Chapter 373 Who else could he be but Wen Lingxue?
At this moment, the afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm, velvety glow on Ji Ying.
The warmth against her skin made her squint comfortably, like a cat basking in the sun, its claws retracted.
Gu Yanchen felt as if something had gently bumped into his heart.
Those lingering feelings that had never truly faded, mixed with the sudden surge of affection, silently filled his entire chest.
His steps faltered for a moment.
Ji Ying noticed his arrival, quickly opened her eyes, and smiled slightly at him.
What would you like to drink?
Gu Yanchen composed himself, walked over and sat down opposite her, his gaze sweeping over the glass in front of her. "You drink this?"
Ji Ying replied naturally, "I haven't been sleeping well lately, and drinking coffee makes it hard to fall asleep."
A thoughtful look flashed across Gu Yanchen's eyes, but he didn't ask any more questions. He simply asked the waiter for an Americano.
After the coffee was served, he pushed a photograph in front of her.
The photo shows the profile of a man sitting in a wheelchair, thin and frail, clearly showing the weakness of someone who has been ill for a long time.
"This is... Chen Yousheng?" Ji Ying asked.
Gu Yanchen nodded. "A photo from a year ago."
Ji Ying frowned slightly. "It's too blurry; you can't see the face at all. This still doesn't prove that the third young master of the Chen family who is currently active in Beijing is a real member of the Chen family."
Gu Yanchen took a sip of coffee. "This photo was hard to come by. Chen San rarely appears in public, but the Chen family has confirmed with me that he did come to Beijing."
The fact that Chen Yousheng was able to obtain specially supplied medicines from the Chen family's biological laboratory indicates that the Chen family wanted to establish contact with the Pang family through him. Therefore, their protection of this 'Third Young Master's' true identity is not difficult to understand.
Ji Ying fell silent, her fingertips gently tracing the edge of the photo, her gaze turning to the window.
Gu Yanchen asked, "What are you suspecting?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he also looked out the window.
Just then, a figure walked out from the entrance of the Cardinals Arts Club.
“Chen Yousheng,” Ji Ying said.
Gu Yanchen's gaze darkened slightly.
Ji Ying continued, "You know better than I whose place this is. I'm sure Old Master Pang will soon have a new favorite, and you..."
She smiled, looked away, took a sip of pear juice, and said nothing more.
But Gu Yanchen understood the deeper meaning behind her words.
“I’m a businessman. My approach to Old Master Pang is to make necessary connections and acquire resources. Businessmen talk business, and it’s normal to do transactions that are mutually beneficial. I’m not anyone’s pawn, much less anyone’s weapon.”
Ji Ying didn't react to his explanation.
In the distance, Chen Yousheng walked to the parking lot and was about to get into the car when the driver discovered that the tire was flat and he needed to find someone to fix it.
Chen Yousheng looked around and spotted the coffee shop, so he walked over.
Gu Yanchen narrowed his eyes...
"Fortunately, you still remember how Gu Yi died."
As soon as Ji Ying finished speaking, Chen Yousheng pushed open the door and walked in.
The moment he saw Gu Yanchen, he visibly froze for a second.
Ji Ying stood up with a smile and said, "Mr. Chen, what a coincidence! Would you like to come and sit with me?"
Upon seeing Gu Yanchen without any preparation, Chen Yousheng's heart was filled with turmoil, and his movements were extremely unnatural.
After a few steps, he regained his composure and walked to their table.
"It seems inappropriate to call you 'Mrs. Liang' now, Mr. Ji."
Chen Yousheng's expression was friendly, but his tone carried a clear hint of sarcasm.
For the first time ever, Ji Ying didn't mind. Instead, she smiled slightly and raised her hand in acknowledgment.
"This is Chairman Gu. I wonder if President Chen knows him? Let's sit down and chat."
Chen Yousheng sat down and looked at Gu Yanchen, his attitude becoming slightly more restrained.
"Chairman Gu is a famous entrepreneur with businesses all over the world. How could I not know him?"
Ji Ying followed up smoothly, turning her gaze to Gu Yanchen, her tone light and casual.
