Being stared at by the man like that, Su Yanyan felt like a child caught lying by an adult at home—embarrassed, ashamed, and… a little afraid.
In the end, she couldn’t keep up the act any longer and whispered, “Nineteen.”
After saying it, she quickly added, “This time it’s the truth.”
Nineteen?
Gu Beichuan felt his whole body relax slightly, as if the moral burden on him had lightened.
“What’s your name?” Gu Beichuan asked softly.
That night had been the girl’s first time, and also his first, but in these matters, women always came out worse off than men.
The same first time couldn’t be balanced out or compensated for.
He could only try to make it up to her in other ways.
“Su… Yanyan.” Su Yanyan’s voice was somewhat low.
“Is it the yan from ‘swallow,’ or the yan from ‘gorgeous’?” Looking at the delicate, doll-like girl before him, Gu Beichuan’s brows furrowed slightly.
“No, it’s… it’s the yan from ‘bing bu yan zha’ (war allows deceit).” When introducing this character, she always preferred using that idiom.
War allows deceit?
This time, Gu Beichuan finally couldn’t hold back. A flicker of gloom passed through his eyes. “What kind of parents would give their child a name like that?”
Su Yanyan was silent for a moment, saying nothing.
Indeed, what kind of parents would give their child a name like that?
Her mother would.
At the thought of the word “mother,” Su Yanyan subconsciously touched her belly.
If this child had come at the right time, could she have become a mother too?
If she became a mother, she definitely wouldn’t dislike her baby just because it was a girl.
She would never be like her own mother.
She would make her baby the happiest baby in the whole world.
Unfortunately… there was no “if.”
Su Yanyan’s eyes suddenly dimmed, but the next second, they lit up unexpectedly, and she inexplicably turned to look at the man beside her.
“Uncle, do you like children?”
Children?
Gu Beichuan didn’t even consider why Su Yanyan was asking this question and answered very directly, “No.”
When it came to children, the first word that popped into his head was: noisy.
Just imagining working while a child was crying and making a fuss nearby…
Gu Beichuan felt he might go crazy.
“Not… not like it, huh!” Su Yanyan repeated the man’s words in a low voice, her tone carrying a hint of dejection and disappointment.
Gu Beichuan didn’t notice the girl’s emotions. He clasped his hands together and took a long while before finding his voice again.
“About that matter… you can state your conditions, and I’ll do my best to meet them.”
After saying that, he added, “Also, don’t go back to the hotel job. The interpersonal relationships there are too complicated—it’s not suitable for you.”
Hearing the man tell her to state her conditions, Su Yanyan blinked, then lowered her head in thought.
The girl’s hesitant expression made Gu Beichuan unable to resist reminding her, “Take your time thinking. No rush!”
Under Gu Beichuan’s gaze, it took a while before Su Yanyan spoke quietly, “Um… could you… could you give me three thousand yuan? And… could you help me pay for the broken drinks?”
She had thought it over just now—this restaurant job really didn’t seem to suit her.
She’d gotten into trouble on her very first night of work, and she was afraid that not only would she fail to earn any money, but she’d end up owing a lot as well.
After all, the things inside were far too expensive—accidentally breaking even one would be more than she could afford.
That day, it was actually the older man who had saved her, and it was she who had forcibly stripped his clothes off in the first place.
Thinking about it now, Su Yanyan felt she had acted like a shameless hussy back then, tugging at his shirt and pulling down his pants.
But she really hadn’t meant to.
It was the effect of the drug—her actions had been beyond her control.
Still, her mind had been clear at the time, so she distinctly remembered how the older man had looked at her like she was a mortal enemy at first.
It was just that at some point, the tone of things had completely changed.
At first, she was begging him; later, it became her “begging” him.
That way, they were even.
But now she was pregnant, and it was the older man’s doing, so having him pay for it was only fair and reasonable.
As for the alcohol money…
Oh right, he had left her covered in bruises all over—that could count as compensation for personal injury.
Having sorted all of this out in her head, the weight on Su Yanyan’s shoulders instantly lifted.
Hearing that the young girl only wanted three thousand yuan, plus compensation for the alcohol, Gu Beichuan’s expression was quite something to behold.
“Little girl, do you have any idea…”
As Gu Beichuan started to speak, Su Yanyan’s heart gave a sudden lurch—could it be that she had asked for too much?
She quickly changed her tune. “If you think three thousand is too much, then two thousand… two thousand will do!”
The surgery had cost a bit over two thousand, and she had asked for three thousand thinking the extra could count as compensation for lost work time.
But seeing the older man’s unpleasant expression, Su Yanyan hurriedly revised her request.
At that moment, Gu Beichuan’s expression shifted rapidly, visible to the naked eye.
Did this girl even understand what her terms meant?
Clenching his hand, Gu Beichuan spoke in a low voice.
“Fine. Add me on your contacts, and I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Su Yanyan quickly fished out her phone from her pocket and swiftly pulled up her payment QR code.
“Just scan me.”
Gu Beichuan’s brow furrowed slightly—was he some kind of ferocious beast?
For some reason, an inexplicable irritation welled up in Gu Beichuan. He snatched the girl’s phone from her hand.
As the girl stared in stunned disbelief, he added himself on WeChat, then shoved the phone back into her hand.
“Done transferring! Where do you live? I’ll give you a ride.”
Su Yanyan glanced down at the WeChat message and saw that there was indeed a transfer of three thousand yuan.
Thinking that catching a ride would save her the bus fare, she didn’t hesitate to give him her address.
It wasn’t until she arrived at her place that she realized she was still wearing her hotel work uniform.
Oh well, it was too late today—she’d return the clothes tomorrow.
“Thank you, sir.”
After getting out of the car, Su Yanyan suddenly turned around and said thanks to Gu Beichuan, then bolted away as fast as her legs could carry her.
Watching the girl flee like a startled rabbit, the corner of Gu Beichuan’s eye twitched involuntarily.
Only after her figure had completely disappeared did Gu Beichuan furrow his brow.
The child didn’t know any better, but he couldn’t afford to be so naive.
It seemed he needed to think carefully about how to make proper amends.
Leaning back in his seat, Gu Beichuan sank into deep thought.
As the head of the Gu family, the foremost clan in the imperial capital, how many women had coveted Gu Beichuan and tried to climb into his bed?
Yet in all these years, not a single woman had succeeded.
Rumors had even circulated outside—first claiming that Gu Beichuan didn’t like women but preferred men.
Then later, it was said that Gu Beichuan liked neither women nor men, because he was impotent.
But only Gu Beichuan himself knew the truth.
At eighteen, his father passed away suddenly, and the Gu family faced pressure from all sides, forcing the eighteen-year-old Gu Beichuan to shoulder the immense family business and its burdens.
From that moment on, he not only had to deal with the pressures of the family business but also had to complete his ongoing studies.
All his energy was devoted to work.
Over the years, although the Gu family had stood firm, he had also grown accustomed to this pace of life.
He had originally thought that nothing other than work could ever capture his interest.
However, that night, the young girl’s unexpected intrusion made him realize that perhaps that wasn’t quite the case.
In fact… he was still quite interested.
The moment this thought surfaced, Gu Beichuan’s expression instantly turned somewhat uneasy.
Because, in his mind, it was suddenly filled entirely with the details of that night.