covert struggle

His broad chest was so close, and the delicate fragrance of agarwood mixed with the unique scent of a man's aftershave filled the air.

My heart was pounding in my ears.

Gu Nan cleared her throat, feigning accusation: "I just couldn't remember, what does this... " look like catching someone in bed with another woman mean?

Her arm, which was crossed in front of her chest, loosened slightly. She slowly leaned back, resting her head on the door frame. Her nonchalant gaze swept over Lu Yushi, and she smacked her lips with a playful expression, pretending to suddenly realize something.

“I understand. Young Master Lu doesn’t trust me. He thinks I would harm you, he’s worried that I’m colluding with the Shen family to do something to you, he thinks I’m deliberately getting close to you, and he suspects that I have ulterior motives.”

With each word and step she spoke, she forced Lu Yushi to retreat step by step, yet she could not see any embarrassment on Lu Yushi's face. Under his strange gaze, she could not guess what he was thinking.

Until Lu Yushi's back was against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat, Gu Nan raised an eyebrow and asked herself, "Neither? Or is it..." She deliberately lowered her voice, almost exhaling, "My boyfriend is so deeply in love with me that he resorts to such childish tricks to keep me for a few more minutes?"

My earlobes felt numb and itchy, like steam condensed on the top of a kettle, enveloped in a damp heat.

His gaze slowly drifted to his Adam's apple, but before he could figure out the pattern of its movement, Lu Yushi turned his head away and strode to the side, saying, "Just a reminder."

His voice was flat, as if the person who had taken a few short breaths was not the one in front of him.

His tall, slender back remained still, and his well-tailored suit perfectly concealed the few thoughts that shouldn't have arisen within him.

He stood in the light, head held high, striding confidently, exuding the decisive and ruthless aura of the business world.

He exuded an air of complete control and ease.

Gu Nan disliked the feeling of being out of control, so she looked away and ended the conversation: "Thank you for your trust."

He took the folder and pushed the door open to leave.

Lu Yushi, standing behind him, said unhurriedly, "No need."

The draft outside was a hundred times more comfortable than the cool air from the air conditioner inside. Gu Nan said sarcastically, "That won't do. You and I are different from others. I'm a polite person."

Lu Yushi slowly turned around, his probing gaze sweeping over her, his voice clear and melodious, as if he were performing in a high-class drama.

"Given a good-looking person and an ugly person... you would choose the good-looking one." Lu Yushi said seriously, "I'm probably a little better than Jin Yan."

It has nothing to do with whether or not there is trust.

...

More than just some.

Gu Nan rolled her eyes at her: "Pretty confident."

Push open the door and go out.

It's pretty, but it has a mouth.

As Gu Nan stepped outside, he came face to face with "Cube". "Cube" had the same coldness on his face as his boss. Gu Nan snorted and turned to go downstairs.

The square bowed politely and said, "Miss Gu, please take care."

The only response he received was the elevator's "ding".

He rubbed his chin, stared for a moment, and then turned away.

Lu Yushi remained in the same position in the office for a long time, his eyes like crushed starlight, radiating a chilling aura.

He couldn't figure out Lu Yushi's attitude. He could be described as indulgent towards Gu Nan, but he was also extremely distrustful of her. He sent people out to investigate for months without stopping, but he also allowed Gu Nan to enter his private space.

Last night, Sun Qian mysteriously said that he suspected President Lu liked Miss Gu, but he didn't believe a word of it.

"President Lu."

Lu Yushi snapped out of his daze, nodded, and gestured for him to continue.

"Back then, Ji Yuanyu's cousin offended the second young master of the Chu family. His subordinates put pressure on the Ji family, and the Ji family asked someone to get in touch with President Kang in the hope of intervening. After President Kang agreed, Miss Gu accompanied Ji Yuanyu to the dinner party."

Little did they know that the situation in the northern city was changing rapidly.

That night, Lu Yushi seized power and successfully "exiled" his uncle to North America. His uncle and the head of the Chu family had been friends since childhood. As a result, the Chu family and the Lu family only had superficial polite exchanges that they had to maintain in public. Kang Shengtai was someone that Lu Yushi had promoted, so how could the second young master of Chu possibly accept his face?

"The Second Young Master is unreasonable. President Kang didn't want to offend you for the sake of a distant relative, so he let the Second Young Master drive Ji Yuanyu away. Unexpectedly, not long after, Miss Gu claimed to be your fiancée. At first, no one believed it, but during the scuffle, President Kang saw the necklace."

