The butler draped the jacket he was holding over a nearby chair. A faint fragrance lingered on it, likely scented by the household staff subtle and not at all pungent.
Under the desk lamp, Gu Jingzhou’s shadow was cast against the study table.
He had smelled this scent in the elevator during the daytime.
At that time, he had instinctively raised his hand to support Song Wan’s waist, though Song Wan had probably been too nervous to notice. His hand had rested over the neatly pressed jacket, and that fragrance had lingered on his palm.
Outside, a light rain had begun to fall.
Raindrops slid down the dark tiles of the waterside pavilion, merging into a single stream in the air.
Gu Jingzhou’s phone vibrated.
[Gao Xiang: President Gu, I have already checked. Song Wan has no issues whatsoever, and the people around him do not have any abnormalities either.]
Gu Jingzhou put the document aside, no longer wanting to read it. He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Gao Xiang was his trusted confidant and would not deceive him, but could a person’s personality really change so much overnight?
The former Song Wan had been spoiled lawless by Song Heshem and Shen Shu, and his boldness had been boundless. Yet the current Song Wan seemed exceedingly vigilant, like a sensitive little animal in the wilderness, pulling back at the slightest sign of trouble.
Outside the window, the rain pattered softly. Gu Jingzhou turned off the desk lamp and got up, walking toward the bedroom.
The next day, when the sun was already high in the sky, Song Wan was still buried under the quilt, unwilling to get up.
It was not until the phone by his bedside kept ringing incessantly that he finally reached a hand out from under the covers.
He had slept very uncomfortably that night; not only was his mouth dry and his throat parched, but it also felt as painful as if it were stuffed with razor blades.
Song Wan rubbed his sleep-heavy eyes and discovered that a strange profile picture had inexplicably appeared on WeChat.
His mind went blank for a fraction of a second before he slowly remembered that this person was Gu Xuan.
Gu Xuan had gotten drunk last night and had stubbornly dragged him to add her as a friend on the way back. He simply couldn’t handle that tree sloth anymore, so he had agreed.
[Gu Xuan: Sorry about last night, I really troubled you.]
[Gu Xuan: This is a little token of my appreciation (WeChat transfer)]
[Song Wan: It’s nothing.]
Having said that, he immediately refunded the transfer.
Gu Xuan sent back several question marks.
[Gu Xuan: Since that’s the case, I sincerely invite you to come to my party tonight. There will be lots of good food and fun things then.]
Song Wan raised an arm and covered his eyes.
This kid really… is quite enthusiastic. Even her personality is similar to his cousin’s; just because he helped her out a bit last night, she acted as if she regarded him as a friend.
However, Gu Xuan still didn’t know that he had already been using her as a shield, spinning quite a few lies in front of Gu Jingzhou.
Song Wan placed a hand over his heart, feeling its beat through his clothes.
Mhm, it’s still beating.
In the future, it’s still best to talk about Gu Xuan as little as possible in front of Gu Jingzhou. If Gu Jingzhou asks again, he’ll just casually brush it off.
“Wanwan, are you awake? Mom made seafood clay pot rice herself, do you want to come eat some?” Outside the door, Shen Shu’s voice came through.
Ever since Song Wan had run away from home without a word last time, not only had Shen Shu not blamed him, but she had instead reflected on whether she had given Song Wan enough care and attention over the years. She had put aside everything on her hands specifically to stay at home and accompany Song Wan.
Song Wan’s sleepiness instantly vanished, and he threw off the covers: “Coming.”
Downstairs, the housekeepers were arranging the tableware. Shen Shu was holding a bunch of flowers she had just cut from the courtyard that morning, placing them into a vase as decoration.
The original owner in the book looked exactly the same as Song Wan in the present world. Sometimes, looking at Shen Shu and Song Heshen, Song Wan couldn’t help wondering if his parents would have looked like them if they hadn’t passed away.
Shen Shu rarely cooked, but this time she had completed it with the help of the housekeepers. Perhaps her hand had slipped while adding salt, as Song Wan found it a bit salty.
“Eat more if you like it. You’ve never been able to put on weight since you were little, and now that you’re tall, you just look even thinner.” Seeing that Song Wan was almost finished with a bowl, Shen Shu picked up the ladle and added a bit more for him.
