Right at that moment, a sudden round of applause drifted in from the entrance.
The three of them spun around in unison, only to see a tall, imposing man brush aside the cascading green leaves of a hanging orchid as he stepped into the shop with a poised, unhurried stride.
The man was spectacularly handsome. His prominent brows exuded a powerful, masculine energy, yet his dark eyes ran so deep and restrained that they lent him an unfathomable, mysterious edge.
Liu Linong coveted his handsomeness and intense wealth, but she was even more infatuated with his mysterious power. Although her dignity had been brutally stripped away by him at the Fang family banquet, every single midnight when she tossed and turned in bed, her mind would inevitably linger on his cold, unfeeling eyes.
She had genuinely never anticipated that their long-awaited reunion would transpire under an absolute scene like this.
Liu Linong’s mind raced frantically, a thousand calculations spinning through her brain in the span of a few breaths. Yet no matter how cunning her intellect was, she couldn’t begin to fathom how CEO Gu could possibly materialize here by such a bizarre stroke of coincidence. Worse still, she couldn’t comprehend why he would show his face so openly, using his own applause to validate and support Fang Jinshi.
While it was true that Gu Tuo didn’t share an explicit, face-to-face conflict with Fang Jinshi, given that Li Jin was permanently anchored between them, the relationship between these two shouldn’t be pleasant in the slightest, should it?
Liu Linong was utterly baffled. Her expression underwent a rapid series of shifts before finally freezing into a subtle, practiced smile. Her smile was as naturally seductive as always, though the curvature of her lips ran somewhat rigid.
She possessed zero data on exactly how much of their conversation Gu Tuo had overhead, nor did she understand his rationale for taking a definitive stance. She simply harbored an immense dread of the man, and dared not expose her aggressive, malicious side right in front of him.
Failing to construct a counterattack, her only remaining option was a clean retreat.
Scurrying to act as though nothing had occurred, she cooed, “Mr. Gu, did you drop by to purchase flowers as well?” Before Gu Tuo could even offer a response, she hurriedly rambled on to answer herself, “Since actual business has arrived, I won’t occupy any more of your time. You two must be busy; I’ll take my leave first.”
Liu Linong had always been a master class in putting on a superficial facade, yet in this moment, her composure was on the absolute verge of fracturing.
Gu Tuo hadn’t uttered a single syllable of insult; he had simply used a brief round of applause to throw her entire rhythm into absolute chaos. Her heart was in shambles and her physical coordination followed, rendering her exit from the flower shop an incredibly loud, clicking scramble of stilettos that bordered on a flat-out route.
With Liu Linong having fled the scene, her high-society friend naturally had zero reason to linger. Before long, a peaceful silence settled back over the florist, leaving only Fang Jinshi and Gu Tuo remaining in the room.
“Mr. Gu, thank you.”
Fang Jinshi locked his crystal-clear eyes onto Gu Tuo.
Gu Tuo met his gaze, his tone perfectly flat: “What is there to thank me for? Your words were exceptional, and I fully align with your perspective.”
The corners of Fang Jinshi’s eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons, a soft smile blooming on his face. He and Gu Tuo shared a profound harmony of minds, so it wasn’t particularly strange for the tycoon to validate his outlook on romance and career.
Yet under the specific context of the altercation just now, stepping in as a complete third party to violently break the social stalemate was a move thoroughly uncharacteristic of Gu Tuo’s usual operations.
Fang Jinshi had known Gu Tuo for a couple of years, but their deep, personal interaction was quite recent. According to his objective data on the man, Gu Tuo’s execution of social affairs was always flawlessly polite and strictly adhered to protocol; he was far from the tyrannical corporate monster of the rumors who destroyed rival firms at a whim.
Fang Jinshi couldn’t begin to fathom why his older brother harbored such an intense dread of the tycoon, weaponizing every single hostile, unfriendly adjective in the vocabulary whenever his name was brought up.
The Gu Tuo he knew was vastly different.
The Gu Tuo he knew would actively discipline Li Jin at a high-society banquet, and would transparently return a lost brooch to personally offer a sincere apology for his failure of family oversight.
The Gu Tuo he knew would swiftly dissolve a public humiliation at a luxury mall, personally dropping down to tend to a laceration on his foot without triggering an ounce of social awkwardness.
The Gu Tuo he knew would stand amidst a lush sea of vibrant greenery to quietly listen to him articulate his life choices and ultimate dreams, stating in a deep, heavy voice that every single bit of it would manifest for him.
Yet this exact Gu Tuo, the moment he caught him locked in a fierce verbal dismantling against Liu Linong, had chosen to stride openly through his front doors, using his own palms to telegraph that he had listened to their entire private conversation—and that he stood firmly behind him.
—Eavesdropping on a private conversation was, by standard protocol, a severe lapse in manners.
Simultaneously, by publicly taking his side, he had ruthlessly weaponized Liu Linong’s sudden panic and embarrassment to forcefully drive an unwelcome pest straight out of his shop.
—While this outcome was undeniably something Fang Jinshi coveted, from Liu Linong’s objective perspective, the tycoon’s actions carried a distinct note of a corporate heavyweight bullying a junior without leaving a single shred of face.
