When Gu Qinghan’s words reached Luo Jin’s ears, her heart suddenly jolted, and she subconsciously looked up.
She saw a striking red scratch mark on Gu Tangzhou’s neck.
It was what she had left there earlier when she couldn’t hold back while clinging to him at the peak.
Gu Tangzhou touched it, then laughed lazily. “It’s nothing. Just got scratched by a little wild cat.”
“Second Brother, you’re keeping a cat now?”
Gu Tangzhou smiled but said nothing, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the woman sitting stiffly nearby, the curve of his lips deepening slightly.
Seeing that he refused to elaborate, the others did not dare dig further into his gossip and instead turned their fire toward Luo Jin again.
Someone sneered, “Hanhan, you’re the apple of Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt’s eye—the proper young lady of the Gu family. You shouldn’t learn from stray cats and dogs, or your Fifth Uncle will definitely break your legs.”
“Fifth Uncle would never!” another person said, glancing at Luo Jin. “But some people are different. They talk about going abroad for further study, but in reality they just took Fifth Uncle’s money to spend recklessly overseas.”
“Who knows how Fifth Uncle chose her back then? He actually brought back someone like this.”
The ridicule was like dense needles, piercing into Luo Jin.
Luo Jin frowned slightly and looked at the person who spoke.
“A proper young lady wouldn’t casually talk about sleeping around with men.”
Gu Qinghan’s expression changed instantly, ready to retort.
But Luo Jin looked at her and said calmly, “You say I messed around with men abroad—did you see it with your own eyes, or do you have any evidence?!”
“If there’s no evidence, then it’s defamation! Old Master hates gossip and rumor-mongering the most.”
The few who had been speaking felt a chill under her cold gaze, as if they were under pressure.
It wasn’t that they feared Luo Jin, but they were genuinely worried this would reach the Old Master.
The Gu family’s first rule was: do not speak ill of others.
The atmosphere stiffened for a moment, until Gu Tangzhou let out a mocking chuckle.
Everyone subconsciously looked at him.
Someone awkwardly changed the topic: “Second Brother, what breed of cat are you keeping? British Shorthair or Golden Chinchilla?”
“Neither,” Gu Tangzhou drawled. “Just an ordinary… little wild cat.”
Luo Jin clenched her palm.
She had a vague feeling that when Gu Tangzhou said this, his gaze had intentionally or unintentionally swept over her.
It made her recall a moment before she went abroad—once when he had been especially rough with her, in the same place on the balcony. She clung to his shoulders as he drove into her, unable to steady herself, her nails leaving scratches all over his back.
At that time, he had gently bitten her breast and called her a wild, untamed little cat.
Memories surged like a tidal wave, leaving her no room to breathe.
During the meal, no one paid attention to Luo Jin anymore.
The girls chatted about skincare and gossip, while the boys discussed business and women.
Someone asked Gu Tangzhou, “Second Brother, when are you marrying Sister Chu Yan?”
Hearing that name, Luo Jin—who had been quietly eating—paused mid-motion, as if her heart had been pinched.
But only for a moment. She calmly placed the fish she had intended to eat back onto her plate and continued eating slowly.
It was rare to have such authentic Chinese food abroad.
More importantly, she had been too busy working and studying to properly eat meals.
Her brief change did not escape Gu Tangzhou’s eyes.
At the mention of Bai Chuyan, a flash of pain crossed her eyes that was impossible to fake.
So back then, when she suddenly left with a simple “it’s over,” was it related to Chuyan?
Luo Jin could not help but drift back into memories tied to Bai Chuyan and did not hear Gu Tangzhou’s response.
Gu Tangzhou had been a proud son of heaven since birth, attracting everyone’s attention—including Luo Jin.
She had always known the gap between them, so even when she liked him, she did so cautiously, never daring to let anyone notice.
But—she was still seen through.
By Bai Chuyan.
She was also the exception in all of Gu Tangzhou’s coldness.
Gu Tangzhou gave almost all his tenderness to her.
Luo Jin envied her—even resented her.
So when Bai Mengyan came to her door and sneered that she was nothing but a dirty rat from the gutter, unworthy of liking Gu Tangzhou, Luo Jin snapped.
She did the boldest and most reckless thing in her life.
Drunk on alcohol, she climbed into Gu Tangzhou’s bed—and even slept with him.
It was her first time drinking, and she had drunk far too much for courage, so she could not remember the details.
She only remembered running to his house, frantically knocking on the door, and the moment it opened, she threw herself at him and kissed him.
After that… she remembered nothing.
When she woke up, she was lying in his arms, her body covered in marks he had left.
At that moment of mental blankness, she heard him say coldly:
“Remember what you said, or you’ll die very ugly.”
But Luo Jin did not remember what she had said, and she did not dare ask. She could only continue this unclear relationship with him.
She knew that with her status, Gu Tangzhou would never give her any promise, and their relationship could never be seen in daylight.
Yet every time she fully embraced him in bed, she still felt that even this was enough.
Until… one night, she went to find him as usual, and saw him in the living room, kissing Bai Chuyan.
Gu Tangzhou was not gentle, especially in that regard.
Luo Jin was often hurt by him.
She had even once felt happiness because of those injuries.
But at that moment, when she saw Gu Tangzhou carefully holding Bai Chuyan’s face, wiping away her tears, and soothing her over and over again—
She realized he could be gentle.
He just reserved his gentleness for different people.
And she was not worthy.
That was probably when her “love-brain” was cured.
Luo Jin felt she could no longer continue living so humbly. If he never intended to have a future with her, then perhaps she could also choose to leave him.
So she sent him a message: It’s over.
Then she accepted an overseas university offer and went abroad.
Five years passed, and that message never received a reply.
She had thought everything was over.
But today, when she arrived at the Old Master’s birthday banquet and unexpectedly ran into him at the entrance, he dragged her into a car…
She closed her eyes.
She had never seen Gu Tangzhou so furious.
He had been so forceful it felt like he wanted to tear her apart.
“By the way, Sister Luo Jin…”
A sweet, innocent voice pulled her back to reality.
Luo Jin opened her eyes and met Gu Qinghan’s eyes filled with hidden malice.
“What is it?”
“My mom has arranged a marriage for you—and it’s with the Chu family!”
Luo Jin’s expression changed slightly.
The others burst into laughter.
“The Chu family? Not the one I’m thinking of, right?”
“It must be that one. After all… the eldest young master of the Chu family isn’t someone just anyone can match.”
“If anyone is suitable, it would only be a proper socialite like Hanhan.”
Gu Qinghan covered her mouth, pretending to be shy.
“Oh, don’t say that.”
“Although Sister Luo Jin’s background is a bit lacking, she does have a master’s degree in Business Management from Cambridge. She’s still qualified to marry the second young master of the Chu family.”
“And besides, Second Young Master Chu isn’t as bad as the rumors say. Sister Luo Jin, you wouldn’t judge people by appearance, would you?”