10:00 PM sharp.
The black Maybach glided silently before finally coming to a stop beneath the apartment building at Platinum Residence in the city center.
Streetlight filtered through the car window, outlining the profile of the man in the driver’s seat.
Lu Lie didn’t turn off the engine immediately. He tilted his head, his gaze falling on the woman in the passenger seat.
Gu Xingnian leaned against the seatback, her head slightly tilted to one side, breathing evenly as if sound asleep.
Her long eyelashes cast small shadows beneath her eyelids.
The car’s heater was turned up high.
A faint, barely noticeable pink tint colored her fair cheeks.
Lu Lie’s fingers curled slightly on the steering wheel.
He wanted to touch her, even if just her hair.
The moment this thought emerged, he forcefully suppressed it.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
The car interior was so quiet that only their breathing and the occasional honk from outside could be heard.
Gu Xingnian stirred.
She wasn’t actually asleep, just resting with her eyes closed.
Feeling the car had stopped, she slowly opened her eyes, traces of lingering fatigue still visible in them.
“We’re here?”
Her voice carried the hoarseness of someone just awakened, along with a deliberately maintained distance.
Lu Lie’s heartbeat skipped a beat.
“I’m leaving, thank you.” She pushed the car door open without hesitation.
“Nian Nian!” He got out of the car, his deep voice cutting through the night with an undeniable intensity.
Gu Xingnian turned around, “Senior, is there something else?”
He reached out his hand.
Gu Xingnian stiffened, almost instinctively wanting to avoid him.
But his fingertips merely brushed lightly over non-existent dust on her shoulder.
The movement was so quick she thought it might be an illusion.
Yet the lingering warmth from his fingertips genuinely transmitted through the thin fabric of her clothes.
Carrying a faint, tingling electric current.
Gu Xingnian’s heart felt as if something had struck it—not too hard, but leaving a dull ache!
Lu Lie’s hand slowly withdrew, slipping into his pocket.
He tried hard to make his voice sound calm and steady, like a senior who genuinely cared for his junior.
“Get some rest early.”
He spoke these words slowly, with deliberate gentleness.
Gu Xingnian remained silent for two seconds before lifting her face to give him a standard, polite smile.
“Mm, you too.”
The smile didn’t reach her eyes.
After speaking, she didn’t linger, turning quickly to stride through the apartment entrance.
Returning home, the entryway light turned on automatically.
Gu Xingnian kicked off her high heels and, without even changing her clothes, headed straight for the study.
She opened the laptop that looked ordinary but concealed remarkable capabilities.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, instantly bringing up streams of complex code and medical terminology on the screen.
Her expression was focused and sharp, completely different from her usual quiet, timid demeanor.
The screen’s light flickered across her face.
In the search bar, she quickly typed a line of text—
Old Madam Huo, mid-stage lung cancer, latest treatment plans and clinical data analysis…
The next day, the sunlight was perfect, the breeze gentle.
Sheng Weiwei returned in a whirlwind, her voice arriving before she even entered the door.
“Nian Nian! I’m back! Mom’s lovingly prepared lunch, come try it quickly! Airplane food is practically inhumane!”
Gu Xingnian set down the medical book in her hands, looking helplessly at Sheng Weiwei who had already rushed to her and was clinging to her.
“You just got back and instead of resting, you come running straight here.”
Sheng Weiwei released her hands, cupped her face and examined it carefully. “Hmm, your complexion looks good. You’ve recovered well enough to go shopping with me this afternoon.”
Gu Xingnian laughed. “All you think about is shopping. How was your business trip? Did you secure the client?”
Sheng Weiwei patted her chest proudly. “Look who’s talking! I went to Ningcheng this time. My uncle is the mayor of Ningcheng—there’s no client I can’t handle.” After saying this, she proudly blinked.”
Gu Xingnian helplessly tapped her forehead. “I hope you won’t cause trouble for your uncle in the future.”
Sheng Weiwei pouted. “It’s all the old man’s fault for refusing to have a third child. Now the family burden falls entirely on me.”
Gu Xingnian rolled her eyes at her and led her to the dining table. “What delicious food did Godmother make for me?”
“All your favorites: pineapple ribs, chicken silk balls, veal, and mushroom soup.”
