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

"Uncle," Lu Xiran gently tugged at Gu Yanshen's sleeve, pleading softly, "I haven't seen Qiqi for several days, let's catch up. How about we eat together?"

Her gossipy little mind was trying to find out what was going on between Jin Qiqi and Gu Yanxu.

Looking into her pleading eyes, Gu Yanshen's reluctance softened a little. He nodded reluctantly, but his gaze towards Gu Yanxu became even more "kind"—clearly saying, "Try being a third wheel if you dare."

Gu Yanxu felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze.

Jin Qiqi immediately grabbed Gu Yanxu's arm: "Ranran, Yan... uh, Gu Yanxu and I, we still have some... business to discuss! Yes, business! Very important business! We don't have time to eat with you guys!"

After saying that, she almost dragged Gu Yanxu, who hadn't fully reacted yet, and hurriedly slipped out of the restaurant, her back view revealing a sense of panic that "this place is not safe to stay."

"Hey! Qiqi!" Lu Xiran wanted to call her back to ask what was going on, but as soon as she leaned forward, a strong arm firmly wrapped around her waist and gently pulled her back to her side.

"They're busy." That's the gist of it.

"No... I think Kiki definitely..."

"I don't care," Gu Yanshen interrupted her, his voice low and focused, carrying a kind of assertiveness.

"Hmm?" Lu Xiran looked up and met his deep eyes.

Gu Yanshen looked into her eyes, where his own reflection was seen. He tried to organize his thoughts, but the sweet words wouldn't come out. In the end, he simply stroked the back of her hand with his fingertips and whispered:

"I just want to have a nice meal with you."

Lu Xiran felt a slight tickle on her heart, and finally gave up her obsession with pursuing her friend, obediently following Gu Yanshen. However, while waiting for their food, she couldn't resist taking out her phone and quickly sending a message to Jin Qiqi:

"What's going on? Tell me the truth! [peeping emoji]"

Jin Qiqi hadn't replied to her WeChat messages, so Lu Xiran had to suppress her little flame of gossip for the time being. She buried herself in her work until six in the evening, when Gu Yanshen came to pick her up on time, and the two of them went back to the old house to have dinner with Bai Fang.

"Grandma, please stay here a little longer!" After dinner, Lu Xiran sat affectionately next to Bai Fang on the sofa, gently swaying the old woman's arm, her voice soft and sweet, "I'm so happy to see you as soon as I get home."

Bai Fang smiled, smoothing out the wrinkles around her eyes, and lovingly stroked Lu Xiran's soft, long hair: "Grandma also wants to spend more time with our Ranran. But there are so many eyes watching from the Gu family's old house. If I don't go back tomorrow, people will be coming to 'pay their respects' every day."

"But I can't bear to part with you..." Lu Xiran rested her face on the old man's shoulder, her tone filled with undisguised affection.

"Good girl," Bai Fang patted the back of her hand, "Grandma is happier than anything with your thoughtfulness. Come back and visit Grandma often, it's the same thing."

Gu Yanshen sat quietly on the single sofa opposite, watching this scene. His respect and love for his grandmother was no less than Lu Xiran's, but as a man and the de facto head of the Gu family, he found it difficult to be as uninhibitedly affectionate and playful as Lu Xiran. Moreover, Bai Fang had always been a pillar of strength in the Gu family, balancing authority and love. She had many children and grandchildren, but never a daughter or granddaughter, and her daughters-in-law always maintained a certain distance. Lu Xiran's appearance was like a lively and warm ray of light, perfectly filling the old woman's longing for a "little cotton-padded jacket" (a term of endearment for a daughter).

"Ranran," Bai Fang suddenly changed the subject, taking Lu Xiran's hand and looking at her with a smile, then glancing at her grandson across from her, "When are you going to give Grandma a little granddaughter as well-behaved and adorable as you, okay?"

Lu Xiran's cheeks flushed slightly, and she subconsciously looked at Gu Yanshen. She knew that Bai Fang had come to stay for a while because she had noticed the strange things that had happened between them a few days ago and wanted to play matchmaker.

"Oh, you're shy now," Bai Fang teased, her eyes full of affection. "Grandma knows you're still young, but we're not exactly young anymore. You have to keep trying, keep having children until you give birth to a daughter! All Grandma wants in this life is a sweet little girl like you."

Gu Yanshen coughed lightly and looked away somewhat awkwardly. "Grandma, my age... is actually not that bad."

Lu Xiran defended herself softly, her face turning even redder.

"How are you?" Bai Fang pretended to be serious and started calculating, "Two children in three years, and by the time you have a daughter, you'll be almost thirty-five. With your Gu family's genes, I wonder how many children you'll have before you get a little princess!" She took Lu Xiran's hand and lowered her voice, as if sharing some secret, "Ranran, listen to Grandma, you still have to have a daughter. How boring would it be to have a quiet, reserved person like him? Grandma would love to have a sweet and soft girl like you."

Lu Xiran was amused and joked along with the old woman, saying, "Then Grandma, you'll have to help me take care of them! I can't manage to take care of so many by myself."

"However many children you have, Grandma will help take care of them all!" Bai Fang immediately agreed, her eyes sparkling. "Is it a deal?"

"It's a deal!" Lu Xiran stretched out her little finger and made a pinky promise with Bai Fang in a childlike manner, which made the old woman laugh heartily and filled the room with warmth.

Back in her bedroom upstairs, as soon as the door closed and before Lu Xiran could even turn on the light, her wrist was gently gripped by a force, and she was pulled into a warm and firm embrace.

Gu Yanshen wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head. His deep voice rang in her ear, carrying a hint of tension and... eagerness.

"Looks like I'll have to... work harder." His warm breath brushed against her earlobe. "Have several? Hmm?" The last syllable of his voice was dangerously magnetic.

Lu Xiran stiffened slightly, turned around in his arms, looked up at his still bright eyes in the darkness, and explained, "That...that was to make Grandma happy!"

Gu Yanshen loosened his grip on her arms a little, looked down at her, and his eyes seemed somewhat confused and... hurt in the dim light. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice lowering.

Lu Xiran suddenly felt a little afraid to look directly into the overly direct heat and question in his eyes, and her heart inexplicably raced. She gently broke free from his embrace, turned and walked towards the bathroom, her voice somewhat unsteady: "I...I'm going to take a shower first."

Gu Yanshen stood there, watching her almost fleeing figure. The warm expectation that had risen in his heart because of his grandmother's words was like being doused with cold water, slowly cooling down and turning into a dull sense of loss.

He reached up somewhat irritably and loosened his collar, accidentally knocking over Lu Xiran's small chain bag that she had casually placed on the low cabinet. The bag fell to the ground with a slight sound, and several items inside spilled out.

Gu Yanshen bent down to pick it up. He stopped when his fingertips touched a cool, smooth medicine plate.

By the faint moonlight filtering through the window, he could make out the words on it—it was about birth control pills.

One of the cells is already empty.