Chapter 57: Mrs. Shen's Whim

Long-distance travel is truly exhausting; Gu Yan slept until the next day.

She squinted her eyes and took a few seconds to recover before realizing she was no longer in the country, but in Lagos.

The bed beside her was empty, with only a slight indentation remaining.

She got out of bed barefoot and pushed open the bedroom door.

This house was larger than she had imagined, with a minimalist decor style; outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the Gulf of Guinea, the sea surface sprinkled with light like crushed gold.

Chang Su was in the living room downstairs; seeing her come down, he bowed his head slightly: "Madam is awake. Sir has already gone to the company."

"What time is it?"

"Ten in the morning."

Gu Yan was stunned; she had actually slept for nearly thirteen hours.

"Sir left instructions for you to get some good rest. Breakfast is ready on the terrace," Chang Su said.

Breakfast consisted of refreshing tropical fruits and pancakes, served with local black tea.

Gu Yan sat on the terrace, feeling the sea breeze and looking at the bay not far away. The view here was excellent; she could see the beach and the cargo ships anchored in the distant harbor.

"Is this house Shen Yanhui's?"

"Yes, Madam."

Gu Yan took a bite of mango, "Does he come here often?"

"The African energy business was the first sector Sir was responsible for." Chang Su paused, "It could be said that the entire African division was built by Sir single-handedly."

Shen Yanhui had worked deeply in Africa for many years before truly rooting the company here, making it the largest multinational conglomerate in Nigeria.

It could be said that nearly half of this country's GDP was provided by Shen Corporation.

Gu Yan listened quietly.

This was his world.

A world completely different from hers.

"Then he... must have encountered many difficulties, right?" Gu Yan asked softly.

Chang Su was silent for a few seconds.

Those memories were not pleasant.

The elder Mr. Shen had intended to test Shen Yanhui, not only failing to provide sufficient funding but also tacitly allowing the small maneuvers of those ambitious people in the family.

Added to that were local armed conflicts, the obstruction of government officials, and the unscrupulous sabotage of competitors.

The most dangerous time was when Shen Yanhui's motorcade was ambushed; a bullet pierced the car window, missing his temple by only three centimeters.

But Chang Su did not say these things.

He simply said: "No matter how many difficulties there are, Sir can always solve them."

Gu Yan saw that he did not want to talk more about it, so she stopped asking.

After finishing breakfast, Chang Su handed over a tablet: "Where would you like to go today, Madam? These galleries are all on Victoria Island, and the travel time is about..."

Gu Yan glanced at it but did not take it.

"I'm not going to any of them."

Chang Su was taken aback.

Gu Yan stood up, her skirt swaying slightly, her voice bright: "I'm going to the company... to pay a visit to my husband."

——

Shen Corporation's office building in Africa was located in the Victoria Island CBD, a forty-five-story glass-curtain-wall building shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

The car drove into the underground garage, and Chang Su led Gu Yan toward the private elevator.

The elevator went straight to the top floor; when the doors opened, there was a wide, quiet corridor.

"Sir's office is at the end," Chang Su said in a low voice, "He should be in a meeting right now."

Gu Yan nodded and followed him forward.

As she passed a conference room, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Inside the glass wall, Shen Yanhui sat at the end of a long table. Documents were spread out in front of him, a fountain pen held between his fingers, and he was listening to a subordinate's report.

The lines of his profile were cold and hard, and there was a sternness between his brows that she had never seen before.

He was like a different person from the one who had coaxed her to sleep last night.

Gu Yan stood outside the glass wall and watched for a long time.

Not until Chang Su reminded her softly: "Madam?"

Did she come back to her senses and continue walking forward.

Shen Yanhui's office was large, with an entire floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the Lagos skyline and the distant bay.

Chang Su ordered someone to bring tea and snacks, then withdrew.

Gu Yan walked around the office.

On the bookshelf, besides documents, there were several pieces of local African woodcarvings and pottery, which must have been local handicrafts.

Her gaze finally landed on an inconspicuous corner.

