Shen Mianyin turned around and saw Su Yiqing walking toward her, arm-in-arm with Madam Su.
Although Su Yiqing was smiling, there was an unmistakable gleam of smugness in her eyes.
When Madam Su spotted Shen Mianyin, her expression immediately darkened.
"Shen Jiejie, I didn’t expect to see you here," Su Yiqing said cheerfully.
"Why are you calling her that? You've ruined my good mood," Madam Su muttered, her displeasure clear as soon as she saw Shen Mianyin.
Shen Mianyin couldn’t even be bothered to stand up and greet them. She merely nodded slightly and then ignored them.
"Shen Mianyin, after leaving the Su family, have you forgotten the most basic manners?"
Madam Su said with a dark expression. "You don’t even stand up to greet your elders, not even a proper hello?"
Shen Mianyin coldly replied, "Manners are for those who return them. Since Madam Su dislikes me so much, why don’t you leave? Out of sight, out of mind."
"No wonder Madam Gu said you have no manners," Madam Su said condescendingly.
"You’d better find a time to apologize properly! After all, you were raised by the Su family. Don’t embarrass us!"
"I’m no longer part of the Su family, so I can’t embarrass your family," Shen Mianyin replied coldly.
"Indeed, you're inherently lowborn. No matter how much the Su family raised you, it was all in vain. Even now, after being part of the Su family for over twenty years, you have no gratitude whatsoever," Madam Su said with disdain.
Shen Mianyin sneered. Gratitude?
Was she supposed to be grateful for them turning their backs on her, taking her kidney, and nearly taking her life?
She couldn’t have a shred of gratitude.
She might have lost a life, but the Su family had lost the gratitude of their adopted daughter!
Su Yiqing, holding Madam Su’s arm, softly said, "Mom, don’t be angry. I know you’re upset because Sister left so decisively. But now, seeing how well she’s doing, you can rest easy."
"As far as I know, this restaurant isn't cheap. Since Sister is living on her own now and still able to dine here, it seems like her quality of life hasn't been affected at all,"
Su Yiqing said with a sigh of relief, then turned to Shen Mianyin and added, "I was worried you’d struggle after leaving the Su family, but now I see I was overthinking it. I can relax now."
Madam Su, upon hearing this, immediately felt something was off. Where was Shen Mianyin getting all this money from?
Without the support of the Su family, how could she possibly live so comfortably on her current salary?
"Shen Mianyin, you even took..." Madam Su began, her mind racing—how much of the Su family’s things had she stolen?
"What’s going on?" Gu Huaizhi's voice, laced with coldness, suddenly cut in.
Both Madam Su and Su Yiqing quickly turned around, only to find Gu Huaizhi's icy gaze locked on them. He then walked past them and sat down across from Shen Mianyin.
Madam Su had noticed the extra set of utensils on the table in front of Shen Mianyin but hadn't given it much thought, as she never would have imagined it was connected to Gu Huaizhi.
"Shen Jiejie," Su Yiqing’s expression shifted, and she couldn’t help but recall the night of the banquet when Gu Huaizhi had carried someone away.
"I didn’t expect you to be so familiar with Mr. Gu."
Madam Su’s face changed multiple times. If Shen Mianyin really had a good relationship with Gu Huaizhi, even if she were... even if she were Gu Huaizhi’s girlfriend, she would have to reconsider her attitude toward Shen Mianyin.
She needed to quickly inform Su Father about this matter.
It was time to adjust their attitude toward Shen Mianyin, at the very least by having Shen Mianyin introduce how they came to know Gu Huaizhi.
Although the Su family had always been close with the Gu family, especially with Gu Luo'an, Gu Huaizhi didn’t seem to care about Gu Luo'an’s influence at all.
They had never managed to build any real connection with Gu Huaizhi through Gu Luo'an, nor had they been able to secure any cooperation with Gu Corporation.
How could Shen Mianyin, of all people, have such a good relationship with Gu Huaizhi?