More than a decade ago, although Lu Yushi was a descendant of the Lu family, the three of them were not favored by the old master Lu. Lu Yushi's parents did not like to fight for power and profit, so they were happy to be at ease and had close ties with the Kang family, who were of ordinary means at the time.

That necklace was just a childhood joke.

The crucible gleamed with a dark luster. Kang Shengtai stood guard with his younger sister. The little girl sweetly called Lu Yushi "brother," saying that it was a gift she was giving to her sister-in-law.

Zhengfangkuai glanced at Lu Yushi's expression and lowered his voice: "But I don't know how the necklace ended up in Miss Gu's hands."

Lu Yushi rubbed his knuckles and remained silent for a moment: "Where was Gu Nan before she went to the New Times?"

Zhengfang shook his head: "The information has been deliberately erased, but it is certain that she is more familiar with Beicheng than with Xuncheng." After a moment's thought, he added, "Miss Gu has many secrets. At present, we do not know whether she is friend or foe. Right now, the Shen family is making moves, and keeping Miss Gu around will do more harm than good."

Lu Yushi didn't answer, his gaze was drawn to the view outside the window. In front of the enlarged Lu Corporation sign, Gu Nan and Jin Yan walked out of the gate one after the other, their arm around each other's shoulders, clearly indicating that they were old acquaintances.

Gu Nan swatted Jin Yan's arm away for the sixth time, glanced upstairs, and laughed and scolded, "The guy upstairs is no bigger than a fly's leg. You better watch yourself. If he finds out what you did back then, he'll kill you first."

Jin Yan waved his hand dismissively: "If I dare to do it, I have the ability to make sure he can't find out. Besides, no matter how far his reach is, can it reach overseas?"

"Have you forgotten that you're a big shot in foreign assassin organizations?" There's no need for Lu Yushi to take action at all.

Jin Yan choked for a moment, then said seriously, "So, you demanded a whole bunch of conditions from Lu Yushi, but couldn't you spare one for me?"

"...I'm not good enough for myself."

“No problem, you were the one who ordered me to do the work, so I’m just telling the truth. At most, I’m an accomplice.” Taking a few steps forward, Jin Yanle said, “Lu Yushi is really unlucky to have met you.”

"It's just a friendly competition; if you lose, you have to accept the consequences."

Jin Yan's face was full of mixed emotions: "You sparred with him without his knowledge, won unfairly, and then scolded him for being less skilled. Boss, really, sometimes I think you're a real jerk."

Gu Nan smiled and tilted her head, uttering her threatening words without any hesitation: "Could I be any worse? Do you want to see?"

Jin Yan shrank his neck and shook his head: "However, what if Lu Yu finds out in the future?"

Gu Nan's smile remained bright, her expression utterly harmless: "Yes, I'm so worried, what should I do?"

His gaze swept over Jin Yan from top to bottom, then he slowly mocked, "You've come at the perfect time. Xingzi Tower has been kind to you; you should repay that kindness. Why go against Lu Yushi? Lu Yushi did want Xingzi Tower's land back then, but it was a fair competition. You used dirty tricks to force Lu Yushi to withdraw in order to repay a debt of gratitude."

She deliberately spoke in a literary tone, shaking her head and pointing with her finger: "This is certainly not the behavior of a gentleman."

Jin Yan looked puzzled and pointed at himself: "Me?"

As far as I can remember, he just helped spread the word.

"I think I'll go back to Ulm. Your pot is too big and too dark; I can't carry it, boss."

Gu Nan glanced at him sideways, scoffed, and walked out the door with her hands behind her back.

As she swept past the corner of the wall, she glanced discreetly at the towering building that seemed to pierce the clouds; the one-way glass windows effectively protected the privacy of everyone inside.

Perhaps it was her own mind playing tricks on her, but despite the bright sunlight reflecting off the windowpane and making it hard for her to open her eyes, she felt as if she were being watched from behind the window. It was a black, eerie light, lurking in the shadows, licking its fangs, ready to strike her dead when she was off guard.

"Boss?"

Gu Nan shivered and stepped out of the shadows. The sunlight did not warm her rough skin; instead, it chilled her to the bone, a chill that seemed to fight against her through her flesh and blood.

"Compile all the issues from the beta version into a document and submit it to Lu Yushi."

Jin Yan was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"Having lived abroad for so long, you can't understand your native language anymore?" Gu Nan picked up a cigarette and put it in his mouth, but didn't light it.

Jin Yan advised, "There's no need. Lu Yushi will fall out with the Shen family sooner or later."

