Chapter 34: Could It Be That I'm Pregnant?

Zhou Shuyao said with a smile, "It's a work by a painter named Yan. Miss Gu is also a student of painting, so you must have heard of her, right?"

Gu Yan felt very complicated, but her expression remained calm: "I've heard of her."

Lin Wei, standing to the side, held back her laughter until her shoulders shook slightly, and she lowered her head to pretend to adjust her bag strap.

"Her works are quite hard to come by these days; I had to pull some strings just to buy this one," Miss Zhou said. "If I had known it was this difficult to buy, I might as well have asked Miss Gu to paint one."

Gu Yan: "... How could I compare to her?"

Lin Wei finally couldn't help it and gave a light cough: "Miss Zhou has such good taste. Well... we won't disturb you any further, you two go ahead and get busy."

"Alright." Zhou Shuyao nodded and had people continue carrying the painting inside.

After walking out of the restaurant and turning into the alley, Lin Wei finally laughed out loud: "My god, if she knew that 'Yan' herself was standing right in front of her..."

Gu Yan didn't speak, but she remembered that night at the birthday banquet.

The look in Zhou Shuyao's eyes when she looked at Shen Yanhui held no attempt to hide her admiration.

Her mood became increasingly complicated.

If Zhou Shuyao knew that she had spent a large sum of money to buy a painting by her own romantic rival...

It would probably be enough to be listed among the stupidest things she had ever done in her life.

In the private tea room on the second floor of the restaurant, the white cloth was completely removed.

"Twilight" was carefully hung on the wall space reserved for it.

The lights were dimmed slightly, and the gold and purple light and shadows of the water lily pond in the painting began to flow, as if a night breeze were truly brushing across the water's surface.

Zhou Shuyao stood in front of the painting, carefully adjusted the angle twice, and then stepped back twice, satisfied.

A waiter brought in tea, and she waved for them to leave.

When she was the only one left in the room, she let out a soft sigh.

Her fingers brushed over the delicate wood grain on the edge of the frame, and she recalled the scene of meeting Gu Yan at the entrance just now.

That daughter of the Gu Family was indeed bright and beautiful, standing under the streetlamp at the mouth of the alley, her diamond earrings swaying with fine, fragmented light.

No wonder Shen Yanhui would be fascinated.

Zhou Shuyao picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Last month at the old Gu Family residence, her cousin Zhou Wei sat in a mahogany chair with his legs crossed, swirling his wine glass and laughing at her, "Shuyao, of all people, why did you have to set your sights on Shen Yanhui? That man's heart is even harder to warm up than the ice cubes in this glass."

She had just smiled at the time and didn't respond.

But she knew in her heart that a man like Shen Yanhui would not look twice at ordinary flattery.

Jewelry, industries, connections—he lacked nothing.

It wasn't until she inadvertently saw a photo on Zhou Wei's phone.

A painting was hanging on the wall, and in the corner was the familiar "Y" pattern.

Zhou Wei had snatched the phone back at the time and clicked his tongue: "Don't look blindly, that's Boss Shen's treasure."

"Is that... Yan's painting?" she asked.

"Yeah." Zhou Wei stuffed the phone back into his pocket. "He has collected quite a few of that painter's works. No one knows exactly how many."

From that day on, Zhou Shuyao began to pay attention to this mysterious "Yan."

She entrusted people in the European art circle to inquire, flipping through every report and auction record she could find.

"Morning Mist" at a sky-high price of 500,000 Euros. "Twilight" in a private transaction in London. The "Embers" series was said to have been bought as a complete set by an Asian collector, but the buyer's identity remained a mystery.

Shen Yanhui seemed to have an interest in every single painting.

So she began to collect them as well.

The first one was "Twilight," which she snatched up before the preview through her connections at Sotheby's. The cost was not small, but she felt it was worth it.

A waiter knocked and entered, saying in a low voice, "Miss, the Third Young Master is here."

Before the words had even faded, Zhou Wei had already pushed the door open and entered. He was wearing a flashy wine-red shirt today, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and he was holding his car keys in his hand.

"Yo, you hung it up? You move fast."

Zhou Shuyao set down her teacup. "Why are you here?"

Zhou Wei walked up to the painting and squinted at it. "Not bad, it's the real deal. Cost you a pretty penny, didn't it?"

"It's alright."

Zhou Wei turned to look at her, a smile curling the corner of his mouth. "For the sake of Shen Yanhui, this investment of yours is truly not small."

