Blue Court.
The man walked in with a lazy stride, his leather shoes clicking crisp and steady against the marble floor that reflected the dazzling lights of indulgence. He raised a hand to push open the double doors carved with embossed patterns, and several friends were already inside.
Neon lights pulsed with the music, setting the atmosphere.
“Yo, isn’t this our CEO Gu? Showing up this late means you owe us a drink, huh.”
The man speaking was flashily dressed, half-reclining in a U-shaped sofa. On either side of him sat stunningly attractive women with perfect figures, one hand swirling a wine glass while the other rested on the shoulder of the woman beside him.
Gu Chao strode in with his long legs, grabbed the glass of red wine on the table, and downed it in one go.
“That quick tonight?” the man whistled, looking every bit the indulgent partygoer.
“When have I ever been slow?” Gu Chao walked over to an empty seat and sat down.
Huo Jinyan patted the woman next to him, and she immediately took the hint, rising gracefully and slinking over to press herself against Gu Chao with boneless allure.
“Mr. Gu, you’re late tonight~”
She touched his cheek, but Gu Chao raised a hand to ward off her advance, pulling a stack of red bills from his pocket and stuffing them into her arms. With a slight smile, he said, “Thanks for the enthusiasm, but I don’t need service. Go have fun with Mr. Huo.”
Huo Jinyan licked his lips. “Ah Xing’s got a wife at home, so I get why he can’t touch women when we’re out. But you, kid—who are you staying faithful for?”
“Isn’t it good to keep myself clean?” Gu Chao raised his glass in a mock toast toward Huo Jinyan.
He turned his head and spotted the aloof, proud man in the corner, thin lips pressed tightly together, his profile sharp and deep, with cold, hard lines. In front of him sat a laptop, and in this noisy environment, he managed to tune everything out—no one else could pull that off except Shen Xiaoxing.
Gu Chao shifted sideways, gently swirling his wine glass. “That piece of land under the Zhou Group—I can help you get it.”
The man stared at the computer screen, deep in thought, then slowly lifted his face. “Five hundred billion?”
Even though he wanted that land badly, spending five hundred billion on it was a bit hard to swallow.
“No.” Gu Chao raised his index finger and wagged it. “Free.”
Shen Xiaoxing leaned back in his seat, glanced at him sidelong, and let out a scoff. “Go on, tell me—what trick did you use to get Zhou Haikong to gift it to you for free?”
“It’s free, sure, but I’m making a big sacrifice.” Gu Chao took a sip of red wine, his tone resigned. “That annoying brat from the Zhou family—she’ll only agree to give it to me if I have dinner with her.”
“So you’re saying you’re not sure you’ll get this land yet?”
“Getting it is a piece of cake, but I’m not about to sacrifice my virtue for you, am I?” Gu Chao smirked wickedly. “Unless you can give me something in return.”
“As long as you secure that land, I’ll agree to whatever you ask.”
Gu Chao narrowed his eyes slightly, studying him for a long moment.
Shen Xiaoxing raised an arched brow. “Don’t tell me you want me to commit murder or arson.”
“Relax, I’d never make you do anything illegal.” Gu Chao frowned. “I just haven’t figured it out yet. When I need something later, you can help me then.”
Shen Xiaoxing was never harsh with his brothers, especially Gu Chao, whom he trusted most. Even if he didn’t get the land, he’d still step up without hesitation when Gu Chao needed him.
Huo Jinyan ate fruit handed to him by the beauties, arms wrapped around both. “I really don’t get it, Ah Xing—why are you so set on that land? Is it that important to you?”
The man’s dark eyes deepened, and he said in a low voice, “Very important.”
Because it was his mother’s greatest wish. He hadn’t been able to fulfill it for her back then, and now he wanted to hold onto that memory.
-
“Young Master Shen, I’m back!”
An Ruo knocked on the door and heard the man’s hurried voice from inside say, “Come in.”
She opened the door with a joyful heart and saw the man sitting in his wheelchair, not staring out the window like he usually did.
“Young Master Shen, I brought you something delicious today.” An Ruo happily showed him the street food she’d bought, then remembered he was blind. “Let me open it for you.”
The food bag rustled open, and the oily, spicy aroma of street barbecue filled the room…
“You didn’t eat the little cake I made you before—I didn’t think it through, not knowing you don’t like sweets. Try this rice cake, it’s really good.” An Ruo held a skewer of grilled rice cake up to the man. “Smells great, doesn’t it?”
The man’s hands on the wheelchair suddenly tightened, and he turned his face away. “Just leave it there. I’ll eat it later.”
“It won’t taste good cold.” An Ruo knelt beside him, rare to be in a good mood. “It’s okay, I’ll feed you.”
“No—” The man flinched, accidentally bumping An Ruo’s arm. The rice cake slipped from her hand and fell to the floor, staining her white sweater with grease.
An Ruo quickly picked it up, checked it, and seeing it wasn’t dirty, she ate the fallen skewer herself.
“My clothes are dirty. I’ll go change first, then I’ll feed you.”
The man nodded with relief. “Go ahead.”
An Ruo stole a glance at him. She felt like Shen Xiaoxing was acting strange today, like a different person—his voice wasn’t as cold as usual, and his tone was oddly off.
She shook her head. Maybe she was overthinking it. Young Master Shen was always moody and unpredictable; if he ever acted normal, that would be the real surprise, right?
Watching An Ruo head into the dressing room, Han Chong let out a sigh of relief.
A tapping sound came from the window behind him. Han Chong turned and saw a man standing on the step outside, nearly scaring his heart into his throat. He immediately got up and opened the French window.