Chapter 214: 213: Identity Exposed
Chapter 214: Chapter 213: Identity Exposed
Yu Zhiming drove, following the GPS directions to a boat-shaped restaurant beside Binhai’s scenic Suhe River.
He followed the light-footed Gu Qingning and took an elevator directly to a VIP private room on the restaurant’s fifth floor.
The private room was very large, at least thirty or forty square meters.
Besides a massive round table that could seat twenty to thirty people, there was also a sizable lounge and reception area.
A dozen or so men and women were sitting there, laughing and chatting.
Walking beside Gu Qingning, Yu Zhiming felt their gazes shoot over, sharp and swift.
“Ah, our family’s Xiaoqi is finally here.”
Following the voice, a handsome and cheerful-looking man who appeared to be around thirty, with a slicked-back hairstyle and a face full of smiles, stood up and walked over to greet them.
The others also rose to their feet, joining him in the welcome.
“This is my third uncle’s son, Cousin He. He’s the fifth-oldest male cousin in our generation.”
Gu Qingning whispered the introduction to Yu Zhiming, then gave Gu Qinghe a sweet smile as he approached.
“Fifth Cousin, hi!”
Gu Qinghe looked Gu Qingning up and down, then chuckled with a TSK. “Xiaoqi, it’s been a while. You’ve gone from a little scamp to a young lady.”
“It’s just like they say, a girl changes completely by the time she’s grown. And you’ve only gotten more beautiful—so much so that I almost don’t recognize you.”
Gu Qingning lifted her chin slightly and said, “Fifth Cousin, we haven’t seen each other in a year or two. That’s not a short time.”
“Hey, Fifth Cousin, you still haven’t given me the gift you brought back from overseas.”
Gu Qinghe smiled faintly. “Xiaoqi, I remember it very clearly. We haven’t seen each other for one year and eight months.”
“I’ve been busy ever since I got back. I only just recently freed up some time, so I called everyone who’s in Binhai to get together.”
“As for your gift, I gave it to your father. Haven’t you been home at all recently?”
Gu Qingning gave a guilty smile and quickly changed the subject, gesturing to Yu Zhiming beside her.
“And this, Fifth Cousin… do I even need to introduce him?”
“No need, no need!”
Gu Qinghe looked at Yu Zhiming and extended his hand. “The genius doctor from Huashan Hospital, the ’Human CT Scanner’ whose hands can distinguish sickness from health, determine good fortune from bad, and know life from death—Dr. Yu.”
He held onto Yu Zhiming’s hand without letting go and introduced himself, “Dr. Yu, I’m Gu Qinghe, Xiaoqi Qingning’s fifth cousin. I’m currently just keeping busy at Ning’an Pharmaceutical…”
Faced with the enthusiastic Gu Qinghe, Yu Zhiming couldn’t get a word in edgewise and could only respond with a smile.
After a moment, he finally managed to pull his hand back, only for a pretty girl with large, doll-like eyes to squeeze her way over.
“Dr. Yu, hello, I’m Feng Sisi…”
With lightning speed, Gu Qingning slapped Feng Sisi’s outstretched hand down with a loud SMACK.
“Sisi, no cutting in line!”
Gu Qingning chided her, then introduced her to Yu Zhiming, “This is Feng Sisi, my younger cousin. She’s very mischievous.”
“Zhiming, let me introduce you…”
With Gu Qingning introducing everyone from oldest to youngest, Yu Zhiming met all of her cousins—paternal and maternal, older and younger—along with their girlfriends and boyfriends.
Among them, two of Gu Qingning’s younger female cousins, including Feng Sisi, were still in college and didn’t have boyfriends.
To be honest, all of Gu Qingning’s relatives were quite good-looking, both in terms of height and appearance.
They were at least an eight out of ten, all very easy on the eyes.
Yu Zhiming marveled to himself, ’The Gu Family’s genes are just as outstanding as my Yu Family’s.’
’If excellence were paired with excellence…’
Yu Zhiming glanced at Gu Qingning beside him, then quickly looked away, forcing himself to stop the errant thought.
Yu Zhiming also noticed that the girlfriends and boyfriends of the Gu family members were even more remarkable.
The women were poised and elegant.
The men were not only all handsome, but just hearing their titles, you could tell they were rising stars in their respective fields.
After making a round of greetings, Yu Zhiming sat down in the lounge area, accepted a cup of tea, and started sipping it.
He wasn’t actually thirsty; he just didn’t want to leave his mouth idle, which might force him to talk to others.
Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open again, and two couples walked in together.
Yu Zhiming glanced over and was surprised to see someone he recognized.
It was Qin Jue, the daughter of his teacher Qi Yue’s friend, Qin Mao.
The man beside her was no longer the so-called fund manager from the Italian boutique that day…
After another round of pleasantries and introductions, Yu Zhiming learned that Qin Jue’s new boyfriend was one of Gu Qingning’s cousins.
Seeing Yu Zhiming again, Qin Jue looked a little awkward.
While the others were greeting each other, Qin Jue took a few steps over to Yu Zhiming.
“Dr. Yu, I really didn’t expect to see you here.”
Yu Zhiming grunted in agreement. “Me neither. Binhai really is a small world, it seems.”
Qin Jue said in a low voice, “He and I were also introduced. I’m… very happy with him.”
Yu Zhiming understood what she meant. “Congratulations.”
He then added emphatically, “I’m not one to gossip.”
“Thank you!”
