants, otherwise…

With a soft snort, Gu Cheng also left the hospital.

…

In Stone Town, a northern mountain village, the afternoon sun shone through the window, casting its light on the girl lying on the heated kang.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ƝονǤ0.ƈ0

Her little face slept rosily, flushed like the dawn, her curled eyelashes flickering like butterfly wings,

Her black hair spread over her shoulders, like a sleeping sprite.

Chang Qing dared not move, only quietly setting down the bag of neatly prepared sparrows, his heart pounding as he stood at the edge of the kang, staring unblinkingly at the sleeping Sister Qiaoqiao.

His hands tightly clenched the bag’s opening, palms sweaty with moisture.

It felt as though his back was drenched in sweat.

Gu Qiaoqiao’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, seeming to wake up. Startled, Chang Qing put down the bag and was about to leave.

But suddenly, Gu Qiaoqiao slowly opened her eyes.

She seemed to have had a dream.

Looking at everything familiar in the room, and the warm sunlight on her body, her expression suddenly turned bewildered.

Her gaze fell on Chang Qing standing on the floor.

Chang Qing, still in his old cotton jacket, with a youthful face and slim figure, caused Gu Qiaoqiao’s eyes to suddenly moisten as she stared intently at him and murmured, “Chang Qing, I think I was dreaming…”

Chang Qing furrowed his brow in thought, looking at Gu Qiaoqiao, “Sister Qiaoqiao, were you dreaming just now?”

“Yes, I was dreaming…” Gu Qiaoqiao’s eyes looked vague as she spoke in a low voice to Chang Qing.

Seeing Gu Qiaoqiao appear so helpless tightened Chang Qing’s heart, and after a few moments, he smiled jokingly, “Sister Qiaoqiao, it must have been a very beautiful dream.”

Gu Qiaoqiao shook her head in alarm, “It wasn’t a beautiful dream, it was a nightmare!”

Chang Qing was suddenly stunned, then placed the bag on the table and asked gently, “Sister Qiaoqiao, was the nightmare very scary?”

“Yes, very scary,” Gu Qiaoqiao almost whispered, “I dreamt that I got married, then something awful happened, and eventually, all my family was gone, and I… jumped off a cliff…”

As Chang Qing listened, he stiffened, and for some reason, it felt like a dormant consciousness was about to awaken in his mind.

This change made his face turn pale, and his heart began to race chaotically.

It seemed as if his own consciousness was about to slip from his control.

He looked at Gu Qiaoqiao, who seemed detached from this world, clenched his fists tightly, and quickly suppressed his turbulent emotions, raising his voice, “Sister Qiaoqiao, it was just a nightmare. Don’t think about it anymore. Today, I caught some sparrows. Let Aunt Gu stew them with potatoes. As Li San’s Grandpa said, it’s really delicious…”

Sparrows?

Stewed with potatoes?

Gu Qiaoqiao looked at the bag set neatly on the table.

About a dozen, just a small pile.

She stared at Chang Qing, dazed, a bit unsure, “Before this, was I always having nightmares?”

“Yes, you were having nightmares, forget them once you wake up.”

“So, I didn’t get married and I didn’t go to the Imperial Capital.” Gu Qiaoqiao’s eyes suddenly reddened, tears started rolling down as she choked up, “Chang Qing, I’ve always been here in Stone Town, I haven’t gone anywhere, right?”

Chang Qing was stunned.

A sudden surge of inexplicable sadness welled up in his heart.

He dared not think what this sadness actually meant, but such a Sister Qiaoqiao made him want to cry along with her.

He looked at Gu Qiaoqiao’s somewhat flushed cheeks, holding back repeatedly, seeming afraid to scare her, his voice was very soft, “Sister Qiaoqiao, are you confused from sleep? Didn’t you just send Big Brother Qin off this morning? It’s only been a few days since you returned from the Imperial Capital…”

Big Brother Qin?

Qin Yize!

Gu Qiaoqiao suddenly startled awake; she hadn’t been dreaming, she was just confused from sleep.

Confused enough that, in this familiar setting, seeing the young Chang Qing, she naïvely thought that nothing had ever happened.

She had just sent Qin Yize away.

He must have just reached the provincial city.

Gu Qiaoqiao paused for a moment, hastily wiped her tears away and said embarrassingly to Chang Qing, “I really was confused from sleep, Chang Qing, didn’t I scare you?”

Chang Qing shook his head, his eyes flickering with a spark of light, he thought, how good it would have been if everything Sister Qiaoqiao said was true.

She hadn’t gotten married, and there was no hero named Qin Yize who could fight off wolves.

Nothing had happened, everything was just as it always was.

Even if she didn’t like studying, he would find all the ways to coax her to continue, he would join her for the college entrance exam, applying to whatever school she chose.

He wanted to go to university with her.

When he earned money, he would buy Sister Qiaoqiao the silver beaded bracelet she loved the most.

That was what they saw together in the county town the year before last.

Unfortunately, neither of them had any money back then.

Thinking this, Chang Qing’s face turned somber, his head half-lowered, not speaking.

Gu Qiaoqiao thought to herself, her nonsensical ramblings must have frightened Chang Qing, she got up from the bed, squatted at the edge, stretched out her hand to touch Chang Qing’s head, then pinched his ear, muttering like an old mother, “A tap on the head, no scares, a pinch on the ear, scared for a while… Don’t be afraid, don’t swat, it’s alright now…”

Chang Qing’s body stiffened suddenly.

His heart also started thumping rapidly, his thoughts disrupted by Gu Qiaoqiao’s actions.

He quickly stepped back, his pale face blushing with a crimson hue.

Somewhat flustered, and also inexplicably delighted, he nervously stammered, “Sister Qiaoqiao, I, I…wasn’t scared…really…”

Seeing how Chang Qing looked, Gu Qiaoqiao chuckled.

She looked down at the small pile of neatly prepared sparrows, “Come to my house for dinner tonight…”

“No, she will scold me again if she finds out…” Chang Qing whispered in refusal.

This ‘she’ referred to Chang Qing’s stepmother, a rather twisted woman. Knowing that Chang Qing ate good food at the Gu’s, she would stand with hands on hips and scold for an hour.

Though not naming names, it was implied that it involved the Gu family as well.

Chang Qing didn’t want to cause trouble for the Gu family.

So, after growing up a bit, he stopped going to the Gu family’s place for meals.

Gu Qiaoqiao giggled, “Then come out at seven tonight, I’ll put food in the cracks of the fence, just like before. That woman won’t notice.”