drunk
"The boss isn't stupid." Sun Qian said with dissatisfaction, gripping the empty wine glass tightly with his right hand, as if he wanted to strangle the person who spoke ill of the boss from afar.
Gu Nan, slightly tipsy, retorted irritably, "Are you out of your mind? Who just said something stupid?"
Sun Qian shook his head, his tongue slurred: "It wasn't me, wait, I mean, being generous to the enemy is stupid, the boss wasn't generous to the enemy."
Gu Nan subconsciously retorted, "How could there not be? I...I..." Her throat seemed to be stuck. She raised her fingers and poked her chest repeatedly, struggling with her tongue for a while. Then she waved her hand and mumbled, "I'm not talking about him anymore."
Sun Qian squinted and chimed in, "Yeah, never mind, anyway, the boss only knows one ingrate."
"Who are you cursing?" Although Gu Nan was not fully conscious, she still had her fighting skills, so she immediately grabbed Sun Qian's neck and pressed her down.
Sun Qian staggered, bracing herself against the bar with her elbows. She slowly looked up, her gaze blank: "Lu Yuanzhi. Lu Yuanzhi has caused the boss a lot of trouble. The boss has spared him because of Mr. Lu. If Lu Yuanzhi hadn't been the one to kill first, he might still be running around in the company right now."
The two drunkards spoke haltingly, as if they were telepathically connected. One's mouth was slurred as if it were paste, while the other's eyelids were so heavy that he focused all his attention on keeping his eyes open, yet they still understood each other perfectly.
Gu Nan realized she had misunderstood, loosened her grip on Sun Qian's neck, patted his arm guiltily, and chuckled, using sarcasm to ease her embarrassment at being so easily frightened.
"I've heard of brother complex, sister complex, older sister complex, younger brother complex, but this is the first time I've seen someone who's a boss complex. Does Lu Yushi know how devoted you are to him?"
After she finished speaking, no one responded for a long time. Gu Nan turned her head with difficulty, while Sun Qian stared blankly, as if he were an old monk sitting still.
"Tch, trash." Gu Nan said, "Wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll tell him and make him feel guilty. You're so considerate of him, and he's so ungrateful."
Sun Qian chuckled foolishly: "Tomorrow won't work, I have to go to the provincial science and technology competition tomorrow."
"A technology competition? Would you need that?"
Although she had drunk quite a bit, she hadn't reached the point of unconsciousness, and Gu Nan tried her best to spare some energy.
In a place where small and medium-sized enterprises compete fiercely, there seems to be no reason for Lu Yushi to be distracted.
Sun Qian, still half-asleep, clinked his glass against hers: "Not the boss, it's my girlfriend... uh, my girlfriend's new boyfriend. He's going to participate in a competition, and I'm going to see just how good he is."
"Tsk," Gu Nan snorted disdainfully, kicked the leg of the high chair Sun Qian was sitting on, and scolded, "No guts."
Sun Qian just smiled foolishly and didn't refute.
Gu Nan felt a bit exasperated, pulling her phone out of her pocket and grabbing Sun Qian's arm to force him to look at it. She fumbled for the screen for a while but couldn't open it, so she gave up, let go of Sun Qian's arm, and started dictating instead.
“I know someone on the judging panel, so just go ahead and I’ll have him back you up. I guarantee that woman will regret not choosing you. How about it?”
Sun Qian looked at her, still maintaining that smooth smile.
Gu Nan: "Are you stupid?"
Sun Qian: "No."
"Thank you."
"Thank you," Sun Qian suddenly raised her voice, standing on the footstool as she prepared to stand up, "Thank you—"
Gu Nan looked at him with disgust and pulled him down, saying, "Are you sick?"
After finishing his tirade, Sun Qian looked up and stared blankly at the doorway.
What's wrong with you now?
Sun Qian smacked her lips, and said uncertainly, "I think I saw the boss?"
Gu Nan propped herself up and turned around with difficulty, waving her right hand in the air. The figures were numerous and seemed to multiply. She couldn't believe it: "Did he hurt you that much by saying a few harsh words to you? You're going crazy thinking about him. How could he possibly have time to come here?"
