Chapter 8: Let Him Go
Was Gu Qinian about to get a stepmother?
Gu Tang immediately asked the system to check the related plot.
[The original novel’s perspective always follows the male lead. In the early stage, the main storyline is Gu Qinian being abused in the orphanage, and later it focuses on how he rises to power. There is very little description about the Gu family… Sorry host, I can’t find information about this part.]
“That’s not your fault.”
Gu Tang comforted the system mentally.
What could they do if the author never wrote about it?
He had read the original novel, and it was true that the Gu family only existed as a background setting.
If anyone was to blame, it had to be Papa Gu!
Not cherishing a movie-star wife!
Even if his son had a bad temper, he was still such an adorable child, and yet he was going to bring him a stepmother!
Gu Quan, you heartless man!!!
The more Gu Tang thought about it, the angrier he became. He cursed Papa Gu a hundred times in his heart while tiptoeing toward the VIP room, causing the security guards behind him to wonder why the well-behaved child had suddenly started walking like Tom from Tom and Jerry.
Had he been watching too many cartoons??
For a toddler with short legs, crossing the hotel lobby was not a short distance.
Fortunately, thanks to the movie queen’s arrival, everyone’s attention was focused at the entrance. No one noticed the slowly moving little white dumpling behind them.
Gu Tang finally reached the door of the VIP room.
But do you know why it’s called a VIP room?
Of course because it’s private enough!
No wonder Papa Gu dared to do suspicious things right under the eyes of his wife and child—
There were actually guards stationed here!
The tiny toddler looked up at the two tall attendants standing on each side like door gods and suddenly felt as if he had arrived at the Heavenly Gate of the South.
[Host, do not force your way in!]
The system issued urgent alarm sounds.
Gu Tang immediately slammed on the brakes. “What’s wrong?”
[Cannon-fodder characters usually get eliminated early because they know too much!]
[You’re not Gu Quan’s biological son. If you discover his cheating secret, you’ll definitely be thrown out of the Gu family. Then it won’t just be a matter of your review being locked—the main system will directly replace you! It’s better not to meddle in this!]
The system was even more nervous than Gu Tang.
It had no desire to change hosts.
Where could it find another host who completed tasks so efficiently and let it clock out early every day?
Gu Tang felt the system made sense.
After hesitating for a moment, he smoothly turned a corner and pretended to just be passing by.
The two attendants guarding the VIP room had long noticed him.
The round-faced toddler was extremely cute. Because his legs were short, when he ran he looked like a plump little milk-white dumpling rolling across the floor.
It made people want to catch him.
The two young and handsome attendants exchanged glances and silently competed to see who was more attractive to the toddler.
They had even prepared themselves to bend down and pick him up.
But—
The little child made a feint, suddenly turned around, and left.
With a wave of his tiny hand.
Not even a cloud was left behind.
The two attendants stared at each other.
“….”
Ah, what a naturally flirtatious little heartbreaker!
But who could blame him for being so cute? They still wanted to hug him…
—
At the same time, inside the suite on the top floor of the hotel, Young Master Gu was still practicing walking with his walker.
The housekeeper stood nearby, along with several security guards watching over him.
He was safe.
And bored.
Without the chattering little milk dumpling, everyone remained silent. The luxurious and spacious suite now felt empty…
The ear that had been bitten was still warm.
The toddler had bitten lightly—it didn’t hurt.
The reason he pushed him down earlier was simply because he wasn’t used to such close physical contact with others.
Gu Qinian touched his ear awkwardly. After frowning and hesitating for a moment, he dragged his walker—jingling with every step—toward the elevator outside.
—
Meanwhile, Gu Tang wandered slowly around the lobby.
He began to feel sorry for Young Master Gu.
Either he would be kidnapped by the nanny and abused in an orphanage, or he would stay at home waiting for his unreliable father to bring him a stepmother.
As the saying goes: wolves ahead, tigers behind.
No matter how you looked at it, little Gu Qinian’s life was truly miserable!
“Ah—”
He was thinking so deeply that his vision suddenly went dark and he bumped straight into something.
With a plop, he fell onto the floor.
By the time Gu Tang realized what had happened, his feet were already off the ground and he had been lifted up.
The one holding him by the back of his collar was a stunning woman dressed in a fiery red evening gown.
The woman had a graceful figure, delicate makeup, and a pleasant voice. The only problem was that the way she held him was rather rough, and what she said wasn’t very polite either.
“Oh? Whose little bean sprout ran out here trying to scam someone?”
He was not a little bean sprout!
Gu Tang puffed out his cheeks in annoyance.
Unexpectedly, the woman seized the opportunity to pinch his puffed-up face. Her long manicured nails looked as if they might poke a hole in him.
“Wuu—”
This auntie was a little scary!
From a toddler’s perspective, adults already looked enormous. Combined with the woman’s strange attitude, Gu Tang was so frightened that he started kicking his legs wildly.
Fortunately, the security personnel responsible for watching over him were not being paid for nothing. The moment something happened here, they stepped forward. The leading guard bowed slightly like a gentleman.
“Movie Queen Li, this child belongs to the Gu family.”
Hearing the title, Gu Tang froze.
This was the movie queen?
Why was her surname Li?
Wasn’t Gu Qinian’s mother surnamed Shen?
Looking more carefully, the woman in front of him was indeed beautiful, but she didn’t resemble little Gu Qinian in the slightest.
“Sorry!”
Gu Tang suspected he had made a mistake. After apologizing, he shook his legs, trying to get down.
First priority: escape from this slightly terrifying auntie!
But Movie Queen Li refused to let go. A somewhat wicked smile spread across her face.
