Chapter 26: For What? For You!

Gu Shen clenched her fingers tightly, yet in the end, she swallowed her anger and left the master bedroom without a word.

Zhou Ci watched her departing figure, a slight furrow forming between his brows.

It was not yet nine in the morning when Gu Shen boarded a plane to Shangcheng with Zhou Ci.

Aside from her secretarial duties, everything concerning Zhou Ci was taken care of with meticulous attention. Even his nitpicking had nowhere to take root; as for his occasional urge to torment her, perhaps she had already seen through it long ago.

Spring Garden was Fu Jincheng’s private estate, discreetly located. The very fact that Zhou Ci knew of this place showed he had put in considerable effort.

Their timing, however, was unfortunate. Fu Jincheng had left before they arrived.

“There must have been too many visitors. I’ve booked a hotel not far from Spring Garden; we’ll come back this evening.” After glancing at Spring Garden, Gu Shen turned her gaze to the man’s face in the rearview mirror.

Zhou Ci asked, “Do you think Zhou Yili has already met with Mr. Fu?”

“I don’t know, but it’s never wrong to prepare for the worst.”

Zhou Ci narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze lingering on her. “We can’t let this trip be for nothing.”

Gu Shen’s expression remained calm and gentle, but her bright eyes showed no emotion. “You’re really making a bold move, entrusting the hopes of such a major project to me. If I mess this up, you’ll get nothing out of it. What’s in it for you?”

In her view, Zhou Ci’s behavior was the height of foolishness. Or perhaps he didn’t truly care about the project at all and simply wanted to make things difficult for Zhou Yili—and by extension, for her.

In just a few minutes, Gu Shen had already played out countless scenarios in her mind, yet none led to any clear answer.

Zhou Ci replied, “You.”

Gu Shen pressed her lips together and immediately looked away, starting the car.

The vehicle glided off the tree-lined avenue in silence.

Zhou Ci seemed more at ease now, his long fingers tapping his knee, his gaze still fixed on the woman driving ahead.

“Why so quiet?” he asked in a low, lazy voice.

Gu Shen drove with an impassive face, her hands tightening almost imperceptibly on the steering wheel.

“I don’t like you anymore. We’ve been together for two years; you should know me well enough. I’m not someone with much feeling.” Her tone was both solemn and offhand, and she didn’t spare the man in the back seat a single glance.

Zhou Ci’s eyes darkened imperceptibly.

This woman’s heart was made of cement—cold and unyielding.

In the confines of the car, no amount of proximity could create intimacy.

“It seems your workload is still too light,” the man murmured after a moment.

Gu Shen didn’t respond and soon pulled up at the hotel they had booked.

Throughout the drive, she had remained unnervingly calm, speaking barely a word.

After Gu Shen escorted Zhou Ci to his room and made to leave, he felt a surge of displeasure at her obvious intent.

“Did I say you could go?”

Gu Shen had to take a deep breath before turning to face him. “There are about six hours until dinner. Are we planning to make ourselves the butt of Zhou Yili’s jokes tonight?”

Zhou Ci knew this state of hers all too well—outwardly calm, inwardly brimming with restless energy and a burning desire to win.

“You really want to win that badly?”

Gu Shen smiled faintly. “I’ll win for you.”

Zhou Ci stepped forward, his steady presence enveloping her. Instinctively, Gu Shen wanted to retreat, but he was quicker, pulling her close by the waist.