Chapter 119: Gu Pingsheng Is Simply Too Arrogant!

She had been so careful, yet she was tracked down the very next day. Wasn't a five-star hotel supposed to have top-tier security? How on earth did that bastard manage to get his hands on her room key?

The moment Wen Liaochuan saw Wen Zhixia, he paused slightly, called out "Sister," and then naturally walked over to the seat beside Chu Man, resting his arm behind her chair as if it were second nature.

Chu Man, however, was clearly unaccustomed to such intimacy. She shifted her body away, unwilling to be close; as Wen Liaochuan drew nearer, her entire nervous system tightened.

Watching the way they interacted, Wen Zhixia noticed that after three years, the raw, youthful edges of Wen Liaochuan had completely vanished, replaced by a mature, cold, and detached air.

"Liaochuan, what is this between you and Miss Chu?"

"We are together." Wen Liaochuan had once deeply resented having his name entangled with Chu Man’s, but now, he said it himself, and quite naturally at that.

Chu Man let out a cold laugh at his words. "Wen Liaochuan, shouldn't you be clarifying things to your sister? We merely slept together—isn't it embarrassing for your precious sweetheart to hear you talk like this?"

Faced with her biting mockery, Wen Liaochuan’s expression remained unchanged, as if he were long accustomed to it.

"Since you're here, and Young Master Wen is here too, I’ll just lay it out plainly," Chu Man said. "Return my identification documents and let me go abroad with my father, and I will hand over the shares under my name. Otherwise, don't even dream of getting the remaining equity for the rest of your life."

He was keeping her under lock and key precisely for those shares; otherwise, even if he held temporary control over the Chu Group, his position would be illegitimate and unjustified.

"The equity and you—it's all just a matter of time." Wen Liaochuan’s fingers brushed lightly over her abdomen. "Manman."

Even through her clothes, Chu Man shuddered. She knew exactly what he was planning; he had always wanted to get her pregnant, as that would give him another handle to control her.

Chu Man bit her lip and slapped his hand away. "Despicable."

Wen Liaochuan curled his lips into a faint smile. Despicable? Compared to the years she had spent trampling his dignity underfoot, what did this even amount to?

Wen Zhixia frowned; the Wen Liaochuan before her felt like a stranger.

Gu Pingsheng leaned back in his chair, watching her furrowed brows, a flicker of something enigmatic in his eyes. He wasn't surprised by her shock; a man's dignity was never something to be trampled upon at will. Chu Man was a pampered daughter of heaven, born into luxury, her arrogance buried deep in her bones. Combined with her stunning beauty, she had never lacked for men.

It was standard practice for Chu Man to boss Wen Liaochuan around. Even after they had slept together, given her unbridled personality, she wouldn't have thought much of it, and it was common for her to act intimately with other men or do outrageous things right in front of him.

But as the saying goes, the dog that bites doesn't bark. Wen Liaochuan’s silence and indulgence were merely a period of dormancy, waiting for the day of his eruption. Now that the Chu family was firmly in his grasp, Chu Man was the canary he intended to keep in a cage; he would never let her leave.

"Let's talk." Gu Pingsheng’s narrow eyes lifted as he looked toward Wen Liaochuan, speaking his first words since entering the room.

Wen Liaochuan looked back at him, pausing briefly. Gu Pingsheng stood up, leaving no room for refusal.

After the two men left, only Wen Zhixia and Chu Man remained in the room, which made their conversation easier. Chu Man’s demand remained unchanged; she wanted Wen Zhixia to help her escape Wen Liaochuan.

"Liaochuan is not a man who gives up easily," Wen Zhixia said. "Since you provoked him, you should have anticipated what he would do, given his nature."

Chu Man poured herself another glass of wine. "That’s why I’m regretting it now, isn't it? And... you don't really think Wen Liaochuan wants to be with me, do you? He’s just unwilling to accept defeat; he wants to wait until I fall for him, and then he'll dump me. You see, with such obvious motives, I’m not a fool. How could I let him have his way?"

Chu Man stood up and walked to the window. "If I had known he had a 'virginity complex,' I never would have touched him. Anyway, there's no reasoning with him now. You’re his sister—he’ll listen to you. Look at him now: he's young, wealthy, and handsome; there are plenty of women lining up for him."

"Since you think he's so good, why not choose to stay?" Wen Zhixia asked.

Chu Man gathered her long hair, leaning against the window with the wine glass pressed to her red lips, and laughed softly. "Stay? Didn't I say it? He wants my heart, to make me willingly submit to him. But I am Chu Man, the eldest daughter of the Chu family; how could I be like a plaything, waiting for his favor? Besides... two people full of ulterior motives can only end in mutual destruction. You wouldn't want me to be pushed to the edge and take him down with me one day, would you? I know you can help me out of this predicament. While your man has taken him out, take me away."

Half an hour later, when Gu Pingsheng and Wen Liaochuan returned, the suite was empty. Wen Liaochuan clenched his fists, and Gu Pingsheng’s expression darkened.

"Mr. Gu, it seems we’ve been working for someone else's benefit this time," Wen Liaochuan said, his tone dripping with mockery and underlying meaning. He knew a thing or two about the history between Wen Zhixia and Xu Qichen, and his words carried a sharp edge.