“Thank you, Mom, but I really can’t eat anymore.” Song Wan smiled, a myriad of complex emotions churning in his heart.
Just as they were speaking, Song Wan sniffed the air and suddenly caught a strange scent. He followed the fragrance toward something the housekeeper was holding.
“Ah,” Shen Shu smiled and explained, “This is an aromatherapy diffuser that Uncle Yang sent a few days ago. What’s wrong? Do you not like it? If you don’t like it, I’ll have the housekeeper take it away.”
Song Wan’s brain short-circuited.
Who is Uncle Yang…
At this moment, Siri popped out: [Uncle Yang is Yang Chengdong, a close friend of your father Song Heshen, who currently holds the position of vice manager in the company and has a very good relationship with your family!]
This frequently disconnecting, unreliable system finally came in a bit handy.
Song Wan lowered his eyes and took two sips of soup: “It’s not that I don’t like it, I just feel the scent is a little too strong.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Shu directly waved her hand and told the housekeeper to put the aromatherapy away: “If Wanwan feels it’s too strong, don’t put it out anymore.”
“Yes, Madam.”
After finishing the meal, Song Wan took advantage of the moment when everyone wasn’t paying attention to sneak into the storage room on the basement level.
He pulled a small bottle out of his pocket and poured a little bit of the aromatherapy liquid into it.
[Dear, what are you doing? Is there something wrong with this aromatherapy?] Siri asked in a low voice like a curious baby.
Song Wan held the small bottle under his nose and sniffed it carefully: “I’m not sure either, but my intuition tells me this scent isn’t quite right.”
Song Wan had suffered from prolonged illnesses for a long time, taking both traditional Chinese and Western medicine until he was practically a walking pharmacy. They say prolonged illness makes one a doctor; having smelled various herbal medicines frequently, his nose had become extremely sensitive to medicinal scents.
Song Wan always felt that the scent of this aromatherapy wasn’t very pure, as if a trace of bitter, faint medicinal undertone was mixed inside.
It would be best to have professionals test the components of this aromatherapy to feel at ease. Being cautious could never be a bad thing.
As for this Yang Chengdong, who was so close to the Song family and held a major position in the company if this aromatherapy really had a problem, it might just become a breakthrough point in uncovering the truth behind the Song family’s bankruptcy.
Today, Song Heshen happened to have temporary business matters and wasn’t at the company. After finishing lunch and tidying up a bit, Song Wan went to the company to spend his time there.
Song Heshen’s secretary had received instructions from him to temporarily put major matters on hold until he returned, while throwing lighter, minor tasks over for Song Wan to handle.
Sitting in the office, Song Wan reviewed several contents submitted by the procurement department on behalf of Song Heshen, and then pulled the latest cooperation proposals between the company and other partners from a pile of documents to read seriously.
When the secretary walked in with hot coffee, she was momentarily stunned.
Song Wan was sitting by the window, the sunlight dyeing his profile in a layer of blurred light and shadow.
When the secretary handed him the coffee, he raised his head and slightly curved the corners of his eyes: “Thank you.”
Song Wan opened a thick stack of contracts; this happened to be the cooperation agreement with the Gu family.
Coincidentally, just as Song Wan saw the surname Gu, the phone beside him vibrated.
Song Wan picked it up to look.
Gu Xuan: Why aren’t you replying to my messages!
Song Wan felt ashamed; in the morning, he had been sidetracked by the seafood clay pot rice, and right after finishing the meal, he had completely forgotten.
Song Wan: Sorry about that, my phone broke this morning and I just got it fixed.
Gu Xuan: So are you coming to my invitation or not?! (choking neck meme)
Song Wan: I guess not, I’m a bit busy lately.
Gu Xuan: Not coming, huh?
Song Wan received another WeChat transfer.
Refunded.
Transferred again.
Refunded again.
Transferred continuously.
The two of them tug-of-warred on WeChat for a long time.
Looking at that long string of zeros following the transfer amount, Song Wan felt mentally and physically exhausted.
Song Wan: Stop transferring, I’ll go okay?
This wasteful child…