Minmin recalled her tearful face, along with the memory of being ugly, making her blush.
Embarrassment, shyness, and the happiness of becoming a woman plunged her whole being into sweetness.
Qiu Qianghai reached out to pull Gu Minmin into his arms, gently comforting her in the dark.
The two whispered quietly in the serene, ambiguous night, occasionally interspersed with laughter.
Soon, sounds of intimacy emerged.
The intense battle began anew.
This time, Minmin fully let go.
Qiu Qianghai’s fighting style changed, more mature than before, making it hard to resist.
This time, Minmin cried more miserably than before.
…
Time flew by, another three days passed.
Gu Jin still hadn’t contacted An Mingji.
Today was the day of Gu Minmin’s surgery.
She was personally present in the operating room to accompany her, ready to intervene if anything went wrong during the surgery.
She had promised that nothing would happen to Gu Minmin, and she would make sure she woke up safely.
Because the fragment in Gu Minmin’s brain was in a very dangerous location, the medical staff could not guarantee the success rate of the surgery.
During the removal of the fragment in the surgery, Gu Minmin suddenly started bleeding.
Gu Jin instantly stepped in, using Spiritual Power to stop the bleeding, astonishing everyone in the operating room, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief.
Initially, they thought Gu Jin was there just to supervise them, but they didn’t expect her to have such a trick up her sleeve.
If the patient on the operating table didn’t make it today, none of them would have a good outcome.
The surgery continued, thankfully ultimately proving to be without danger.
The fragment in Gu Minmin’s brain was successfully removed.
After the surgery, she recovered quite well, Gu Jin accompanied her in the hospital for two days, and then no longer acted as a third wheel.
Qiu Qianghai was eager to spend all twenty-four hours of a day by Minmin’s side.
Gu Jin was unwilling to partake in the sweet dog food; since Minmin’s body was no longer in danger, she stopped going to the hospital.
Even during those two days in the hospital, Gu Jin felt she had had quite enough dog food.
This made her miss An Mingji even more.
As the weather warmed, Gu Jin often sat by the pond in the courtyard, on the lounge chair in the gazebo.
Each day she would stare expectantly at the entrance, hoping for An Mingji to appear suddenly and surprise her.
Having such expectations was because An Mingji often surprised her in the past.
But as time went on, Gu Jin’s hopeful heart gradually sank.
On this day, Gu Jin sat leisurely on the lounge chair in the gazebo, radiating a dim aura that repelled strangers.
Linda stood not far away, a subtle worry on her beautiful face.
As the Family Head remained missing longer, the aura of the future matriarch grew more peculiar.
It seemed to be on the brink of eruption, causing unease.
“Ring… ring…”
The phone inside the house started to ring.
Gu Jin leaned back on the lounge chair, her swaying body coming to a stillness.
She directed her gaze towards Linda, nodding her head slightly: “Go and check who’s calling.”
Linda nodded in response, quickening her pace as she departed.
Inside the house, Kasi had already answered the call.
“Okay… I will pass on the message… Yes, you’re welcome…”
Kasi hung up the phone and saw Linda appear in the hall, not surprised at all by her presence.
Linda looked expectantly at Kasi, hoping to hear good news from her.
Kasi showed a helpless expression and shrugged at Linda: “Oh, dear, don’t look at me like that, it stresses me out.”
She was slightly frightened lately because Gu Jin’s complexion was worsening by the day.
The expectation on Linda’s face faded, replaced with irritation between her brows: “The matriarch asked me to come and find out whose call it was.”
Kasi placed the phone down and sighed: “It wasn’t a call from the Family Head; it’s the matriarch’s senior disciple. Tonight, a grand banquet will be held at Chen Palace, much like Italy’s bride selection banquet. Chen Palace’s future monarch needs to select a mistress, and they’re calling to invite the matriarch to attend.”
When not in front of Gu Jin, they occasionally referred to her as the matriarch.
After all, it was already a settled matter.
Linda knew about the Chen Palace banquet; they received invites from Chen Palace before.
This wasn’t exactly good news.
“I’ll report back.” After saying this, Linda turned and left.
Not only was Gu Jin anticipating An Mingji’s call, but even Kasi, Linda, and the others were waiting for news from their Family Head.
Unfortunately, after waiting so long, no news came from the Family Head.
Upon learning about the evening’s banquet, Gu Jin’s expression became dull, showing no interest.
But by evening, she still took Linda and others to Chen Palace.
The purpose of tonight’s banquet was to choose a future rightful wife for Yu Shuo.
This rightful wife had to come from a Beijing noble family, ideally a Cabinet noblewoman.
The balance among the Four Great Families had been broken, and as the Yin Family approached decline, it was propped up by Yin Geping’s powerful cultivation breakthrough.
He also appeared tonight with the Yin Family members. Now he is the youngest decision-maker in the Cabinet, his abilities slightly young compared to the old foxes, but the advantage lies in his youth.
The Mu Family and Wanqi Family also attended the banquet with their members.
Additionally, there were the other four Cabinet families that Gu Jin had never interacted with: Qin Family, Tang Family, Lan Family, Xuanyuan Family.
Among these, the Qin Family dealt in intelligence, and the Xuanyuan Family was the most discreet.
These four families were very low-profile, almost having no significant presence.
Yet, their influence was no less than that of the Royal Family, Mu Family, Wanqi Family, and Yin Family.
Tonight, members of the Eight Great Families were all present.
At the banquet, there were many young men and women. Everyone was aware of the significance of tonight’s event: it was a selection of a rightful wife for the future monarch.
Gu Jin looked at the beaming smiles and engaging conversations around her, sinking into the sofa in the corner, uninterested in anything.
Linda stood behind her, her expression wary as she observed those around her.
She sensed many powerful beings at the banquet, different from her Dark Ability; they were Eastern Cultivators.
Though Linda was an outstanding female attendant of the Darwin Family, she wasn’t confident she could escape unscathed if faced with an attack from so many strong people.
Suddenly, two tall and handsome young men approached.
The two walked side by side, their target was Gu Jin.
Linda coldly regarded the two, quietly lowering her gaze, not stopping them from approaching.
Because these two were the matriarch’s disciples.
The main character tonight, the senior disciple Yu Shuo, and the second disciple, the young master of the Jiang Family, Jiang Hanyi.
“Master!”
“Master!”
Yu Shuo and Jiang Hanyi came over and sat next to Gu Jin.
Gu Jin nodded slightly at the two, her face listless.
Yu Shuo placed the champagne he was holding on the table, seeing Gu Jin like this, he knew full well why she was like this.
An Mingji had been missing for over half a month, with no news at all.
As observers, they saw it all clearly.
Over the past year, Gu Jin and An Mingji had grown closer, their behavior and interactions had become noticeably more intimate.