The family of three finally settled into a peaceful tempo of living together. Although Gu Nianbin still ignored Du Xiaoxian, the atmosphere in the house was much better. Gu Niannian worked hard to be the middleman.

She would say to Du Xiaoxian, “Mommy, Daddy just called to say that we’re going out for dinner today. He asked us to get changed and wait for him at home.”

She would also say to Gu Nianbin, “Daddy, Mommy wonders if you have any plans tomorrow night. She wants to bring me to watch an animated movie. She hopes you can come with us.”

“Mommy, Daddy asked you to arrange the flowers he just bought. Aren’t they pretty?”

“Daddy, Mommy just finished ironing your shirt. You should wear this to work tomorrow!”

Sometimes, the clever little girl would even make up some white lies.

“Mommy, Daddy said you look very beautiful today!”

Her simple mother became shy and speechless.

“Daddy, Mommy said you look very handsome today!”

Her shrewd father raised his eyebrows. “Did she really say that?”

“Yes. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her yourself.” The little liar smiled and cocked her head at him cheekily. She was sure that her paper-tiger father did not dare to ask to confirm.

The days passed like this in a lovely and peaceful manner.

However, life could not always be smooth sailing. When Du Xiaoxian saw the familiar face through the intercom, she felt like she had received a severe blow. She was at a loss and felt panicked. She also felt a little hurt.

She actually forgot about Lan Guo. She was Gu Nianbin’s current girlfriend!

The white car slowly came to a stop under the tree. Du Xiaoxian stood on the steps and forced a smile. “Hello, Miss Lan.”

“Hello.” Lan Guo was smiling in a friendly manner. She looked calm and elegant. Although she was dressed very simply, she looked absolutely radiant.

“Gu Nianbin hasn’t gotten off work yet.” Du Xiaoxian’s expression was timid, and her voice was soft. Du Xiaoxian had always felt unconfident when she was faced with Lan Guo.

“I know. I specially came to give him a surprise.” As Lan Guo walked up the steps, she looked up and smiled at Du Xiaoxian. Her long peacock-blue satin coat glimmered with a faint blue light under the sun.

Du Xiaoxian suddenly felt that there were thousands of spotlights on her, so she instinctively moved aside to let Lan Guo enter the house.

After brewing some tea and serving some sliced fruits, Du Xiaoxian stood there in a panic. She did not know what to do next.

However, Lan Guo found it strange. “Hey, where is everyone else? Aren’t Gu Nianbin’s parents here?”

“The weather is cold, so they went back to the ancestral house.”

“Oh, I see.” Lan Guo raised her eyebrow as a glint flashed in her eyes. “Does that mean it’s just you and him staying here?”

“There’s also Niannian.”

As soon as Du Xiaoxian mentioned Niannian, the little girl appeared at the stairs. “Mommy, is Daddy back? I heard the sound of a car.”

“No, Auntie Lan is here.” Du Xiaoxian waved at her. “Come down and say hello.”

Niannian was always happy when guests came to pay a visit. She skipped downstairs and ran to take a look. When she saw who it was, she was stunned.

She had seen this aunt before. Not long after she and her mother returned home, her father brought this Auntie Lan home. At that time, her father’s sister asked her to go upstairs to play. No one said anything, but she knew very well that Auntie Lan wanted to snatch her father away from her mother. If Auntie Lan married her father, Auntie Lan would become her stepmother. All stepmothers were very scary, just like the Evil Queen in Snow White, who was very evil. Gu Niannian was sure this lady would drive her mother away and bully her.

Gu Nianian immediately put on a straight face. She did not say hello. Instead, she looked at Lan Guo warily.

“Niannian, go ahead and say hello.” Du Xiaoxian felt a little strange. Gu Niannian never got nervous in front of strangers and was usually very polite. What was wrong? She urged, saying, “Niannian, hurry up and say hello! Please don’t be rude!”

Gu Niannian greeted Lan Guo unwillingly, “Hello, Auntie.”

“Good girl.” Lan Guo took out a box of chocolate from her bag and gave it to Gu Niannian. “I bought this in Switzerland last week just for you.”

Gu Niannian did not accept it. “I don’t want it. Mom says that I’ll get holes in my teeth if I eat too much sugar.”

Lan Guo did not expect Gu Niannian to say that. She was a little embarrassed. Most children would be overjoyed to receive such a beautiful package of chocolate. However, Gu Niannian seemed to be the exception.

She had no choice but to put it on the coffee table and smiled at Du Xiaoxian. “Your daughter is so sensible!”

“Yes, she has been sensible since she was a child.” When talking about how good Gu Niannian was, Du Xiaoxian was very pleased.

“Mommy, sit down and talk.” Gu Niannian pulled Du Xiaoxian to the sofa and sat down. Gu Niannian knew that her mother was no match for Auntie Lan when she saw her mother’s action. She knew that she had to step in at this critical moment.

She asked Lan Guo seriously with a cold expression, “Are you here to see my Daddy?”

“That’s right.” Lan Guo found Gu Niannian’s demeanor very funny. “I’m your Daddy’s good friend.”

“You’re just his friend, not his girlfriend, right?” Gu Niannian said seriously, “My Daddy is going to marry my Mommy. He can’t have a girlfriend.”

Lan Guo was shocked and looked at Du Xiaoxian. “Are you two going to get married?”

“No, no.” Du Xiaoxian quickly waved her hand. “Don’t believe the nonsense she says.”

Gu Niannian wanted to cry, but no tears came out. She looked at her mother. Why didn’t they have any tacit understanding? Was her mother really going to let her father go?

