Continue the Ambiguity

The next day, <Wang Yan> sent <Gu Jia> a message, expressing his gratitude, and then didn't bother her further.

This kind of thing couldn't be pushed too hard; casually flirting without reason could easily backfire. He couldn't act rashly.

For the next few days, <Wang Yan> didn't contact <Gu Jia> or the others, busying himself with his own affairs as usual.

At the same time, he was constantly monitoring the movements of <Gu Jia> and <Xu Huanshan>. After all, the plot didn't specify exact timings. He knew it would happen, but not when.

Just like in the original drama, with the help of <Mrs. Wang>, <Gu Jia> and <Xu Huanshan> spent more money and successfully enrolled <Xu Ziyan> in a high-end kindergarten.

She also got a glimpse into <Mrs. Wang>'s life and began her upgrade journey into the socialite circle.

In these aspects, <Wang Yan> had very little influence on her.

He also didn't want to deal with the petty squabbles of that group of women, finding it utterly meaningless.

Frankly speaking, <Wang Yan> couldn't stand the socialite circle, or even most of the characters in the plot. He wouldn't name them specifically; it was pointless.

They hadn't provoked him, and he couldn't possibly target them just because he disliked them; it wasn't worth the effort.

Even in real life, there were too many people he couldn't stand, and he couldn't possibly deal with them all. It was best to just not see them and not be bothered.

One day, <Wang Yan> received a phone call.

The person on the other end said <Gu Jia> had gone to <Muzi's Mother>'s house.

These were two subordinates <Wang Yan> had recently brought under his wing. With the dual guarantees of force and money, the process had been smooth. These two weren't good people either; <Wang Yan> had even gathered some dirt on them, which could land them at least ten years in prison. They were completely subdued and specifically tasked with surveillance.

After hanging up, <Wang Yan> didn't say a word and drove off to stake out the area.

Before long, <Gu Jia>, looking somewhat disheveled, emerged with <Xu Ziyan> in her arms.

Today, <Xu Huanshan> had thrown a tantrum and gotten into a fight with <Manager Wan>. She had gone to smooth things over with a dinner, hoping <Manager Wan> wouldn't hold <Xu Huanshan>'s temper against him and that they could all be cordial for business. However, that old bastard <Manager Wan> had ulterior motives and made unwanted advances towards her, successfully taking liberties. In the end, she left in a huff.

Their family's fireworks company was counting on this single order to survive. Now, with things in this state, they were struggling to even pay salaries, and she didn't know how they would recover.

Upon returning home, she found her son wasn't back, and <Xu Huanshan> wasn't home either. She figured he'd gone to play soccer. When she went to find <Xu Ziyan>, she discovered he had been locked in a dark room and abused by <Muzi's Mother> and the others. A woman's weakness vanishes when her child is threatened; she certainly wouldn't tolerate this. She, outnumbered, gave them a good beating.

Walking on the road, <Gu Jia>, reflecting on the day's events, felt a surge of sorrow, her eyes welling up.

As she thought, she remembered <Xu Huanshan>. She recalled their past vows and their romantic love story. Then, her thoughts shifted to the bullying she had endured today. His wife and child had been bullied, yet the heartless man had gone off to play soccer with his friends. <Gu Jia> cursed <Xu Huanshan> under her breath.

As she pondered, she thought of <Wang Yan>, with whom she had dined a few days prior.

If it were <Wang Yan>, perhaps these things wouldn't have happened today.

She couldn't help but recall the ambiguous atmosphere of that night, <Wang Yan>'s warm and broad chest, and the firm muscles she could feel through his clothes.

<Wang Yan> seized the opportunity, pretending to be driving by and passing <Gu Jia> and her son.

He then looked back and reversed his car.

<Gu Jia> found the car strange and then saw the window roll down, revealing <Wang Yan>'s smiling face.

Seeing <Wang Yan>, <Gu Jia>, who had been lost in thought moments ago, felt her face grow exceptionally hot.

