Translator: Helliot
Editor: P’Raikantopeni
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“Secretary Wang, what’s this sudden call about?” Gu Ze asked after walking to a corner.
“Chief Gu, your father has come to survey the restaurant, and he has a young woman with him. It doesn’t seem as if he’ll leave if you don’t go and see him.”
Young woman? It seems like Zhang Ming’er from last time still wasn’t enough for him, and now he had even come again with a marriage interview.
“Then just let him stay there with her.”
“Chief Gu, wouldn’t this…?” Secretary Wang asked apprehensively.
“Nothing will happen. I’m not worried if the old man wants to withdraw his investment.”
He had complied with Gu Rongsheng’s wishes for him to attend a marriage interview due to worry about his investment in the restaurant in the past, but now that Gu Ze’s restaurant had grown, nothing much would happen even if he were to withdraw his investment now.
Despite what Gu Ze said, Secretary Wang still went over to Gu Rongsheng and the young lady and made up some excuse for Gu Ze to decline them.
When he returned to his seat, he was shocked to find that Meng Fu was no longer at the table.
Frowning, he questioned Shui Qing. “Where’s Meng Fu? Where did he go?”
“Meng Fu said he’ll take his leave first since he isn’t feeling well.”
Gu Ze slammed the table and felt his anger rushing to his head. “How dare he take advantage of that opportunity to escape?!” Glaring at Shui Qing with bloodshot eyes, he questioned, “Which direction did he go in?”
Meng Fu, where could the penniless Meng Fu go? Unless… Was he going to look for Xie Zhenzhen? Just the thought of Xie Zhenzhen’s name was enough to cause his anger to erupt like a volcano.
Shui Qing was shocked to see this reaction from him. Glancing at him nervously, she finally regained her composure after a long time, “Gu Ze, Meng Fu told me to tell you that he wouldn’t run away, and that he’ll go back.”
“Hmph.” Gu Ze snorted.
When he turned around and left the restaurant in a hurry, Shui Qing stood up and called out to him. “Gu Ze, Gu Ze!”
Gu Ze returned to his car without even looking back.
Shui Qing stood in place, watching Gu Ze as he left hurriedly in his car, tears streaming down her cheeks. Gu Ze, you promised me you’d eat lunch with me. How could you go back on your word?
And what’s going on between you and Meng Fu? Would you really have to leave in such a hurry if he were merely an enemy like you said?
No… You clearly care about him. It’s strange, Gu Ze… Why would you care about Meng Fu?
Meng Fu didn’t make it home until seven that night.
When he entered the house, rather than Gu Ze, which he expected to see, he saw an old man and a young lady instead. Aunt Zhang came over and whispered to him, “Mr. Meng, that’s the old Master Gu and Miss Wen.”
He stood stiffly in place, unsure of how he was supposed to greet them. Since moving into this place, he had never seen anyone else enter the house before, so this was the first time.
Realizing his identity, he knew that he was in no place to be here regardless of any circumstances. He should just wait outside for Gu Ze to come and deal with the situation.
Slowly, he backed up to the door, but his back landed against a firm chest before he could reach it.
His wrist was caught and an angry Gu Ze questioned, “Where on earth did you run off to?!”
“Mr. Gu, I…”
Gu Rongsheng, who heard the commotion, came over. “Gu Ze.” Standing behind him was the beautiful Miss Wen who followed him over.
Suppressing his anger, he ordered Meng Fu, “Wait upstairs.”
After watching Meng Fu go up the stairs, he turned to face Gu Rongshen. “Dad, what brings you over?” With a smirk on his face, he looked at Miss Wen, who was sitting by the side. “And you brought a young miss with you, too. I’d have thought you were bringing one of my stepmothers over if I didn’t know better.”
“Watch your mouth!” Gu Rongsheng was furious. He’d almost given in to disciplining Gu Ze with his cane right then and there.
Once the three of them moved to the sofa, Gu Rongsheng introduced them. “This is Wen Xueyan. You should be familiar with her. She used to come over when you were kids.”
“Hello.” Gu Ze gave her a curt greeting.
“Big Brother Gu Ze. It seems like you don’t recognize me anymore,” Wen Xueyan spoke sweetly with a nice smile on her lips.
