After Becoming the Family Head, I Got an Unofficial Fiancée (GL) - Chapter 12

Jiang Man had originally thought that Zhang You Qian would spread rumors about her and Gu Weiyan at school. However, for several days, Zhang You Qian only occasionally tried to pick fights, and no rumors seemed to be circulating. This made Jiang Man feel a bit strange.

But soon, she no longer had the time to worry about Zhang You Qian, because the results of the entrance exam had come out.

And Jiang Man’s results were disappointing.

A whole summer could make a big difference. Some students spent their holidays playing games all night, while others worked hard, attending multiple tutoring classes. The first test of the new semester quickly revealed where everyone’s focus had been over the break.

Before, Jiang Man’s grades had always been at the top of her class, but after a summer of rest, her performance had slipped to the middle tier. She even barely passed one of her core subjects.

Teacher Yang stared grimly at the quiet classroom, slamming the test papers on the desk. “Why is it so quiet today? Didn’t you all make a lot of noise before the results came out? I could hear you all the way from my office. Now, not a word? Have you all become mute?”

The students kept their heads down, holding their test papers without daring to speak.

Teacher Yang, still angry, continued, “You had so much fun over the summer, didn’t you? Now the test scores are out, and look what happened! How many of you didn’t pass? You were so chatty during class, always talking. Now that the results are in, why is no one speaking? Why don’t you go up and talk about it?”

“You’re in your senior year now. Time to get serious. If you keep this up, you won’t even be able to get into college, let alone a good one!” Teacher Yang’s face darkened. “Next Monday, we’ll have a parent-teacher meeting. Everyone must bring a parent, especially those whose grades have dropped drastically or failed the exam. No excuses. Parents must attend.”

After saying that, Teacher Yang sighed, then laid out the lesson plan and said, “Open your textbooks, we’re starting class now.”

As one of the students whose grades had dropped significantly and who had failed a subject, Jiang Man couldn’t help but sigh as she left the teacher’s office.

Thinking back to what Teacher Yang had just said, Jiang Man felt exhausted, as if all her strength had drained away.

She had to bring her parents…

As Jiang Man walked back to the classroom, she couldn’t help but wonder if her aunt would have time to attend the meeting. Maybe she could call tonight to ask about it?

But calling seemed a bit awkward, considering the meeting was probably going to be a reprimand. Jiang Man decided to go back to the Jiang family’s house this weekend. After all, she had been living at Gu Weiyan’s place for over half a month and hadn’t gone back to her own home. It was about time she returned to visit.

With that in mind, Jiang Man decided to mention her plans to Gu Weiyan.

After school, Jiang Man quickly ran out of the campus, headed down the shaded path, and reached the spot where Gu Weiyan usually parked her car. When she saw the familiar car, she hurried over, opened the back seat, and sat down.

“Miss Jiang.”

Driver Lao Xu turned around and smiled at Jiang Man. “Today, Gu Zong has some social engagements. She asked me to take you home first.”

Jiang Man froze for a moment. The emotions that had been rising in her faded instantly. She hugged her schoolbag and said, “Okay, thank you, Lao Xu.”

Lao Xu quickly dropped Jiang Man off at her house and then headed back to wait for Gu Weiyan. Watching the car leave, Jiang Man sighed and walked back into her house.

Aunt Zhou had made quite a few delicious dishes. When she heard that Gu Weiyan was out socializing, she simply said “Oh” and, used to this, asked Jiang Man, “Are you assigned a lot of homework today?”

“Mm.” Jiang Man sat down at the table, nodding. “There’s some homework, but not too much.”

“Well, I’ll wash some fruit for you later. I bought grapes today, they’re really sweet.”

Jiang Man nodded obediently and ate a couple of bites of food before looking up at Aunt Zhou. “Aunt Zhou, do you know what time Gu Weiyan will be back tonight? I… I need to talk to her about something.”

Aunt Zhou thought for a moment and, based on previous experience, said, “She should be back around 11, but if she’s having a good time, she might be a bit later. She might even go to a second event.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Man’s heart sank. After finishing her meal, she went upstairs to do her homework. By the time she finished, it was already 10 p.m., but Gu Weiyan still hadn’t returned.

Aunt Zhou was sitting downstairs watching TV and knitting when she noticed Jiang Man pacing back and forth between the first and second floors. Curiously, she asked, “Xiao Man, if you have something important to say to Gu Weiyan, why not just call her?”

“No… no important matters.” Jiang Man avoided Aunt Zhou’s gaze, speaking softly. “I’m just a bit thirsty and wanted to get some water.”

Aunt Zhou was puzzled. “Didn’t I bring you some water upstairs earlier? Did you finish it already?”

“Mm.” Jiang Man quickly headed for the kitchen. “I’m just getting some water, then I’ll go back upstairs to sleep. You should get some rest too, Aunt Zhou.”

After grabbing a glass of water, Jiang Man quickly went upstairs, leaving Aunt Zhou utterly confused.

Around 11 p.m., Aunt Zhou called Gu Weiyan to check if she was still out, and when she confirmed that Gu Weiyan would be back late, she made sure to close all the windows and doors. Noticing that Jiang Man’s bedroom light was still on, Aunt Zhou went upstairs.