For a man as meticulously calculated and faultless in his affairs as Gu Tuo, executing an operation like this was highly abnormal, unless—
He was perfectly willing to commit a social faux pas, solely to extend his protection to him.
The moment his mind extracted this definitive conclusion, Fang Jinshi’s heart inexplicably skipped a violent beat. He quickly forced his cognitive focus back into alignment, refusing to let this sudden, erratic fluttering take control of his senses.
After all, who on earth doesn’t appreciate being treated as an absolute exception? He mused.
He had genuinely believed that having been showered with limitless love and absolute indulgence by his immediate family his entire life, he could navigate any manifestation of care with perfect, detached composure. He hadn’t expected that he would still fail to remain immune to the charm.
He was incredibly happy.
With profound satisfaction blooming in his soul, a radiant look of joy naturally mapped across his features. His eyes curved into soft, fluid lines, and the upward tilt of his lips felt as comforting as a fresh breeze on a spring afternoon.
In the past, Gu Tuo had always perceived his smile to be like a beam of pure moonlight—flawlessly white and beautifully transparent. Yet looking at him in this exact fraction of a second, he inexplicably extracted a trace of absolute sweetness from the display. It was as though those handsome features had seamlessly transformed into an artisanal sugar cake, every tiny shift in expression diffusing an intensely seductive, sweet aroma that begged to be tasted.
The thought flashed through his mind like a stray bolt of lightning, yet it struck his consciousness like a crashing meteor—destined to trigger a cataclysmic shockwave within his soul.
Gu Tuo instinctively buried the absurd, dangerous notion deep into the absolute baseline of his mind, strictly forbidding it from wreaking further havoc on his sanity. Yet a heavy ripple had already been struck across the calm waters of his internal lake, rendering total tranquility an impossible task.
The tycoon’s cognitive transition transpired in a microscopic fraction of a second, running so subtly that Fang Jinshi remained completely oblivious to the internal storm.
Furthermore, he had zero intention of badgering Gu Tuo regarding his rationale for stepping in to clear the room. It had been an act of pure, unadulterated kindness on the man’s part; he had received the blessing, and all that was required of him now was to return the sentiment with equal sincerity. Demanding a cold, systematic breakdown of the details would only strip the interaction of its organic beauty.
With his mind cleanly sorted, Fang Jinshi let the matter drop.
Catching sight of the artisanal treats resting on the low table out of the corner of his eye, he quickly offered an enthusiastic invitation: “The family chef whipped up a fresh batch of cookies today, and I packed a generous portion specifically to bring over for you to eat. Would you care to try one?”
The literal second the syllables left his mouth, he instantly realized his wording had completely betrayed him.
Sure enough, Gu Tuo shifted his eyes toward him, a subtle flash of surprise coloring his gaze.
Fang Jinshi felt a sudden, burning rush of heat flood his cheeks. He had always operated with absolute transparency, executing every single life choice with such unyielding righteousness that a sudden blush or an erratic heartbeat was entirely foreign to his system.
Yet, calculating the botanical survival window of a bouquet on his fingers just to map out Mr. Gu’s corporate itinerary—an operation like that was undeniably stripped of any right to be called “transparent.” Caught dead in his tracks, a rare wave of intense bashfulness consumed him.
Detecting the sharp shift in his composure, Gu Tuo’s heart stirred. Refusing to let the youth wallow in his social distress, he stated smoothly, “Is it that bag resting on the table? I would love to sample some.”
Fang Jinshi let out a massive, internal breath of relief. Striding over to retrieve the pastries, he thrust them toward Gu Tuo’s face. “Go ahead and try one! I am fully confident you will love it!”
Nanny Zhang from the estate kitchen was an exceptionally skilled woman. She had neatly secured the artisanal cookies inside a pristine linen pouch, binding the neck of the bag with an elegant golden thread tied into a flawless bow.
Though the pouch was sealed tightly, the rich, buttery fragrance of the baked goods still managed to escape the fibers, diffusing a crisp, mouthwatering scent into the air.
As Fang Jinshi advanced toward Gu Tuo, he kept his head lowered, frantically attempting to untie the golden bow. Operating solely with one hand, his micro-movements were inevitably a bit clumsy and uncoordinated. Gu Tuo instinctively reached out a hand to assist him, and the shimmering golden thread wound itself directly around their interlaced fingertips.
Both men froze solid, caught in a sudden, absolute stillness.
Gu Tuo was the first to reclaim his focus. Gently pulling the linen pouch open, he looked inside, only to see rows of snowy-white sugar cakes squeezed tightly against one another—looking remarkably aggrieved due to the severe lack of space inside the pouch.
A hidden, unnamable desire nestled deep within his chest seemed to secure its ultimate satisfaction through this simple visual metaphor. A soft, genuine smile seeped into the absolute depths of Gu Tuo’s eyes as he murmured, “Thank you, Jinshi. I love it.”
He had just addressed him as ‘Jinshi’!
Fang Jinshi felt a sudden, immense surge of delight.
Yet on immediate second thought, a wave of mild irritation washed over him. He hasn’t even tasted a single crumb yet, and he claims to love it? Mr. Gu truly is far too polite for his own good!