necklace
As dusk fell, the sky seemed to descend like a beaded curtain, and the incessant thunder roared like a frightened wild beast as it crashed down, plunging the world into darkness.
The towering buildings, though seemingly majestic, appear as a mere speck of ink amidst the turmoil of wind and rain.
The heavy rain extended the chill of early spring.
The relentless rain lashed down on the girl kneeling in front of the door.
Thick smoke billowed from the villa in the clouds, the scorching heat mingling with the bone-chilling night. She watched helplessly as the crumbling walls turned to ashes, collapsing before her eyes. Her skin, raw and tantalized by the flames, was incredibly sensitive, and the rain, like water snakes, seeped into her heart.
The night seemed endless, a black umbrella shielding her from the wind and rain. She stiffly turned her neck, but the darkness prevented her from seeing the person's face clearly. Her trembling teeth failed her to utter a word of thanks.
Time ticked by, and the blurry figure at her feet grew farther and farther away. She desperately lunged forward.
"call!"
Gu Nan suddenly opened her eyes, her forehead glistening with cold sweat in the sunlight. She took a deep breath and unconsciously raised her hand to cover her chest.
I found nothing.
As she regained consciousness, she realized the daisy necklace wasn't with her. She let her arm slip down naturally, closed her eyes for a moment to calm her heaving chest, and turned her head to look out the window.
The heavy rain that had lasted all night had stopped, and the warm sun shone on her cold hands and feet.
Ten minutes later, she got up, drank a few mouthfuls of cold water, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, and went to take a shower in her slippers.
The hot water from the showerhead slid into my hair, and the bathroom was filled with steam, finally relieving the exhaustion brought on by the nightmare.
She switched systems while drying her hair.
The Buddha's Hand icon replied to the message in the early hours of the morning.
The item is in their hands; they said they'd bring it to you during the next hypnosis session.
Gu Nan types with one hand: [When is the next hypnosis session?]
[A daytime when you're in a good mood.]
Gu Nan: [?]
Buddha's Hand Head Image: [His original words.]
Gu Nan pursed her red lips, cursing him inwardly for being so vindictive.
[Push him to me.]
A Buddha's Hand avatar sent a business card and asked, "Didn't you get hypnosis last night?"
Gu Nan: [Your emotions are not right; hypnosis is not suitable.]
The Buddha's hand emoji seems to be sarcastically asking: "Is there an emotion you can't control?"
Gu Nan's gaze darkened, and she began to type.
I mean, I'm not in a good mood.
That man felt so familiar to her.
She slowly shifted her gaze to her wrist.
The pain was intense the moment the man grabbed her last night, but she didn't pay attention afterwards. Now, after a whole night of fermentation, there are bluish bruises on her wrists, like a centipede clinging tightly to her flesh.
She didn't feel any pain, but she was very ugly, so ugly that she couldn't bear to look at her for long.
She was certain that the man hadn't used his full strength last night, yet he had left her with such deep bruises. If he had gone into a boxing gym, how much force would his punch have had?
After hesitating for half a minute, I switched accounts, found a contact from six months ago, removed them from the blacklist, and then dialed the number.
A man's voice, alluring and magnetic: "Nanbao~"
"roll."
"Tsk, such a bad temper first thing in the morning."
Gu Nan ignored him and asked, "Who booked private rooms on the 28th and 29th floors of the restaurant last night?"
"I don't know." Knowing Gu Nan's temper well, the person on the other end added before she could start cursing, "I'm not a receptionist, how would I have time to keep an eye on these things?"
He quickly stated with certainty, "Only Ji Yuanyu."
Gu Nan narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his gaze.
Do you have a photo of that person from the Lu family in Beicheng?
There was a sound of fabric rubbing on the other end of the phone, then the voice suddenly rose: "The Lu family? Honey, I can handle whoever you offend in Beichen, but that Lu family guy... ugh, why don't you consider finding someone else to play with? Listen to me, you can't mess with that Lu family guy..."
