Under this agreement, Gu Liji insisted on going back three times a week, not even once more.
In the first month, Yan Zhi showed concern for him and often chatted with him about interesting things that happened in his daily life. Even if he didn't respond much, Yan Zhi would still talk to herself.
The second month, Yan Zhi was like this...
In the third month, Yan Zhi remained the same...
In the fourth month, Yan Zhi remained the same...
Gu Liji felt that Yan Zhi was too honest. How could someone who was pursuing someone keep coming to chat with them? Some of the topics were the same as those from the previous months, as if she was just making conversation for the sake of it.
He thought to himself, with her methods, it would be too difficult for him to fall in love with her within a year.
In the fifth month, Gu Liji saw that she was still using the same methods, and those who felt pity for her would answer her a few more times.
One day in the sixth month, Gu Liji couldn't resist his friends' temptation and went out for the night, breaking his promise to Yan Zhi. Afterwards, he called Yan Zhi and said that he had to work overtime, which was why he didn't come back.
Gu Liji always goes home on the last day of his three weekly trips. This means he never gets to make up for lost time.
Back home, Gu Liuji looked at Yan Zhi's tired face and felt a rare pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, I really had something to do last night. I didn't mean to break our promise."
Yan Zhi paused for a moment before slowly replying, "It's alright, work is the priority."
Seeing that Yan Zhi wasn't going to pursue the matter, Gu Liji breathed a sigh of relief.
For the next week or two, Gu Liji kept his promise.
In the seventh month, the broken rules were no more solid than before, and Gu Liuji broke his promise again. This time, he brought a gift to apologize to Yan Zhi.
Yan Zhi forgave him in a very good-natured manner.
In the eighth month, the broken window effect began. Gu Liji found Yan Zhi easy to coax; he could persuade her with any reason or gift.
And indeed, that proved to be true; Yan Zhi forgave him once again.
In the ninth month, he returned home and found that Yan Zhi was not there. He called her, and she said that she was working and a bit busy, and might not be able to make it back.
Gu Liuji didn't pay attention.
At the end of the tenth month, Gu Liuji suddenly realized that the two of them were seeing each other less and less often; either he was not there, or Yan Zhi was working.
He began to have doubts. Was Yan Zhi going to give up on liking him?
In the eleventh month, when he could no longer see Yan Zhi at all, and even when he called her, she would hang up after only two or three sentences, he realized something was wrong.
He started paying attention to Yan Zhi, and it would have been better if he hadn't. Once he started paying attention, he discovered problems.
Then, through a specialist investigation—no, not even an investigation—he could learn about the major projects Yan Zhi had participated in that year simply by reading some news reports.
Thanks to her status as his fiancée, Yan Zhi began to make a name for herself in their circle, and she was a regular at many business gatherings.
The Yan family's assets have multiplied several times over.
He stared at the investigation report on his phone, his teeth practically grinding to dust. He couldn't believe he'd been deceived by Yan Zhi for a whole year, but the truth was right in front of him, leaving him no choice but to believe it—Yan Zhi had only approached him for her own benefit.
It was because Gu Rongqi got married that he was able to relax at work, which made him careless and overjoyed.
Also, Yan Zhi was introduced by his father, so he didn't think too much about it at the time.
He waited at home for Yan Zhi to return, but she didn't come back by the evening of the second day. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he called her and asked her to come back.
He now realizes that his previous belief that Yan Zhi would patiently wait for him to return home was a joke.
As soon as Yan Zhi entered the room, she saw Gu Liji with a frosty expression. She sat down next to him as if nothing had happened and asked directly, "What's wrong?"
Gu Liji's words were sharp, his gaze piercing. "You still ask me what's wrong? You're using our Gu family's name to benefit yourself, and you lied to me saying you liked me!"
"Using the Gu family's reputation for personal gain?" Yan Zhi stopped pretending when she heard him say that. She leaned back on the sofa, her posture casual. "How can you say that's using it? It's a fact that I'm your fiancée! As for saying I like you, I don't think I've ever said that."
Gu Liji thought about it and was shocked to discover that Yan Zhi had never said she liked him; she had only said she wanted to marry him.
His status as his fiancée was real. Although the engagement was held in a low-key manner, it was not hidden. Since everyone in the circle knew about it, Yan Zhi didn't need to bring it up. They all knew that Yan Zhi was his fiancée.
Feeling extremely displeased at being tricked, Gu Liji sneered when he saw Yan Zhi's unfamiliar attitude, "You're willing to sacrifice yourself for the Yan family, you really are great."
"Sacrifice? I don't think this is a sacrifice. First of all, I'm not that great. Secondly, when a 'phoenix man' pursues the daughter of a high-ranking official to achieve success, outsiders will only see him as capable when he was poor. No one will think he made a sacrifice. The connection between you and me in this matter is no different to me. So you think that since it happened to me as a woman, I would care about your demeaning thinking?"
Yan Zhi now exudes undisguised ambition. "Besides, I'm the one who calls the shots in the Yan family now."
"..."
Yan Zhi's sharp features added a striking contrast to her otherwise plain face, and Gu Liji had never remembered her features so clearly before.
He suppressed his anger: "Now that you've exposed yourself, our marriage is impossible, and aren't you afraid of retaliation from the Gu family?"
“Oh, marriage…” Yan Zhi drawled, tapping her knee with her fingers as if thinking. “How could you think I want to marry someone like you?! Ha… Who would like someone who likes to party and doesn’t do anything productive? You’re just a shortcut I’ve chosen.”
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