Things are just that absurd.
An Junxi didn't know how she got through it. She found Gong Tianfan and questioned him, "Senior, He Mengya said she's pregnant with your child. Tell me it's not true."
Gong Tianfan suddenly knelt in front of her, shedding manly tears for the first time, "Xiao Jun, it's me who wronged you..."
An Junxi felt so hurt she could hardly breathe. It took her a long time to wipe away her tears, and she laughed mockingly, "What's the point of apologizing to me? I'm nobody to you. Go find her."
Gong Tianfan and He Mengya quickly got married, only to find out later that He Mengya's pregnancy was a lie.
But their affair was undeniably real.
An Junxi wandered outside for several months before returning to school. Gong Xiaoyu told her, "Jun Xi, He Mengya was never pregnant; she lied to all of us!"
An Junxi had already become indifferent to anger, and she said lifelessly, "So what, they're already married. Even if they hadn't married, we would have no chance."
Gong Xiaoyu knew An Junxi couldn't tolerate deceit and stopped speaking up for her brother.
An Junxi occasionally thought in the stillness of the night, perhaps this was fate's arrangement. They had known each other for so long; if either had taken the initiative, they would have been together.
But unfortunately, they still missed each other.
This relationship ended before it even started, but it still caused deep trauma to An Junxi.
Since then, she stopped talking about relationships, focusing solely on studying and working. The Gong Family also stopped visiting.
Now, hearing from her senior about her uncle and aunt's situation, An Junxi felt sorrow for the elderly couple. They were so good; if they could meet a dutiful daughter-in-law, the family would be harmonious.
An Junxi shook her head and stopped thinking about these matters. No matter what, things couldn't be changed.
She talked to Gong Xiaoyu about work arrangements, hoping her senior could shift focus and not dwell on family troubles.
Gradually, Gong Xiaoyu got into the work rhythm set by An Junxi, and An Junxi felt somewhat relieved.
When resting, An Junxi took Gong Xiaoyu to the suburbs for a photo shoot to relax.
Gong Xiaoyu felt much better. While driving, she occasionally glanced at An Junxi fiddling with the camera in the passenger seat and pouted, "You said you were taking me to relax, but actually, I'm just your driver and model."
An Junxi grinned, "Boss sees through everything."
Gong Xiaoyu helplessly said, "Then you better take great shots of me; I'll use them to charm some handsome guys."
An Junxi glanced at her, "Oh, Gong the beauty still needs to charm some handsome guys? The ones presenting themselves are already endless!"
And it's true, since university, Gong Xiaoyu never lacked admirers, unlike the much quieter An Junxi.
Gong Xiaoyu scanned An Junxi, saying, "My good junior, you're not bad-looking either, just... dressed too plainly."
An Junxi shrugged, "There are new styles every season; how can I keep up? As long as it's wearable." Her savings were still a bit short of a down payment!
An Junxi set the goal of buying a house before graduating, wanting to put roots down in this city.
She was used to being frugal, only purchasing a few decent professional outfits because her senior insisted that meeting clients in the marketing department shouldn't look shabby. Last time, Gu Jinxiu ruined one of her outfits, and she still felt heartache; thankfully, his father gave her ten thousand.
An Junxi cashed that check and deposited it into her account.
With just that bit of money, she couldn't afford investment risks and had to honestly save for the down payment. As long as she had her own house, all the exhaustion would be worth it.
To An Junxi, the security that a little home provides can make up for all other shortcomings.
The car parked in the wetland park parking lot, and they strolled slowly through the park.
Autumn was approaching, leaves occasionally drifting down the long parkway; red, yellow leaves, white flowers, and vibrant colors stood out stunningly under the lens.
An Junxi felt every corner was a landscape.
Gong Xiaoyu happened to be wearing a white T-shirt matched with a red pleated skirt, paired with autumn shoes that exposed her delicate ankles, presenting a perfect college style image.
An Junxi felt energized, directing Gong Xiaoyu to pose as the camera clicked away, admiringly saying after each shot, "Gorgeous! Stunning!"
Gong Xiaoyu admired the focused An Junxi, who looked dazzlingly beautiful at that moment.
As long as she held the camera, she seemed like a sprite filled with energy.
An Junxi had great talent for photography. If family circumstances allowed, she might already be an outstanding photographer.
Everyone knows photography is costly; An Junxi couldn't afford expensive cameras and other equipment, so she treated photography merely as a hobby.
Even so, she was pretty satisfied.
The two girls left footprints in every corner of the park, reluctantly leaving only when night fell.
An Junxi said, "Once I sort out the photos, I'll send them to you. Just letting you know, I'll pick a few to post on Weibo and Moments. Having you as my model might help me get more clients!"
Gong Xiaoyu said, "Go ahead, post them. Just fine by me. I also want to get famous, maybe even become an ambassador for Si Yuan; wouldn't that be perfect?"
An Junxi gave her a thumbs-up, "Boss is always boss, always thinking about the company."
Gong Xiaoyu laughed and said, "Of course, Si Yuan is my heart and soul!"
An Junxi found it surprising that although Gong Xiaoyu and Gong Tianfan were fraternal twins, their personalities differed vastly. Gong Xiaoyu was bold and adventurous, willing to try anything, thriving in business, while Gong Tianfan was introverted and liked tranquility, focusing on academic pursuits, fitting well as a university secretary. The siblings each had their own busy lives but still had many topics to discuss in life.
An Junxi envied such sibling relations.
After returning to her apartment, An Junxi organized the photos easily since the model was good, leaving little to worry about in post-processing. She selected the most satisfying shots and posted them on Weibo and Moments. Soon she received many likes and comments, praising the model's beauty and several messages wanting to schedule photo sessions.
An Junxi replied to each message, satisfied with booking several shoots.
That night, she received a call from Gu Jinxiu. Ever since Gu Jinxiu first called her, he had made An Junxi his exclusive confidant, calling her almost every night to talk, sometimes about school events but mostly about his father.
An Junxi couldn't bear to refuse the genuine calls from the young handsome guy and forced herself to listen to President Gu's trivial life matters.