Tianhai Royal Restaurant!
The most luxurious top-tier restaurant in Tianhai City, located on the top floor of the tallest building, Tianhai Tower, operating under a strict membership-only system.
Those who could step into this place were either wealthy or powerful, which directly excluded those crude nouveau riche.
That gilded membership card had long become a symbol of status in high society.
Countless tycoons racked their brains trying to gain membership, only to be discouraged by the strict asset verification and limited quotas.
Gu Yunshen gripped the borrowed membership card so tightly that his knuckles turned white, fine beads of sweat seeping from his palms.
Having drifted abroad for years, he had no qualification to obtain membership. For this date, he had nearly exhausted all his connections just to borrow a low-tier membership card.
The inner lining of his suit was already soaked with sweat, and his carefully styled hair had become slightly messy under the air conditioning during the elevator’s ascent.
“Sir, your seat is this way.”
The waiter’s polite yet distant voice pulled him back to reality.
He had chosen the cheapest corner seat, without even a window.
Sitting down, he turned his head to look toward the distant rooftop, a trace of envy flashing in his eyes.
That rooftop area was the essence of this restaurant.
Sitting there, one could enjoy a full 360-degree panoramic view of Tianhai.
Unfortunately, just the platform fee alone was 380,000 yuan, not including the mandatory tip. Giving too little would earn cold stares from the staff.
Just thinking about that number made his stomach twist in pain.
“Today, I must win over Su Qinghuan…”
He muttered to himself, his trembling fingers placing the roses he brought right at the center of the table.
As long as he could please Su Qinghuan, everything would be worth it.
Qin Chuan had already been forced to retreat. This was his perfect opportunity.
As long as he secured Su Qinghuan, the entire Su Group would be his…
Thinking of this, the stiffness at the corners of his mouth finally relaxed into a faint smile.
Fifteen minutes later, a commotion arose at the restaurant entrance.
“Huanhuan! Over here!”
Gu Yunshen suddenly stood up, his voice rising with excitement, sounding especially harsh in the quiet and elegant restaurant.
Several wealthy patrons who had been conversing softly frowned and glanced over, displeasure flashing in their eyes.
At the entrance, Su Qinghuan pressed her fingertips into her palm, wrinkles forming on her expensive handbag from her grip, her expression slightly awkward.
She quickened her pace, her high heels striking the marble floor with sharp, hurried sounds.
The airport incident not long ago had not yet settled, and she truly did not want to become gossip again.
“For you. I hope it cheers you up.”
Gu Yunshen eagerly handed over the roses, not noticing that the petals had wilted slightly from his overly tight grip.
“Thank you.”
Su Qinghuan accepted them politely, but her gaze unconsciously swept across the room.
Why was that wretched woman Ye Linglong here?
That woman would never appear here without reason.
“What are you looking at?”
There was clear displeasure in Gu Yunshen’s voice.
He had painstakingly arranged this date, yet Su Qinghuan kept drifting off, clearly not happy, which made him feel rather depressed.
“Nothing. I saw someone I know…”
Su Qinghuan felt a heaviness in her chest, Qin Chuan’s resolute back and Ye Linglong’s provocative gaze flashing repeatedly through her mind.
Seeing that she did not want to say more, Gu Yunshen suppressed his anger and handed her the menu. “Forget the unpleasant things. Let’s order first.”
Su Qinghuan casually ordered a few signature dishes. In the past, when she dined with Qin Chuan, he would arrange everything.
Qin Chuan knew her preferences completely and even understood her physical condition thoroughly. She never needed to order anything herself.
Then she ordered a bottle of wine worth 200,000 yuan, completely unaware of Gu Yunshen’s increasingly pale face.
At this moment, Gu Yunshen’s face had turned green.
All the dishes Su Qinghuan ordered were signature items, each costing tens of thousands. Adding the wine and the seating fee, this meal would cost at least 600,000 to 700,000 yuan.
