After explaining the contents of the report to Yi Sen over and over, Qian Zheng’s already sluggish mind became even more muddled. For a moment, he actually forgot what he had come here to do.
Zhao Yisen sat on the small sofa, his brow slightly furrowed and his expression solemn, maintaining the facade of a diligent student listening intently to a lecture.
Over half an hour passed, and the report was finally flipped to the last page. Qian Zheng, his voice raspy, pointed to a blank space.
“Right here… cough, cough, cough… sign your name.”
He swallowed hard and glared at Zhao Yisen with simmering anger hidden in his eyes: Once you sign this, you’re going to have a rough time.
However, Zhao Yisen propped his chin in his hand and thought for a few seconds. Then, he flipped back to a previous page with a rustle, raising a new point of consideration.
Having wasted an entire morning here, and seeing that Zhao Yisen was about to ask another question, the facade on Qian Zheng’s face finally crumbled.
Wasn’t this guy intentionally making things difficult for him?!
“You—!”
But before he could finish, the office door was thrown open.
Qian Zheng froze and turned around. Good-student Zhao Yisen followed his gaze toward the door.
The figure standing there was sharp and upright. Intense work had not dulled Gu Jia’s aura; under high pressure, his ultra-compact elite persona made him look like a silver bullet—one that had likely been stained with the blood of many.
“…” Zhao Yisen’s heart jumped, and he quickly lowered his eyelids.
Jiang Mingze stood behind Gu Jia holding a briefcase, his bangs nearly covering his eyes. The atmosphere in the office fell into a sudden silence.
In this quietude, Zhao Yisen shifted his gaze bit by bit, looking down at Qian Zheng beside him.
This portly, middle-aged man hadn’t given him a single good look at the share transfer meeting yesterday. Yet here he was first thing this morning, bringing a bunch of “ghostly scribbles” for him to sign. It was obvious he was up to no good…
But with Gu Jia here, he definitely wouldn’t dare pull anything. Although the misunderstanding between the two hadn’t been resolved, presenting a united front against outsiders was always the right move.
“…President Gu.”
Qian Zheng’s gaze darted between Gu Jia and Zhao Yisen. He clenched his fists in regret, sensing that his plan was about to fall through.
After pausing at the door for a few heartbeats, Gu Jia took a long stride across the office and stopped before the two. He nodded a greeting to Qian Zheng and then swept his gaze over the other person.
Zhao Yisen’s eyes carried a hint of a smile, like a clever fox. The sunlight passed through his hair, revealing a pale brown hue at the edges.
Gu Jia felt that Yi Sen naturally possessed a kind of confidence, a belief that everyone and everything was under his control.
Suddenly, a memory of Lu Ming smiling and ruffling the youth’s hair flashed through his mind. Gu Jia’s gaze darkened.
What made him think I would definitely help him?
“I heard Mr. Qian brought the reports for the villa project?”
Gu Jia sat on the black sofa, picked up the freshly brewed tea before him, and looked up.
Hearing this, Qian Zheng’s heart sank. He gathered the reports, tapped them against the table to align the pages, and maintained a normal facade. “Yes. The villa project has been stalled for some time. Once Young Master Yi signs, it will be easier for us to continue pushing forward.”
The reasoning was sound.
“…” Zhao Yisen sat at Gu Jia’s side, playing dead with his head down. In his view, his part in this scene was over.
“Makes sense.”
Gu Jia’s voice betrayed no emotion. He turned his head toward Zhao Yisen, set down the tea bowl, and leaned forward slightly, resting his interlaced hands on his knees.
“Then sign it.”
The statement left Zhao Yisen stunned. Behind the sofa, Jiang Mingze’s eyes also widened behind his bangs.
The office was quiet for a few beats. Zhao Yisen’s eyes slowly turned to the report in Qian Zheng’s hands, then met Gu Jia’s expressionless face. His brain couldn’t quite process the situation.
…What does he mean?
Knowingly walking into a trap?
Sitting opposite them, Qian Zheng also frowned, looking suspiciously at Gu Jia and then down at the report in his hands. Although he knew Gu Jia and Yi Sen were merely in an emotionless business marriage, after the share transfer, they were essentially tied together if one flourished, both did; if one suffered, both did.
Before Qian Zheng could figure it out, Gu Jia suddenly snatched the document from his hand. The man’s fingers were long and powerful as he flipped the report open and pressed it flat on the table.
“…Sign.”
Meeting Gu Jia’s dark gold eyes, Zhao Yisen was even more confused. Could, could it be that he had another plan in mind?
He hesitantly picked up the pen. Just as he was about to start writing the first character of his name, the report was suddenly snatched back with a whoosh.
“Wait a moment.”
The smile on Qian Zheng’s face looked strained, his previous composure gone. “I just remembered there are some other issues with the villa project. There’s no rush for Young Master Yi to sign.”
