Nie Xiaoxing stopped in stunned surprise.
The window slowly rolled down, and through the car door Nie Xiaoxing saw at a glance the certain Mr. Gu in the driver’s seat, his eyes sharp and gloomy as they fixed on her.
Nie Xiaoxing raised her brows slightly in surprise. When did Mr. Gu change to a new favorite car?
Wasn’t he obsessed with that GTR?
"Where are you going?"
Gu Yan’s voice was a bit dark, but clearly restrained.
Nie Xiaoxing’s gaze flickered slightly.
In the apartment, She had told Fu Ruyi and Nie Fangsheng that she was going to look for Mu Yan.
But that wasn’t the truth.
What she’d wanted from the start was to go look for... him!
But facing Gu Yan, Nie Xiaoxing naturally wouldn’t say that directly, so she repeated what she’d told Fu Ruyi and Nie Fangsheng: "I’m going to find Mu Yan."
Going to find Mu Yan?
Gu Yan stared at Nie Xiaoxing in confusion. "What are you going to Mu Yan for?"
"Can’t I go see her?" Nie Xiaoxing shot back.
Gu Yan’s mouth twitched; he frowned and said, "Get in the car."
Nie Xiaoxing guessed he wanted to drive her there, but she arched a brow and deliberately played dumb. "What for?"
"What do you think?" Gu Yan said through clenched teeth, holding back his temper.
Nie Xiaoxing stared at him. "How would I know what you’re trying to do?"
"Nie Xiaoxing, do you think this is fun?" Gu Yan slammed a hand down on the steering wheel in irritation and glared at her.
Nie Xiaoxing lowered her head and glanced at the tips of her shoes. She insisted on standing outside for a few more seconds, then finally reached out, pulled open the front passenger door, and got in.
"Seatbelt." Gu Yan’s tone was harsh and fierce.
Nie Xiaoxing fastened her seatbelt.
The next second, the car shot forward.
The speed was too fast; Nie Xiaoxing drew in a quick breath, her back pressed tightly to the seat. She turned her head to look at Gu Yan. "I’m not in a hurry."
Gu Yan gave her a cool sidelong glance.
Nie Xiaoxing pressed her lips together and turned back, looking out the window.
Gu Yan looked at her cold, clear profile, his hand tightening on the steering wheel, and drove on in silence.
After a while, Nie Xiaoxing saw that Gu Yan was indeed driving her toward where Mu Yan and Xiao Nanqing lived. Her long lashes fluttered slightly, and she turned her head, her clear eyes fixed on Gu Yan as she said seriously, "I suddenly don’t feel like going to Mu Yan’s anymore. I haven’t eaten anything tonight—take me to a restaurant."
Gu Yan shot Nie Xiaoxing an icy sidelong look.
But he didn’t say anything, just turned the wheel without a word and changed lanes, heading toward Vegetarian Restaurant with Nie Xiaoxing.
...
At this hour, Vegetarian Restaurant had already passed the dinner rush. There were still plenty of people eating inside, but there were open tables, so no need to line up.
Among Rong Mochen’s circle, Gu Yan’s temperament seemed the most high-profile, but in practice he handled things in the lowest-key way.
People in Z City only knew that Mr. Gu was the number one information broker, but most of them had never seen Gu Yan’s real face.
So when he went out to eat, he didn’t need to be like Rong Mochen and the others, who had to book private rooms or risk being surrounded and gawked at.
So Gu Yan and Nie Xiaoxing just picked a table by the wall in the main dining area and sat down.
They ordered.
While they were waiting for the food.
Nie Xiaoxing was honestly getting spooked by the way the Mr. Gu across from her was staring at her, resentment practically pouring off him.
She picked up the teacup at hand and took a sip, then said, "Do you... do you have a spare key to the apartment?"
After Gu Yan had stormed out of the apartment in a huff—
Nie Xiaoxing had thought it over. The sound of the door opening she’d heard that afternoon while she was resting in her room probably wasn’t her imagination.
And she was absolutely sure she’d locked the door before she went to sleep.
So someone must have unlocked it with a spare key.
Fu Ruyi and Nie Fangsheng didn’t know there was a spare key, and Gu Yan had shown up quite early that afternoon.
So Nie Xiaoxing figured it must have been Gu Yan who opened the door with a spare key!
Of course.
She wasn’t bringing this up to hold anything against him; she purely felt that if she didn’t say something to break the silence, she was going to die of awkwardness.
"Yeah." Gu Yan answered straight out—and his tone even carried a kind of righteous entitlement.
Nie Xiaoxing’s mouth twitched.
Fine.
There was no way this conversation was going anywhere.
Awkward it is, then.
Nie Xiaoxing said nothing, and Gu Yan also kept quiet.
After the dishes were served, the two of them ate in complete silence, not a single word exchanged.
After they finished eating.
Gu Yan paid the bill, and Nie Xiaoxing didn’t fight him for it either... After all, everything on her added together wasn’t even three hundred, she couldn’t afford this meal!
