Wen Yue froze completely. His face drew closer and closer to hers, so close that she could almost feel his scorching breath landing on the tip of her nose.
The heat made her tremble slightly. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she instinctively closed her eyes.
But just as his lips were about to touch hers, his phone rang.
The usually pleasant ringtone suddenly felt piercing, shattering the quiet air, dispelling the intimacy, and pulling them back to reason.
When the tip of his nose brushed against hers, he stopped.
Yet he didn’t answer the phone right away. Instead, he simply gazed at her quietly, his eyes fixed on her.
Wen Yue grew a bit uneasy under his stare. Clutching the shirt at his waist, she spoke with a thick nasal tone, “Your phone keeps ringing…”
Gong Hengye didn’t answer. Instead, he asked softly, “So, should we continue?”
“?”
What kind of question was that?
If she were alive right now, she’d probably be as red as a boiled shrimp.
Kissing was something that relied on the right atmosphere.
Now that the phone had interrupted them, and he asked this question, if she said yes, it would seem like she was eager and desperate.
Wen Yue bit her lip, released her hold on him, and took a small step back, muttering softly, “You should answer the phone first. It might be something urgent.”
As her softness disappeared from in front of him, Gong Hengye’s fingers curled slightly. But he restrained the urge to pull her back into his arms. Instead, he curved his lips into a faint smile and took out his phone.
The call was from Grandpa Gong, his tone heavy. “I’ve heard about what happened tonight. Gong Chen has already returned. You should come over too.”
Gong Hengye didn’t reply and hung up.
Wen Yue heard it too and frowned. “Did Gong Chen go to Grandpa Gong to complain about you? Are you going over?”
Even though he seemed much calmer now, Wen Yue was still worried.
What if he went over and got into another argument with Gong Chen?
That dog Gong Chen couldn’t say anything decent, and no matter how mature and steady Gong Hengye was, he was still human and could get hurt.
Although Wen Yue didn’t know exactly what had happened, judging by Gong Hengye’s reaction, most of what Gong Chen said was probably true.
She thought about it—if her parents were murderers and someone brought it up like that, she would definitely be devastated.
And would Grandpa Gong agree to Gong Hengye kicking Gong Chen out?
She couldn’t hide her thoughts at all. Whatever she was thinking was written all over her face and in her eyes.
Seeing the worry in her eyes, Gong Hengye simply smiled faintly. “If you don’t want to go, I’ll take you back to the hotel first…”
“I want to go.”
Wen Yue quickly said, “If you go, I go.”
Her anxious fear of being left behind made Gong Hengye’s smile grow a bit more genuine. He reached out and pinched her cheek. “Didn’t expect you to be such a clingy ghost.”
Wen Yue felt a bit awkward, puffing her cheeks slightly. “Well, what if it starts thundering and raining again? The weather changes so quickly. It’s too dangerous for me to be alone, so I’ll just stick with you.”
Gong Hengye simply smiled, his palm gently ruffling her hair. “Alright, I’ll take you with me.”
With that, he naturally took her hand and led her back to the car.
As the warmth of his palm covered the back of her hand, Wen Yue instinctively held her already nonexistent breath.
Her gaze dropped quietly, looking at his hand tightly holding hers.
Hmm, so what exactly were they now?
Wen Yue suddenly felt a bit confused.Before she hugged him, there had been occasional ambiguity between them, but it was always open and straightforward—for example, she would bluntly express her desire for him to like her, and he would always tease her for thinking too highly of herself.
But now?
She hugged him, and he didn’t refuse. Instead, he even wanted to kiss her.
Although he didn’t succeed, now he had taken the initiative to hold her hand.
This made Wen Yue feel that things between them were no longer as simple and straightforward as before.
It also made Wen Yue’s already not-so-bright mind even slower.
Even after getting into the car, she couldn’t stop thinking: What exactly did he mean by this? What was their relationship now?
In her view, holding hands and hugging already meant they were in a relationship.
Although she had been in a relationship with Gong Chen since she was 18, their relationship wasn’t exactly normal.