Lan Guo was relieved. She was secretly amused. Du Xiaoxian was really so simple. She was even not as scheming as her daughter. However, this little girl was not a simple character. If Lan Guo really married into the Gu family in the future, this stepdaughter would definitely cause her a lot of headaches.

Du Xiaoxian was afraid that Gu Niannian would speak nonsense again and make Lan Guo unhappy. If she reported it to Gu Nianbin, they would both suffer. Hence, Du Xiaoxian asked Gu Niannian to go upstairs.

Gu Niannian refused. If she left, who would help her silly mother?

Lan Guo smiled and said, “Let her stay here. She’s really cute.”

Gu Niannian secretly snorted. It was useless to compliment her. After all, she did not like Lan Guo. She did not like anyone who was a threat to Du Xiaoxian!

Du Xiaoxian was a little dull. She was not good at chatting. However, Lan Guo had the ability to maintain a lively conversation with her. Lan Guo ignored Gu Niannian’s attempts to cut in with sharp words. However, Du Xiaoxian was very stupid. She did not answer Gu Niannian, either, making the little girl very upset.

Gu Niannian quietly went upstairs. After a while, she came down and walked around the living room. Finally, she stopped behind Lan Guo. Gu Niannian stood there to listen to Lan Guo and Du Xiaoxian’s conversation.

At first, Lan Guo didn’t notice anything. She just wondered why the little girl had suddenly become quiet. When she turned around, she screamed and stood up. “Oh, what are you doing?”

Du Xiaoxian quickly stood up to take a look and was also shocked. Gu Niannian had used a pair of scissors to cut a few small holes in Lan Guo’s peacock-blue coat.

Before she could scold Gu Niannian, she saw a flash of light and then a shadow as the tall figure of a man appeared at the door.

Du Xiaoxian immediately panicked. She could tell that Gu Niannian was in big trouble.

When Gu Nianbin saw Lan Guo, he was slightly stunned. “Why are you here?”

“I just flew back, so I came to see you.” Lan Guo, who was pale with fright, immediately put on a calm expression.

Gu Nianbin saw the holes in the back of her coat and also Gu Niannian who was standing there, looking very frightened. She was still holding a pair of scissors in her hand. He walked over and took the scissors from his daughter. He frowned slightly. “Why are you holding a pair of scissors? Didn’t I say that you can’t play with this because scissors are dangerous?” He remembered that when he went to Du Xiaoxian’s house, Gu Niannian had also taken out a pair of scissors from under the coffee table to guard against him!

Du Xiaoxian quickly went up to shield Gu Niannian behind her and apologized to Lan Guo when she saw the murderous expression on Gu Nianbin’s face. “I’m sorry, Miss Lan. She is still young and naughty. Please don’t take this to heart. I’ll compensate you for this coat. Just give me a number and I’ll pay for it.”

“Forget it.” Lan Guo smiled generously. “She’s just a child. It’s understandable for her to be a little playful.”

Gu Nianbin’s face darkened as he berated Gu Niannian, “Apologize to Auntie Lan!”

If Du Xiaoxian was the one who asked her to apologize, Gu Niannian would have apologized. However, since Gu Nianbin seemed to be on Lan Guo’s side, Niannian was very angry. She had been very afraid, but after listening to Gu Nianbin’s words, she began to get angry and stubborn. The Gu Family members were all stubborn. It was as if Gu Niannian wanted to surpass Gu Nianbin in terms of being stubborn.

Seeing Gu Niannian’s attitude, Gu Nianbin was very angry and raised his voice. “Gu Niannian, hurry up and apologize! Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because your grandma and grandpa spoil you!”

His fierce appearance did not scare Gu Niannian, but it scared Du Xiaoxian. She stuttered and pleaded with him, “Please d-don’t be so loud. It’ll scare her. I-It’s all my fault. You…”

“Yes, it’s your fault,” Gu Nianbin said angrily. “You have taught her to be like this, bold and rebellious. She doesn’t behave well at such a young age. What will she be like when she’s older?”

As soon as he scolded Du Xiaoxian, Gu Niannian stood up for her mother again. She came out from behind Du Xiaoxian and stared at Gu Nianbin fearlessly. “If I have done something wrong, you can just scold me. Why are you scolding Mommy? You have to apologize for scolding her for no reason!”

Humph, this little brat was trying to teach her Daddy a lesson. Gu Nianbin’s eyes went wide. The father and daughter stared at each other with wide eyes. Neither of them was willing to give way to the other.

Du Xiaoxian was so anxious that she felt like her pants were on fire. The father and daughter were both so stubborn. What could she do?

“Forget it, Nianbin. She’s just a child. It’s normal for her to be a little mischievous. Take your time to teach her later,” said Lan Guo with a smile.

Du Xiaoxian also pleaded softly, “It’s all my fault. Just scold me. I didn’t bring her up well.”

Gu Nianbin snorted and glanced at her coldly. “Like mother, like daughter!” After that, he stormed upstairs.

He just left Lan Guo there, who didn’t know what to do. She smiled unnaturally and said, “Miss Du, I’m really sorry. This happened because of me. I’ll leave first and visit you guys another day.”

“You’re going to leave now? Why don’t you stay for dinner?” Du Xiaoxian politely asked Lan Guo to stay for dinner, but Gu Niannian gently pushed her.

Gu Nianbin was already upstairs now. When he heard that, he stopped in his tracks. He stood on the stairs and glanced at Du Xiaoxian coldly. He then said to Lan Guo, “Send me the brand of your coat. I’ll get someone to buy a new one for you.”

“There’s really no need for that. Why are you being so polite with me?” Lan Guo quickly waved at him. “I have something else to do. I’ll head off now.” Lan Guo felt that it was better to avoid them for now in this situation. She knew that things would not end up well for her if she angered him.