Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Chapter 327 Mom, who told him to be my father?

That would be wonderful!

It seems the plan is progressing more smoothly than expected!

He silently walked to Lin Qingping's side.

Lin Qingping was definitely not going to pay any attention to him. He stood beside her, straight and stiff, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. What he wanted to say was something Lin Qingping didn't want to hear.

After standing there for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out a name, "Lin Qingping..."

"Zhiyuan's mother!" another voice rang out.

Gu Juncheng choked, swallowing back the words he was about to say.

Lin Qingping took a look and saw that it was Xiao Yuanlian's mother, who had also come to pick up her child.

Most of the children from their kindergarten cohort have now moved up to this primary school. Xiaoyuan and her friends are still in the same class, and their parents have gradually gotten to know each other.

Lin Qingping smiled, "Xiaoyuan's mom, are you picking up your child too?"

“Yes.” Xiaoyuan’s mother glanced at Gu Juncheng’s face as she stood next to her; she had no recollection of Gu Juncheng.

Gu Juncheng nodded to her, "Hello, Xiaoyuan's mom."

Xiaoyuan's mother smiled, "This is... Zhiyuan's father?"

Xiao Yuan's mother asked this question while looking at Lin Qingping. Before Lin Qingping could answer, he quickly said, "Yes, yes!"

Lin Qingping...

Gu Juncheng had a keen eye and noticed that Lin Qingping's expression hardened, but Lin Qingping did not deny it in front of Xiaoyuan's mother.

Xiaoyuan's mother looked at the two of them with a big smile, "Zhiyuan is so happy that you two came to pick him up!"

The couple...

As Gu Juncheng listened, the corners of his lips unconsciously curved up.

She glanced at Lin Qingping again and found that she still hadn't corrected herself; the curve of her lips had become even higher.

"Hey, the bus is here! The bus is here!" Lin Qingping pointed ahead and excitedly told Xiaoyuan's mother, her entire attention focused on the direction the bus was coming from.

So, she didn't pay any attention to what Xiaoyuan's mother had just said?

Xiaoyuan's mother's attention also focused on the bus. As the bus slowly pulled up, filled with elementary school students, cheerful singing drifted out. The parents waiting at the school gate instantly erupted in cheers, everyone shouting towards the bus. Lin Qingping and Xiaoyuan's mother were especially excited; who remembered the casual remark about "the couple" from just moments before? It was as if no one had ever said it...

"Mom! Mom!" Zhiyuan got out of the car, wearing a student camouflage uniform. He was tanned as dark as charcoal, but his spirits were incredibly high. His skin was tanned with a ruddy glow, and his eyes were shining. He went straight for Lin Qingping.

The mother and son hugged each other tightly, overjoyed.

"Zhiyuan, what do you want to eat? Mom will make it for you!" Lin Qingping cupped his dark little face in her hands and squeezed his mouth into the shape of a little pig's snout.

Zhiyuan pouted and started counting, "I want to eat squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, Dongpo pork, osmanthus duck..."

Goodness, it's all sweet! This kid is really obsessed with sweets!

However, Lin Qingping was always accommodating and immediately agreed, taking his hand and leading him away, saying, "Come on, let's go home, Mom will make it for you!"

Lin Qingping took his hand and walked away with a smile. Before leaving, she didn't forget to say goodbye to Xiaoyuan and Xiaoyuan's mother.

The mother and son were walking when they heard someone calling from behind, "Zhiyuan! Zhiyuan!"

The two turned around and saw Gu Juncheng squeeze out of the crowd and chase after them.

"Gu's father?" Zhiyuan grinned, then looked at Lin Qingping. Judging from his mother's expression, the two hadn't made up yet...

Gu Juncheng caught up and looked at the mother and daughter: Hmm, that's good, they've forgotten about him.

Lin Qingping turned her head away and refused to look at him.

Gu Juncheng decided to start the plan immediately.

“Zhiyuan, you’ve been at summer camp for a month, and we haven’t seen each other in ages. How about we go hiking together?” Gu Juncheng suggested, looking at him. “You must really want to go, right?”

Zhiyuan: ...

No, he didn't want to. He just wanted to eat squirrel-shaped mandarin fish and Dongpo pork. What could be better than eating meat while hiking!

But Gu Juncheng kept giving him meaningful glances and kept winking in Lin Qingping's direction.

Well, what can I do? He's his father...

Zhiyuan sighed, looked at his father, then at Lin Qingping, and scratched his mother's palm. "Mom, let's go hiking, okay?"

Lin Qingping turned around and stared at him. "Is it really you who wants to go?"

Zhiyuan: It's really not that I want to go...

But he nodded anyway, "Yeah, I kind of want to go, Mom, shall we go together?"

“Okay, let’s go then,” Lin Qingping said.

Zhiyuan's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected his mother to agree! He had thought that if his mother said she didn't want to go, he would never beg her to go again, but he hadn't expected her to agree!

Gu Juncheng also breathed a sigh of relief, "Let's go!"

He led the mother and daughter to a mountain in the suburbs, which was quite high.

Of course, he was prepared for the hot weather, carrying two large water bottles and preparing some herbal pills to prevent heatstroke. It was still morning, and he had to get down before noon so that the mother and daughter wouldn't get sick from climbing.

Fortunately, the trees were lush and green, so it wasn't hot walking in the mountains.

However, the three of them walked slowly, rather than climbing a mountain, as if they were on a picnic.

Zhiyuan hadn't been back for a month, and he had a lot to say, so he chattered away with Lin Qingping the whole way.

