“Why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?”
Gu Tangzhou raised the end of his sentence slightly, his tone laced with teasing.
Luo Jin didn’t want to tangle with him and quickly lowered her head.
“My mother is waiting for me at home.”
She used Madam Gu as an excuse, hoping to get away quickly, but the man had no intention of letting her go.
“Get in the car.”
Silence was her only response.
“Don’t make me come down and personally invite you.”
His voice—Luo Jin was very familiar with it.
Every time she heard him call her name five years ago in that same tone, it was followed by even more intense possession.
Her body now reacted instinctively with a tremor, and she could only follow him into the car.
In a place unseen by others, Gu Qinghan frowned deeply as she watched their departing figures.
She truly couldn’t understand why her second brother would be with that wretched girl.
She quickly took out her phone and snapped a photo of the two of them.
Something felt off at the banquet earlier—she needed to investigate properly. What exactly had Luo Jin given her second brother to make this “high mountain flower” take her side?
The car slowly started moving.
Inside the enclosed space meant for only the two of them, the temperature gradually rose.
Luo Jin parted her lips and broke the silence first.
“I really am not pregnant. I probably just haven’t adjusted to my stomach after returning home.”
But to Gu Tangzhou, her words sounded different.
“Your stomach hasn’t adjusted—or you haven’t adjusted to me?” he said, not waiting for her answer. “Five years, and you already forgot about me? Seems like the punishment earlier wasn’t harsh enough.”
At the mention of what had just happened, Luo Jin’s expression turned cold.
“Everything ended five years ago.”
This time, she had returned to the country to make her mark.
As for Gu Tangzhou—he would be nothing more than a reckless memory from her youth.
“It was all a mistake. It should have ended long ago.”
She lowered her lashes, trying to erase the lingering memories from her mind.
“I hope we can both know when to stop in time.”
She felt his burning gaze on her, yet there was no response for a long while.
Finally, Gu Tangzhou spoke, his voice like thunder that shattered her thoughts.
“I’ll personally check when we get back.”
“Check what?”
For a moment, she didn’t understand what he meant.
“Whether you’re actually pregnant.”
His eyes were fixed on her flat abdomen, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Luo Jin nervously looked around; the passing trees felt strangely familiar.
Five years ago, their encounters had always taken place in Gu Tangzhou’s private villa—every staircase, every room, even the balcony held memories of their intimacy.
“This is the test result. HCG is negative.”
She handed him the report while gripping the car door handle with her other hand, ready to escape at any moment.
Yet the person beside her did not move.
“Stop the car!”
As the vehicle approached a winding mountain road, memories surged back all at once.
She absolutely couldn’t allow five years of hard work to be ruined.
“If you don’t stop, I’ll jump!”
This was the first time she had ever defied him.
“Try it,” he said, not believing she would dare.
The words had barely fallen when Luo Jin directly opened the car door.
Cold wind rushed in violently, freezing the atmosphere between them.
“Stop the car!”
Although she hadn’t truly been reckless enough to jump, she was gambling—betting he wouldn’t risk a life.
“Close the door, or I’ll announce our relationship to everyone right now.”
Half of her body was already outside the car.
From beginning to end, Gu Tangzhou made no move. His expression remained cold, his voice even colder.
Once their relationship was exposed, everyone would know Luo Jin as the disgraceful woman who seduced her own second brother.
Everything she had worked for would collapse.
She still needed to uncover the truth about her identity—she absolutely couldn’t let anyone discover their relationship.
She closed the door. The sudden temperature change made her shiver.
She didn’t understand—what benefit did exposing their relationship bring him?
But this was exactly how he had secured his place in the Gu family.
The sudden silence made the atmosphere inside the car tense and ambiguous. The warm air from the air conditioner slowly eased her nerves.
A phone vibration broke the silence.
Gu Tangzhou answered. His subordinate reported from the other end:
“Mr. Gu, Miss Luo is indeed not pregnant.”
“Mm.”
His tone revealed nothing—neither joy nor disappointment.
“I told you, I’m not pregnant!”
Luo Jin emphasized each word again.
Meeting his deep, ink-dark eyes, she recalled how every time she talked back in the past, he would punish her even more ruthlessly.
She immediately turned her head away.
“Can I go home now? If I don’t return, my mother will get suspicious.”
“You want to stay overnight?”
A rare warmth entered Gu Tangzhou’s voice as his large hand slid into her soft hair, combing it from top to bottom.
Even he himself didn’t notice how his expression softened slightly.
“Second brother.”
She tried to appeal to his sense of reason. After all, in name, they were still cousins within the Gu family.
“What did you call me?”
In the past, she had deliberately called him “Xiao Zhou” to provoke him.
But now, she would never dare use that name again.
“Even though I’m the Gu family’s adopted daughter, you are still my second brother.”
Those words clearly angered him. Silence fell between them once more.
The car stopped steadily at the villa entrance, but Luo Jin hesitated.
“I don’t want to wait too long.”
With that, Gu Tangzhou strode into the villa.
After only a moment of hesitation, she followed.
She knew how dangerous he could be.
Inside, the room was completely dark.
Shadows of trees flickered outside the window. Luo Jin could barely make out his outline.
He slowly approached. She slowly retreated.
Until her back pressed against the cold wall.
“Second brother,” she whispered.
She meant to resist him—but that single phrase seemed to ignite something in him.
The next second, a storm-like kiss engulfed her.
He lifted her arms above her head with one hand while supporting her chin with the other, as if she were a precious treasure.
Unable to break her tightly sealed lips, his eyes darkened with intensity.
His free hand slid downward, roaming her slender figure. She gasped softly—and he took the opportunity.
Their lips intertwined; his technique was overwhelming, and Luo Jin felt as though her soul was about to leave her body.
His burning hand moved beneath her skirt. She instinctively tried to escape, but there was nowhere to retreat.
Just as she closed her eyes, ready to surrender, a sharp ringtone cut through the darkness.
He initially ignored it, but upon seeing the caller ID, he changed his mind.
He picked up the phone, pressed answer, and placed it by her ear. His hot breath brushed against her ear, making her breathing falter.
“Answer it.”