Chapter 3 Please get your facts straight, this isn't on my behalf...
As Zhu Qingzhi helped Gu Qiao out of the gate of Xisha, they saw a black Rolls-Royce parked in the middle, with Gu Huaichuan standing next to it. He was wearing a dark gray woolen coat, with snowflakes falling on it, and gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, looking very refined.
She glanced sympathetically at the drunken Gu Qiao and greeted him politely, "Brother Huaichuan."
Zhu Qingzhi is the daughter of the Lu family, but she takes her mother's surname. She fell ill when she was young, and only one old expert in Haicheng could cure her. So she has always lived in Haicheng with her maternal grandmother.
Later, a fortune teller predicted that if she wanted to recover, her relationship with the Lu family had to be kept secret until she came of age. At first, many people tried to find out, but the Lu family kept quiet and even resorted to "economic sanctions" when necessary. Over time, no one knew that the Lu family even had a member named her.
Therefore, she didn't know much about the people and things in Beijing, and she had only heard of her brother Lu Yao's social circle but wasn't familiar with it. Gu Huaichuan was one of Lu Yao's friends, but she knew him because of Gu Qiao.
He nodded in response, hoisted Gu Qiao onto his shoulder, and shoved her into the back seat. His movements were so quick and rough that by the time Zhu Qingzhi realized what was happening, he had already closed the car door.
Gu Huaichuan brushed the snowflakes off his collar, elegant and poised, as if nothing had just happened, and asked with a smile, "When did you get back?"
"Just arrived."
"Shall I take you home?"
"No need, Brother Huaichuan, you guys go first."
Gu Huaichuan is coming to pick her up, he'll definitely take Gu Qiao back to the Gu residence, so why is she going to join in the fun?
Furthermore, Gu Huaichuan knew she had returned to Beijing, which meant her brother knew, and consequently, her whole family knew. Given all this, how could she possibly dare not go home?!
Gu Huaichuan didn't insist, but before leaving, he told her to let him know she got home safely.
Snowflakes fluttered down, outlining the shape of the evening breeze, dancing gracefully under the streetlights.
It was already late at night, and not wanting to trouble Uncle Zhao at the old house to make the trip, she tightened her scarf and took out her phone to call a car.
There were two missed calls, but before she could see who was calling, a hand blocked her way, with the Maybach car key hanging on the long index finger.
Zhu Qingzhi's lips twitched slightly. She subconsciously glanced at her own clothes and then at the man beside her.
It's him again?!
He's either drunk or has bad eyesight. How could he mistake a beautiful woman like her for a designated driver? Is she not standing high enough?!
She was speechless: "Please get this straight, I don't offer chauffeured services here."
The man was wearing a black overcoat, and upon closer inspection, she was truly impressed!
Another case of the same design...
She almost fainted from anger.
But she kept in mind the self-discipline of a celebrity, resisted the urge to swear, and simply moved to the side and loosened her scarf a little to try to cover up the identical stitching at the neckline.
The man parted his thin lips slightly, and the scent of mint wafted over: "Let me introduce myself, my name is Wen Qi."
Wen Qi? That name sounds familiar. He seems to be her brother's friend, and also her cheap husband, right?
...Wait, Brother Huaichuan, can you give her a ride? But there was no sign of that Rolls-Royce anywhere.
Zhu Qingzhi was on the verge of tears, but blinked and said, "Haha, the weather is nice today."
Feeling awkward, embarrassed, and at a loss, she felt like she was digging a whole Barbie castle out of the ground beneath her feet.
Wen Qi didn't say anything more, standing quietly beside her, shielding her from some of the cold wind. Zhu Qingzhi was oblivious to his little gesture; her mind was racing.
What does he mean?
Is she really going to ask him to drive her home? Does she seem very outgoing?
If she really went to his house, would she be able to leave that night?
If she left, the business marriage between the Wen and Lu families would become a joke, but she didn't want to stay!
"Our most beautiful encounter happened in April..."
Thank goodness, the phone rang at the crucial moment and saved her. She didn't even look at who was calling before pressing the answer button.
"Are you in the Xisha Islands?"
With just those four simple words, she felt the oppressive tension before a volcanic eruption. It would have been better not to answer at all; Lu Yao was coming to interrogate her.
"I'm getting ready to go home now."
The best answer is the one that avoids the main issue.
Who are you with now?
Lu Yao ignored her and immediately threw out the next question.
