Night Fire Lingering

The living room was empty, with only the neon lights from outside the window shining in, making the shadow of Gu Yanci's laptop faintly visible on the coffee table.

Wen Yan went out, but didn't see anyone in the living room, so she headed towards the study.

The study door was half open.

Wen Yan turned to the side and saw a tall figure lying on the tatami bed. The 1.2-meter-wide bed was just right for her to sleep on, but Gu Yanci looked a bit cramped and even a little ridiculous when he lay down on it.

Wen Yan quietly retreated.

The man opened his eyes a second after she left.

Gu Yanci turned slightly to the side, half of his face completely touching the blanket Wen Yan had used a few days ago. His breath was filled with her scent, which temporarily filled the emptiness in his heart that had been there for several days.

-

Even a direct flight from Beijing to Los Angeles takes more than ten hours.

The next morning, Wen Yan packed her luggage quickly and pushed her suitcase out of the bedroom, only to find the man who was supposed to go to the company still standing in the living room.

He wasn't dressed in a suit and tie today, but rather in casual clothes, standing on the balcony, making a phone call in one hand and holding a cigar in the other.

Hearing Wen Yan's voice, he turned around, glanced at her, then extinguished his cigar and said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Just the two of us, my wife and I. Thank you."

When Wen Yan heard him say "my wife," she tilted her head and looked at him in confusion: "What?"

Gu Yanci glanced at her suitcase and said, "The flight is booked for two hours later."

"You're going too?" Wen Yan took a couple of seconds to react. He had already booked the tickets. You had just said there were two people on the phone.

"Mrs. Gu, the other party invited my wife and me," Gu Yanci reminded her.

"..." Wen Yan had a 'you're the CEO, you're something else' look on her face. "Yes, yes, I'm benefiting from your success."

Her sarcastic demeanor was quite endearing, so Gu Yanci wasn't angry. He said, "You never attend events as 'Mrs. Gu,' so how would others know who you are?"

"Do you think I'm stupid? I can go in if I have an invitation!" Wen Yan retorted.

If we take a step back, Gu Yanci only needs to inform the organizers, and they will know Wen Yan's identity as Mrs. Gu.

Gu Yanci asked leisurely, "Why do you think that is?"

Why should I go to Los Angeles with her?

Wen Yan pursed her lips but did not answer.

……

Zhou Qi waited for Gu Yanci in the airport VIP lounge with several documents. His usually smiling face, befitting an outstanding assistant, could no longer hide his helplessness.

“President Gu, these documents are quite urgent and require your decision.” Zhou Qi handed the documents to Gu Yanci as he spoke. “In addition, you have two meetings this afternoon. I will connect you to them online. Before the meetings, the reports you need to review have been sent to your email.”

With such a packed schedule, Wen Yan felt overwhelmed just thinking about it.

She felt guilty for taking up the CEO's precious time, which was paid by the second, and said to Gu Yanci, "Why don't you not go? Assistant Zhou accompanied you to the United States before, so people there should know him. Why don't you have him come with me?"

—If you absolutely have to have someone with you.

Zhou Qi: "?"

Gu Yanci glanced at Zhou Qi expressionlessly.

Zhou Qi gave Wen Yan a look that said, "Holy crap, boss lady, don't get me into this mess!" and waved his hand, saying, "No, no, no! Madam, I can't do it, I'm socially awkward, and I'm a homebody!"

Wen Yan: "?"

WTF?

Are you speaking human language?

Just before boarding, Gu Yanci finished reading several documents and gave Zhou Qi feedback.

Because of Wen Yan's "understanding" suggestion, Zhou Qi didn't dare to say another word, for fear that Wen Yan would say again, "Why don't you come with me, Assistant Zhou?"

Then he can really resign on the spot and prove his innocence!

……

Time was too tight, and the private jet route couldn't be approved in time, so we had to take a commercial flight. Fortunately, the first-class environment was quite nice.

Gu Yanci remained silent throughout the journey, and after sitting down, he turned on his computer and began working.

Across the corridor, Wen Yan glanced at him a few times and realized that he really didn't intend to pay any attention to her.

"Are you angry?" Wen Yan asked, since Gu Yanci was the one who helped her get to the charity event.

The man paused for two seconds, looked at her, and answered clearly, "No."

But that expression clearly showed that she was angry.

Wen Yan said "Oh," and then added, "Then you can just sulk by yourself."

Gu Yanci: "..."

Wen Yan felt that suggesting Zhou Qi accompany them was a highly feasible proposal, since the company's top decisions were inseparable from Gu Yanci. However, after Zhou Qi refused, she could understand why Gu Yanci was unhappy.

He's been unusually clingy to her these days, clearly trying to make amends. Her words sound like she's pushing him away in front of his subordinates.

The flight attendant came to ask about drinks.

Wen Yan pointed to Gu Yanci next door and said, "Give him a glass of lemonade; he likes sour things."

The flight attendant paused, then looked questioningly at the handsome, aloof passenger next to her: "Sir, you..."

"My wife was just joking," Gu Yanci said. "A cup of coffee, please."

"Okay, please wait a moment." The flight attendant immediately smiled, with a look of 'I've stumbled,' and turned to ask Wen Yan, "Madam, what would you like to drink?"

"..." Wen Yan said, "Plain water is fine, thank you."

This back-and-forth broke the slightly tense atmosphere.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I suddenly wanted to go to this charity event?" Wen Yan rolled her eyes and glanced at the man beside her.

"Why?" Gu Yanci asked this time, very cooperatively.

Okay, I'm not angry anymore.

Wen Yan scoffed, opened her tablet, and started reading literature, not wanting to tell him anymore.

A helpless smile flashed in Gu Yanci's eyes.

Having not slept well last night, Wen Yan quickly became drowsy.

When she woke up again, the seat had been reclined, and she was lying flat in the cabin, covered with a thin blanket. The reading light above her head was off, and she was in a semi-dim state.

Wen Yan sat up, feeling somewhat dazed. Through the semi-enclosed partition, she saw that the light was still on in Gu Yanci's seat next to her. Gu Yanci was wearing headphones, and the screen displayed a PPT presentation and video footage.

He is in a video conference.

The flight attendant came over and quietly asked Wen Yan if she needed anything.

Wen Yan shook her head.

The flight attendant bent down and whispered even more softly, "Your husband changed your seat and personally covered you with the blanket. He cares about you a lot!"

“…Thank you.” Wen Yan blinked, feeling somewhat unfamiliar with these words.

As far as I can remember, this is the first time someone has said that Gu Yanci cares about her.

-

Zhou Qi arranged for someone to pick him up from the airport.

As soon as Gu Yanci and Wen Yan arrived at the airport, they were taken to the hotel. Then, the styling studio came to find Wen Yan with photos of the dresses.

Wen Yan selected several dresses using the 3D images on the tablet, took her measurements, and then chose jewelry. Afterward, the stylist left and said that he would come back tomorrow with dresses, jewelry, and a tailor to style Wen Yan again.

"Actually, there's no need to make such a big fuss." Wen Yan didn't want to show off.

Gu Yanci suddenly asked, "Wen Zhizhi, who do you want to see?"