Chapter 4: Must Be Great to Kiss

After finishing her instructions to Zhong Bo, Gu Yan covered her mouth and yawned softly, then shuffled in her slippers toward the dining room.

The servant had just set breakfast on the table, though at this hour, it could hardly be called breakfast anymore.

Gu Yan scooped up a spoonful of bird's nest porridge, but before she could bring it to her mouth, she heard the sound of slippers shuffling along.

Her second brother, Gu Lin, wandered in with messy hair, yawning, and plopped down right across from her.

She had almost forgotten; in this house, besides her, there was someone even more unreliable.

The two were twins, and they had never gotten along since they were children.

Gu Yan didn't want to deal with him, so she kept her head down and drank her porridge in small sips.

But Gu Lin wasn't about to let her off; his eyes swept over her face, and the corners of his mouth curled into a cynical smile.

"Yo, our Miss Gu is up so early? That's rare." Gu Lin picked up a slice of toast and winked, "Did you fail to snatch your heart's desire at the auction last night, and were too angry to sleep?"

Gu Yan rolled her eyes at him: "Mind your own business."

"How would I dare to mind your business?" Gu Lin took a bite of toast and laughed indistinctly, "I'm just curious."

"Look at you, you've only been back in the country for a few months, and your list of blind dates could fill a booklet, yet not a single one has worked out. Did you turn away Uncle Chen's son again yesterday? I heard he was talking to you about ballet, and you asked him if he knew how to break a boulder on his chest?"

"Pfft—" The servant serving dishes nearby hurriedly lowered her head to stifle a laugh.

Gu Yan's face turned red, and her spoon clattered against the rim of the bowl with a "clink": "He was being hypocritical! Pretending to know things he didn't!"

"But you can't just ask people if they know how to break a boulder on their chest!" Gu Lin was doubled over with laughter, "Mom was listening on the phone last night and was laughing so hard she was pounding on Dad."

"I just looked at him and he really looked like he could break a boulder on his chest," Gu Yan couldn't help but retort.

One meter seventy tall, weighing one hundred and seventy jin—how did he even grow like that!

Gu Lin couldn't stop laughing, "Hey, I say Yanyan, shouldn't your standards for finding a partner change from 'young talent' to 'circus troupe lead'?"

"Gu Lin!" Gu Yan was annoyed; she grabbed the napkin beside her and threw it at him, "Stop talking nonsense!"

Miss Gu was always elegant and refined, except when she was constantly driven to jump with rage by this twin brother of hers.

"I'm serious, how about Brother finds you a circus ringmaster? I guarantee they could handle your moves..." Gu Lin tilted his head to dodge the napkin and continued his provocation.

"I'll show you a circus!" Gu Yan stood up in anger, circled the table, and went to twist his ear.

Gu Lin cried out "Ouch" while nimbly dodging backward.

"You two, settle down! What does this look like!"

A stern shout came from the staircase.

Father Gu and Mother Gu walked down the stairs side by side.

Father Gu frowned, while Mother Gu looked at her bickering children with doting eyes.

She was mainly looking at her daughter; as for her son, he was just an afterthought.

Gu Yan pouted and ran to Mother Gu, Yang Bing, her small face flushed from the chase, her beautiful eyes full of accusation.

"Mom, he started it!"

Yang Bing smiled and smoothed the hair sticking up on her head, then glared at her son, "Can't you just let your sister have her way?"

Gu Lin: "?"

That's a bit too much favoritism.

Gu Yan triumphantly lifted her chin and gave a proud, light huff.

Gu Lin had no choice; those who know the times are wise, "I promise not to make our Miss Gu angry next time, I'll put you on a pedestal, will that do?"

"That's more like it."

Father Gu, Gu Fanglin, shook his head helplessly, sat at the head of the table, and looked at his youngest daughter: "Yanyan, your Uncle Li's nephew just returned from abroad after finishing his doctorate. He is a man of great talent and a steady temperament. See him tonight."

Here we go again.

The corners of Gu Yan's mouth immediately turned down, "I'm not going. I just saw one yesterday, and I didn't feel anything."

"Feelings can be cultivated, you know." Yang Bing said gently to smooth things over, placing a shrimp dumpling in her daughter's bowl, "It never hurts to meet more people. I heard this one is really quite good; your Uncle Li has praised him several times."

"Mom..." Gu Yan dragged out the sound, her delicate face full of reluctance.

Having experienced those previous blind dates, she no longer held any expectations for the "man of great talent" her father spoke of.