“Xueyan is a barrister now and received a large case back in the country to deal with some gangsters. Both her father and I are worried about her, so Gu Ze, take good care of her and make sure nothing happens to her,” Gu Rongsheng ordered.
Gu Ze casually rested his feet on the coffee table and raised a brow. “Dad, if even you can’t guarantee her safety, then what can I do to protect her? Better not leave her to me, otherwise, I doubt I’ll be able to handle the responsibility of her getting hurt under my care.”
“Big Brother Gu Ze, it’s not as big of a deal as Uncle Gu is making it out to be. I won’t get hurt.”
“If that’s the case, then you should be safe. So why would you need to stay here with me? Sorry, but my house is too shabby to befit someone of your status.” He used Wen Xueyan’s own words against her so that she couldn’t argue back.
He didn’t want Wen Xueyan to come into his place and disturb his peace.
“Gu Ze!” Gu Rongsheng knocked his cane on the floor in anger.
“Fine, I’ll make arrangements for her to be moved into a high-class hotel.” Gu Ze put his feet down and took out his phone to call Secretary Wang. “Prepare a presidential suite for Miss Wen.”
As soon as he finished saying that, Gu Rongsheng snatched the phone out of his hands. “Cancel that.”
After handing the phone back to him, Gu Rongsheng shot him a warning look as he clutched his cane tightly. “Gu Ze, don’t forget. I’m the one sponsoring your restaurant.”
“Go ahead and pull out your investment if you like.”
He took his phone back and opened up one of the simplest and most boring games he had installed.
“So you think you’re all grown up now? All the biggest companies you’re contracted with are my contacts. Do you think they’ll listen to you, or me?”
Gu Ze’s finger paused. “You…!”
In the end, Wen Xueyan was arranged to stay in a room on the third floor, right next to Gu Ze’s, but she had no idea then that Gu Ze never slept in his own room.
After Gu Rongsheng left, Wen Xueyan kept a sweet smile on her face, completely unbefitting her image as a serious lawyer.
“Big Brother Gu Ze, don’t worry. I won’t disturb you.”
“I hope not. I’m generally busy at night, so you’d better not knock on my door then,” said Gu Ze, the implications obvious. Sure enough, Wen Xueyan’s cheeks reddened, but he added, “By the way, stop calling me ‘Big Brother Gu Ze’ or whatever. Hearing it… makes my skin crawl.”
Wen Xueyan’s red cheeks turned pale in an instant.
Ignoring her, Gu Ze went right up the stairs and barged into Meng Fu’s room without even knocking.
He also made sure to lock the door behind him.
“Why did you run away this afternoon? Where did you go off to?” he questioned Meng Fu, who was sitting on the windowsill, from where he stood by the door.
“I didn’t look for Zhenzhen.” Turning away, he explained with downcast eyes, “I just felt out of place in that sort of setting.”
“How did you get back?”
“I found a milk tea shop that was hiring part-timers and worked half a shift to earn the fare home.”
Gu Ze felt a twang of pain in his chest as if tiny needles were stabbing into his heart, drawing little droplets of blood. “Didn’t I tell you to stay put? Who said you could leave on your own?”
He walked up to him anxiously and looked down at him from above. “Meng Fu, there’s nothing going on between Shui Qing and me. Who told you that you were out of place there?”
He blurted out to Meng Fu in a hurry to explain himself as if worrying that he would misunderstand, but even he felt like laughing at himself after that. Why would Meng Fu even care about that?
“Mr. Gu, you’ll find someone to love, and you’ll find your own happiness eventually. Even if it’s not Miss Shui Qing, someone else will come into your life in the future.” His voice was indifferent like the surface of a cold lake.
“There will be no one else, and there never will be.”
He sat on the other side of the windowsill to get even with Meng Fu and looked at him with an obsessive, burning gaze. If Meng Fu were to raise his head, he would then realize that the look in Gu Ze’s eyes was different from usual.
But, Meng Fu kept his eyes fixed to his toes and from his throat, he forced out an apology in a guilt-ridden voice, “I’m sorry.”
He thought that Gu Ze’s “no one else” referred to He Manyu.
“No matter the time and place, if I ask you not to leave in the future, then you can’t leave.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
His toes squirmed, curling in and stretching out again. With some hesitation, Meng Fu asked, “Mr. Gu, will I be able to go outside starting tomorrow?”