Chapter 22 Just consider it a good deed done.

Gu Yao had been drinking and could not drive. As soon as she exited the bar, a designated driver immediately approached to offer her services.

Gu Yao selected a female driver and handed over the car keys. With the driver’s assistance, she helped Shu Nuan into the car before bending down to climb in herself.

The female driver went to close the door for her, but just as it was about to latch, a large, well-defined hand suddenly reached out and gripped the edge of the door firmly.

The driver was startled. When she looked up and saw the face of the hand's owner, she froze for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and looked toward Gu Yao.

At that moment, the owner of the hand spoke first:

"I was away on a business trip in Tongcheng for the past few days."

Gu Yao paused, looking at Lu Zheng’s expression with a flicker of bewilderment before suddenly understanding. Lu Zheng was "reporting" to her, explaining what he had been doing during the days they hadn't seen each other.

But...

Gu Yao’s brow furrowed slightly as she shook her head at the man outside the car, her voice distant. "You don’t need to tell me these things. This has nothing to do with me, and I don’t want to know."

Having said that, Gu Yao thought for a moment and added, "However, I would still like to thank you for tonight."

She reached out to pull the door shut, but before she could grasp the handle, the man’s hand clamped down on hers. His hand was large, almost completely enveloping her palm.

Gu Yao was startled and tried to pull away, but the moment she exerted force, the man seemed to anticipate it and pulled back simultaneously. The opposing forces canceled each other out, and nothing changed.

Gu Yao looked up and glared at the man outside the car. He was blocking the doorway, shielding the driver from view behind him.

Lu Zheng stared at the woman inside the car, bowing his head. His broad shoulders cast a large shadow into the vehicle, as if isolating her from the rest of the world.

He made a request: "If you want to thank me, surely it can't just be a single sentence, right?"

Gu Yao fell silent. She looked up, locking eyes with him. The alcohol she had consumed earlier was starting to take effect; her face grew warm, and her mood became restless due to the rising heat.

As the man remained lost in their gaze, she suddenly took a deep breath, yanked her hand away, and let her expression turn cold. Dropping her gaze, she said, "I’m sorry, Mr. Lu, I have nothing of value to offer you. You should just consider this a good deed done by a good person."

Lu Zheng was stunned. By the time he snapped out of it, the car door had already slammed shut with a bang.

Outside, the driver, seeing the door was closed, gave the intimidating man a cautious glance before hurrying around the front of the car to the driver's seat.

The car soon pulled away. Lu Zheng stood in place, watching the direction in which the car disappeared, saying nothing.

A black Maybach slowly pulled up beside him. Ming Lang stepped out from the driver’s seat, walked around, opened the door, and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Lu, shall we return to the old mansion, or..."

Lu Zheng began to walk. "Follow them."

Ming Lang understood immediately.

Inside the Jaguar, Shu Nuan was fast asleep, leaning against Gu Yao’s shoulder.

Gu Yao felt quite dizzy herself by now—a mix of intoxication and the motion of the car. The driver in front did not talk much, and even after witnessing the gossip, she did not reveal anything on her face.

It wasn't until the car stopped at a red light that she glanced at the rearview mirror and spoke with some unease: "Ma'am, the car behind us seems to have been following us the whole time."

Gu Yao’s foggy brain buffered for a moment before she understood the driver's meaning. She turned to look behind her and saw the Maybach, which was very conspicuous in the flow of traffic.

She watched it for a while, then turned back, meeting the driver’s nervous gaze in the rearview mirror, and reassured her: "It’s fine, don’t worry about him."

The driver nodded, visibly relieved.

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up to the foot of Shu Nuan’s apartment building.

Gu Yao stepped out of the car first, stumbling slightly as she did so. Still, being outside felt slightly better than being in the car. She bent over to pull Shu Nuan out, but the moment she grabbed Shu Nuan’s arm, she was pulled aside by someone else.

Gu Yao: "..."

Why did this scene feel so familiar? It was as if it had happened not long ago!

Then, as expected, the man’s familiar voice rang out, almost a carbon copy of before: "Let Assistant Ming..."

Gu Yao immediately refused: "No need! The driver can help."

The driver, standing nearby, heard this and quickly stepped forward, giving Lu Zheng an apologetic smile.

The path was completely blocked by him. Lu Zheng gave the driver a cold look that made her hair stand on end. However, seeing the look of determination on Gu Yao’s face, he slowly took two steps back, clearing the space outside the door.

He retreated with great reluctance.

The driver dared not look at Lu Zheng again; she quickly reached in, pulled Shu Nuan out, and helped Gu Yao support her.

Lu Zheng watched their movements in silence. Gu Yao ignored him and went upstairs with the driver to drop off Shu Nuan.

Ten minutes later, when she returned downstairs, the alcohol had worn off slightly, but her head was still spinning, and she looked unwell.

As she emerged from the building’s entrance and saw Lu Zheng leaning against his car, her expression darkened immediately.

Lu Zheng: "..."

Gu Yao ignored him and went straight to the car door, pulling it open to get in. But at the same moment, the other door was pulled open, and the man slid in from the other side.

Gu Yao was stunned by his fluid movements.

She was both shocked and angry. As the blood rushed to her head, the intoxication she had just shaken off surged back.

"I didn't tell you to get in!" she warned him.

Lu Zheng seemed to turn a deaf ear. He looked at the driver in front and ordered, "Drive!"

The driver hesitated, not responding immediately, but instead checking Gu Yao’s expression in the rearview mirror. Sure enough, Gu Yao turned to her: "Don't drive!"

Gu Yao looked at Lu Zheng again. "Mr. Lu, please get out. It’s not convenient for me to give you a ride. Don't you have your own car?"

Lu Zheng still ignored her. He kept his eyes on the driver, though his tone grew colder: "I said drive!"

The driver trembled with fear, but she dared not refuse again. She gave Gu Yao an apologetic, helpless look in the mirror and started the car.

*This is so difficult,* she thought. *It’s obviously a couple having a spat, why are they making things hard for a working girl like me?*

Gu Yao naturally noticed the fear on the driver’s face after Lu Zheng’s command, and felt a surge of resentment toward him. Perhaps because of the alcohol, that resentment suddenly turned into a burst of unprovoked anger, directed at the man beside her.

She raised her voice, her beautiful eyes widening: "Why are you yelling at her!"

Lu Zheng froze as Gu Yao continued angrily: "She is my driver; whether she drives or not is up to me. What right do you have to yell at her!"

"Just because you're the young master of the Lu family, you think you're something special? She doesn't rely on your paycheck to eat!"

The more Gu Yao spoke, the angrier she became. Seeing Lu Zheng’s tense, expressionless face—which made him look as if he had no intention of repenting—only infuriated her more. Unable to hold back, she raised her hand and gave him a heavy shove.

But before she could pull her hand back, the man grabbed it.

She struggled to pull away: "Lu Zheng, let go, don't touch me!"

However, she could not break free from his strength. Yet, just as she was struggling, she suddenly heard the man’s cool voice:

"I apologize. I lost my composure just now. I am sorry."

Gu Yao’s struggle ceased. She looked up to see Lu Zheng looking at the driver with an expression of genuine sincerity.

The driver’s neck was stiff, and in the rearview mirror, one could see her offering a dry, awkward laugh: "No, no, it’s alright, it’s fine..."