Gu Li'an appeared calm and composed, at least on the surface.
He turned to the side, like a stranger meeting for the first time.
Yun Daixi also politely replied, "Thank you."
She opened the closet to get her own slippers, not wanting to bend down and pull on the heels in front of Gu Li'an, which wasn't a very elegant gesture, so she simply slipped on her slippers and walked to the living room.
Just then, Sai Jinhua came down from the second floor, carrying a vintage LV suitcase.
Upon seeing Yun Daixi arrive, he greeted her somewhat awkwardly, "Xixi's here! Why didn't you call ahead?"
Hearing Xixi call him so affectionately, Gu Li'an unconsciously raised an eyebrow behind him before closing the door behind him.
Sai Jinhua had been in the entertainment industry for many years, and Yun Daixi learned all her facial expression management skills from her. Even she was taken aback by this performance, making Yun Daixi's heart pound and giving her a feeling of unease as if she were about to slip.
"I just came to see you." Yun Daixi said politely. "I have guests, so I'll have to go now. I'll leave the things I bought by the door and come back when you're free."
Gu Li'an also came over and stood beside her, remaining silent and patiently waiting to see how she would put on this act.
Sai Jinhua placed her suitcase on the long table next to the living room and followed up on her words: "Okay, next time you come, remember to call first so I can buy groceries in advance and cook your favorite dishes."
Just as Yun Daixi was about to leave, Gu Li'an spoke up: "Aunt Jinhua, there's no time like the present, why don't we do it today? Thanks to your friend, I'd like to try your cooking."
Sai Jinhua hadn't expected Gu Li'an to personally ask her to stay, so she decided not to refuse again and said, "Alright, then please sit down first. I'll call Auntie to help with the tidying up. It might take a while."
Just as he was about to leave, he turned back: "I forgot to introduce myself."
She stepped between the two and said, "Xixi, this is Mr. Gu, the child of an old friend of mine. He's not as familiar with this place as you are, so please take good care of him for me."
He then turned to introduce Yun Daixi: "This is my last disciple. After I retire, I will hand over the company to her to manage."
"Oh," Gu Lian nodded, "Auntie, you go ahead and get busy. We'll be waiting for your specialty dishes."
-
The calm before a downpour is perhaps the most fitting description of the atmosphere in the living room at this moment.
Sai Jinhua was tired of the hustle and bustle of the entertainment industry. There wasn't even a television in the living room, so the two of them could only sit quietly facing a wall of books.
After that introduction, it seems she doesn't yet know that the two already know each other.
Since retiring, she no longer cares about the entertainment industry and has found peace and quiet.
He probably doesn't even know that Yun Daixi has already used him.
They looked at each other in silence. Gu Li'an stood up and looked at the neatly stacked books on the bookshelf.
His long, slender fingers traced the spines of the books one by one, reading two rows, but he didn't pull out a single one.
Yun Daixi also stood up and walked to his side: "Mr. Gu likes reading?"
"I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to finish reading a whole book in a long time." His index finger stopped on one of the books, sliding down the spine and repeatedly stroking the title.
Yun Daixi glanced at the book; it was quite old, and the title, "Ars Amatoria," was printed in elaborate cursive script. She silently memorized it.
His hand then left.
He didn't touch any of the books inside.
Yun Daixi suddenly realized that he had a very strong sense of ownership, both towards himself and others.
He would never touch other people's things without permission, nor would he trespass on other people's property. Just like that day, he never actually entered her house.
Thinking about this, she felt a chill run down her spine. What she had done to him that day must have been offensive.
"And Miss Yun? What kind of books does she usually like to read?" he asked suddenly.
"I read them all," she said honestly, "but I like philosophical stories the most, which most people would find extremely boring."
Perhaps because she was always tormented by those trivial things when she was young, while others were reading romance novels, she was already quietly reading Socrates and Plato, trying to find the meaning of life.
