Chapter 28: The Old Man Is Truly Shameless

Shen Yanhui naturally sensed her stiffness.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice still carrying a lingering laziness.

Gu Yan was embarrassed to death; she dared not look at him, shrinking her body down bit by bit until she had buried herself entirely under the quilt.

Only a few disobedient strands of hair remained outside.

Shen Yanhui let out a low laugh, "Remembered?"

She played dead.

"I wonder, Miss Gu, are you satisfied with my service last night?" He deliberately used a breathy voice to seduce her, his tone incredibly sexy.

Gu Yan felt half her body go numb, but unwilling to lose the upper hand, she muffled her voice and pretended to be indifferent, "So-so, there's room for improvement."

"How should I improve?" Shen Yanhui asked, "How about you teach me again tonight?"

Gu Yan: "..."

That old man is truly shameless!

Shen Yanhui stopped teasing her, got up, pulled the quilt off her face, and lowered his head to kiss her forehead.

"I'm going to the company; sleep a bit more, and remember to eat breakfast when you get up."

Gu Yan didn't make a sound.

He said again, "If you want to paint, go to the studio; tell the housekeeper if you're missing anything."

Gu Yan still didn't make a sound.

"Hmm?" He pinched the girl's chin, forcing her to look up.

Gu Yan had no choice but to perfunctorily say, "Mm-hmm, got it, hurry up and go."

Once he left, she rolled herself back into the quilt.

She always felt that this man, Shen Yanhui, wasn't truly as gentlemanly and gentle as he appeared in front of her. The occasional flashes of assertiveness and dominance made her feel a bit unable to handle him.

Forget it, he's a capitalist; it's normal to be a bit assertive.

Gu Yan was too lazy to overthink it and, heartlessly, went back to sleep.

In the living room downstairs, Chang Su finally waited for Shen Yanhui to come down, walked to his side, and said in a low voice, "Sir, the old master invites you to return for a visit."

Shen Yanhui fastened his suit buttons with an expressionless face, giving no indication.

He knew the intention without even thinking; it was nothing more than someone having begged before the old master.

It was laughable; a man who had been ruthless and cold-blooded his entire life suddenly started fantasizing about family happiness and domestic bliss in his old age.

Shen Yanhui had no time to play along with this act.

He remained silent, and Chang Su felt uneasy, "Sir..."

"Go to the company."

Chang Su understood.

——

When Gu Yan woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky.

She dazed for a while, picked up her phone, and dialed Xu Yuan's number.

"Miss!" Xu Yuan's voice carried the grievance of being forgotten, "You finally remembered me."

Gu Yan felt a bit guilty.

"Ahem, I'll take you to Hong Kong for a vacation next time, be good."

How could Xu Yuan truly have any complaints about her bread and butter? She immediately changed her tone, "Is there something you need, Miss?"

"Yes, there are some nice traditional Chinese dress fabrics over at Huanyu; please go pick them up for me. Then, make an appointment with Tailor Li; I want to have a traditional Chinese dress made."

"A qipao?" Xu Yuan imagined what her Miss would look like in a qipao, and her eyes lit up.

"Have him bring the catalog for me to look at first."

"Very well, Miss." Xu Yuan agreed.

After hanging up, Gu Yan got out of bed. A set of clothes was laid out by the bedside; she picked it up and took a look—a black sleeveless Chanel-style dress. The taste was quite good.

She tidied herself up and walked out of the room, and the maid immediately invited her to the dining room for a meal.

Naturally, she was eating lunch.

After the meal, she wandered around with great interest.

Man Island was larger than she had imagined; the main building was of a modern style with cold, rigid lines. Many tall trees had been transplanted into the courtyard, lush and green, hiding more than half of the house.

Gu Yan walked to a corridor and noticed a door at the end.

The door was locked.

"What place is this?" she asked the maid beside her casually.

The maid shook her head, her expression respectful, "I'm not sure either. This door has always been locked; I suppose only the master and the housekeeper know."

Gu Yan said "Oh," and didn't ask any further.

Who doesn't have a few little secrets?

Besides, she could tolerate Shen Yanhui's good looks, as long as he was clean in body and mind. He had said he never had any other women.

A capitalist...

Surely he wouldn't lie about such a thing?

