Chapter 41: "You made a bet, so you must accept the outcome—do you understand?"

It was only when they entered the room and the door was locked behind them that Gu Shiyan finally let go of her. He set the glass of water down on the entryway table without a second thought.

Luo Xing looked around the room—it was more than just a room; it was a full apartment. She had just seen Gu Shiyan enter a code to get in, so this must be his private space.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows stretched an expanse of emerald green woods.

“What exactly are you trying to do?” Luo Xing turned around, startled to find Gu Shiyan so close, nearly pressing up against her. She stepped back, but he supported her waist, advancing step by step until her back hit the white wall.

“You agreed to this, didn’t you?” He was right in front of her, his presence overwhelming.

“Agreed to what?”

“The bet.”

“Mm…”

“Didn’t you lose?” he asked, his hand naturally lifting her chin so she had no choice but to look at him.

“Yes…”

“Then shouldn’t you do as I say right now?” His warm fingertip pressed gently against the corner of her lips.

Luo Xing lowered her gaze, refusing to answer.

“You should honor your bets, understand?” Gu Shiyan’s palm covered half her face, his fingertips brushing her lowered lashes.

Luo Xing looked up at him. Suddenly, without warning, he leaned down. Her lips felt a cool wetness—everything happened so fast, she barely had time to react. Her lashes trembled slightly. The light touch on her lips was already gone.

Gu Shiyan looked down at her, her eyes dazed and confused, soft and unguarded. He pressed her to the wall and kissed her again. This time it deepened, their lips shining with a crystalline gloss, breaths growing ragged.

Luo Xing pushed against his chest, but he wouldn’t budge. He pressed in closer. She opened her mouth, intending to speak, but he slipped in smoothly. The next second, she bit him.

“Ah…” He pulled back, breathing hard.

Damn, that was ruthless.

As soon as some distance separated them, Gu Shiyan’s dark eyes fixed on her, and then he suddenly kissed her again.

He gave her no time to react. His lips were soft and slick, just as before. One hand held her waist, the other lifted her chin, forcing her head back to accept him. Luo Xing’s head was tilted so far back she could scarcely breathe. She raised her hands to his shoulders.

Gu Shiyan thought she was finally yielding. Their noses brushed together; his hand, which had been cupping her face, slid back to the nape of her neck, pulling her closer still.

Luo Xing’s hands gripped his broad shoulders, steadying herself, and then, bending her knee, she drove it sharply into him.

Gu Shiyan hadn’t expected it at all. He doubled over, almost collapsing to the floor, turning away with his hands over the vital spot.

Luo Xing, trying to wipe her mouth, even resented his saliva being on her arm. She grabbed the back of his shirt and scrubbed her lips clean, then kicked him hard in the rear.

Gu Shiyan hadn’t even recovered from the pain in front.

“Ugh…” he groaned, struggling to squeeze out the words “Luo Xing,” but couldn’t even form a sentence.

Luo Xing picked up the glass of water and rapped it on his head a few times, stopping only out of fear she might kill him. Clutching the card in her hand and shouldering the glass, she strode out.

They had been inside less than ten minutes.

Luo Xing, holding Mr. Gu’s black card, left without any trouble. The manager, seeing her alone, even arranged a car for her.

Back home, Luo Xing threw herself into her grandmother’s arms and sobbed bitterly, right in front of Mr. Gu.

When her grandmother asked what happened, she simply said Gu Shiyan had bullied her. Asked how he had bullied her, she refused to say.

Gu Yunzhi, desperate, turned to the old Mr. Gu in his wheelchair and shouted, “Gu Taihua! You’d better call your grandson back right now!”

Gu Taihua, who hadn’t been called by his full name in decades, looked to Assistant Song.

Assistant Song swallowed nervously and quickly called Gu Shiyan, who was now doomed whether he picked up or not.

Gu Shiyan didn’t answer.

Assistant Song had no choice but to call again.

Luo Xing stole a glance, wiped her tears, and said, “I don’t want to see him. I’m going to my room, Grandma…” Her voice was thick with tears.

“Xingxing, I’ll stay with you. How can I feel at ease when you’re like this?” Gu Yunzhi worried over her.

“Grandma, I just want to be alone.” Luo Xing, still wiping her tears, headed upstairs, leaving the three of them frantically calling Gu Shiyan.

…

It was unclear how long he sat there before the searing pain finally dulled to a bearable ache. The door, left ajar, was gently pushed open.

Gu Shiyan sat on the floor, one leg bent, hand resting lightly atop it.

He looked up at the person in the doorway.

The girl’s face was pure, nearly blank, and she wore a professional dealer’s uniform from TH.

Gu Shiyan sneered at her, “What, is Gu Liang that stingy? Isn’t he giving you enough money?”

Su Mo stood at the door, letting out a low laugh. “I’ve never used his money. Everything I spend, I earn myself.”

“Don’t you have a grandmother in the hospital? What are you doing in the capital?”

“My grandmother’s here for her second surgery. I discussed it with the doctors and got permission to accompany her during summer break.”

Gu Shiyan didn’t care much. He’d only asked because she seemed to appear in front of him a little too often.

Back in Beicheng, he’d seen her in every arcade, pool hall, and club. Given who her mother was, he couldn’t help suspecting she had some ulterior motive.

He propped himself up and stood, his gaze falling to the floor as he slowly approached Su Mo.

“Don’t tell me you’re here in my room to make money too?” Standing, he towered over her, his voice cold and heavy, the words dropping from above her head.

Su Mo didn’t reply.

Gu Shiyan’s hand hovered over the call button nearby. “Answer me, or get fired. Take your pick.”

His tone was indifferent and lazy, as if he were making a trivial decision, not threatening someone’s livelihood.

Su Mo had read the training manual—if he pressed that button, TH staff would arrive immediately. His being allowed to stay here meant he was an important client; it was well within his power to decide her fate with a single word.

She despised this feeling—her life in someone else’s hands.

“I’m worried about Luo Xing. After all, you were the one who brought her here.”

Gu Shiyan scoffed, “You two are friends?”

He thought back to that night at the bar when Su Mo had stepped outside to make a call, mentioning Luo Xing’s name. He’d followed her out and saw Shen Que holding Luo Xing…

Luo Xing seemed to have plenty of friends.

Su Mo knew that with Gu Shiyan’s personality, even if she told him she and Luo Xing were friends, he wouldn’t bother to check with Luo Xing.

What surprised her was that Luo Xing was still entangled with Gu Shiyan. She had assumed Luo Xing was just a fleeting presence in his life, that he’d grow tired of her within two months and break up.

She’d been patiently waiting, but now, it seemed waiting was not a wise choice. She needed to act faster.

After all, according to Su Wan, Gu Liang wanted Gu Shiyan to apply to Princeton for his junior year. She needed to act before that, to ensure Su Wan, that vain and selfish woman, got the punishment she deserved.

“I can’t say Luo Xing and I are great friends, but we did add each other online,” Su Mo replied, watching Gu Shiyan’s expression.

He lifted his eyelids and gave her a glance. “Are you bragging to me?”

His tone was impatient, leaving Su Mo momentarily stunned.

Why would he think she was bragging?

“Get out,” Gu Shiyan said coldly, his gaze frosty as he looked at her.