Chapter 27: Winning Hearts

Gu Shenshen’s delicate figure was easily trapped in his embrace, unable to struggle free.

“Mr. Zhou…” she murmured.

“I still prefer it when you call me Aci,” he replied, his voice lowering as he leaned in, the usual chill about him quietly fading away.

Gu Shenshen abruptly pushed him away, catching him off guard. “Mr. Zhou, I really have work to do. Please don’t contact me unless it’s truly urgent.”

Without waiting for Zhou Ci’s reaction, she turned and left.

A fleeting confusion flashed through Zhou Ci’s obsidian eyes, but as soon as Gu Shenshen disappeared, the familiar cold aloofness returned to his expression.

As dusk approached, before dinner, Gu Shenshen accompanied Zhou Ci to Spring Garden.

Normally, a private residence like Spring Garden, with such an emphasis on privacy, would never allow outsiders to enter so freely. Yet their passage was unhindered all the way inside.

There was no doubt that Gu Shenshen had done her homework during the day. But on what grounds had she managed to have the gates of Spring Garden opened so easily for her?

Nevertheless, Zhou Yili had still arrived ahead of them, accompanied by a cultured and beautiful secretary.

“Mr. Da Zhou is fishing by the pond with Master Fu. This way, please, Mr. Xiao Zhou,” the plainclothes security at the house addressed them with courtesy and formality.

The fish pond wasn’t far from the main residence, a stone-paved path leading straight there.

“Mr. Zhou, I’ll stop here,” Gu Shenshen said, slowing to a halt as she watched several figures in the distance. If she wasn’t mistaken, Zhou Yili’s secretary had been shown to the reception room.

Zhou Ci glanced at her. Perhaps he understood her well enough to read her intention in her eyes, for he nodded in agreement and then headed off alone toward the fish pond.

An hour later, it was time for dinner. The separate dining area at Spring Garden was nestled in a traditional Chinese garden. To dine there at dusk was a true delight for the senses.

Zhou Ci sat at the table for a long while, but there was no sign of Gu Shenshen.

Soon, all the dishes had been served. Fu Jincheng smiled genially. “There’s no one else here tonight. No need for formality, just relax, you two.”

Noticing the empty seat beside Zhou Ci, Zhou Yili’s gentle gaze betrayed a hint of puzzlement.

“Uncle Fu, my brother and I are always in tune with each other—even our visits to see you are perfectly synchronized,” Zhou Yili said warmly, his demeanor graceful and his every gesture refined, exuding an air of cultured sophistication.

In contrast, Zhou Ci, who rarely showed any expression, always seemed to carry a subtle edge of hostility, making him less easy to like.

“If your father could see the two of you sitting harmoniously at the same table, he could rest in peace,” Fu Jincheng remarked, glancing meaningfully at Zhou Ci.

Indeed, the Zhou and Fu families had long been close.

Fu Jincheng was well aware of the Zhou family’s affairs. Compared to the taciturn Zhou Ci, he preferred Zhou Yili, the legitimate son he’d watched grow up in the sunlight. Zhou Ci, however, he’d barely seen.

Zhou Yili responded with a smile, while Zhou Ci merely curved his lips politely, saying nothing.

Everyone knew how things had once stood between Zhou Ci and Zhou Yili—clashing swords, neither ever gaining the upper hand.

“I recall that Xiao Zhou brought a secretary as well. Why don’t I see her?” Fu Jincheng, catching the electric tension between the two brothers, smoothly shifted the topic.

“Apologies for the delay, Master Fu. The last soup has just been finished,” a clear, melodious voice interjected before Zhou Ci could answer.

Everyone at the table turned to see Gu Shenshen herself pushing in the serving cart.

Her actions left Zhou Ci clearly perplexed, and even Zhou Yili regarded her with heightened interest.

“This…” Fu Jincheng paused, his brows drawing together in slight disapproval at what he considered her rather presumptuous approach.

Gu Shenshen set the soup on the table and opened it. “Matsutake mushroom and beef soup.”

Fu Jincheng looked sharply at her, his expression swiftly growing serious.