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

Chapter 439 Do you dare to see him now?

Seeing her best friend crying, Cao Yanan gently patted her shoulder.

She sighed deeply, and before Gu Xingruo could react, she dragged her toward the bar entrance without saying a word.

The wind and snow were kept behind them.

Loud music and the smell of alcohol and cigarettes hit you.

The heat wave melted the thin layer of snow on Gu Xingruo's face instantly.

All that remained was a damp, cold, and disheveled scene.

"Let's go! Let me show you if your empire is still standing!" Cao Yanan's voice was still filled with anger.

However, the anger gradually subsided.

Gone was the uncontrolled roar in the snow just now; only an undeniable toughness remained.

She practically dragged Gu Xingruo into this once-familiar space.

Behind the bar, the young bartender who had been skillfully wiping the crystal glasses looked up.

He saw Gu Xingruo being pulled in by Cao Yanan, and his hand suddenly stopped moving.

His eyes widened instantly, his mouth opened unconsciously, and he blurted out, "Boss?"

The title was not grand, but it was not drowned out by the noisy music; rather, it was like a pebble thrown into a lake.

Several waiters who were wiping tables and setting fruit platters nearby all turned to look when they heard the noise.

The air seemed to freeze for a second. The music was still blaring, but the small area behind the bar fell into an eerie silence.

Those gazes were filled with shock, curiosity, and a hint of cautious greeting.

No one immediately surrounded them; they simply stopped what they were doing and silently watched their boss, who had disappeared for over four hundred days, as if he had vanished into thin air.

Gu Xingruo felt a tightness in her throat.

She instinctively tried to avoid those gazes, her body stiffened slightly, and she stopped in her tracks.

Cao Yanan ignored all of that. She released Gu Xingruo's wrist and walked back behind the bar in a few steps.
He then deftly picked up a wine glass, bent down and scooped a full spoonful of crystal-clear ice from the freezer, pouring it all into the bottom of the glass.

The entire process was smooth and fluid, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Without even glancing at Gu Xingruo, she deftly pulled an unopened bottle of whiskey from the liquor shelf.

I uncorked the bottle and poured about half a glass of it directly over the ice.

"Here, calm your nerves, look at you like that." She placed the wine glass on the bar in front of Gu Xingruo.

The golden liquid sloshed on the ice.

Gu Xingruo's gaze swept around her with a somewhat blank expression.

The band on stage was playing a rock song she used to love.

The old record player in the corner still had its light on.

On the photo wall, a picture of her with a moderately famous DJ is still pinned in a prominent position.

The edges of the photo appear to have been carefully cleaned, and there is no dust.

Everything seemed unchanged, even the distinctive smell of alcohol mixed with tobacco in the air was exactly the same.

But the person standing behind the bar was no longer her, but Cao Yanan.

A brand-new electronic display screen is nailed to the wall to the side of the bar.

The display showed real-time updates of beverage inventory and order information, something that hadn't been there before she left.

"Don't just stand there, sit down!" Cao Yanan pointed with her chin at the high stool next to her, then dragged one over and sat down herself.

She picked up the crystal glass she hadn't finished wiping and continued what she was doing, her tone flat: "As you can see, it didn't go bankrupt, nor was it run away with the money. The money you left behind was enough to last for more than half a year."

Gu Xingruo mechanically sat on the bar stool, only regaining a sense of reality when her fingers touched the cold glass.

She picked up her glass, the spicy liquor sliding down her throat, bringing a burning sensation and also forcing back the soreness that welled up in her eyes again.

"And then?" Her voice was a little hoarse.

"Later? Money always runs out eventually." Cao Yanan shrugged, put down the cleaned cup, and picked up another one. "Your Mr. Xu, probably when you had been out of contact for almost a year, found someone. Not the kind of management company that just takes money, but a professional management team that really knows their stuff and can get things done. We signed a formal contract, and the money came from his side."

She paused for a moment, glanced at Gu Xingruo, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "The people have arrived, the rules have been followed, the equipment that needed updating has been updated, the wine list that needed optimization has been optimized, the supply chain has been reorganized, and some personnel adjustments have been made, however..."

She quickly changed the subject, continuing mysteriously, "There are some things they haven't changed, like the stage style and musical taste. The new proposals submitted by the manager have all been rejected. Xu Wen's message was simple: follow the rules from when the boss was in charge."

Gu Xingruo tightened her grip on the wine glass.

Xu Wen.

The name felt like a red-hot branding iron, making her heart clench.

She lowered her eyes and stared at the wine in her glass.

Tiny bubbles from the melting ice inside are quietly rising and bursting.

The bar remained noisy.

But this noise seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier.

All that remained were Cao Yanan's words and the sound of her own heartbeat.

Seeing her fall silent, Cao Yanan didn't continue the topic.

She simply wiped the glasses quietly, one after another.

Time slipped away little by little amidst the music and the sloshing of the wine.

