Chapter 7
Chapter 7
“Bullshit!” Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Lu Zhiyuan had a reflexive reaction. He was always conscious of his image in front of Gu Ci, but he blurted out a swear word, “I don’t have a split personality!”
Gu Ci raised her eyebrows. That wasn’t the main point, was it?
Seeing her confusion, Lu Zhiyuan quickly regained his composure and asked, “Why did you come to stay at my house?”
“Because I like you and want to pursue you,” Gu Ci said casually, but with the utmost sincerity, even though she had just been rejected by Lu Zhiyuan.
Years of fantasy had come true in a moment, and the overwhelming joy had lifted him up to the clouds, only to crash down again.
Heaven and hell are just flip sides of the same coin.
“Gu Ci, this is not funny at all,” Lu Zhiyuan looked at her deeply, restraining himself and trying to hide his emotions, “Don’t joke with me about this matter.”
“Okay!” Gu Ci sighed helplessly, “Then I’ll go.”
Lu Zhiyuan tightly grasped her wrist, his voice trembling slightly, “Gu Ci, why? Why do you like me? From childhood to adulthood, we grew up together as childhood sweethearts. But after I turned ten, we had a falling out and you’ve never shown me any good feelings since. If… if you’re not joking, why do you like me? In which moment?”
There was a kind of inexplicable paranoia in his eyes that no one could understand.
“It doesn’t matter…” Gu Ci replied, not understanding his sudden outburst.
“It matters!” Lu Zhiyuan tightened his grip on her wrist, almost bending his back in a humble manner, like the most devout believer praying for a shred of mercy, “It matters to me!”
The alarm bells in Gu Ci’s mind were ringing loudly. It seemed that if she answered wrongly, she would be able to defeat Lu Zhiyuan and make him fall into the abyss. Gu Ci cautiously hid her love and replied, “I was just joking.”
Lu Zhiyuan gritted his teeth, “Gu Ci!”
“You’re hurting me,” Gu Ci reminded him.
Lu Zhiyuan quickly released her, and Gu Ci’s skin was white and delicate. He was a racing driver with great strength in his hands and often unintentionally hurt her. Lu Zhiyuan stared at the red mark on her wrist, feeling extremely remorseful.
After all, he was a man who could lift Gu Ci with one hand.
“Liu Shijie has been bothering me lately, and I’m afraid he’ll come looking for trouble. It’s no big deal for me to be alone, but I have Gu Ziyu by my side. That’s why I wanted to come and stay with you for a while.” Gu Ci was not a cunning person, “Since you’re unwilling, forget it.”
“Is that all?” Lu Zhiyuan asked.
“What else can there be?” Gu Ci replied.
Lu Zhiyuan was filled with anger, “Then tell me the truth, why did you make such a joke?”
Gu Ci hesitated, wanting to say that she wasn’t joking, that she really liked him. She assumed that they were mutually in love, but reality slapped her in the face.
“I’m leaving!” Gu Ci said.
Just then, Li Jiang arrived with Gu Ziyu. Lu Zhiyuan looked at Li Jiang, who was following behind Gu Ziyu with a respectful demeanor, which seemed awkward and out of place, like a prince with his personal eunuch inspecting the kingdom.
“Hello, Big Brother!” Gu Ziyu greeted Lu Zhiyuan with a bright smile.
Lu Zhiyuan nodded coldly, and Gu Ziyu sensed that something was off, but didn’t say anything. Gu Ci said goodbye and left with Gu Ziyu.
Li Jiang watched them leave and couldn’t help but ask, “Third Young Master, why didn’t you ask Miss Gu Ci to stay?”
“Why should I ask her to stay?” Lu Zhiyuan replied coldly.
Li Jiang was surprised, “I took Young Master Gu Ziyu around and he said he wants to stay here from now on.”
He spoke with a very matter-of-fact attitude as if he had never considered that Lu Zhiyuan might refuse.
He behaved like a eunuch in charge of the prince, afraid to even breathe as if he had encountered the third prince.
“Why do you call him Young Master?” Lu Zhiyuan asked.