The distance from the bar to the door was far, and the lighting was dim. Tall, thin people all looked the same from a distance. Sun Qian looked away. "That makes sense. Let's do it again."
Gu Nan shifted her gaze left and right, noticing the empty wine glasses lying crookedly on the bar. She froze for a moment, as if struck by lightning.
How did she end up paying?!
"What do you mean 'come here'? If you want to drink, go buy it yourself." Gu Nan snatched the wine glass back from his hand.
"mean."
"Who's stingy? Count for yourself how many cups you've drunk from me."
Sun Qian's eyes widened. He had never been treated to drinks by anyone in his life. As if to prove it, he immediately pulled out his bank card from his pocket and slammed it on the table: "I have money!"
Gu Nan squinted with satisfaction and reached out to take the card.
“580 per cup, let me count… one, two… twelve, twenty-three…” Before she could finish counting on her fingers, the person who had so readily handed over the card suddenly changed her expression and fumbled to hide the card back in her bank account.
Just as the money was about to slip away, Gu Nan swiftly grabbed Sun Qiancang's hand, which was holding the bank card, and angrily scolded, "Could you be any more stingy? Doesn't Lu Yushi pay you a salary?"
Sun Qian also looked displeased: "Who knew your wine was 580 yuan a glass, 580 yuan a glass! Why don't you just rob me?"
"I don't care, you have to pay me back."
"I don't."
"You're going to drink without paying?"
Sun Qian held onto the bank card without saying a word, but Gu Nan couldn't stand being taken advantage of, so she grabbed it, and the two went back and forth.
At the doorway, the two men glanced at Gu Nan and Sun Qian, who were fighting over a bank card, and exchanged a look.
They were all silent.
The square-faced man tilted his head and quietly touched his forehead, rubbing his eyes in the process. When he turned back, the two men in the distance were still locked in a fierce battle.
She pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, then decisively lifted her foot, determined to take the person away before President Lu lost his temper.
Not long ago, Sun Qian came to him and said that she had accidentally angered President Lu and needed to take annual leave to temporarily leave President Lu's sight.
He didn't know exactly how Sun Qian had angered Lu Yushi, but seeing Sun Qian and Gu Nan drinking themselves into oblivion at the bar, he realized that Sun Qian didn't seem to want Lu Yushi to calm down either.
"Do you want to appease President Lu, or are you just fueling his anger?"
Sun Qian gestured at his face and said, "Who are you? Get away."
Square face: ?
Suddenly, things took a turn for the worse. The two fighters instantly united against a common enemy. Gu Nan pulled Sun Qian's arm back, glanced at the square-faced man, and uttered a single word: "Get lost."
"Huh?" The square-faced man was completely bewildered by the insults directed at him.
"He's my man," Gu Nan said, pulling Sun Qian behind her and enclosing him in her "territory," her tone unfriendly. "Who are you, trying to steal him from me?"
"No, aren't you two fighting?"
Gu Nan: "Trying to take advantage of the situation?"
Sun Qian put his hands on his hips, stood behind her, and, feigning intimidation, repeated in a loud voice: "Take advantage of the situation!"
Square face: ...
Sensing the footsteps behind him stop, the square-faced man turned around.
Lu Yushi stopped not far in front of Gu Nan, his gaze sinking down to Sun Qian's wrist. Gu Nan was so eager to protect him that she didn't pay attention to controlling the strength in her hand, and a clear, cold white ring appeared at the junction of her palm and wrist.
He was lost in thought for a moment and did not speak.
Gu Nan was the first to lose her composure. After staring at him for too long, Gu Nan slowly tilted her head to meet Lu Yushi's gaze. After a while, she let out a "Huh" and raised her arm as if she wanted to grab the person opposite her.
Lu Yushi turned his head and gave Square Face a look. Square Face understood and, taking advantage of Gu Nan being completely distracted by Lu Yushi, quickly walked up to Sun Qian and half-pulled him towards the door.
The wailing sounds faded into the distance until they disappeared. Gu Nan didn't even have the energy to turn around and look at the person she was "protecting." She raised her arm, stared intently at Lu Yu for a long while, and said very firmly, "You look like my boyfriend."