Just then, Qin Jue’s boyfriend walked over and asked, “Ah Jue, you know Dr. Yu?”
Yu Zhiming explained simply, “I’ve examined Miss Qin’s father.”
Qin Jue picked up the conversation, saying with a smile, “My dad is good friends with Dr. Yu’s teacher, Dr. Qi Yue.”
“A while ago, my father’s stomach was bothering him, so he asked Dr. Yu to take a look.”
“Guess what he found?”
“What?”
“Dr. Yu actually found a hairball the size of an egg in my dad’s stomach…”
With the arrival of these two couples, Gu Qinghe ushered everyone to their seats, ready to begin the eat-and-chat portion of the evening.
Yu Zhiming sat down next to Gu Qingning at the large dining table.
He asked softly, “Qingning, you’re a direct descendant of the Gu Family that controls the Ning’an Group, aren’t you?”
Gu Qingning blinked her big, innocent eyes and asked, feigning ignorance, “Zhiming, what makes you think that?”
Yu Zhiming huffed softly. “Gu Qingning, I’m not an idiot. I just couldn’t be bothered to think about it before.”
He quickly pointed to two of the men who had married into the Gu family.
Yu Zhiming lowered his voice. “Our country has always valued well-matched marriages. Just by hearing their backgrounds, you can tell those two have promising futures.”
“And your cousins’ girlfriends? You can smell the ’socialite’ on them from half a mile away.”
“One person like that might be a coincidence, but when every single one of them is like that, it’s not.”
“Most importantly, they dote on you.”
Under the table, Gu Qingning gripped Yu Zhiming’s hand tightly, her expression nervous. “Zhiming, I didn’t mean to lie to you. I just couldn’t reveal my identity at the beginning, and then I had to use one lie after another to cover it up.”
Seeing his somber expression, she quickly added, “But aside from hiding my identity, Zhiming, my heart is completely true to you. There’s absolutely no deception there.”
“You can feel that, can’t you?”
When Gu Qingning saw his cold expression begin to thaw a little, she squeezed his hand again.
“Zhiming, now isn’t the right time. After the party’s over, I’ll explain everything in detail, okay?”
Just then, Gu Qinghe’s voice drifted over. “Xiaoqi, does Dr. Yu have any dietary restrictions?”
Only then did Yu Zhiming notice that everyone else at the table was looking at him and Gu Qingning.
He decided to give Gu Qingning some face for now and settle this with her properly when they got back.
Yu Zhiming forced a smile and was about to give a polite reply when Gu Qingning cut in.
“Fifth Cousin, Zhiming doesn’t eat anything too spicy, and he doesn’t like sweet dishes either, unless it’s dessert.”
“Also, he doesn’t eat raw foods like drunken shrimp, drunken crab, or sashimi.”
Feng Sisi chimed in, “Cousin Qingning, this restaurant is famous for its drunken crab and sashimi.”
“We can’t all miss out just because Dr. Yu won’t eat it, can we?”
Yu Zhiming spoke up, “I have pretty average tastes, I’m not as picky as Qingning makes it sound. Please, order whatever you like.”
“The only reason I don’t eat things like drunken shrimp, drunken crab, or sashimi is because I worry they might not be prepared hygienically.”
“A high-class restaurant like this is surely up to standard when it comes to hygiene, so I can have a few bites.”
Gu Qinghe chuckled softly. “It’s always better to be careful about hygiene. We can’t just stake our safety on the restaurant owner’s conscience!”
“I’ve heard people say their all-fish banquet is one of their specialties, and it’s quite good.”
“This time, instead of ordering à la carte, why don’t we try their all-fish banquet?”
Just as everyone was agreeing, Feng Sisi spoke up again. “Cousin He, can I order the lobster sashimi and tuna sashimi separately?”
Gu Qinghe nodded with a smile. “Of course!”
He looked at the others and said, “If there’s anything else you want to eat, feel free to order it separately.”
“With so many of us, we don’t have to worry about ordering too much and wasting it.”
Gu Qinghe then looked at Gu Qingning and asked, “Xiaoqi, I know you like crab roe tofu. Should I order a serving for you?”
Gu Qingning nodded and added, “If they have crab roe dumplings, I’ll have a serving of those too.”
Gu Qinghe glanced at the waiter standing nearby.
The waiter quickly replied, “Crab roe dumplings are a relatively common dish. Even though they’re not on the menu, we can make them fresh for you, no problem.”
Gu Qinghe asked once more, and seeing that no one else wanted to order anything separately, he told the waiter to go and get the order started…
Not long after, a woman who looked like a manager walked quickly into the private room, a worried look on her face.
She took a few steps to Yu Zhiming’s side and leaned in to whisper.
“Honored guest, hello!”
“I’m the restaurant manager, Ni Qin. Excuse me, are you Dr. Yu Zhiming from Huashan Hospital?”
Yu Zhiming nodded. “Is something wrong?”
Ni Qin said anxiously, “Dr. Yu, a guest in another private room has suddenly fallen ill.”
“Could I possibly ask you to come take a look?”
Hearing this, Yu Zhiming stood up.
“Lead the way!”
Yu Zhiming hurriedly followed Ni Qin out, with Gu Qingning and Gu Qinghe also quickly following behind.
The private room with the guest in distress was on the floor above.
Following behind Yu Zhiming, Gu Qingning jogged into the upstairs private room and saw several all-too-familiar faces.
She groaned inwardly.
’I haven’t even solved the first problem, and now you all have to cause trouble at a time like this?’