Chapter 37: He Won't Anymore

Most young people are heavy sleepers. After everything that happened yesterday and that whole scene in the middle of the night, Lu Nanting had ended up staying up late again.

A window was open a palm's width, allowing a gentle southeast breeze from the midsummer morning to blow in. When the door opened, the orchid on the table trembled slightly.

Lu Nanting was lying on his side facing the window, one hand pressed against the side of his face and the other tucked under his pillow. A light gray thin quilt draped over his stomach, revealing his strong, well-built legs.

The rising sun filtered through the mottled gauze curtains, scattering fine specks of light across his body.

Gu Lanxi walked over and gently patted his back.

Her touch was gentle yet firm, one stroke after another

"Hey, wake up, wake up..."

The air conditioning temperature had been high this morning, and the young man's body was radiating heat. Gu Lanxi felt her palms growing warm, and she suddenly felt a bit bashful.

If it hadn't been an emergency, she probably would have slipped out quietly, pretending she had never been there.

Having only slept for a little over five hours, Lu Nanting was exhausted. Being suddenly patted on the back, it took him a long while to open his eyes.

Seeing that it was Gu Lanxi calling him, he finally remembered where he was staying.

All his morning irritability vanished instantly. He cleared his throat twice to ensure his voice was gentle enough before speaking: "What's wrong?"

Gu Lanxi was very disciplined and possessed a strong sense of boundaries; she never forced others to follow her lifestyle.

In the past, when classes ended too late or heavy rain prevented her from returning to school, her mother would let her stay at her house. Every time, she would wake up early. Even when class time arrived, she would never enter his room to wake him; instead, she would quietly do her own thing and wait patiently.

That was her nature, and she wouldn't change just because she was currently at his house.

Therefore, if she had come to wake him, there must be something happening.

"What happened to your car? People online are saying you've been involved in a criminal case."

Lu Nanting rolled over to face her. Seeing her crouching by the bed with a hint of panic in her voice, he took her hand and pressed it against his cheek.

"It was just an antifreeze leak, something very easy to clarify. The PR team will handle it. The reason it hasn't been clarified yet is simply that we are looking for the best timing."

It was only seven in the morning; the police hadn't even started their shift yet! What was the rush?

In the entertainment industry, the standard operating procedure is to "mistreat fans to build loyalty, then pamper them to solidify them."

Only Gu Lanxi didn't play those games; otherwise, with her intelligence, she would have seen through the PR team's intentions at a glance.

"I went to bed so late after handling that matter last night. Let me sleep a little longer, okay~"

With that, he closed his eyes and nuzzled into her palm.

His eyelashes were long and curled, his nose high, his lips red, and his hair fluffy...

Lazy and relaxed, he looked like a large cat.

She was indeed worrying unnecessarily.

Gu Lanxi sighed inwardly, quickly realizing the situation.

Seeing how truly exhausted he was, she didn't pull away, intending to wait until he fell asleep before leaving.

The room was very quiet, and she could hear the other person's breathing.

Even though Lu Nanting was clearly exhausted, he couldn't help but open his eyes to look at her.

"Weren't you going to sleep? Why are you looking at me?"

"Gu Lanxi."

Not knowing why he was calling her name out of the blue, she replied casually

"Mm, I'm here."

"I feel like I'm dreaming."

The corners of Lu Nanting's mouth curled up as he interlaced his fingers with hers

"I'm so happy that I can see you the moment I open my eyes."

Gu Lanxi didn't know what to say to respond to such words with grace.

Even when filming movies, she had delivered lines a hundred times more explicit than this with a calm heart, yet now her heart was racing wildly.

"I have to go out for a physical exam today. I'm joining the film crew soon, so I won't have time to visit later."

Gu Lanxi cared deeply about her health; she had known since childhood how to treat herself with the utmost care.

Not knowing how to respond, she simply changed the subject.

Having witnessed the most devastating aftermath of a failed romance, she was always full of distrust regarding relationships.

In their youth, Lu Nanting lacked patience and would urgently pressure her for a response, which ultimately plunged her into a vortex of anxiety.

Now, he wouldn't do that.

"Mm, go ahead then!"

Lu Nanting let go of her hand, closed his eyes, and nuzzled into his pillow.

After a moment of hesitation, Gu Lanxi reached out and softly stroked his head before tiptoeing out.

The corners of Lu Nanting's mouth twitched slightly as he closed his eyes and quickly fell back asleep.

Gu Lanxi tidied up quickly, gave a word to Auntie Wang, and headed downstairs with her bag.

She did indeed have a physical exam scheduled today, and she had to be fasting before the blood draw, so she would have to eat breakfast at the medical center.

Today was Saturday, but diligent bosses still headed out to work on time.

In the elevator, Gu Lanxi ran into Du Rusheng from Xiaowei Technology. Just after a greeting, the whirlwind-like businesswoman began complaining to her about last night's incident.

"I worked overtime until midnight, and when I got back, I saw a crowd of police. What idiots—they've never even seen an antifreeze leak before, making such a fuss and calling the police. It gave me a huge fright in the middle of the night, and now the whole internet knows about it. People who don't know better will think our neighborhood is some dangerous place!"

Last year, when Xiaowei Technology faced cash flow difficulties, Gu Lanxi took the opportunity to buy shares, which was essentially saving her life. Because of this, the two were quite close, and Du Rusheng spoke to her without any reserve.

Unexpectedly, hearing about this as soon as she stepped out, Gu Lanxi showed a perfectly measured expression of surprise

"Did something happen in the neighborhood last night? You know I always sleep early; I had no idea such a thing occurred."

"That influencer who does live-stream sales, what was her name, An'an? She was recently made an example of for false advertising. In her rush to clear her name, she found a boyfriend—a former paparazzi, I think—who happened to recognize the license plate..."

At this point, Du Rusheng gave Gu Lanxi a mysterious look: "Lu Nanting lives in our building too, you know that, right? The car belongs to him."

Gu Lanxi held shares in many companies, with several exceeding 5%, including Xiaowei Technology, which specialized in influencer-targeted small appliances.

When she had previously disclosed her marital status, Gu Lanxi hadn't shared much information about her partner. Du Rusheng had originally thought it was just a case of having the same name, but when the news of Lu Nanting's marriage certificate hit the trending searches, she couldn't help but suspect.

Unfortunately, Gu Lanxi always valued her privacy and disliked discussing her personal affairs. Although they were familiar, they weren't quite confidantes.

Having been ignored on social media, Du Rusheng hadn't had the nerve to message her directly on WeChat. Now that they had finally met, she naturally wanted to probe a little.

Gu Lanxi was very powerful, but if she were to become the youngest daughter-in-law of the Lu family, the weight of her status as a shareholder would be entirely different.

Seeing her seemingly gossipy but actually shrewd expression, Gu Lanxi gave a soft smile: "Really? It seems our neighborhood is truly popular."

Du Rusheng loved sharing her life online, and this luxury estate appeared frequently in her posts. She was very proud of her status as an owner in Bihu Tianye, so the influencer's smear on the neighborhood naturally displeased her.

With her words softly blocking the conversation, Du Rusheng, having witnessed her sharpness before, did not dare to push further.

An awkward silence fell in the elevator. Fortunately, the elevator reached the tenth floor, where the owner of Shivei, dressed in Hanfu, walked in while smoothing her hair, accompanied by her daughter, Zhong Lingyu.

"Oh, you two! What a coincidence to run into you! Morning!"

Pay attention to the details; they will be on the test.

Young Master Lu did not lock the door when he slept.

(End of Chapter)