Before Lu Yushi could react, she continued, "Do you have a girlfriend? What do you think of me? Do you want to be with me?"
Lu Yushi was taken aback for a moment, then continued, "Be with you? What about your boyfriend?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw that the person looked distressed.
Just as he was about to offer some words of comfort, he realized he was completely wrong.
"What boyfriend? If I weren't still useful to him, he would have killed me long ago." Gu Nan looked up at him, determined to get a straight answer from the other person. "If you're with me and he wants to break up with me later, I'll say that he was just a substitute, and that it's no big deal. We are the true love."
His words were assertive and resounding.
Lu Yushi chuckled inexplicably, unsure whether he was angry or simply found it funny.
She was slightly more likely to say the former, and deliberately put on a stern face: "I'm your boyfriend."
Gu Nan patted his chest with great satisfaction: "Not bad, you got into character very quickly."
"I said, I am Lu Yushi." He spoke slowly and deliberately, then quietly watched Gu Nan's reaction, completely unaware of his sudden, unseemly, playful thoughts.
Gu Nan lowered her head and remained silent.
Lu Yushi's upturned lips flattened slightly as he regretted his words that had frightened Gu Nan.
Unexpectedly, the next second, the person in front of him suddenly stood up, grabbed his collar without saying a word, and fiercely pushed him against the bar: "Tell me, do you like me or not!"
Lu Yushi: "..."
"say!"
Lu Yushi unconsciously frowned and rubbed his forehead. How could he think that a mere name could intimidate Gu Nan?
"Don't you like me?" Gu Nan asked in a low voice.
Lu Yushi's brow twitched, and he sighed silently: "I like it."
Hearing the satisfactory answer, Gu Nan's eyes lit up instantly. She naturally wrapped her arms around Lu Yushi, leaned in to embrace his embrace which carried a faint sandalwood fragrance, and whispered slowly behind his ear, "I like you too, I like you so much, I like you so much."
The exhaled air sprayed all over the sensitive area behind the ears, tickling and warm.
If it weren't for the strong smell of alcohol, Lu Yushi would have almost suspected that Gu Nan wasn't drunk at all and had come up with a new trick to win him over.
He raised his hand and pushed her away, then placed his hands on her shoulders, making Gu Nan stand obediently in front of him, and deliberately asked, "How much do you like it?"
"So much liking that you want to give up..." Gu Nan suddenly covered her mouth, put her hands on her hips, and scolded fiercely, "If you like someone, you like them, why are you talking so much nonsense!"
Before the ambiguous atmosphere in the air could take shape, Gu Nan shouted it out, and it vanished without a trace.
“I like you, and you like me too. This is a two-way street. From now on… from now on,” Gu Nan’s voice trailed off, “no matter what happens, you must remember that I am your girlfriend, understand?”
When she made demands of Lu Yu, it was more like she was preparing herself mentally.
Lu Yushi chuckled: "Is this some kind of preemptive warning for me?"
The person in front of me remained silent, whether because they hadn't heard me or were too drunk to tell, their docile demeanor made them seem like a completely different person.
He raised his hand as if possessed and rubbed Gu Nan's head. Looking down, he saw her slowly leaning over in response to his movement, and his heart immediately softened completely.
"Come home with me."
Gu Nan's voice was weak, as if she were whispering, "If I go home with you, you'll be mine."
After a long silence, Lu Yushi said in a normal tone, "Okay."
The person who always kept their head down suddenly looked up blankly, a hint of confusion in their eyes.
"how?"
Gu Nan didn't give him an answer, nor did he expect the drunk man to be able to say anything coherent, and then he led the people away.
The man, who was usually aggressive, became docile after drinking. He settled Gu Nan in the back seat and let her lean against his shoulder. Gu Nan indeed stayed still the whole way. When they got out of the car, she let him do whatever he wanted, watching him busy himself with her big eyes.
Lu Yushi chuckled and raised his hand again to pat her head: "Close your eyes."
"I hate you." A direct, naked gaze, no tone, a flat voice that revealed neither joy nor anger, "I really hate you."
