Sheng Xia felt that Gu Cheng’an must have taken the wrong medicine. With such a large car roaring to a stop right in front of her, she couldn’t just pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Sheng Xia cursed her bad luck a few times in her heart, then forced a flattering smile onto her face.
Gu Cheng’an stared coldly at Sheng Xia, watching her reluctantly squeeze out that familiar, ingratiating smile.
She asked in a sweet, coquettish voice, “President Gu, you’re back!”
It wasn’t “Husband, you’re back,” but “President Gu, you’re back.”
Gu Cheng’an opened the car door, got out, and slammed it shut with force. His eyes fixed on Sheng Xia, his tone sharp: “Where are you going?”
Sheng Xia felt a chill under his gaze and stammered out a lie: “I… my mom asked me to go home for a bit.”
“Get in the car. I’ll go with you!”
Sheng Xia took two steps back in shock. Had Gu Cheng’an taken the wrong medicine?
Wasn’t he the one who hated her family and everything related to them the most?
Their newlywed visit to her parents’ home had only happened because Old Master Gu forced him. He had gone reluctantly, stayed for an hour with a cold face the entire time, and left right after the meal.
Since then, he had never mentioned going back again. When Sheng Xia brought up returning to her parents’ home, she thought Gu Cheng’an would be so disgusted he’d leave immediately. Now, he was actually volunteering to accompany her. Sheng Xia felt like Gu Cheng’an must have been cursed.
“No need. You’re busy with work, and my family is a mess. You wouldn’t be comfortable there.”
“I said, I’m going with you! Get in the car!”
As he spoke, Gu Cheng’an grabbed Sheng Xia, pulled open the car door, and shoved her into his car.
Sheng Xia was completely thrown off. She had only mentioned going back to her parents’ home as a casual lie.
What was she supposed to do now?
The Li family was not easy to deal with—they were all vampires. Half the reason Gu Cheng’an despised her was because of Sheng Xia herself, and the other half was because of her family.
When they got married, he had helped the Sheng family deal with a pile of troubles, and the one billion dowry he gave hadn’t come with her at all.
Father Li and Mother Li were still constantly scheming to get money and favors from Gu Cheng’an. Just thinking about how her parents would act all servile and groveling in front of Gu Cheng’an made Sheng Xia feel speechless.
Her parents were especially greedy. If they saw Gu Cheng’an, they would definitely ask for something, and then she’d be saddled with another debt.
She already owed so much that she couldn’t repay; adding new debts was something Sheng Xia absolutely refused to do.
Putting on a smiling face, she said, “Um… I just remembered, it’s actually not that important. I think I won’t go back after all.”
Gu Cheng’an watched her quietly. Sheng Xia grew uneasy under his gaze. “I… I…”
She stammered a few times but couldn’t come up with anything else. Then, her phone rang. Sheng Xia hurriedly answered: “Brother Yanqi!”
When she called him “Brother Yanqi,” her voice was sweet and lively, her eyes sparkling. Her expression held no flattery or ingratiation, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, clearly showing genuine affection.
Gu Cheng’an remembered what Ye Nuozhou had said to him jokingly: “If Li Shengxia were willing, Su Yanqi would definitely marry her. It’s just a shame that Li Shengxia only has eyes for you and can’t see all the things Su Yanqi has done for her.”
On the other end, Su Yanqi’s voice was calm and gentle: “Are you all ready? I’m already at the door.”
“Um… Brother Yanqi, I… I…”
So she had canceled their dinner to go on a date with Su Yanqi? And she had used going back to her parents’ home as an excuse to get rid of him.
Gu Cheng’an had never been so angry before. He snatched the phone from Sheng Xia’s hand: “President Su, Li Shengxia is with me right now. We’re going to have dinner. Whatever it is, we can talk about it later!”After saying that, she hung up the phone. Sheng Xia stared at Gu Cheng’an with her mouth agape.
Was this the Gu Cheng’an she knew? How could he do something so rude?
Gu Cheng’an tossed the phone aside, and Sheng Xia sat motionless in the passenger seat, watching him start the car.
Her entire body felt stiff. Later, the car stopped in the restaurant parking lot.
