Song Junhan’s vomited contents were half-coagulated, yellowish-brown, and emitted a pungent, fishy stench.
"Yuck..." Although Xia Qingtian and the other two had covered their noses and mouths in advance, they still found the stench overwhelming and disgusting.
"Blech…" Su Wan could no longer curse Xia Qingtian. Smelling the odor on Song Junhan and herself, she immediately threw up.
Song Junhan, already feeling unwell in his stomach, was further disgusted by Su Wan's vomiting and threw up again.
The two knelt amidst the filth, retching until only bitter bile was left.
"Let's go," Wen Jiu said, covering her nose and mouth with a frown. "If we keep watching, I'll be sick too..."
"Mhm..." Xia Qingtian felt the same.
"Mhm, mhm." Miao Tong nodded quickly. The three left the private room together.
Before leaving, Xia Qingtian said to Su Wan and Song Junhan, "Well, whether you have the wedding or the funeral first, you don't need to inform me... *gag*..."
With a dry heave, Xia Qingtian immediately closed the door and, with Miao Tong and Wen Jiu, ran out of the hotel.
Breathing the fresh air outside, Wen Jiu said speechlessly, "Although those two are annoying, I still can't help but sympathize with them."
"I sympathize more with the hotel staff," Xia Qingtian said to Miao Tong. "Is he really going to die?"
"He was, but I've already removed the Gu for him. He'll be fine after a few days of weakness," Miao Tong said, waving her hand. "I just scared him on purpose because I dislike him. My Miao family abides by the law and will not harm ordinary people."
"Is that so?" Xia Qingtian raised an eyebrow. Although this kind of death was most fitting for Song Junhan, she felt the revenge was not satisfying enough if he died so easily.
Since Song Junhan pursued fame and fortune unscrupulously, she was determined to make him lose everything and fall into an irrecoverable abyss.
With that thought, a plan instantly surfaced in Xia Qingtian's mind.
However, this plan required another catalyst...
Thinking of that person, Xia Qingtian's expression grew hesitant.
"What? Are you disappointed he won't die?" Wen Jiu nudged her shoulder, seeing Xia Qingtian's expression.
"No, I'm thinking about something else," Xia Qingtian said with a light smile. "Shall we go home, or do you want to go to another place to eat?"
"*Gag*..." Wen Jiu and Miao Tong simultaneously gave a dry heave. "We can't eat anything for a while. Let's just go home."
"Alright." Xia Qingtian had no appetite either. The three returned to the Xia family home together.
As soon as they returned, Xia Qingtian encountered someone who surprised her.
"Qingtian, you're back. Mr. Gu has been waiting for you for a long time," Aunt Liu said with a smile, waving at Xia Qingtian. "You two talk."
Now that Xia Qingtian was back, Aunt Liu didn't know what to talk about with young people.
If Mr. Gu had Miao Tong's cheerful and talkative personality, or Xia Shang's quiet nature where they could coexist without bothering each other, Aunt Liu felt she could have managed.
She had already refilled Mr. Gu's coffee four times. If Xia Qingtian didn't return soon, she truly didn't know what to do.
"Yes, Aunt Liu, you go ahead and attend to your business," Xia Qingtian said, seeing Aunt Liu's relieved expression. She knew Aunt Liu wasn't good at dealing with Gu Yaoyang. After saying this, she asked Miao Tong and Wen Jiu to go upstairs to rest, and then walked directly towards Gu Yaoyang.
Wen Yao, who had been sitting next to Gu Yaoyang, winked at Xia Qingtian.
The awkward small talk between Gu Yaoyang and Aunt Liu earlier had made her toes curl enough to dig a basement with two bathrooms.
How could Xia Qingtian like Gu Yaoyang with his cold, rigid, and distant personality?
"Wen Yao, go chat with Wen Jiu," Gu Yaoyang's words were like a pardon to Wen Yao. Without a second's delay, she even switched to a brisk walk and disappeared without a trace.
Only Gu Yaoyang and Xia Qingtian were left in the living room.
Xia Qingtian sat in the seat Aunt Liu had occupied earlier, crossed her legs, and looked at Gu Yaoyang. "Mr. Gu, what brings you here?"
"I couldn't reach you by phone, so I deduced that your phone might be malfunctioning," Gu Yaoyang said as he lifted a bag containing the latest model of phone from the floor onto the table and pushed it towards Xia Qingtian. "I bought you a new one."
"..." Xia Qingtian's lips twitched. How narcissistic was this man to assume she would definitely call him?
She wasn't the one who had said all those nonsensical things back then.
If anyone were to call, it should be Gu Yaoyang.
"Whether it's malfunctioning or not, Mr. Gu can find out by making a call, right? Why bother making an extra trip?" Xia Qingtian's gaze fell on the new phone Gu Yaoyang had bought, feeling that this man's thought process was truly different from ordinary people.
"You left abruptly last time, and I felt it would be impolite to call you rashly. If you were still angry, I was worried it would only increase misunderstandings," Gu Yaoyang analyzed with a serious expression.
"Then is Mr. Gu's unannounced visit polite?" Xia Qingtian raised an eyebrow.
"It's not unannounced; it's for work," Mr. Gu said, looking at Xia Qingtian. "Next month, you'll be attending the K&S exhibition in Finland. For convenient business negotiations, I will accompany you."
"Business negotiations?" Xia Qingtian didn't believe him for a second!
"Yes, purely for official business," Mr. Gu hooked his lips. "You can refuse to go with me, but if we meet in Finland, I hope you'll maintain a friendly attitude externally, for work."
"Finland isn't my backyard; it's your business if you want to go," Xia Qingtian was almost amused by Mr. Gu. "It's your business whether you want to accompany me or 'happen' to meet me; it has nothing to do with me. You don't need to report to me."
"Bai Yuqi will also be accompanying us. He seems to have discovered something interesting," Mr. Gu mused. "But he's being coy, probably trying to extort something, so he hasn't told me."
Upon hearing that Bai Yuqi would also be accompanying them, Xia Qingtian immediately thought of what she had asked Bai Yuqi to investigate and the matters concerning Gou Wen and Yu Zixuan. Her gaze flickered, and she didn't respond.
"You seem preoccupied," Mr. Gu said, looking at Xia Qingtian. "If possible..."
"This matter has nothing to do with Mr. Gu, so please don't trouble yourself with it," Xia Qingtian interrupted Mr. Gu. "If Mr. Gu has nothing else..."
"Did Song Junhan invite you to meet today?" Mr. Gu, even if he had nothing else, had to find something. "And at the Zhuan Ting Hotel?"
He had finally found an excuse to come and see her.
How could he leave after only saying a few words?
"Do you frequent that hotel?" Xia Qingtian asked, as if remembering something.
"Occasionally, for some business dealings, I sometimes choose that place," Mr. Gu replied.
"Oh," Xia Qingtian responded. "Don't go there anymore."
"???"