Sure enough, business people are shrewd, but in negotiations, you can't let yourself be led by the nose! Zhu Qingzhi said with practiced ease, "Brother Huaichuan just left."
But who knew Wen Qi was determined to make her presence known? She picked up her phone and put it on speakerphone: "With me."
no……
I didn't see you answering the phone so eagerly in the elevator just now. Why did you change your attitude when answering other people's calls?!
Lu Yao clearly hadn't expected Wen Qi to be right next to her. His breath hitched, setting the stage for the airport's boarding announcement. His voice was filled with obvious hostility and disdain: "I gave him a project in Dongcheng. What did you give him?"
"Two projects in the western suburbs of Beijing."
What are you talking about? Are you two treating this project like buying and selling cabbages at a market? Is being a CEO this easy these days?
And what does this have to do with the project? Are these two playing guessing games in front of her?
Lu Yao scoffed: "Well done."
She could even picture Lu Yao's furious expression, so before Wen Qi could say anything more, Zhu Qingzhi stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and stood on tiptoe to look at the phone, her expression somewhat ingratiating: "See you tomorrow, brother~"
But she pressed the hang-up button decisively.
Zhu Qingzhi breathed a sigh of relief, unaware that she had already stumbled into Wen Qi's arms.
Wen Qi didn't remind her. The next second, Zhu Qingzhi's phone spun half a circle in his hand before he put it into his coat pocket.
What is he trying to do? This is her phone!
Zhu Qingzhi wanted to touch it, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. The pockets of the coat were deep, and the fabric was thin; touching it would reach right up to her thigh. Given their current relationship, it would be truly presumptuous.
But then she thought, if he could shamelessly steal her phone, what was there for her to be embarrassed about?
She had barely leaned over, and before her hand even touched his clothes, he pulled her into his arms.
"Don't move."
Is this person crazy? They think I'll just stay still because they tell me not to?
Why should I listen to you?
Zhu Qingzhi tried to bump her head against his shoulder, but she didn't dare to make the movement too big, so it didn't work. In desperation, she opened her mouth and bit his shoulder.
"There are paparazzi."
OK
Zhu Qingzhi dared not move.
The perfume on Wen Qi wasn't the typical woody, cool scent, but rather a light, warm amber fragrance.
Zhu Qingzhi was nestled in his arms, not quite standing upright, her forehead pressed against his chest. His irregular but powerful heartbeat drew her in, and suddenly a strange shyness welled up in her heart.
Beauty can be a trap.
She said sullenly, "Are there paparazzi at the entrance to Xisha?"
Logically speaking, a high-end club like this shouldn't be so absurd as to have paparazzi staking out the very entrance, even if there aren't any within a three-kilometer radius. Are people in Beijing really that indifferent to privacy? Was he just lying to her?
"This wasn't the case on ordinary days, but isn't a big star here today?"
Well, it felt strangely pleasant, she forcibly suppressed the wildly upturned corners of her mouth.
But holding her like this isn't a long-term solution, and besides, could this weather possibly get any colder?! She's practically turned into an icicle!
"So what do we do now?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Qi suddenly reached out and pulled her scarf out, wrapping it around her head, leaving only her eyes exposed. Then he picked her up in a princess carry, her eyes sparkling.
"No, you're doing this..."
Zhu Qingzhi struggled to get down from his arms, but suddenly felt a light flash twice beside her, and she immediately became obedient.
She was still a little dazed when Wen Qi carried her to the passenger seat, and only realized what was happening when he started the car: "You've been drinking, do you want me to drive?"
She has given up on her plans to go home. The most important thing now is to get rid of the paparazzi. Otherwise, if she makes the news tomorrow, her agent, Dani, will be the first to punish her.
Wen Qi straightened the steering wheel and pulled out a pair of sunglasses from the storage compartment for her: "No need, I haven't been drinking."
He didn't drink? Then was he just teasing her when he handed her the keys?
However, Zhu Qingzhi didn't say anything, but wisely put on her sunglasses, but didn't dare to take off her scarf.
They remained silent the entire way.
She kept her eyes on the black Toyota SUV following her at a leisurely pace in the rearview mirror, which was why she didn't ask him to take her back to the Lu family home.
After all, with paparazzi following them, if they manage to get into the Lu family home, there's a possibility that their fact that she's the Lu family's daughter will be exposed, so it's better not to take the risk.
