Chapter 7: A kiss

When the assistant saw Yan Xi, he was also slightly stunned and surprised by the change in her temperament. The gloominess and restlessness that used to characterize her were no longer there. She now struck people as a calm and graceful girl at first glance.

The assistant did not dare to look at her anymore and quickly looked away. He respectfully opened the car door for Yan Xi.

Yan Xi thanked him politely. She picked up the hem of her dress and got into the car, leaning close to Gu Shen.

As soon as she sat down, she eagerly said, "I am punctual this time, am I not?" She looked at him expectantly as if she was asking for his approval.

Gu Shen felt her burning gaze and said coldly, "Being punctual is what you are supposed to do."

"Oh," Yan Xi replied. She didn't look disappointed. Instead, she moved closer to Gu Shen.

Her warm breath intertwined with his, and Gu Shen could smell the perfume on her body. At that moment, they looked extremely intimate.

"Do you think I look good today?"

Gu Shen took a deep breath and deliberately ignored her by looking at the document.

But his mind was entirely occupied by images of the girl who was wearing a silver fishtail dress and had bright red lips. She looked like a beautiful rose that was blooming in a diamond.

Gu Shen restrained himself and answered casually, "Yes."

Yan Xi snorted unhappily. "But you don't even wanna look at me!"

The assistant driving the car heard the conversation behind him and his hand trembled, almost letting go of the steering wheel.

Most of the time, the couple treated each other as enemies. When they met, it was rare enough if they didn't end up quarreling. The assistant never dreamed that Yan Xi would take the initiative to talk to the CEO.

Gu Shen said quickly and casually, "I took a look just now."

"Then take another look." Her slender fingers landed on the document, attracting Gu Shen's gaze.

Gu Shen followed her gaze and looked at Yan Xi coldly.

The two of them were already very close to each other. Gu Shen leaned forward again. They were only a nose's distance away from each other.

Yan Xi was the first to panic. Her hands gripped the backrest behind her. No matter how nervous she was, she was also looking forward to it.

What did he want to do?

When she was expecting something to happen, Gu Shen retracted his gaze and looked at the document.

He then said in a casual tone, "Your hair is kinda messy."

Yan Xi took out the makeup mirror from her bag and combed her hair. When she brushed her fingers past her earlobe, she found that she had not put on the left earring.

She left home in a hurry just now and the wound on her left shoulder was not fully healed, so she totally forgot about it.

The wound on her shoulder had not fully healed. When she raised her hand, her entire arm would tremble. Yan Xi tried a few times before deciding to give up.

She turned to look at Gu Shen, her voice clear. "I can't wear the earrings. Can you help me?"

Gu Shen frowned. "Try a few more times."

"But this will hurt my wound." Yan Xi handed the earring to Gu Shen and said emphatically, "And I can't control my strength well. My ear is turning red. It hurts. Just help me." After saying that, she didn't forget to add, "Please, please."

The assistant in front sighed at Madam's brilliant methods to use the accessories to get physical contact with the CEO.

To learn this flirting technique, she probably applied for more than one quick course.

Her earlobe was pinched by the man's slightly cold fingers. It was not a strong pinch, but it made Yan Xi numb. His other hand picked up the earring and bent the needle to look for the hole in her ear.

Gu Shen leaned closer again. He carefully identified the needle and finally placed it in the correct position.

The car suddenly braked.

He subconsciously held the earring to prevent the sharp needle from hurting Yan Xi.

Yan Xi leaned forward with the car, her lips brushing past the man's lips.

Chapter 8: The Authentic Work of Wu Tao-Tzu

The touch from the sensitive area was very clear that the two could not ignore it.

Gu Shen didn't speak. The fingers that were pinching her earlobe tightened slightly.

Yan Xi said softly, "You're hurting me."

Gu Shen loosened his grip, but his expression darkened. He said unhappily, "Gu Er, is this how you drive a car?"

As Gu Shen's chauffeur, the most basic requirement was stability. Even if they were driving on a stone road, it was not supposed to be a bumpy ride.

He quickly explained, "I'm sorry, Mr. Gu. A little kid suddenly ran out from the corner just now. It was my fault."

After hearing that, Gu Shen did not blame him.

"Done," he said as he put on the earring for her.

"Thank you." Yan Xi touched her red ears and tried to cover it up. "It's a little hot in the car."

*****

When Gu Er parked the car outside the Gu family villa, he got out of the car and took out Gu Shen's wheelchair from the trunk.

Then, he opened the car door and carefully helped Gu Shen into the wheelchair.

Yan Xi wanted to push the wheelchair but was stopped by Gu Er.

"Madam, it's not convenient for you to push the wheelchair in that dress. Let me do it."

However, the real reason Gu Er did not want her to push the wheelchair was that he didn't trust her.

It was no wonder that she was not trusted. The first time the Host was allowed to push Gu Shen, she left him on the road, and it took an hour before the bodyguards realized that something was wrong and rushed over to find him.

Since then, the Gu family's servants and bodyguards had been stopping Yan Xi from touching the wheelchair.

Now she had to pay for everything the Host did wrong in the past.

Yan Xi took her hand back in embarrassment. "Be careful then."

"Don't worry, Madam."

The banquet was held in the hall on the first floor and some guests had already arrived.