...
The two of them quietly walked out of the Vegetarian Restaurant and got into the car.
Nie Xiaoxing glanced at Gu Yan and said softly, "Take me back to the apartment."
Gu Yan’s brows drew tightly together. Without a word, he started the car and drove forward.
Nie Xiaoxing also fell silent.
The car had been going for about ten minutes.
Nie Xiaoxing suddenly realized this wasn’t the way back to the apartment at all. If anything, it looked like the direction to his place.
Nie Xiaoxing’s heart tightened a little. She sat up straighter in the seat and stared at him. "This doesn’t seem like the road to the apartment."
"When did I say I was taking you back to the apartment?" Gu Yan said in a low voice.
"...It’s really late now." Nie Xiaoxing frowned.
Gu Yan let out a cold snort. "Relax, I’m not about to make you sleep on the street tonight!"
Nie Xiaoxing lifted her eyelids to look at Gu Yan. Seeing his face icy cold, she fell silent again.
...
They arrived at the bachelor apartment where Gu Yan was staying.
Gu Yan changed his shoes and walked to the couch, sitting down like some strict family patriarch, solemnly settling into the sofa and looking at Nie Xiaoxing.
Nie Xiaoxing was covered in metaphorical black lines.
She quietly changed her shoes, closed the door, and walked in.
"Sit!"
Gu Yan said.
Nie Xiaoxing walked over, sat on the sofa opposite Gu Yan, and looked at him.
Gu Yan narrowed his eyes, his expression serious. "Say it. Why exactly are you throwing a tantrum with me?"
Nie Xiaoxing furrowed her brows. "You misunderstood—"
"Nie Xiaoxing, I really hate having to guess what’s going on in you women’s heads! If you’re not satisfied with something about me, just say it straight!" Gu Yan said coldly.
Nie Xiaoxing’s heart gave a sharp stab. She gently clenched her hands, her lips pressed into a stubborn line, staring at Gu Yan yet refusing to speak.
Gu Yan silently ground his back teeth, fixing her with a dark, sinister look. "I swear you’re going to be the death of me one day!"
Nie Xiaoxing lowered her eyes, her face slightly tensing as well.
She’d already been in a bad mood. The only reason she’d decided to take the initiative to come find him was because he’d bothered to cook for her himself—that counted as him putting in some effort.
And him?
From the moment she’d run into him coming out of the apartment, he’d been giving her that face, his words all stiff and hard, not a shred of gentleness.
Now he even said he "hated" it!
Nie Xiaoxing frowned tightly, her voice coming out instantly cool. "You already put it that way. To avoid having me piss you off to death, why don’t you just stay away from me? What’s the point of dragging me to your place?"
"Fine, I’m a masochist, okay? Does that satisfy you?" Gu Yan ground out between his teeth.
Nie Xiaoxing’s throat ached. She went quiet for two seconds before saying, "Does it matter whether I’m satisfied or not? Your cousin was right—Mr. Gu, you’ve always been a face-obsessed guy. The ones you like are all pretty women, like Jin Jumo, she’s gorgeous! And with me, you’re just curious for a while. A woman as ugly as me is just some tool you use to spice up your life. Once you’re done with the novelty, of course you’ll just dump me without a second thought!"
Nie Xiaoxing finished bitterly, then waited for quite a while, but she didn’t hear a certain Mr. Gu say a single word.
Nie Xiaoxing suddenly felt a bit insulted.
She opened her mouth and took a long breath, then lifted her head to look at Gu Yan.
She was just about to say something when she saw Gu Yan staring at her intently, deep in thought.
Her heart skipped a few beats in a row.
Nie Xiaoxing hurriedly lowered her head again, pinching her fingertips together. "Gu Yan, since I make you so unhappy, why don’t we just..."
"Nie Xiaoxing!"
Gu Yan cut her off in a deep voice.
Nie Xiaoxing bit down on her lower lip, her eyes beginning to sting.
"Look up at me!"
Gu Yan said.
Nie Xiaoxing took a deep breath and lifted her head to look at him.
Gu Yan stared at the redness around her eyes, his own fists clenching, his tone grave. "Everyone likes beautiful things. Do you deny that?"
Nie Xiaoxing looked at Gu Yan’s handsome face, her heart twisting even more.
She liked Gu Yan, but it wasn’t because of how outstanding his looks were now...
Gu Yan saw her suddenly knit her brows and his throat went a little hoarse. "Before I met you, I did like pretty women, but only in the sense of appreciation. You should know, you’re my first woman! So when you use ’face-obsessed’ to question whether I’m sincere, and to put an expiry date on my feelings for you—do you think that’s showing me any respect?"
"I’m your first woman, but I’m not the first woman you’ve liked," Nie Xiaoxing said.
Gu Yan stared fixedly at her. "You really aren’t the first woman I’ve liked. But you absolutely are... the first woman I’ve ever loved!"
"..."
Nie Xiaoxing’s heart on the left side thudded hard, and she stared wide-eyed at Gu Yan.