After calculating the price, his expression grew even uglier. This single meal would consume nearly half of his savings.
If he had known it was this expensive, he would never have chosen this place.
But regret was useless now. He could only grit his teeth and order a few cheaper dishes for himself.
Only when Su Qinghuan noticed the cold sweat forming on his forehead did she suddenly come to her senses.
“I don’t have much appetite. Let’s switch to something lighter.”
She hurriedly called the waiter, canceled the expensive dishes, and replaced them with a few seasonal vegetables.
Only then did Gu Yunshen let out a long sigh of relief, his shirt already soaked through at the back.
“Huanhuan, how has the company been lately? While I was abroad, I heard the Su Group has been thriving recently, even signing several deals worth billions!”
Hearing this, Su Qinghuan felt a headache coming on. Gu Yunshen had touched on exactly what he should not have mentioned.
Since yesterday, multiple partners had suddenly breached their contracts, unwilling to continue cooperating with the Su Group. Even the fire department had been repeatedly causing trouble.
Especially the Ye Group, where Ye Linglong belonged, had launched another attack on the Su Group.
For a time, the Su Group was struggling to cope.
And all of this had happened after Qin Chuan left…
She did not know whether there was any connection behind it.
“It’s fine.”
She responded perfunctorily, unwilling to dwell on the topic.
“Huanhuan, actually… I came to apologize.”
Gu Yunshen suddenly lowered his voice, pain appearing on his face.
“This is between us.”
Su Qinghuan interrupted him, her nails digging deeply into her palm.
Ever since her fallout with Qin Chuan, she had regretted it.
If she had known his reaction would be so extreme, she would never have brought Gu Yunshen home.
But he had already apologized to Qin Chuan, yet Qin Chuan still insisted on leaving, so resolute it was almost ruthless.
Now that things had reached this point, she could only grit her teeth and persist.
Otherwise, Qin Chuan might really think she could not live without him.
Perhaps this time, she could use Gu Yunshen to properly teach Qin Chuan a lesson.
That way, that arrogant man would not be so full of himself.
As long as that arrogant man came back and apologized, she would not mind giving Qin Chuan another chance.
She knew exactly how deeply Qin Chuan loved her.
A glint flashed in Gu Yunshen’s eyes. “Huanhuan, there’s something I want to ask for your help with…”
“Go ahead.”
“The reason I returned this time is because of my mother. My mother… has late-stage stomach cancer. She probably does not have much time left…”
His voice suddenly choked, his eyes reddening.
“Her greatest wish is to see me settle down… Huanhuan, can you pretend to be my girlfriend and visit her?”
“No!” Su Qinghuan blurted out almost instantly.
Because of Gu Yunshen’s return, her relationship with Qin Chuan was already extremely tense.
If she really pretended to be Gu Yunshen’s girlfriend, Qin Chuan would definitely lose control. It could completely destroy her marriage with Qin Chuan.
Moreover, the airport incident had already spread throughout the city. If this continued, she could not imagine the consequences.
“Can’t you just fulfill the wish of a dying person?”
Gu Yunshen’s voice trembled, tears glistening in his eyes, his face full of sorrow.
“She has always liked you…”
Su Qinghuan’s chest heaved violently, Qin Chuan’s cold gaze appearing in her mind.
“I’m sorry. I really can’t help with this…”
Her voice grew softer, her heart filled with struggle.
“Is it because of Qin Chuan?”
“Huanhuan, are you refusing because of Qin Chuan?”
Gu Yunshen suddenly grabbed her hand, his grip so tight that it hurt.
“I’ll go beg him! I’ll kneel if I have to! That’s my mother’s final wish…”
His voice abruptly stopped, tears spilling out.
Su Qinghuan turned her face away, not daring to look into his eyes.
Outside the window, the lights of Tianhai still shone brilliantly, yet they could not illuminate the ever-growing emptiness in her heart.