Of the five major families, Lu Yushi only had a good relationship with Qiu Jingxun. The Shen family and the Chu family wished they could get rid of him as soon as possible, while the Wan family watched from the sidelines.

"If you give him this to surrender, he may not be grateful to you, and you will offend the Shen family for it. It's not worth it."

Gu Nan looked at him for a while, then fell silent.

Finally, he asked, "Why do you always think I want the five major families to fight each other?"

Jin Yan replied matter-of-factly, "Then you couldn't have seduced Lu Yu because of true love, could you?"

Gu Nan choked on her spit, and instead of explaining the truth, she casually made up a story: "Isn't my love for him obvious?"

Jin Yan laughed loudly: "Such obvious exploitation can only fool Lu Yushi, who has no experience in relationships."

Gu Nan, who also had no romantic experience, rubbed the back of her head and asked doubtfully, "Is it obvious?"

Jin Yan, true to his name, speaks frankly: "First, a man who understands men will look at you without desire. Second, your physical contact will be natural, but lack intimacy, like meeting complete strangers, without even the familiarity of ordinary friends. Third, you call him 'husband,' and he doesn't like it, or rather, he's disgusted by it?"

I wanted to come up with another seven, eight, or ninety points, but since we'd only met once, I had nowhere to make them up.

Seeing Gu Nan lower her head and remain silent, Jin Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he hesitated before adding a few more words: "However, a person like him probably only likes power, even if Diao Chan and Xi Shi were placed in front of him..."

Gu Nan said quietly, "Wouldn't that scare him to death?"

...

"He opened his eyes early in the morning and saw two eerie white skeletons," Gu Nan clicked his tongue and shook his head. "He might not be able to think of Diao Chan and Xi Shi."

It's more likely that this is revenge from an enemy.

The tone shifted abruptly: "No desire for me?"

What did the spirited second brother say?

Should I simply look up and greet her politely?

She only wanted to refute Jin Yan, but didn't say it aloud.

The lust aroused by bodily instincts and the love that extends from the eyes to the heart are two different things. Just like with Lu Yu, she could accept intimate moments of entwined necks, but she would never harbor any secret admiration.

He twirled the phone in his palm, narrowed his eyes, and asked himself, "He's too eager for me."

The chat window reads: "[The Lin family will be returning to Xingyin Temple at the end of the month to pay respects to their ancestors. Master Wan and the Shen family will also be present.]"

"Xingyin Temple, Xuancheng?"

There was no response.

Gu Nan understood Lu Yushi's implication and began to plan her next move.

My appearance fee is very high.

The reply from the other end was only two words: 【Master Wan.】

It has no beginning and no end.

Gu Nan lowered her eyes in thought, and did not reply.

She wasn't talking nonsense at Ganfeng Winery; her request for Lu Yushi to kill Master Wan was merely a test.

Lu Yushi's reaction was as expected, and she was very satisfied.

This proves that getting entangled with Lu Yu was a very wise move she made.

Jin Yan stared at his phone and muttered, "Master Wan is a big shot. He's been able to control Beicheng for many years just by virtue of his relationship with the older generation of the five major families."

When elders give earnest instructions, younger generations naturally and obediently call them "Grandpa."

Lu Yushi is the only variable.

The Lu family has a designated heir, the youngest son of Old Man Lu, who is only seven years older than Lu Yushi.

Everyone knew that the Lu family's power would ultimately be handed over to that person, and Master Wan was no exception.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yushi left the person in North America without a word, and at this time, the Lu family could not find a more suitable successor than Lu Yushi.

By the time Old Master Lu calmed down, Lu Yushi had already grasped the lifeline of the group.

A person who has been in power for half his life is best at judging the situation. For the sake of the Lu family, Old Master Lu relinquished power, only occasionally taking his anger out on Lu Yushi by deliberately making things difficult for him.

Since there was no real harm done, Lu Yushi didn't bother to worry about it.

Gu Nan replied without any tone of voice: "It's just that we were a bit unlucky."

Master Wan had tried his best to maintain his relationship with Lu's younger brother, but in the end, power fell into Lu Yushi's hands, and it was too late to curry favor with him.

Having dominated the northern part of the city for many years, he finds it hard to accept such a loss of control.

Lu Yushi would not allow anyone to challenge his authority.

These two are bound to be irreconcilable enemies.

"Are you going?"

Gu Nan turned around and looked up at the almost invisible skyscrapers, her expression indifferent: "Your boss loves watching the excitement the most."

A power struggle, a love affair marked by betrayal.

She silently thought to herself, "Lin Jianye, your retribution has begun."