Shen Mianyin shook her head, utterly baffled.
But at least the misunderstanding was cleared up.
She swiped her card to enter the building and made her way to the elevator, leaning against the wall for support and taking a long detour.
While waiting for the elevator, she muttered to herself, *Gu Huaizhi is definitely single not just because his standards are high. Probably no one can tolerate that terrible temper of his.*
When Shen Mianyin entered the apartment, she was surprised to find that Lin Wanran hadn’t gone out for once. Instead, she was lounging on the sofa in the living room, playing on her phone. The coffee table in front of her was piled with snacks.
Hearing her voice, Lin Wanran turned her head and saw Shen Mianyin limping while leaning against the wall. She immediately tossed her phone aside and ran over to support her. "Mianyin, what happened? Weren’t you at the gala with my brother? How did you end up limping back?"
Shen Mianyin had no choice but to explain, "I twisted my ankle at the gala and came back early."
"My brother is unbelievable! How could he let you come back on your own? I’m calling to give him a piece of my mind!" Lin Wanran helped Shen Mianyin to the sofa, then grabbed her phone to call Lin Jinshen.
"No, no, no! Your brother didn’t know until after I left," Shen Mianyin quickly stopped her. "Don’t make a fuss over nothing. Besides, I’m his subordinate now. Don’t scold him over something like this."
Lin Wanran widened her eyes. "Is he giving you the bossy treatment?"
"No, your brother takes good care of me. But I can’t let you mix personal and professional matters on my behalf. Really, I’m fine," Shen Mianyin said, finally managing to calm Lin Wanran down.
"We don’t have any medicinal patches at home. Wait here, I’ll order some for delivery," Lin Wanran said.
"I’ve already ordered them. Just help me pick it up later," Shen Mianyin replied, glancing at her phone. "It’ll be here in about ten minutes."
"It’s no trouble at all," Lin Wanran said, reassured that Shen Mianyin was okay. She sat down next to her, putting her game aside, and asked, "I heard the Su family brought Su Yiqing with them today? Did they make things difficult for you?"
Thinking of the words Su’s father and mother had said to her, Shen Mianyin lowered her head slightly. "It’s fine, I expected what they’d say. It’s just that they were worried my appearance without being with them might affect their reputation."
"It must be hard for them," Shen Mianyin said mockingly, "hating me for taking Su Yiqing's place, yet having to suppress their hatred and pretend to be close to me, all to convince me to go back home."
"What are they plotting now?" Lin Wanran immediately sensed it wasn’t anything good.
"Su Yiqing’s kidney has problems, and mine happens to be a match. So, they want me to go back home, take good care of my kidney, avoid overworking, stay away from alcohol, and keep it in top condition... to give it to Su Yiqing," Shen Mianyin said with a sarcastic laugh.
"They’re insane! The audacity!" Lin Wanran said angrily. "It’s not your fault you were switched at birth. Even your biological parents didn’t know, and they raised Su Yiqing for nothing!"
"Besides," Lin Wanran continued, "everything you’ve done for the Su family and Su Corporation over the years has already repaid any so-called debt of gratitude. You owe them nothing now!"
"Mianyin, don’t you dare lose your head and agree to this!" Lin Wanran said anxiously. "You don’t owe them anything. Why should you give Su Yiqing a kidney? If you had a genuinely good relationship with them, maybe I’d understand, but after how they’ve treated you? No way!"
"I know, I won’t soften my stance," Shen Mianyin reassured her. After all, she had already repaid everything in her past life.
In this life, she had no intention of dying for Su Yiqing again.
At that moment, the doorbell rang. It was the delivery with the medicinal patches.
Lin Wanran brought the delivery back.
Shen Mianyin had ordered a bottle of medicated oil, a tube of healing ointment, and a pack of pain-relief patches.
Enduring the pain, she applied the medicated oil to her ankle, massaging it firmly to disperse the bruising.
Next, she spread on the healing ointment. The cool, soothing sensation provided some relief, and for a brief moment, she felt a little better.
