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

He paused, then each word struck clearly and heavily: "The favor I owe you has absolutely nothing to do with Lu Xiran. If you dare to set your sights on her again—"

"Gu Yanshen!" Song Zhihe's voice suddenly rose, filled with embarrassment and despair at being exposed. "Is 'gratitude' all you have for me? If you really hand Xiao He over to the police, you're forcing me! If those secrets are exposed, my career will be over! The breach of contract penalties from GG will crush me!"

"He Ruibing has told Lin Chen everything she knew, both what she should and shouldn't have said." Gu Yanshen's voice remained calm, yet carried an oppressive sense of control. "She'll go back to 'work' later. As for whether those materials will be made public, that depends on what you do next."

Song Zhihe held her breath on the other end of the line, a chill deeper than the collapse of her career instantly gripping her.

Did He Ruibing... tell me about that matter too? That thing she absolutely couldn't let Gu Yanshen know...?

—If he told her, Gu Yanshen would never forgive her again.

She probably hasn't said it yet.

Otherwise, it would not be the current estrangement, but a complete and cold severance.

Gu Yanshen concluded with a faint, almost sighing warning: "Zhihe, don't let yourself become someone you wouldn't even recognize."

After saying that, he hung up the phone decisively.

At 6:30 p.m. sharp, Gu Yanshen opened the door to his home.

In the living room, Lu Xiran had just finished a video call with Grandma Bai Fang, a smile still lingering on her face. Jin Qiqi was sitting cross-legged on the carpet next to her, munching on an apple. Upon seeing Gu Yanshen, her eyes immediately lit up, and she mischievously drawled, "Oh—Mr. Gu! Wasn't you supposed to be a famous workaholic, never seen until late at night? Did the sun rise in the west today?"

"The matter is settled." Gu Yanshen replied casually, his gaze falling directly back on Lu Xiran. The temperature in his eyes was noticeably different. "How are you feeling today? Does your foot still hurt?" he asked as he walked over naturally and pulled up the thin blanket that had slipped down to her waist.

"Mmm, much better, it doesn't hurt as much anymore." Lu Xiran nodded obediently and added, "Uncle, Qiqi is here to keep me company these days, so you don't have to worry about me since you're busy with work."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yanshen turned his gaze to Jin Qiqi, his tone calm and even, yet it inexplicably made the room temperature drop by two degrees: "Miss Jin... will you be staying here tonight too?"

Jin Qiqi felt a chill run down her spine from his seemingly casual glance; the warning in his eyes couldn't be clearer! Compared to the almost tender look he had given Lu Xiran just now, this change of expression was Oscar-worthy!

"Oh dear! What a terrible memory I have!" Jin Qiqi slapped her forehead and jumped up dramatically. "I suddenly remembered, my senior! Yes, my senior who came back from abroad, he finally asked me out for dinner tonight! Ranran, I'm sorry, I neglected my friend for a moment, I'll come over to keep you company tomorrow!" As she spoke, she quickly grabbed her bag, as if a ferocious beast was chasing her.

Before Lu Xiran could react, Jin Qiqi had already darted to the door, turned around and mouthed "take care" to her with a wink, then quickly opened the door and slipped away, leaving behind a soft "bang".

Lu Xiran: "..."

That's incredibly fast!

"Aunt Lu brought over dinner, shall we eat together?" she tried to break the sudden silence.

"Mmm." Gu Yanshen said, and before she could respond, he bent down, put his arms under her knees and back, and easily picked her up.

"Ah..." Lu Xiran gasped softly, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Uncle, if you want to hug me... could you please say so first?"

"You'll get used to it after a few more times." Gu Yanshen carried her steadily toward the restaurant, his tone matter-of-fact, as if stating a simple fact.

Dinner was meticulously prepared by Lu Fen, featuring all of Lu Xiran's favorite flavors. After dinner, Gu Yanshen took out his tablet and showed her the latest wedding plan. When Lu Xiran saw that the invitations, venue decorations, and even the details of the cake were cleverly incorporating exquisite bow elements, her face flushed bright red, even her ears turned crimson.

Gu Yanshen didn't speak, but leaned back in his chair, his gaze quietly fixed on her face, admiring her shy and helpless appearance, a faint smile and satisfaction flashing deep in his eyes.

"I'm going on a business trip tomorrow, it'll be two or three days." He put away his tablet and said in a normal tone, "Jin Qiqi will keep you company tomorrow night."

"Okay," Lu Xiran replied softly, her heartbeat secretly quickening because of his focused gaze and the quiet, solitary space they were in.

A silent, sticky, ambiguous atmosphere filled the air. He hadn't taken anything further; he was just sitting there, yet his presence was so strong it was impossible to ignore. Lu Xiran could feel the weight of his gaze and the calm, yet subtly controlling aura emanating from him. She lowered her eyelashes, her fingertips unconsciously picking at the soft edge of her robe. Even though it was just a normal conversation and arrangement, it stirred a subtle, unsettling tremor within her.

After showering, Gu Yanshen walked naturally to the bedside, and just like last night, lifted the covers and lay down, then gently pulled Lu Xiran into his arms. His movements were so practiced, as if he had done it a thousand times before; his arms were around her waist, and his chin rested on the top of her soft hair. Lu Xiran was initially a little stiff, but she was quickly enveloped by that warm, firm embrace and the steady beat of his heart. An indescribable sense of security gradually relaxed her, and she drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Jin Qiqi arrived on time to "take over" and helped her finalize the wedding details. From the color of the bouquet ribbon to the flavors of the favors and the playlist for the banquet background music... as each item was confirmed, Lu Xiran looked at the increasingly complete wedding plan on her iPad, her fingertips tracing the exclusive designs that belonged to "her and Gu Yanshen." The subtle feeling in her heart, a mixture of anticipation and panic, became clearer and clearer.

—She's really going to...marry Gu Yanshen.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the sunlight slanted into the living room, making it warm and cozy.

The doorbell rang suddenly.

"I'll go open it!" Jin Qiqi skipped away, muttering, "Who is it?"

The moment the door opened, Jin Qiqi's voice stopped abruptly, her eyes widened, and the next second, she burst into a suppressed, distorted scream of excitement: "Ah—!!!"

The person standing outside was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, but how could Jin Qiqi not recognize that face, which fans hailed as having a "divine beauty"?!

"Ling... Ling Xue?!" Jin Qiqi was so excited she almost jumped up on the spot.