At least that was how it looked to Gu Tang.
She raised her eyebrows. “Are the Gu family’s children this impolite? You bump into someone and think an apology is enough?”
Gu Tang nervously gulped, waiting for her demand.
She wouldn’t ask him to pay compensation, would she?
He had saved a few plot coins, but he definitely couldn’t afford the price of a movie queen!
Movie Queen Li smiled faintly. Her red lips curved upward bit by bit, her gaze looking like she might devour a child as she spoke slowly.
“At the very least… Auntie should get a kiss before you go, right?”
Gu Tang: !!!
Who exactly was being impolite here?
Where did this strange auntie come from?!
Gu Tang struggled desperately.
Movie Queen Li almost lost her grip on him, so she simply held the toddler with both arms.
“Alright, alright, don’t run. Auntie will ask one small question, and then I’ll let you go, okay?”
Really?
Gu Tang didn’t quite believe her, but he had no other choice. He could only nod obediently.
Hopefully she would keep her promise.
Wherever the movie queen went, she naturally became the center of attention.
When people saw Movie Queen Li teasing a little toddler, they all gathered around to watch. The media also pointed their cameras and microphones toward them.
“So this is the young master of the Gu family? He’s so cute!”
“Movie Queen Li in a red dress holding the little master who looks like a snowball—like plum blossoms falling on snow. The picture is too beautiful!”
“Hehe, little master, what brand of handbag do you like? I want to take you home in one!”
Hearing the last sentence, Gu Tang trembled in fear.
He suddenly realized how important a security team was.
Adults’ thoughts were far too dangerous!
[Ding—C-congratulations, host, for completing the plot: ‘Replacing the male lead’s first public appearance.’ Reward: 10 life points!]
The system hadn’t expected the host to answer the task ahead of time!
It was so excited that it stuttered a little.
“No, no!”
Gu Tang wanted to explain that he wasn’t the young master of the Gu family. But his language system was still developing. Simple phrases were fine, but once things became complicated he couldn’t express himself clearly. After gesturing for a long time, he only produced a string of incomprehensible babbling.
Movie Queen Li pressed down the toddler’s hands and secretly pinched them a few more times. Then she smiled sweetly and tilted her face at the most photogenic angle—like posing for a magazine cover.
“Little baby, am I pretty?”
Gu Tang nodded vigorously.
“Pretty, pretty!”
This auntie was indeed very beautiful—just a little frightening.
Toddlers didn’t lie, so Movie Queen Li was quite satisfied with the answer.
Then she asked, “So who is prettier, me or your mommy?”
Gu Tang answered honestly, “This is the second—” question.
Didn’t this auntie know how to count?
“Pfft—”
The people around them burst into laughter.
Movie Queen Li cleared her throat and bounced the toddler slightly in her arms.
“Hurry and answer!”
Not even Young Master Gu had ever seen his own mother before. How could he compare someone he had never met?
Gu Tang didn’t want to lie, but if he didn’t answer, this auntie wouldn’t let him go.
Ah, this was difficult…
After holding it in for a long time, his face turning red, inspiration finally struck.
Gu Tang shouted loudly:
“Ask Papa Gu!”
No one would know better than Papa Gu whether his own wife was prettier or whether this Movie Queen Li was prettier.
The crowd could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
“This child is so clever!”
If you want to praise him, just praise him. Why were they trying to pinch his cheeks too?
Gu Tang dodged left and right, avoiding several hands trying to squeeze his chubby cheeks.
At that moment, Movie Queen Li was actually quite reliable. She reached out to shield him.
“Enough. The child is so small. None of you know your strength. What if you pinch him too hard?”
Ah, it seemed the movie queen wasn’t a bad person after all.
She was actually quite kind…
Movie Queen Li lowered her head and whispered into his ear.
“Little one, see? Auntie protected you. Give Auntie a kiss, okay?”
Gu Tang: ?
He took back what he had just thought!
Kindness always came with a purpose!
Facing Movie Queen Li’s blazing red lips, Gu Tang struggled in fear and called for help from the security guards nearby.
“Help me! Help me!”
Unfortunately, the guards couldn’t understand his baby language. They even thought he was enjoying the moment.
Besides, the current situation didn’t fall outside the boundaries of their security duties.
After all—who wouldn’t want a kiss from a movie queen?
Looking at the beautiful actress and the milk-dumpling-like toddler in her arms, the crowd couldn’t decide which one they should envy more.
Seeing that Movie Queen Li was about to stamp a kiss on his face—
Gu Tang closed his eyes in despair.
“Wuu—”
He was about to lose his purity!
“Let him go!”
A soft but extremely clear childish voice rang out.
Everyone froze and looked toward the source of the sound.
Through a gap in the crowd, Gu Tang, with tears in his eyes, saw a figure—
Young Master Gu was standing in his walker. A beam of light happened to shine down from above his head, making the tiny toddler look unexpectedly tall and imposing.
Gu Qinian raised his hand and pointed toward Gu Tang in the crowd, repeating slowly and clearly:
“Let. Him. Go.”
Gu Tang’s tears instantly burst out.
Handsome!
So handsome!
Was this the future Boss Gu? His presence was incredible!
But the next second, Gu Tang shook his head at Gu Qinian with tearful eyes, silently telling him:
“What’s the use of being handsome? You have no idea how dangerous this situation is.”
Gu Qinian: ?
Sure enough, the first person to react was Movie Queen Li. She cried out in delight:
“There’s another baby! Grab him too!”
Gu Qinian: ?!!!
***
Author’s Note:
Tang Tang: This is like the Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa—one goes in, then another follows.
Gu Qinian: When I grow up, I’m going to eliminate all of you!
