Gu Huaizhi had just flashed a smile at Shen Mianyin when his gaze caught sight of Madam Gu, the property manager, and the police behind her.
Gu Huaizhi froze. *What’s going on?*
He walked toward Madam Gu, who stood behind Shen Mianyin. Seeing that Shen Mianyin wasn’t looking, Madam Gu quickly shook her head and gestured with her chin.
Suddenly, Madam Gu had an idea. She quickly pulled out her phone and sent Gu Huaizhi a WeChat message: "Pretend you don’t know me!"
Gu Huaizhi’s WeChat notification pinged. He had just seen Madam Gu send the message, so he knew it was from her.
He paused in his steps, pulled out his phone, and read the message.
Gu Huaizhi: What on earth is Madam Gu up to?
Gu Huaizhi calmly put his phone back in his pocket and stopped in front of Shen Mianyin. "What’s going on over there?"
"It’s an elderly woman, seems like she has Alzheimer's, and she’s lost," Shen Mianyin explained.
Gu Huaizhi froze. 'Madam Gu? Alzheimer’s? Why wasn’t I told about this?'
"But it didn’t seem quite right to me. She kept saying she was tired, thirsty, and hungry, and wanted to come to my place," Shen Mianyin said quietly.
"But I’m worried she might be a scammer—what if she’s just trying to scout out my place? So, I called the property manager and the police. No matter what, it’s best to have the police handle it."
Gu Huaizhi was speechless. Madam Gu is lying like this... Does she not plan to face Shen Mianyin again?
"Are you heading back now?" Gu Huaizhi asked.
"Yeah, I just took a stroll around the neighborhood to get familiar with the area," Shen Mianyin said. "What about you? Where are you going?"
Gu Huaizhi hesitated. He had planned to go to the sports field in the community for a run, but now that seemed out of the question. He simply said, "I’ll just take a walk around too."
Shen Mianyin didn’t expect that Gu Huaizhi was someone who liked to take walks as well.
"Alright, you go ahead and walk, I’ll head home and rest for a bit," she said.
Gu Huaizhi nodded, watching Shen Mianyin leave. He still kept his distance from Madam Gu, remaining cautious.
The property manager stood there, bewildered. What on earth are you two up to?
Reluctantly, the manager had no choice but to take Madam Gu to the property office.
The police had just seen Madam Gu send a WeChat message, so they asked, "Elderly lady, please tell the truth. Do you really not remember anything?"
Madam Gu was silent.
In the end, it was Gu Huaizhi who appeared, apologized to the police, and escorted Madam Gu out of the property office.
"You've been pretending to be a lost elderly person for a while now. So, what have you figured out?" Gu Huaizhi pinched the corner of his eyes, looking a little exhausted.
Madam Gu sighed. "… She’s not easy to fool."
"She’s cautious, but in today’s world, that’s a good thing. I can tell she’s worried I’m a human trafficker," she thought to herself. *That girl may be clever, but her heart is in the right place. Even though she had doubts, she still helped by calling the police.*
Gu Huaizhi raised an eyebrow. "… You’re not worried it’ll backfire someday?"
Madam Gu dismissed his concern with a wave. "Oh, what’s the worst that could happen?"
Madam Gu’s eyes lit up. "Is she really your girlfriend?"
Gu Huaizhi replied casually, "Not yet."
Madam Gu immediately understood and said, "Let’s not worry about the future for now. So, what does that girl do? What’s her family like? What’s her name? How old is she?"
Gu Huaizhi pinched the corner of his eyes again and replied, "Let’s deal with that later, and you can worry about it then."
"Don’t go digging into her, she doesn’t have those intentions," Gu Huaizhi said.
"Well, what’s this? Is it just you thinking this?" Madam Gu asked, surprised. "That’s rare."
"I’m working on it. Just bear with me, pretend you don’t know anything, and don’t scare her off," Gu Huaizhi replied.