The person who said they hated it was Gu Nan, and the one pouting and looking aggrieved was the person lying in bed.
Lu Yushi stood still, maintaining his upright posture, lost in thought for a long time.
Before that soft sigh faded away, my thoughts drifted off.
He rarely regrets his decisions; in his view, any decision is irreversible, and he accepts whatever the outcome may be.
Today, three things appeared out of thin air within just one hour.
It would have been better to be open and honest from the beginning.
When Gu Nan caused Su Wanting to cause a scene at Xingyin Temple, when the computer case failed to pass through customs, and when the internal data of the fourth-generation Tianyu system was stolen, he wanted to confront Gu Nan countless times, to tell her that he knew about the fire at Yunjian Villa, knew about the shady dealings between Master Wan and the Shen family, and knew about Lin Jianye's insidious and despicable nature.
But every time he was about to speak, seeing Gu Nan's evasive gaze, the unease in her eyes, and the barely concealed panic in her expression, his throat felt as if it were blocked by a stone.
It's hard to say the words.
Liking someone can mean being willing to do anything for them, and love can mean sacrificing oneself in a selfless act, but he can't be sure what heartache means.
Seeing the panic on the other person's face, his own panic intensified.
What does that count for?
His fingers, hanging at his sides, unconsciously clenched, and his voice sounded utterly exhausted: "Let's talk tomorrow morning."
The person on the bed closed their eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Outside the window, everything was pitch black. On a winter night without snow, it seemed even darker and longer.
The long streetlights couldn't penetrate the darkness of the night.
I had a bunch of random dreams, and when I opened my eyes it was only 7 a.m.
It seems like it's been a long time since I've had insomnia.
Going downstairs, Shi Nian'an arrived at some point and was chatting and laughing with the maid while busy preparing breakfast.
Considering that Gu Nan had drunk quite a bit last night, Shi Nian'an forbade the servants to go upstairs to wake him up. After the mother and son had breakfast, Lu Yushi hesitated and looked up at the guest bedroom upstairs.
The chairman repeatedly urged him to return to his old house to discuss the bidding process for the information sharing system for the traceability system after the New Year.
If we don't leave now, it might be too late, but it's better to make things clear sooner rather than later.
The square-faced man looked puzzled and urged in a low voice, "President Lu?"
Lu Yushi snapped out of his daze and stepped out the door.
Making someone stay and wait with unclear intentions will only make them more uneasy.
We'll find another opportunity next time.
"Clatter".
The moment the door closed, footsteps echoed down the stairs.
Shi Nian'an's gaze lingered on the front door for a moment, then she silently shook her head, inwardly grumbling about those two people.
She looked up, her eyes sparkling with a smile: "Nannan, you're awake."
Because she was in Xuncheng, Gu Nan only thought about the awkward eye contact with Lu Yushi, but she didn't expect Shi Nian'an to be there as well. Her expression froze for a moment, and she gave an awkward smile: "Auntie, good morning."
"You've been drinking, are you in a bad mood?" Shi Nian'an pulled her hand and walked towards the restaurant. "I specially made soup for you, come and try Auntie's cooking."
Gu Nan half-heartedly resisted, her mind still reeling, before Shi Nian'an had already pressed her down onto the soft chair.
Watching the woman's busy figure in the open kitchen, Gu Nan raised her hand and tapped her forehead.
Early in the morning, she spent two hours accepting the fact that Lu Yushi had brought her back to Chenyue No. 1 last night, and then spent another two hours recalling what happened after she got drunk. Her memory only went up to the point where she had to stand up for Sun Qian.
She then spent another half hour pointing at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and angrily cursing, "Isn't Lu Yushi more important than Sun Qian? Why is she bothered remembering Sun Qian?!"
"Headache?" Shi Nian'an's voice, filled with affection, came from above.
Gu Nan shook her head awkwardly: "No."
Shi Nian'an smiled gently and placed the soup bowl in front of her, gesturing for her to drink the soup.
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Gu Nan lowered her head and sipped her drink.
"Did you have a fight with Xiao Shi?" Shi Nian'an asked abruptly.
