A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1124 Little Angkor's Protection

"Really? Then congratulations to Gui'er." She snorted, turned her head to flip through the book, the pages rustling loudly, clearly feeling annoyed.

Gui'er ignored her and picked up her pen again, her fingertips feeling a little cold. Dealing with someone like Liu Lanfang was like walking on thin ice; one wrong step and she would fall into the trap she had dug. She glanced out the window; the sun was shining brightly, but the undercurrents in the classroom were more exhausting than the storms of a chaotic world.

Xie Boqin leaned closer and whispered, "You're absolutely right. You've left her speechless."

Gui'er smiled faintly, but she knew in her heart that this was only temporary. With Liu Lanfang's mind, she would never let it go so easily.

When school was over, Wu Mingqiang came to pick up Gui'er. As Gui'er walked out of the school gate, she saw him leaning against his car, wearing a suit and a top hat, casually smoking a cigarette. He had the air of a rich young master. Because of his tall and upright figure, handsome face, and exquisite features, he did not look like a servant at all. Other female students coming out of the school all turned to look at him. Some of them had already walked two or three meters away, but they still turned back and secretly glanced at him with shy smiles.

Gui'er felt a surge of irritation. One such incident had just occurred today, and now he was coming again. If Liu Lanfang saw this, it would cause another uproar.

"Brother Wu, what brings you here today?"

"Gui'er, I just happened to be driving out to socialize with someone. The timings were too close together, so I told Acheng that I could pick you up for dinner. Oh, by the way, I saw some freshly made Sachima on the way here and bought a pack. I put it in the back seat."

Wu Mingqiang leaned against the car door, his gaze towards Gui'er a fierce heat veiled in sharpness—his brow bone pressed against his pupils, his eyes slightly upturned with a composed strength, even the lines at the corners of his eyes exuding a soft confidence. Even when Gui'er turned her face away, his gaze was like a clinging vine, gently hooking at the hem of her clothes, yet wrapped with a steady "you can't escape" certainty, as if all the forbearance of the past years had been transformed into this moment of openness.

To be honest, even in modern times, Gui'er didn't have much experience in love. When she came to this world, she never fantasized about falling in love. She felt that this was the most impossible thing in the world. Until she confessed her feelings to Sha Yanxiao, she was happy. However, at that time, the country was in crisis. The two had just expressed their feelings when they were separated. What followed were several years of longing and heartbreak after receiving the bad news.

Gui'er was caught off guard by Wu Mingqiang's open and frank expression of his feelings. She hadn't yet detached herself from Sha Yanxiao, but she wasn't completely without feelings for Wu Mingqiang either. After all, they had known each other for so many years, and Wu Mingqiang had taken great care of her since she came to Hong Kong, even helping her build her business. Now, her family couldn't do without Wu Mingqiang.

"Mr. Wu, what brings you here today?" A sweet, coquettish voice interrupted Gui'er's thoughts.

She turned around and saw Liu Lanfang, who was walking over in high heels, her fingertips lightly brushing against Wu Mingqiang's suit sleeve, her eyes filled with a coquettish tone: "Mr. Wu, what brings you here today? Did you come especially to pick up our Gui'er?"

Her voice wasn't quiet, and several female classmates who hadn't gone far heard her. They all turned around curiously to look. While sizing up Wu Mingqiang, some even covered their mouths and giggled.

Liu Lanfang became even more smug, moved closer to Wu Mingqiang, and whispered in Gui'er's ear, "It's no wonder, Gui'er is all alone now. Such a large family business needs someone reliable to keep an eye on it. Mr. Wu is so capable, Gui'er definitely has to seize the opportunity, after all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance."

These words were like a needle, drawing all eyes to Gui'er. One girl muttered softly, "So it really was about the family fortune..."

Gui'er's face instantly flushed. Just as she was about to speak, Wu Mingqiang stepped forward half a step, subtly separating Liu Lanfang. His tone was as calm as if there were no ripples: "Miss Liu, you've gone too far. Miss Gui'er is my employer. It's my duty to pick up my employer from school."

He adjusted his top hat, his gaze sweeping over the onlookers. His calm demeanor was tinged with a chilling aura, and the girl who had been muttering immediately fell silent. Wu Mingqiang then turned to Liu Lanfang, a slight smile playing on his lips, but his words carried a sharp edge: "Besides, our family business was left to Gui'er by the second young master; it's none of anyone else's business. Miss Liu, if you have nothing else to say, please step aside; I still need to escort my master back."

Liu Lanfang's smile froze; she hadn't expected him to publicly humiliate her. She bit her lip, wanting to say something more, but Wu Mingqiang had already opened the car door, turned to Gui'er and gestured for her to enter. When his gaze fell upon her, the coldness from before completely softened, like a beast that had retracted its claws, only showing gentleness towards her.

Gui'er lowered her head and got into the car. She heard Liu Lanfang snort outside and storm off in her high heels. As the car drove away, she saw several girls still looking this way in the rearview mirror, but the teasing from before was gone—Wu Mingqiang's words had already shut down the idea of ​​"exchanging family property for support."

The carriage was silent for a few seconds. Wu Mingqiang handed over the bag of Sachima, the paper bag still warm: "Freshly baked, sweet. Don't you like it? Try it."

Gui'er took it, her fingertips touching his hand, and she felt a burn, immediately pulling back. She tore open the paper bag, took a bite, and found it crisp and sweet, but couldn't taste anything special.

"Thank you... just now," she said softly.

Wu Mingqiang tightened his grip on the steering wheel, not looking at her, but his tone softened: "Protecting you is my responsibility." He paused, then said, "Miss, I really didn't tell Miss Liu about this on purpose. It was other neighbors who found out because Fourth Madam went to the shop and made a scene, and that's how it reached her ears. Although I love you, I also hope you can be happy."

The street scene outside the car window receded, sunlight fell on his profile, and the shadow on his brow bone still concealed the sharpness he had just displayed. Gui'er looked at his silhouette and suddenly felt that this man's frankness was like a shield in a chaotic world, protecting her from too many open and hidden attacks—but this shield was also wrapped with a deep affection that she dared not accept, making her feel awkward even when she thanked him.

Afterwards, Wu Mingqiang did not force Gui'er to give him a clear answer, and the two continued to interact as usual, although Gui'er was somewhat uneasy.

After finishing her meal that day, she went upstairs early to read. After a while, Dingxiang came in with milk and snacks.

Gui'er glanced at it. Usually, Dingxiang would only bring it over when she was about to go to sleep, so that she could eat something to tide her over before falling asleep. She asked curiously, "Why are you here so early today?"