She had already rejected Gu Cheng’an, so why was he still taking her out to eat?
Could it be on Old Master Gu and Old Madam Gu’s orders? Gu Cheng’an never listened to anyone else, but he was completely obedient to Old Master Gu and Old Madam Gu.
Sheng Xia sighed. She really didn’t want to have this pointless meal with Gu Cheng’an.
Ever since she learned that Gu Cheng’an could kill her and realized she was nothing more than a tool by his side, she had only wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.
Eating together was simply too terrifying—it would give her indigestion.
Only after getting out of the car did Sheng Xia dare to retrieve her phone and send Su Yanqi an apologetic message.
Gu Cheng’an didn’t stride ahead as he usually did, ignoring her completely. Instead, he stood by the car, waiting for her.
Sheng Xia silently got out of the car and followed Gu Cheng’an at a leisurely pace. Gu Cheng’an slowed his steps. In the past, he had always been annoyed by how Sheng Xia would constantly grab his hand and cling to him.
Today, he slowed down, hoping she would act as she used to. But Sheng Xia followed behind, holding her phone without a word, showing no intention of taking his arm. Instead, she kept a distance—not too far, not too close—about two meters away.
The restaurant was a famous couples’ spot in Jingnan, known for its delicious food and immense popularity.
Sheng Xia followed Gu Cheng’an at a distance, holding her phone. As Gu Cheng’an stepped onto the entrance stairs, Zeng Beibei emerged from inside.
Her makeup was flawless, and her face was beaming with a smile. The moment she saw the handsome and elegant Gu Cheng’an, Zeng Beibei’s eyes lit up with delight.
“Mr. Gu!”
Gu Cheng’an remembered that Zeng Beibei and Sheng Xia seemed to be friends. He forced a slight smile and nodded in acknowledgment.
Zeng Beibei was overjoyed. Gu Cheng’an was usually indifferent to people, but today, he had actually nodded in response and even flashed a charming smile. It was as if the sun had risen from the west.
She cooed, “Mr. Gu, are you here to eat? Are you alone? How about we—”
Two meters behind, Sheng Xia stopped and looked at Zeng Beibei with a mocking expression.
In the past, whenever other women tried to approach Gu Cheng’an in public, Sheng Xia would be the first to rush forward and assert her claim. But today, she showed no reaction, merely lowering her head indifferently and standing far away with her phone.
Even someone as oblivious as Gu Cheng’an could sense that something was off. He turned around and said, “Sheng Xia, why are you dawdling back there?”
Sheng Xia, having been called out, had no choice but to step forward. The coy smile on Zeng Beibei’s face faded, replaced by a flash of resentment as she looked at Sheng Xia, who wore no makeup and was dressed in casual clothes.
“Sheng Xia, why are you dressed like that? I didn’t even recognize you. By the way, why didn’t you invite me to your birthday yesterday? He Jiajia and I were waiting for your call. You’re really not being considerate, are you?”
Sheng Xia knew exactly what Zeng Beibei meant. Everyone had seen the news, and she was deliberately bringing up a sore subject.
Her tone was cold. “I didn’t celebrate my birthday yesterday, so naturally, I didn’t invite anyone.”
“How could you not celebrate your birthday? Didn’t you say Mr. Gu would throw you a grand party?”
“Did I ever say that?” Sheng Xia retorted.”You said that before? You said it months ago. And you mentioned you had your eye on a bracelet, that globally limited edition one…” Zeng Beibei’s eyes were full of mockery.
If it were the old Sheng Xia hearing this, she would have wished to die on the spot. But now, Sheng Xia was a different person, and she actually looked at Zeng Beibei with a smile.
Zeng Beibei was so unnerved by her gaze that she couldn’t continue. Seeing Zeng Beibei fall silent, Sheng Xia took the initiative to add:
“You should know, Miss Zeng, that my family has fallen into ruin. I don’t have a single penny to my name. Buying something globally limited? I might as well be dreaming. No, from now on, I won’t even dream about such things. Oh, right, I’m so poor now that I can only drink the northwest wind. You should all forget the nonsense I bragged about before!”