Chapter 4. Long time no see.

As the eldest daughter of the Lin family, Lin Cui had spent nearly half her life in Macau and was considered a prominent figure. Therefore, many people came to the Lin family villa today, most of whom were influential people.

The spacious reception room was bustling with activity. Shang Shu followed behind Lin Lang, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, unsure whether she was worried or longing to see that familiar figure.

The two were walking aimlessly when they bumped into two women walking towards them. They were holding bottles of red wine and seemed to be looking for someone.

"Ah! Sorry..." The young girl accidentally spilled red wine on Lin Lang's dress and immediately cried out, attracting the attention of some people around her.

Upon closer inspection, Shang Shu realized that the girl in front of her, who was on the verge of tears, was none other than Gu Sui's niece.

Damn, that's her newly acquired haute couture.

Lin Lang was somewhat displeased, but refrained from showing her displeasure due to the occasion. She waved her hand at Gu Xiangyi and said, "It's nothing."

"I'm so sorry, let me help you clean up first. As for the dress, I'll definitely pay for it." Gu Xiangyi blinked her big, wet eyes at Lin Lang, making it hard to blame her.

"No need, this is my home, I'll just go upstairs and change." Lin Lang said, then gestured to Shang Shu before turning and leaving.

Gu Xiangyi glanced at Gu Qi and then silently followed.

Gu Qi remained silent throughout. After all, Gu Xiangyi was already quite grown up. If she couldn't even handle such basic social skills, she wouldn't need to stay in Macau. Besides, her target was someone else entirely.

Gu Qi picked up his wine glass, smiled, and stepped forward to extend his hand to Shang Shu: "Hello, I am Gu Qi, Chairman of Guangjing Group."

"Shang Shu, I have long admired Chairman Gu's name." Shang Shu knew that she was Gu Sui's sister. She had even gone to Gu Qi's house to inquire about Gu Sui's whereabouts, but Gu Sui had always turned her away with various excuses. In fact, Gu Sui's disappearance must have been orchestrated by her. So she simply shook Gu Qi's hand lightly and then let go without leaving a trace.

"You flatter me, Ms. Shang is young and promising. It's a pleasure to meet you today." Gu Qi, a seasoned veteran, naturally and keenly understood Shang Shu's subtle body language. After a few polite words, he quickly got to the point.

"If it's convenient for you, Mr. Shang, why don't we sit down and talk things over?"

Shang Shu didn't want to say much to her, and kept calling out in her heart for Lin Lang to return quickly. However, since the other party had taken the initiative to invite her, she couldn't refuse and had no choice but to agree.

The two sat down in a quiet corner, and Gu Qi spoke first: "I know you came to see me before, but it wasn't convenient at the time. Please forgive my rudeness."

She knew that if she wanted to have a deeper conversation with Shang Shu, she had to first show her honesty.

"Mr. Gu, there's no need to take it to heart. It's all in the past, and it's not a big deal." Shang Shu smoothly took over the conversation, showing no intention of going any further.

Gu Qi took a small sip of red wine: "If that's the case, then that's perfect."

"Chairman Gu, you must have asked me to come here for more than just this little matter, right?" Shang Shu's eyes darkened slightly, her tone remaining calm yet polite, showing no timidity even in front of a seasoned veteran like Gu Qi.

Gu Qi chuckled to himself, thinking that Shang Shu was indeed a smart person. Coincidentally, she also liked to speak frankly with smart people.

"I'm not one to keep things to myself. I know you and my sister have some history, but I always keep my personal and professional life separate and have no interest in prying into past private matters. I've called you here today to talk about our collaboration with S&S."

Upon hearing the first half of the other person's sentence, Shang Shu was on high alert, but the other person's sudden change of tone caught her off guard.

The Guangjing Group wants to cooperate with her? After all, the Gu family already owns such a large industry, and Shang Shu doesn't want to be able to catch her eye.

She raised an eyebrow slightly and straightened her posture a little: "I'd like to hear the details."

Gu Qi began his analysis with a serious expression: "I have been looking for high-quality partners for Guangjing Media, a subsidiary of the group. S&S has achieved its current success in just a few years, which shows great potential in terms of both design and market performance. Guangjing has stable media resources and mature experience. I believe that with the help of Guangjing, S&S can reach new heights in the future."

Upon hearing this, Shang Shu pursed her lips, remaining noncommittal: "As far as I know, Guangjing Group has always had established jewelry brands with whom it has regular partnerships. Compared to S&S, continuing to cooperate with them seems to be a safer option, and the return on investment is far higher than betting on S&S, isn't it?"

Gu Qi nodded, his expression brightening as he looked at Shang Shu: "That's right, steady progress is indeed the path that Guangjing has followed for generations, but it's not mine. As you said, our previous partners were all established brands, and our operational philosophies didn't align, so naturally we went our separate ways. Compared to insignificant stability, I appreciate the creativity of up-and-coming talents more. It's more interesting when strong forces unite and the latecomer surpasses the former, don't you think?"

"I am truly flattered that Chairman Gu thinks so highly of S&S." Shang Shu's brain was working at a rapid pace, but she couldn't think of anything unreasonable.

"It all depends on whether President Shang is willing to give me this opportunity."

"Since Chairman Gu is so kind as to offer his opinion, then I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

"Great! It's a pleasure to cooperate." Gu Qi smiled like a silver bell, raised her glass and drank it all in one gulp.

*

Gu Xiangyi walked through the crowd, following closely behind Lin Lang, until they reached the stairs. Lin Lang suddenly stopped, and Gu Xiangyi bumped into her again.