"ah?"
Ignoring her reaction, Shi Nian'an first explained, "Is it about what happened the day I delivered the food?"
"Huh?" Gu Nan was completely confused and even more curious about what had happened last night. She hadn't taken that little thing to heart when she was sober, so she couldn't possibly go around yelling about it when she was drunk.
He stared intently at Shi Nian'an's expression, his self-doubt growing stronger. Had she complained to Shi Nian'an last night about Lu Yushi yelling at her in front of everyone?
Given what she did, how could she have the nerve to say that Lu Yushi treated her badly?
She silently lowered her head, making a silent resolution that there would be no more alcohol in her world from now on.
"When I delivered the food that day, Xiaoshi didn't mean to be mean to you. The meeting room is full of important shareholders of the group. Although Xiaoshi has the final decision-making power, if the shareholders are determined to obstruct, it will be quite troublesome for Xiaoshi to operate."
Gu Nan lowered her head and silently complained, "What does this have to do with anything?"
She only drank once, so why can't she understand what happened many days ago?
"You two will get married sooner or later."
"ha?"
Was she drunk for a day, or for a year?
“You will definitely have a share of the group's shares in the future. If you offend them, they might make things difficult for you. However, it was indeed wrong of Xiao Shi to be mean to you. Even if they disagree, it will only take a little more time. It's not like you're afraid of them. Why should you be wronged after kindly bringing them food? I will definitely have a good talk with Xiao Shi later. Don't hold a grudge against him, okay?”
Gu Nan stared blankly up at him, incredulous.
I strongly suspect that the wine last night was contaminated.
Or has he developed a new problem with sleepwalking?
Can a sleepwalker know that they are sleepwalking?
It can't be that... Lu Yushi never suspected her?
-
"You'd better investigate the women around you more!" Old Lu banged his cane loudly, and the servants dared not breathe.
"Chairman, you should take better care of your health."
Old Lu took a deep breath, forcing down his anger and deliberately lowering his voice: "Have you found out who kidnapped me at the old house?"
"If the chairman thinks about who he has offended, it will give me a direction to investigate," Lu Yushi said, maintaining his indifferent attitude.
"I told you, it's Gu Nan!" Old Man Lu's good composure, which had been maintained since the day Lu Yuanzhi had his accident, could no longer be maintained in front of Lu Yushi. Every time, he would get so angry that his hands would tremble after only three sentences.
"evidence."
"I saw Gu Nan with my own eyes, what other evidence do I need?"
The square-faced man stepped forward and said, "The doctor said that being in a noisy environment for a long time, coupled with the inability to distinguish between day and night, can indeed cause memory confusion."
When he faced Lu Yu, his clear and resonant voice reached everyone's ears, but it seemed more like he was speaking to the old man Lu.
Lu Yushi nodded: "Continue the investigation."
"Are you really going to protect Gu Nan?"
Square-faced man: "Chairman, you've misunderstood. Miss Gu has no grudge against you, so why would she take such a big risk to kidnap you?"
"Of course..."
Lu Yushi turned around unhurriedly and asked, "What is it?"
"Yes..." Old Man Lu clenched his fist, swallowing the words that were on the tip of his tongue. If he admitted that Gu Nan was standing up for Lu Yushi, wouldn't that be indirectly admitting that Lu Yuanzhi's actions were his tacit approval?
"Think about it yourself. Ever since you got together with Gu Nan, has everything gone smoothly for you? The Lu family's dirty laundry, the Wan family's questioning, that batch of computer cases, the compensation for Xingzi Building, the Tianyu System—do the math!"
He suddenly raised his voice, as if to etch it into Lu Yushi's heart.
After the sound faded, the room fell into dead silence.
After waiting for a long time, all I got was a bland "hmm".
Old Lu beat his chest and stamped his feet, utterly bewildered: "Are you crazy? Even if it's just to spite me, you can't joke around with the company."