Gu Xingruo slowly finished her drink, but the cold alcohol failed to extinguish the turbulent emotions in her heart.

Instead, it made the shell that concealed bewilderment and tension even clearer.

After an unknown amount of time, when Cao Yanan hung the last gleaming wine glass back on the rack, she clapped her hands, as if she had completed a task.

She walked around the bar and stood next to Gu Xingruo, who was still looking down. Her tone left no room for argument: "Alright, you've had your drinks and seen the place. Come with me."

"Where to?" Gu Xingruo suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with a hint of wariness and confusion.

Cao Yanan didn't answer, but bent down and pulled out one of her own thick black down jackets from under the bar, then threw it at Gu Xingruo: "Put this on! You might as well freeze to death!"

Then she grabbed the car keys and a short leather jacket hanging on the coat hook next to her, and put them on neatly. "Stop talking nonsense, I'm taking you somewhere."

Gu Xingruo held the down jacket, hesitating and not moving.

She could guess where Cao Yanan was going to take her.

The thought made her heart pound, and fear instantly overwhelmed her.

She's not ready, not even close.

"I...I dare not see him, Ya Nan." Her voice was low, trembling slightly, almost pleading.

This is completely different from the carefree and unrestrained young lady she used to be.

Cao Yanan had already put on her coat.

Upon hearing this, she stopped and turned around, placing her hands on her hips.

"Who said you have to go see him now? You coward! I'm telling you to go see what he's done for you while you were gone! After you see it, you can decide for yourself what to do!" Her tone was firm, with a hint of disappointment. "Are you coming or not? If not, I'll carry you out!"

Gu Xingruo was eventually squeezed into the passenger seat of Cao Yanan's Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

I don't even know when it came from home.

She shouted, "We can't go! You're driving under the influence!"

Cao Yanan ignored her completely.

After getting into the car, she said calmly, "At a time like this, you still care whether I'm drunk driving or not? Don't worry, I didn't drink tonight."

The engine let out a deep roar, and the car plunged into the still snowy night.

The heating was on very high, and it felt a little hot on my face.

Gu Xingruo wrapped her oversized down jacket tighter around her and curled up in the seat.

She turned her head to look at the street rushing past outside the window.

Everything around us is now covered in a blanket of white, a scene that is extremely rare in Linjiang.

Gu Xingruo liked the current scene very much.

Unfortunately, the snow in Linjiang could only last for one night.

The familiar road leads to an upscale villa district on the other side of the city.

She could drive that road with her eyes closed.

Neither of the two people in the car spoke.

Cao Yanan drove with focused attention, her fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel in time with the deep rock drumbeats from the car stereo.

Gu Xingruo's mind was in complete chaos.

Various thoughts collided back and forth.

The car eventually turned onto the quiet tree-lined avenue.

Villas of different styles stand quietly in the night and under the snow.

Cao Yanan slowly stopped in front of Gu Xingruo's familiar white villa.

The moment the car lights went out, the world seemed to fall into a deeper silence.

Only snowflakes fell silently in the dim glow of the streetlights.

A uniform layer of white was applied to the withered rose bushes and smooth lawn in the courtyard.

The outline of the villa appeared somewhat hazy in the snowy night, yet it was also incredibly clear in Gu Xingruo's eyes.

The front door was tightly closed, and the familiar European-style wall lamp above the door emitted a soft light.

Everything was exactly the same as before she left. In fact, it was even cleaner and more organized.

The overgrown weeds that reached knee-high were gone, and the dried-up swimming pool was covered with snow.

The stone path in the courtyard had been swept clean, and the snow was neatly piled on both sides.

Gu Xingruo felt a strong sense of unreality.

"Get out of the car." Cao Yanan's voice broke the silence.

She was the first to push open the door and go downstairs, her boots crunching crisply on the snow.

Gu Xingruo took a deep breath of the cold, snowy air and pushed open the car door.

As my feet touched the soft snow, a chill instantly crept up through the thin soles of my shoes.

But at that moment she felt no cold, only nervousness.

Cao Yanan went straight into the villa and then walked to the familiar electronic combination lock next to the gate.

Instead of entering a password, she took a brass key out of her leather jacket pocket.

It was then inserted into an inconspicuous spare mechanical lock hole next to it.

A soft "click" sounded particularly clear in the quiet snowy night.

She pushed hard, and the heavy iron gate opened with a thud.

A familiar yet unfamiliar aura wafted over me.

It wasn't the damp, musty, dusty smell I expected, but rather a clean, cool fragrance.

Gu Xingruo's breath caught in her throat.

She stood frozen at the doorway, as if nailed to the spot by that familiar smell.

Cao Yanan strode inside and expertly turned on the entryway light.

The warm yellow light poured down instantly, illuminating the spotless floor.

The painting on the wall was still hanging there, without a speck of dust.

"What are you dawdling for? Come in!" Cao Yanan called out as she turned around, her tone somewhat impatient, but a hint of tension was hidden deep in her eyes.