"Little sister, you need to get this habit of bumping into people fixed." Lin Lang walked up one step and leaned down to tease Gu Xiangyi.

"I'm sorry... I..." Gu Xiangyi bit her lower lip, her brows furrowing deeply.

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding. Stop following me." Lin Lang laughed heartily when he saw how scared she was, and gently patted Gu Xiangyi's fluffy head.

Gu Xiangyi's brows relaxed slightly. She looked up at Lin Lang, who was much taller than her, and murmured softly, "No, I must pay for the dress."

Seeing that the little girl was quite stubborn, Lin Lang found it amusing. She crossed her arms and said, "Okay, then tell me your name first. In case you try to renege on your debt, I'll be able to come and collect it from you."

“My name is Gu Xiangyi, the Xiangyi that means ‘suitable whether lightly or heavily made up.’ I… I’m not the kind of person you’re talking about.”

The Gu family?

Lin Lang immediately had an idea: "Little sister, can I ask you something?"

Gu Xiangyi looked at her with an innocent expression, waiting for her to continue.

"Let me ask you, you're a member of the Gu family, so who is Gu Sui to you?"

"My aunt."

Are you familiar with her?

"Huh? Hmm." Gu Xiangyi was a little confused, but she nodded nonetheless.

"So what has she been doing these past few years? It feels like I haven't seen her in ages." Lin Lang cut to the chase.

Gu Xiangyi frowned, paused for a moment, and then asked in confusion, "Sister... have you taken a liking to my aunt?"

"Ahem... Don't interrupt, answer the question quickly." Lin Lang couldn't help but recall the image of Shang Shu wielding a kitchen knife and hacking at him.

Gu Xiangyi gave a reluctant "Oh" and continued, "She's been abroad the whole time and only recently came back."

Just then, her phone rang. Gu Xiangyi glanced at it and then said to Lin Lang, "Sister, I have to go now. I'll bring you a new dress later, I promise!"

After saying that, Gu Xiangyi disappeared from Lin Lang's sight in a flash.

Lin Lang shook his head and turned to go upstairs, intending to change his clothes before sharing this piece of information, which was better than nothing, with Shang Shu.

*

After parting ways with Gu Qi, Shang Shu, familiar with the Lin residence, avoided the crowds and went to the rooftop garden alone for some fresh air.

Whether it was Gu Sui's approach or Gu Qi's sudden proposal for cooperation, it all seemed too coincidental to her, yet upon closer examination, she couldn't quite grasp the situation.

Shang Shu took out a women's cigarette and slowly lit it. Leaning against the railing, she smoked it. The cold air mixed with strong nicotine stimulated her nerves. She had never had this habit before, but it seemed that there weren't many ways left for her. In recent years, apart from drinking, this was the only way to slightly relieve her pain.

"When did you start smoking?" Gu Sui had also arrived at the top floor at some point. She slowly walked over to Shang Shu and stood down beside her.

Shang Shu turned her head to look at her, frowned, and stubbed out the cigarette in her hand.

Three years later, under the hazy night, Shang Shu took a long time to seriously examine Gu Sui. Her appearance had not changed much and she was still as beautiful as she was back then, but her figure seemed to have become much thinner. Gu Sui did not have any special expression on her face, but through her deep eyebrows and eyes, one could still feel her usual coldness and calmness.

Shang Shu didn't answer her question. Instead, she gazed at the distant scenery and smiled bitterly. She was the one who had been dumped. Shouldn't she be doing well?

Gu Sui stood quietly beside Shang Shu. The moonlight was hazy, and the night was just right, but the person in front of her refused to give her a single bit of love.

"You've lost weight," Gu Sui said softly, his gaze never leaving Shang Shu for a moment.

Shang Shu smoothed her hair and spoke to her calmly, a rare occurrence for her: "You should be saying that to yourself."

After saying that, she turned her head and gave a mocking, cold laugh: "Could it be that you're feeling guilty and can't eat or sleep after dumping me?"

Gu Sui sensed the sarcasm in her words, but pretended not to notice and avoided the crucial information. She smiled and said, "So you care about me that much."

"Stop being so presumptuous," Shang Shu retorted irritably, trying her best to hide her anger at having her thoughts exposed.

Give them a little attention and they'll take advantage of you; it's true what they say, you can't hold out for more than three sentences.

"If you love sightseeing so much, then go see it yourself. I don't have the time or inclination to freeze here."

Shang Shu rolled her eyes at her and was about to leave when the long tassels on her wool shawl were blown up by the wind and got caught on the sharp edge of the fence, leaving her stuck in place.

Seeing this, Gu Sui chuckled: "It seems some people say they don't want it, but their bodies still..."

"Gu Sui, shut up!"

Gu Sui chuckled and slowly stepped forward to check. Instead of rushing to untangle the hooks, she took advantage of Shang Shu's inability to escape and wrapped her arms around her.

Gu Sui was already a bit taller than Shang Shu, and at this moment Shang Shu's chin was resting on her shoulder. The posture was ambiguous, and it didn't look like they were untying something at all. Instead, it looked like a couple in love embracing intimately.

"What...what are you doing?"

"Don't move."

Gu Sui put one arm around her waist and used the other to protect her head. No matter what, at least at this moment, she enjoyed being the one who took advantage of her vulnerability.

Shang Shu seemed to have forgotten that she could have taken off her shawl, but she was still held in Gu Sui's arms, basking in the warmth of his breath on her neck, and stood there blankly.

“Ah Shu”.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

I miss you so much.