The car drove smoothly out of the garage, merged into the traffic, and eventually entered the underground parking lot of a luxury apartment building in the city center.
For the past five years, she had been living in this apartment that Gu Huaizhi had given her.
The elevator went straight to the top floor.
The apartment was spacious, with an excellent view overlooking the entire city’s nightscape.
Its interior was decorated in a luxurious yet minimalist modern style, with black, white, and gray as the dominant colors.
Wen Yu kicked off her high heels and walked barefoot toward the dining area. She took a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and gulped down several mouthfuls.
She glanced at the trash can beside her. Inside was a clean, new trash bag. The mess from last night had already disappeared without a trace.
She walked into the study and took an ordinary paper calendar from the drawer. On today’s date, she drew an X.
There were only thirty days left before her contractual relationship with him came to an end.
Five years ago, she had just graduated from college, still young and inexperienced. Her father’s business had failed, and he had committed suicide by jumping from a building, leaving behind a mountain of debt.
Her mother had been seriously ill and urgently needed surgery. With nowhere else to turn, she had approached Gu Huaizhi, a man she had met only once.
She had offered herself in exchange for ten million yuan.
He had agreed, finding her to his liking.
But they had established three rules: no going public, no falling in love, and no interfering in each other’s lives.
For the past five years, she had been his most capable assistant at work and his most obedient lover at night.
He remained calm and self-controlled, while she stayed sober-minded even as she willingly sank deeper, doing her best to play her role.
She had been waiting for the contract to expire so she could take her mother and leave, completely escaping this gilded cage and starting a life that truly belonged to her.
She had thought that day was still far away.
She never expected that, in the blink of an eye, there would be less than thirty days left.
Wen Yu took a deep breath and put the calendar back into the drawer.
She reminded herself to stay clear-headed. She must not entertain fantasies she had no right to have. She had to remember her place.
That night, Gu Huaizhi did not come over.
The next morning, Wen Yu woke up precisely on schedule, as usual.
She got out of bed, washed up, and put on her makeup.
Looking at the woman in the mirror, with her delicate features and fair skin, she was quite satisfied.
She opened the wardrobe and took out a suit to change into.
All of these clothes had been sent over by Gu Huaizhi. They were expensive, but their styles were understated.
At exactly seven o’clock, she left the apartment with her bag. The driver was already waiting downstairs and, just like the night before, silently drove her to the company.
She arrived early. The office was completely empty in the early morning, except for the faint smell of disinfectant left behind after the cleaning lady had finished.
As soon as she sat down at her desk, she took out a piece of bread and was about to eat.
Her phone suddenly received a notification about a deduction from her account.
She picked up her breakfast and began eating, then went to the pantry to make herself a cup of coffee.
The phone on her desk rang.
The caller ID showed a name she had saved as “City No. 1 Hospital.”
Her heart tightened. She answered immediately.
“Hello, Nurse Li.”
“Miss Wen, I hope I’m not disturbing you?” The nurse on the other end sounded very polite. “I’m just calling for the routine confirmation regarding your mother’s heart examination next month and her subsequent medication plan. You see…”
“Yes, I know. Please go ahead and prepare the best treatment plan for now. I’ll deposit the money by the end of the month.”
Wen Yu stirred the coffee in her cup, deliberately lowering her voice.
“Of course, of course, Miss Wen. Your mother’s condition has been very stable recently. She does mention you quite often, though. If you have time, you should come visit her.”
“Okay, I understand.”
After hanging up, she opened her browser and searched for rental properties in Ling City, on Hainan Island.
She planned to take her mother there to recuperate. The air was clean, the climate warm, and the doctor had said it would be better for her recovery.
“Oh, Secretary Wen, you’re here so early.”
Her colleague Wang Wen walked in. She was a young woman who had only graduated recently. Lively and cheerful, she both admired and feared Wen Yu.
Wen Yu discreetly turned off her phone screen and restored the usual cold expression on her face.
“You’re early too.”
“I had no choice. There’s an early meeting today, so I had to come in ahead of time to check the schedule.”
Wang Wen put her bag on her chair.
“Honestly, I really admire you. You’ve been working beside Mr. Gu for so long, and how do you manage to never make a single mistake? Just looking at Mr. Gu’s face makes me so nervous that I can barely speak properly.”
Wen Yu did not respond. She turned on her computer and began dealing with her emails.
Mr. Gu’s face?
It was indeed very handsome—his features sharp and well-defined, his eyes deep and intense. Especially when he looked at someone with focused attention, it was easy to get the impression that he truly cared deeply about them.
At 8:15 a.m., the internal phone rang.
“Come in.”
The man’s voice carried the huskiness of someone who had only recently woken up.
Wen Yu picked up the meeting minutes she had already prepared, made a cup of coffee in the pantry, and entered the Mr.’s office.
Gu Huaizhi was sitting behind his desk, reading a document.
Today, he was wearing a dark blue shirt without a tie. Two buttons at the collar were casually undone. Without a tie, he looked less intimidating and more relaxed.
“Mr. Gu, here is your coffee.”
“Mm.”
Gu Huaizhi acknowledged her without looking up.
Wen Yu stood quietly to the side, waiting for his instructions.
For a moment, the only sound in the office was the soft rustling of papers as he turned the pages.
About a minute later, Gu Huaizhi finally raised his head and looked at her.
“Tonight, come to my place.”
His tone was calm and emotionless.
The fingers hanging by Wen Yu’s side curled slightly.
She obediently replied, “All right, Mr. Gu.”
Gu Huaizhi seemed satisfied with her compliance. He said nothing more and waved his hand, signaling for her to leave.
Wen Yu turned and walked toward the door. Just as her hand closed around the doorknob, his voice came from behind her again.
“Keep the weekend after next free for two days.”
Wen Yu turned around and looked at him questioningly.
Gu Huaizhi picked up the coffee on his desk and took a sip before casually saying, “A friend of mine opened a hot spring resort. Let’s go take a look.”
A hot spring resort?
Wen Yu’s heart skipped a beat.
In the past five years, he had never taken her to any private social events.
Their activities had always been limited to the apartment, his private villa, hotels, the company, or a few extremely private clubs.
A trip for leisure was a first.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, but she still replied respectfully, “All right, Mr. Gu. I’ll adjust my schedule.”
That evening, at Gu Huaizhi’s private villa.
Wen Yu walked out of the bathroom wearing a camisole nightdress, her face flushed and delicate.
Gu Huaizhi was half reclining on the bed, looking at his phone. When he saw her come out, he put it down.
Wen Yu pulled back the blanket beside him and slipped into bed.
As soon as she settled down, Gu Huaizhi’s warm body pressed against her back from behind. One large hand slipped around her waist and pulled her completely into his embrace.
His breath brushed against the back of her ear, carrying the scent of alcohol along with his strong masculine presence.
Wen Yu’s body stiffened for a moment before she quickly relaxed.
His kisses fell along the back of her neck and onto her shoulder, while his hand wandered restlessly over her body. Even through the silk of her nightdress, he seemed to know exactly how she would react.
Wen Yu bit her lower lip, refusing to make a sound.
She felt like a fish stranded on the shore, passively enduring the waves washing over her.
Her thoughts involuntarily began to drift elsewhere.