"When will you stop making a scene? If you think using Lin Jinshen to provoke me will work, you're being ridiculously childish!" Gu Luo'an said in a low voice.
"Why would I waste my time trying to provoke you? Don’t flatter yourself." Shen Mianyin retorted. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed before how clueless and self-absorbed Gu Luo'an was.
"Then stay away from Lin Jinshen! Do you think the rumors about you two sound pleasant?" Gu Luo'an said through gritted teeth.
Shen Mianyin took a deep breath and replied, "First of all, Lin Jinshen and I have a professional superior-subordinate relationship. Second, who I choose to be close to or distant from has nothing to do with you. Gu Luo'an, our engagement is already canceled. Stop pestering me."
"When did I ever agree to that?"
"Gu Luo'an, let me be honest with you—I do have someone I like, but it’s not Lin Jinshen," Shen Mianyin said impatiently.
"Who is it?" Gu Luo'an’s expression suddenly turned fierce, mixed with an inexplicable sense of panic.
Shen Mianyin had only said it casually, hoping it would make Gu Luo'an leave her alone. In her past life, with Gu Luo'an’s pride, hearing those words would have been enough for him to turn and walk away.
Who could have predicted that he would press further, actually asking who it was?
"Who I like has nothing to do with you," Shen Mianyin snapped. After all, where was she supposed to come up with a name on the spot?
But Gu Luo'an suddenly chuckled. "Mianyin, there’s no need to lie just to provoke me."
Shen Mianyin clenched her teeth. It seemed there was no way out unless she gave him a name. Moreover, it had to be someone whose mere mention would make Gu Luo'an back off and not dare to stir up trouble.
A cold, refined face suddenly flashed through her mind.
"Gu Huaizhi," Shen Mianyin said these three words.
The hallway seemed to grow even quieter.
The name "Gu Huaizhi" echoed in the hallway, with the word "Zhi" carrying a lingering reverberation, continuously resonating through the quiet corridor.
Gu Huaizhi, who had just hung up the phone, froze in his tracks just as he was about to step through the garden gate into the hotel corridor.
"You said wha—" Gu Luo'an looked at Shen Mianyin in disbelief, as if seeing a madwoman. "You like him...?"
Shen Mianyin was about to speak, but was suddenly interrupted by a woman's voice:
"Brother Luo'an, there you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere."
Su Yiqing’s gaze fell on the wrist Shen Mianyin had been gripped by Gu Luo'an.
At this moment, Shen Mianyin was cornered by Gu Luo'an, their proximity a bit too intimate.
"Shen Jie, you're here too," Su Yiqing smiled.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Mianyin jerked her arm free, and Gu Luo'an finally released his grip.
"Yiqing, you should go back first. I need to talk to her," Gu Luo'an said.
Su Yiqing obediently replied, "Okay," then added, "You two talk slowly, I won't interrupt."
After finishing her sentence, Su Yiqing turned to leave. Suddenly, she clutched her waist, bent down, and cried out in pain, "Ah!"
"Yiqing!" Gu Luo'an abandoned Shen Mianyin and quickly strode over to support Su Yiqing. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Su Yiqing said with a pale face, slowly shaking her head. "It was just a sudden pain. Brother Luo'an, you and Shen Jie continue talking. I'll go back and find Mom and Dad."
Given her condition, how could Gu Luo'an let her leave on her own? Moreover, Su Father and Su Mother had specifically asked him to take care of her.
"I'll help you back," Gu Luo'an said, helping Su Yiqing to her feet.
"I'm really fine." Su Yiqing tightly grasped Gu Luo'an's arm and shook her head. "Aren't you still going to talk to Shen Jie?"
"There's always later," Gu Luo'an said, not sparing Shen Mianyin another glance as he helped Su Yiqing away. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"
"No need, I get this pain often. A little medicine will do," Su Yiqing replied, leaning heavily against Gu Luo'an. As she slightly turned her face, she gave Shen Mianyin a smug, victorious smile.
Watching Gu Luo'an carefully support Su Yiqing as they walked away, Shen Mianyin couldn't help but curl her lips in a mocking smile. It had always been this way in her past life. As soon as Su Yiqing complained of pain, Gu Luo'an would drop everything to take care of her. Su Yiqing used this to her advantage—whenever something unfavorable happened to her, she'd feign pain, and everyone would forget about anything else.
In her past life, she had been so foolish, always feeling jealous and anxious because of Gu Luo'an's attention toward Su Yiqing.
She had been afraid to express her anger, worried that Gu Luo'an might disapprove and accuse her of being petty and malicious. So, she held it all in, which only made Su Yiqing's behavior worse.
But in this life, what did Gu Luo'an mean to her? She would never again sacrifice her own well-being for the sake of people who were irrelevant to her.
In her past life, Gu Luo'an and Su Yiqing had practically destroyed her. Now, given the chance to live again, she would make sure they didn’t get away with it.
Shen Mianyin took a deep breath. On her way back to the banquet, she noticed a door to the hotel's garden, wide open.
The light from the outside, combined with the moonlight, spilled through the door, casting a soft glow. Even before she reached the door, she could already see the lush green lawn outside.
Though she had expected it, being reborn still left her feeling exhausted. Especially with the experiences of her past life, which felt as recent as yesterday, right up until her death.
Even with her strong mental resilience, Shen Mianyin couldn't help but feel the weight of weariness at this moment.
She didn’t want to return to the banquet for now; she didn’t need to see the expressions of those people enjoying her misfortune.
Even if it was just for a short while, she longed to escape the chaos and find a quiet corner to catch her breath. Shen Mianyin headed straight for the door leading to the garden.
Just as she stepped out, she unexpectedly collided with someone and was thrown into their arms.
Before she could make out who it was, her high heels caused her to lose balance, and she began to fall backward. To her surprise, the person didn’t even make an effort to help her steady herself.
Shen Mianyin quickly grabbed onto the person's clothes to steady herself. In that instant, she saw the person raise one hand, seemingly trying to pull her hand off their clothes.
How heartless! Shen Mianyin instinctively tightened her grip, determined not to let him pull her hand away.
With a forceful tug, her body was pulled back, and she lost her balance once again. This time, her face collided directly into the person’s chest.
Immediately after, Shen Mianyin heard a muffled grunt from above her head, as if she had collided with him quite hard.
She covered her reddened nose and stepped back. When she looked up, the apology she intended to speak was abruptly caught in her throat.
"Gu... Gu..."
Gu Huaizhi!
With a sudden, overwhelming shock, Shen Mianyin felt her mind explode.
She wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and disappear. After all, she had just been reborn, yet now she wished she could vanish.
The spot where she had collided with him was very close to the corner where she had just been with Gu Luo'an.
Just moments ago, Shen Mianyin had been frustrated and angry with Gu Luo'an's persistence, and her voice had been far from quiet. Gu Huaizhi... He must have heard everything.
Under the moonlight, Gu Huaizhi’s features were cold and distant. When he noticed her stammering, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Stammering?" His voice was even colder than the moonlight itself.
"Uncle Gu San!" Shen Mianyin instinctively called out.
In her past life, this was how she had always addressed him. Gu Huaizhi, Gu Luo'an’s third uncle, was the true power behind the Gu family.
Comments Box