<Wang Yan> got out of the car and greeted <Gu Jia>, "Oh, <Gu Jia>, why are you carrying the child by yourself?"

As he spoke, he opened the car door, "Get in, I'll give you a ride back."

When <Gu Jia> walked over with <Xu Ziyan>, <Wang Yan> saw her red-rimmed eyes and slightly disheveled hair. He asked, "What's wrong? Your eyes are so red, did you cry?"

<Gu Jia> didn't look at <Wang Yan>, and as she put <Xu Ziyan> into the car, she explained, "It was windy just now, something got into my eyes."

Seeing that she clearly didn't want to say more, <Wang Yan> didn't pry.

He closed the door, stepped on the accelerator, and headed towards Junyue Mansion.

On the way, <Wang Yan> asked while driving, "Where's Old Xu? Why isn't he with you?"

The drinks shouldn't be in vain; they called each other brothers. He called <Xu Huanshan> "Old Xu," and <Xu Huanshan> called him "Old Wang."

<Gu Jia> hadn't fully processed everything yet, and the mention of <Xu Huanshan> made her angry. His wife and child had been bullied, and it was all because of him. Yet, after causing trouble, he had thrown a tantrum and then gone off to play soccer with his friends as if nothing had happened.

But how could she possibly explain such a thing to <Wang Yan>? She could only force a smile and say, "He's at the company. He's been very busy lately."

<Wang Yan> chuckled inwardly, hummed in response, and said no more, focusing on driving. <Gu Jia> clearly had no interest in chatting right now.

Silence fell between them, and the car became very quiet.

Sitting in the back, <Gu Jia> looked at <Wang Yan>, who was focused on driving, through the rearview mirror. She recalled the thoughts she had just had, and her heart stirred.

After their meal a few days ago, <Xu Ziyan>, among others, had been clamoring to play with Uncle Wang whenever he had the chance. He really liked this uncle who respected him.

The next day, after <Xu Huanshan> sobered up, he too was constantly mentioning "Old Wang."

And <Gu Jia> was no exception; she found herself thinking of <Wang Yan> from time to time.

Adding to that, with today's events and <Wang Yan>'s timely appearance, he had truly made an impression on <Gu Jia>.

<Gu Jia> got into the car not far from Junyue Mansion, and they arrived shortly.

<Wang Yan> drove into the underground garage and took the sleeping <Xu Ziyan> from <Gu Jia>'s arms.

During the transfer, <Wang Yan>'s hand brushed against <Gu Jia>'s, and she let out a sharp intake of breath.

<Wang Yan> heard the sound and asked, "What's wrong? Let me see."

He held <Xu Ziyan> with one arm and reached for <Gu Jia>'s hand. <Gu Jia> instinctively tried to pull away, but she was no match for <Wang Yan>'s speed. He firmly grasped her hand. She gave a token tug, then gave up.

<Wang Yan> looked at <Gu Jia>'s hands, noticing some were broken and bleeding, others bruised. He then rolled up her sleeves, revealing some scratch marks.

It made sense. <Gu Jia> was holding several people at once. Even with exercise, she was just an ordinary woman, not a professional fighter. How could her injuries only be superficial? <Wang Yan> only noticed injuries on her hands and felt a bit disappointed.

<Wang Yan> asked casually, "How did you get these?"

Before <Gu Jia> could struggle to make up a lie, he continued, "Alright, don't bother. If you don't want to say, then don't."

<Gu Jia> smiled sheepishly, saying nothing, just gazing tenderly at <Wang Yan>.

"Let's go to my place. I'll get you some medicine. It would be bad if these scarred. Let's treat them quickly."

Without waiting for <Gu Jia> to refuse, <Wang Yan> forcefully picked up <Xu Ziyan> and turned to leave.

<Gu Jia> opened her mouth slightly behind him, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't. She followed <Wang Yan> into the elevator.

Arriving on the 18th floor, <Wang Yan> used <Gate of Opening> to carry the child to his bed so he could sleep comfortably.

He poured <Gu Jia> a glass of water and told her to look around while he went to find medicine.