Gu Juncheng was left out in the cold, unable to get a word in edgewise.

After being left out for a while, he coughed repeatedly.

The two people didn't react, and he continued coughing.

Finally, his cough caught Zhiyuan's attention: "Dad Gu, do you have a cold?"

Gu Juncheng felt a sudden pang of jealousy, and his tone turned sour as he said, "You still know how to ask me a question? Do you even care about me?"

Zhiyuan: ? ? ? ?

Zhiyuan looked at her mother, her eyes asking: What's wrong with my father? What's wrong with him? Why does he talk like that?

Lin Qingping raised her eyebrows but remained silent.

Zhiyuan had no choice but to say to his father, Gu, "Dad Gu, I didn't. How could I not see you?" Zhiyuan suddenly felt that what he said sounded strange, like an adult comforting a child.

Dad, are you alright?

Gu Juncheng added, "You knew you had to say goodbye to Xiaoyuan, but you didn't see me waiting for you?"

Zhiyuan: ...

Zhiyuan looked at his mother with pleading eyes: "Mom, help! What's wrong with my father?"

Lin Qingping couldn't help but interrupt irritably, "If you're going to climb a mountain, then climb a mountain, stop talking nonsense!"

He sounded energetic, showing absolutely no signs of fatigue...

So Gu Juncheng upgraded the event.

He pointed to the mountain and said, "Let's have a competition. Whoever is the first to climb to the top will get a prize, how about that?"

Children are naturally competitive, and Zhiyuan immediately perked up, "What's the prize?"

"I'll grant you one wish. I'll buy you whatever you want, as long as you win!" Gu Juncheng said.

"Okay! You keep your word!" Zhiyuan readily agreed.

Then, the three of them stood on a step, and Gu Juncheng shouted "Ready—Go!" and they started running.

Even if Gu Juncheng held back, he was definitely in the first place. After running a long distance uphill, he looked back with a smile and saw Zhiyuan following closely behind him, while Lin Qingping had disappeared.

A chill ran down his spine. "Where's your mother?"

Zhiyuan stared at him blankly, "My mom went down the mountain!"

what! ?

What a bolt from the blue!

What's the point of having a competition then?

"Let's go, let's go down the mountain!" Gu Juncheng ran down the mountain in a flash.

"Dad Gu, the competition isn't over yet!" Zhiyuan was displeased. How could he go back on his word?

"I'm not competing anymore!" Gu Juncheng rushed down the mountain.

"Wait for me!" Zhiyuan shouted from behind.

Zhiyuan: ? ? ? ? ? You're neglecting your son while chasing after a wife? I guess I really was adopted!

"I'm waiting! Come on!" Gu Juncheng slowed his pace.

Zhiyuan caught up with him and finally stood shoulder to shoulder with him. He looked up at him and pondered, "Dad Gu, you don't have the money to buy prizes because my mom isn't participating, do you?"

Gu Juncheng: ? ? ? What? You even know the word "funding"? You know quite a lot!

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I not have money?"

Zhiyuan snorted, "Isn't your money all managed by my mom?"

Gu Juncheng felt a little saddened by those words. He actually wanted Lin Qingping to continue managing things, but Lin Qingping wasn't willing anymore...

"Alright, you win. We'll talk about what you want to buy when we get home!" Gu Juncheng said, walking quickly.

“Dad Gu…” Zhiyuan grumbled, “Are you in such a hurry to chase after my mom? I can’t walk anymore.”

Gu Juncheng: ...

"You little rascal!" Gu Juncheng hoisted him onto his back and carried him away.

Zhiyuan chuckled. Actually, he wasn't unable to walk; it was just that he hadn't seen Father Gu in a long time, hmm...

"You're already in second grade, and you still want me to carry you?" Gu Juncheng was definitely not complaining, he really wasn't. Kids are slow on their feet, and he was happy to let his father carry them, he just felt really humiliated!

This plan was devised by his brothers.

Find something challenging that Lin Qingping can rely on.

After thinking it over, Gu Juncheng couldn't figure out what Lin Qingping needed him for. She was so powerful, and there were even things she knew that he didn't understand.

The final decision was: we can only gain an advantage in physical strength.

So, this mountain climb was planned. No matter what, after picking up Zhiyuan, even if it meant offering him some benefits, he had to persuade Lin Qingping to go mountain climbing.

She'll definitely get tired of crawling, so he can step forward and carry her on his back. That way, wouldn't it be possible for the two of them to break the ice?

However, the three of them climbed slowly, and Lin Qingping showed no signs of being tired at all!

So he started to make his move: he turned the mountain climb into a race, and managed to send Lin Qingping tumbling down the mountain. Moreover, he was so reckless that he kept rushing upwards without even noticing.

Later, he recounted the failure of the plan to his brothers, only to be met with a stern look from Wei Zhonghua: "Brother, I told you to perform well, not to improvise..."

So, Gu Juncheng's frustration at this moment stemmed from the question: What happened? He had clearly planned to carry Lin Qingping on his back, so how did it turn into carrying Zhiyuan?

He carried Zhiyuan down the mountain and finally found her at a popsicle stall at the foot of the mountain.

She was sitting on someone's stool, eating an ice pop, looking very content...

"Mom, I want an ice pop too." Zhiyuan slid off his back and ran to her.

"Eat up, choose whatever flavor you want." Lin Qingping had already eaten two herself; the weather was so pleasant.

Zhiyuan happily chose one, and the old lady selling popsicles saw Gu Juncheng behind Zhiyuan.