After all, from the very beginning, Wen Xi had already stood between them.
And the start of their relationship was only due to her unwillingness and jealousy—she wanted Gong Chen to treat only her well.
So even though she and Gong Chen would hold hands and hug, they never seemed to find the right atmosphere to do anything more intimate.
At first, she thought it was because she was too young to accept more intimate actions. Later, she realized it was actually because she didn’t like Gong Chen that much.
Their relationship hadn’t started out of genuine affection, and with Wen Xi constantly stirring trouble between them, the already limited feelings only grew weaker, and the rift between them deepened.
In the end, she couldn’t even tell what she truly wanted.
Perhaps all she wanted was to defeat Wen Xi.
But she couldn’t find a way. She didn’t know what to do. She was like a terminally ill patient, desperately searching for a glimmer of hope.
And in the end, the only thing she could think of was marriage.
She thought that as long as she married Gong Chen, he would truly treat only her well.
As long as they were married, she would become Gong Chen’s wife—the most important person in his life.
She couldn’t hold onto anything, but Gong Chen seemed like someone she could still try to grasp.
So she told Gong Chen that she wanted to marry him.
Until the day before the wedding, when the scandal broke out and Gong Chen easily decided to postpone the wedding.
She finally admitted that no matter what she did, she could never compare to Wen Xi.
Her life was beyond saving, and in the end, she had nothing.
When the car stopped, Wen Yue was still lost in thought.
It wasn’t until someone tapped her forehead that she snapped back to reality and turned to meet Gong Hengye’s gaze.
His eyes were slightly narrowed as he asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Wen Yue pursed her lips, wanting to tell the truth and ask him what he was thinking now.
But seeing that they had already entered the Gong family villa, she swallowed her words and simply shook her head. “Nothing…”
Gong Hengye looked at her for a moment but didn’t press further. He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door. “Let’s get out.”
The car had driven into the villa area, and after getting out, they walked along a garden path to the main hall.
At the entrance of the main hall, Gong Chen was kneeling upright.
Wen Yue tugged at Gong Hengye’s sleeve and whispered, “Looks like his attempt to tattle failed.”
Grandpa Gong was still reasonable.
Since entering the Gong family villa, Gong Hengye’s mood had turned cold again.
Now, he simply moved slightly, taking her restless hand and tucking it into his pants pocket so she couldn’t move it around.
This was the second time he had done this tonight, and he was getting more and more skilled at it.
Wen Yue blinked and obediently let him hold her hand as they entered the main hall.As she passed by Gong Chen, she glanced sideways and saw that he also looked up at that moment. However, he didn’t notice her; instead, his gaze fell on Gong Hengye.
Gong Hengye didn’t even spare him a glance from the corner of his eye, walking straight inside.
Gong Chen gritted his teeth, lowered his eyes once more, and clenched his fists tightly at his sides.
In the main hall, the old master sat with his eyes closed in the seat of honor.
Gong Chen’s parents sat on the sofa to the right.
Gong Hengsheng’s expression was grim, while Xiao Rou was wiping her tears with a tissue.
Seeing Gong Hengye enter, Gong Hengsheng forced a strained smile and said, “Ninth Brother is back.”
Gong Hengye sat down on the sofa opposite them, responding with a faint “Mm,” before turning to look at the old master. “Father.”
As he sat, he withdrew his hand from his pants pocket and placed it on his leg, which naturally positioned him as holding Wen Yue’s hand on his lap.
Wen Yue sat beside him, inexplicably feeling a sense of shame, as if they were sneaking around in front of their elders.
She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but his fingers tightened around hers. He lifted his gaze lightly, giving her a warning look to stay still.
To others, however, his gaze merely seemed to drift toward the entrance of the main hall.
Gong Yuanren opened his eyes, first looking at him with concern. Seeing that his emotions were stable, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
But he also understood Gong Hengye’s dislike for unnecessary chatter, so he got straight to the point. “I’ve heard everything about what happened tonight from Gong Chen. He dared to do such a thing and speak to you like that—he truly deserves to be punished. That’s why I made him kneel outside.”
