Chapter 117: The Little Princess Gu is Done For

Gu Yan was completely unaware that her little secret had already been made public, humming a tune as she entered the house.

"Mom~"

Yang Bing was rummaging through something in the living room; she was hugged by Gu Yan, and she patted her back with feigned annoyance: "How old are you, still acting like a spoiled child."

"No matter how old I am, I'm still your daughter." Gu Yan kissed her on the cheek, then turned her head to look at Gu Fanglin sitting nearby, "Dad!"

Gu Fanglin gave a grunt, his expression slightly stern.

Gu Yan didn't care at all; she plopped down next to him and hooked her arm through his: "Dad, I missed you so much."

Gu Fanglin's expression cleared slightly, and he pursed his lips, preparing to speak.

But Gu Yan began peering toward the dining room: "Where's the auntie? Did she make the dishes I like? I'm starving to death, I barely ate anything at noon..."

Gu Fanglin's hand paused, and he exchanged a glance with Yang Bing.

They had intended to interrogate her properly, but after that "starving to death" remark, both of them felt their hearts ache for her again.

"Let's eat first, we'll talk after you're done." Yang Bing sighed inwardly and stood up.

Gu Yan didn't pick up on anything and followed them to the dining room, overjoyed.

On the dining table, sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed sea bass, shrimp with minced garlic, and that soup she loved to drink were all laid out in abundance.

Gu Yan squinted her eyes as she ate, her face full of satisfaction.

"Delicious, home-cooked food is still the best."

She picked up another piece of sea bass with her chopsticks and placed it in Gu Fanglin's bowl: "Dad, you eat more."

Gu Fanglin looked at the fish in his bowl and was stunned for a moment.

Gu Yan ladled another bowl of soup and placed it by Yang Bing's hand: "Mom, drink some soup."

Yang Bing was also stunned for a moment.

It's a problem when a daughter is too good at acting spoiled; she can never stay angry, and she can't bear to say harsh words to her.

Gu Fanglin felt even more uncomfortable inside.

His little cotton-padded jacket, such a thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket, how could she have been tricked away by someone?

He set down his chopsticks.

"Yanyan."

"Hmm?" Gu Yan looked up at him, still chewing something in her mouth.

Gu Fanglin weighed his words: "That... Shen Yanhui, how is he treating you?"

Gu Yan blinked: "Pretty good."

"Pretty good?" Gu Fanglin's brows furrowed, "Is he overbearing and aggressive? Is he forcing you to do things you don't like?"

Like forcing her to register their marriage behind the family's back.

"No." Gu Yan bit into a rib, "He listens to me for everything."

Gu Fanglin choked.

"Then have you been caught by him with some kind of leverage?" He changed his angle, "Is he using that to threaten you?"

Gu Yan froze, still holding the rib in her mouth, her expression blank: "What leverage? No."

Gu Fanglin choked again.

Looking at his daughter's guileless appearance, he was even more certain that she must have been deceived.

He took a deep breath and said earnestly: "Yanyan, let Dad tell you, men are all devious, especially men who look good. It's normal that you can't tell, but..."

Gu Yan looked at Yang Bing with a blank expression.

Yang Bing was actually angry too.

Such a big thing as registering a marriage, and her daughter didn't even tell her. As her mother, she had to find out from someone else.

But looking at Gu Yan's face, seeing the happiness overflowing from between her brows, and that air of pampered willfulness that only comes from being doted on, most of Yang Bing's anger dissipated.

"Alright, stop talking for now, let Yanyan eat first."

Gu Fanglin wanted to say more but stopped, looked at his wife, then at his daughter, and chose to keep his mouth shut.

Forget it, he couldn't let the child go hungry.

Gu Yan didn't feel like anything was wrong; her father had always been in a state of nitpicking Shen Yanhui, and she was long used to it.

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

Gu Yan took it out and glanced at it; it was WeChat messages from Lin Wei, several in a row.

