Chenghe Garden is quite similar to the restaurant I went to with Gu Li'an last time. It is still nestled against the mountains and by the water, but it is more remote and the buildings are smaller. It is the most traditional style of private gardens in Jiangnan.
The winding path is secluded, and even in winter, many evergreen trees are planted, swaying among the various shaped windows.
After walking around the pavilion for a while, they realized that there were only the two of them in the entire garden, apart from the service staff.
All the arrangements clearly point to one possibility.
"Mr. Gu, the place you brought me to is probably more than just an ordinary restaurant?"
"What do you mean?" Gu Li'an followed behind her, a step away, making his voice seem both close and distant.
"This is probably Mr. Gu's private meeting place."
How can you tell?
"There isn't even a card payment counter like last time." It couldn't be clearer.
She didn't know that the restaurant she went to last time, although it had a cashier, was actually Gu Li'an's place, and the 20,000 yuan meal fee ended up in his pocket.
Recalling that face watching the receipt flutter in the wind, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.
"What are you laughing at, Mr. Gu?" Yun Daixi turned around at some point and happened to catch this glimpse of his expression.
"I admire Miss Yun's intelligence. This is indeed my private meeting place. You mentioned safety, and I think nowhere can compare to this place."
When you arrive at a three-bay carved building, you can immediately tell that it is a genuine ancient house that has been moved here in its entirety.
The interior is brightly lit and has been completely renovated, giving it a brand new look.
She went inside and walked around, while Gu Li'an remained silent, simply following beside her.
The room was decorated with a lot of porcelain, which Yun Daixi didn't know much about. Remembering his attitude towards books at Sai Jinhua's house last time, she didn't dare to touch them.
Someone knocked on the wooden door: "President He has arrived."
Gu Li'an replied, "Please invite him in."
"Thank you, Mr. Gu. Leave the rest to me." Yun Daixi saw Gu Li'an to the door.
He Botao happened to arrive and, seeing Gu Li'an there, his expression became noticeably more uncomfortable. He still came over and extended his hand to greet him: "I didn't expect President Gu to be here as well."
Gu Li'an shook hands with him politely, but only briefly mentioned, "It just so happens that I ran into Miss Yun, so I came over to say hello to her."
His acting skills are comparable to those of the actors under Yun Daixi's command.
He Zong wasn't stupid; the fact that the two of them were both dressed in black seemed too coincidental.
Having heard that Gu Li'an owned several private properties specifically for receiving important people, I knew this was one of them, so I wasn't worried at all.
The reason they dared to spread that rumor was twofold: first, they had Jiang Xianxian's whereabouts tracked and discovered that she had no overlap with Gu Li'an's schedule at all; second, their studio also issued an official statement.
This Mr. Gu is not someone who likes to cause trouble, but unexpectedly, he revealed his identity here.
Gu Li'an looked at her and said, "You two chat first, then I'll take you home."
It's like a declaration of sovereignty.
Yun Daixi smiled and nodded, then greeted He Botao, "President He, please come in."
After the mealtime had passed, only tea sets were placed on the table. The tea master brewed a pot of black tea as instructed and placed it on the hot stove.
After the door closed, only the two people remained in the room. Yun Daixi took out an envelope, placed it on the table, and pushed it over: "This is a gift for President He. Please take a look."
When He Botao opened the envelope and took out the photocopy, his hands were still trembling slightly despite his efforts to control them.
After looking through them one by one, she finally spoke, "Miss Yun, what do you mean by this?"
"Chinese people value reciprocity, so of course I have to return the favor after Mr. He gave me a gift." She picked up her purple clay teacup and took a sip.
She had made thorough preparations to set up this trap on Gu Li'an's turf.
Rather than using this evidence to act impulsively and damage relationships, it's better to reserve it as a reserve for long-term cooperation.
He Botao looked at the document, put it back in the envelope, and smiled, "Miss Yun, I don't understand it."
"Mr. He is joking. With your top-notch overseas finance background, how could you not understand these things?"
"I mean," he paused, "I don't understand Miss Yun."
"That's a joke with Mr. T. I've always made my needs clear. I've never asked Mr. T for resources or funding," she said truthfully.
"I hope it can be like this in the future." He Botao raised his glass. "This time we'll use tea instead of wine. Next time, please invite Miss Yun to my place."
Yun Daixi raised her teacup to clink glasses with her own: "Definitely."
Her decision was to use this weakness as leverage in a long-term tug-of-war with He Botao.
She will eventually hand over this bargaining chip to exchange for profits, but not now. The best time to use this sharp arrow to send him to prison will be when she has the financial strength to take over Hejun Media.
Reporting him now and only getting him to pay compensation to avoid further trouble is far too lenient.
After exchanging pleasantries, Yun Daixi escorted He Botao to his room, whereupon a staff member led him out.
Having been to Mr. Gu's private meeting place and waiting for him to leave is certainly a topic of conversation in the underworld.
Gu Li'an came out of the side room and stood in the corridor waiting for her. There was a clear, cool moonlight that looked particularly bright in the unlit suburban area.
"Let's go, Miss Yun, I'll take you home."
"Could you show me around Mr. Gu's place?"
"Of course." He took a step back and gestured for us to walk that way.
After nightfall, there's not much to see in the traditional Chinese courtyard. There are a few scattered dim lights along the roadside, and further up, you can only make out the outlines of people by the moonlight.
"If I help you with this tonight, aren't you afraid of having another rumored lover?"
"If word gets out, it will probably be even more disadvantageous for Miss Yun, as she will be branded as someone who is two-timing."
"Would you still want me to come back to be Mr. Gu's caged bird, all disheveled and humiliated, then?"
This question was genuine; he wanted to gauge how much tolerance he had for this matter.
"What do you think, Miss Yun?" he threw the difficult question back at her.
Yun Daixi didn't answer. She followed him past several ponds and walked to the innermost part of the courtyard. He pushed open the door of a room.
Inside the rustic wooden building lies a luxurious residence.
"Will Mr. Gu stay here?" Yun Daixi stopped at the door, afraid of overstepping her bounds.
"Occasionally," he replied.
"If I were Mr. Gu's caged bird, would I be kept here?"
"Perhaps? There are a few places you can choose from."
The conversation continued, but both of them stopped at the high Chinese-style gate, neither of them taking another step forward.
"So the question I just asked Mr. Gu seems to have been answered. If I regret it and come back to you, you are still willing to open the cage for me, right?"
"Within my limits of tolerance."
"That's good."
As she spoke, her body moved backward uncontrollably, trying to get further away from the door.
They were afraid that if they got any closer, they would succumb to the alluring, decadent atmosphere emanating from the house.
This isn't the first time someone in the entertainment industry has tried to make such a deal with her, but over the years, she has protected herself wisely by relying on her own abilities and has never thought of using her body to gain anyone's favor.
She stepped back step by step, and landed right in his arms.
His back pressed against his chest, then bounced back slightly.
What I found, not by design, was evidence of his possessiveness.
"Mr. Gu…" She was momentarily at a loss.
"Miss Yun, you've crossed the line," he said in a low voice.
Before she could struggle, he roughly picked her up and carried her through the door she both longed for and feared.
His entire body felt as if it were being coiled by a python, his head was pressed into his chest, and darkness enveloped his vision.
This time, in the extremely quiet night, I finally heard his clear heartbeat.
It's as if he's declaring that he's still alive, a man with a desire to roam freely.
The pristine moon still hung in the sky, as if mocking her: greedy woman, you will eventually fall into hell.