Chapter 404: Premeditated Fishing

Wang Yuanling thought for a moment and chuckled, "When you're free, Mr. Gu, are you going to take me somewhere?"

Gu Zhou picked up the white and tender fish from the dish and put it into his mouth.

The delicious taste melts instantly on the tip of the tongue. The cooking time is just right, tender and smooth without losing the taste.

He swallowed slowly, his eyes still fixed on the plate of steamed sea bass, his slender fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the chopsticks.

It’s really fresh and tender.

After all, she carefully picked out the bones.

He pursed his lips, feeling a little unsatisfied.

He raised his dark eyes and stared at her: "My brother is holding an engagement party next Wednesday night."

Wang Yuanling was slightly startled, then smiled sincerely, "Oh, congratulations, Mr. Gu. What does your brother like? I'll prepare a gift."

"No need." He said lazily.

He met her watery eyes filled with doubt.

Gu Zhou raised his eyebrows casually and said quietly, "It's OK as long as the person is here."

Wang Yuanling paused and chuckled: "If you don't want a gift, I'll give you a big red envelope."

She finished speaking.

A piece of the tenderest fish belly was placed in the bowl.

Gu Zhou's voice was nonchalant: "My family is not short of money."

If anyone else said this, it would be quite arrogant.

But the target is Gu Zhou.

It doesn't matter.

After all, he was originally the spokesperson for arrogance.

Wang Yuanling couldn't help laughing: "Boss Gu, you didn't bring any gifts or give any red envelopes, I can't just eat for free."

Gu Zhou's eyes rested on her leisurely, with a self-righteous look on his face: "What does it matter?"

She smiled helplessly: "Of course it does matter, I'm so embarrassed."

Gu Zhou said calmly: "Don't worry, no one dares to say anything to you."

His nonchalant display of dominance made her choke.

There was a cunning look in her watery eyes, and she said deliberately: "Even if others won't say anything to me, I still feel bad. Have you ever heard of anyone attending someone else's wedding without a gift or a red envelope?"

"I've heard of it." Gu Zhou answered straightforwardly.

"?" Wang Yuanling looked at him puzzledly.

Gu Zhou frowned and sneered: "I didn't give it to you."

Wang Yuanling smiled: "I'm different."

He looked at her with interest, as if he was determined to make a fuss. "What's the difference? Are you missing an eye or a nose?"

Wang Yuanling's smile remained gentle: "Boss Gu, you are one of our family members, and I am an outsider. How can we be the same?"

Wang Yuanling's distinction between "family members" and "outsiders" was like a feather gently scratching Gu Zhou's heart, with a bit of deliberate alienation, but subtly scratching a hidden nerve of his.

His deep black eyes locked onto her, and there seemed to be a silent undercurrent flowing in them, making the air above the dining table stagnant for a moment.

"Family?" Gu Zhou dragged out the last syllable of his words, and with a hint of playful scrutiny, he gently tapped the smooth chopsticks with his fingertips: "You are my partner, and we are one. Aren't we also family?"

His gaze was so penetrating that it seemed to peel off the polite shell of her words.

Wang Yuanling's heart skipped a beat when he looked at her, but the smile she maintained remained unwavering, her eyes still shimmering with gentleness. "Mr. Gu, even if we're partners, it's still different. After all, I'm not a member of the Gu family, so I'm an outsider. So I have to bring a gift and a red envelope, otherwise it would be rude."

Gu Zhou raised the corner of his lips: "As long as you want, it's not impossible."

His words were ambiguous, as if responding to her insistence on the gift red envelope, but also as if hinting at her possibility of becoming a 'family member'."

Wang Yuanling's inner thoughts instantly turned into drumbeats, but he tried his best to maintain a calm expression.

Eyes meeting.

His eyes were dark, filled with different emotions.

She fiddled with it in her mind and pretended not to understand: "I don't know what my brother likes, so I'll just give him a red envelope."

Gu Zhou stared at her deeply for a few seconds, and a low hum escaped from his throat. His laughter was mixed with a sense of understanding of her little thoughts, as well as a hint of imperceptible indulgence.

He naturally picked up another piece of boiled chicken for her.

The tip of the serving chopsticks tapped lightly on the edge of her bowl.

The voice was leisurely: "Eat."

Wang Yuanling narrowed her eyes and said, "Thank you, Mr. Gu. Please don't give me any more. I'll give you some."

Gu Zhou didn't respond, but just glanced at her lazily: "The fish will taste fishy if it's cold."

This is urging her to eat.

Wang Yuanling no longer insisted, her eyes curved like crescent moons: "Well, Mr. Gu will eat too."

When you are almost done eating.

Gu Zhou put down his chopsticks and his deep gaze fell on her again.

Wang Yuanling noticed the gaze.

She glanced sideways, met his gaze, and smiled faintly: "Mr. Gu, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?"

Gu Zhou's voice was casual, like a casual chat, revealing a kind of relaxation that made people subconsciously relax their consciousness: "A lot of things have happened in the group recently?"

Wang Yuanling didn't react for a moment: "Fortunately, I just settled a few big projects, so I have a lot more time now."

He nodded lazily to show that he understood.

Then he asked again, "Have you encountered any difficult problems recently?"

Wang Yuanling was slightly startled, feeling that he seemed to have something to say.

Her thoughts turned slightly, a smile spread across her face, and she deliberately followed his lead and asked, "How did Mr. Gu know that I've encountered a difficult problem recently?"

Gu Zhou's eyebrows twitched slightly, his tone still nonchalant as he only answered the second half of her sentence: "What's the thorny issue?"

"Uh~" She deliberately prolonged the tone, with the ending sound like a hook, while looking at him calmly.

Gu Zhou indeed leaned forward slightly, his elbows casually resting on the edge of the table, his fingertips tapping the surface unconsciously. Beneath that seemingly lazy posture, he was concentrating intently, waiting for her next words.

Wang Yuanling's smile deepened, a hint of cunning and tentativeness in it. "Actually, it's not a very difficult problem. It's just that there have been a lot of new projects awarded recently, and the initial funding hasn't been secured yet. I'm trying to figure it out."

After hearing this, Gu Zhou raised his eyebrows slightly.

He spoke lazily: "Need money?"

Wang Yuanling smiled faintly, "Don't worry, Mr. Gu. We at Wang's have no problem with funding. We're just caught up with the settlement process recently, and the settlement payments for several old projects haven't come in yet, so we can't start new projects for the time being. It won't affect our Healthy City."

Gu Zhou raised his dark eyes, his gaze fixed on her face as if it were real, and his voice was the kind of casual, controlling tone that said, "How much is missing?"

Her heart moved slightly, but she still maintained a decent smile on her face, and even said it in a joking tone: "Mr. Gu, are you going to lend me money? But the amount... I'm afraid it's not small." She reported a number, which was quite large, and she felt pressured.

Gu Zhou's eyes were filled with ease and confidence, as if he was discussing a trivial matter: "Transfer to your account? Don't worry, there's no interest and no pressure to pay back. You can pay it back whenever you want."

Gu Zhou's answer was so straightforward that she was slightly stunned. She smiled faintly and said, "Boss Gu, how can you be so kind? I'm so touched that I don't know how to repay you."

His pupils were pure black, bottomless, and extremely attractive.

At this moment, he was completely focused, without a trace of joking.

"Next time you encounter difficulties, tell me and I will help you. Don't bear it alone and affect your mood."

Wang Yuanling, who was planning to "fish", was hit by the rebounding fishing rod. It didn't hurt, but her heart was numb. A strange, warm current suddenly surged up and instantly drowned out her carefully calculated thoughts.