They were wearing high-end gowns and holding champagne elegantly. However, when they saw Gu Shen, there was obvious disdain on their faces.

When Luo Yun and Yan Dong saw the two of them, they walked over unhurriedly. Their expressions were cold, unlike how they treated others.

"Xi, you're finally back." Luo Yun pretended to be affectionate. "Your father has always missed you. And Gu Shen, you're really a talent. You should have settled a few big business deals recently, right? Even this inexperienced daughter of mine thinks of you as some powerful person!"

As soon as Luo Yun opened her mouth, Yan Xi shuddered. Her hands and feet went limp, and the fear in her heart surged.

She frowned, her face growing paler.

Gu Shen's gaze swept past the two of them. Just as he was about to speak, Yan Xi spoke before him. "Indeed. My husband is very impressive. Unlike my father, who is old and can only rely on these boring banquets to make himself look important."

What Yan Dong valued the most was how people looked at him. Yan Xi's public ridicule made his face change immediately. He was about to talk back when Gu Er suddenly handed him a wooden box.

Gu Shen explained calmly, "This is the gift I prepared for you, Wu Tao-Tzu's real work, Yangzhou Spring Levee."

"Wu Tao-Tzu!" Yan Dong's eyes lit up. He ignored Yan Xi and opened the painting in front of everyone. After confirming that it was real, he instantly became enthusiastic.

"My son-in-law is truly something. You're actually able to get Wu Tao-Tzu's authentic work."

Yan Dong wasn't a cultured person, but he pretended to be cultured. He collected some famous calligraphies and paintings to show people that he was cultured. The thing that Gu Shen gave him was to his liking.

"I found it accidentally."

Yan Dong hurriedly asked the servant to take care of the item and asked warmly, "How have you been doing recently?"

"Not too bad."

"I got some wild ginseng a few days ago... I'll send it to your father later."

Chapter 9: Blocking Gu Shen From Being Seen

A few more people came in. Before Yan Xi could identify them, Luo Yun and Yan Dong greeted them with smiles.

It seemed like their social statuses were higher than his.

Yan Xi pouted and pushed Gu Shen to the side together with Gu Er.

She thought about that painting and still felt like her father didn't deserve the gift.

She poked Gu Shen's shoulder and he looked up at her.

"Is that painting real? Did you just give it to Yan Dong like that?" Yan Xi lowered her voice and whispered into Gu Shen's ear.

As she spoke, her hot breath blew into his ear, making him itchy.

"Since I've already given it away, there's no reason for me to take it back."

Yan Xi sighed heavily. She knew that her Executive husband was rich, but she could not help but feel bad about it.

That was Wu Tao-Tzu's authentic work! It was priceless. A pretentious old guy like Yan Dong didn't deserve it.

"Why didn't you talk to me about it beforehand?"

Gu Shen's expression changed. "You asked me to give this out."

"I..." Yan Xi was speechless.

The Host was really stupid. She thought that the painting could please Yan Dong, so she forced Gu Shen to give it out.

She muttered softly, "Then don't listen to me next time when it comes to spending money."

The spot where Gu Shen and Yan Xi stood was not very eye-catching, but the rest of the people still looked over either openly or secretly. They whispered a few more words with each other and then directly treated Gu Shen like he didn't exist.

Gu Shen was already used to this attitude, but Yan Xi got angry.

Was there something wrong with this group of people's brains? Why did they have to treat Gu Shen so brutally just because he was crippled?

She glared at them and was so angry that she wanted to sew their mouths shut.

Gu Shen looked at Yan Xi's expression and knew that she was going to be angry again. He wondered what pejorative words she would say this time. Trash or fool?

Unexpectedly, Yan Xi didn't say anything. She just stood up and blocked Gu Shen from everyone's line of sight.

She grumbled unhappily, "What's there to see!"

Gu Shen looked at Yan Xi quietly, his eyes filled with inexplicable emotions.

*****

Gu Shen did not stay for long. When the phone rang again, he left with Gu Er first.

Before leaving, he looked at Yan Xi and gave her a reminder.

"The driver will pick you up later. Remember to call him if anything happens."

Yan Xi nodded obediently and asked, "Then, can I call you?"

"Suit yourself."

Yan Xi was very happy. After sending him away, she checked her phone and realized that she had not saved Gu Shen's number at all.

She walked back to the hall and immediately saw the Beef Wellington on the buffet table.

Golden crispy outer skin, rich stuffing, pink beef.

Every part of it was tempting Yan Xi.

"Cut me a piece of it."

The waiter swiftly cut the beef and placed it on the silver plate. After applying the sauce, he passed it to Yan Xi.

Yan Xi thanked him and took some toast and fruits from the dining table.

Whether it was in the Yan family or in this circle, Yan Xi was a peripheral character. Even if she left the banquet, no one would pay attention to her. She didn't want to stay here listening to their flattery, so she simply carried a plate of bread and beef to the pool in the backyard.

Yan Xi placed the plate on the table beside the pool and sat down.

The temperature of the steak was just right, but Yan Xi chose to eat the piece of toast beside her first. The bread was wrapped in sauce, and a rich fragrance filled her mouth.

Yan Xi was a little stunned and wanted to take another bite when a huge force pushed her from behind.

The fork cut her upper jaw and the taste of blood instantly filled her mouth.