The Slacker Stepmother and the Non-Domineering CEO

One day, Nian Suian suddenly noticed that her room was filled with items that didn’t belong to her.

Gu Junxing’s pajamas, Gu Junxing’s slippers, Gu Junxing’s phone and laptop chargers.

In the bathroom, there were his toiletries and razor. At some point, he had started walking into her room every night as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Nian Suian quietly watched as he gradually moved his belongings into her room, like he was relocating.

By the time she realized it, Gu Junxing hadn’t slept in his own room for a long time.

The direct consequence of this was that she started waking up later and later in the morning, changing her bedsheets more frequently, and Nanny Zhang was practically force-feeding her tonic soups every day.

One evening, while scrolling through short videos, Nian Suian deliberately played one loudly on repeat.

**[Attention—excessive indulgence can lead to declining health and reduced sexual function in men!]**

“Suian, are you worried about the future?”

Nian Suian was completely defeated by his shamelessness. “Which part of this makes you think I’m worried about you?!”

Gu Junxing squeezed her hand. “I’ll be more careful in the future—slow and steady.”

A perfectly normal phrase, but when Gu Junxing said it, it sounded incredibly suggestive.

Suddenly, the tension in the air was interrupted by a phone call.

It was a work call from overseas. Gu Junxing got up and went to his study, leaving Nian Suian feeling relieved. It seemed she could finally get a good night’s sleep.

Truthfully, Gu Junxing had never forced her in this matter, nor was he pushy. It was just that she couldn’t resist him, always too easily tempted!

While Gu Junxing was out handling work, Nian Suian opened her music app, listened to the *Great Compassion Mantra* twice, and forced herself to close her eyes and sleep.

That evening, as Gu Junxing came out of his study, Gu Zhijing happened to be returning home and heading upstairs.

Gu Junxing glanced at his phone and asked his son, “Have you been coming home later recently? What are you doing after school?”

Gu Zhijing hadn’t expected his dad to suddenly care about what time he got home. He thought it, so he said it. After all, the family’s financial power was already in the hands of his stepmom, so Gu Zhijing felt like he was an invincible warrior in front of his dad now!

“Wow, you’ve been so blissfully happy lately, and you still have time to care about me?”

Gu Zhijing thought his dad could only be described as radiant with joy.

“Stop being sarcastic. What are you doing after school?” Gu Zhijing’s evening self-study sessions were always followed by the family driver picking him up, but recently, he had been coming out half an hour later than usual.

The driver would definitely report this to Gu Junxing, but since the driver only waited at the gate, he didn’t know what Gu Zhijing was doing inside the school. Besides, the driver had noticed that the school’s self-study hours hadn’t been extended.

At first, Gu Junxing suspected his son might be dating someone, spending time with a girlfriend after school. But seeing that his son was as clueless as ever and showed no signs of change, he dismissed the idea.

It couldn’t be that he was studying, could it?

“The cafeteria opened a new late-night snack window. The rice noodles are really good, so I’ve been eating there before heading home.”

Gu Junxing knew it couldn’t be studying…

“Take it easy. No wonder you’ve been gaining weight recently,” Gu Junxing remarked casually before heading into his room, leaving Gu Zhijing standing there, stunned.

The vain kid was suddenly struck with “body image anxiety.” That night, while showering, he inspected himself from every angle and even ordered a scale online.

When Gu Junxing returned to the room, Nian Suian was already asleep. At first, she had been forcing herself to sleep, but after a while, she actually drifted off. Maybe it was the *Great Compassion Mantra* working its magic.

Gu Junxing tucked her in and then quietly lay down on the other side of the bed.

The next day, Gu Zhijing refused to go to the cafeteria for rice noodles anymore. It turned out that Chu Mingyan had been the one to start the trend.

One of Xu Yuan’s friends, whose parents were always busy, had been eating late-night snacks at the cafeteria before heading home, dragging Xu Yuan along with her.

Chu Mingyan, in an effort to spend an extra half hour with his crush, had also started going to the cafeteria every night. But he was too shy to go alone, so he roped in the other three for moral support.