Receiving no response, the voice lowered as if in resignation: "Fine, let's not talk about any of that. Then let's say there's no need to investigate. She went to Yunting's private residence with Shen Manman as your girlfriend. You don't still think it's a coincidence, do you? I've seen the works Shen Manman posted on her WeChat Moments; they were indeed written by the Xue family patriarch. Regardless of Gu Nan's true identity, she definitely intends to investigate the fire at Yunjian Villa back then. Let her do whatever she wants with the Wan and Shen families; what does it have to do with us? Can't we just stand by and do nothing?"
A heartfelt conversation did indeed make Lu Yushi abandon his idea of leaving.
He turned around and walked closer step by step.
Old Lu breathed a sigh of relief and lectured in the tone of an elder: "If you want to be with her, I can not stop you, but you must promise that she will not know anything about anything within the group."
"The chairman has always preferred to stand by and do nothing."
It refers to that year.
Before he could even put on airs as an elder, Lu Yushi embarrassed him.
"You!" Old Man Lu's raised arm trembled violently as he slammed his fist heavily on the table, furious. "The group doesn't belong to you alone. You've handed the Lu family over to her, and I'll see when you get your comeuppance. She was with you, betraying you and sending messages to Shen Ming. Shen Ming didn't let her off the hook. Without the Shen family's authorization, how could the Wan family dare to take her life in Xuncheng?"
Lu Yushi withdrew his gaze, ignored him, and strode away.
The square-faced man jogged a couple of steps to catch up: "President Lu."
"Gu Nan is gone?"
"Madam said that Miss Gu is going to see a very important person and has also returned to Beicheng."
Lu Yushi raised his hand and pinched the space between his eyebrows: "I know."
He couldn't think of anyone more important than Shen Ming.
Little did Gu Nan know whether he was aware that the people who had killed him in front of the cold storage were all Shen Ming's men.
He left with the words, "You don't need to come along."
I drove alone, following the route I remembered, to the hotel.
Sun Qian was also at the door, bowing and making gestures of thanks, seemingly expressing some kind of gratitude.
Seeing him approach, she looked surprised: "President Lu?"
Gu Nan's expression became noticeably unnatural, and she greeted him stiffly, "Hehe, what a coincidence."
"I'm looking for you."
"Huh?" Gu Nan still felt like the effects of being drunk hadn't worn off.
Between "How did you know I was here?" and "What do you want from me?", choose to ask: "Shouldn't I be sober now?"
Lu Yushi bypassed her and went inside, getting straight to the point: "You're going to see Shen Ming."
The question was uttered in a calm and understated manner.
It's like water being dropped into boiling oil; the splattering oil makes your heart race.
Gu Nan's face drained of all color instantly: "What are you trying to say?"
"Let's talk."
"I have other things to do."
After saying that, she fled the door. Lu Yushi suddenly turned around, grabbed her wrist, and insisted, "I won't take up too much of your time."
"Let go."
The moment Lu Yushi released her grip, Gu Nan turned to run, only to be restrained for the second time. She gritted her teeth and slammed her elbow into the person holding her back.
Sun Qian stared at the two of them in disbelief. Just a second ago they were talking, and the next second Gu Nan threw a punch, each punch fierce but not intended to hurt anyone.
Lu Yushi merely dodged, refusing to let go.
Sunlight streamed through the window cracks into the doorway. During the fight, the silver fishbone chain reflected the light, causing Lu Yushi's gaze to wander. He was momentarily distracted and didn't have time to dodge the fist that was rushing towards his chest.
A muffled groan.
The grip on his wrist loosened, and the person who broke free seemed to have lost their composure. Despite having acted to escape, they froze on the spot, completely at a loss, when they actually injured someone.
She instinctively stepped forward, but her outstretched right hand recoiled just before touching Lu Yushi. Her twitching lips betrayed a mixture of concern for Lu Yushi's injuries and self-reproach for her rough handling.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, but she didn't say a word before turning and running away.
Sun Qian stared blankly for a moment, then caught up with Gu Nan from behind: "Do you still remember the Ganfeng banquet?"
Gu Nan said impatiently, "Spit it out."
"When the boss told you to wear the necklace, he meant that he allowed you to continue using his identity to do your own thing."
"What necklace?"
Sun Qian stared at her neck without saying a word.
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