Who wants to be a male model after being reborn? I want to be a male god.

Chapter 432 Protecting Old Things
Shortly after Gu Hong's case concluded, all of his assets were put up for judicial auction.

Currently, online auctions are only being piloted in a few courts, so Xu Wen had to go to the court where the auction was being held.

Given the vast amount of property under Gu Hong's name, it's unrealistic for Xu Wen to buy it all back, and there's no need for him to do so.

He only wanted three things.

Gu Xingruo's house, Gu Xingruo's car, and the car he used to drive.

Prior to this, Xu Wen had already bought back the 10% stake in Flash City.

As one of FlashCity's shareholders, he has the right of first refusal.

After buying back the shares, he left those 10% to Gu Xingruo.

These are things left behind by Gu Hong, and it would be most appropriate to give them to his daughter.

As for the money spent on buying the shares, consider it a way of thanking Gu Hong for his previous help.

At this moment, the auction hall of Linjiang Court was filled with people who wanted to participate in the auction.

Xu Wen sat in the third row by the aisle, dressed in ordinary casual clothes.

This was his first time attending such an event. He had only ever seen the word "auction" in novels before, especially fantasy novels.

Lan Qiusheng sat quietly beside him, occasionally stealing glances at his tense profile.

The auction lasted for a full three hours.

When Gu Xingruo's villa appeared on the big screen, Xu Wen's back visibly straightened.

The villa in the photo looks just like I remember it: white exterior walls, red roof, and flowers blooming in the garden.

"Starting bid: 60 million."

"Sixty-five million." Xu Wen raised his paddle without hesitation.

The bidding quickly became intense.

When the price climbed to 80 million, fewer and fewer people followed suit and started bidding.

This has already exceeded the current market value of this villa.

"Ninety-two million," Xu Wen finally shouted out a price.

The auction hall was completely silent.

Ultimately, the villa was sold to Xu Wen for 92 million.

The subsequent auction proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

When that red Ferrari California appeared on the big screen, Xu Wen encountered almost no competition.

At 2.27 million, far below the market price, he took the car keys.

"The last item in the auction is a 2010 Land Rover Range Rover, with a starting bid of 50 yuan."

Xu Wen looked at the familiar black SUV on the screen, and the scene of the first time he and Gu Xingruo rode in this car came to mind.

This car had carried him and the young lady to various occasions countless times.

"Seven hundred and fifty thousand." Xu Wen directly stated his target price.

The moment the auctioneer brought down the gavel, Xu Wen felt a moment of disorientation.

The three items cost a total of over 100 million.

This amount of money is not insignificant even for Flash City right now.

But he was determined to do it, to protect what once belonged to Gu Xingruo.

As I walked out of the courthouse, the early spring sun was so bright it was hard to open my eyes.

Xu Wen stood on the steps, gazing at the gray sky in the distance, and suddenly said, "I want to go see that villa."

Lan Qiusheng nodded: "I'll go with you."

As the car entered the villa area, Xu Wen slowed down.

He was so familiar with every plant and tree here. He had driven Gu Xingruo home countless times, and he always slowed down at this corner because Gu Xingruo always said that going too fast would make her carsick.

The villa's iron gate was tightly closed, and a seal was affixed to it.

Xu Wen took out the key from the document bag obtained from the auction, and the seal was torn open with a ripping sound.

The moment the iron gate was pushed open, a damp, musty smell hit the door.

The weeds in the garden have grown to knee height, and the once carefully trimmed rose bushes are now tangled up in a mess.

The swimming pool was completely dry, with a layer of dead leaves accumulated at the bottom.

Xu Wen stood by the pool, and in a daze, he seemed to see Gu Xingruo wearing that red swimsuit, moving through the water like a mermaid.

"Want to go in and take a look?" Lan Qiusheng's voice pulled him back to reality.

Xu Wen nodded and took out another key.

The door creaked dully, and dust danced in the sunlight.

The furniture in the living room was covered with white sheets, which hadn't been lifted for a long time, and the whole room was filled with a strong musty smell.

Xu Wen lifted the dust cover off the piano, his fingers gently tracing the keys, producing a few disjointed notes.

"The pitch is all off," he muttered to himself.

Lan Qiusheng stood in the doorway, sunlight streaming in from behind her, casting a shadow on the floor.

She watched as Xu Wen carefully inspected each room, as if searching for some treasure.

When the door to the room on the second floor was pushed open, Xu Wen's breathing clearly faltered.

Gu Xingruo's perfume scent still lingered in the air, though it was very faint.

