Chapter 373: Chapter 336: The Crafty Old Fox
Gu Qili turned on the stove and grabbed another bag of dumplings from the fridge.
After boiling the dumplings, Gu Qili served two bowls and quickly made a cucumber salad, then called the man in the living room to come eat.
Mu Shuoqian stood up and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. Glancing at the toilet on the side, he took another look outside the door and then closed it.
Gu Qili waited for a while before the bathroom door finally opened, and Mu Shuoqian, having washed his hands, strode over.
"I thought you were taking a shower," Gu Qili grumbled unhappily. She had been hungry for a while, and he was dawdling. It wasn’t until he sat down that she started eating with her chopsticks.
The two ate in silence without talking. After the meal, Gu Qili went to wash the dishes. When she returned to the living room, Mu Shuoqian was still there, still watching the football match.
"Why don’t you go back to your room?" Gu Qili said, quite unwelcomingly trying to shoo him away.
"I didn’t buy a TV," Mu Shuoqian replied, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, "this game is important."
Gu Qili was speechless. No TV so he just came over to hers? Did he think her place was a welfare house?
"Smoking is not allowed here." Gu Qili snatched the unlit cigarette from his hand and threw it directly into the trash can, "I don’t have an ashtray."
Mu Shuoqian let her throw his cigarette away without complaining and focused on the match again.
Not long after, an intense football match turned into a prime-time TV drama. Mu Shuoqian glanced to the side, where Gu Qili was holding an apple with her mouth slightly open, that expression as if saying, "This is my TV. I’ll watch whatever I like."
Mu Shuoqian was unusually good-tempered today, joining her in watching the TV drama. Probably because the plot was too boring, he took out his phone and began sorting through emails.
The two occupied either end of the sofa, minding their own business without disturbing each other.
It was not until after the TV drama had finished that Mu Shuoqian stood up and said, "I’m going back."
"Mhm." Gu Qili was still watching TV but sneakily glanced at him with the corner of her eye. She didn’t expect to get caught by him and instantly blushed, biting into her apple.
Mu Shuoqian chuckled to himself, her behavior was a perfect copy of Mu Qinian’s; like mother like son indeed.
Mu Shuoqian picked up his keys and left. Gu Qili turned down the volume of the TV. The sound of the door closing came from outside, and she ran to the door to look through the peephole. Mu Shuoqian’s door was already closed.
She suddenly felt a bit lost. She had been looking forward to him leaving, yet when he actually left, she turned sentimental. Perhaps this was a common weakness of women, saying one thing but feeling another.
Gu Qili sighed and lost interest in watching TV. She decided to take a shower and go to bed since she had to visit the winery early the next day.
As soon as she entered the bathroom, she heard the sound of dripping water like something was leaking. After searching around, she found that the water tank behind the toilet was leaking, water continuously overflowing, and the flush button wasn’t working anymore.
Gu Qili didn’t know how to fix toilets. She put on gloves and fiddled for a while, but not only did she fail to repair it, it got worse, and she ended up drenched with water pooling on the floor.
Having no other choice, she thought of Mu Shuoqian. Men generally are handy with these kinds of repairs. In the middle of the night, she couldn’t think of anyone else.
Mu Shuoqian was sitting on the sofa drinking tea when he suddenly heard a knock at the door. Slowly putting down his teacup, a playful smile curled at the corners of his mouth—he had been waiting for a long time.
Although Reynolds visited her often, she was mostly alone. She wasn’t familiar with the school environment, much less the people, and her classmates were somewhat xenophobic. Thus, her life wasn’t smooth, but even so, she never complained or showed weakness. Now, just because the toilet was broken, she began to show vulnerability in front of Mu Shuoqian, as if she had returned to several years ago when he was always shielding her, and all she had to do was give orders without lifting a finger.
The water leak in the bathroom was severe. Mu Shuoqian rolled up his sleeves and checked, "Did you try to fix this?"
Gu Qili nodded guiltily. She would have been better off not touching it at all—it only got messier the more she tried to fix it.
"Do you have tools here?"
"Yes, I have a toolbox." Gu Qili hurriedly found a box, which was left behind by a previous tenant and had been sitting on the balcony. She never thought it would come in handy now.
Mu Shuoqian opened the toolbox, picked out a couple of tools, and then squatted down.
"Your clothes are soaked; go change into a dry set so you don’t catch a cold."
"Okay, you try first and see if you can fix it."
Gu Qili pressed the flush button and, hearing the familiar sound of water, beamed with joy like a child: "It’s fixed! You’re amazing."
A simple compliment made Mu Shuoqian feel quite appreciated, "Then you should head to bed early."
"Good night."
"Good night." Mu Shuoqian said goodnight and took the initiative to leave, but just as he opened the door, he stopped.
"What’s wrong?" Gu Qili couldn’t help but ask.
"The door was blown shut by the wind." He frowned, looking utterly helpless, "And my keys are inside."
"Don’t you have a spare?"
"No."
Mu Shuoqian turned back, as if reluctantly conceding: "I’ll have to make do and stay here tonight, and we’ll find a locksmith in the morning."
Gu Qili thought about it; he got locked out while fixing the toilet for her, it was only reasonable to let him stay for the night.
She went into the room and brought out some bedding: "Then you can sleep in the guest room."
Mu Shuoqian walked over, and she almost bumped into him, her head bowed low, fortunately
"Did you go to the school to find Jin Sanli’s wife today?" he suddenly asked in a somber tone.
Gu Qili also sobered up instantly, her head lifting to meet his gaze, trying to gauge his mood. She knew Jin Sanli was a supplier for the casino and his business partner, and without his permission, she went to trouble Jin Sanli’s wife—had Jin Sanli complained to him?
She had interfered with his work.
But thinking of Mu Qinian, she still met his gaze confidently: "Yeah, I went and taught that mother and son a lesson on how to be decent people."
He watched her silently, not saying a word, his gaze making her scalp tingle.
"Are you blaming me for taking matters into my own hands?"
"Who said that?" Mu Shuoqian pinched her shoulder, his handsome eyebrows raised slightly, "Don’t be so cynical."
"You’re the cynical one." Gu Qili snorted, then asked another question: "Aren’t you upset?"
"Why should I be upset?"