The secondhand books she found at discount bookstores were often pirated, and the translations were often awkward, but she found them extremely interesting.
When reading these books, you will find that human nature remains unchanged even after hundreds of years, and you will have a broad sense of dialogue with great thinkers across time.
Like the soul-stirring reverence for nature when looking at a snow-capped mountain on an endless grassland.
"Miss Yun, if you have the chance in the future, you can recommend some books to me. I don't sleep very well, and I happen to need books like these to help me sleep."
His tone was half-joking and half-serious.
"Mr. Gu, if it's convenient, could you give me your address? I'll order online and have it delivered to your home."
This time, she genuinely didn't have any ulterior motives; she simply went along with him and offered a solution that she would have mentioned to anyone who brought it up.
His gaze fell from the book he was holding, and he looked at her with a mixture of righteousness and wickedness, as if he were trying to figure out the meaning behind her words.
Fearing he might misunderstand, she added, "If Mr. Gu finds it inconvenient, I can send it to your company."
"I'll see when I have the chance." He used the same trick again, starting a conversation and then hastily ending it.
Yun Daixi was a little angry, so she ignored her and sat back down on the sofa to check her phone. There were a lot of messages that she hadn't processed yet.
I read them all, and the message from Jiang Xianxian's assistant was the most urgent.
There was a problem during the magazine shoot. The photographer, Allan, and she had conflicting ideas. They didn't say it outright, but the atmosphere on set was tense, and they were worried that the final photos wouldn't turn out well.
Yun Daixi stood up and greeted Gu Li'an: "Mr. Gu, I'm going out to make a work call. Please excuse me."
He nodded: "Please feel free to do as you please."
Then he turned his face toward the bookshelf.
Yun Daixi then noticed that he was wearing a black suit again today, and it was extremely formal. This time, the brand could finally be identified from the tailoring; the Neapolitan shoulder and sleeve design must be from Kiton.
She had left her coat hanging in the foyer when she came in, and figuring the call wouldn't last long, she simply pushed the door open and went out.
It had started raining outside sometime earlier. She went outside, turned right, walked under the eaves, dialed Jiang Xianxian's assistant's number, and asked, "How is it over there?"
"Sister Daixi, I'm afraid you'll have to step in personally. You still have a chance to change Allan's personality if you come to the studio now; otherwise, it will be too late once the shoot is over. If the result is really bad, the editor-in-chief might replace him with someone else and reshoot the theme."
"Where?"
She gave him the address, and the navigation showed that it would take almost an hour to get there without traffic. It was almost rush hour, so she had to leave as soon as possible.
Ask your assistant to let the photographer know that she will be there shortly.
After hanging up the phone and returning to the house, I realized I was feeling a bit cold. I quickly rubbed my hands together, ran over, and affectionately took Sai Jinhua's arm: "Master, something suddenly came up, I have to go right away. We'll eat together next time I come to see you."
She then went over to Gu Li'an, who was already sitting on the sofa, and said, "Mr. Gu, I'm sorry, there's an urgent matter at the company, so I have to go now."
He stood up with great poise and said goodbye to her: "Take care, Miss Yun."
Yun Daixi finished dressing, slung her bag over her shoulder, and greeted Sai Jinhua: "Can I borrow an umbrella from the lobby? I'll bring it back next time."
I closed the door and stood under the eaves where I had just answered the phone, waiting. It was rush hour and raining, and since this area is considered the suburbs, no driver came to pick me up for a long time.
The door suddenly opened, and Gu Li'an came out.
His tone remained calm, with a natural, go-with-the-flow feel: "Where are you going? I'll take you."
"But you haven't eaten yet."
Yun Daixi turned around and pointed in the direction of the kitchen, only then realizing that she was standing on the eaves of this side of the house, directly facing the living room.
Gu Li'an had already seen everything that happened outside.
Even though I hadn't done anything particularly special, I still felt a strange sense of unease.
