Originally, ever since Ding Quan's incident, the Ding Family parents have been secretly complaining, spreading lies, saying that the people in Gu Junming's family went too far, using Gu Junming's status as a soldier to bully others, which forced Ding Quan to take desperate measures.

Moreover, the children in the village mocked Ding Kang, saying his father didn't do honest work and sold his child or something, that there was no good in being jailed. So his child must be the same, some even threw stones at him.

Wang Shufen felt she couldn't stay any longer. Several times she saw her son with the village children, rushed over to defend him, only to be bumped by the other parents, resulting in constant arguments between both sides. Being a divorced woman, Wang Shufen had always been talked about, coupled with her kindness, she couldn't argue well with others. Returning home, she fell seriously ill.

The elderly of the Wang Family also didn't want the child to continue being bullied, so they decided to call Gu Junming. They asked Wang Shufen to go seek refuge with Sun Chan earlier. Gu Junming thought it was a good opportunity to help Sun Chan, so he invited Wang Shufen over.

Sun Chan nodded: "No problem. But can she manage? Actually, I was thinking of having her look after the fruit stall first. After all, she's from a village, not very willing to speak. It took me a long time to push myself to dare to speak." She felt Wang Shufen wasn't a very talkative person.

"Don't worry. My eldest sister used to go out to the market in the village, selling some insoles and vegetables, or something. It's counted as selling. You just tell her the lowest price, and she can just watch over the sales. Then you can pay her a little salary every day, and when the busy time's over, take her back to X City."

Sun Chan nodded: "Alright. I'll also try to come back earlier."

The two chatted while talking, returned to the hostel where Sun Chan lived. Sun Chan freshened up briefly, feeling very exhausted.

But then a problem arose.

Gu Junming asked around, and there were no empty rooms here. Going to another hotel was too far, and Sun Chan was reluctant to let him leave.

"Do you... want to sleep here? We can squeeze a bit." She felt a bit embarrassed.

Gu Junming smiled: "Alright, let's sleep here then. It's okay, no one knows us here. No need to worry about gossip. Don't be nervous."

Sun Chan bit her lip, blushing, remembering the troubles caused by Yang Yun's comments before, feeling a bit scared. But she didn't want Gu Junming to leave like that either.

He touched Sun Chan's cheek: "Don't worry, I won't touch you."

"No, I'm not worried about that..."

Gu Junming smiled: "Sleep. I don't care about these things." After all, not many people are like Bai Fanglan and Yang Yun.

Sun Chan got into bed first, scooted over to make space for Gu Junming, leaving most of the space for him. She turned her back to him, pretending to be calm. But when Gu Junming got in too, she felt a bit anxious. He leaned against the edge of the bed, the bed legs creaking, then placed a hand on her shoulder, gently patting.

"Alright, sleep."

Sun Chan responded with a hum, hesitated for a moment, then turned and nestled closer to Gu Junming. His scent was pleasant, she sniffed like a little dog.

Gu Junming stiffened all over but then smiled and held her: "Do you like this smell?"

"Mm, I really like it."

"Sleep now." He kissed her hair.

The two hugged each other, quickly falling asleep.

Sun Chan was very tired and slept deeply, while Gu Junming breathed in her gentle girl-like aroma, her hair carrying the scent of blossoms. He felt some fluttering of heart, tightened his grip on her hand but restrained his desire to kiss her, quickly falling asleep.

Sun Chan was used to waking up early. When she woke, Gu Junming's face was right before hers. She couldn't help but move closer to peck his nose.

Gu Junming had already awakened but didn't move, allowing her lips to continue kissing down his nose.

Sun Chan raised her head, seeing his eyes open, awkwardly backed away: "You're awake?"

"Did you kiss me?"

"Mm, don't be mad." Her face turned as red as a baboon's behind.

Gu Junming laughed softly, hugged her closer, pressed his lips against her reddened lips, and they kissed passionately.

After a long, long time, Gu Junming finally released Sun Chan. He suppressed his thought of being with Sun Chan, breathing softly.

Sun Chan's touch encountered his leg, and her face instantly turned red, sitting up at the bed's edge, coughing awkwardly: "I'll go get some water, let's freshen up."

Gu Junming also felt a bit awkward and got up to wash his face.

After tidying up, the two calmed down; they heated up the leftover food from last night with the hostel owner, had a simple meal, then headed to the station to pick up Wang Shufen.

When they arrived, they saw Wang Shufen squatting by the station entrance, wiping her tears, while Ding Kang patted her back soothingly.

They exchanged a look, then walked over.

"What's wrong, big sister?" Gu Junming asked.

Wang Shufen wore a worn purple jacket, its sleeves frayed at the edges, looking very old. Her hair was messily tied, appearing much more haggard compared to before the New Year. Her life didn't seem to be going well. Beside her, she had a red cloth bundle, a rare sight now. Compared with the vibrant and youthful people around, she appeared quite disheveled.

"Big sister, what's wrong?"

Wang Shufen wiped her tears: "It's nothing, don't worry."

Ding Kang said: "My mom met an aunt just now; she called my mom a jinx."

Gu Junming frowned: "Who would chase you here and talk nonsense?"

"Ran into her by chance, just a relative of Ding Quan. It's nothing now."

Ding Kang said: "They called my mom shameless, said she's a jinx! Said whoever she marries, they'll have bad luck, divorced a hundred times..."

"Enough!" Wang Shufen patted her son's head: "Don't talk about it anymore. I've forgotten it." She stood up, smiling at Gu Junming and Sun Chan: "In the village, that's how they curse divorced women. I'm used to it, but felt wronged when I fought with Ding Quan's parents before leaving. Clearly, their son did something illegal, yet I'm the one being cursed."

"Sis, arguing with such unreasonable people isn't worth it. Since they don't make sense over there, don't go back. There are plenty of opportunities in the city; you can live here with Ding Kang."

"Okay, I also want to see if there are opportunities in the city. I'm bringing my son; I hope it's not a bother."

"Sis, don't say that, we're family. I'll help find a boarding school for Ding Kang so he can study there. You just need to focus on earning money." Gu Junming said.