"Alright," Madam Gu nodded. "I’ll try my best to hold back."
Gu Huaizhi: "..." Hearing Madam Gu's words, he felt that she probably wouldn’t be able to hold back for much longer.
The driver drove up near the property. Gu Huaizhi helped Madam Gu into the car, watched them leave, and then headed home.
The next morning, Shen Mianyin packed up and got ready to go to work. She didn’t have a car—her previous one was a birthday gift from Su’s father a year ago, but it was registered under his name.
After leaving the Su family, Shen Mianyin didn't take the car with her; it stayed there. Though she had savings, with the high rent at Li Jing Yuan, she decided not to spend her money on a car.
Instead, she planned to save for a home, somewhere she could settle down.
Shen Mianyin checked the navigation and saw that there was a subway station about a 15-minute walk away. She decided to take the subway.
To her surprise, when she stepped downstairs, she saw Gu Huaizhi's car parked at the entrance.
"Get in," Gu Huaizhi said, standing in front of the car.
"Did you wait specifically for me?" Shen Mianyin asked as she walked over.
"As neighbors, it's convenient to go together," Gu Huaizhi replied.
"But our companies are in opposite directions," Shen Mianyin started to say, but before she could finish, she had already gotten into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and smiled as she looked through the lowered window at Gu Huaizhi.
"But you can drop me off at the subway station ahead." That way, she’d save herself a 15-minute walk.
Gu Huaizhi: "..."
Gu Huaizhi got into the car, fastened his seatbelt, and said, "I’ll take you to your company, it’s not a big deal with the extra time."
As expected, he didn’t stop at the subway station. Instead, he drove straight past it, heading toward Jin Cheng. Shen Mianyin hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"Uh... Mr. Gu, Gu Huaizhi," she began.
Gu Huaizhi glanced at her, and she continued, "Could you park the car at..."
Before Shen Mianyin could finish her sentence, Gu Huaizhi interjected, "Behind your company?"
Shen Mianyin gave a dry laugh and quickly added, "I didn’t mean to say anything inappropriate. It's just that you're so dazzling, people might get the wrong idea if they see us."
Gu Huaizhi glanced at her again, "What kind of misunderstanding?"
"Misunderstanding that I..." Shen Mianyin’s face flushed slightly.
She said, "Misunderstanding that I got business by flirting with you, and who knows, might have even climbed into your bed."
Her words almost made Gu Huaizhi slam on the brakes.
"What nonsense are you saying!" he exclaimed.
Shen Mianyin shrugged. "I know your standards are high, so of course you wouldn’t do something like that. Others probably know that too, but there are always people who can’t stand to see me doing well."
She continued, "On one hand, they say you would never be interested in someone like me, and on the other hand, they accuse me of flirting with you to get your business. Then, they also wonder how it's even possible for someone like you to notice me."
Gu Huaizhi: "..."
"Not a single word is correct," Gu Huaizhi said.
Shen Mianyin didn’t think much about it and focused on the middle part of what she said, agreeing, "Of course, I never rely on such methods to do business."
Gu Huaizhi sighed silently.
This girl only paid attention to the middle part of her sentence.
How did she not consider the other parts?
The idea that he definitely wouldn't be interested in her... that wasn't right.
The thought that he couldn’t possibly be interested in her... that wasn’t right either. Why couldn’t it be possible?
Looking at Shen Mianyin’s expression, it was clear she hadn’t given it much thought at all.
"Being a woman in the workplace is tough," Shen Mianyin muttered.
"As soon as you achieve a little success, it's easy for people to spread false rumors. Especially someone like me, young and pretty, it makes it even easier. People often overlook my professional skills because of my appearance."
Gu Huaizhi: "…"
Although what she said was true, it was usually others who said it.
He had never heard the person involved speak about it like this.
"You..." Gu Huaizhi opened his mouth, seemingly struggling to find the right words.
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