It wasn't even as good as the one in the private room yesterday.

She recalled the man's sexy thin lips; they must be very good to kiss.

It's just that his temperament was a bit detestable.

Not a gentleman at all!

Gu Fanglin put down his chopsticks and looked at his daughter.

He didn't continue to make hard demands, but instead sighed, "Yanyan, Dad is getting old."

Gu Yan blinked.

"Dad just thinks that if you could find someone reliable who can support you, Dad could rest easy sooner and enjoy some peace."

He rubbed his temples, his tone even softer: "Just go meet him. If you really don't like him, leave right after the meal. I won't ask you to stay a minute longer."

This "benevolent father playing the victim" tactic was something Gu Fanglin had mastered to perfection.

Gu Yan looked up at her father's temples, where there seemed to be a few more white hairs.

That stifled feeling in her chest couldn't be released anymore.

She was most susceptible to this.

"... Oh." She replied sullenly and poked at the shrimp dumpling in her bowl, "Just dinner then. It's a deal, if I don't like him, I'm leaving."

Gu Fanglin's face immediately cleared up, and he smiled warmly: "Of course, of course. Our Yanyan's happiness is what matters most."

Gu Lin, sitting across from them, took advantage of his parents not looking and made a face at Gu Yan, silently mouthing: "Cir-cus-troupe—"

Gu Yan kicked him hard under the table.

——

In the evening, Gu Yan arrived for the appointment on time.

She sat by the window, her fingertips idly scrolling across her phone screen.

The "young talent" her father spoke of had not yet arrived.

She felt a bit annoyed.

If she had known, she should have stalled a bit longer.

Outside the window, the evening lights were just coming on; the warm yellow streetlamps cast a glow on the ground, embellishing the cold, dark night.

That black card flashed through her mind, along with that line of silver-gray text.

Little Rose.

Who is Little Rose!

Arrogant jerk!

She pursed her lips and stirred her coffee, the white porcelain spoon clinking loudly.

A waiter led someone over.

"Miss Gu?"

Gu Yan looked up.

The man was wearing a well-fitted suit and glasses, his smile standard. He looked just like his photo, nothing surprising.

"Li... Mr.?"

"That's me. Sorry for the wait." He sat down, his manner attentive.

Ordering, small talk.

The topic shifted from the weather to study-abroad experiences, then to hobbies.

"... Miss Gu, what is your take on the development of artificial intelligence?" Young Master Li pushed up his glasses, steering the conversation toward a potentially more common subject at the right moment.

"Huh?" Gu Yan snapped back to attention and replied perfunctorily, "It's quite good, it's just... I heard it's sometimes not very smart."

Young Master Li: "..."

The conversation was becoming difficult to continue.

On the second floor of the restaurant, in the most secluded spot with the best view.

Shen Yanhui leaned back in his chair, holding a financial report in his hand, yet he hadn't turned a single page.

His gaze rested on the table by the window downstairs.

The bright red had been replaced by a soft, pale yellow dress, making her skin appear even more translucent.

Only, her little face clearly read "bored" and "distracted."

Facing the polite gentleman before her, her smile was so perfunctory it was almost invisible.

She even snuck a glance at the time on her phone.

The corners of Shen Yanhui's lips curled almost imperceptibly, his fingertip tapping lightly against the smooth glass of his cup.

The friend sitting opposite him, the second young master of the Sheng family, Sheng Ze, keenly captured this subtle expression and that gaze that had lingered for so long.

Sheng Ze followed his line of sight downward and immediately let out a "Yo."

"Isn't that the little princess of the Gu Family?" Sheng Ze swirled his wine glass, smiling playfully. "I heard Zhou Wei mention it yesterday, but I didn't believe it."

He shifted his gaze back to the composed man opposite him, waiting with interest.

"What is it? Did Mr. Shen spend a fortune last night just to watch the little girl go on a blind date with someone else today?"

Shen Yanhui did not speak.

He only narrowed his eyes slightly. "Look into that man across from her."

Sheng Ze raised an eyebrow: "Look into what? Family background? Education? Or... see if he can take a beating?"

Shen Yanhui glanced at him.

Sheng Ze: "Fine, fine, I get it. I'll look into it carefully and see if he's qualified to sit across from our Miss Gu and have a meal, right?"

Shen Yanhui did not speak and stood up directly.

Watching his figure head downstairs, Sheng Ze scoffed.

Heh, men.