Gu Xingruo seemed to be pulled by an invisible thread, taking a step with her somewhat stiff legs.

Step by step, I stepped into this "home" that I had been away from for more than 400 days.

The full-length mirror in the entryway reflected her pale, dazed face.

She looked away, unable to bear it any longer.

Everything in the living room was illuminated by the lights.

The off-white sofa was covered with a clean dust cover.

The curtains of the huge French windows were drawn back, revealing a snow-covered courtyard outside.

The heavy, antique grandfather clock above the fireplace ticked quietly, making a regular, rhythmic sound.

Her favorite stereo stood quietly in the corner, without a speck of dust on it.

Everything was meticulously maintained.

Time seems to have been paused here, or perhaps carefully turned back to the point before she left.

Even the air maintains a sense of cleanliness and order, as if the owner is only going out briefly.

This ordinariness made Gu Xingruo feel an overwhelming sense of suffocation.

“See?” Cao Yanan’s voice broke the silence in the empty living room.

She stood at the edge of the rug in the center of the living room and casually kicked a slightly raised spot on the edge of the rug with the tip of her boot.

There was a small piece of dark-colored dust cloth covering it.

Cao Yanan bent down and ripped off the cloth.

Below is a square, embedded safe.

The door is made of heavy metal and looks very sturdy.

The safe had no fancy decorations on its surface, except for a small sticker below the combination lock.

The stickers feature somewhat childish cartoon designs.

A little girl with pigtails and wearing a puffy skirt.

He was clutching an oversized key tightly in his hand, with a few words scrawled beside it.

"Ruoruo's Treasure Chest".

That was something Gu Xingruo proudly pasted up when she was in elementary school.

I wanted to tear it up countless times afterward, but I thought it was too childish. However, I always gave up because I was too lazy or forgot.

It's still there!
The edges are worn and curled by time, and the color is somewhat faded, yet it still sticks firmly to the spot.

Gu Xingruo's vision blurred instantly.

She stared intently at the small sticker, as if she could see the carefree little girl who once thought the whole world was her treasure.

Cao Yanan didn't look at her, but skillfully turned the old-fashioned mechanical keypad a few times.

Finally, with a soft click, the latch popped open.

Cao Yanan gripped the heavy handle and forcefully pulled open the heavy safe door.

There were no documents, jewelry, or cash inside as expected.

In the vast space, only a small jewelry box, no bigger than the palm of your hand, lay quietly.

Cao Yanan reached out and took out the small box.

She turned and walked towards Gu Xingruo, who was still standing frozen in the entryway.

Cao Yanan stopped in front of Gu Xingruo.

Without any further words or explanations, he simply shoved the box into Gu Xingruo's cold, stiff hands.

The box is very light and has a delicate, cool feel.

Gu Xingruo's fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

She lowered her head, her vision blurred, and she could only see the black of the box.

She took a deep breath to barely suppress the turmoil of emotions churning in her chest.

With her other, equally trembling hand, she carefully opened the box.

There were no dazzling diamonds or lustrous pearls in the box.

There is only one key.

Silver metal, streamlined silhouette.

The image of a leaping horse on the key handle instantly shattered all of Gu Xingruo's defenses.

It's the key to her Ferrari!
The grievances, fears, confusion, and sense of homelessness that had accumulated over four hundred days and nights.

And the protection that is now embodied by this cold key.

All emotions erupted like a volcano that had been detonated!
Gu Xingruo gripped the key tightly, the cold metal digging deep into her palm, bringing a sharp pain.

She could no longer hold on, and her body slid softly down the cold entryway cabinet, curling up on the clean floor, her forehead pressed against the equally cold cabinet door.

Hot tears streamed down her face, falling in large drops onto the floor.

Her shoulders heaved violently, and the sobs that had been suppressed for so long finally broke free of her throat.

It was no longer the apologetic sobbing she had when she faced Cao Yanan in the snow.

Instead, it was a heart-wrenching, unrestrained outpouring of emotions.

The sound of crying echoed in the spacious and warm villa.

He protected her.

She held onto the house that she once thought was a prison, but which eventually became her only place of refuge.

She protected the car that she once considered a symbol of freedom.

She preserved the bar that she had started on a whim but into which she poured her dreams.

They preserved all traces of her existence in this city.

He preserved her "home" intact in time.

Waiting for a master whose return even he himself doesn't know if.

Cao Yanan neither helped her up nor said anything.

She stood to the side, looking down at Gu Xingruo, who was curled up on the ground.

Only Gu Xingruo's heart-wrenching sobs filled the living room, along with the silent snow falling outside the window.

The crying seemed to have exhausted all its strength, gradually becoming hoarse and weak, until finally only intermittent sobs remained.

She remained curled up there, motionless.

A long time passed, so long that Gu Xingruo's sobs became weak and numb.

So long that she almost became one with the cold floor beneath her.

Cao Yanan moved slightly, slowly squatting down.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the empty living room.

"Do you dare to see him now?"

(End of this chapter)