The landlord's kitchen was fully equipped, with everything from an electric steamer and oven to a dishwasher.
After the meal, all the pots and dishes were placed into the dishwasher.
To Shen Mianyin's surprise, Gu Huaizhi showed no intention of leaving.
She watched as he sat down on the sofa, phone in hand, looking at something she couldn't make out.
Although Shen Mianyin was genuinely grateful to Gu Huaizhi and was trying her best to get used to the idea of treating him as a friend, his casual lingering still caught her off guard.
But if she had to sit idly and stare awkwardly at Gu Huaizhi, Shen Mianyin couldn’t help feeling nervous.
Forcing herself to walk into the living room, she struggled to think of something to say to him. Just then, Gu Huaizhi received a phone call.
"Right now? Why are you here all of a sudden?" Gu Huaizhi’s voice was filled with surprise.
Shen Mianyin had never heard such a startled tone from him before.
"I see. I'll come down to meet you," Gu Huaizhi said as he ended the call. Turning to Shen Mianyin, he explained, "My mother has suddenly arrived. I need to go down and get her."
"Oh, alright," Shen Mianyin quickly nodded. No wonder Gu Huaizhi's tone was so respectful.
After seeing him out the door, Shen Mianyin closed it behind him.
When she turned around, she noticed the pair of slippers Gu Huaizhi had worn earlier still sitting by her shoe cabinet—he hadn't taken them with him.
Shen Mianyin thought she would find a chance to return the slippers to Gu Huaizhi later, so she put them into the shoe cabinet for now.
With nothing else to do at home, she decided to change into her outing clothes and take a stroll downstairs to familiarize herself with the neighborhood and the surroundings.
Given her current physical condition, she had no trouble walking leisurely.
After getting acquainted with the area around the community, she took her time walking back to the building.
Just as Madam Gu had stepped out of the building where Gu Huaizhi lived and walked a few steps, she happened to run into Shen Mianyin coming from the opposite direction.
Madam Gu squinted her eyes, and the more she looked at Shen Mianyin, the more familiar she seemed. Taking a closer look, her eyes widened in shock.
"!!"
Wasn't this the photo Old Zhou had sent her, the one of Gu Huaizhi's girlfriend? She had asked several of Gu Huaizhi's friends, and each of them claimed to know nothing about him having a girlfriend.
She had asked Gu Huaizhi about it, but the boy refused to admit anything.
So, today, she had decided to come directly to his place. If he were in a relationship, there would definitely be some trace of it at home.
But to her surprise, his place was spotless—there wasn’t a single sign of it. Just as Madam Gu was beginning to think she would return empty-handed today, she unexpectedly ran into Shen Mianyin!
"Hmph! That boy said he doesn't have a girlfriend, and now here she is, coming to his place!" Madam Gu thought, her eyes narrowing.
Shen Mianyin felt a chill run down her spine as the elderly woman approached her.
Suddenly, Madam Gu seemed to have an idea. She took a step forward, looking around with a confused expression, muttering, "Oh no, where am I?"
Shen Mianyin blinked in surprise. "…"
"Miss!" Madam Gu looked at Shen Mianyin with pitiful eyes. "I can't find my way home."
As she spoke, Madam Gu reached out her hand toward Shen Mianyin. Shen Mianyin quickly stepped back, avoiding the elderly woman's grasp.
"!!" Madam Gu stared in surprise.
Shen Mianyin, now on high alert, said warily, "Well, with all these cases of human trafficking going around, maybe we should keep some distance from each other for safety."
Madam Gu was left speechless.
The young girl was quite cautious for someone so young.
"Miss, I’m not a bad person," Madam Gu said, "I just can’t find my way home. Where is this? I suddenly can’t remember anything."
Shen Mianyin was at a loss for words.
Before she could say anything, Madam Gu revealed her true intentions. "Miss, would you mind taking me home? I’m tired, thirsty, and hungry."
Shen Mianyin thought to herself, '…Sure, it looks like this is a scam. She must be trying to scout out my home!'.
Noticing how well-dressed the elderly woman was, she guessed that this was likely an attempt to gain people's trust through her appearance.
"You can’t find your way home, but do you have any identification or proof left by your family?" Shen Mianyin asked. From Madam Gu’s reaction, it seemed like she was pretending to have Alzheimer's.
Elderly people with conditions like that usually have notes or some form of identification prepared by their families, so strangers can contact their relatives if needed.
"I don't remember..." Madam Gu shook her head, looking utterly confused.
"Then I'll call the police to come get you," Shen Mianyin said, observing her closely. If she was a scammer, she should panic at the mention of the police, right?
Shen Mianyin found it odd—Lijing Garden was very tightly managed, so how did this elderly woman manage to get in here?
"Huh?" Madam Gu looked stunned. "No need for that."
"I think you might have Alzheimer's, and there’s no contact information for your family on you. Without the police, how else can we get in touch with your family?" Shen Mianyin said.
"But I just want to rest for a bit," Madam Gu replied.
"Please don't blame me," Shen Mianyin said, "In this society, there are too many bad people. A lot of them don't look like bad people at all."
Madam Gu was speechless. *Who are you calling a bad person?*
"Besides, if something were to happen to you at my place, I wouldn’t be able to explain it," Shen Mianyin continued, without hesitation, immediately dialing the police.
To Shen Mianyin's surprise, the elderly woman didn’t try to run away. So, she said, "I’ll stay with you while we wait for the police. If you’re tired, we can sit on a bench and rest."
Madam Gu was silent for a moment, but then, not giving up, she said, "Hey, I’m really thirsty and hungry."
Shen Mianyin called the property manager again.
"Hello, I’ve encountered a lost elderly person in the community," she said.
"She can’t remember anything and keeps saying she’s thirsty and hungry. Could you bring some water and food over? Also, could you check the surveillance footage to see who she came with? Maybe we can find her family."
Madam Gu’s eyes widened in shock. "!!!"
It was a careless move—checking the surveillance would surely expose her.
About ten minutes later, the property manager arrived in a hurry, bringing water and biscuits to give the elderly woman something to eat. But when he saw her, he fell silent.
'This is Madam Gu, the matriarch of the Gu family, isn’t it?' he thought.
Since all visitors were supposed to be confirmed by the residents before entering, the manager was now realizing the situation.
So, from the property management to the security guards, everyone knew Madam Gu.
However, no one had heard that she had Alzheimer's or anything like it.
Madam Gu quickly rushed over to take the water and biscuits, and discreetly gave the manager a wink, hoping he would understand and not expose her.
The manager stood there, bewildered. What are you wealthy people up to now?
Not long after the manager arrived, the police also showed up.
The manager successfully received Madam Gu’s signal. Seeing that Shen Mianyin was about to follow, he turned to her and said, "Miss Shen, our property will assist the police in helping this elderly lady find her family. Don’t worry, we will let you know the outcome once we have it."
Madam Gu watched Shen Mianyin nervously, silently praying that she wouldn’t follow them.
Shen Mianyin was determined to have the property manager check the surveillance footage.
If they didn’t, it would raise suspicions. But once the footage was checked, Madam Gu would be exposed!
She had let her guard down—this girl wasn’t easy to fool.
Shen Mianyin glanced at Madam Gu, who quickly put on a grateful expression and said, "Thank you so much, young lady."
"You're welcome. I'm just glad I could help," Shen Mianyin replied, then turned to the property manager and said, "I’ll leave it to you then."
"Leave it to us, Miss Shen. You can rest assured," the manager quickly assured her.
As Shen Mianyin turned to head back, she happened to see Gu Huaizhi walking out. She waved and called out, "Gu Huaizhi!"
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