There weren't many people in the dessert shop in the evening. The heating was on full blast, and you could see a dazzling array of desserts through the glass. Xu Chun picked out a few and put them on a plate before heading to the counter to pay.
At that moment, there was only one customer waiting at the counter. He appeared to be a young man, wearing a dark overcoat, with handsome and deep-set features, and thin lips that were almost pressed into a straight line, making him seem somewhat unapproachable.
Suddenly, he frowned slightly, rummaged through his bag for a while, and his frown deepened.
"Sorry, I left my wallet and phone in the car."
The shop assistant stared at him with suspicion. After all, the demeanor he exuded didn't seem like that of a liar, but he also didn't seem like someone who was forgetful.
"I'll leave my things here and go back to my car to get them." If someone else were in this awkward situation, they would definitely be embarrassed and flustered, but this person remained calm and composed, explaining the situation to the shop assistant and then offering a solution.
"I'll pay for him."
The man turned around and was slightly taken aback when he saw that there was a person wearing a mask standing behind him.
Seeing that the clerk didn't react, Xu Chun repeated, "I'll pay for him."
The man heard his words and his gaze fell on his face, though it was mostly covered by a mask.
"Thank you, I'll return it to you when I get back to the car."
Xu Chun smiled gently, "You're welcome, it was nothing."
He looked at the man's face and noticed that his pupil color was very similar to his own, both being a light amber color. His pupil color was quite special; generally, Asians have brownish-brown pupils, with only differences between dark and light brown. Pure black Xie Jianyuan's, or his amber color, are relatively rare. This was the first time he had met someone with the same pupil color as himself.
He said it was "just a small favor," and that's what he really thought. In his view, it wasn't much money anyway, and he could have just not paid it back.
But the man didn't seem to give Xu Chun any room to refuse. He took the packaged bag and then asked Xu Chun, "What's your name?"
Xu Chun choked. Of course, he couldn't reveal his true identity as Xu Chun. After a moment's thought, he only vaguely said, "My surname is Xu."
The man didn't mind his perfunctory answer, nodded, handed him a business card, and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Xu, my surname is Gu, and my name is Gu Zi."
Xu Chun took the business card and glanced at it. The next second, he froze on the spot. He was unfamiliar with Gu Zi as a person, but that did not mean he was unfamiliar with the family behind Gu Zi.
He had overheard people in the industry discussing the Gu family at the dinner party. A few years ago, the family had fallen on hard times and faced bankruptcy and acquisition, but was eventually bought back by someone at a high price.
This person is Gu Zi.
But Gu Zi also shares the surname Gu, so why would he target the Gu family and then buy them back at a high price? This brings us to Gu Zi's background. He was adopted by the Gu family elders because they had no children of their own. Another child from a distant relative of the Gu family was also adopted at the same time. The Gu family elders' plan was to have the two compete from a young age and choose the most outstanding one, thus increasing the chances of obtaining a perfect heir. In the end, they chose the other one, and Gu Zi became the discarded pawn.
Unexpectedly, Gu Zi eventually returned from abroad, where he founded a company and accumulated a large amount of wealth. After returning, he began to target the Gu family with ruthless methods, causing the Gu family to collapse completely in no time.
Xu Chun frowned slightly, looking at the person in front of her. She couldn't reconcile him with the ruthless ingrate that others described.
He thought this to himself, but his expression remained unchanged. He glanced at the business card, accepted it, and even jokingly asked, "Do you need me to go to your company to collect the money?"
To everyone's surprise, Gu Zi actually thought about it seriously for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."
Xu Chun chuckled, "I was just joking. You don't need to pay it back. It's not a lot of money anyway, and it's a bit of a hassle since you'll have to go get it from the car."
He didn't want to waste time, after all, the driver was still waiting for him in the car.
Gu Zi frowned slightly, as if thinking of something, and finally said slowly, "Why don't you give me your WeChat first, and I'll transfer the money to you via mobile phone?"
This was indeed quite convenient, and seeing that Gu Zi's attitude was very firm, it was clear that he didn't want to owe anyone anything, and he even said that he would repay this favor.
Xu Chun didn't insist anymore. She gave him her contact information, glanced at the cake he was carrying, and said with a smile, "I didn't realize you liked desserts."
Gu Zi's lips curled into a tiny, almost negligible smile. He shook his head and said, "No, I bought it for a little kid."
"Kids do love desserts." Xu Chun smiled.
Gu Zi pursed his lips meaningfully, but remained silent.
Seeing that it was getting late, Xu Chun said goodbye to him, left the store, got into her car, and went home.
Xie Jianyuan had already prepared the dishes and was watching the news. He lazily rested his chin on one hand and casually fiddled with the remote control with the other. When he saw Xu Chun return, his whole demeanor suddenly changed.
With a big smile on his face, he called Xu Chun "Brother Chun".
Xu Chun smiled and nodded, then changed his shoes and sat down at the dining table. Xie Jianyuan sat down opposite him, and a local annual meeting program was playing on the TV.
Xu Chun recognized the voice and looked up to see that it was from a program he had participated in not long ago. The program team asked him to sing, but of course, he needed to record it in advance and then sing it live during the actual filming. It wasn't too difficult for non-professional singers like them.
After all, it wasn't a live performance, and there was post-production audio editing. As long as your singing wasn't particularly bad, they would edit it to sound heavenly. But for Xu Chun, the sound engineer only said, "He did his best."
So when the scene of Xu Chun's car accident was released, it was met with a wave of ridicule online.