But now, things had changed. Even if she told him she was Mu Yan, he probably wouldn’t believe her.
Ha, who could believe that someone who had been dead for nine years would suddenly appear before them?
Song Weiwei snapped back to reality, her eyes slightly red as she gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, President Gu. You look a lot like a friend I know. He has a red mole on his chest too, just like you.” She hurriedly lowered her head, her voice tinged with tears. “I got confused. Sorry for bothering you…”
He was Xiao Liuzi. Whether or not he had that red mole on his chest, she could recognize him at a glance. But… she was no longer Mu Yan now. Even if they acknowledged each other, what good would it do?
She could only live by hiding her identity, and someone like her didn’t deserve such an outstanding man.
Gu Chao’s eyes darkened, his brow furrowing deeper at her words.
“Take your time changing.”
Song Weiwei didn’t want to cry in front of him. Gritting her teeth, she nodded at the man and hurriedly fled the dressing room.
Only when the room fell completely silent did the man slowly come back to his senses. Her words echoed in his ears, and his tightly knit brows never relaxed.
A friend who looked like him and had the same red mole on his chest?
Judging by the look she gave him earlier, it didn’t seem like the gaze of someone looking at a familiar friend.
…
An Ruo stood nearby holding a stack of documents, watching the man in the wheelchair chatting animatedly with others. Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the hardcover files, waiting for the people around him to disperse before approaching.
She rarely saw him handle work matters so calmly and steadily.
In the past, he was always gloomy and unpredictable. But ever since they had opened up to each other and his eyesight had recovered, he had gradually become more confident.
Yun Li noticed the girl waiting with her head down not far away. He leaned in to remind the man, “President, it seems Madam wants to talk to you.”
Hearing this, the man glanced in the girl’s direction, exchanged a few polite words, and sent off the business executives who had been discussing deals.
“Tell her to wait for me in the lounge.”
Just as he was about to leave, someone else came up to greet him. Shen Xiaoxing frowned in displeasure.
There was no helping it. This was his first public appearance at an event, and given the Shen Group’s prestige in Shencheng, how could they pass up the chance to curry favor?
An Ruo looked up and saw the man’s secretary, Yun Li, approaching.
“Madam.”
An Ruo was startled and instinctively glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention before quietly acknowledging him.
“The president wants you to wait for him in the lounge.” Yun Li handed her a room key—it was for the hotel’s VIP lounge.
She was secretly surprised, quickly glancing at the man who was still talking to someone. How did he know she was waiting for him?
Well, it was better this way. Discussing business with him openly in the lobby might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
An Ruo took the room key and entered the lounge. She reviewed the sales letter of intent in her hands, deciding to handle it according to company procedures.
She had only taken a couple sips of water when the door clicked open from the outside.
Then came the sound of a wheelchair rolling in. She immediately stood up to greet him, and the man’s lips curled into a warm smile when he saw her.
“Mrs. Shen, is there something you need?”
“…” Did he have to be so sarcastic?
Was he sulking because she didn’t want to publicly reveal their marriage?
“I heard you have a business partnership with Lan Zhen?” An Ruo handed him the documents on the table. “President Gu asked me to give you these sales intent materials.”
“Is it him who wants to see me, or you?” The man gave a sly grin. “Could it be that Mrs. Shen missed me and used the documents as an excuse to meet me alone?”
How had she never noticed this man had such thick skin before?
“No…” An Ruo rolled her eyes lightly and handed the documents over again. “Just take a look. If there’s no problem, I need to give them back to the sales department for review.”
The man raised an eyebrow, flipped through the documents, and found nothing wrong. Gu Chao was a good friend—he knew what he wanted and had deliberately sent the girl over to give them some alone time.
He lifted his gaze slightly, seeing the girl sitting nearby, bored out of her mind. A sudden idea struck him, and he deliberately slowed down…
Time ticked by. An Ruo glanced at her phone—the man had been reading for nearly half an hour.
She forced herself to wait a few more minutes, but couldn’t stand his leisurely attitude any longer. Tentatively, she asked, “Um… are you done yet?”
“What’s the rush? This concerns whether two companies will lose a five-hundred-million investment. It’s no small amount.”
An Ruo was taken aback. Wasn’t this just an ordinary sales letter of intent? How did it involve such a huge sum?
She didn’t dare rush him anymore. Bored out of her mind, she yawned.
Seeing her drowsy, the man remembered she had gotten up early that morning to set up the event venue and hadn’t even eaten breakfast.
“If you’re tired, go sleep.”
Hearing this, An Ruo snapped awake.
“What?”
“Go take a nap.”
“I’m not tired.” An Ruo lightly patted her cheeks. “Are you done yet?”
“There are some issues here. You sleep first, and I’ll take my time looking them over.”
An Ruo was instantly alert. “Where are the issues?”
“Just a small problem. I’ll send a message to President Gu to revise it. You go sleep.”
“I’m not—”
Before she could finish the word “tired,” the man’s face turned serious. “Go sleep.”
An Ruo pouted, pushed open the inner door, and found a bed inside. Yawning, she realized she was a bit sleepy.
She climbed onto the bed, found a comfortable spot, and drifted off.
…
At five in the afternoon, An Ruo woke up groggily, her eyes still hazy. Staring at the ceiling for a moment, she felt a weight pressing on her waist.
Following the man’s large hand upward, she saw his strikingly handsome face magnified before her, his long, thick lashes curling slightly.
When had this man climbed into bed beside her!?
An Ruo reached for her phone on the table—it was already five in the evening. She looked out the window; the sky was pitch black.
Carefully, she lifted the blanket, but as soon as her feet touched the ground, the arm around her waist tightened, pulling her back onto the bed. Her long hair spilled across the man’s chest.
An Ruo looked up, meeting his deep, dark eyes. His voice was hoarse from sleep. “Awake?”
“Mm.” An Ruo nodded lightly and tried to get up from his embrace, but instead of letting go, the man tightened his hold.
“It’s already five o’clock, and you didn’t wake me up.” An Ruo playfully pushed at him. “Let me go first.”
“I already asked President Gu for leave on your behalf. He said you worked hard today and could go home early to rest.”
“Then wouldn’t our relationship be…”
“President Gu is an old friend of mine. Even if I tried to hide it, he’d find out soon enough.” Shen Xiaoxing kissed her forehead. “He’ll keep it a secret for us.”
Even so, wouldn’t she have to give Gu Chao a reasonable explanation when she went to work tomorrow?
“Is it because of me that you’re hesitating and holding back?”
The girl looked up in confusion.
“You don’t seem to like introducing me to others.”
An Ruo’s heart tightened, realizing he had misunderstood. She quickly explained, “No, that’s not it. Since I married you, there’s nothing to hide. I just don’t want… I don’t want to drag you down because of my own issues.”
The two of them were quite something—one worried that his disability would embarrass her, the other afraid that her behavior outside would tarnish his reputation.