Gu Pingsheng stood with his hands behind his back, tall and composed, his deep eyes as dark as ink.

Wen Zhixia had taken her back to Jingyuan. This was Xu family territory; even if Wen Liaochuan wanted to force his way in, it would be impossible.

Seeing the iconic insignia of the Xu family in front of the villa, Chu Man silently let out a sigh of relief. It’s always easier to stay cool under a big tree. For any emerging wealthy family, the Xu clan was an insurmountable monument. Wen Liaochuan’s reach could not extend into Xu territory.

"So the rumors were true," Chu Man said softly with a smile.

Wen Zhixia glanced at her. "What rumors?"

"The relationship between you and that man from the Xu family." Chu Man was forthright, hiding nothing.

Her personality was refreshing, and Wen Zhixia didn't hide it either, simply nodding quietly.

"Which room is mine?" Chu Man yawned. "Looks like I can finally get a good night's sleep."

Perhaps feeling temporarily safe, the exhaustion from her entire body seemed to crash down on her at that moment. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept soundly without being on guard. The "Eldest Miss Chu" who used to be able to tear the roof down over a bad night's sleep was now unable to find peace day or night, yet she had somehow managed to hold her temper; even she found it unbelievable.

Wen Zhixia had wanted to say something more, but seeing how exhausted she was, she held her tongue and called a servant to take her to the guest room upstairs. The servant hesitated upon hearing the instruction but ultimately took Chu Man to the guest room.

One servant, while pouring tea for Wen Zhixia, hesitated before whispering a reminder: "Madam, the Master... he doesn't like noise. Are you sure you want to bring a woman to stay here like this? Does the Master know?"

Wen Zhixia rubbed her temples. "It's fine. I will speak to him."

It was too late today; Chu Man was only staying for the night.

The next morning, after the doctor’s rounds, Jin Mao handled the discharge procedures. In the car, Jin Mao looked in the rearview mirror and asked, "Sir, are we returning to Jingyuan now?"

Xu Qichen straightened his cuffs. "Go to... Gu-Xia Group."

Jin Mao paused. "Understood."

In the lobby, Zhou Anbei was holding some files and preparing to head upstairs when he caught sight of Xu Qichen, momentarily thinking he was hallucinating.

"Mr. Xu."

Xu Qichen nodded slightly. Jin Mao spoke up: "The Master wishes to see your Mr. Gu."

As Gu Pingsheng’s secretary, Zhou Anbei naturally understood the adversarial relationship between Xu Qichen and Gu Pingsheng. However, the prestige of the Xu family could not be easily dismissed. Even without an appointment, since the man was standing right there, there was no reason to tell him to go back and wait for one.

"Mr. Gu... has not arrived yet. If it's convenient for you, Mr. Xu, you may wait in the conference room for a moment," Zhou Anbei said.

After showing them to the conference room and having coffee served, Zhou Anbei called Gu Pingsheng. Though he had said "a moment," after Gu Pingsheng arrived, he did not go directly to the conference room. Instead, he turned and went to his office, processing the files on his desk and even making an overseas call.

When Zhou Anbei entered for the second time, he had to whisper a reminder: "Mr. Gu, he has been waiting in the conference room for nearly two hours."

Gu Pingsheng raised his deep eyes and said, "Move up the meeting scheduled for half an hour from now."

A meeting would take at least two hours, meaning the entire morning would vanish in an instant. Zhou Anbei hesitated; that was, after all, the head of the Xu family.

"Is there a problem?" Gu Pingsheng asked, his cold eyes narrowing as he saw the secretary still standing there.

Zhou Anbei replied, "Understood. I will issue the notification immediately."

Gu Pingsheng took a sip of coffee and stood up. *If he likes to wait, then let him wait.* There was no reason for him to clear his schedule just to meet some wild man.

In the conference room, Jin Mao checked his watch and could no longer sit still. "Sir, Gu Pingsheng is being far too arrogant!" Even when meeting other big shots, they had never been made to wait this long.

Xu Qichen was flipping through a magazine, his expression indifferent, showing no sign of annoyance at being snubbed. "Sit down. It's fine."

Gu Pingsheng was a man of sharp edges. In eight years, he had climbed from nothing to his current high position using thunderous methods; it was only natural he would carry some airs.

Jin Mao’s phone rang; it was Wen Zhixia calling to ask about Xu Qichen’s discharge. Jin Mao walked to the window and glanced at Xu Qichen. "The Master has been discharged."

Wen Zhixia raised an eyebrow. "When will you be home?"

Jin Mao replied, "I'm afraid the Master won't be able to return for a while."

Wen Zhixia: "Hmm?"

"The Master is at Gu-Xia Group. He has been waiting all morning, and there is still no sign of anyone." Mentioning this, Jin Mao couldn't help but feel indignant. Since he began serving Xu Qichen, he had never seen anyone with such an inflated sense of self-importance.

"Jin Mao." Xu Qichen recognized who was on the other end of the call and felt displeased that his assistant was airing these grievances, worrying Wen Zhixia.