“You can go eat by yourself. I’ve been eating cafeteria snacks every night, and I’ve gained weight.”

Gu Zhijing touched his face, feeling like his jawline wasn’t as sharp as it used to be!

“Really? Let me see.” Qu Zizhou turned Gu Zhijing’s face left and right, up and down, before concluding, “Yeah, it does look a little rounder.”

“Check if I’ve gained weight too!”

Good friends never miss a chance to tease each other. “You’re already ugly, so it doesn’t matter if you’re fat or not.”

“Screw you!”

Qi Anlu watched their banter with a smile, then turned to Chu Mingyan. “We should focus on studying now. Look at Xu Yuan—she’s such a good student. You should work harder too. Other things can wait until you get into the same university as her.”

Compared to Qi Anlu’s gentle advice, Gu Zhijing and Qu Zizhou were far less polite. After teasing each other, they started ganging up on Chu Mingyan.

“Spending an extra half hour in the cafeteria every day won’t make her fall in love with you.”

“Exactly. The one more likely to fall for you is Sister Li, who sells the rice noodles.”

“Or maybe it’s Grandpa Sun, the cafeteria security guard. Hey, hey—no need to get physical!”

Qi Anlu shook his head as the three of them started roughhousing again. It seemed his advice about studying had gone in one ear and out the other.

As midterms approached, Gu Zhijing started feeling the pressure.

The reason was simple: after the midterms in mid-April, his birthday was in May. If his grades slipped this time, he wouldn’t even dare to make a birthday wish.

During the last final exams, Gu Zhijing had made it into the top five in his class, which was pretty much his limit. The top few students were practically untouchable. This time, he just hoped not to fall behind.

Suddenly, two of the four friends started studying seriously, and the other two felt too embarrassed not to follow suit. Plus, Qi Anlu’s words had struck a chord with Chu Mingyan.

Gu Zhijing told the driver to pick him up forty minutes later than usual, but this time, it wasn’t for the cafeteria—it was to stay in the classroom and study.

Two days before the midterms, the four of them walked out of the classroom together. As they reached the school gate, Chu Mingyan’s eyes lit up.

The reason? Xu Yuan was standing there too.

As Gu Zhijing put it, if Chu Mingyan had a tail, it would be spinning like a helicopter rotor the moment he saw Xu Yuan.

“Xu Yuan! Why are you still here so late?”

Thanks to their partnership during the sports meet and being classmates for so long, Xu Yuan was no longer as distant with Chu Mingyan. She answered, “I’m waiting for my family’s driver.”

“It’s ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍not safe for you to wait here alone. Take my family’s car—it’s on the way!”

Hearing this, the other three closed their eyes, unable to bear the cringe.

She hadn’t even said where she lived, and he was already claiming it was on the way. At this rate, he’d probably say Siberia and the Sahara were on the same route.

Besides, the security guard was right there—what was unsafe about it?

Xu Yuan laughed. “I haven’t even told you where I live. How do you know it’s on the way? My driver will probably be here soon.”

“Beep—”

Before Chu Mingyan could say more, a car horn interrupted him, and the headlights shone directly on him, making him the center of attention in the night.

“Uncle! Why are you here today?”

Xu Licheng got out of the car, took Xu Yuan’s bag, and then glared at Chu Mingyan. “Good thing I came.”

This kid again—he’d seen him way too many times!!!

Then, turning to his niece, his expression softened. “The driver had an emergency at home and took some time off. I’ll be picking you up for the next few days.”

Xu Yuan replied casually, “I can go home by myself. You’re busy with work—you don’t have to come.”

“Nonsense. No matter how busy I am, I’ll come pick you up.” He shot another warning glance at Chu Mingyan.

Xu Yuan didn’t notice her uncle’s look and waved goodbye to Chu Mingyan and the others.

"I'll head off first. You should all go home early too."

Chu Mingyan instinctively started to smile in response, but upon seeing Xu Licheng's expression, he held back.

Not long after, Xu Licheng's car sped off into the distance, leaving a trail of dust behind. The three people who had been standing behind stepped forward and patted Chu Mingyan's shoulder—words were unnecessary, as everything was understood between them.