A photo frame was placed there.

She picked it up.

In the photo, Shen Yanhui looked only in his early twenties, wearing a simple white shirt, standing in front of a desolate construction site.

The background was a building with its foundation just laid; he had no expression on his face, but there was a kind of youthful sharpness in his eyes.

As Gu Yan looked at it, the corners of her mouth curled up.

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Shen Yanhui walked in, and seeing the photo in her hand, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

Gu Yan looked up and shook the photo frame: "I didn't expect you to look so tender back then?"

"Good-looking?" Shen Yanhui walked over.

"Good-looking."

Gu Yan nodded honestly, paused, and then added: "You look good now, too."

Shen Yanhui took the photo frame away and casually placed it back on the cabinet: "Looking at me is enough; there's no need to look at the photo."

He pulled her over to the office chair, sat down, and brought her onto his lap: "Why did you come over? Didn't you go out to have fun?"

Gu Yan sat sideways, her arm naturally looping around his neck, and she tilted her head to kiss his chin: "Of course it's to see my dear husband."

She blinked her eyes: "How is it? Are you surprised? Are you happy?"

A hint of a smile flashed in Shen Yanhui's eyes.

He answered her with action.

A deep kiss, carrying intense possessiveness, easily snatched away Gu Yan's breath.

Halfway through the kiss, the office door was suddenly knocked on.

"Mr. Shen, I am Zhao Jun. There are urgent documents that need your signature—"

Gu Yan panicked and instinctively slid off Shen Yanhui's lap, hiding under the office desk.

The movement was smooth and fluid, so fast that the man didn't even have time to stop her.

Gu Yan looked up, a bit dazed, and locked eyes with him.

Shen Yanhui raised an eyebrow, looking as if he were smiling yet not.

Gu Yan suddenly came to her senses; what on earth had she done?

It would have been fine to just get off his lap, why did she have to hide here?

It really felt like an affair...

But she was clearly the legitimate wife!

Ahhh!

She covered her face.

Gu Yan, is your brain filled with mush!

But it was too late to go out now; the person outside had already pushed the door open and entered.

Zhao Jun's voice sounded from above: "Sir, that side has compromised and agreed to maintain the original ratio. But they proposed wanting to meet you in person to discuss follow-up cooperation."

"Time."

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"Arrange it."

Gu Yan curled up under the desk, not daring to make a sound.

This angle was terrible.

She could see the cuffs of Shen Yanhui's dress trousers, and further up, the man's crossed long legs, and... a certain contour that shouldn't be looked at closely.

Her face flushed red, and she hurriedly shifted her gaze.

Shen Yanhui seemed to have noticed, because his foot gently touched her knee.

Gu Yan flinched as if electrocuted.

"Leave the contract here." Shen Yanhui's voice came from above, still steady.

Zhao Jun put down the documents.

"Anything else?"

He was stunned, inexplicably feeling that the big boss's tone seemed to carry a bit of disgust—was it an illusion?

He shook his head, "Not for now."

Shen Yanhui: "Then why aren't you leaving yet?"

Zhao Jun hurried away. The sound of footsteps faded, the door was pulled shut, and the office became quiet again.

Gu Yan had just let out a sigh of relief when she was suddenly hoisted by her arms and pulled out from under the desk.

The world spun.

She was placed on the office desk.

Shen Yanhui leaned over, pressing in, his hands braced on either side of her, trapping her between the desk and his chest.

"Mrs. Shen, are we playing office play?"

Gu Yan's face turned bright red: "... I am not!"

"Is that so?" Shen Yanhui lowered his head, his nose tip brushing against hers, "But the way you hid just now, it looked very much like it."

Gu Yan: "!!!"

"I was just... panicked for a moment!"

He kissed her earlobe: "What were you panicking about? We didn't do anything."

Gu Yan was rendered speechless by him.

Shen Yanhui looked at her flushed face and chuckled softly: "But since Mrs. Shen has this interest..."

"It's not like I can't keep you company."