Chapter 74: My waist is still sore

Gu Yan was stunned for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief: "Sister, I support you. Whatever decision you make, I support it."

She paused, then added: "But divorce is best."

A dirty cucumber, even a dog wouldn't want it.

On the other end of the phone, Qin Yue gave a bitter laugh.

Gu Yan had already started calculating: "But for the divorce, you have to hire a good lawyer, make Chen Zhiyuan leave with nothing, and you have to get custody of the child back too..."

The two talked for a good while longer before hanging up.

Gu Yan looked at her phone, thinking of Xu Xu, the son of Uncle Changming, who was currently a graduate student in the Law Department at Jingda; perhaps he knew a formidable divorce lawyer.

She picked up her phone to make the call, but suddenly stopped.

No, why was she looking for Xu Xu?

Wouldn't it be more convenient to ask Shen Yanhui?

Wasn't the suffering she endured yesterday precisely because she didn't ask him for help when she had something to deal with?

Besides, Shen Yanhui was a titan at the top of the pyramid in Jingcheng; was there any fear of not being able to find a mere divorce lawyer?

A thick thigh, one should hug it when one can.

Thinking this, Gu Yan threw off the quilt and jumped out of bed.

Unexpectedly, the moment her feet touched the carpet, her legs went soft. It was no exaggeration; she collapsed onto the floor.

She was stunned for a moment, the soreness spreading from her waist to her thighs; the aftereffects of last night were truly too obvious.

As luck would have it, the bedroom door was pushed open at that very moment.

Shen Yanhui was rarely not wearing a suit, but was instead in dark gray loungewear. Seeing her sitting on the floor, his brows immediately furrowed.

He walked over quickly, bent down to pick her up, placed her back on the bed, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Gu Yan gritted her teeth: "You have the nerve to ask!"

Shen Yanhui was stunned for a moment, then understood.

A flash of amusement crossed his eyes.

Gu Yan felt that he actually looked very handsome when he smiled, like snow melting on a high peak, finally revealing the greenery that had been covered for years underneath.

Thinking this, she said it out loud.

Shen Yanhui raised an eyebrow.

Gu Yan realized what she had done instantly and felt a bit annoyed.

How could she be bewitched by this dog of a man's beauty and forget his inhuman behavior last night?

So she added: "Just like the Samoyed I used to keep when it smiles."

The implication was that he was like a dog.

Shen Yanhui ignored her snide insult and reached out to rub her waist, his pressure moderate: "Need help with something?"

Gu Yan was surprised: "How did you know?"

Because the young lady wore her heart on her sleeve; she was easy to guess.

Perhaps because she had been spoiled by her family since she was little, she never hid her thoughts; she said directly what she wanted and said directly what she hated.

Shen Yanhui didn't answer her question, but instead said: "Tell me."

Gu Yan then told him about Qin Yue wanting a divorce and preparing to find a divorce lawyer, emphasizing repeatedly: "It has to be a divorce lawyer, the kind that specializes in divorce cases, not those legal advisors in your company."

Shen Yanhui nodded: "Mm, I'll have Chang Su handle it."

He stood up and continued: "Go wash up first, then eat."

Gu Yan didn't move; she glared at him.

Shen Yanhui raised an eyebrow: "If your legs are weak, just say so; I'm very happy to carry you."

Gu Yan admired his thick skin, but still reached out, her tone spoiled: "Shut up, carry me quickly."

Shen Yanhui carried her into the bathroom, stood before the vanity, and asked her: "Can you stand?"

Gu Yan: "... Yes."

But Shen Yanhui still had her sit on the vanity and handed her a toothbrush.

While brushing, she didn't forget to urge him: "The lawyer needs to be formidable, preferably someone who can make Chen Zhiyuan leave with nothing, and Yuan Yuan's custody must be secured."

"Mm."

Shen Yanhui held a rinsing cup to her lips; Gu Yan took a small sip and spat it out.

"Also, Sister Yueyue's emotional state isn't quite right; I'm afraid she'll be soft-hearted..."

"She won't. Chen Zhiyuan's company will have issues with its capital chain next week; he won't have the time or the capital to come pester her again."

