Chapter 15: You must be mistaken; my relationship with him is not good

"Closing up!" Gu Luosheng drove her barbecue cart to the parking lot and did a quick tally of the day's earnings. She'd made about a hundred yuan today, which was pretty decent overall. With some customers finding her food delicious and likely to become regulars, her customer base would only continue to grow. Becoming a little rich lady was just a matter of time.

Feeling quite pleased, Gu Luosheng rented a shared bike and pedaled back to the Gu household, all of which was observed by Shen Mo.

Since Gu Luosheng had returned home, so should he.

"Back so late? Where have you been?" Gu Yunzhou called out to Gu Luosheng, who was heading to her room.

"Elder brother and father are both busy with work and rarely home. Now, you're almost as busy as they are," he remarked.

Gu Luosheng couldn't understand why Gu Yunzhou seemed so displeased with her. He was always picking on her for no reason.

She wasn't his sister, after all. Was there any need for him to mind her business?

"Second Young Master Gu, I'm not even part of the Gu family. You really don't need to waste your attention on me," Gu Luosheng replied. She actually liked coming home late; that way, she could avoid running into Gu Qingwan, and the two wouldn't get entangled in any drama.

"What do you mean by that?" Gu Yunzhou walked over with obvious displeasure, not fond of her talking back.

As soon as he got close, he caught a strong whiff of barbecue from her clothes.

He pinched his nose. "What on earth is that smell on you?"

"I'm going to shower!" Gu Luosheng didn't bother arguing. She locked herself in her room and took a blissful, thorough shower.

A notification pinged on her phone—it was a message from Shen Mo.

After sending his message, Shen Mo checked her social feed. It was completely empty, as if her account were brand new.

"Why hasn't she replied? Did she fall asleep that quickly?" Lying in bed, Shen Mo tossed and turned restlessly.

About half an hour later, just as he was drifting off, Gu Luosheng finally responded.

Gu Luosheng: "I'm here! Do you need something?"

Shen Mo: "Can you handle group orders? I'd like to order dinner for my team."

Excitement flashed across Gu Luosheng's face. Was this a big order coming her way?

"I can take it. How many people? Any special requirements?"

Shen Mo did a quick calculation of his company's size. With several hundred employees, there was no way she could handle it alone. After thinking it over, he decided to test the waters. "How about fifty people? Two servings of each variety per person!"

Gu Luosheng currently offered ten types of barbecue. That meant she'd have to make a thousand skewers! That was simply too much for her alone.

Gu Luosheng replied, "Sorry, that's too large a volume for me to handle by myself. This is just a small business. Maybe we can work together another time!"

Shen Mo felt disappointed. If he'd known, he wouldn't have suggested fifty people. He had only wanted to support her business, since she seemed in need of money. But it was hard to find a reason to just give her money outright.

"It's getting late. Good night!" After sending her final message, Gu Luosheng prepared to sleep.

It had been a fulfilling day.

Just as she was about to turn off the light, she noticed the bag on her bedside table. She took out her allergy medication and swallowed it.

Shen Mo replied "Good night" as well, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't calm his restlessness.

In the deep, quiet night, there is always someone who cannot sleep.

...

Early morning.

Gu Luosheng planned to leave the Gu house early, but happened to run into Ren Fang in the living room.

Ren Fang looked surprised to see her up so early and called her over for a chat.

"Luosheng, why are you up so early? Are you heading out?" she asked, noticing the backpack.

"Yes," Gu Luosheng answered simply. She doubted Ren Fang cared much about her affairs.

"Luosheng, you saw what happened yesterday with Yichen and Qingwan. Since you're on good terms with Yichen, could you ask him what his intentions are and get him to make a statement? Qingwan's a girl—she shouldn't always have to be the one to speak up," Ren Fang said, clearly worried about Gu Qingwan's wedding with Lin Yichen.

But from what she'd observed yesterday, Lin Yichen didn't seem eager to marry Gu Qingwan. She wanted to know why.

Gu Luosheng wasn't sure how to respond. Was she close with Lin Yichen? Not really.

In the past, Gu Qingwan and Lin Yichen had always been inseparable, while she was more like a tagalong, pestering Lin Yichen and sharing her daily life with him.

Lin Yichen would always look at her with cold, indifferent eyes and say, "Don't you have anything better to do? Why are you always coming to bother me?"

Thinking back now, Gu Luosheng realized how foolish she had been. What was the point of being a sycophant?

Loving oneself and being cool—wasn't that better?

She answered Ren Fang, "I haven't been in contact with Lin Yichen for five years. And you must be mistaken—I'm not close to him. He didn't like me even five years ago."

"It's Gu Qingwan who's always been on good terms with Lin Yichen. No matter how busy he is, if Gu Qingwan wants to see him, he'll drop everything to keep her company."

Ren Fang felt a little awkward. Thinking it over, that did seem to be the case. "Luosheng, I didn't mean anything by it. I just hoped you could help us find out what's going on."

Gu Luosheng replied honestly, "I'm afraid I can't help. If even Gu Qingwan doesn't know why Lin Yichen won't marry her, how could I possibly know?"

Ren Fang made small talk, asking about trivial matters. Gu Luosheng could tell her mind was elsewhere, so she found an excuse to leave the house.

She'd planned to have breakfast at home, but now she had to go out instead.

...

Lin Yichen stared at the several missed calls and messages on his phone, then silently turned off the screen.

Since yesterday, Gu Qingwan had been trying to meet with him, but he felt no desire to see her.

Even when faced with coordinated attacks from business rivals, Lin Yichen had never once thought of backing down; he was always able to face things calmly.

But for some reason, when it came to Gu Qingwan, he felt a trace of avoidance. The Gu family's pressure to marry left him feeling unsettled—an unfamiliar sensation in his life.

Through the car window, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure at a breakfast stall.

"Stop the car!" he ordered at once.

The driver pulled over.

Lin Yichen got out and walked straight toward Gu Luosheng, sitting down across from her.

She had been happily eating soup dumplings, but the moment she saw Lin Yichen, her expression fell.

Was there something wrong with him? With so many empty tables around, why did he have to sit at hers?