She wandered for a while longer, but she really couldn't walk anymore. Man Island was too big; she hadn't even finished exploring half of it.

She sat down on a bench by the lake behind the main residence.

The lake wasn't large, but the water was extremely clear, reflecting the azure sky and the sparse, bright clouds. A few colorful koi swam by slowly, rippling the water into fine waves. On the opposite shore, there was a small patch of reeds swaying gently in the breeze.

The sunlight was beautiful, falling onto the water and shattering into millions of pieces of shimmering gold foil.

Gu Yan watched the sparkling waves and the varying shades of blue and green in the lake water as light and shadow intertwined.

She suddenly spoke: "Go help me bring the painting tools over."

"Yes, Miss." The servant paused, "Are we not going to the studio?"

"Not going to the studio, right here."

She knew what the first painting of the exhibition should be; it was the memory of water.

Deep in the lake, where light and shadow intertwined, what surged was water's memory of time.

Soon, the servants quickly and silently brought over an easel, a palette, various paints and brushes, and even thoughtfully set up a huge parasol.

Gu Yan paid them no mind, her thoughts entirely on the painting.

She was the type of person who was always completely focused when painting; nothing happening around her could affect her.

Therefore, she did not even notice Shen Yanhui standing behind her.

A servant noticed him and was about to speak, but was silenced by a gesture.

Not until the sun had completely sunk behind the distant mountains did Gu Yan put down her brush.

Her wrist felt a bit sore, and she instinctively wanted to raise her hand to rub it. The moment her hand was raised, it was grasped by another warm, broad palm.

Gu Yan was startled and instinctively pulled her hand back.

The movement was fast and abrupt.

Shen Yanhui's hand stopped in mid-air, his palm empty.

Seeing who it was, she let out a breath and complained in a low voice: "You scared me, how do you walk without making a sound..."

He did not speak.

Twilight gathered, and the lights by the lake had already turned on, casting flickering shadows on his face.

Gu Yan could not see his expression clearly; she inexplicably felt the atmosphere was not quite right, yet she could not say what was wrong.

He seemed to be in a bad mood; had he been upset at the company?

However, who was she?

A gentle and lovely Fairy, most skilled at coaxing people.

Gu Yan wrapped her arms around the man's waist, her voice soft and sweet, "I painted all day, my hand is so sore and my eyes are so sore, I need my boyfriend's kisses to feel better."

As she spoke, she stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

It was just that the height difference was there; if he did not move, she really found it difficult to kiss him.

"You lower yourself a bit..." She frowned, and before her delicate trailing voice had even faded, she intended to give up and stepped back.

Her waist was suddenly gripped tight.

He picked her up.

Gu Yan gave a light gasp, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist, while her lips were sealed at the same time.

This kiss was fierce, prying open her teeth and sucking on the tip of her tongue. Her fingers tightened on his shirt.

A low chuckle rolled from his throat.

"The patience for coaxing," he asked against her lips, his breath scorching, "is only that much?"

Without waiting for her to answer, he kissed her more deeply.

Gu Yan was held suspended, all her support coming from his arms. The space between their lips and teeth was filled with his scent, cold yet scorching.

The speed of her instinctive withdrawal earlier had stirred up some dark thoughts in him. He wanted to lock her up and bind her firmly by his side.

The wind passed through the reeds, the rustling sound drowning out her rapid gasps.

Not until her tongue went numb did he pull back a little, their foreheads resting against each other.

Gu Yan lay on his shoulder panting, her legs still wrapped around his waist, "... who kisses people like you do."

Shen Yanhui touched her flushed earlobe with his cheek, not letting her down.

"Finished painting?" His voice was still hoarse.

"Not yet," she buried her face in the crook of his neck, "the sun is gone..."

He carried her toward the main house, his palm pressed against her lower back, his fingertips stroking her gently, one stroke after another.

Walking into the light under the eaves, he suddenly said in a low voice: "Next time your hand is sore, tell me."

It was not for her to rub it herself; it had to be done by him.

Gu Yan raised her face, her eyelashes fluttering as she looked at the bottomless light in his eyes.

She leaned in close, her nose tip brushing his chin.

"Then you have to lower your head too," she said in a tiny voice, "it's very tiring for me to stand on tiptoe."

Shen Yanhui lowered his head and bit her lip.

"Okay."