Madam Su forced a reluctant smile and said, "Oh, I see, Mianyin. You’re so close with Mr. Gu. Why didn’t you ever mention it to the family?"
"All this time, when you insisted on moving out and cutting ties with the family, I was worried you’d be struggling outside."
Madam Su quickly changed her tone, "But now, it seems like Mr. Gu is looking after you. In that case, I can rest easy."
Shen Mianyin clenched her fist under the table, her knuckles turning white.
She knew all too well the kind of people Su Father and Madam Su were.
She understood their intentions—they were clearly trying to use her to get closer to Gu Huaizhi.
Even if she had a close relationship with Gu Huaizhi, she certainly couldn’t let them exploit her in this way.
Shen Mianyin then said, "Mr. Gu is my client. He took time out of his busy schedule to have a meal while discussing a potential partnership with me."
Finally standing up, she added, "We still have work to discuss. Would you two mind giving us some privacy?"
Madam Su felt a complex mix of emotions.
Hearing that Shen Mianyin had no personal relationship with Gu Huaizhi, Madam Su felt a bit relieved.
As expected, there was no way this lowly girl could have any connection with Gu Huaizhi.
However, there was also a sense of regret.
Without Shen Mianyin's connection to Gu Huaizhi, they couldn’t use her to get closer to him.
This useless girl couldn't even help the family with this small favor.
Shen Mianyin ignored Madam Su’s inner turmoil and turned to Gu Huaizhi.
"Mr. Gu, shall we continue our discussion elsewhere?"
But Gu Huaizhi didn’t respond. He simply stared at Shen Mianyin, his gaze fixed and unwavering.
Shen Mianyin felt uneasy under his gaze.
For some reason, she suddenly recalled what Gu Huaizhi had said when he picked her up from the company—he never did anything sneakily.
Madam Su sneered, waiting to watch Shen Mianyin's embarrassment. How dare she order Gu Huaizhi around like that?
Under the pressure, Gu Huaizhi finally spoke, his voice slow and calm. "Alright."
Gu Huaizhi stood up, not sparing a single glance at Madam Su and Su Yiqing.
He walked past them without looking sideways, settled the bill, and left with Shen Mianyin.
Throughout the journey, Gu Huaizhi remained silent.
For some reason, Shen Mianyin felt like he was angry.
Although he was usually taciturn, she couldn’t shake the feeling.
"Did you eat enough earlier?" Gu Huaizhi asked.
"Yeah, I’m full," Shen Mianyin quickly replied.
Gu Huaizhi drove Shen Mianyin to Lin Wanran's building.
As she unbuckled her seatbelt, she hesitated for a moment before asking, "Gu Huaizhi, were you... angry just now?"
Gu Huaizhi gave her a slightly surprised look, then replied, "Not really." He couldn't say he was angry. It was just...
Gu Huaizhi’s expression darkened as he asked, "Am I someone you can’t be seen with?"
"Of course not." Shen Mianyin quickly denied, without hesitation.
"We weren't discussing business tonight," Gu Huaizhi said in a low voice.
Shen Mianyin opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Gu Huaizhi continued, "Is it so hard to admit that we’re friends?"
"We’re friends?" Shen Mianyin was taken aback. She hadn’t even dared to consider this possibility.
Gu Huaizhi let out a light laugh, clearly amused.
"Do you think I have nothing better to do than help you find a place, pick you up from your company, and send you home?"
He scoffed lightly, "I never do that for just a business contact."
"So, it was all in my head," Shen Mianyin muttered.
After saying that, Gu Huaizhi got out of the car, walked around to her side, and opened the door for her.
Shen Mianyin silently got out of the car, and as soon as she closed the door, Gu Huaizhi got back in and drove off without another word.
Shen Mianyin watched as the car disappeared into the distance, thinking to herself that he had just said he wasn’t angry.
But even if he was, he still came over to open the car door for her, mindful of her injured foot.
She took out her phone, lingering on Gu Huaizhi's WeChat name for a long time before finally tapping it and typing: "Gu Huaizhi, I..."
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