“Qin Wan!”
Gu Yingchuan raised a hand to wipe away the droplets of water.
Perhaps it was some instinctive fear of being shouted at by one’s full name, but Qin Wan froze at the sound. When she turned and realized she’d caused trouble, she hurriedly apologized. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”
Gu Yingchuan took another tissue to dry his hand and was about to speak when the phone in his pocket suddenly began to vibrate.
He withdrew his gaze indifferently.
Only after pulling over to the side of the road did he take out his phone and answer.
“What on earth is going on with you, you little brat? Weren’t you supposed to come home tonight to pick someone for a blind date? Why did Cao just call and say you weren’t coming to choose after all?”
As soon as the call connected, Xiao Rujing’s displeased voice came through.
The shrill sound made the man instinctively move the phone farther from his ear. That, however, brought the next words more clearly into Qin Wan’s hearing.
“You’re almost thirty, and I’ve never even seen a woman around you. Honestly, you little brat, you’re not gay, are you? If that’s really the case, I’ll drop it. Otherwise…”
“Achoo!”
Before Xiao Rujing could finish, Qin Wan’s nose suddenly itched, and she sneezed at the worst possible moment.
But the sneeze made the woman on the other end of the phone catch a hint that something was up.
Xiao Rujing’s eyes lit up, and her voice turned cheerful. “Son, did I interrupt your date? Mom?”
Her earlier impatience vanished in an instant, replaced by the dignified bearing of a wealthy Madam.
Qin Wan gave the man an apologetic look and silently asked if he wanted her to explain. He shook his head.
“So now you know why I’m not coming home to pick someone for a blind date?”
Gu Yingchuan didn’t answer directly, instead asking the question as if he meant it and didn’t.
“Fine, fine! I won’t bother you, I won’t bother you…”
Xiao Rujing hung up with a grin.
Gu Yingchuan rubbed his forehead helplessly, then turned and gave Qin Wan a meaningful look. “You’re quite clever.”
Qin Wan blinked.
Once she realized he’d misunderstood, she quickly explained, “My nose really did itch.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Gu Yingchuan smiled.
For some reason, Qin Wan felt there was something unusual about his smile.
As if…
he didn’t want to go on blind dates or get married?
Qin Wan had never had any dealings with wealthy families and had no idea how rich people thought, so she decided to keep quiet. The more she said, the more likely she was to say the wrong thing.
Gu Yingchuan turned the air-conditioning up a little, then pulled back onto the main road.
Neither of them broke the quiet on the way.
Half an hour later,
the black Bentley drove into a residential neighborhood of villas.
The security guards at the entrance recognized Gu Yingchuan’s car and immediately saluted him respectfully. Watching them, Qin Wan couldn’t help thinking that the privileges of the rich really were something else.
The car continued farther in.
At last, it stopped in the garage of the most luxurious detached villa, right in the center of the neighborhood.
“Get out.”
Gu Yingchuan unfastened his seat belt, turned off the engine, and got out.
Qin Wan hurried to follow.
He led the way, and Qin Wan followed close behind. It was her first time going to an unfamiliar man’s home, after all, and she couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.
But when she remembered who he was and the position he held, she thought her worries were probably unnecessary.
A catch like Gu Yingchuan could have any woman he wanted.
How could he possibly take an interest in her?
He had probably just helped her because she’d done a good deed for him once, years ago. That was why she’d been fortunate enough to find herself thrown out of her home yet still able to stay in a huge villa.
Qin Wan was walking with her head down, lost in thought, and didn’t notice Gu Yingchuan stop and turn around. She kept rushing forward and ran straight into his chest.
Gu Yingchuan was solidly muscled and barely felt it. Qin Wan, on the other hand, looked up in pain and rubbed her forehead.
“So careless. No wonder you ended up in the wrong bed.”
Gu Yingchuan looked down at her.
His low voice brushed past her ear, and the tips of her ears immediately reddened.
“I’m not usually like this…”
Qin Wan explained instinctively, but her words sounded weak.
Gu Yingchuan didn’t tease her further.
She was still half-wet. If she didn’t hurry upstairs and take a hot shower, she’d probably catch a cold by tomorrow.
He turned and unlocked the door with his fingerprint.
“Come in.”
The motion-sensor lights inside came on.
Qin Wan stepped in awkwardly. The decor was understated and cool, clean and crisp, a perfect match for Gu Yingchuan’s temperament.
“Go take a shower in my room first. I’ll ask Sister Wang to bring up a set of her clothes for you to wear for now.”
Gu Yingchuan took a new pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and handed them to her, then changed into a pair himself. When he looked up after changing, he noticed the clear handprint on her right cheek. It was badly swollen now.
“Who hit you?”
The question slipped out of Gu Yingchuan’s mouth before he could stop it.
Qin Wan froze for a moment, then came back to herself and touched her cheek. “Just some family matters. It’s nothing. It’s in the past.”
She didn’t want to share too much about her private life with someone she barely knew.
Gu Yingchuan could tell, so he didn’t press her. “Then come upstairs with me.”
Qin Wan nodded and obediently followed him to the stairs.
The master bedroom was the first room on the second floor.
Gu Yingchuan pushed open the door, switched on the light, and pointed toward the bathroom.
“The bathroom’s over there. You go ahead and shower. I’ll ask Sister Wang to get clean towels and clothes ready and bring them up.”
Qin Wan looked where he was pointing and murmured, “Mm.”
Gu Yingchuan turned to leave.
But he had only taken a few steps when Qin Wan’s slightly hoarse voice came from behind him.
“Gu Yingchuan!”
Qin Wan called after him.
Gu Yingchuan paused and was about to turn around when he heard her say—
“Thank you.”
It was a sincere, gentle expression of gratitude, heartfelt and unfeigned, from Qin Wan.
No girl could resist someone who reached out to help her when she was in a sorry state.
Qin Wan was no exception.
After saying that, she turned and hurried toward the bathroom.
When Gu Yingchuan glanced back, all he could catch was her slender, slight figure…
A hint of softness seemed to appear on the man’s cool, indifferent face.
As he strode toward the stairs, he took out his phone, found Cao Jun’s number, and quickly dialed.
“Gu Yingchuan, what can I do for you?”
Cao Jun answered at once.
Gu Yingchuan walked slowly downstairs. His low voice carried a trace of coldness as he ordered, “Look into Qin Wan’s family situation… Also, once the car’s repaired, bring it straight to Runyuan. From today on, she’ll probably be staying here.”
With that, he hung up briskly.
Cao Jun stood holding his phone, still unable to believe what he’d heard.
Runyuan—
the marital home the Gu family had bought for Gu Yingchuan.
Gu Yingchuan had lived there alone all these years. Now that Qin Wan was moving in for good, should Cao Jun start calling her Mrs. Gu?