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

Lu Xiran gently closed the bedroom door, her back pressed against the cold door panel, before letting the mixed feelings of loss and bewilderment slowly creep up on her.

She is his fiancée.

Why did you hide just now?

Even if something does happen, wouldn't it be a natural and inevitable outcome?

But why, when she saw the two words "Zhihe" on the screen and his sudden change in expression, did she feel a sense of guilt and helplessness, almost as if she had been caught red-handed?

She walked to the bedside, sat down, picked up her phone, and swiped her finger across the screen of photos taken that evening.

In the photo, Gu Yanshen's eyes were gentler than she had ever seen before, his smile was genuine and unguarded, and his arm around her was filled with a burning possessiveness.

Every frame seems to silently convey a certain intimate affection.

There were a few moments when she almost truly believed that he loved her.

His scalding breath, his burning body temperature, the flames in his eyes that seemed to consume her... those surging emotions, so real, how could they be fake?

However, a phone call from "Zhihe" instantly froze all the rising heat and abruptly woke her from her brief reverie.

Gu Yanshen, a man who is used to controlling everything and never shows his emotions, actually showed such obvious shock and seriousness because of a woman's call... Doesn't this explain everything?

In addition, there were Su Lan's meaningful words...

Lu Xiran hugged her knees, burying her burning cheeks in them, her mind churning with all sorts of chaotic and disordered speculations.

The more I thought about it, the tighter my heart felt, and a series of subtle and unfamiliar sour feelings welled up inside me.

Gu Yanshen stared at his continuously vibrating phone, the two characters "Zhihe" flashing persistently on the screen.

On the eighth ring, he finally pressed the answer button.

"I knew it... you wouldn't really abandon me." The woman's voice on the other end of the line was soft and familiar.

"What is it?" Gu Yanshen's voice was devoid of emotion.

"I'm at the airport. It's so cold outside... Yan Shen, will you come pick me up?" Song Zhihe's voice was low, hoarse from the long flight, and had a natural, pitiful vulnerability.

"I'm busy."

"Then I'll wait for you here until you have time." Her tone was stubborn.

"I'll send Lin Chen over."

"No," she refused quickly. "I only want you to come."

"Song Zhihe," Gu Yanshen pinched the bridge of his nose, "I have already..."

"But it hasn't happened yet, has it?" Song Zhihe interrupted him, her voice carrying a hint of pleading that was barely perceptible, yet subtly measured. "You said it yourself, Gu Yanshen, you would never abandon me."

She paused, then spoke each word clearly and slowly: "I'll wait for you here. I won't leave no matter who comes."

"If you want to see me stranded at the airport late at night and make headlines tomorrow, you can simply ignore me."

After saying that, she hung up the phone decisively.

Gu Yanshen held his phone, and the screen went dark.

He knew Song Zhihe too well—she was proud, willful, used to being pampered by fame and fortune and the spotlight, and also lacked a sense of security to the point of being obsessive.

She does what she says.

The hesitation lasted only a moment.

He finally picked up his coat and walked towards the door.

Lu Xiran's door was not closed completely, leaving a crack.

When she heard footsteps, she couldn't help herself.

"Uncle?"

Gu Yanshen was putting on his shoes. Hearing this, he paused, but didn't turn around to look at her. "Not asleep yet?"

"You...are you going out?" Lu Xiran's voice was very soft, with a cautiousness that she herself did not realize.

"Okay. Get some rest." He still didn't look at her, his voice calm and expressionless.

"Will you come back tonight..." Lu Xiran's fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.

"Don't wait for me." He finally straightened up, his hand on the doorknob, his profile appearing somewhat hard in the dim light of the entryway. "Go to sleep early."

She still didn't answer her question.

The door was closed gently, the sound of the latch locking was particularly clear in the quiet of the night.

Lu Xiran stood there, staring at the closed door, a deep sense of powerlessness washing over her like a tidal wave.

They had clearly agreed that it was just a contract, but she ended up getting deeply entangled in it first.

He merely showed her a vague interest and tenderness, yet she presumptuously believed that she could truly become the one and only in his life.

Perhaps it was all just wishful thinking on her part.

The airport plaza was chilly in the early morning.

Based on the location, Gu Yanshen quickly found Song Zhihe crouching in the corner. She was wearing a large fisherman's hat and a mask, which almost completely hid her face, revealing only a pair of bright eyes that were still visible even in the dim light.

She hugged herself, trembling slightly, but her squatting posture still carried an elegant balance ingrained in her bones by years of training, like a swan temporarily folding its wings.

Gu Yanshen strode over and draped the thick down jacket he had brought over her shoulders, his voice still devoid of warmth: "Let's go."

Song Zhihe raised her head, and her eyes under the brim of her hat instantly lit up, glistening with tears. "I knew... you wouldn't abandon me." Two lines of clear tears slid down her pale cheeks, making her look especially pitiful in the cold night.

The heating in the carriage had just been turned on, and a thin layer of white fog covered the windows, blurring the empty and cold airport scene outside.

Gu Yanshen stared straight ahead, focusing intently on steering the car out of the parking lot. His profile appeared somewhat hard in the flickering light and shadow. "Where am I taking you?" he repeated the question from before, his tone flat.

"Your home." Song Zhihe blurted out almost without thinking, her eyes following him intently. "Yan Shen, you're all I have left."

"Don't joke around." Gu Yanshen turned on his turn signal, his tone calm. "I'll take you back to Chenyu."

"That place..." Song Zhihe's eyes dimmed for a moment, "It's been uninhabited for too long, and it wasn't cleaned beforehand."

"Then let's go to the hotel," Gu Yanshen said, offering the second option in a businesslike tone.

"A hotel?" Song Zhihe's voice suddenly rose an octave, filled with obvious resistance. "No way! What if some paparazzi staking out the place takes a picture, even just a blurry silhouette... My team worked so hard to suppress the previous negative news; my image can't afford any more damage." She reached out, her icy fingertips attempting to touch his arm, but he dodged her mid-air with a seemingly unintentional adjustment of the steering wheel. "Can you really bear to see me portrayed by those gossip tabloids as someone who relies on scandals for publicity and has a chaotic private life?"

Gu Yanshen drove in silence, the streetlights outside the window slicing across his face.

"Where do you want to go?" he finally asked again, his voice tinged with a hint of weariness.

Song Zhihe noticed his softening attitude, leaned closer, and lowered her voice, carrying a soft tone that was a mixture of probing and pleading: "Yan Shen... just for one night, let me come to your house, okay?"