At that moment, Jiang Man was lying on the desk, so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open. Aunt Zhou gently woke her up and asked, “Are you sure you don’t have something to say to Gu Weiyan? I just called her, and she said she’s going to be late.”

Jiang Man, still half-asleep, sat up in a daze. Hearing Aunt Zhou’s words, she paused for a moment and scratched her head. “Uh… I know. I’m not waiting for Gu Weiyan. I just wanted to read some books, but I accidentally fell asleep.”

Aunt Zhou smiled but didn’t say anything more. She patted Jiang Man’s head and said, “Good girl, go to sleep now. It’s late.”

Watching Jiang Man obediently take off her coat and get into bed, Aunt Zhou covered her with the blanket and adjusted the air conditioning before leaving the room.

As the door quietly closed, the room darkened, with only the green temperature indicator of the air conditioner glowing. Jiang Man barely kept her eyes open for two seconds before she tilted her head and fell asleep.

At nearly midnight, a beam of light shone in the yard as Gu Weiyan finally came home.

Aunt Zhou, who had turned on the lights in the living room, poured Gu Weiyan a glass of warm water and said, “You’re back. Drink some water to soothe your stomach. How much did you drink tonight?”

“I didn’t drink much. I’ve known the clients for a long time. Today was just a regular gathering, and we also talked some business.” Gu Weiyan was drinking water as she glanced up at the second floor. “Aunt Zhou, you called earlier and said Jiang Man waited for me until after 11 PM. Is she asleep now?”

“She should be asleep by now. I saw her get into bed,” Aunt Zhou replied. “That child probably has something she wants to talk to you about but feels too shy to call you. She just waited for you to come home.”

Gu Weiyan couldn’t help but wonder, “What could she possibly want to talk to me about?”

Aunt Zhou said, “I don’t know. When I asked her, she wouldn’t tell me. She’s still a bit reserved at home. You should try to show more care for her once in a while; after all, she’s just a kid.”

“I understand,” Gu Weiyan replied, handing her the unfinished cup. “You should get some rest too. I’ll go upstairs and check on her.”

Gu Weiyan went upstairs and arrived at the guest room. She carefully opened the door and saw Jiang Man holding the blanket, fast asleep. After thinking for a moment, she decided to step inside.

Jiang Man slept soundly, sometimes lying flat, sometimes curled on her side. She could stay in one position all night. Now, she was hugging the blanket with her head tilted slightly, possibly exhausted, and even letting out small snores.

Gu Weiyan didn’t want to wake her, but she couldn’t help but watch the sleeping child from above. Jiang Man was so deeply asleep that she wouldn’t even notice if someone had bad intentions and tried to carry her out.

The child’s tender face was soft and pink, with areas not covered by the blanket showing her fair skin. You could even faintly see the blue veins beneath her skin.

She was so thin, so delicate, her voice small like a quail’s, and she’d often tremble. When nervous, she would show a nearly tearful expression. Gu Weiyan didn’t know why she allowed this child to stay by her side, and she didn’t even dislike her.

She even found it strange herself.

Gu Weiyan’s green eyes darkened as she thought that, perhaps, the relationship between her and Jiang Man had changed just a little…

The next day, Jiang Man woke up promptly at 6 AM. After washing up and getting dressed, she sat in the dining room eating breakfast. Across from her, Gu Weiyan watched as Jiang Man nibbled on a piece of bread, but soon, her head dropped down.

Gu Weiyan: “…”

Aunt Zhou: “…”

Jiang Man’s head almost dipped into the plate. Then, she suddenly jolted awake, opened her eyes, and went back to eating the bread.

Gu Weiyan saw how tired the girl was, struggling to keep her eyes open but still forcing herself to eat. She couldn’t help but say, “Do you want to sleep a little longer? I can help you call in sick.”

Jiang Man took several seconds to react before realizing Gu Weiyan was talking to her. She immediately perked up, quickly saying, “N-no, I’m not tired. You don’t need to help me call in sick.”

Gu Weiyan spread some strawberry jam on the bread and handed it to Jiang Man. “It takes an hour to drive from my house to your school. If you really don’t want to get up so early, I can buy you a place near the school. That way, you can sleep in a little longer.”

Jiang Man hurriedly shook her head. Aunt Zhou had told her to get along well with Gu Weiyan and not make her dislike her. If her lack of sleep caused Gu Weiyan trouble, she would probably think Jiang Man was a hassle.

“I-I don’t need it,” Jiang Man stuttered nervously. She wanted to explain but was interrupted by Gu Weiyan.

“I’ll think about it. You don’t need to refuse right away.” Gu Weiyan looked at her and asked, “Why did you wait for me so late yesterday?”

Jiang Man froze, her face turning bright red. She nervously fiddled with her hands, and after a moment, she said, “I… I wanted to go back to the Jiang family this weekend. It’s been almost a month since I left, and I haven’t gone back yet.”

Gu Weiyan looked at her and said, “You want to go home and see your family?”

Jiang Man nodded.

It wasn’t a big deal for Jiang Man to visit the Jiang family after being away for so long. After thinking for a few seconds, Gu Weiyan looked at the child in front of her and said, “I understand. This weekend, I’ll go with you to the Jiang family.”