"Speaking of domestic and international... I just remembered that Mr. Gu once bought a diamond necklace abroad for an astronomical price, causing a sensation at the time. It was originally intended as a gift for my fifth wedding anniversary, but unfortunately, a woman ruined it... By the way, what happened to that necklace afterward?"
Gu Yanchen's face showed no emotion, but he stirred the coffee a little too hard.
For him, their fifth wedding anniversary remains an old wound that has yet to heal.
He pursed his lips and said, "I'm sorry about that. Wen Lingxue put on the necklace without permission, and I couldn't make her take it off in public. I didn't expect her to leave a mark for you to see. I understand you don't like things that other people have used. That necklace was too unlucky, so I had Chen Yuan dispose of it. It and Wen Lingxue... it's best if they both stay out of sight of each other."
Clang...
Chen Yousheng accidentally dropped the silver spoon in his hand into the porcelain dish.
He quickly regained his composure and forced a stiff smile.
"Sorry, it was a slip of the hand. Mr. Gu... you're quite carefree."
Seeing her reaction, Ji Ying smiled and pressed on, asking Gu Yanchen another question.
"To be honest, I still don't understand why you treat this stepsister so well? So well that you almost killed me several times."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yanchen's expression turned completely cold.
That wasn't directed at Ji Ying, but at that past.
“My father made a mistake in a moment of confusion. To save face for the family, I had to take care of her to shut her up. It was not my intention to hurt you because of her. Please believe me, I have never had any feelings for that woman surnamed Wen that go beyond the trouble itself. My biggest regret now is that I didn’t make her disappear completely.”
There were no feelings involved... just trouble... I regret not making her disappear completely...
These words screamed and collided in Chen Yousheng's mind, almost breaking through the last line of defense of his rationality.
The coffee cup slipped from his hand and fell onto the table, splashing brown liquid all over him.
The three people immediately stood up.
"Feel sorry!"
Chen Yousheng's face was pale, and his vocal cords were extremely taut, making his already androgynous voice sound even more like a woman's.
"My car is almost repaired, so I'll take my leave now."
He didn't even bother to wipe himself clean; he almost staggered as he turned around and hurriedly pushed open the door to leave.
As I walked to the door, I bumped into a passerby.
Without waiting for the other party to apologize, he hurriedly left.
Who else could he be but Wen Lingxue?
As Ji Ying watched his figure disappear into the parking lot, the feigned gentleness in her eyes vanished.
Having achieved her goal, she turned to Gu Yanchen, her tone distant, "I'm tired today too, let's call it a day."
After saying that, she picked up her bag and was about to leave when her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a strong force.
Gu Yanchen pulled back.
She bumped into his chest unexpectedly.
Ji Ying instinctively protected her lower abdomen and frowned as she looked at him.
Gu Yanchen's arms encircled her waist, his hot breath brushing against her cheeks.
"Use it and then throw it away?"
Ji Ying struggled in his arms but couldn't break free. Instead, she smiled calmly.
"Is that not allowed?"
"Alright." Gu Yanchen smiled, a hint of indulgence in his smile. "Business is about give and take. You've used it this time, so I should get a taste of success so we can continue with the next deal, right?"
Ji Ying remained silent for a few seconds.
She needed Gu Yanchen as a connection, and she also needed to keep him calm for the time being.
"It's possible, but only in the context of 'transactions'. Things that cross the line, like what we're doing now, are not allowed."
The arm that was holding her slowly loosened.
Gu Yanchen took a step back, his momentary dominance and aggression vanished without a trace, and he returned to his usual noble and composed demeanor.
"You're quite vigilant. Don't worry, it's just an invitation to dinner. There's no need to be nervous."
Ji Ying glanced at him and didn't object anymore.
The two left the coffee shop together.
However, in less than five minutes, the coffee shop's entrance was surrounded by people.
Before the shop assistants could even react, Liang Yizhi's cold, detached figure appeared at the door.
Yue Zheng strode forward and lowered his voice: "I asked the shop assistants, and they said... Madam left with a man."
Crack!
An innocent chair armrest next to Liang Yizhi was actually cracked by being squeezed so hard.
"Check the surveillance footage. I want her to die knowing exactly what happened!"
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