Half an hour later, the car entered the hillside villa area. The security in the community was quite good, and the SUV was unable to follow.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief, pulled off the scarf, and her hair became static-filled, frizzy, and crackled for a while.
She tried to tidy up for a long time, but the more she tried, the more chaotic it became. When the car stopped on the lawn in front of the door, Zhu Qingzhi realized that she was the one who was in a mess.
She actually came back with him... She really didn't expect that two people who were just tools would have the chance to be in the same room. What should she do now?
After getting out of the car, Wen Qi considerately opened the door for her, then stepped forward and skillfully entered the password.
The corridor lights came on, and his shadow on the ground stretched to her feet, growing farther and farther away as he entered the house.
She awkwardly smoothed her hair, lingered by the car for a while, and watched him hang the keys on the shoe cabinet, then bend down and rummage through the cabinet to find two pairs of slippers.
Since she was already there, Zhu Qingzhi calmed herself down and followed them inside.
The women's slippers on the Morandi-colored rug in front of the door were her size. The living room was also decorated in her favorite light American retro style, with fresh pink roses on the table, the petals still bearing water droplets.
The sunset painting hanging at the corner of the stairs is also the work of her favorite painter, which she remembers fetched a record price of $110 million at Christie's auction last year.
However, she did not comment on any of these matters.
Wen Qi didn't introduce her, but simply led her to the master bedroom on the second floor.
"The clothes here are all seasonal and have been washed."
"The skincare and makeup products are all newly purchased."
"The jewelry is in the cabinet; pick the ones you like to wear."
"good evening."
He didn't say anything more, then closed the door and left.
Zhu Qingzhi's heart, which had been in her throat, immediately settled back into her stomach. She breathed a sigh of relief, took off her coat and hung it on the hanger, then looked around the bedroom.
The dark blue sheets and duvet cover were neatly arranged, and the cosmetics on the dressing table were also well-organized, all brand new and unopened. The room was spacious and deserted, clearly uninhabited, but the women's amenities were far too complete.
She suddenly remembered the matching watch and necklace Wen Qi was wearing today, so she went into the dressing room, where the matching women's jewelry was indeed displayed.
Could this have been prepared for his girlfriend? Would it be unfair if she used it?
Although they were husband and wife, they were not actually close. In a sense, if he hadn't introduced himself today, she wouldn't have known who he was even if she bumped into him in the future.
A marriage of convenience is unlikely to lead to complications; after three years, they go their separate ways. Such a marital relationship doesn't bind anyone, so she has no objection to whether he has a stable girlfriend.
But she objected when she moved into the bedroom that should have belonged to Wen Qi's girlfriend.
As soon as Wen Qi entered the second bedroom, Gu Huaichuan sent a WeChat message, which was a screenshot of his chat with Lu Yao.
Lu Yao: [I'm withdrawing from the West City project, and you can forget about the one in the North Suburbs too.] The screenshot was followed by the caption: [How will you compensate me?]
Wen Qi replied, "Eat too much sugar, or you'll get a toothache," and then ignored it.
At this moment, a new message popped up in the chat window with Ji Cen, whose message count was over 99 unread: "Brother Wen, what did you do to my uncle?"
He calls him "brother," and Ji Ran "uncle"—this whole address is a mess. Ji Ran probably found out about him giving Gu Huaichuan two projects and is already unhappy about it.
Ji Ran had been negotiating those two projects for almost two months, but he hadn't given in. Now that Gu Huaichuan had snatched them up, he really had reason to be angry.
Please bring him some chrysanthemum tea another day to help cool him down.
Ji Cen didn't dare show this message to Ji Ran. He didn't have the guts to add fuel to the fire. Holding his phone, he quickly typed out: "You're not with her, are you?"
she?
It seems Ji Ran didn't tell Ji Cen about Zhu Qingzhi's identity, which suited him perfectly as he didn't want to reveal too much: [No.]
Ji Cen breathed a sigh of relief; he knew his brother Wen wasn't that kind of person. But when the next WeChat message popped up, his smile vanished.
She's in the master bedroom.
? ? ?no.
Isn't this a bit too fast?!
Wen Qi ignored Ji Cen's barrage of questions and Lu Yao's message, "You wait." He had just gotten up to take a shower when there was a knock on the door three times.
The sound was neither too light nor too heavy, and it was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
"Mr. Wen, are you there?"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Kiyoshi [question mark]: Something seems wrong?
Wen Qi [sprinkling flowers]: Mm.
Author [Sunglasses]: Hehe
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
