Chapter 207: Gu Zhiyu’s Background

An Nan was taken aback and turned to look at Gu Zhiyu, who was carefully wrapping meat in perilla leaves.

Gu Zhiyu seemed not to have heard the little girl’s words. He continued meticulously with what he was doing, and after finishing the wrap, he slowly placed it into An Nan’s bowl.

Chu Peipei felt a bit awkward.

The child was young and didn’t know any better, but as an adult, she understood. Gu Zhiyu was the president of a major corporation, not some daycare worker. If it weren’t for Nannan, they wouldn’t even have had the chance to sit down for a meal together. It was already a stretch for President Gu to humble himself and grill meat for them—how could anyone expect him to look after a child?

But Chu Xiaoguai was timid by nature, and it had taken a lot for her to relax even this much. Chu Peipei couldn’t bear to scold her.

So she gently redirected, “Silly child, you got the title wrong. That’s your aunt’s boyfriend—you should call him ‘Uncle’.”

The little girl tilted her head and blinked. “Uncle?”

Gu Zhiyu glanced at her.

Chu Peipei corrected her, “Not just ‘Uncle’, it’s ‘Aunt’s husband’—‘Uncle’.”

After thinking about it, she realized the title might be a bit of a mouthful, so she added, “Or you can just call him ‘uncle’.”

Chu Xiaoguai pointed at Gu Zhiyu, pouting, “But he’s a big brother.”

Chu Peipei was at a loss for words, unsure how to explain.

Hu Cui Lan chimed in, “Kids don’t understand all this about seniority. They see Xiao Gu is young and handsome, so of course, they think of him as a big brother.”

An Nan laughed, “Let her call whoever whatever she wants. I’d rather she call me ‘big sister’ too. ‘Aunt’ sounds so old.”

Chu Peipei frowned, “That’s just chaos! You still call me ‘big sister’!”

An Nan replied, “I’m her big sister, you’re my big sister, we each have our own titles.”

While the adults chatted, Chu Xiaoguai kept her eyes fixed on Gu Zhiyu.

“Mama, can I sit next to that big brother?”

The group fell silent.

Chu Peipei frowned and spoke a bit more sternly, “You’re sitting just fine here. Why do you need to change seats?”

The little girl seemed startled by her seriousness, shrinking her neck and looking a bit scared.

Seeing the child about to cry, An Nan quickly said, “It’s fine, a seat is just a seat. Let Xiaoguai come sit by me.”

She was about to get up and swap places with the child, but Gu Zhiyu reached out with his chopsticks and placed two pieces of meat into her bowl.

Chu Peipei saw this and immediately understood.

She quickly stopped An Nan, “Nannan, no need to switch.”

An Nan glanced at Gu Zhiyu, then quietly sat back down.

She joked, “This kid is just like our Fugui—can’t take her eyes off a handsome guy.”

Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an immediately remembered the first time they met Gu Zhiyu, when Fugui had dashed straight onto his boat, and they all burst out laughing.

Gu Zhiyu also smiled and glanced at the dog.

Hearing its name, Fugui scooted closer.

But this time, it didn’t stick to Gu Zhiyu or An Nan. Instead, it kept its eyes on Xiaoguai, who was sitting next to Chu Peipei.

An Nan noticed the unusual behavior, patted its head soothingly, and took a closer look at the little girl.

Suddenly, she realized that the child’s gaze was different from the dog’s.

While both kids and animals can be superficial, the dog’s gaze was openly adoring.

But the little girl’s stare, though just as direct, wasn’t as straightforward. An Nan looked a couple more times but couldn’t quite figure out what was in her eyes.

She had originally wanted to urge the silent Gu Zhiyu to pay some attention to the child, but now, for some reason, she decided to keep quiet.

Zhao Ping’an tried to lighten the mood, “I’m hurt! I’m a handsome guy too—why doesn’t Xiaoguai want to play with me?”

Hu Cui Lan rolled her eyes at him, “With Xiao Gu sitting right there, you still have the nerve to call yourself handsome?”

An Nan laughed, “Don’t say that. Zhao Ping’an is quite the looker too.”

Gu Zhiyu, sitting beside her, placed some spicy squid into her bowl.

Zhao Ping’an glanced at his mother, “See? Even my idol admits I’m handsome.”

Hu Cui Lan retorted, “She’s just being polite.”

An Nan looked at the sulking Zhao Ping’an, “You really are handsome—I wouldn’t lie.”

Gu Zhiyu added another helping of spicy squid to her bowl.

An Nan looked at the growing pile of spicy squid in her bowl and raised an eyebrow at him, “That’s enough.”

Gu Zhiyu finally stopped, “Eat more.”

The conversation drifted further and further. The little girl didn’t speak again or go play with Fugui and Laifu. She just sat quietly in her chair.

She’d only shown any surprise at the three pets when she first entered the room. After that, she seemed neither interested in nor afraid of them.

Zhao Ping’an glanced at her and said, “Peipei, Xiaoguai is really calm.”

Chu Peipei nodded, “She’s a bit timid, but she’s never naughty or troublesome.”

Hu Cui Lan noticed that Gu Zhiyu had barely spoken and asked, “Xiao Gu, do you have any family?”

An Nan, who was roasting potatoes nearby, perked up her ears to listen.

She had gotten together with Gu Zhiyu almost by accident and had never really asked about his background. All she knew was that the first time she rode in his car, he’d mentioned his father had died young.

Gu Zhiyu replied, “I don’t have any close relatives. I grew up in an orphanage.”

No one had expected that answer.

Zhao Ping’an’s eyes widened, “Brother Gu, you’re an orphan?”

Gu Zhiyu placed a piece of lamb in An Nan’s bowl and said calmly, “Not exactly. My mother is still alive, but she disappeared. My father died in a car accident when I was seven. After that, I was sent to the orphanage.”

An Nan had always thought he was a privileged child from a wealthy family. She never imagined his background was so difficult.

She reached out and placed her hand on Gu Zhiyu’s leg, giving it a gentle pat.

Gu Zhiyu took her hand in his left, “It was all a long time ago.”

Chu Peipei sighed, “So you built Gu Group from scratch by yourself?”

Such a huge company, built from nothing? And he’s not even thirty yet!

Gu Zhiyu shook his head, “No. Gu Group was my grandfather’s business.”

Zhao Ping’an was surprised, “You had a grandfather? Then how did you end up in an orphanage?”

Gu Zhiyu replied, “My father was abducted as a child. My grandfather didn’t find me until I was seventeen.”

An Nan hesitated, “Then your grandfather…”

Gu Zhiyu pressed his lips together, “He passed away in my third year back.”

An Nan looked at Gu Zhiyu, feeling a pang of sympathy.

He lost his parents at seven, grew up alone in an orphanage, and just when he finally reunited with his grandfather, he only got to enjoy three years of family before being left alone again.

When the old man passed, Gu Zhiyu was only twenty. Taking over Gu Group must have been incredibly tough.

Yet he managed to run the company so well.

An Nan couldn’t help but stare at him in a daze.

The more she learned about him, the more she realized just how many strengths he had."