Gu Yan turned to look at him: "You did this?"

"Normal business competition." Shen Yanhui's tone was flat. "His company wasn't clean to begin with."

"Mm, but we can't really let the company collapse; it's all Sister Yueyue's property."

"Whatever you say."

Gu Yan stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"A reward for you."

The amusement in Shen Yanhui's eyes deepened: "Just this?"

"Otherwise what?" Gu Yan looked at him warily. "My waist is still sore!"

——

Because of the indulgence last night, Gu Yan was too lazy to move, so she had the servants move her easel into the courtyard.

There was a breeze today, making the leaves rustle.

She quite liked it, and with the sound of the rustling, she doodled and drew, starting to conceive the inspiration for her next piece.

After getting a bit of a lead, she put down her paintbrush, closed her eyes, and sketched lines in her mind.

Suddenly, she remembered something.

She picked up her phone and dialed Xu Yuan's number.

Most of the works for the art exhibition were still in the wooden cabin, along with Xu Yuan and Lin Wei; she had almost forgotten those two were still in the mountains.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered, with the sound of rushing water and faint laughter in the background.

"Miss?" Xu Yuan's voice carried a smile.

"Where are you?" Gu Yan asked.

"We're... we're soaking in a hot spring," Xu Yuan said, her tone a bit guilty. "Miss Lin is here too."

Before the words had even faded, Lin Wei's excited voice came from the other end of the line: "Yanyan! This mountain is amazing! We went to pick wild mushrooms yesterday, and in the evening we had the guesthouse landlady stew them with chicken soup—it was so fresh my tongue almost fell off!"

Gu Yan listened, the corners of her mouth curling up involuntarily: "So happy you've forgotten home?"

Xu Yuan gave a light cough: "Miss... when are you all coming back?"

Gu Yan calculated the time; the day after tomorrow she had to take Shen Yanhui to meet her parents, and in half a month was the exchange meeting Professor Chen mentioned, plus she still had to paint.

Tossing back and forth wasn't necessary.

"I probably won't go back; I'm in Jingzhou," she said.

"You've already returned from Lagos?" Xu Yuan asked in surprise.

Gu Yan gave an "mm."

Lin Wei leaned in toward the phone again, feigning anger: "Gu Yan, you jerk, you ran off the moment I arrived; do you have a problem with me or what?"

Gu Yan held the phone a bit further away and reminded her: "Jingzhou Art Museum, Impressionist Art Exchange and Sharing Meeting. Agent Lin, did you forget?"

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the line.

Lin Wei said guiltily: "I didn't forget."

Having been best friends for so many years, she knew that tone—she had definitely forgotten, and forgotten completely at that.

Gu Yan teased: "You're not being a very competent agent, Miss Lin."

Lin Wei had no way to refute that.

After chatting for a few more sentences, Gu Yan said: "Xu Yuan, pack up all the paintings in the wooden cabin, wrap them carefully, and I'll have someone come to pick them up tomorrow."

"Understood, Miss," Xu Yuan replied, then added, "I'll come back with the paintings tomorrow."

"No need, you and Lin Wei keep playing; I'll give you another half-month of vacation. It's rare to get into the mountains, so have a good time, just mind your safety."

Xu Yuan was moved to death and showered her with all sorts of flowery flattery.

Gu Yan found it cringey and hung up the phone.

On Friday evening, Shen Yanhui drove Gu Yan back to the Gu Family.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Gu Lin popped out from somewhere and knocked on the car window.

Once the window rolled down, he poked his head inside and greeted the people within with a cheeky grin: "Yanyan, Brother-in-law!"

Gu Yan turned her head away; she still hadn't quite adjusted to the title "Brother-in-law."

But Shen Yanhui was quite adjusted to it, and he nodded lazily.

"What is it?" he asked.

Gu Lin said as if expecting a reward: "I haven't said a word to Mom and Dad about you two; how about that? Pretty loyal, right!"

Shen Yanhui narrowed his eyes and stared at him.

Gu Lin felt it was inexplicable.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Shen Yanhui tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Don't tell me I have to praise you for a job well done?"