Just looking at it made Gu Xingnian’s appetite soar. Godmother’s cooking could conquer the whole world. “Godmother is still the best.”
Sheng Weiwei’s mood suddenly dropped, and she brought up, “Once I have everything prepared, I’m going to Maduri in Country A.”
Gu Xingnian paused, then looked at her seriously. “When the time comes, I’ll go with you.”
“Mm, let’s drink the soup, drink the soup.” Sheng Weiwei nodded and smiled.
Gu Xingnian knew that Maduri was a painful subject for the Sheng family. Five years ago, Weiwei’s brother Sheng Tingxiao had been involved in an accident in Maduri—a major explosion where even his body couldn’t be found. The Sheng family had been sending people to search Maduri over the years, but after five years with no news, everyone had stopped mentioning it.
Thus, the Sheng family’s business empire fell onto Sheng Weiwei’s shoulders. Her father had assigned her as a business manager to gain experience first.
As the two drank soup together, Gu Xingnian suddenly asked, “By the way, Weiwei, I heard Old Lady Huo is sick. Do you know about this?”
“Old Lady Huo?” Sheng Weiwei put down her spoon, her eyes revealing something more. “You mean Huo Chenyuan’s grandmother?”
“Yes, I heard Huo Chenyuan mention it before. It seems to be a lung issue.”
Sheng Weiwei thought back. “The old lady is really good, especially kind. When I was little, I even went to wish her a happy birthday.” A trace of nostalgia appeared on her face.
“However, the old lady has been recuperating at the old residence these past few years, living a secluded life. Ordinary people can’t even get to see her.” Sheng Weiwei seemed to remember something, her eyes lighting up. “How about you help her?”
This was exactly what Gu Xingnian had in mind. “But I’d have to meet her first, and it can’t be too deliberate.”
“Ah, right! At the end of the month is Old Lady Huo’s birthday. The Huo family, worried about tiring the old lady, won’t make a big fuss, but they’ll privately invite some close friends to gather. We can go together then!”
Gu Xingnian’s heart stirred as she looked at Sheng Weiwei. “Okay.”
The two happily continued their meal when suddenly, Sheng Weiwei’s phone rang, displaying a photo of Gu Shaoheng with a minor celebrity—the two locked in a passionate kiss.
Sheng Weiwei coldly spat out two words, “Stud. His taste is getting worse and worse.”
Gu Xingnian glanced at it and looked at her with concern. “Are you okay?”
Sheng Weiwei set down her spoon and flashed a radiant smile. “Do I look like someone with problems? You’re overestimating Gu Shaoheng too much. To me, he’s nothing but a name—utterly insignificant!”
She pointed to her chest, her bright eyes clear and unruffled.
Although they had grown up together and their families had arranged their engagement when they turned eighteen, Gu Shaoheng’s constant womanizing over the years had long earned him a death sentence in Sheng Weiwei’s eyes.
Her focus now was on working hard until she gained enough power to formally break off the engagement. It wasn’t yet the right time to openly clash with the Gu family.
Seeing her attitude, Gu Xingnian naturally stopped worrying about her.
“Who sent these?”
“Who knows? They arrive monthly, more punctual than my period. The key is, each batch is different. The earlier ones were at least international models with stunning figures, but now they’ve downgraded to second-rate celebrities. Tsk, tsk.” Sheng Weiwei shook her head while examining the photos, her expression full of disdain.
“Should we hire someone to dig up dirt on Fu Beichen then?”
Gu Xingnian paused briefly. “That won’t be necessary.”
Yes, some things needed clean breaks!
That evening, Fu Beichen unexpectedly returned to Yu Manor. He saw the servants trimming freshly delivered lilies.
“Young master, you’re back,” the butler hurried over. “These are newly arrived green lilies—extremely rare, with fewer than ten in the world. The madam would have loved them.”
Fu Beichen glanced back at the green lilies, his face expressionless as he walked toward the main residence.
An inexplicable ache tightened in his chest. When he’d learned of her fondness for lilies, he’d scoured the world for the rarest varieties, cultivating them in Nianxin Pavilion just so she’d feel happy and relaxed whenever she visited Yu Manor.
But she would never come again.
Standing on the balcony overlooking the lily garden, he was overwhelmed by a profound sense of loss.
Damn it!
He was actually thinking of her…