Chapter 13: Shen Yanhui, I'm Uncomfortable

For several days in a row, Gu Yan had been feeling a bit wilted.

Not only had her painting made zero progress, but she had also been kissed by a man and then left behind without a care.

It was too humiliating; it was practically a stain on her life.

Gu Yan lay listlessly on the armrest of the living room sofa, watching the gardener in the courtyard pruning the shrubs.

A young maid passed by carrying tea, and upon seeing her, whispered a greeting: "Good morning, Miss."

Gu Yan lifted her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the pink and white hydrangeas the maid was holding.

"Xiao He," she suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a touch of just-woken laziness and a hint of pickiness, "change all the flowers in my room and the studio."

The maid named Xiao He stopped in her tracks: "What flowers would you like to change to, Miss? Roses? Or lilies?"

Roses?

Shen Yanhui popped into her mind again.

He even called her 'little rose'—she was nothing of the sort!

Gu Yan wrinkled her nose, "Don't want those, they're tacky."

Her fingertips traced lightly over the cold marble of the armrest as she thought for a moment.

"Change them to white feather tulips," she said, "the kind that are just about to bloom, with a tiny bit of greenish edge on the tips of the buds."

Xiao He was stunned for a moment. White feather tulips were a rare variety; the petals were pure white with delicate, soft, feather-like edges. They were expensive and extremely difficult to order in their freshest state.

"Very well, Miss, I will go contact the flower shop right away."

Gu Yan gave an "mm," and slumped back down lazily.

Changing the flowers might change her mood.

Just then, Zhong Bo walked in from outside, holding a dark green velvet gift box.

"Miss," his expression was a bit strange, "someone has sent something over again."

Gu Yan didn't even lift her eyelids, "Oh, just put it there."

For the past few days, someone had been sending little things over every day—sometimes jewelry, sometimes exquisite ornaments—all of them quite valuable.

She knew who had sent them without even thinking.

Zhong Bo replied with a "Yes," placed the box down neatly, and then quietly withdrew.

The living room was left with only Gu Yan once again.

It was quiet enough to hear the faint chirping of birds in the courtyard.

Her gaze couldn't help but drift back to that dark green box.

He ran off after kissing her, and now, he was sending over these inconsequential little gifts every day.

Did he think this would make her stop being angry?

Not a chance.

Gu Yan hummed softly, reached out to grab a soft cushion to hold in her arms, rested her chin on it, and scrolled through her phone in boredom.

When Gu Lin entered the door, he saw this "puddle" of a person.

Yet, even lying there bonelessly, she was still beautiful in an aggressive way.

This sister of his was truly born too well. From childhood to now, he had never seen a girl more beautiful and vibrant than her.

Of course, there might be a bit of big-brother bias in that.

Hearing footsteps, Gu Yan lazily lifted her eyelids a crack, glanced at him, and then turned her head back with no interest.

Gu Lin didn't mind; he walked over to the armchair beside her and sat down, his gaze falling naturally on the box to the side.

"Sent again?" He raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of teasing, "Yanyan, this one chasing you this time is quite persistent, and he's really willing to spend a fortune."

Gu Yan reached out to cover her ears, using her actions to indicate a refusal to communicate.

Gu Lin pulled her hand down.

This caused the young girl to lift her eyes and glare at him, little flames darting in her pupils, looking like she was about to explode.

"Let's go," Gu Lin cut her off before she could speak, "Big brother will take you to play something fun."

Gu Yan looked at him suspiciously, her anger temporarily suppressed by curiosity: "What fun thing?"

"You'll know when we get there." Gu Lin forcibly pulled her up.

She had been unhappy for several days, and it was an eyesore to him.

——

Late at night, a section of abandoned, under-repair mountain loop road on the outskirts of the city was temporarily cordoned off.

Several high-powered floodlights illuminated the road as bright as day, and the roar of engines tore through the silence of the night.

Several modified sports cars were parked behind the starting line, surrounded by a few well-dressed young men who were smoking and laughing.

They were all from the circle Gu Lin usually hung out with—people of similar family backgrounds who loved seeking thrills.

When Gu Lin's matte black sports car drove in, Gu Yan, who stepped out from the passenger seat, instantly attracted everyone's attention.

She had changed into black leggings and a cropped leather jacket convenient for movement, her long hair tied high into a ponytail, revealing a face without a trace of makeup.

The atmosphere, which had been somewhat relaxed, suddenly became heated.

"Brother Lin, not bad! You brought our sister along?"

"Sister Yanyan, long time no see! You're even prettier!"

"Want to ride in my car later? My driving is steady!"

The few young masters were instantly like they had been injected with adrenaline, crowding around attentively.

Gu Yan's face was recognized as top-tier in this circle, and she was rarely seen in person.