Several bottles of cosmetics were scattered on the dressing table, and a photo framed on the bedside table contained a picture of Gu Xingruo and Xu Wen.

Xu Wen picked up the photo frame and wiped the dust off it with his sleeve.

“She will definitely come back. When she sees that you have preserved everything so well, she will be very touched,” Lan Qiusheng suddenly said.

Xu Wen put the photo frame back in its place and turned around to find that Lan Qiusheng's eyes were a little red.

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

Lan Qiusheng forced a smile: "I'm fine, it just feels like everything here has been paused, and time has stopped on the day Ruoruo left."

Xu Wen walked to the window and pulled back the heavy curtains.

Sunlight streamed in, illuminating the floating dust.

A glass vase sat on the windowsill, its water long since evaporated, leaving only a few withered flower stems.

"I want to be alone for a while," Xu Wen suddenly said.

Lan Qiusheng nodded: "I'll wait for you in the car."

She turned and left with light steps, as if afraid of disturbing the sleeping villa.

Xu Wen sat on the edge of Gu Xingruo's bed, the mattress making a slight creaking sound.

He opened the drawer of the bedside table, inside which were several fashion magazines and a diary.

Xu Wen hesitated for a moment, but still picked up the leather-covered diary.

Turning to the first page, one sees Gu Xingruo's handwriting.

He didn't continue flipping through the pages, but instead put the diary back in its original place.

The wardrobe was full of clothes. Xu Wen's fingers traced over the expensive fabrics and finally stopped on a red dress.

This was Gu Xingruo's favorite dress; he had seen her twirl around in it countless times.

The skirt hem bloomed like a flower.

The sound of a car starting up came from downstairs.

Xu Wen walked to the window and saw Lan Qiusheng's car slowly drive away.

He took out his phone and sent her a message: "Thank you for your company."

The reply came quickly: "Always available, remember to eat lunch."

Xu Wen put away his phone and began to check the various facilities in the villa.

The water and electricity are still working, it just needs a thorough cleaning.

He called a housekeeping company and then went into the kitchen.

The refrigerator had been emptied, but there were still a few bags of coffee beans in the cupboard.

Xu Wen took out a packet, smelled it, and found that it had lost its fragrance.

He decided to come to the villa to clean once a week, starting today.

Everything Gu Xingruo liked had to be kept as it was; the garden had to be renovated, and the swimming pool had to be cleaned.

Xu Wen walked into the study, where Gu Hong's collection of fine wines was still neatly arranged in the wine cabinet.

He took out a bottle of whiskey and poured a small glass.

The alcohol burned in his throat as Xu Wen stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the desolate garden. Countless parties had been held here, and Gu Xingruo was always the most dazzling one in the crowd.

Now, all that remains is the rustling of the wind through the leaves.

The housekeeper arrived in the evening.

Xu Wen directed them to start cleaning from the living room, while he went to the garden.

He took out the scissors from his toolbox and began to trim the wildly growing roses.

The thorns cut his arm, but he didn't care.

Sweat soaked through his shirt, Xu Wen took off his coat and continued working.

When the phone rang again, it was already dark.

It was a photo of dinner sent by Lan Qiusheng, a plate of pasta that looked very tempting.

"I made one for you too, and I put it in the company fridge," the message read.

Xu Wen replied with a "thank you" emoji and continued pruning the last clump of roses.

Under the moonlight, his shadow was cast alone on the lawn.

The cleaning continued until late at night.

When the housekeeper left, the villa had been completely renovated.

Xu Wen paid them extra overtime pay, then locked the doors and windows and drove back to the city.

In the following weeks, Xu Wen's life took on a new routine.

Every Saturday morning, he would bring fresh bouquets and cleaning supplies to the villa.

Lan Qiusheng would sometimes accompany him, but most of the time he would tactfully give him space to be alone.

On the third Saturday of March, Xu Wen planted new roses in the villa's garden.

Lan Qiusheng squatted down beside him and handed him tools; both of their hands were covered in mud.

“This pink one is Ruoruo’s favorite variety,” Xu Wen explained, carefully placing the seedling into the dug hole.

Lan Qiusheng nodded and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve: "She'll like it."

Xu Wen did not respond, but continued with his work.

The two silently finished planting all the roses, then sat down to rest on lounge chairs by the pool.

The pool has been refilled and shimmers in the sunlight.

“I’ve ordered a new pool cleaning system, and it will be installed next week,” Xu Wen said softly.

Lan Qiusheng took a sip of lemonade: "You really put your heart into it."