Gong Hengye responded with another “Mm,” saying nothing more.
He simply lowered his gaze to look at Wen Yue’s hand, held firmly in his own.
It was very pale and very soft.
His thumb subtly traced the palm of her hand.
But it was too cold.
Every time he held her hand, he never wanted to let go—precisely because it was so cold, it made him want to warm it up.
Gong Yuanren shot a glare at Gong Hengsheng. “The eldest son should also be punished. Hand over all the projects under your control tomorrow. If you can’t even manage family affairs, how can you handle the company?”
This was effectively stripping Gong Hengsheng of his authority.
Wen Yue thought hard about it—this was likely akin to the eldest son being stripped of power due to the eldest grandson’s mistakes in a succession struggle.
But Gong Hengye had long been the chairman of the Gong Corporation, meaning he had already ascended to the throne.
Why were these princes and lords still so restless?
Gong Hengsheng’s face was so stiff he could no longer maintain his smile. However, this decision had been made before Gong Hengye arrived, and he knew there was no room for negotiation.
After all, if Gong Hengye had truly wanted to press the matter, Gong Chen’s actions would have undoubtedly landed him in prison.
In this regard, Gong Hengye had indeed shown Gong Chen some leniency.
So, Gong Hengsheng could only swallow his bitterness and force a smile. “I understand. It’s my failure in raising my son that led to this mess. I’ll abide by Father’s decision.”
Beside him, Xiao Rou continued to cry, her tears now more genuine.
Gong Yuanren nodded, then scolded with a tone of disappointment. “It’s good that you recognize your failure. Gong Chen is no longer a child. When his uncle was his age, he had already started his own company without taking a single cent from the family. But him? He hasn’t accomplished anything meaningful, yet he’s skilled in underhanded schemes.”
“I’ve said it before—members of the Gong family must never turn against their own. Anyone who dares to violate this will face severe consequences!”
Hearing this, Wen Yue’s brows furrowed slightly.If Wen Yue had initially thought Gong Chen wanted to sabotage the amusement park project just for the money, she probably figured it out later.
Where would Gong Chen need to covet that money? His goal was to ruin the project. As long as something went wrong with the project when the time came, it would all fall on Gong Hengye.
If corners were cut in such an amusement park project, casualties would be hard to predict. In the end, however many died or were injured, Gong Hengye would have to bear the debt.
It had to be said, this move was really despicable and excessively malicious.
They fought for power and profit, yet they were willing to sacrifice ordinary people’s lives?
Wen Yue instinctively glanced at Gong Chen kneeling by the door again. She thought, in truth, she had never truly known him.
Just as she was thinking this, someone pinched her palm.
Wen Yue turned her head and met Gong Hengye’s indifferent gaze.
Wen Yue blinked, “Jealous again?”
No matter how cold his eyes were, they couldn’t hide the fact that he was jealous.
Meanwhile, Gong Yuanren spoke again, “Lao Jiu said to send Gong Chen to France. I agree with this as well. He really should go and gain some experience. If he continues to be coddled at home like this, he’ll be ruined sooner or later. But Lao Jiu…”
Gong Hengye also scoffed lightly, withdrawing his gaze from Wen Yue, “Don’t push your luck.”
Gong Yuanren: “…”
Wen Yue: “…”
Gong Yuanren cleared his throat, “It’s not really pushing my luck. Just hear me out first.”
Here comes the twist.
Wen Yue blinked at Gong Hengye.
Gong Hengye curved his lips slightly, gave her palm a squeeze, and finally looked at Gong Yuanren, “Please go on, Father.”
Gong Yuanren sighed and spoke in a tone of negotiation with Gong Hengye, “It’s like this. Gong Chen told me he’s willing to marry that little girl from the Wen family now. So his idea is to go after he and Wen Xi get married. What do you think? Is that acceptable?”
Wen Yue was surprised.
Gong Hengye clearly hadn’t expected it either.
Why would Gong Chen suddenly be willing to marry Wen Xi?