Lin Wei: 【WTF???】

Lin Wei: 【Did you know you and your Mr. Shen are in the news?】

Following that was a news link.

Before Gu Yan could click it, a message from Xu Yuan also popped up.

Xu Yuan: 【Young Miss!!! You and Mr. Shen are trending!!!】

The same link followed.

Gu Yan was stunned for a moment and clicked the link. It was a report from a financial media outlet, with a very eye-catching headline:

"Marriage Status of Shen Corporation's Actual Controller Disclosed: Married Low-Key, Spouse is the Gu Family Heiress"

Gu Yan: "???"

What the hell?

She scrolled down, and there were two photos attached.

One was a profile shot of Shen Yanhui attending an event, in a suit and leather shoes, his brows and eyes cold and stern, standing in the crowd as if he carried his own barrier.

The other was a photo of her at her grandfather's birthday banquet; the water-blue gown made her features look like a painting, and she was smiling slightly at the camera.

Truth be told, these two photos were chosen quite well.

Gu Yan continued to scroll down and saw the words in the main text:

"Shen Yanhui, the actual controller of Shen Group, confirmed his marital status as married in the equity change documents disclosed recently..."

"The spouse is the daughter of the Gu Family in Jingzhou..."

"It is reported that the two registered at the Jingzhou Civil Affairs Bureau several months ago..."

The two characters "Gu Family" were bolded.

Gu Yan's body stiffened.

She slowly raised her head and looked at her parents opposite her.

Gu Fanglin had a straight face, Yang Bing was holding a teacup, and both of them were looking at her.

Now, how could she not understand why she had been called back for a meal.

She lowered her head and began to honestly poke at the news on her phone, though she couldn't actually take any of it in; her brain was buzzing.

It's over.

It's over, it's over, it's over.

She carefully raised her eyes and stole a glance at Gu Fanglin's expression.

She then stole a glance at Yang Bing's expression.

Then she continued to lower her head, pretending to look at her phone.

The dining room was so quiet that one could hear the sound of the clock ticking.

Gu Yan placed her phone face down on her lap and sat bolt upright, even more obediently than a primary school student in class.

She would rather her parents scold her and get it over with.

Holding it in like this was too agonizing.

After dinner, Gu Yan curled up in the corner of the sofa, as well-behaved as a quail.

Yang Bing went to make tea, and Gu Fanglin sat opposite reading a newspaper, though it was unclear if he was actually reading it.

Taking advantage of the gap while Yang Bing was in the kitchen, Gu Yan secretly pulled out her phone.

Her fingers typed rapidly.

Gu Yan: 【Help!!!】

Gu Yan: 【My mom and dad know!!!】

Gu Yan: 【What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!!!】

After sending it, she stared nervously at the screen.

A few seconds later, a message came back.

Shen Yanhui: 【I know.】

Gu Yan stared at these two words and was stunned for a second.

He knows?

That's it?

Just as she was about to send another, another message popped up.

Shen Yanhui: 【Wait for me, be good.】

Three simple words.

Gu Yan looked at those three words, and her heartbeat suddenly steadied a little.

In the night outside the villa, a black Maybach sat quietly in the shadows of the trees by the roadside.

Looking over from here, the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Gu Family living room emitted a warm yellow light, with shadows occasionally flickering inside.

Shen Yanhui leaned back in the rear seat, his gaze fixed on that window.

He had already been waiting outside for twenty minutes; from the moment Gu Yan walked through the door, he had been here.

He watched her walk in humming a tune, watched her throw herself at Yang Bing, and watched her take Gu Fanglin's arm. He also saw Gu Fanglin's tense profile inside that window when he put down his chopsticks.

He knew she was being interrogated inside.

He also knew she would send him a message.

He was waiting for that very message.

His phone vibrated.

He looked down at it, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

"Wait for me."

He pushed open the car door.