The next day, Wang Yan sent Gu Jia a message to thank her, then left it at that.
You couldn't flirt too aggressively. Constantly teasing her for no reason could easily backfire, so he couldn't act rashly.
Over the next few days, Wang Yan didn't contact Gu Jia or the others. He went about his business as usual.
At the same time, he kept a close eye on Gu Jia and Xu Huanshan. After all, the show didn't give specific dates for everything. He knew what would happen, but not when.
Just as in the original series, with Mrs. Wang's help, Gu Jia and her family paid another sum of money and successfully got Xu Ziyan into an elite kindergarten.
She also got a glimpse of Mrs. Wang's lifestyle and began her climb through the society wives' circle.
Wang Yan had little influence on her in these areas.
He didn't want to get involved in the ridiculous mess those women made of their lives every day. It wasn't worth his time.
To be honest, Wang Yan couldn't stand that circle of wives—or most of the characters in the story, for that matter. There was no point naming them all.
They hadn't done anything to him, and he couldn't go after them just because he disliked them. It wasn't worth the effort.
There were too many people he couldn't stand in real life, too. He couldn't do anything about all of them, so it was best to avoid them and keep his peace.
One day, Wang Yan got a phone call.
The caller told him that Gu Jia had gone to Muzi's Mother's home.
These were the two lackeys Wang Yan had recently brought under his thumb. With both force and money backing him up, the process had gone smoothly. Neither of them was a decent person, and Wang Yan had dug up some dirt on them to keep in reserve. Even the lightest sentence would be ten or eight years. He'd thoroughly broken them in and put them in charge of keeping watch.
After hanging up, Wang Yan didn't waste a moment. He drove over and waited nearby.
Before long, Gu Jia came out, looking a little disheveled, with Xu Ziyan in her arms.
Xu Huanshan had thrown a fit that day and gotten into it with Manager Wan. Gu Jia had gone to host a dinner and apologize, hoping Manager Wan wouldn't hold a grudge against Xu Huanshan and that they could all get along and do business together. But Manager Wan, the old bastard, had been after her from the start. He'd tried to take advantage of her and had groped her thoroughly. In the end, she had stormed out.
Their fireworks company had been counting on this order to stay afloat. Now things had gone so badly that even paying their employees was a struggle, and she had no idea how they would turn things around.
When she got home, she found that her son hadn't come back and Xu Huanshan wasn't there either. She knew at once that he'd gone to play soccer. She went to look for Xu Ziyan herself, only to find that Muzi's Mother and the others had locked him in a room and mistreated him. A woman might be weak, but a mother would fight for her child. There was no way she'd let that slide. Outnumbered, she still gave them a good beating.
As she walked, Gu Jia thought about everything that had happened that day. Grief welled up inside her, and her eyes reddened.
She thought of Xu Huanshan, of the vows they'd made and their romantic love story. Then the scene shifted to the way she'd been bullied that day. His wife and child had been mistreated, yet the heartless man had gone out to play soccer with his friends as if nothing had happened. Gu Jia silently cursed Xu Huanshan.
As she dwelled on it, she thought of Wang Yan, whom she'd had dinner with a few days earlier.
If it had been Wang Yan, none of this would've happened today, would it?
She couldn't help recalling their flirtatious moment that night: Wang Yan's warm, broad chest, and the sharply defined muscles she could feel even through his clothes.
Wang Yan seized the opportunity, pretending to drive past Gu Jia and her son.
Then he looked back, stopped, and reversed toward them.
Gu Jia was wondering why the car had stopped when the window rolled down, revealing Wang Yan's smiling face.
At the sight of Wang Yan, Gu Jia's face grew especially hot. She'd just been lost in her thoughts about him.
Wang Yan opened the door, got out, and greeted her. "Gu Jia, why are you carrying your son and walking by yourself?"
As he spoke, he opened the car door. "Come on, get in. I'll drive you home."
When Gu Jia walked over with the child in her arms, Wang Yan noticed her reddened eyes and slightly tousled hair. "What's going on? Your eyes are so red. Were you crying?"
Gu Jia didn't look at him. She settled Xu Ziyan in the car and explained, "The wind was strong. Something got in my eyes."
She clearly didn't want to say more, so Wang Yan didn't press her.
He shut the door, stepped on the gas, and drove toward Junyue Mansion.
On the way, Wang Yan asked as he drove, "Where's Old Xu? Why didn't he come with you?"
They'd shared drinks and called each other brothers. He called Xu Huanshan Old Xu, and Xu Huanshan called him Old Wang.
Gu Jia hadn't gotten over what happened yet, and just thinking of Xu Huanshan made her angry. His wife and child had been bullied, and it was all because of him. Then he'd gone and lost his temper, only to head out to play soccer with his friends as if nothing had happened.
But how could she bring that up with Wang Yan? She could only say, "He's at the company. He's been pretty busy lately."
Wang Yan smiled to himself, murmured, "Mm," and said no more. He focused on driving. It was clear that Gu Jia wasn't in the mood to chat with him right now.