“This is what she deserves. Gu Hong didn’t leave her much, so I’ll at least help her keep these things.” Xu Wen gazed at the distant scenery.

Lan Qiusheng suddenly stood up: "I'll go to the kitchen and see what we can make for lunch."

Her voice trembled slightly as she quickly walked into the villa.

Xu Wen watched her retreating figure and sighed softly.

He knew Lan Qiusheng's feelings, and he also knew that he couldn't give her all his love.

Lunch was simple; Lan Qiusheng made sandwiches using ingredients from the refrigerator.

The two sat in the restaurant, sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the gleaming tabletop.

"How's the testing of FlashCity's new app going?" Xu Wen asked, trying to change the subject.

Lan Qiusheng swallowed the food in his mouth: "It went very smoothly, and it will be online next week."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "You don't need to do that."

"how?"

“We can eat quietly without having to find topics to talk about,” Lan Qiusheng said softly but firmly.

Xu Wen put down his fork: "It wasn't exactly trying to find a topic of conversation."

“I know, I know you still have her in your heart. I’m okay, really.” Lan Qiusheng interrupted him.

The two fell silent for a moment.

Birdsong could be heard in the distance, and the automatic sprinkler system in the garden started working, with water droplets forming tiny rainbows in the sunlight.

In April, Xu Wen still hadn't received any news that Gu Xingruo was coming back.

However, he continued to maintain the villa.

This time he brought a new photo album, and organized all the photos scattered in Gu Xingruo's room and put them into the album.

The cosmetics on his dressing table had expired, but he still arranged them neatly.

The clothes in the closet were all taken out to air dry, and when they were hung back up, they smelled of sunshine.

When Lan Qiusheng arrived, Xu Wen was organizing Gu Hong's collection of books in the study.

"Do you need any help?" she asked, standing in the doorway.

Xu Wen nodded: "I want to take these books out to air them out and then do some preservation."

The two worked quietly for the entire afternoon.

By the time the last book was returned to its place, the sun had already set.

Lan Qiusheng stretched and accidentally knocked over a photo frame on the table.

"I'm sorry!" She hurriedly picked it up and found it was a photo of Gu Xingruo when she was a child.

In the photo, Gu Xingruo is pouting, looking unhappy.

Xu Wen took the photo frame and gently wiped it: "It's alright."

Lan Qiusheng watched as he carefully put the photo frame back in its place and suddenly said, "She is very lucky to have someone like you waiting for her."

Xu Wen shook his head: "I'm lucky."

As time passed, the villa's garden was revitalized.

Xu Wen recorded every detail of each maintenance in his diary.

"The swimming pool filter was replaced on March 15th."

"The garden was tidied up on April 3rd."

"On April 18, workers were asked to inspect the roof."

As summer approached, Xu Wen planted another tree in the villa's garden.

He placed a small gift box under the tree.

Inside was a car key.

That Ferrari has been fully inspected and is ready to go on the road at any time.

During the Labor Day holiday, Lan Qiusheng visited my home with gifts.

Dai Guizhen has become increasingly accustomed to her arrival, and she stays alone in the kitchen, busy with her work.

Xu Wen and Lan Qiusheng sat on the sofa, very close to each other.

"Any news about her?" Lan Qiusheng asked softly.

Xu Wen shook his head: "No, but I know she will come back."

Lan Qiusheng took a sip of water from his glass: "I believe it."

After May, the temperature gradually rises, and summer is just around the corner.

Xu Wen recalled that at this time last year, Gu Xingruo was still in Linjiang, and the two of them were busy with the affairs of Shancheng.

Another summer is coming.

Flash City is becoming more and more stable. Xu Wen and everything that once belonged to Gu Xingruo are firmly in their hands, just waiting for her to come back.

Just as the two were in silence, Xu Wen's phone suddenly rang, displaying an unfamiliar number.

As soon as he answered, a thick Northeastern accent came from the other end: "Hey, where are you? Where did Gu Xingruo go? I still can't get in touch with her."

Although the other party did not introduce themselves, Xu Wen recognized Cao Yanan's voice.

Judging from what she said, Gu Xingruo did not tell her best friend the truth before leaving, and she has not contacted her best friend during this time.

Xu Wen quickly asked, "Where are you?"

"I'm at Gu Xingruo's bar."

"Wait here, I'm coming to find you."

Upon hearing this news, Xu Wen immediately realized something: he hadn't dealt with Gu Xingruo's bar yet.

I wonder how this bar is doing now that it's been without a boss for so long.

(End of this chapter)