"I've already apologized to Aunt Jinhua. It's not convenient to get a taxi here. Let's go, I'll take you."
Before she could come up with another excuse, he picked up the LV suitcase and headed towards the garage in the rain.
Yun Daixi could only follow along. After hesitating several times, she thought of his sense of boundaries and decided not to risk using her umbrella to shield him from the rain.
Out of consideration for keeping a low profile, Gu Li'an drove alone today in a BMW 7 Series.
He got into the driver's seat and put the suitcase in the back.
Yun Daixi thought about it the whole way but still couldn't decide, so she simply opened the front door and asked him for his opinion: "Would you like me to sit in the front or the back?"
I was afraid that I might accidentally step into a situation he would mind.
Gu Li'an looked at the passenger seat: "Since you've already opened the door, you can sit here."
Yun Daixi obediently got into the car and fastened her seatbelt.
"Where to?" Gu Lian asked.
"Here." She took out her phone map to show him, and naturally moved her body a little closer to him.
The two phones were almost pressed against the skin holding them.
The two people who were like strangers just moments ago inside the house are now in a closed car, surrounded by the sticky smell of rain, yet there is an indescribable, ambiguous atmosphere.
It's like putting the same raw materials into different solutions; some will remain calm, while others will react violently.
Raindrops pattered against the glass on all four sides, creating a fine, dense layer of raincoat around the car windows.
"I'll add you on WeChat."
Without much thought, Yun Daixi clicked "Add Friend," entered Gu Li'an's phone number, and the search results popped up. Without even confirming, she knew it was Gu Li'an.
The profile picture is pure black, without even a single star or moon decoration.
His name is simply Gu Li'an.
Gu Li'an, sitting beside her, watched her skillfully enter her phone number, observing everything without saying much. After she sent the request, he accepted it.
She immediately sent an address over.
Gu Lian nodded: "Oh, here."
Then I asked her, "Are you in a hurry?"
Perhaps he saw her pacing back and forth under the eaves.
She nodded and answered honestly, "It's urgent. Xianxian is on set and has a bit of a conflict with the photographer. I need to make sure everything is okay before the shoot is over. This is for the year-end special in December, and we can't afford any mistakes."
Gu Li'an accepted the order and drove quietly, stepping on the gas whenever there was a flashing yellow light on the road.
Yun Daixi suddenly realized that Gu Li'an, a woman of such high social standing, was actually acting as her driver.
Too many questions lingered in my mind.
But he was driving fast and focused the whole way, and Yun Daixi didn't dare to disturb him, afraid that something might go wrong. With such a high price tag, she couldn't afford to pay for it.
In the end, it only took forty minutes to reach the photographer's studio.
She got out of the car and bowed to him, saying, "I owe Mr. Gu another favor. I'll treat you to dinner next time."
Just as she was about to close the door, Gu Li'an called out to her, "Miss Yun."
Yun Daixi stopped her hand on the edge of the car door and looked down at him: "What's wrong, Mr. Gu?"
"Can you handle it?" Gu Li'an asked inexplicably.
"It should be fine." After all, this is a scenario that Yun Daixi often encounters; she makes a living by mediating interpersonal relationships.
Unexpectedly, he said, "If it really doesn't work out, contact me. All the real estate in this park belongs to my subsidiary, unless they are willing to move out."
Even domineering CEOs flaunt their wealth so naturally.
Yun Daixi smiled and released her hand from the door: "No need to trouble Mr. Gu, I can definitely handle it. I'm afraid you don't know, in the agent circle, if I'm second, no one dares to say they're first. These are all minor matters."
After saying that, he gently slammed the door shut and walked into the photography studio, trying to appear nonchalant.
Raindrops fell on the new clothes I bought today, which were splashed with ink.
She then realized that she wondered if he would laugh at her again when he saw the video of her being splashed with ink. How would it feel to have just come out of another man's arms and then get into his car?