A girl stood soaking wet outside the door, her eyelashes damp—whether from the night’s dew or tears, it was hard to tell. She was a pitiful sight.
The night was deep and heavy with moisture, yet the girl wore only a thin, short beige dress whose hem, barely reaching her knees, whipped violently in the wind.
Her voice trembled and choked with sobs. “Xingzhi-gege, I… I had a bit to drink tonight, just to gather the courage to come see you.”
She lifted her eyes, brimming with expectation.
Gu Xingzhi straightened up, radiating an air of refined aloofness. His gaze carried a hint of detachment, and his body language signaled resistance. “I’m already married.”
Qiao Zhixing’s tone grew heavier, her shoulders trembling violently. “You… you’re married, and you won’t even spare a thought for your childhood friend?”
She let tears fall, each one distinct and pitiful—truly worthy of a female lead. “I missed you… I missed you so much…”
She turned her face away with a choked sob, dabbing her cheek lightly with her fingertip, carrying a hint of fragility and stubbornness. “So much has happened. I went from the Lu family to the Qiao family. I came to a completely unfamiliar place, facing one unfamiliar relative after another. I’m really scared… so scared…”
Qiao Zhixing wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.
Seeing that Gu Xingzhi remained unmoved, resentment brewed in her heart.
Childhood sweethearts—they were meant to be a perfect match.
Ever since she’d gained awareness, she’d known she was well-liked.
Even if she wasn’t the school beauty, the school heartthrobs and bad boys would still fight over her.
But except for Gu Xingzhi—he was the most outstanding of them all.
Hearing his cold words now, Qiao Zhixing felt a surge of intense possessiveness and deep resentment.
If she hadn’t been swapped back with Lu Tao, this engagement would have been hers.
She was merely taking back what belonged to her.
So even if he’d married Lu Tao, it didn’t matter. If he didn’t even like her, how could he possibly fancy that pitiful little thing no one liked—Lu Tao?
Qiao Zhixing’s eyes flickered. She rubbed her forehead. “I… my head feels so dizzy.”
As she spoke, she began to sway unsteadily, as if about to topple forward.
“Quack!”
“Quack quack!”
Qiao Zhixing furrowed her brow.
What was that damn noise?
Butler Song shouldn’t be so careless.
Yet aside from Gu Xingzhi and Butler Song, no one else should be in the house at night. Gu Xingzhi liked quiet—no other servants would be around after dark.
Confusion rose in Qiao Zhixing’s tearful eyes. “Do you have guests over?”
Gu Xingzhi said flatly, “No.”
Qiao Zhixing pursed her lips and leaned in again. “Xingzhi-gege, I…”
“Xingzhi…” A sweet, intimate voice landed, and a flash of bright color pounced over. Gu Xingzhi had no choice but to steady her by the arms, only to find himself holding an armful.
She smelled faintly sweet—nothing like women’s perfume.
He stared at her in astonishment.
Lu Tao’s eyes were tightly shut, her arms locked firmly around his lean, powerful waist.
She nuzzled her clean, delicate face against his chest, her hair brushing across his exposed collarbone. “Xingzhi…” she called again, her warm breath washing over his chest.
Qiao Zhixing was stunned. When she snapped back to reality, her feigned tipsiness nearly evaporated.
Her again!
Lu Tao!
What was she doing here?
How could Xingzhi-gege have let her in, and let her hug him like this?
“Xingzhi-gege…” Qiao Zhixing had just begun to speak in her soft, coaxing tone.
Gu Xingzhi suddenly felt the warmth in his arms shift, and he instinctively tightened his hold.
Lu Tao flailed wildly. “Don’t stop me!”
“Demons and monsters, get lost!”
“Tang Seng’s flesh is mine!”
Gu Xingzhi: “…”
His gaze sharpened as he looked at Qiao Zhixing. “As you can see, my wife is drunk. I don’t have time for you.”
“She…” Qiao Zhixing bit her lip. “I don’t think she’s really drunk. Lu Tao acts like this at home all the time. I know she doesn’t mean it, but I’m worried, Xingzhi-gege, that she’ll cause you trouble. Why don’t I take her back to the Lu family?”
