At 2:50 PM, Gu Yuzhou’s car pulled up exactly on time outside the old Bai family residence.
Bai Jianjia was dressed in a smoky-pink knit sweater paired with a white skirt, topped with a long, cream-colored coat. She looked gentle and soft, her hair loosely styled in a side braid—far more casual than she had been at the concert.
As she got into the car, she greeted him naturally: “Ge-ge Yuzhou.”
Gu Yuzhou nodded, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. Once he confirmed that her expression was normal, he instructed the driver to depart.
“The trending search has been taken down,” he brought it up himself. “Those photos…”
“Some of them were actually taken quite well,” Bai Jianjia interrupted, pulling her phone from her bag and scrolling to the terrace photo. “Look, the river view and the lighting are both beautiful. If it hadn’t been a paparazzi shot, I’d want to keep it as a memento.”
Gu Yuzhou looked at the photo on the screen, then back at her candid expression. He suddenly felt that his earlier worries had been unnecessary.
This seemingly fragile girl was far more resilient than he had imagined.
“You aren’t angry?” he asked.
“I am angry,” Bai Jianjia put her phone away. “I’m angry that they violated my privacy. But once the anger passes, it passes. It’s not worth wasting energy over the actions of strangers.”
When she said this, her eyes were clear and frank, as if she truly had let it go.
Gu Yuzhou was silent for a moment before saying, “But I will still have the legal department handle it. The violation of privacy is a fact; the necessary legal procedures must be followed.”
This time, Bai Jianjia did not object. She nodded: “Okay. I’ll leave it to you.”
The car drove into the complex housing the Gu Group’s Culture and Art Center.
This was an independent cultural and artistic sector under the Gu Group, and the architectural style was similar to the old Bai residence: a Chinese-style courtyard with black tiles and white walls.
When getting out, Gu Yuzhou naturally extended his hand to support her.
Bai Jianjia rested her hand on his wrist as she stepped out, her fingertips touching his warm skin. She suddenly remembered that comment about his hands, and her ears began to heat up again.
The staff of the Art Center had been waiting at the entrance.
Upon seeing them, everyone had undisguised curiosity in their eyes—after all, the trending search had only been removed a few hours ago. However, their professional decorum allowed them to quickly compose themselves and offer respectful greetings.
When they reached the ancient book restoration room, Bai Jianjia’s attention was completely captured.
The room was filled with the fragrance of ink. On the workbench lay a scroll of a Ming Dynasty printed edition currently undergoing restoration. A master craftsman wearing white gloves was using an extremely fine brush to fill in the damaged areas bit by bit.
She watched, mesmerized, unconsciously leaning closer. Gu Yuzhou stood by her side, but his gaze was fixed on her focused profile.
“Is Miss Bai interested in ancient book restoration?” the director in charge of the tour asked cautiously.
“My father is a history researcher, so I often watched him organize ancient books when I was little,” Bai Jianjia said softly. “But this is the first time I’ve seen such meticulous restoration work up close.”
“Then you’ve come at the right time,” the director laughed. “We just received a batch of academic manuscripts from the Republican era that need expert authentication. President Gu mentioned that you might be interested…”
Bai Jianjia looked at Gu Yuzhou in surprise. He remained as calm as ever: “I only mentioned it in passing. Whether you participate or not depends on your own wishes.”
This was no longer a simple invitation.
This was him solemnly opening a door to his career and his world, inviting her in.
Bai Jianjia looked at those yellowing manuscripts, then at Gu Yuzhou’s calm yet earnest eyes, and gave a small nod: “Okay. I’m willing to try.”
It was near dusk when the tour concluded.
The setting sun dyed the courtyard corridors a warm gold. The two walked side-by-side toward the exit, their shadows stretching long across the bluestone ground.
“Thank you for today,” Bai Jianjia said. “For letting me see such meaningful work.”
“I should be the one thanking you for being willing to come,” Gu Yuzhou paused for a moment. “And… thank you for those words.”
“Which words?”
“The ones about the comments,” he said, looking ahead. “You were right; it’s not worth wasting energy on the words of strangers.”
Bai Jianjia smiled: “You learn really fast.”
“I am learning from Teacher Bai,” he cracked a rare joke, though his expression remained perfectly serious.
Sitting in the car, Bai Jianjia took out her phone and saw another message from Wen Miao: “Look at the trending searches! The wind has changed!”
In just a few days, she had been on the trending list so many times. Just how much influence did Gu Yuzhou have in Jinling?
She tapped in and discovered that while #GuBaiDateConfirmedWithProof# was gone, a new topic had emerged: #WhatKindOfDivineArrangedMarriageIsThis#
Clicking on it, she found that it was actually a marketing account post from the official Gu Group Art Center account:
“Grateful for the attention from all circles toward the Gu Group’s cultural endeavors. Today, Ms. Bai Jianjia visited the Gu Group’s Ancient Book Restoration Center to provide professional support for the authentication of Republican academic manuscripts. The collision of culture and commerce, the fusion of tradition and modernity—we are always on the road. [Image]”
The attached image was her profile from earlier, leaning over to look at the manuscripts in the restoration room. Sunlight spilled in from the window, coating her in a soft glow.
The photo was incredibly atmospheric; it didn’t look like an official promotional shot at all, but rather like a cinematic frame.
The comment section had exploded: “This is a direct response, right? Is it, is it?” “Miss Bai is directly participating in Gu Group business now? This isn’t an arranged marriage, this is a merger.” “Is it only me who thinks this photo is hauntingly beautiful? What kind of Republican-era heiress time-travel drama is this?” “President Gu: Taking down the trending search isn’t as good as just showing off the wife [dog head emoji]”
Bai Jianjia couldn’t help but laugh as she handed the phone to Gu Yuzhou: “Was this your idea?”
Gu Yuzhou glanced at it, his brows slightly furrowed: “I didn’t arrange it. But…” he paused, “the effect is good.”
It was more than just “good.”
With this information out, the previous narratives of a “commercial marriage” and “each getting what they need” had collapsed—what commercial marriage would have the fiancée directly participating in core business operations? And would do so with such a high-profile official announcement?
“Your move was very clever,” Bai Jianjia said sincerely.
“It wasn’t my cleverness,” Gu Yuzhou looked at her, his eyes deep. “It’s that you have this value yourself.”
The car stopped before the old Bai residence.
This time, when Bai Jianjia stepped out, Gu Yuzhou did not immediately pull his hand away from the support he had offered.
“Jianjia,” he said. “If you are free, I would like to take you to the Gu family residence next week. My grandmother has been wanting to meet you.”
This meant formally entering the family’s inner circle. Bai Jianjia’s heart fluttered slightly, and she nodded: “Okay.”
“Then I’ll come pick you up at that time.”
“Okay.”
She turned to leave, but then remembered something and turned back: “Ge-ge Yuzhou.”
“Yes?”
“That comment about us matching well,” her eyes crinkled, “I really do like it.”
With that, she walked quickly up the steps, leaving him only with a lighthearted silhouette.
Gu Yuzhou stood by the car, watching her shadow vanish behind the door. After a long moment, he lowered his head and smiled.
The night deepened, and the streetlights turned on one by one.
He sat back in the car, clicked on that marketing account post, and saved the photo.
In the picture, her profile, with her gaze lowered, looked unbelievably gentle in the sunset.
And her words from just a moment ago—”I really do like it”—were like a pebble cast into the lake of his heart, the ripples spreading out and refusing to fade.
Perhaps, he had been overthinking things before.
She was not, after all, opposed to him.