Li Jiang was bewildered, “I just naturally called him that. What else should I call him?”
Lu Zhiyuan remained silent.
Li Jiang didn’t want to waste any more time and proceeded to tell him about the engagement banquet between Lu Shijie and Gu Chuyun from last night. Lu Zhiyuan’s gaze turned dark and cold, sinking to its lowest point.
Li Jiang took a deep breath, “Fortunately, Miss Gu Ci was smart and avoided disaster. She is unharmed. Today is the final race, and I didn’t want to distract Third Young Master, so I didn’t have time to tell you.”
Lu Zhiyuan’s anger flared up and his sharp gaze was intimidating. Li Jiang continued, “The chairman has blocked the news. After all, it’s a scandal. The Gu family also withdrew their police report. No one dared to mention the matter at the banquet.”
The chairman of the Lu family’s financial conglomerate, Lu Ze, was a confirmed bachelor. Later, he met the actress Lin Zhi and pursued her relentlessly. He forcibly married her and had Lu Zhiyuan. However, before meeting Lin Zhi, Lu Ze was a confirmed bachelor with countless women, including a C-list actress named Xu Tingting, who gave birth to Lu Shijie and Lu Shixiu. Lin Zhi had a hot temper and, after learning the truth, divorced him and left A City, never to return. She died in a car accident abroad when Lu Zhiyuan was eight years old, and since then, Lu Zhiyuan’s relationship with Lu Ze has been estranged.
Lu Zhiyuan is the only heir of the Lu family’s financial conglomerate but he does not want to inherit it. Lu Ze had no choice but to train Lu Shijie. Now, many of the Lu family’s powers have been handed over to Lu Shijie.
“Why would Lu Shijie do something so foolish at the engagement banquet if he wanted to get the Gu family’s shares? Investigate the origin of this matter,” Lu Zhiyuan’s voice was cold to the extreme. “They are targeting Gu Ci. I think he’s tired of living.”
“Yes, sir!” Li Jiang’s heart skipped a beat. Although Third Young Master Lu had devoted himself to racing and established the Global Sports Center, which owns its own racing team and is the most profitable in the world, he doesn’t care much about the Lu family’s financial conglomerate, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know anything.
He just didn’t want to argue with Lu Shijie and Lu Shixiu.
Gu Ci was his only weakness!
Li Jiang continued, “Third Young Master, early this morning, Miss Gu Ci called me and asked me to keep an eye on you as if she knew in advance that you were going to fight with Sean.”
Lu Zhiyuan paced back and forth anxiously. Gu Ci wanted to stay at his house to avoid Lu Shijie, as she has never been favored in the Gu family. She can’t go back to her family. But if Gu Ci stays at his house, what if she finds out his secret?
“There is something that I think you need to know,” Li Jiang spoke up with a brave face.
“Li Jiang, are you trying to lose your job?!” Lu Zhiyuan’s eyes were filled with rage.
Why did he hide so much from him?
Li Jiang’s scalp went numb, and he spoke quickly, “Third Young Master, I got someone to break Sean’s legs!”
Lu Zhiyuan’s anger gradually subsided, but his face was still cold. Li Jiang had to explain, “I didn’t want to, but it was the little young master brought by Miss Gu Ci who said to break his leg. I don’t know why I followed the command. This was my own decision, and I’ll take the punishment.”
“Well done. You’ll get triple your year-end bonus,” Lu Zhiyuan said.
Li Jiang’s tense string relaxed, and he began bouncing around on Lu Zhiyuan’s bottom line, “Third Young Master, do we need to break his hand too?”
Lu Zhiyuan remained silent.
Li Jiang’s spirits were lifted, and he hadn’t expected this unexpected windfall. If he had known, he might have been able to get five times the bonus by breaking Sean’s hand too. He had acted too hastily.
“Don’t push your luck!” Lu Zhiyuan warned.
“I’m sorry, Third Young Master!” The ability to bend and stretch was a prerequisite for working by Third Young Master’s side. Li Jiang didn’t want to serve a master with such a bad temper, but the pay was just too good.