Chapter 8: The Colorful Flower on the Desk

Ji Wen was already waiting downstairs.

A few minutes later, the car drove out of the garage.

Inside the car, Ji Wen spoke up, “What about the arrangements abroad…?”

Since Wei Yeban’s treatment had shown no progress, aside from Xia Gaosen, Wei Nianxi had previously instructed him to contact foreign specialists in this field.

“Put that on hold for now.”

“Understood.”

Wei Nianxi looked out the window at the gates of the Wei Family Mansion receding rapidly into the distance.

“He will send you a list over the next two days; whatever he asks for, buy it for him.”

Ji Wen was momentarily confused before realizing that the “he” in Wei Nianxi’s words referred to Gu Qingnan.

“Yes, sir.”

Ji Wen asked no questions and made no inquiries; after a brief pause, he turned to work-related matters.

***

Back at the Wei Family Mansion.

After Wei Nianxi departed, Shen Qing soon went upstairs.

Having witnessed everything that had just unfolded, Shen Qing looked at Gu Qingnan with a rather complicated expression.

The relationship between Gu Qingnan and Wei Nianxi seemed different from what she had anticipated—subtle and hard to define…

Over the past six months, she had needed to submit a dedicated report to Wei Nianxi once a week; although it was mostly conducted via email with little actual contact, she could tell that Wei Nianxi was someone whose word was absolute.

Meanwhile, Gu Qingnan’s status within the Wei family was exceedingly awkward.

The moment Xia Gaosen appeared, she had known that her departure was a foregone conclusion, yet events had taken an unexpected turn, culminating in an apology from Wei Nianxi himself…

Nobody would believe it if told.

“I’m sorry you had to witness such a farce,” Gu Qingnan spoke first.

Shen Qing shook her head; she did not blame Gu Qingnan in the slightest, having seen his difficult position with her own eyes.

“I should be the one thanking you instead.”

Pausing, Shen Qing ventured tentatively, “Have you ever considered improving the relationship between the two of you?”

Others might not see it, but as a doctor specializing in psychology, she could sense that Wei Nianxi probably did not dislike Gu Qingnan.

This lack of dislike was not the callous indifference shown toward an insignificant bystander.

Due to his nature as a Ge’er, Wei Nianxi had always vehemently rejected men who attempted to approach him, meaning that not disliking someone was already a form of acceptance in his book.

Gu Qingnan might actually have a chance.

Gu Qingnan was taken aback for a second before laughing self-deprecatingly.

“I already tried.”

“You tried?”

Shen Qing was quite surprised.

“Back when he was pregnant,” Gu Qingnan said.

Shen Qing was the only person around him in the three years since his marriage who did not look at him with prejudice, which prompted him to share a few more words.

Yet Gu Qingnan had no intention of recounting everything in meticulous detail; after saying this, he focused his attention entirely on Wei Yeban.

Shen Qing hesitated to speak, her expression shifting repeatedly.

She had heard the rumor about Gu Qingnan once attempting to climb into Wei Nianxi’s bed—a joke known and still relished by the entirety of Weicheng’s upper-class circle.

Even as an outsider who had only been with the Wei family for half a year, she had lost count of how many times she had heard it from the domestic staff.

She did not believe Gu Qingnan was that kind of person, so she had never taken those rumors to heart.

To think it was actually true…

For a moment, Shen Qing had countless questions she wanted to ask.

Even if such an event had truly occurred, she believed the truth was surely different from the rumors outside, hiding many untold details that outsiders knew nothing about.

However, she could also see that Gu Qingnan had no desire to pursue the topic further.

After thinking it over, Shen Qing sat down a short distance away from Wei Yeban.

“He didn’t make a fuss just now, did he?”

“No…”

Gu Qingnan recounted in as much detail as possible how Wei Yeban had listened to his words earlier.

Hearing that Wei Yeban had reacted again, Shen Qing’s attention was hooked immediately.

The two began discussing the matter.

“…From now on, we can introduce periodic outings.”

Shen Qing paused.

“For now, he still shouldn’t come into contact with strangers, as that stimulation is too severe.”

“We can start with unfamiliar environments, just like the trip to the cemetery last time.”

“I’ll arrange the locations,” Gu Qingnan said.

A cemetery had no large patches of red and rarely had any people around, making it a good choice indeed.

However, that place was too far from the Wei Family Mansion, and it was a graveyard after all; taking a young child there repeatedly was hardly appropriate.

“Alright, then I’ll get to work first.”

Shen Qing stood up.

Wei Yeban was too young to take medication, so his treatment relied heavily on verbal and visual stimuli, with rehabilitation exercises mainly conducted through storytelling, looking at pictures, and structured play.

Now that Wei Yeban was responding, the content on her end naturally needed to adapt accordingly.

Watching Shen Qing leave, Gu Qingnan glanced at Wei Yeban busying himself alone before taking out his phone and locating Ji Wen’s contact information.

Wei Yeban was his child too, and protecting Wei Yeban was his duty; he had no need for Wei Nianxi’s “reward.”

Yet this matter was clearly better handled by Wei Nianxi’s side, as finding secluded locations in a bustling metropolis like Weicheng was no simple feat.

Furthermore, Wei Yeban had numerous specific triggers.

[I need some properties.]

Having drafted the message, Gu Qingnan sent it.

***

At the Wei Family Headquarters, inside Wei Nianxi’s office.

Ji Wen was diligently recording the meeting between Wei Nianxi and the person on the screen before him when his phone vibrated inappropriately.

