Chapter 85

Especially since President Gu also had a brother-in-law who was the head of the Shen family—he was capable in his own right and backed by a powerful family. Their daughter had really struck a stroke of dumb luck to even get the chance to go on a blind date with someone like him.

They weren’t the type to worship the rich and despise the poor, but if their daughter’s future husband could be such a top-tier man, they would be thrilled. Naturally, they had given her repeated reminders to put effort into it and present herself well, ideally leaving a good impression so that President Gu would want to keep chatting with her.

Guan Kening didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How could you be the only one invested in a relationship like that? If someone was outstanding, and just because of that she had to curry favor with him to gain his affection, then with so many outstanding people in the world, would she have to please all of them?

Truthfully speaking, Guan Kening didn’t really like men whose status and identity far exceeded her own. It felt mismatched. She always ended up being the one without confidence in those kinds of relationships.

But the meeting was already set. She couldn’t very well back out now, could she? That would just offend people.

She gave a bitter smile—was she even in a position to offend someone like President Gu?

In her heart, she had already declared this blind date a failure before it even began. Still, Guan Kening arrived at the designated café with a smile on her face.

To leave a good impression on President Gu, she deliberately arrived ten minutes early. In her view, someone as successful as President Gu would never show up early. He’d likely arrive precisely on time, not a minute too late or too soon. Arriving early herself could express her respect.

But what surprised her was that when she arrived, someone was already sitting at Table 5.

It was a tall and well-built man in fitted casual clothes, broad-shouldered with long legs—his nearly two-meter-long legs had nowhere to go and were a magnet for every gaze in the room. Yet he seemed entirely unaware, simply sitting there with his head slightly bowed, flipping through a magazine.

It was just an ordinary fashion magazine, but in his hands it looked as though it had become a classic literary masterpiece, full of weight and gravitas.

Because he was looking down, Guan Kening couldn’t see his face clearly. All she could see was the high bridge of his nose, his long eyelashes, and his thin, incredibly sexy lips.

Guan Kening suddenly felt her throat go dry. This man looked exactly like her type. Many of her friends liked pretty boys or youthful, energetic types, but she alone liked mature men with depth and charm.

Perhaps it was the intensity of her gaze, but the man lifted his head. His deep, dark eyes looked straight at her, and Guan Kening felt as though his pupils were a tunnel with no end. She had fallen into it and lost her way.

Gu Tingyu had arrived a little earlier than the agreed time. He was thoughtful and had guessed the woman might come a bit early, so to avoid keeping her waiting, he did the same.

Not wanting to be seen playing on his phone when she arrived, he asked a staff member for a magazine from the café’s bookshelf and flipped through it casually. After a moment, he felt a burning gaze and frowned slightly in displeasure before looking up in the direction it came from.

To his surprise, it was her—she had been staring at him.

Gu Tingyu wasn’t sure whether to feel lucky that his looks had captivated someone he was interested in. He put down the magazine, stood up, and smiled gently at her. “Hello, you must be Guan Kening. I’m Gu Tingyu.”

Guan Kening blinked up at the man smiling at her. The two dimples on her cheeks popped out, uninvited. So this is the man I’m meeting today? Guan Kening felt like fireworks had exploded in her brain. Her luck was outrageous—her blind date was this handsome?

She pushed down the excitement in her heart and took a few quick steps forward, a bit shyly placing her hand into the large one Gu Tingyu extended. “Hello, President Gu, I’m Guan Kening. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

All her previous thoughts had been tossed out the window. How could she let go of someone who matched her ideal type so perfectly?

Gu Tingyu’s hand was warm. The moment her hand touched his, it was like a jolt of electricity ran up her arm, making her fingers tingle—like a current running through her.

Her hand was soft, like it had no bones. Gu Tingyu quite liked the feeling, but since it was their first meeting, he didn’t want to come off as too forward and scare her off.

So two seconds later, he naturally let go. “No need to be so formal. I’m nine years older than you—if you don’t mind, you can call me Brother Tingyu.”

Losing the warmth of his palm, Guan Kening felt a little disappointed, but when she heard that she could call him “Brother Tingyu,” she perked right back up. “I don’t mind at all! Why would I mind?”

Gu Tingyu looked at her with a smile, the gentle way he did it making her heart ripple. She didn’t dare meet those deep eyes directly and shyly turned her face away, softly saying, “Brother Tingyu…”

Gu Tingyu caught a glimpse of her flushed ears and cheeks and knew she liked him too. His mood lifted. “Come, let’s sit and talk. Standing like this, we’ll get sore legs.”

Guan Kening listened to his thoughtful words and sneaked a quick glance at him. She had only ever heard that President Gu was known as a cold-faced King of Hell in the company. Yet here he was, smiling at her, gentle and considerate…

Was he fake? Just a stand-in for the real President Gu? That would make more sense. Why would the real President Gu go on a blind date with someone like her?

Her imagination ran wild, and the shyness on her face slowly faded, replaced by a trace of bitterness and self-mockery.

Guan Kening, don’t be stupid. Falling head over heels for a handsome face—have you never seen a good-looking man before?

Gu Tingyu didn’t know why the girl’s expression suddenly became so despondent. He couldn’t help but gently take her wrist. “What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well? Your complexion suddenly looks terrible.”

