The abandoned daughter of the Lu family turns around and marries a celibate tycoon.

The phone screen stubbornly lit up in the dim light, reflecting the message notifications that kept popping up from Jin Qiqi.

Lu Xiran was both embarrassed and anxious, trying to pull her hand away from his palm. Gu Yanshen was annoyed by the continuous vibration and reached out to close the phone screen.

Just as he flipped his phone over, the newly popped-up WeChat preview on the lock screen stared directly into his eyes:

Jin Qiqi: [Did you find out?]

Jin Qiqi: [Is he gay or not?]

Gu Yanshen's movements froze instantly.

Some previously overlooked details now surge back like a tide, connecting into a clear narrative—her decisiveness when she first proposed the contract, the bewilderment and confusion she revealed when she occasionally showed him affection, her cautiousness in repeatedly confirming "Will this bother you too much?"...

And her words, which she had once spoken, now echoed in his ears with unparalleled clarity:

"Perhaps you don't need a wife, but you need someone who can nominally help you deal with things."

"That medicine won't work for you either!"

It turned out to be the case.

It turns out that in her heart, she always thought that she liked men.

That's why she dared to stay "safely" by his side, accepting his protection without hesitation, and even allowing those ambiguous advances. Because she never saw him as an ordinary man who would have desires or feelings for her.

Gu Yanshen slowly released his grip.

Lu Xiran was able to breathe again. She looked up at him somewhat blankly, her eyes still moist and shy.

"So," Gu Yanshen's voice sounded unusually calm, even carrying a hint of self-deprecating laughter, "you always thought I liked difficult things?"

"Ah..." Lu Xiran subconsciously wanted to shake her head to deny it, but the shock and panic on her face that she hadn't had time to hide had already betrayed her true thoughts.

"Heh..." He chuckled very softly, but the laughter did not reach his eyes.

He took a step back, completely widening the ambiguous and anxious distance between them, and turned to walk towards his room.

Go to bed early.

Her voice was devoid of any emotion, yet it made Lu Xiran more uneasy than any deliberate indifference.

She stood there helplessly, looking at the door he had closed.

He's angry...

He must be angry.

Lu Xiran lingered outside Gu Yanshen's room for nearly five minutes, raising and lowering her fingers repeatedly.

She didn't know how to explain, let alone how to appease him.

In the end, she quietly returned to her room.

Pick up your phone and send a message to the culprit: "I've gotten myself into trouble."

Jin Qiqi replied instantly: 【What's wrong? What's wrong?!】

Could he really be?!

"That's impossible! I swear on my vast experience judging people, the way he looked at you was definitely not innocent!"

Did you even try it as I told you to?

Lu Xiran bit her lip and slowly typed: [Jin Qiqi... he just saw your WeChat message...]

The other side fell silent instantly.

A few seconds later, the message cautiously popped up: "...He's such an arrogant person, is he angry?"

Hmm. What should we do?

Jin Qiqi sent a "throat-slitting" emoji, followed by: 【Offering myself in return.】

Lu Xiran's cheeks flushed, and she held her phone to her chest.

[I'm serious,] Jin Qiqi sent another message, [When dealing with men, actions speak louder than words.]

Lu Xiran didn't reply. She opened her chat window with Gu Yanshen and sent all the pitiful apology emojis in her collection.

—It sank without a trace.

Gu Yanshen stood under the shower, letting the cold water wash over his body, trying to suppress the turbulent restlessness and inexplicable bitterness in his heart.

After drying his hair, he picked up his phone. The screen was covered with apology emojis sent by Lu Xiran—from crying cat emojis to kneeling figures, all sorts of them.

His fingertip hovered above the screen, almost landing a reply, but he stopped. He was afraid that if he spoke, he would be tempted to go to her room and drag that overthinking little one out to continue the conversation.

The slight unease that had just subsided seemed to be rekindling.

He closed his eyes.

Forget it.

Let her think that

—He's still angry.

When Lu Xiran woke up the next day, Gu Yanshen had already left.

She stopped waiting for his reply and instead started searching for tips on poses, backgrounds, and outfits for couple photos, which she then sent to him.

Gu Yanshen was in his office when his phone screen lit up intermittently, notifying him of new messages he was following. He tapped on one, and a faint smile unconsciously curved his lips.

Meanwhile, Lu Xiran was discussing business strategies with Aunt Lu at Yunyuji to deal with the redevelopment of the suburban land.

Before the words were finished, a clear and gentle voice rang out from the doorway:

"slowly."

Lu Xiran turned around at the sound. Backlit, Xie Si'an stood tall. After a year apart, the clear, youthful air he once possessed had settled, replaced by a more reserved and composed demeanor. His gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses remained as focused and gentle as ever.

"Brother Si'an?" Lu Xiran was a little surprised and stood up.

"I thought you might be here, so I came to check." Xie Si'an approached, carrying an elegant dark blue velvet box and a meticulously preserved architectural model. He gently placed the items on the table in front of her. "You've been looking for Gabriel's early manuscripts and the original concept model of the 'Garden of Light.' I happened to find them at a private collector's in America."

Lu Xiran's eyes lit up instantly. She carefully opened the box, revealing yellowed but perfectly preserved hand-drawn drawings. She then looked at the perfectly proportioned white model, her fingertips gently tracing its smooth curves, her voice filled with surprise: "Brother Si'an, how did you find this? It's so precious!"

"I'm glad you like it." A faint smile appeared on Xie Si'an's lips, a smile that reached her eyes, so gentle it almost overflowed.

Lu Xiran held the model, examining it closely, clearly enamored with it, but her reason quickly returned. She bit her lip and gently pushed the item back slightly: "Brother Si'an, thank you for remembering. But this... is too precious, I really can't accept it."

Xie Si'an's eyes dimmed slightly, but she didn't insist: "It should belong to someone who knows how to appreciate it. Putting it here would be a waste."

Just then, a little girl, about five or six years old, with pigtails, ran past, giggling, and crashed into Lu Xiran!

"Watch out!" Lu Xiran instinctively turned to the side, her first reaction being to protect the models and manuscripts on the table in her arms.

She lost her balance and staggered backward.

Xie Si'an's expression changed, and he quickly stepped forward, stretching out his long arm to steadily support her back and arms.

From a certain angle behind him, his arm was wrapped around Lu Xiran, which was half-encircling her in his arms. The two were very close, and her hair even gently brushed against his chin.

"Click."

A very faint shutter sound rang out, almost drowned out by the noise of the street.

The photo was sent to Gu Yanshen.