"Smack."
The sound stopped abruptly, and silence fell over the surroundings.
Gu Nan hung up expressionlessly and casually put him back on the blacklist.
That's all nonsense.
Her phone rang; her friend request had been accepted. She tapped her fingertips on the keyboard.
She didn't know about the Lu family's fiancé, but she had met him once before, though it had been a long time and his appearance was somewhat blurry in her memory.
However, I vaguely remember that person having a small, slightly reddish mole behind their ear.
Head down, typing.
—
Chenyue No.1
Qiu Jingxun's "Fuck!" exploded in the extremely quiet room.
On the recliner, Lu Yushi's brow furrowed slightly with his eyes closed, seemingly displeased. The masseuse behind him tensed up and asked in a low voice, "Young Master Lu?"
Lu Yushi waved his hand, signaling the masseur to leave.
Even the best massage therapist in the north of the city could only offer minimal relief for his headaches.
Qiu Jingxun rushed to his side: "Is J really that arrogant?"
In the chat box, J sent three messages in a row, each one more arrogant than the last.
【Location. 】
Get ready, I'm coming to get it now.
[Reply to the message.]
"That's really... rude."
Lu Yushi never responded to criticisms of others, and Qiu Jingxun didn't expect him to. He muttered to himself, "Didn't you say last night that you'd give it to me next time? Why the rush? What treasure is it?"
As he spoke, he unwrapped the plastic seal. Underneath layers of tissue paper, the rusty fishbone chain was the first thing that caught his eye. The daisies below could at most be praised for their careful workmanship, but the tassels were visibly cheap.
The warm sun was intense, but its dazzling light did little to make the daisies shine brighter.
He was certain it was a cheap item that wouldn't even make him bend over if it fell right in front of him.
That's it?
Lu Yushi lazily raised his eyes, his casual gaze suddenly freezing when it met the necklace. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "She has a bad temper, put it back."
Qiu Jingxun shrugged and joked, "You still care about other people's temper?"
The two were chatting when their phones rang with a voice call.
The moment the call connected, a cold and arrogant voice poured out from the receiver.
"I'll refund half the fee. Tell me your address, and I'll come pick it up now."
After he finished speaking, there was only silence in the air.
Half a second later.
"say."
Qiu Jingxun swallowed hard, glanced at Lu Yushi's face, and said dryly, "Do you know who you're ordering around?"
"Could he be mute?"
Heartfelt doubts echoed in the room.
A long silence.
"Chenyue No. 1." Lu Yushi got up and took his phone.
“Huh,” Qiu Jingxun snapped out of his shock, staring at his empty palm in disbelief. After a long pause, he clicked his tongue and said, “I suddenly really want to see her expression when she finds out who you are.”
——
"I really can't find out who the actual owner of Chenyue No. 1 is. Also, could you please stop blocking me?"
Gu Nan hummed in agreement, then hung up and blocked the number in one smooth motion.
How did I get to know this good-for-nothing?
She gestured to the gatekeeper and was able to enter the manor whose owner could not be found.
The first thing you see is precious flowers and plants and extremely luxurious garden landscaping.
A man claiming to be her butler led her through corridors and pavilions, stopping in front of an imposing gate.
She raised her hand to press the mask against her nose and pushed the door open to go inside.
The room was entirely lead gray with minimalist furnishings. A sofa occupied one corner, and a man sat with his back to the light, his legs slightly crossed. The achromatic decor made him exude an imposing aura.
Upon seeing her enter, the man calmly shifted his gaze without making any move, his sharp eyes exuding an innate air of nobility.
Gu Nan pursed her lips. The man wasn't wearing a mask, and his sharp, unapproachable demeanor was similar to what she remembered. His gloomy and weary gaze made her unsure.
She casually glanced at the man's earlobe, secretly wondering how she could subtly see behind his ear.
"Are you from Beicheng?"
The abrupt question startled Gu Nan. She raised her hand to tighten the metal strip above her mask and denied it: "No."