As for the pain-relief patches, Shen Mianyin planned to use them the next morning before heading to work. In her current state, she doubted she could walk properly without them.
Once everything was sorted, Lin Wanran helped Shen Mianyin to the bathroom to wash up.
While Shen Mianyin was brushing her teeth, Lin Wanran’s phone chimed with a WeChat notification. She glanced at the message, and her eyes lit up with a burst of gossip-fueled excitement.
"No way! Gu Huaizhi, that eternal bachelor, has a woman now?" Lin Wanran exclaimed in shock.
*“Cough!!”* Shen Mianyin choked on her toothpaste foam immediately.
"They say it happened at tonight’s gala. First, someone noticed a lipstick mark on his shirt, then people saw him leaving with a woman in his arms," Lin Wanran said, smirking. "But the woman’s face wasn’t seen. Apparently, Gu Huaizhi is really protective of her, keeping her out of sight from everyone."
The more Lin Wanran spoke, the guiltier Shen Mianyin felt. She quickly lowered her head and brushed her teeth even harder.
"Hey, your toothbrush isn’t even moving anymore. Why are you still pretending to brush?" Lin Wanran grabbed Shen Mianyin’s hand.
The electric toothbrush had already turned off automatically.
Shen Mianyin awkwardly took it out, rinsed it clean, and gargled before hearing Lin Wanran ask, "You were at the gala tonight too, right? Did you see anything?"
Shen Mianyin quickly wiped her mouth, then took a wet face towel to wipe her face, pretending to be busy and avoiding eye contact with Lin Wanran, "I was too busy handing out business cards, didn’t really pay attention."
Finally managing to dodge the question, Shen Mianyin quickly hobbled back to her room, supporting herself against the wall.
But once she lay down, and closed her eyes, the scent of pine from Gu Huaizhi’s body filled her mind.
The image of her face buried in Gu Huaizhi’s thigh kept replaying in her head.
Shen Mianyin let out a muffled sound, embarrassed and mortified as she covered her face. What had she even been doing back then?
***
Lijing Garden.
Gu Huaizhi finished his shower and emerged wearing a bathrobe, the tie loosely secured around his waist. He rubbed his temples and poured himself a glass of red wine.
The phone on the bedside table buzzed, vibrating against the surface.
Gu Huaizhi walked over, picked it up, and saw the name displayed on the screen.
It was Old Madam Gu.
His headache intensified immediately. He pinched the space between his brows and answered the call, "Mom."
"Huai Zhi, are you in a relationship?" Old Madam Gu's voice came through, full of surprise.
"Mom, how did these rumors even reach you?" Gu Huaizhi said, his headache worsening. "It's all a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?" Old Madam Gu clearly didn’t believe him. "You have a lipstick mark on your shirt from some girl, and that's a misunderstanding? You hugged her and left the party with her, and that's also a misunderstanding? Don’t try to brush me off with that excuse."
Gu Huaizhi felt a pulsating pain at his temples. "I was just doing a good deed," he grumbled.
"Come on, don't try to fool me," Old Madam Gu said, unrelenting. "When have you ever done a good deed for someone? You push people away the moment they get too close, and now there's a lipstick mark on your shirt?"
"So, which family's girl is it? When are you going to bring her home for us to meet?" Old Madam Gu pressed further.
"Mom, it's really a misunderstanding, I just bumped into her," Gu Huaizhi hurriedly said. "Mom, I have to go, I have a video conference. Let’s talk later, bye."
He quickly ended the call before she could say anything more.
"Hey! I told you, don't try that with me..." Old Madam Gu's words were cut off as Gu Huaizhi quickly ended the call.
He tossed his phone aside and leaned back against the headboard. The call from his mother had triggered an uncontrollable memory of Shen Mianyin.
He recalled the moment in the car when she suddenly fell toward him.
Her breath had brushed against his leg, and it almost felt like he could still feel the softness of her lips.
Suddenly, Gu Huaizhi became aware of something amiss and glanced down.