Chapter 23: I Wish I Were Truly Perverted

Gu Yao did not expect Lu Zheng to actually apologize to the female driver.

His action left her at a loss, making it difficult for her to continue the argument. She couldn't even bring herself to kick him out, despite him lingering in the car. Suppressing her frustration, Gu Yao turned her head toward the window, watching the scenery blur past. Her expression remained cold, though her turbulent emotions gradually began to settle.

The car soon arrived at her apartment building. After paying the driver, Gu Yao stepped out and headed straight for the entrance, ignoring the man behind her. She assumed that since they had arrived, he would finally leave.

However, she had clearly overestimated the thickness of the current Mr. Lu’s skin. As the elevator doors opened and she stepped inside, a hand blocked the closing doors before she could react. Gu Yao’s breath hitched. She glared at the man as he stepped in, unable to keep her tone from sharpening: "Mr. Lu, surely you don't intend to force your way into my home?"

Lu Zheng bowed his head slightly, looking at the woman who seemed to be covered in thorns, his eyes unnervingly calm. "What if I said yes?"

Gu Yao’s head snapped up, her hands clenching into tight fists. She was so close to losing her composure and slapping him.

Lu Zheng was sharp; his gaze fell onto her clenched hands, then he looked back up at her. After two seconds, he leaned in, caught her hand, and pried her fingers open. In her fair palm, five deep, red nail marks were visible. He frowned, his voice dropping low: "If you wanted to slap me just now, you didn't have to hesitate. I wouldn't have been angry."

The man’s eyes were deep, locked onto hers. For a moment, Gu Yao felt an inexplicable, dangerous aura emanating from him. With her hand still in his, he continued to stare at the nail marks. "By comparison, I would be far more furious if you hurt yourself."

Gu Yao jerked her head up to look at him. Locked in each other’s gaze, they both saw the stubbornness reflected in the other’s eyes. Her chest heaved, and she snatched her hand back, stepping away from him. "You’re a pervert!"

Lu Zheng didn't get angry at the insult; instead, he smiled, his wild Adam’s apple bobbing as he watched her. "Gu Yao, I wish I really were a pervert." If he were, he wouldn't have to be so restrained about the things he wanted to do.

Gu Yao understood the unfinished half of his sentence. She couldn't believe Lu Zheng would actually say such a thing. Looking at him, she felt a chill run through her and a tightness constrict her throat.

The elevator was small, and while Lu Zheng didn't advance further, she couldn't help but retreat step by step. His dark eyes tracked her like a predator crouching before a hunt, waiting for a single mistake to devour her whole.

"Ding..."

The elevator doors finally opened, and Gu Yao practically bolted out. She nearly collided with Ming Lang, who had arrived at her floor at some point. He deftly dodged her contact, but Gu Yao didn't even notice him. She reached for her keys, unlocked the door, and slipped inside—but the door didn't close.

"Lu Zheng!" she shouted, furious, trying to pry his hand off the edge of the door. But Lu Zheng showed no sign of wanting to enter; instead, he abruptly handed her a food container.

Gu Yao froze, her eyes full of wariness. When Lu Zheng made a move as if to step inside, she quickly blocked the doorway and snatched the container from his hand. He stopped immediately.

He looked down at her, a faint smirk playing on his lips, hidden storms swirling in his eyes. "Porridge from Baihe Court. Eat a little before you sleep; you've been drinking, and I don't want your stomach to hurt."

Gu Yao pressed her lips into a thin line, staring at him. She didn't want to speak, and she had no energy to do so. Lu Zheng wasn't surprised. She had always been like this—when she was truly angry, she would go silent and brood, waiting for others to guess her thoughts. But he knew tonight had reached the limit. Any further pressure might scare her into hiding completely.

He took a step back, and just as he began to speak, the door slammed shut in front of him like a gust of wind.

The hallway fell into dead silence. Ming Lang, watching from behind, lowered his head. *Damn it! The boss's pursuit seems to have gotten even harder!*

Inside the apartment, Gu Yao slumped onto the sofa, drained of all strength. She placed the food container on the coffee table and collapsed onto the cushions, her mind in chaos. She truly couldn't understand where Lu Zheng’s deep obsession with her came from. Didn't he believe they were people from two different worlds?

"Ah!!!" Gu Yao buried her face in a pillow, feeling completely overwhelmed. She knew she was afraid. If Lu Zheng was truly serious, she feared his persistence would turn into an obsession, and with her limited means, she didn't seem capable of escaping his reach.

She was even more afraid that if Lu Zheng truly liked her—if that affection was a normal, genuine attraction—then how was she to interpret the years of resentment she held for his past condescension and the youthful relationship that shattered because of their supposed class gap? Was it all just a misunderstanding born from her own worthless insecurities?

She couldn't accept that.

Gu Yao lay on the sofa until dawn. When she woke up the next morning, her body ached all over, and her head felt heavy and dizzy. She sat up after a while, and as she turned, her eyes landed on the food container. In an instant, everything from the previous night—the bar, the man in the floral shirt, the scene outside Shu Nuan’s apartment, Lu Zheng apologizing to the driver, and his terrifying intensity in the elevator—rushed back to her.

Gu Yao squeezed her eyes shut. After a long silence, a soft sigh broke the quiet, followed by the sound of footsteps.

After washing up, Gu Yao emerged from the bathroom and walked to the coffee table to open the container. Inside were three small wooden boxes: one with porridge, one with dessert, and one with pickled cucumbers. Though it looked simple, she knew this establishment was far from cheap; a single meal like this could cost thousands.

Regrettably, she closed the lid. Having sat out all night, the porridge had soured. Gu Yao wasn't one to be wasteful, and she felt a flicker of annoyance as she poured the large bowl of porridge down the drain. Even though she didn't want his gifts and hadn't left it out on purpose, it was still a waste.

Just as she was lost in thought, a knock sounded at the door. Gu Yao walked toward the entrance, but her pace slowed. She wondered who could be visiting so early.

Peering through the peephole, she saw Ming Lang’s face. He seemed to sense her presence on the other side and offered a smile.

A minute later, while Gu Yao still stood behind the door, her phone chimed with a message: "Ms. Gu, this is Ming Lang. Mr. Lu was worried you would have a headache from drinking, so he asked me to order breakfast for you. I’ve left it outside your door. Please don't forget to get it. Even though Mr. Lu ordered it, I hope you’ll eat a little—after all, it’s a shame to waste food~."

Gu Yao quickly opened the door. The hallway was empty, but a familiar food container sat on the clean floor.

Gu Yao: "..."

Using these tactics—shameless!