Qiao Zhixing was faking her drunkenness. She suspected Lu Tao had stolen her move, leaving her with no play—so she wouldn’t allow that wretch Lu Tao any chance to seize an opening.
By right of first come, first served, Gu Xingzhi was hers!
She waited expectantly for Gu Xingzhi’s reaction.
But Gu Xingzhi gave none. Butler Song said, “Miss Qiao, please.”
Qiao Zhixing’s eyes reddened. She knew Gu Xingzhi was a man of his word—once he dismissed someone, there was no forcing it.
She looked resentfully at Lu Tao in Gu Xingzhi’s arms. “Xingzhi-gege just said there were no guests. Why did you lie to me? Just because we’ve grown up, does that mean we can’t go back to how we were?”
She looked on the verge of tears.
Gu Xingzhi turned his head away without explanation.
Butler Song let out an “ah” and said, “Miss Qiao.”
“I know this might not be my place to say, but I’d like to speak anyway.”
“…Please, go ahead.”
“That’s our mistress of the house, not an outsider.”
Qiao Zhixing’s face twisted out of shape.
The three-meter-tall gate swung shut, cutting off the light and sealing away Qiao Zhixing’s despairing eyes.
It was late at night, so Butler Song arranged for a car to take her home. Butler Song was quite helpless—having to work overtime at such a late hour. This young miss really had no consideration for him, a forty-year-old “old man.”
Even the mistress of the house respectfully called him “Grandpa Song,” but this Miss Qiao had no tact at all and still made him work overtime.
Inside the hall—
Gu Xingzhi was still being softly clung to by the girl. He said in a deep voice, “How much longer do you plan to keep pretending?”
The girl’s long, thick lashes fluttered slightly, her neck still maintaining a difficult angle because Gu Xingzhi hadn’t bothered to support the back of her head.
“Three, two…”
“One.” Before Gu Xingzhi could completely let go, Lu Tao took the initiative to count and straightened herself up.
She was convinced that Gu Xingzhi truly had no heart for cherishing a beauty—he would have let her fall straight to the ground.
The man’s narrow, elongated eyes flashed with a chilling, intimidating light. He let out a cold chuckle. “I wasn’t aware that my wife had such a tolerance for alcohol and such skill in acting.”
Lu Tao’s gaze was resolute as she argued with a straight face, “Our contract states that in public, I need to play the part of Mrs. Gu. Qiao Zhixing counts as ‘in public’ too.”
Lu Tao clasped her hands behind her back and leaned in. “You wouldn’t be feeling a bit heartbroken, would you?”
In an instant, she saw Gu Xingzhi’s face shift into an exasperated expression.
In the end, he said nothing and went upstairs.
Seeing him leave, Lu Tao let out a huge sigh of relief and put on a triumphant expression.
She patted her chest—she had successfully disgusted him and also managed to slip past his scrutiny.
At this moment, her eyes were clear and lucid—not a trace of drunkenness in them.
In truth, she had originally been a lightweight who got drunk after one glass.
But Fu Zhi had trouble sleeping, so Lu Tao would accompany her for a drink to see if it helped.
Over time, her tolerance grew, and so did her knowledge.
Just now, she had watched what the bartender added. The drink made from this recipe was called “See You Tomorrow.”
See You Tomorrow.
As the name suggested—if you drink it, you’ll only be seen tomorrow. What kind of drink was that?
It was a drink that could keep someone drunk and unconscious for a long time.
Gu Xingzhi was trying to set her up!
Although she could easily handle ten glasses, she pretended to be drunk after just two. Fortunately, she hadn’t given anything away.
This man appeared easygoing on the surface, but in reality, he was highly suspicious and inscrutable. No wonder he was a terrifying man who controlled half the business empire in the book.
Fortunately, she only wanted his money and his seed—she wasn’t truly his wife.
A bedmate like this—one might even fear being locked up by him in the middle of the night for some forced romance. Who knew what his next move would be?