Gu Lin laughed and scolded them away: "Go on, go on, get out of here. Today Yanyan is riding in my car."

Gu Yan, however, was frowning, her face full of disdain and distrust.

"Just this?" She glanced at Gu Lin, "Car racing? Gu Lin, do you think this suits me?"

Gu Lin had long expected her to say this, so he lowered his voice, "You don't understand, speed is passion; once the speed is up, no worries can catch up to you."

Gu Yan kept a cold face and said nothing.

"If you can't draw anything, isn't it just because you're feeling blocked inside? Maybe once the wind blows, inspiration will just 'whoosh' and come to you."

These words actually moved Gu Yan just a little bit.

"Are your driving skills any good?" She remained skeptical.

"When has your brother ever been no good?" Gu Lin pulled open the car door and made a "please" gesture, "Don't worry, I'm very familiar with this stretch of road, it's been cleared completely, it's absolutely safe."

Half-doubting, Gu Yan still sat into the passenger seat.

And then, this decision was promoted to the most regretful decision she had ever made in her life.

The engine roared, the car surged forward, and the intense force of being pushed back pressed her firmly against the seat.

The scenery outside the window retreated at high speed, stretching into blurred ribbons of light. With continuous sharp turns, the car body tilted violently, and the tires rubbed against the ground, emitting a piercing screech.

Gu Yan gripped the handle above the car door tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her stomach was churning, and the scene before her eyes was spinning.

What the speed brought was not exhilaration, but intense dizziness and nausea.

"Gu Lin... slow down! I'm going to throw up!" Her voice trembled, and her face appeared somewhat pale under the fluorescent light of the car's dashboard.

"We're almost at the finish line! Hang in there!" Gu Lin was currently under the stimulation of adrenaline; not only did he not slow down, but he performed a beautiful drift at the final corner.

The car fishtailed, and white smoke rose from the tires.

"Screech—"

The car finally stopped at the finish line.

Almost the moment the car came to a steady stop, Gu Yan unbuckled her seatbelt, pushed the car door open abruptly, stumbled to the side of the road, leaned against a tree, and bent over to retch violently.

The dizziness had not yet dissipated, and her vision was blacking out in waves. The cold night wind blew against her sweat-drenched forehead, making her shiver.

Physiological tears welled up uncontrollably, sliding down the corners of her eyes, rolling over that tiny tear mole, and falling into the grass.

Gu Lin followed her over at a trot, and seeing her like this, he panicked, "Yanyan, are you alright?"

If anything happened to the little princess, he would truly be finished.

His grandfather, his father, and his mother, combined with his brother, could directly tear him limb from limb.

Gu Yan was still vomiting, feeling too uncomfortable to say a single word.

At the same time, on another parallel road, a black Bentley drove past.

The driver glanced at the noisy, bustling road section illuminated by floodlights not far away and said in a low voice to the back seat, "Sir, it seems a section of the road ahead is closed, we need to take a detour."

In the back seat, Shen Yanhui lifted his eyes from a document, his gaze sweeping calmly over the glaring lights and moving figures outside the car window.

A group of rich kids, most likely playing at street racing.

"Mm." He responded, showing no interest.

Just as his gaze was about to retract, it suddenly froze.

A slender figure stumbled out of a matte black sports car, ran to a tree by the roadside, and bent over while holding onto the trunk.

Even across a distance, and even though she had her hair in a ponytail and was wearing a leather jacket with a style vastly different from her usual one, he recognized her at a glance.

Gu Yan.

"Stop the car," he said in a deep voice.

Although the driver did not know why, he still complied.

Shen Yanhui's black Bentley stopped slowly outside the barrier, not attracting much attention. It was not until the back door opened that a tall, upright figure stepped out of the car.

The originally noisy trackside seemed to have been pressed with a mute button.

Someone recognized him, gasped, and subconsciously took half a step back.

Some people, at the top of this circle, held a completely different weight, a level not easily reached by these young masters who relied on their family's shade to play around.

Gu Lin was bent over, patting Gu Yan's slightly trembling back in a flustered manner, comforting her in a low voice, "Alright, alright, it's better now that you've thrown it up..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a hand with distinct knuckles suddenly reached over and gripped his wrist.

The force was not rough, but it carried an irresistible steadiness as it pulled him back.

Gu Lin was caught off guard and stumbled before standing steady; he looked up in astonishment, meeting a pair of bottomless eyes.

Shen Yanhui did not look at him, walking straight to Gu Yan's side and picking her up horizontally.

Gu Yan let out a cry of surprise, and through her tear-blurred eyes, she saw the face of the person who had come.

A sense of grievance surged into her heart instantly.

"Shen Yanhui..." Her voice was soft and hoarse, carrying a sobbing tone, "I feel so terrible..."