Looking into his concerned eyes, Guan Kening snapped back to her senses. Why had she gone and overcomplicated things? President Gu was so highly placed—if he really didn’t like her, why would he bother showing up at all, let alone send a stand-in?

If he lifted just one finger, there would be countless men and women lining up to get into his bed. Did he really need to go out of his way to deal with her?

She really had overthought it and just ended up scaring herself.

Guan Kening composed herself and gave Gu Tingyu a polite smile. Her dimples reappeared. “Sorry, I got a bit startled. A man as outstanding as you being willing to go on a blind date with me—I’m honestly a little flattered.”

“Kening, may I call you that? You don’t need to feel flattered. In fact, I had a good impression of you the moment I first saw you. That’s why I asked my sister to arrange for us to meet.”

When it came to someone he liked, of course he would pamper her. How could he allow her to remain so sensitive and insecure? At that moment, Gu Tingyu was exuding strong domineering CEO energy.

Guan Kening’s pupils gradually dilated. She looked at him in disbelief. What? What did the dream guy just say?

He had a good impression of her from the very first glance?

Wasn’t this surprise coming a bit too fast?

…

The next morning, Shen Lihuan carried You Changqing out of bed. “Changqing, it’s almost time for work. You should get up, wash up, and have breakfast.”

They had gone to bed early last night, so You Changqing had gotten plenty of rest. She yawned sleepily, stretched with a satisfied hum, and opened her eyes.

Shen Lihuan gently massaged her legs. “Still sore?”

You Changqing shook her head. “All better now. Your ointment is really good. Next time we… we can use it again.”

She may have looked a little pitiful last night, but with that ointment, there was nothing to be afraid of. The sensation was too wonderful—one taste and she was hooked. She’d already gotten addicted.

Shen Lihuan shot her a helpless glance, then bent down to help her into her shoes. Her hand lingered for a moment on You Changqing’s smooth calves. “All you think about is that. Don’t blame me if you can’t get out of bed next time.”

“I won’t blame you.”

You Changqing beamed at her answer and happily followed Shen Lihuan into the bathroom to freshen up.

Shen Lihuan wasn’t allowed to use kitchen knives, so she made millet porridge for You Changqing instead. Paired with authentic farmhouse-style pickled radish and long beans, it had a unique flavor. Heavy food wasn’t ideal so early in the morning anyway. You Changqing took a bite of porridge and a piece of radish and ate with great relish.

Shen Lihuan peeled a preserved egg, slid a spoon in, and neatly scooped out the shiny yolk, placing it into You Changqing’s bowl, while she herself finished the egg white.

You Changqing looked at her with a smile, took the yolk, and bit into it. She never liked the taste of egg whites, and Lihuan remembered that.

Love wasn’t always earth-shattering like in the novels. In fact, it was very calm—but it was present in every detail of life, already woven into every moment.

After breakfast, Shen Lihuan walked You Changqing downstairs to see her off to work. Their apartment was on the ninth floor, so they needed to take the elevator. When the elevator stopped on the ninth floor, there were already people inside: a kind-looking woman with her hand resting on her belly, supported by a woman in her thirties. Shen Lihuan felt like she’d seen her somewhere before.

She didn’t immediately recognize her, but Luo Yanrong recognized Shen Lihuan right away. If Hu Zhiyuan hadn’t once tried to have her kidnapped, she wouldn’t have made the firm decision to divorce him. In a way, Shen Lihuan was her benefactor.

So Luo Yanrong smiled and greeted her, “Miss Shen, long time no see. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Shen Lihuan suddenly remembered who the woman was and couldn’t help smiling. “So it’s Ms. Luo. It’s been several months since we last met, hasn’t it? You…”

Her gaze shifted downward—Luo Yanrong’s belly was already quite big.

Luo Yanrong gently caressed her belly with affection. “I’m almost five months along now. But since I’m carrying twins, my belly’s gotten much bigger.”

“Twins? Congratulations.”

“Thank you. With these two little darlings, I have no regrets in this life.”

Luo Yanrong’s smile was radiant. “All that happened yesterday has died like yesterday. What’s born today is a new beginning.” Her life had already turned a new page, and the days ahead would be a fresh start.

You Changqing glanced enviously at Luo Yanrong’s belly. How nice—soon she’d have two little angels. Meanwhile, she and Lihuan would have to wait a few more years.

When they got to the first floor, Shen Lihuan and You Changqing said goodbye to Luo Yanrong and her companion. Luo Yi soon pulled up in the car. Shen Lihuan helped You Changqing into it and said warmly, “I’ll pick you up at noon. Let’s have lunch at home.”

You Changqing nodded with a smile. “I’ll wait for you.”

Shen Lihuan’s lips curved in a gentle smile. She gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Go on, see you at noon.”

If there hadn’t been a driver in the front seat, You Changqing would’ve asked Lihuan for a proper kiss before heading to work. But since the driver was there, she could only suppress the urge.

Still, she sent Lihuan a sad little emoji on the way.

Lihuan quickly replied, “What’s wrong, baby?”

“I didn’t get to kiss you… I’m sad…”

Shen Lihuan laughed. “A kiss on the cheek isn’t enough anymore, huh, baby? I’ll make it up to you properly at noon.”

Only then did You Changqing feel satisfied. She sent back an “I love you” emoji and put away her phone.

Shen Lihuan didn’t get any more messages from her. She smiled and tucked her phone back into her pocket.