The detached villa where Gu Yingchuan lived occupied the best location in the entire neighborhood.
From the balcony, almost all the surrounding scenery was laid out before her.
Qin Wan rested both hands on the railing, admiring the view through the curtain of rain. She was so absorbed in it that she barely noticed a faint smell of smoke drifting over from beside her.
Glancing to the side, she realized that the balcony connected to hers belonged to the master bedroom where Gu Yingchuan slept.
At that moment, the man was standing on it, smoking.
He gazed into the distance, his handsome profile cool and composed, a trace of gloom about him.
He was probably thinking about something.
He didn’t notice Qin Wan watching him until a soft cough sounded nearby. He turned abruptly and saw that she had somehow come out onto the balcony and was staring at him without looking away.
Their eyes met.
Qin Wan felt awkward and was the first to look away.
Almost unconsciously, Gu Yingchuan shifted the cigarette from his left hand to his right. “After all that commotion, why aren’t you getting some rest?”
“I was about to. I got curious and came out onto the balcony. The view was so beautiful that I lost track of time…” She answered in a mild voice, looking gentle and serene. “What about you? Why aren’t you asleep?”
“I’m used to staying up late,” Gu Yingchuan replied, sounding casual.
Only he knew that in all the years he had been at the helm of Shengjing, he had never once had a full night’s sleep. From the outside, it might have seemed that the group had expanded its reach year after year with effortless ease under his leadership. In truth, he had built that empire through ceaseless work and poured countless hours and every ounce of himself into it.
Qin Wan was young, but she understood all too well the weight of the responsibility a man like Gu Yingchuan carried on his shoulders.
The more light and casual his tone sounded, the more tightly wound he must be inside.
Thinking about it, when did he ever have time for romance?
No wonder he was so resistant to something as pointless as a blind date.
Qin Wan didn’t know what to say in response. They fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts, but the quiet between them wasn’t especially awkward.
“By the way, Cao Jun took the car to a repair shop. There’s a suitcase in the trunk. He’ll bring it here tomorrow.”
Gu Yingchuan tapped the ash from his cigarette and suddenly broke the silence.
That reminded Qin Wan that her luggage and handbag were still in the car. When Gu Yingchuan had put her in it, she’d had nothing with her but her phone.
At least the next two days were the weekend, so she wouldn’t need to go out. Otherwise, it would have interfered with work.
Qin Wan gave him a grateful look. “I’m sorry to trouble you. Let me know how much the repairs cost, and I’ll pay you back.”
“It’s a repair shop owned by the company. You don’t need to pay.”
Gu Yingchuan crushed out his cigarette and glanced at her. “You got soaked tonight, and it’s windy now. Go inside so you don’t catch a cold… Also, there’s some ointment for the swelling on the coffee table. Put some on. Since the next two days are the weekend, you can use it then. By Monday, it probably won’t show.”
With that, the man’s tall figure passed through the glass doors and disappeared inside.
Qin Wan instinctively lifted a hand to touch her cheek.
The side of her face Xu Liming had hit was still sore and swollen. She’d thought Gu Yingchuan had only asked about it in passing earlier, but he had actually taken the trouble to prepare ointment for her.
Qin Wan suddenly wondered if Gu Yingchuan was really as cold, arrogant, and ruthless as people said.
At least from what she had seen of him, aside from his tendency to jump from one thought to another, he seemed quite approachable.
…
Perhaps she had been out in the storm for too long.
Even after drinking ginger soup to ward off the cold, Qin Wan came down with a cold the next day. She even had an on-and-off fever, and spent almost the entire weekend resting in her bedroom.
Nanny Wang looked after her and brought her three meals a day.
Gu Yingchuan was busy with work and was hardly home, even on the weekend. Apart from dinner, which they ate together, Qin Wan barely saw him.
She thought it was just as well.
Their relationship was still awkwardly unfamiliar, and they didn’t have much in common to talk about. Seeing too much of each other would only make things uncomfortable.
Besides, Gu Yingchuan had even brought up a marriage of convenience with her…
Whenever she thought about it, she still found the idea outrageous!
…
Throughout the weekend, Qin Wan didn’t get a single call from her mother, Shen Wenna, asking how she was.
Then, suddenly, it was Monday.
The working person’s body clock kicked in right on time at six.
After washing up, Qin Wan went downstairs. Nanny Wang had already prepared an exquisite breakfast and neatly set out two place settings on the dining table.
She looked around the empty living room but couldn’t find Gu Yingchuan.
“Sir went for a morning run. Go ahead and have breakfast, Miss Qin.”
Nanny Wang came out of the kitchen carrying a freshly squeezed glass of orange juice. Seeing Qin Wan searching the room with her eyes, she quickly explained.
“Oh,” Qin Wan said.
She couldn’t help admiring that a man as busy as Gu Yingchuan could still make time for a morning run. She, on the other hand, would seize any chance to sleep until eleven or twelve. Even when she had lived with the Xu family, she’d only managed to sleep in a handful of times a year.
“I’ll wait and eat with him,” she said, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the table.
She was staying in someone else’s home; she ought to show some courtesy. What would it look like if she, a guest, started eating before her host had even sat down?
Nanny Wang smiled and set the orange juice beside her. “Sir said you don’t have to wait for him, Miss Qin.”
“It’s fine. There’s plenty of time, so I don’t mind waiting.”
Qin Wan accepted the juice politely and checked the time on her phone.
Seeing she was determined to wait, Nanny Wang didn’t say anything more, though her fondness for Qin Wan grew.
After all, who wouldn’t like a pretty little angel with good manners?
At seven, Gu Yingchuan came in through the villa’s front door after his run. He wore casual athletic clothes, and the damp, tousled hair over his forehead clung to his skin.
As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Qin Wan sitting at the table, her head propped on one hand as she looked at her phone.
He glanced over the table.
It was obvious she hadn’t touched her food.
“Didn’t I ask Nanny Wang to tell you that you didn’t need to wait for me?”
Gu Yingchuan changed his shoes and walked farther inside.
At the sound of his voice, Qin Wan looked up, meeting his gaze just as he turned toward her.
“There’s no rush. I start work at nine, and even during rush hour, it’ll only take half an hour to drive there.”
Qin Wan explained with a faint smile.
Gu Yingchuan’s villa was ideally located: quiet, yet not far from the city center. Compared with where she used to live, it was much closer to her office.
Gu Yingchuan nodded. “I’ll go shower first. I’ll be quick.”
“Okay.”
Qin Wan soon noticed him stride past behind her.
But for some reason, Gu Yingchuan suddenly turned back.
Before she could recover enough to ask what was wrong, his large, clearly defined hand reached out and touched her forehead.
The warmth of his touch made Qin Wan go still.
A moment later, his low voice drifted down from above her.
“Good. Your fever hasn’t come back.”
As he spoke, Gu Yingchuan withdrew his hand.
Qin Wan hadn’t had time to react. By the time she thought to say something, all she could see was the man’s retreating back.