His gaze darted between Gu Jia and Zhao Yisen. He thought to himself that these two were playing “Good Cop, Bad Cop,” and he had no idea what game they were playing. He, Qian Zheng, wouldn’t fall for it so easily!
Under Zhao Yisen’s watchful gaze, Qian Zheng hurriedly rose and strode out of the office, nearly walking into the transparent glass door in his haste.
“…”
Once the man had completely vanished from sight, Zhao Yisen took a moment to piece together the situation. His eyes gradually lit up with a brilliant realization.
Retreating to advance, defending to attack.
Is this the world of cutthroat, treacherous business warfare?!
He looked at Gu Jia with admiration. “President Gu, you are incredible!”
Gu Jia: “…”
Behind the sofa, Assistant Jiang gave a forced smile. Knowing his boss, the President’s mood was definitely not good.
After enduring the rest of the day, they returned to the mansion.
Wang Baobao took Zhao Yisen’s jacket and asked curiously, “Young Master, is President Gu not coming back today either?”
After studying project materials all day, Zhao Yisen’s head throbbed. Lu Ming had just contacted him again, saying the company was holding some kind of welcome ceremony for him tomorrow to familiarize him with the staff.
“He’s basically living at the office.”
Zhao Yisen waved a hand weakly. Given this level of work intensity, he felt he might be sleeping at the office in a few days too.
So tired. After dinner, he collapsed onto the massive bed in the master bedroom and slowly closed his eyes.
Though it was pitch black behind his eyelids, his mind wouldn’t stop racing. After Qian Zheng left, Zhao Yisen had actually wanted to explain to Gu Jia that he knew nothing of his “never-met-before” father’s schemes. But before he could speak, the man had already vanished like the wind.
He was left alone to sigh like a dejected kitten.
Zhao Yisen sensed that Gu Jia was angry. Even so, the man had still shown up to help him out of a jam—he truly was a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted Big Boss.
As he thought, Zhao Yisen’s mind slowed down and his breathing became even. However, just as he was about to fall asleep, the bedroom door moved slightly.
A figure entered and gradually walked toward his bed, the sound of shoes against the floor creating a faint tapping. In the darkness, Zhao Yisen rubbed his eyes.
“…Old Wang?”
What are you doing here in the middle of the night?
Zhao Yisen’s pajamas were still a bit ill-fitting. The black silk top hung loosely off his fair neck and shoulder, looking as if it might slip at any moment. He was curled up in a corner of the bed, looking like a rabbit in its burrow.
“…”
Gu Jia stood at the foot of the bed, clutching his suit jacket in one hand, his face like frost.
Upon leaving the Gu Group headquarters, he felt himself being driven by an inexplicable impulse. When he looked up, he was already here.
Watching the scene before him, Gu Jia felt a chill in his heart.
He was genuinely curious: how did Yi Sen manage to accept all the shares, flirt with Lu Ming, and still put on this innocent, naive act?
The mist before his eyes cleared, and the shadows of the past reappeared, yet that blood-stained face grew blurry. If the Yi Sen of his previous life represented pure darkness—utilizing Gu Jia completely while always having an excuse to deflect suspicion, certain that Gu Jia would always soften his heart—then…
After his rebirth, recalling his repeated attempts to test Zhao Yisen, Gu Jia let out a cold sneer.
“…”
Zhao Yisen gradually adjusted to the darkness, vaguely sensing that the figure before him was much taller than Wang Baobao. Seeing that the visitor remained silent, he sat up in bed, feeling alert.
As the person stepped closer, Zhao Yisen finally saw his face.
P-President Gu?!
Under Zhao Yisen’s panicked gaze, Gu Jia casually loosened his tie and threw it on the floor.
“…” Zhao Yisen’s heart thudded.
The room was silent enough to hear a pin drop. Gu Jia’s upper body was faintly visible through his white shirt; his broad shoulders and narrow waist made for a powerful presence. Zhao Yisen was momentarily blinded by the sheer “male beauty” radiating from him.
“Why are you back?”
They were newlyweds; by all rights, they should be in the “honey-moon” phase, yet the atmosphere was devoid of any joy of reunion.
As the man drew closer, Zhao Yisen realized that his appreciation of Gu Jia’s beauty was strictly that of a fan admiring a 2D character. Once this character drew close both physically and legally, he became quite flustered.
“Cough, cough… let’s… let’s talk this out properly.”
Zhao Yisen was driven back into the corner of the bed, his heart pounding. In the next moment, his chin was gripped forcefully by a large hand.
Gu Jia’s gaze nearly pierced through Zhao Yisen’s eyes. They were at an extreme proximity, their breaths mingling. A look of mockery flashed in Gu Jia’s eyes as he tilted Zhao Yisen’s chin up and whispered into his ear, word by word.
“What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t you use to like this?”