It was the height of June.
The sun blazed overhead, cicadas droned endlessly, and the relentless heatwave—lasting nearly half a month—felt like it could steam the moisture right out of people.
At the newly built Capital International Airport, inside the international arrivals hall—
“A-Yu! Y-you actually hit me for someone like her?!”
A young woman dressed in designer brands, her makeup flawless, clutched her swollen cheek in disbelief, her voice trembling with tears as she stared at the tall, handsome man before her.
The man had an arm wrapped around a tall, slender girl. The girl’s upturned, fox-like eyes shimmered with tears, her expression full of grievance—softening the natural allure of her features into something fragile and pitiful.
She, too, had a slap mark on her face, along with a scratch across her cheek that looked like it had been caused by manicured nails.
Shen Yu’s expression was icy. His usually smiling, peach-blossom eyes now radiated a chilling coldness.
“You dare lay a hand on my woman? Then you’ll pay the price.”
Seeing the unwillingness in the woman’s eyes only made him more impatient.
“Xu Yingjia, how many times do I have to tell you? There’s no possibility between us! Stalking me like this just makes you disgusting!”
Xu Yingjia opened her mouth, but her tears fell before any words could come out.
“I—I didn’t—”
The more flustered she became, the less she could speak.
The airport was crowded, and the commotion quickly drew attention. More and more people stopped to watch, some even pulling out their phones to record, ready to post it online for attention.
A man in a plaid vest holding a camera—who had come with Xu Yingjia—noticed the filming and immediately shouted, “Hey! What are you doing? Don’t film this!”
Two bodyguards moved quickly in the direction he pointed.
Startled, the person filming turned pale, stuffed their phone away, and ran off.
Shen Yu looked at the stammering Xu Yingjia with undisguised contempt.
“You hurt Nan Nan’s face.”
He pronounced his judgment word by word.
“Kneel. And apologize to her.”
For a brief moment, the vast arrivals hall seemed to fall silent.
Xu Yingjia’s eyes widened.
Even if she had been slow to react before, she now fully understood the humiliation she was facing.
“Y-you—!”
“Such arrogance, Young Master Shen.”
A voice that didn’t belong to the confrontation suddenly cut in.
Lazy, unhurried, with a teasing lilt at the end—enough to make people’s hearts itch.
Xu Yingjia turned toward the entrance of the VIP lounge, her eyes lighting up.
Meanwhile, Qiu Nannan clearly felt the arm around her stiffen.
Confused, she looked up and saw Shen Yu’s jaw tighten.
The once composed young master of the Shen family now seemed frozen in place.
A sudden chill crept over Qiu Nannan as Shen Yu let go of her.
An inexplicable sense of loss rose in her chest, mixed with resentment toward the newcomer.
She leaned forward, trying to get a clear look at the person.
Then she sucked in a sharp breath.
Standing there was a woman around twenty-three or twenty-four.
Her face looked strangely familiar.
A small oval face, long dark brows like distant mountains, bright fox-like eyes, a sharply defined nose bridge, and full, rosy lips.
Qiu Nannan knew very well—features like these, paired with bold makeup, would make someone the most dazzling presence on any stage.
Because it was precisely this kind of beauty that had made Shen Yu, the elite heir of the capital, fall in love at first sight with her—so much so that he even used his wealth to send her entire girl group overseas for performances.
…And yet, the woman before her looked seventy to eighty percent like her.
Qiu Nannan’s mind went blank.
It felt like she had grasped something—but was too afraid to confirm it.
A surge of panic made Qiu Nannan instinctively grab Shen Yu’s arm, seeking comfort from his warmth.
But he immediately shook her off.
“Gu. Nian. Qing!!”
He forced her name out through clenched teeth.
His chest rose and fell violently as he struggled to contain the storm of emotions surging inside him.
“You’re back?!”
Gu Nianqing was still draped in a handwoven wool shawl. She looked like she had just woken from a nap—her expression slightly drowsy, the faint redness at the corners of her eyes making her already alluring gaze even more captivating.
Leaning casually against the doorway, she looked like nothing more than a detached onlooker.
Ignoring Shen Yu’s intense reaction, she turned to Xu Yingjia.
“Miss Xu, I’ve been waiting for you forever. And you stood me up for a man like this?”
Xu Yingjia stumbled toward her and shoved her hard.
Even with a hand braced against the door, Gu Nianqing was pushed back a few steps. Her shawl slipped off and fell to the ground.
Her khaki silk blouse was suddenly exposed to the airport’s blasting air conditioning.
She shivered slightly, then bent down, supporting her waist as she picked up the shawl.
A dull soreness spread through her body. She bit her lip, silently cursing a certain “workhorse” who had left her running on barely four hours of sleep for days.
Shen Yu’s gaze suddenly locked onto the striking dark red mark at her collarbone.
For a moment, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
After pushing her, Xu Yingjia clung to Gu Nianqing’s sleeve, crying and complaining between sobs.
“Qingqing… w-wah… it’s all your fault! Why didn’t you come sooner?!”
Gu Nianqing didn’t hold the shove against her. Instead, she generously pulled Xu Yingjia into a comforting hug.
While soothing the sobbing heiress, she shot a glance at the man in the plaid vest. He immediately understood and raised his camera, snapping rapid photos of the “touching” reunion between the two unrelated “sisters.”
Once the photographer had enough shots, Gu Nianqing had also calmed Xu Yingjia down.
Without hesitation, she pushed the young lady aside and gestured behind her.
“Xia Xia.”
Her assistant Xu Xiaxia promptly handed over a document.
Rolling it into a tube, Gu Nianqing strode forward in her nude high heels, calm and unhurried, stopping in front of Shen Yu.
With her height and heels, she barely needed to tilt her head to meet his gaze.
Lightly pressing the document against his chest, she spoke just as he instinctively reached to take it—
“A 38-billion mess, and Young Master Shen just walks away from it like nothing? That’s quite the nerve.”
She glanced at the pale-faced Qiu Nannan and smiled sweetly.
“So it’s all for a beauty… Tell me, if Shen Ling finds out why you ran off, do you think she’ll curse you with a voodoo doll?”
Shen Yu flipped through the document briefly, his expression turning foul.
“38 billion?” he sneered through gritted teeth. “You’ve got guts, Gu Nianqing—making up numbers like that! Without the Shen family taking over Qimeng’s output, that batch of goods would be worthless within months! What right do you have to demand compensation from me?!”
His gaze once again drifted uncontrollably to her collarbone, the anger in his eyes almost burning through her.
“What is it this time? Slept with some old man again to get someone to take your goods?”
The words were dripping with malice and contempt.
But Gu Nianqing didn’t get angry. Instead, his insult reminded her of the murmured words that had been echoing in her ears these past few days—
“Nian Nian, isn’t it enough without being taught?”
“It’s slipping out again, Nian Nian… your hands are too small…”
“Try harder, Nian Nian—I know you’ve got depth.”
…
Ahem.
No, no—can’t get distracted during work.
She had a strong sense of professionalism.
Even if the money was hard to earn and the situation unpleasant, Madam Xu was paying generously—she had to help Xu Yingjia vent this grievance.
Thinking of the already-effective share transfer agreement she had just received on her phone, a bright smile spread across Gu Nianqing’s face.
Shen Yu’s pupils shrank, a deep sense of unease rising in his chest.
“What are you talking about?” he heard her say lightly, almost teasingly.
“He’s not old at all.”