After Being Locked Away for Three Years, the Real Daughter Made the Whole Family Cry After Her Release - Chapter 46:

Chapter 46: Dirty Brother, Fragrant Student

“Hello, classmate. May I interview you for a moment?”

As soon as Wen Ning stepped out of the school gate, a young woman wearing glasses and smiling warmly stopped her for an interview.

Facing the camera at such a close distance all of a sudden, Wen Ning instinctively wanted to run. But just as the thought surfaced, she forcefully suppressed it. In the future, when she stands before cameras to expose the darkness of the sanitarium, would she be able to escape? No, she couldn’t!

A hint of determination flashed in Wen Ning’s eyes. Then she smiled at the female reporter and said, “Sure, go ahead.”

The reporter was a little surprised. Just now, when she saw the girl dodging, she thought she didn’t want to be interviewed. But now this was perfect. The girl was so beautiful—definitely a face that looked great on camera. If she interviewed her well, maybe this segment could go viral.

“Classmate, the two days of the college entrance exam have come to an end. Now that you’ve walked out of the exam venue, how are you feeling?”

“Very good. Relaxed.”

The reporter smiled and said, “Sounds like you did pretty well on your exams.”

At times like this, people usually responded with humble denials out of instinct. But Wen Ning answered honestly, “I did do pretty well.”

The female reporter smiled, “Then I’ll wish you great results in advance. Now that it’s over, do you have any plans or anything you want to do?”

Wen Ning hadn’t really thought about that before. But now, after a moment’s thought, she said, “Help my brother treat his legs.”

At that, the reporter’s mind instantly filled in a moving scene of a poor girl working hard over summer break to earn money to save her brother. Her gaze toward Wen Ning showed more admiration and sympathy.

Wen Ning found it a bit strange. Just then, she spotted Gu Boyan walking against the flow of people toward her. Her eyes lit up with a smile as she said, “Sorry, I have something to do. I’ll go first.”

Such a girl with a story would’ve made an amazing news feature. The reporter didn’t want to miss the chance and quickly turned to reach for Wen Ning. But Wen Ning had already jogged over to Gu Boyan.

The reporter’s eyes instantly landed on a handsome and refined face, her eyes lighting up. “This student… parent?”

Gu Boyan looked up and said, “I’m not her parent.”

The reporter was stunned by his looks, and her brain momentarily short-circuited. “Oh… then her boyfriend?”

Gu Boyan raised his eyebrows at those words, lips curving into a smile, but said nothing.

Wen Ning suddenly froze in her steps. She thought Gu Boyan would explain, so she said nothing. But after waiting two seconds and hearing nothing from him, she thought about explaining—but realized the timing had already passed. Besides, it was just a stranger’s random assumption, nothing worth fussing over. She quickly forgot about the little misunderstanding and asked curiously, “Teacher Gu, why did you get out of the car?”

Because Gu Boyan was too eye-catching, his appearance here practically screamed to the Zhou Family: Wen Ning is right here, come grab her! So normally, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Gu Boyan waited for her in the car.

“Today, the Zhou Family didn’t send any bodyguards over,” Gu Boyan explained.

Wen Ning nodded thoughtfully, “Makes sense.” Now that her exams were over, even if the Zhou Family dragged her back, it wouldn’t change anything.

She felt much more at ease.

So when Gu Boyan asked her what she wanted to eat, Wen Ning, for the first time, voiced her preference. “I want to eat hotpot.”

Gu Boyan was slightly stunned. “Hmm?”

Wen Ning smiled sheepishly. “Is that not allowed?”

“Of course it is.” His student rarely asked for anything. Now that she finally made a request, how could he not agree?

However, Gu Boyan usually dined at upscale clubs or hotels and rarely visited hotpot places, plus he wasn’t familiar with City A’s food scene. So he called Peng Zeyu.

“Hey, Brother Yan, do you still remember? On my birthday, you asked me what I wanted. I said I just wanted to eat hotpot with you, but you said it was too dirty, patted your butt, and left!”

“Heh, your brother’s too dirty, the student’s too fragrant, huh?”

“…I’m hanging up.”

Gu Boyan hung up coldly, completely ignoring the wailing from the other end of the line.

Wen Ning faintly heard Peng Zeyu’s voice but couldn’t make out what he said. “Was that Brother Peng on the phone?”

Gu Boyan calmly replied, “He was just recommending a hotpot place to me.”

Wen Ning was puzzled. Why did it sound like Peng Zeyu was wailing?

Still, Peng Zeyu had always had a sharp tongue but soft heart. His words were sour, but his actions were efficient. He quickly sent over the hotpot restaurant’s location and even helpfully reserved them a spot.

That day, with the college entrance exams just ending, many students came in groups to eat hotpot. Some parents even brought their children to celebrate. Even before entering the restaurant, the lively and festive atmosphere could be felt.

As soon as they stepped in, the manager came rushing over, “You must be Teacher Gu. Hello, hello.”

Gu Boyan gave a slight nod. The manager continued, “Young Master Peng just called. Your private room is ready.”

Gu Boyan nodded again, and the manager led them in.

Wen Ning watched this scene in surprise. Was it her imagination, or was the manager’s attitude a little too flattering?

Although the restaurant was packed, their broth and dishes arrived very quickly. The manager even wanted to stay in the room and help cook. Gu Boyan, knowing that Wen Ning wasn’t comfortable around strangers, waved him away.

It was Wen Ning’s first time having hotpot, and she found everything new and interesting. When Gu Boyan put in the meat, she even followed the recommended cooking time on the menu and counted the seconds seriously. “One, two, three… fourteen, fifteen. Time’s up.”

Gu Boyan knew she couldn’t eat undercooked meat, so he made sure to boil everything a bit longer to ensure it was well-cooked.

Dipping it in the rich sesame sauce, Wen Ning took a bite and widened her eyes in surprise.

Gu Boyan smiled and asked, “Is it good?”

Wen Ning quickly nodded. “It’s really good.”

Now she finally understood why hotpot was so popular.

When they were almost done eating, Wen Ning went out to the self-service area to get some fresh fruit and happened to run into someone she wasn’t very close to, but recognized. That person looked at her in disbelief and asked, “You… you’re Wen Ning?”