Ji Wen frowned.

He had set his phone to silent mode before the meeting started.

All contacts in his phone were meticulously categorized into groups, and the only ones capable of alerting him at a time like this were a handful of executives critical to the Wei family.

Their company followed a strict protocol, and those individuals rarely contacted him directly; once they did, it invariably signified an urgent, major issue.

Currently, there were only two major matters for the Wei family: the product launched at the press conference a few days ago, and the project Wei Nianxi was actively pursuing right now.

Ji Wen took an imperceptible step aside, pulling out his phone out of the camera’s view to check swiftly.

Sender: Gu Qingnan.

Ever since the incident with Wei Yeban, both he and Wei Nianxi had granted Gu Qingnan top-tier notification privileges on their phones to ensure he could reach them anytime, anywhere.

At the executive desk, Wei Nianxi glanced up seemingly by chance during a pause in his speech.

Just as Ji Wen was about to signal that it was nothing critical, the phone vibrated again.

Gu Qingnan sent another message:

[The properties need enough space for a car to drive directly inside, completely unoccupied, but with a garden, cleaned, and ready for immediate use.]

[Wei Yeban needs places for rehabilitation exercises.]

Ji Wen was momentarily speechless.

He had assumed Gu Qingnan was asking for those properties for himself.

Half an hour later, the video conference concluded.

Behind the desk, Wei Nianxi looked at Ji Wen.

Ji Wen briefly summarized the situation.

“…I will personally follow up on this matter.”

“Nothing else?” Wei Nianxi asked.

“Nothing,” Ji Wen replied, feeling somewhat surprised himself.

Wei Nianxi looked toward a chubby little ceramic pot with multicolored petals sitting on his desk.

Orderly file cabinets, a spotless desk, gray-and-white curtains and sofas—the entire office was impeccably arranged yet sterile and monotonous.

That little flower was entirely out of place in this office, an intruder that caught the eye with startling prominence.

It had been placed there by Gu Qingnan during his pregnancy, claiming that the office was too stifling and that seeing bright colors would be good for the baby in his belly.

It had remained there ever since.

***

Ji Wen had always been remarkably efficient; the following afternoon, while Gu Qingnan was busy at work, he sent over a collection of addresses.

Among those locations were rural estates on the outskirts of Weicheng, rooftop sky gardens within the city, and private, serene dining clubs…

All of these venues had been reserved exclusively by the Wei family, available for their use at any time over the next three months.

The requirements forbidding large patches of red and any presence of strangers had already been communicated down the line by Ji Wen.

In addition, he had assigned bodyguards who would accompany them on every future outing just in case.

Going out on a whim once was an entirely different matter from regular, structured outings.

Gu Qingnan naturally had no objections.

After replying to the message, Gu Qingnan focused his attention on the financial report before him, which contained glaring parameter errors resulting in a discrepancy of at least several tens of millions.

Since taking this post, it was the first time he had seen such an absurd error.

After writing his annotations, Gu Qingnan rejected it outright.

It was only three o’clock when he wrapped up his tasks.

Bright sunlight streamed outside the window, lifting Gu Qingnan’s spirits somewhat.

He went downstairs and headed toward the Wei Family Mansion.

When he arrived outside the gates of the Wei Family Mansion, a commotion was in full swing.

Dong Jiao and Gu Shenghai were arguing red-faced with the Wei family security guards, trying to force their way inside while the guards held them back.

Amid their shouting, hearing an approaching vehicle, both Dong Jiao and Gu Shenghai turned to look back.

Recognizing him through the car window, the pair rushed straight toward him.

Seeing this, several security guards reacted with sharp reflexes, dragging them off the driveway while opening the gates.

Gu Qingnan did not stop, driving straight through.

The gates swung shut again quickly.

After driving forward a short distance, Gu Qingnan glanced in the rearview mirror; having finally broken free of the guards’ restraint, Dong Jiao and Gu Shenghai were running after his car, hurling furious curses.

All of Wei Nianxi’s vehicles were top-tier luxury models, so not a whisper penetrated inside; the two outside looked as if they were performing a silent pantomime.

That scene was painfully familiar.

Back when his mother was critically ill and he had gone begging for money, he had chased after cars in the exact same manner.

He had always thought Dong Jiao and the others deliberately pretended not to hear him.

Turns out they truly couldn’t hear anything.

After parking in the garage, Gu Qingnan did not head upstairs immediately, sitting quietly in the car until he could bury every trace of negative emotion.

Upon going upstairs, Gu Qingnan promptly forwarded the addresses to Shen Qing.

Shen Qing had just finished conducting rehabilitation exercises with Wei Yeban and began reviewing the locations as soon as she received them.

The trial visit to the cemetery had undoubtedly been a success, but to serve as a formal course of therapy, it was wiser to progress step-by-step starting from nearby locations.

Seeing Shen Qing occupied, Gu Qingnan sat down, picked up the little plush beast, and began telling stories with animated enthusiasm.

Having told so many stories, he had mastered the craft; the little beast could do far more than just throw punches now—it fought with inventive styles and even had its own ultimate secret technique that unleashed a superpower.

Wei Yeban offered no outward reaction whatsoever.

Gu Qingnan was not discouraged at all, speaking with even greater gusto instead, for he already knew that Wei Yeban was taking it in.

Even if the boy only absorbed a single sentence from an entire afternoon of chatter, that alone was more than enough.

At worst, he would simply talk a little more.

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