Rogue
She hesitated.
Although when she married into the family, Qin Hai had instructed her to approach Gu Jingchen as if she were an undercover agent, deep down, she knew Gu Jingchen had never harmed her.
If she stole the recording from his phone, she would truly be a despicable little villain.
What should she do?
Without the recording, did that mean she really had to apologize to someone like Lin Zhi?
Qin Mingzhu nervously bit her finger.
Even when the screen automatically went dark, she hadn’t tapped “Confirm Send.”
Sleepless through the night, the next morning Qin Mingzhu trudged downstairs with dark circles under her eyes to eat breakfast.
Gu Jingchen had already changed his clothes.
Today he wore a deep brown suit, perfectly tailored, making him look even sharper than usual.
Seeing Qin Mingzhu covering her mouth as she yawned, he slightly squinted and asked, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”
His voice was calm and controlled, no different from usual.
But maybe because she felt guilty, Qin Mingzhu stammered.
“Uh, a little.”
“The curtains weren’t drawn properly last night, right? I’ll make sure to close them in advance next time.”
The seemingly casual words sent shivers down her spine.
She felt completely seen through, yet wondered if she was overthinking, fidgeting nervously with her spoon.
Gu Jingchen just put down his chopsticks and tilted his head, staring directly at her eyes.
“You don’t seem to be talking much today.”
They were only a foot apart, and all the emotions in Qin Mingzhu’s eyes were impossible to hide.
She licked the milk that had spilled on the rim of her cup and forced a dry laugh. “Am I? Maybe I just don’t talk much when I haven’t fully woken up.”
Gu Jingchen sat up straight, fingers resting on the tablecloth.
“How are you planning to handle the online criticism?”
The online drama had been raging. According to Qin Hai’s arrangement, Qin Mingzhu should have posted an apology last night.
But according to Qin Mingzhu’s plan, she wouldn’t apologize in fact, she wanted to release the recording today.
After all, Lin Zhi’s fans had shouted the loudest yesterday:
“Weren’t you saying you had a recording of Lin Zhi trying to seduce your husband? Post it!”
Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option in reality.
She had to obediently apologize to Lin Zhi.
Gu Jingchen’s expression was hard to read. “You’re going to send Lin Zhi an apology statement?”
“Have to follow the company’s orders, right?” Qin Mingzhu shrugged casually, trying to reassure him. “It’s fine. I’m just a small influencer; I’ll follow what the company says.”
“So that’s the solution the company gave you.”
Gu Jingchen seemed to smile slightly. Qin Mingzhu widened her eyes, trying to discern it, but all she saw was his cold profile.
Puzzled, she finished breakfast and rolled back into bed, clutching her phone in misery.
So frustrating she had no desire to apologize at all.
Qin Hai called again; she could guess it was to urge her apology.
She answered listlessly, “I know, I’ll apologize.”
Unexpectedly, Qin Hai stopped her. “Don’t post anything yet, don’t send anything! Qisheng just reported that it’s just a misunderstanding. They’ll handle it on their end.”
Qin Mingzhu leapt off the bed like a fish flipping in water.
Her intuition told her there was definitely more to come.
She reopened Weibo. Sure enough, at exactly 9 a.m., Lin Zhi posted her second public Weibo since returning to China a formal apology to Qin Mingzhu.
Qin Mingzhu was so excited she could have performed a full set of military-style punches.
The public opinion online shifted dramatically. Although Lin Zhi’s apology claimed it was just a misunderstanding, netizens didn’t let her off easily.
After all, everyone had seen how crazy Lin Zhi’s fans had been yesterday.
Qin Mingzhu’s phone buzzed nonstop with new messages from Liu Zhi.
Wow, Mrs. Gu was way too humble yesterday, even asking me for insider info!
From now on, anything you need, Mrs. Gu, just transfer the money directly. I’ll make sure it’s all taken care of!
Qin Mingzhu: “……”
Once that title appeared, if she didn’t understand what was happening, that would be too clueless.
She carefully showered and changed, almost ready to burn incense, then cooked three dishes and a soup, putting them in a thermal container.
She was going to bring food to her dear husband.
If only she had known Gu Jingchen would handle it for her, she wouldn’t have struggled so much last night!
Her heart was overflowing with gratitude.
She wanted to see Gu Jingchen immediately!
The driver dropped her off just before mealtime.
As soon as she entered the front hall, she ran into a wave of people leaving work.
Thanks to her last visit, they remembered her well and enthusiastically called her “Mrs. Gu” at every turn, making Qin Mingzhu so embarrassed she wished she could sink into the ground.
She should have been more careful last time.
She took the private elevator up. When the door opened, she saw Gu Jingchen standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, on the phone.
He had removed his suit jacket, revealing a crisp white shirt and black vest beneath. The clothes were perfectly tailored, accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist almost breathtaking.
Qin Mingzhu quietly sat on the sofa. When Gu Jingchen finished his call, she spoke “Husband, I brought you some food.”
He put down the phone and raised an eyebrow. “You knew?”
“How did you handle it for me?” Her eyes sparkled.
Gu Jingchen bent down and sat across from her, opening the meal box slowly. After seeing the three dishes and soup, he finally looked up.
“Not a big deal. I just sent the recording to Qisheng.”
Qin Mingzhu almost swore.
She eagerly jumped up, went behind the sofa, and gave him a shoulder massage.
“Husband, you’re incredibly handsome!” she exclaimed excitedly.
“Didn’t you think about posting the recording?” Gu Jingchen asked casually.
Qin Mingzhu’s guilty hand trembled, her mind racing with excuses.
In the end, she admitted honestly, “Actually, I looked through your phone last night.”
Gu Jingchen said calmly, “I know.”
Even though Qin Mingzhu had anticipated this, she still felt a pang of fear.
What if Gu Jingchen had turned around while she was trying the password last night? She would’ve probably died of fright on the spot.
But…
“When did you find out?” Qin Mingzhu asked, puzzled.
She had been so careful.
Gu Jingchen slowly scooped some soup. “Next time you do something sneaky, don’t shout it in my ear like a loudspeaker.”
Qin Mingzhu’s face instantly flushed.
“If I don’t shout, how will I know whether you’re asleep?” she whispered sheepishly.
“Simple,” Gu Jingchen’s lips curved slightly, “you try kissing me.”