Chapter 38: You Have the Protagonist's Halo, I Have Gu Jinzhou at My Back

Although Gu Jinzhou could be overbearing and assertive, he never touched Su Ruanruan when he was angry or upset. To him, that was not love-making; it was merely venting his frustration.

He had gone to sleep early the previous night, and being naturally energetic, he required little sleep. He opened his eyes before dawn to find his soft, jade-like treasure in his arms, which immediately whetted his appetite. The strap on her lingerie came undone with a single, gentle tug.

When he had helped her put it on after her bath the night before, Gu Jinzhou had not missed the shy flush on her face. At the time, however, his only concern was whether the pink strapped lingerie was too small. Even though she looked incredibly sexy in it—enough to make his nose bleed—he worried it was a poor fit.

Su Ruanruan’s delicate, fair fingertips gripped the white silk duvet as she surrendered to Gu Jinzhou’s deep, forceful kiss. Drowsy and heavy-eyed, she had no desire to wake up. The man kissed her ear, his magnetic, clean voice coaxing her: "Keep sleeping, baby. You sleep, and I’ll tend to my business."

She slowly opened her hazy, bewildered, watery eyes. Her fair, soft body was completely at his mercy, and she saw the scorching, terrifying desire burning in his eyes.

"Guzhou... I want to sleep. Can we do this this afternoon?"

"No."

Before long, the large bed was in disarray.

An hour later.

Golden sunlight scattered across the room, doting on the handsome, refined man. He stood there with such effortless composure that he looked like a noble, serene deity, making one want to worship him. His slender fingers worked the buttons of his white shirt from bottom to top before he reached out to stroke the little woman’s soft, exhausted forehead, planting a gentle kiss there.

"Good morning. I’m off to work, baby."

"...Hmph."

She buried her head into the pillow, her long black hair clinging alluringly to her fair, beautiful back. She looked both pure and seductive, effortlessly rekindling the desire the man had just quelled.

Gu Jinzhou left the bedroom with darkened eyes, his tall, slender silhouette radiating a somber, obscure aura. He loved his life as it was now, and he loved her—so very, very much.

***

When Su Ruanruan woke up, she had no sense of time. After eating, she returned a call to Mu Xin'er.

"Ahhh! Ruanruan, you’re still alive! Thank goodness! Prince Gu didn’t beat you up, did he?"

"No, but he gave me the silent treatment!"

Gu Fengyan, who heard this, thought: "..." So, when you make a mistake and Jinzhou is too angry to deal with you, you call that the silent treatment? If Jinzhou ever died, he’d likely be dying from being wronged.

The two "vicious" supporting female characters chattered away about Su Lan'er’s sour expression from the day before, finding a strange satisfaction in it for quite a while. Gu Fengyan remained silent for a few seconds; did these two not know how to take revenge at all? Someone just made a sour face, and they were satisfied? Their threshold for satisfaction was far too low.

Gu Fengyan tapped his fingers on the desk, his voice cool and crisp. "Miss Mu, your break is over. Please focus on revising your thesis draft."

Mu Xin'er’s arrogant, bright cat-like eyes flashed with indignation, yet she was also a little intimidated. In the past, she had feared her father, and later, her professors. Gu Fengyan was a combination of both, and she felt like she was dying of frustration.

"Ruanruan, I have to study now."

"Is Third Brother supervising your thesis today? Doesn't he have work to do?" Su Ruanruan asked.

"He does work, but I’m revising my paper in his office," Mu Xin'er muttered softly. "I’m sitting right across from him. How is this any different from sitting under a teacher’s nose in class? It’s like being in prison."

After hanging up, Su Ruanruan prepared to go to the HC Mall to buy some things before visiting her grandmother at the old family estate. Gu Jinzhou had mentioned during their late-night chat yesterday that Grandmother had been coughing lately.

***

Su Ruanruan walked into a luxury shop specializing in silk scarves. Just as she sat down, she spotted Su Lan'er and Li Shaojue not far away.

"..."

Su Lan'er walked over and said coldly, "You already have Gu Jinzhou, so why are you still clinging to Li Shaojue? I used to envy you—even when you spent half a year chasing after a man, your inherent nobility and pride never diminished. But looking at your pathetic, clingy behavior now, don’t you feel cheap?"

Su Ruanruan sat on the sofa, her expression cool and indifferent. Her long, pink lace cuffs covered her fair hands, creating a picture of elegance and poise. "I came here to buy a scarf, not to chase a man."

"Who would believe that?"

Su Ruanruan didn't want to engage further. The shop manager recognized her and immediately brought out the store’s most expensive scarves, worth tens of thousands, for the "Little Princess Gu" to choose from. Because the late Old Master Gu and his wife had bonded over a silk scarf, the Old Madam’s favorite accessories were never diamonds or pearls, but silk scarves.

Su Ruanruan had a great eye. She quickly selected a few scarves in understated, elegant colors and styles, saying with a gentle, crisp smile, "I’ll take these."

Su Lan'er interjected, "I had my eye on that ink-wash painting scarf."

Su Ruanruan asked the manager, "Has she paid for it?"

The manager smiled and said no.

Su Ruanruan replied, "Then it’s unowned."

Su Lan'er grabbed the scarf. "You’d even fight me over a single scarf." She glanced at Li Shaojue, who was sitting nearby, and said furiously, "I could let you have this scarf, but if I concede today, will you want me to hand over my man tomorrow? Su Ruanruan, don't be so shameless!"

Su Ruanruan idly smoothed her hair, her pure, delicate face breaking into a smile. "Are you talking about yourself?"

A black card was laid between them as Su Shengyao, dressed in a sharp suit, said, "Put it on my tab."

The manager asked, "Which lady would you like to pay for?"

Su Shengyao looked at Su Lan'er. She pursed her lips in a triumphant, subtle smile, then looked at Su Ruanruan—a silent display of provocation.

Just then, Li Shaojue walked over. He was tall and imposing, his eyes—at once amorous and cold—meeting Su Shengyao’s gaze. Had they not both been men of deep, reserved character, a storm would likely have erupted right there.

Su Shengyao said with dissatisfaction, "Why aren't you paying for Lan'er?" The implication was: Why aren't you helping her?

Li Shaojue narrowed his deep, dark eyes and retorted without a hint of politeness, "Two women are squabbling, and you want me to intervene? Why don't you have me jump rope with them instead?"

The staff watching silently covered their mouths, nearly bursting into laughter.

Soon, the manager returned the black card to Su Shengyao and apologized, "I’m sorry, but Mr. Gu has already paid for all of these scarves."

Given Gu Jinzhou’s status and power today, he stood above everyone in Hong Kong; no one dared to confront him head-on. Su Ruanruan stood by obediently, blinking her clear, innocent eyes. "So, they’re all mine now?"

Su Lan'er had brought two bodyguards with her today, and in a direct confrontation, Ruanruan would have been at a disadvantage. She hadn't expected Gu Jinzhou to be able to back her up from "thousands of miles away." *Hehe, Gu Jinzhou is too amazing!*

The manager quickly packed the scarves and handed the exquisite gift bags to Su Ruanruan. Under the pressure of three pairs of eyes, she took the bags and walked out of the store.

"Wait! Su Ruanruan, stop right there!" Su Shengyao called out.

Su Ruanruan only walked faster.

Su Shengyao hurried to catch up and said, "I know you don't like Lan'er, and you can't stand us being good to her, but Grandfather loves you dearly. You must attend his seventieth birthday celebration."