<Gu Jia> had already seen the decor. The novelty of it would pass. What she was looking at now were the ornaments in the room.

A few days ago, at <Mrs. Wang>'s house, she had been truly shocked by the water lilies painting.

Now, seeing <Wang Yan>'s house decorated with various paintings and calligraphy, she was filled with curiosity. After all, she had only seen them briefly last time. This time, she examined them carefully.

<Wang Yan> came out with the medicine and saw <Gu Jia> looking at a landscape painting on the wall.

"Are you knowledgeable about these things?" <Wang Yan> asked.

"Ah, I don't understand. I'm just curious and looking."

<Gu Jia> said, " <Wang Yan>, you have a room full of these. Do you like them very much?"

He, <Wang Yan>, was not one to pretend to know what he didn't: "It's alright. I just feel that these things hanging in the room look natural and comfortable. I'm actually clueless about them. It's a way to cultivate a hobby, and also to appear a bit cultured."

<Gu Jia> was surprised by <Wang Yan>'s honesty: "Aren't these things very expensive?"

"A few hundred thousand per piece. They are works by artists who aren't very famous," <Wang Yan> replied. This was all told to him by the system; there were no famous masterpieces.

"Alright, never mind those things. Your injuries are more important."

<Wang Yan> urged, "Hurry up, let me treat them for you."

The two sat down on cushions in the living room, and <Wang Yan> began to treat <Gu Jia>'s wounds.

There were no miraculous elixirs, just some common household items. They were minor injuries, and applying some medicine would suffice.

Looking at <Wang Yan> diligently applying medicine for her, feeling the warmth of his touch, <Gu Jia> couldn't help but start daydreaming again.

She quickly shook her head, trying to make conversation, and brought up <Mrs. Wang>.

She said, "<Mrs. Wang>, do you know her? She lives on our top floor."

Seeing <Wang Yan> nod, <Gu Jia> continued, "A few days ago, I went to see her about Ziyan's schooling, and at their house, I saw <Monet>'s water lilies."

<Wang Yan> didn't even look up, continuing to treat the wound, and replied without thinking, "Fake. I don't know much about paintings, and I've only heard of <Monet>, I haven't specifically looked into him."

"But I know more about the <Mrs. Wang> you mentioned."

This was something <Wang Yan> had investigated recently. He had researched most of the characters in the story.

Hearing him say this, <Gu Jia> let out an "Oh?" and waited for him to continue.

"There's too much to say, so I'll keep it brief. <Mrs. Wang>'s family is mainly in real estate. Their scale is decent, maybe tens of billions."

"They have some other miscellaneous businesses, but they aren't well-established and don't have much future. I won't mention them."

"This <Mrs. Wang>'s husband is named <Wang Hongyuan>. He's a notorious playboy. He has... well, quite a few outside."

He gave <Gu Jia> a look: " <Mrs. Wang> is getting old and losing her appeal, you understand."

<Gu Jia> instantly understood.

Although <Mrs. Wang> was the legal wife, the primary wife, and had a lot of money, she ultimately lived off her husband. Not to mention cash flow and funding issues. Even if she could afford it, and everyone understood the principle of "antiques in prosperity," collecting them would surely appreciate in value in the future. The key was, if she had that money, wouldn't investing it in real estate yield more than those paintings?

If her husband found out she was doing this, he would definitely kick her out.

Thinking of the ambiguous look <Wang Yan> had given her earlier, <Gu Jia>'s face flushed, and she dared not look at <Wang Yan>.

The way <Gu Jia> looked at that moment was somewhat seductive.

<Gu Jia> also felt <Wang Yan>'s subtle change, but she didn't dare to speak out. They just played along with each other.

After a long while, the external wounds were finally treated.

"Alright, that's about it. Looking at you, the internal injuries must be bad too."

<Wang Yan> said, "I can't do anything about those. Go back and have Old Xu treat you."

Ignoring <Gu Jia>'s flushed face, <Wang Yan> put away the medicine and said, "If you have time, bring Ziyan over to play. I really like the child."

