Chapter 6

Even childhood sweethearts couldn't stop Gu Jinlan; the moment he opened the bedroom door, the air seemed to freeze.

Ye Zhen was tucked onto the stool, her mouth taped shut, and she made two tearful groans.

Gu Jinlan acted as if she were a mobile freezer, almost freezing the room solid.

He slammed his childhood sweetheart to the ground, pressing his elbow against her neck, his eyes blazing with fury: "How could you do this to him!"

"Cousin, cousin..."

The childhood sweetheart was pinned down, barely able to breathe, her face flushed red. She tried to push him away but couldn't.

"We're acting, acting..."

"Acting?" Gu Jinlan's eyes were bloodshot. "If you dare to lay a finger on him, don't blame me for disregarding our uncle-nephew relationship and chopping off your hand!"

Ye Zhen was so anxious that he knocked the stool over.

With a loud bang, Gu Jinlan immediately released her childhood sweetheart, ran to untie the rope, and carefully tore off the tape.

"It really was just acting."

Ye Zhen was so anxious that tears streamed down his face. He grabbed Gu Jinlan.

"Don't be angry with him..."

"He treated you like that, and you still defend him?"

Gu Jinlan clenched her fists, and the veins on her forehead bulged slightly.

He stared at Ye Zhen, this man who was always calm, composed, and unfathomable, but whose eyes were now red.

"Fine, it's a case of one willing to hit and the other willing to be hit. I'm the one who interfered in your business, so I'm leaving."

The man stood up, smoothed out the wrinkles in his suit, and strode away.

Ye Zhen felt a sudden panic. He caught up with the other person in the living room and grabbed Gu Jinlan.

"It really was just acting."

He took a flyer from his pocket and stuffed it into Gu Jinlan's hand.

"Xie Chengming is your nephew, and you still don't believe me?"

"So you trust him unconditionally."

Gu Jinlan glanced at him, shook off his hand, and continued walking forward.

"Gu Jinlan!"

Ye Zhen got angry too.

Even though he had secretly loved his childhood sweetheart for many years, he didn't want Gu Jinlan to misunderstand him under these circumstances.

His eyes were a little wet: "Stop right there!"

Gu Jinlan finally stopped.

"Ye Zhen".

He turned around, his eyes like a stone bridge in a downpour, unyielding and unmoving.

"You were the one who called me back."

Gu Jinlan walked over, hoisted Ye Zhen onto her shoulder, and led her outside.

"Cousin, cousin!"

The childhood sweetheart, usually oblivious, finally realized that her cousin and her best friend had a special relationship.

He put his arm around Gu Jinlan: "You can't take him away like this. What if something happens? I..."

"I'm his boyfriend." Gu Jinlan raised an eyebrow and looked at him coldly. "And what's your relationship with him? Don't meddle in adult matters, kid. Go away."

Ye Zhen was initially refusing, but paused for a moment upon hearing this.

It turns out they were really talking about feelings, not a business transaction.

The childhood sweetheart stared wide-eyed, stunned by the complicated relationship that her cousin was her best friend's boyfriend, and couldn't react for a moment.

In a short while, Gu Jinlan had already thrown Ye Zhen into the passenger seat and forcefully fastened her with the seatbelt.

The man's mane stood on end like a lion's, and Ye Zhen felt inexplicably afraid. She simply looked up at him and asked, "What are you taking me to do?"

"Weren't you supposed to rehearse a scene?"

Gu Jinlan's expression was gloomy, with a slight curl at the corner of her lips.

"I'll go over it with you, until we're satisfied."

He kept his word, taking the person to his villa, finding an ergonomic chair, and having the person lean against it.

"Gu Jinlan!" Ye Zhen felt a chill run through his body for no apparent reason, and his eyes welled up with tears. "You, you're going too far."

"How outrageous?" Gu Jinlan chuckled, her dark eyes sharp as beast armor. "Is it more outrageous than seeing your lover tied up?"

Before Ye Zhen could say anything more, his eyes were covered by a blindfold.

The darkness made him a little flustered. Just as he was about to say something, he was suddenly kissed.

Ye Zhen felt as if he were standing on a drifting island, his heart swaying with the movement of the continental plates.

The strings of the soul were plucked silently.

That wretched old man.

Not to be outdone, he returned the kiss.

The rope resembled a small silver snake, its tail coiled around the fruit.

The lion lowered its head and gently sniffed the rose.

The blindfold was never removed, and Ye Zhen was pushed onto a swing by Gu Jinlan.

It rises and falls, swaying and undulating.

A bead of sweat landed on Ye Zhen's lips, and he subconsciously wiped it away. Gu Jinlan couldn't help but lean close to his ear and say, "You have no idea how much you look when you're blindfolded—"

"Ye Zhen, I, Gu Jinlan, have never loved many people in my life."

Gu Jinlan paused,

"But you are the first person who has made my heart ache unbearably."

The man gently kissed his brow: "Since we started so hastily, we should end it perfectly. Ye Zhen, marry me."

"Actions speak louder than words. I will spend my whole life making up for what I owe you."

Ye Zhen was being carried up to the clouds when he suddenly heard these words, and his heart pounded wildly.

He couldn't help but hug the other person back, but a trace of confusion lingered in his mind: Could it really be possible?

The next day, even though Ye Zhen was like an old car, he still sneaked away before dawn.

When Gu Jinlan woke up, she belatedly realized that Ye Zhen had...

He slammed his fist against the wall, so angry that his heart felt like it was going to explode.

Is this retribution?

Gu Jinlan, who was always successful in both business and emotional intelligence, was repeatedly outmaneuvered by Ye Zhen, a young man.

Gu Jinlan gradually calmed down.

If Ye Zhen truly had no feelings for him, she wouldn't have been with him last night...

Now that the trust has been broken, he will do whatever it takes, no matter how hard he tries, to mend the mess and bring Ye Zhen back.