Volume One, Chapter Nine: Utterly Adorable

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Why? She is also a daughter of the Zhou family! She should have been the one to marry Gu Qichuan from the start! But... he is to marry Zhou Xianyu. Zhou Qianqian’s dark eyes brimmed with resentment and anger. What was so good about Zhou Xianyu?! Everything that belonged to Zhou Xianyu, she intended to snatch away... Their parents’ affection, her brother’s guilt, even Jiang Wenhua—the man Zhou Xianyu liked—all should be hers. And that man... Zhou Qianqian became momentarily dazed as she recalled Gu Qichuan’s noble and cold demeanor. Someone so outstanding should have been hers, Zhou Qianqian’s.

———

Zhou Xianyu returned home with a troubled expression. Gu Qichuan frowned, concerned she might be unwell. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

Zhou Xianyu frowned, displeased. “It’s nothing, I just ran into someone I didn’t want to see...”

She quickly regained her usual composure, tugged on Gu Qichuan’s arm, and shook it gently. “Enough about her. Let’s go home; I’m a bit tired.”

Gu Qichuan paused slightly. It was the first time she had said “home” in his presence—home, the place they shared together. A faint smile curved his lips, and he couldn’t help but ruffle her hair. Yet his eyes darkened with an unspoken longing: if only things could always be like this...

Back home, she complained about not checking the almanac before going out and encountering Zhou Qianqian—a stroke of bad luck. After that, she took a refreshing shower and emerged comfortably dressed in pajamas, her mood lightened. She flopped onto the bed and happily scrolled through her phone.

Gu Qichuan usually waited until Zhou Xianyu finished before taking his turn. He was quick, coming out with a towel draped over his neck. He saw Zhou Xianyu lying on the bed in a pink camisole cotton dress, legs bent and swinging in the air. Her soft flesh was pressed and her fair, delicate skin blushed faintly.

His gaze followed the hem of her dress to her smooth back, the pink fabric accentuating her glowing skin. He approached and gently tugged down the skirt she had accidentally lifted to her thighs. His sharply chiseled, restrained face lowered, eyes roaming. “What are you watching?”

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Zhou Xianyu glanced back at him, her laughter clear and pleasant. “Just some videos—this one’s really funny…”

As she looked up at him, strands of hair slid down her back, revealing a smooth, translucent expanse of neck and shoulder. Gu Qichuan’s gaze was hardly innocent.

Following his eyes downward, Zhou Xianyu pouted in mock displeasure and tugged her skirt. “What are you looking at?”

Gu Qichuan chuckled softly but said nothing in reply. Instead, he grabbed a thin blanket nearby and draped it over her. “It’s chilly tonight.”

Zhou Xianyu snorted lightly, turned over onto her pillow, and resumed watching videos, the blanket covering her legs.

Leaning against the headboard, Gu Qichuan bent his knees, the black loungewear outlining his figure. He held a laptop in his lap, expression calm as he put on his headphones.

Suddenly, a video conference opened. He didn’t enable his camera and listened quietly to the briefing, his brows slightly furrowed. Habitually, his index finger tapped lightly on the laptop’s edge, producing a soft rhythm.

After a while, he lifted his eyelids, noticing the executive on the other end falter and stammer. Other connected executives nervously watched him.

“Continue,” Gu Qichuan said calmly.

The executive relaxed, wiped the nervous sweat from his brow, and hurried on with the report.

Suddenly, a clear laugh echoed—was that... a woman’s voice?

The executives were stunned. They all raised their volume to hear better, and then a sweet, sultry laugh filled the room. Just hearing it, one could imagine a young woman smiling with eyes curved in delight.

A woman’s voice? Could it be Mrs. Gu... Miss Zhou?

Outsiders said the marriage between the two families was purely for business cooperation, with no real affection. The couple appeared distant and incompatible, bound to divorce sooner or later. Yet, how come it felt so different from what everyone said?

Zhou Xianyu wore her headphones and soon giggled at a short video. Her brows curved beautifully over eyes full of joy, her chest shaking as she bent over laughing.

She had yet to notice Gu Qichuan watching her, his bright and lively eyes adding a captivating charm to his handsome face.

He leaned toward her, his gaze falling on the startled woman who shivered slightly, pressing against his shoulder with a displeased pout. “What are you doing...?”

A faint smile lifted the corners of Gu Qichuan’s lips. Calm and casual, he asked, “What are you watching?”

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Zhou Xianyu’s interest grew. She lifted her phone to share how funny the video was, but her eyes caught the large, blatantly displayed laptop screen on his lap.

She froze, removing her earphones and widening her eyes. She lowered her voice. “You, you’re in a meeting?”

Gu Qichuan openly turned the laptop screen toward her. If she hadn’t noticed the camera was off, she might have jumped in surprise.

He leisurely observed her flustered, flushed cheeks, a smile twinkling in his eyes.

Originally, he was merely curious about what made her so happy, but seeing her so embarrassed during the meeting sparked a mischievous itch in him. His gaze lingered on her rosy face.

Meanwhile, the executives leaned closer to their screens, only to hear Gu Qichuan’s low, gentle question: “What are you watching?” Then, silence.

They had never heard Gu Qichuan speak so softly. Their eyes gleamed with gossip as they nervously scratched their heads.

What happened? Why no reply? Two minutes passed with no sound!

They refreshed the connection quickly. After a moment, Gu Qichuan’s dispassionate voice returned. “Regarding the previous proposal, revise the ending and send it to my email. That’s all for today.”

The group groaned miserably. Why end so soon? They hadn’t heard anything!

Zhou Xianyu relaxed only after he exited the meeting, cheeks puffed slightly, black hair tucked behind her ear, revealing a small, delicate face.

She looked at him plaintively. “You didn’t tell me you were in a meeting. You made me lose face in front of your subordinates!”

Gu Qichuan’s tone was calm and composed, his voice deep. “Where’s the shame in that?” His slender fingers closed the laptop and set it on the bedside table, speaking with gentle coaxing, “Get some rest. Don’t you have an art party tomorrow?”

Remembering the tough day ahead, Zhou Xianyu slowly burrowed under the covers, murmuring, “I know.”

His voice sounded softly behind her. “Gu Chuyue will also be there tomorrow. If you need anything, find her. I have several business projects and might arrive a bit late.”

Zhou Xianyu recalled Gu Chuyue, Gu Qichuan’s elder sister by one year, and nodded faintly. “Mm.”