So, after all the twists and turns, no matter how things changed, would they still circle back to the original plot?
He glanced at Gong Chen by the door.
Gong Chen was still kneeling straight, head bowed, his expression unreadable.
But Gong Hengye quickly figured it out. Was Gong Chen trying to buy time by marrying Wen Xi?
He curled his lips coldly, “If that’s the case, then let it be so. Marriage is a big matter. It’s better than letting people think I, as his uncle, don’t even consider basic human decency.”
Gong Yuanren breathed a sigh of relief, “Since you also think it’s fine, then let’s do it this way. Lao Da, you and Xiao Rou handle the communication with the Wen family. The wedding date should be as soon as possible, so he doesn’t cause any more trouble.”
Gong Hengsheng smiled awkwardly and nodded, “Don’t worry, Father. Xiao Rou and I will handle it properly.”
Gong Yuanren waved impatiently, “If there’s nothing else, take that little brat and get out.”
Hearing this, Wen Yue pursed her lips slightly.
Although it seemed Gong Yuanren favored Gong Hengye more, she always felt he was still more partial to Gong Chen.
Gong Chen had done something like trying to sabotage the project and had been disrespectful to Gong Hengye, yet Gong Yuanren only made him kneel for a while.
This talk of leaving after marriage was nothing more than a delaying tactic.
When Gong Chen got up to leave, he glanced at Gong Hengye, his eyes dark and intense.
Wen Yue couldn’t shake the feeling he was still plotting something.
After Gong Hengsheng and his family left, Gong Hengye also said to Gong Yuanren, “If Father has nothing else, I’ll head back first. I have to go to the company early tomorrow morning.”Gong Yuanren frowned, sighed softly after a moment of silence, and said, “Old Nine, don’t take Gong Chen’s words too much to heart.”
Gong Hengye lowered his gaze, a faint smile curling his lips. “Don’t worry, Father. These things can’t hurt me anymore.”
Wen Yue frowned.
Liar.
If they really couldn’t hurt him, what was he trying to vent by speeding earlier?
Only after returning to the car with Gong Hengye did Wen Yue quietly ask him, “Uncle, are you really not going to kick Gong Chen out? I always feel like he’s still plotting something bad.”
“What can he do?”
Gong Hengye didn’t seem to care much. He leaned back in the car seat, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples. “With his brain, the only thing he can think of is stupid schemes like drugging me and sending Wen Xi to my bed.”
He looked exhausted.
Wen Yue thought back to the conversation between Grandpa Gong and him earlier. Even though she didn’t understand it, she could still tell he was in a bad mood.
She gently tugged on his sleeve. “Uncle, if you’re feeling upset, don’t hold it in. If you want to vent, just vent. I’ll stay with you.”
Gong Hengye’s brow twitched slightly. He opened his eyes and looked at her.
Her concern was evident in her gaze as she stared at him, as if she were genuinely worried he might be unhappy.
Gong Hengye remained silent for a moment, then a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
He leaned closer to her, tilting his head, and called her softly, “Wen Yue…”
Wen Yue’s eyelashes fluttered. “Hmm?”
He lowered his head even further, his thin lips almost brushing against her ear. His breath as he spoke drifted into her ear.
It tickled.
Wen Yue shrank her neck slightly. The next second, his lips landed on the tip of her ear.
Wen Yue’s eyes widened slightly, and she froze.
It felt like a tiny bolt of lightning had shot from the roots of her hair all the way into her bloodstream and meridians, leaving her stiff yet uncontrollably weak.
She bit her lip in shame and discomfort. Meanwhile, his soft, moist lips slowly traced from the tip of her ear down to her earlobe, finally pressing gently against her equally soft earlobe. He whispered, “How do you want me to vent? And how do you want to… stay with me?”
Wen Yue instinctively took a deep breath, her voice trembling. “You… you can do whatever you want… I’ll stay with you.”
The air fell silent.
Gong Hengye suddenly chuckled softly. His lips left her earlobe, and he gave it a light pinch with his fingers. “You really are a little perverted ghost.”