Bai Yu refused to use a blind cane—he didn’t want others looking at him differently—so he used a black umbrella instead.
He pressed his lips together stubbornly, about to use the umbrella to clear the path ahead.
That familiar white peach fragrance grew stronger, closer. “Who’s there?” He turned his head sharply.
Not far away stood the girl in her little devil costume, arms crossed, a small whip in her hand. “If you want to catch me, come over here yourself.”
Bai Yu’s eyes widened, his pupils contracting slightly. It really was her!
He brushed aside the hand reaching out to him. “Ruan Yong, I don’t need your help!”
He tapped his way forward with the tip of the umbrella, and when he was just a few centimeters away from her, Fu Zhi reached out her hand.
Ruan Yong let out a sigh of relief.
The young mistress had finally shown some mercy.
The young master had been such a proud man before. Ever since he lost his sight, they had been careful to protect him, afraid that any bump or scrape would shatter his already fragile self-esteem even further.
Though this was his first time meeting her, he could tell she was a good person.
Who would a bad person come back for? It seemed she had a change of heart and didn’t want the young master to worry himself sick looking for her.
Ruan Yong was lost in the rosy glow of shipping this couple when, without warning, a black streak cut through the air—and through his beautiful fantasy.
In Ruan Yong’s stunned gaze, the whip coiled around Bai Yu’s leg.
“Ah!” Bai Yu let out a soft cry as he pitched forward.
Fu Zhi stepped forward two paces, caught his arm, and exclaimed with feigned alarm, “Are you alright?”
Ruan Yong’s brain short-circuited for a few seconds as he watched, clicking his tongue in disbelief.
Hurt him herself, save him herself—was that even a thing?
But as an outsider, he didn’t dare say anything.
The madam had said the young master and young mistress were quite fond of each other. Maybe this was just their little game?
By now, Bai Yu had been pulled into Fu Zhi’s arms. He hastily pushed her away, face flushed, breathing slightly ragged. “You crazy woman, what are you doing now?”
In his flustered state, unable to see, he didn’t know what soft thing he’d pushed against—and she’d even let out a little sound.
What was she yelling about? Was she really that sensitive?
Pushed away, Fu Zhi wasn’t annoyed. She eyed Bai Yu’s guilty expression, pressing her lips together, struggling hard to hold back her laughter.
Bai Yu grew even more flustered. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Fu Zhi lifted her eyelids coolly. “Say what? Say how I got bullied by Gu Xingzhi’s wife first, and then bullied by you?”
“…” He didn’t mean it!!
Capital Mansion—
Lu Tao sat on the sofa, hands resting on her knees, looking demure and virtuous.
To make the act easier, she’d secretly removed her false lashes in the car, wiped off her makeup, and applied a light, delicate, natural look—the picture of a proper homemaker.
The eye drops were tucked in her sleeve, ready for her to transform in an instant into a “tearful mess” when the time came.
She snuck a glance at him.
Come to think of it, this CEO was nothing like she’d imagined.
How could he say something so shameless in public? What was he thinking?
Gu Xingzhi pulled off his black checkered tie with one hand and picked up the coffee on the table. His movements betrayed no emotion.
But Lu Tao knew that calm always preceded the storm.
“Mr. Gu, what do you want to know?” She raised a finger. “I’ll allow you three questions.”
Gu Xingzhi draped one arm casually over the sofa and let out a light chuckle. “My dear wife, I don’t believe you’re in a position to bargain.”
This “wife” was completely different from the one he’d used in the mall.
If it weren’t inconvenient, Lu Tao would have pulled out her phone to do some serious research on this man.
Gu Xingzhi was too hard to read. Even when he was angry, you couldn’t tell he was angry.
That was something she’d picked up in just the few short days she’d known him.
Butler Song sensed the tension in the air and quietly brought over a plate of chocolates.
They said sweets could lift one’s mood.
So, offering something sweet should bring peace to the world, right?
Lu Tao casually picked one up.
Butler Song: “!!”
Lu Tao noticed Butler Song’s frantic blinking and looked at him with confusion.
Was she not even allowed a last meal before the execution?
Besides, weren’t CEOs supposed to hate sweets?
Thinking it over—it was probably futile, but she might as well make a dying effort—Lu Tao held one out to him and said in a sweet voice, “Want one?”
Her voice was the kind of sweet tone no one could imitate—clear and honeyed, with a built-in charm effect.
Gu Xingzhi propped his cheek on his hand, lifted his gaze, and hummed softly in acknowledgment.
Lu Tao raised an eyebrow, a flicker of confusion surfacing in her eyes. So he really was a chocolate-eating CEO?
But he didn’t take it. Lu Tao was slow to catch on, and with a mental sigh, she peeled it open for him.
What a capitalist exploiter—couldn’t even unwrap his own chocolate.
Gu Xingzhi reached out and took the chocolate from her palm, their fingertips brushing lightly.
Gu Xingzhi paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over her to see her looking utterly innocent.
She had the face of a harmless, youthful white lotus, but her schemes were more numerous than the holes in a lotus seed pod.
He popped it into his mouth and said calmly, “You’re short on money?”
The CEO’s left cheek puffed out slightly, softening his sharp features and lending him a touch more warmth.
Lu Tao dared to meet his gaze now. “No.”
But his first question had already left her completely baffled.
She had expected his opening line to be an interrogation—something like, “What is a Mrs. Gu doing showing her face at a comic convention?”
“Then why work at the mall?”
“Everyone has their hobbies. I don’t want to be a caged bird. I know those wives in the Beijing circle—some do ballet, some paint—but I can’t do any of that. Still, I want to have my own interests. I refuse to be like the climbing trumpet creeper, showing off by clinging to your high branch…”
She stood up, suddenly slipping into a declamatory tone, pouring out her feelings directly.
Whether it convinced Gu Xingzhi or not, at least it moved herself first.
Gu Xingzhi’s hand, holding the coffee cup, paused. He turned the rim slightly, and the gaze he lifted carried a hint of probing. “Don’t you play the piano?”
Lu Tao’s pupils quaked.
One landmine hadn’t been defused yet, but another had just surfaced.
The original soul had never been favored by the Qiao family since childhood. When she saw her younger brother sawing away at the violin like he was cutting wood, the Qiao family praised him.
So she studied the piano relentlessly until she reached Level Ten and even placed fifth in the Chopin International Piano Competition—only for Father and Mother Qiao to tear up her certificate, saying, “What use is anything less than first place?”
But she didn’t have any piano Level Ten! A Level Ten in triangle, now that she could manage!
She had been raised by her grandmother, the two of them depending on each other. Her grandmother had already struggled to put her through university, let alone pay for piano lessons.
“I…”
Lu Tao hadn’t finished speaking.
Tap, tap, tap—the sound of high heels approached, accompanied by a voice: “I’d like to see who dares to touch her!”