"Have you been to Beicheng?" the man pressed, his words calm, but his eyes seemed to hold a deeper meaning, as if he could make all lies disappear without a trace.
Gu Nan rarely gets nervous. When she met his gaze, she inexplicably clenched her fingers together, raised her chin as if unwilling to lose face, and forced herself not to look away. She said slowly, "No."
"Hmm." The man seemed to have asked something unintentionally, staring at her for a moment before slightly tilting his chin up. "Take it yourself."
Gu Nan turned her head following the man's gaze. On the coffee table, a plastic bag was wide open, and several layers of tissues were wrapped around it in a slightly messy manner. She took a deep breath and said sarcastically, "It's very rude to take apart other people's things without permission."
"Rather than wasting other people's time?"
...
Gu Nan scoffed and said as she walked over, "I'm late because I was bumped into by some clueless idiot on the way. Unfortunately, that person was you."
She spread her hands, almost walking up to the man, looking down into his eyes, and said, word by word, "Just like you, I'm vengeful."
When their eyes met, the oxygen in the air suddenly seemed to thin out.
She narrowed her eyes, a plan forming in her mind. She turned her head, bent down, picked up the necklace, and boldly "performed" a flat-ground wrestling move in front of the man.
She shot straight at the man on the sofa like an arrow, until she fell onto him, their bodies intertwined, but the man made no move.
In silence.
A calm voice came from beside her: "So vindictive, hugging like that?"
The air froze for three seconds. Gu Nan coughed lightly and quickly looked behind the man's ear.
Before she could focus her gaze, the man suddenly turned his head, and his magnified handsome face unexpectedly entered her field of vision. Her heart skipped a beat, and she momentarily forgot what to do.
"His acting was a bit lacking."
Gu Nan's eyes darted away, and the places where her skin touched felt like they were on fire, burning her heart and lungs.
She calmed her breathing, pretended to be composed as she got up, brushed off imaginary dust, and looked the man up and down with a mischievous grin: "Your muscles are well-developed, and they feel great to the touch."
The man's deliberately offensive gestures and language failed to steer the conversation away from the topic.
"Never been to the North City?"
Gu Nan clenched her fists, clasped her hands behind her back, and paced back and forth, looking completely arrogant: "J is from Xuncheng, I thought that was common knowledge."
"It's just an identity; it's not difficult to change if you want to."
Perhaps feeling guilty, Gu Nan had a question running through her mind.
For a moment, she felt her identity had been exposed, but then she thought that she had always been wearing a mask and sunglasses, and five years had passed, so it shouldn't be that serious.
When is the next hypnosis session?
The man finally made a move, but he simply changed to a more comfortable position. He stretched out his arms naturally on the back of the sofa and leaned back.
Even though he was looking up, his aura seemed to dominate the atmosphere.
"What's wrong? Are you in a better mood?"
Gu Nan's face was full of complex emotions: "Has anyone ever told you that you're petty?"
The man narrowed his dark eyes and said calmly, "No chance."
Whether it was because others didn't have a chance to speak, or because he didn't have a chance to hear, is unknown.
"Young Master Lu." The butler stood at the door, knocking lightly as if he wanted to say something but then hesitated.
The man stood up and strode away: "I'll have someone notify you once the time is confirmed."
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Gu Nan pondered for a moment before striking up a conversation with the butler in a familiar manner: "Young Master Lu? Lu Yushi?"
The butler maintained a forced smile and didn't reply. Gu Nan watched the man's figure disappear around the corner, her expression losing its composure.
The only person who could be called Young Master Lu, and whose villa owner couldn't be identified, was Lu Yushi...
With her eyes narrowed behind her sunglasses, she glanced back at the towering buildings before stepping out of the gates of Chenyue No. 1.
Upstairs, Lu Yushi stood by the window, watching the departing figure through the glass. He tossed his phone to the butler, his expression indifferent: "Go investigate."
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