"I won't keep you. Old Xu will worry if you're late. Hurry back."

<Gu Jia> hugged the child and fled in a flustered manner.

Back home, <Gu Jia>, her face still red, casually brushed off the nanny's concern.

After settling <Xu Ziyan>, <Gu Jia> quickly took a bath. She couldn't even think about the mistreatment she suffered today. She needed to calm down properly.

After bathing and applying medicine to himself, Xu Huanshan returned.

Seeing Gu Jia alone on the balcony looking at the scenery, Xu Huanshan walked over and sat beside her. "What's wrong? Something on your mind?"

Gu Jia didn't look at him, afraid he'd see her guilt. "No, just looking at the scenery."

Xu Huanshan took her hand, about to speak, when he felt something was off. Her hand wasn't as smooth as usual.

He lifted her hand to his eyes and saw the treated wound. "How did you do this?"

Gu Jia explained, "It's nothing, I just fell accidentally. It's all taken care of."

Xu Huanshan didn't doubt her; he just told Gu Jia to be careful. He then asked about Manager Wan.

Gu Jia was somewhat disappointed by his reaction. Both men, yet such a huge difference.

Perhaps her self-reassurance was complete, or perhaps it was the guilt from her ambiguous relationship with Wang Yan, but Gu Jia didn't argue with Xu Huanshan. Instead, she started to comfort him, saying she respected his decisions and would go along with whatever he planned.

After chatting for a while, they went to bed.

Xu Huanshan wanted to be intimate, but Gu Jia refused, citing the smell of medicine and feeling unwell.

He didn't say much more. He was tired from playing soccer all night, and his desire was just post-exercise excitement.

After Gu Jia left, Wang Yan received a WeChat call from Wang Manni. She said she needed comfort.

Wang Yan, needing to extinguish the urgent fire ignited by the recent intimate atmosphere, was more than willing. Old Wang was always direct and didn't waste time. He immediately asked for Wang Manni's address and drove off, ready for action.

At this time, Wang Manni felt helpless. Framed by Linda, she was unable to protect herself. She tossed and turned at home, desperately trying to find a solution. After all, such a malicious act had stained her reputation, and she certainly wouldn't be able to continue in her current line of work.

If not, how could she possibly meet influential elites? How could she find a rich prince who only loved her?

She thought and thought, but no solution came to mind. She needed to vent, to vent fiercely. This led her to think of the powerful man who had brought her immense pleasure, Wang Yan.

Anxiously, she called Wang Yan. She called because ever since their last encounter, she had been subtly flirting with him whenever she had the chance, but he had completely ignored her. She wasn't sure if he would even pick up this time.

To her surprise, Wang Yan answered. After she explained her intentions, he agreed.

After hanging up, Wang Manni quickly started tidying her room.

Not long after, Wang Yan arrived and found a place to park.

Following the address, he found Wang Manni's rental apartment and knocked. The door opened.

He closed the door and, without a word, swept Wang Manni into his arms.

After a long while, feeling satisfied, Wang Yan leaned against the bed and lit a cigarette.

Wang Manni rambled on, pouring out her recent troubles to Wang Yan.

This situation had no impact on Wang Yan's plans, so he didn't hold back. He told her exactly what Zhong Xiaoqin had suggested: find the person who saved points at the corresponding time, and then follow that lead.

Wang Manni felt like a bolt from the blue, her mind suddenly clear.

With a solution found and her heart unburdened, she thanked Wang Yan profusely.

At this point, your younger brother wants to thank his benefactors.

Thank you to Brother (Niuniu) for the 500 coins.

Thank you to Brother (I'm in West Africa) for the 100 coins.

Thank you to Brother (Falling Rain Sky Maple) for the 100 coins.

Thank you to Brother (Bored to Death) for the 100 coins.

Thank you to Brother (Bored to Death) for the 100 coins.

As for the first four, those were arranged by myself.

I don't know if my brothers are still reading, but thank you for your support, a small token of my appreciation.