Gu Yingchuan’s words had barely left his mouth when Qin Wan’s mind exploded with a loud “boom”!
She stared blankly at the impossibly handsome man before her, unable for a moment to think of what to say.
Qin Wan remembered—
When she’d opened the door last night, she’d instinctively assumed he was the man Shi Xia had arranged.
The drug in that glass of wine had been so strong that she’d been completely muddled. She’d even forgotten to confirm his identity!
Qin Wan bit her lower lip in frustration.
It was clear now that she’d mistaken him for someone else!
But he knew her name. Could it be that she really had forgotten meeting him before?
Gu Yingchuan took in every flicker of emotion that crossed her face.
The faintest curve touched his thin lips. He was just about to speak when the room’s doorbell suddenly rang.
Gu Yingchuan had no choice but to get up and answer it.
The oppressive presence in front of her vanished at once.
Qin Wan came back to herself and got out of bed, clutching the blanket around her. She meant to get dressed, only to find that the clothes scattered on the floor had been torn to shreds.
Thinking back…
Last night had indeed been pretty intense.
Looks like she’d have to call Shi Xia and ask her to bring over some clothes—and find out what had happened to the man who was supposed to come.
As she thought, Qin Wan searched the room for her phone.
But as soon as she found it, she realized it had run out of battery.
Meanwhile—
Outside the room, assistant Cao Jun handed a paper bag containing expensive clothes to the man.
Still looking hungover, he stammered, “President Gu, about the room mix-up, I—”
Bang!
Before he could finish, the door was slammed in his face.
Cao Jun was left standing there, green with embarrassment. He thought to himself, President Gu isn’t going to dump me on that Africa project and leave me to fend for myself, is he?!
Gu Yingchuan carried the shopping bag back into the room.
Qin Wan had her back to him as she plugged in her phone.
He walked over and held the paper bag out beside her. “You can’t wear yesterday’s clothes. I had my assistant buy you a new outfit. Just make do with this.”
The man’s deep, pleasant voice sounded by her ear.
Qin Wan glanced sideways at the bag. The camellia flower on the black shopping bag was unmistakable: the clothes were from Chanel.
They were absurdly expensive, and he was telling her to make do with them…
What kind of man had she slept with?
Qin Wan felt a jumble of emotions. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and took the bag.
“Thank you.”
She murmured her thanks.
Carrying the bag, Qin Wan hurried into the bathroom and washed up and got dressed as quickly as she could.
When she came out, the man had changed into clean clothes too. He sat on the sofa with his long legs crossed, a cigarette between his fingers. He looked effortlessly handsome.
“Does it fit?”
Noticing Qin Wan looking at him, Gu Yingchuan raised his eyes.
The pale-yellow dress made her skin look snowy white and accentuated her shapely waist. The sight brought last night’s intimacy rushing back to him.
The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
If the cigarette smoke hadn’t obscured Qin Wan’s view, that unabashed look would probably have made her blush and her heart race.
Qin Wan nodded and walked over. “It fits perfectly.”
After she spoke, an awkward silence settled between them.
A moment later,
Qin Wan was the one to break it.
“Um… Even though I mistook you for someone else, I’ll still take responsibility for what happened.”
Qin Wan took a deep breath and met his gaze, earnest and resolute. “How about we add each other on WeChat? Name your price, and I’ll transfer that to you along with the cost of the clothes.”
Qin Wan wasn’t the sort to take advantage of someone and walk away without paying.
And she couldn’t think of any other way to make it up to him, so she could only ask him to name a price.
But as soon as she said that, Gu Yingchuan’s expression visibly turned cold.
He stubbed out his cigarette and abruptly rose from the sofa.
With one long stride, his tall, broad-shouldered figure was soon blocking Qin Wan’s path.
“Name a price? You think I’m a male escort too?”
Gu Yingchuan looked down at her, his features dark and stern.
Perhaps she caught a hint of danger in his voice.
Qin Wan swallowed and lowered her head. “That’s not what I meant… Or maybe you could think of something else I can do to make it up to you? As long as it’s not illegal, I’ll do my best to oblige.”
Gu Yingchuan lifted a hand and lightly clasped her chin.
He tipped her face up, leaving her no choice but to look at him.
“You really don’t recognize me?”
Gu Yingchuan asked again.
Qin Wan blinked her beautiful eyes and nodded with complete certainty. Then she asked, “Or have you mistaken me for someone else?”
The man’s handsome brows drew together.
A trace of disappointment slipped through his deep-set eyes. He tried to jog her memory. “Rome. The café.”
Qin Wan froze.
A scene seemed to flash through her mind.
A moment later, her eyes flew wide with surprise. “So it was you!”
Qin Wan remembered.
Three years ago, she’d gone with Shi Xia to Rome while Shi Xia pursued the man she loved. As they rested at a café, they happened to notice the man at the next table had had his wallet stolen without realizing it. The waiter thought he was deliberately trying to dine and dash and threatened to call the police. In the end, because they were both Chinese, Qin Wan had paid to get him out of trouble.
Afterward, the man had asked for her name and phone number.
She remembered saying something like, “Of course I’d help a fellow countryman in trouble. It was only afternoon tea. If we happen to meet again someday, you can treat me then.”
After that, Shi Xia had dragged her away.
She vaguely remembered Shi Xia calling her by name.
He must have remembered it then.
“It was such a small thing. I’d forgotten all about it…”
Thinking back over what had happened, Qin Wan murmured under her breath.
Forgotten?
His face wasn’t exactly the sort that was easy to forget.
Gu Yingchuan had always been very confident about his looks and physique. Qin Wan’s casual “forgotten” had hit him squarely in the face.
Gu Yingchuan released her chin and took a step back.
“Since you remember now, when are we having that afternoon tea together?”
With his arms folded across his chest, Gu Yingchuan asked directly.
Qin Wan’s head was still buzzing a little.
Was this man’s train of thought really that erratic?
Hadn’t they just been talking about how she could make it up to him for last night?
Qin Wan tried to steer the conversation back. “There’s no need to worry about paying me back. The main thing is what happened last night…”
“What if I insist on paying you back?”
Qin Wan hesitated, then, as if possessed, said, “I suppose that would be all right.”
“Then let’s add each other on WeChat first, so you can’t go back on your word later, Miss Qin.”
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Gu Yingchuan casually pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, and held up his QR code for Qin Wan.
Fortunately, her phone had charged a little while she was washing up.
Qin Wan scanned his WeChat profile.
The man’s username was his name.
—Gu Yingchuan.
She felt she’d heard that name somewhere before.