Zhou Shuyao's expression didn't change. "What is my cousin talking about? I just like this painting."

"Like the painting?" Zhou Wei scoffed. "Didn't you only collect classical oil paintings before? When did you become interested in Impressionism?"

Zhou Shuyao didn't speak.

Zhou Wei sat down in the chair opposite her. "Shuyao, take a piece of advice from your cousin. Give up on Shen Yanhui while you can."

"Why?"

"Why?" Zhou Wei acted as if he had heard a joke. "Can't you see his attitude toward that little princess of the Gu Family? When has he ever looked at anyone else like that?"

Zhou Shuyao's fingertips trembled slightly.

At the Gu Family birthday banquet, Shen Yanhui stood on the balcony, his gaze passing through the entire garden and landing solely on Gu Yan.

That kind of focused gaze was something she had never seen before.

"So what." Her voice was calm. "They aren't married yet, there's still room for change."

Zhou Wei shook his head. "You, you're just too headstrong. Some things aren't yours to have just because you want them."

He stood up and patted her shoulder. "The painting is nice. But don't live your life as someone else's shadow just for a man."

After saying this, he walked out, swinging his car keys.

The tea room became quiet again.

Zhou Shuyao picked up the tea that had already gone slightly cold and drank it slowly.

"Cousin, that's not right; she won't live as someone else's shadow."

"She is going to completely replace that person."

——

Gu Yan did not know what Zhou Shuyao was thinking, nor did she have the heart to guess.

She was currently curled up listlessly in the passenger seat, her hands clutching her lower abdomen.

Perhaps the effect of the painkiller had worn off; her lower abdomen had begun to ache faintly the moment she left the restaurant.

Dysmenorrhea was an old ailment of hers.

Seeing her like this, Lin Wei was heartbroken, "If I had known, I wouldn't have asked you to come out. How are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I won't die."

"Pah, pah, pah, what kind of talk is that? Still running your mouth with me."

Gu Yan forced a smile, "I'm just seeing your face about to wrinkle up into a ball."

Lin Wei: "Isn't Doctor Zhou treating you? Why is it still this painful?"

Gu Yan felt guilty, because she had secretly poured all the medicine away.

It was truly too bitter; a Fairy couldn't drink it.

Seeing her hesitant manner, how could Lin Wei not understand? The young lady Gu was being willful again.

She sighed, "I really don't know what to say to you. Can that medicine be more difficult to drink than how uncomfortable you are right now?"

Gu Yan weakly retorted: "Between being uncomfortable every day and being uncomfortable for a few days a month, of course I choose the latter..."

Lin Wei rolled her eyes at her, "I'm taking you back now."

"No! It wasn't easy to come out for a trip; just drop me off at a pharmacy to buy a box of painkillers and that will be enough."

Lin Wei couldn't win against her; she stopped the car in front of the pharmacy and helped her out of the vehicle.

Two people emerged from the revolving door of the shopping mall across the street.

Sheng Ze had a woman in a sequined camisole dress hanging on his arm, lowering his head to listen to her saying something in a coquettish voice. The woman was pressed very close, almost embedded in his embrace.

He listened nonchalantly, his gaze sweeping across the street casually.

Then he stopped.

At the entrance of the pharmacy across the street, two women were walking out; the one being supported was carrying a small white medicine bag in her hand.

Sheng Ze's footsteps paused, and his eyes behind his sunglasses narrowed.

"What's wrong, Young Master Sheng?" The woman at his side noticed him stop and tilted her face up to ask.

Sheng Ze ignored her, raised his hand to push his sunglasses onto the top of his head, stared at the opposite side for two seconds, and suddenly a smile of interest curled the corners of his mouth.

"I saw an acquaintance," he said.

The woman followed his line of sight, but only saw the backs of two women.

Even across the street, one could tell they were beauties from their slender silhouettes.

She immediately felt a sense of crisis, her voice unconsciously taking on a coquettish and probing tone: "Is it your new little sister?"

Sheng Ze gave a cold scoff: "What nonsense are you talking about."

He took out his phone, opened the camera, and zoomed in on the opposite side.

Sheng Ze pressed the shutter.

The photo was sent, accompanied by a message: 【How did your little princess end up at a pharmacy? Her face is as white as paper; she isn't pregnant, is she?】

Recipient: Shen Yanhui.

The message was replied to almost instantly.

Shen Yanhui: 【Location.】