They fell silent, and the car grew very quiet.
From the back seat, Gu Jia watched Wang Yan drive attentively through the rearview mirror. The image she'd just been thinking about came back to her, and ripples stirred in her heart.
After that dinner a few days ago, Xu Ziyan had been the one who kept saying he wanted to visit Uncle Wang, whenever the mood struck him. He really liked this uncle who treated him with respect.
When Xu Huanshan sobered up the next morning, he was calling him Old Wang this and Old Wang that.
And Gu Jia hardly needed to mention herself. She found herself thinking of Wang Yan from time to time.
Then all of this happened, and Wang Yan showed up at just the right moment. That had truly cemented his place in Gu Jia's heart.
Gu Jia had been picked up not far from Junyue Mansion, so it didn't take long to get there.
Wang Yan drove into the underground parking garage and took the sleeping Xu Ziyan from Gu Jia's arms.
During the handoff, Wang Yan's hand brushed against Gu Jia's. She hissed and sucked in a breath.
Wang Yan heard her and asked, "What happened? Let me see."
As he spoke, he held Xu Ziyan with one arm and reached for Gu Jia's hand. She instinctively tried to pull away, but she was no match for Wang Yan's speed. He caught her hand at once. She gave it a token tug, then gave up.
Looking at Gu Jia's hand, Wang Yan saw patches of broken skin and blood, as well as bruises. He then pushed up her sleeve and found some scratches there too.
It made sense. Gu Jia had taken on several people by herself. No matter how much she worked out, she was still an ordinary woman, not a professional fighter. There was no way she'd only had a few scrapes. Xu Huanshan had noticed only the injury on her hand. He really hadn't been thinking.
Wang Yan casually asked, "How'd you get these?"
Before Gu Jia could struggle to make up an excuse, he continued, "Forget it. Don't bother making up a story. If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to."
Gu Jia smiled awkwardly and said nothing. She simply looked at Wang Yan warmly.
"Come on, let's go to my place. I'll put some medicine on it. You don't want those marks to scar, so we should treat them right away."
Before Gu Jia could refuse, Wang Yan turned and strode off with Xu Ziyan in his arms.
Gu Jia opened her mouth behind him, as if she wanted to say something. In the end, she didn't speak and followed Wang Yan into the elevator.
On the eighteenth floor, Wang Yan opened the door and carried 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 get some medicine.
Gu Jia had already seen the decor, so the novelty had worn off. This time, she looked at the ornaments in the room.
A few days earlier, at Mrs. Wang's home, she'd been genuinely shocked to see the painting of Water Lilies.
Now, she saw that Wang Yan had a whole room filled with paintings and calligraphy, and her curiosity stirred. She'd only had a brief look around last time, so this time she examined everything carefully.
Wang Yan came out with the medicine and saw Gu Jia looking at a landscape painting on the wall.
"Are you interested in this kind of thing?" Wang Yan asked.
"Oh, I don't know anything about it. I was just curious."
Gu Jia said, "Wang Yan, you've got a whole room full of these. Do you like them a lot?"
Wang Yan wasn't the sort to pretend to know what he didn't. "They're all right. I just think they look natural and comfortable in a room. I don't really know much about them either. You could say I'm cultivating a hobby—or just trying to add a touch of refinement."
Gu Jia was surprised by his candor. "Then these things must be expensive, right?"
"Hundreds of thousands each. They're all by artists who aren't very well known," Wang Yan replied. The system had told him that none of them were famous artists' works.
"All right, enough about those. Your injuries are more important."
Wang Yan urged her, "Come on. Let me treat them."
They sat down on the cushions in the living room, and Wang Yan started treating Gu Jia's injuries.
There was no miracle medicine or anything like that, just a few basic household supplies. The injuries weren't serious, so a little ointment was all they needed.
Watching Wang Yan apply the medicine with such care, and feeling the warmth of his touch on her hand, Gu Jia couldn't help drifting into thought again.
She quickly shook her head and, for lack of anything else to say, brought up Mrs. Wang.
"Do you know Mrs. Wang?" she asked. "She lives on the top floor of our building."
When Wang Yan nodded, Gu Jia continued, "A couple of days ago, I went to see her about getting Ziyan into school. At her place, I saw Monet's Water Lilies."
Wang Yan didn't even look up as he continued treating her injury. He answered without hesitation, "It's a fake. I don't know much about paintings. I've heard of Monet, but I've never taken the time to learn about him."
"But I do know quite a bit about that Mrs. Wang you mentioned."
Wang Yan had investigated the characters in the show over the past few days. He'd looked into nearly all of them.
Hearing this, Gu Jia murmured, "Oh?" and waited for him to continue.
"There's too much to tell, so I'll keep it simple. The Wang family mainly deals in real estate. They're doing all right, with assets worth somewhere in the eight to ten billion range."
"They've got a few other miscellaneous businesses, but they're all scattered and don't have much potential. I won't bother mentioning them."
"Mrs. Wang's husband is named Wang Hongyuan. He's a notorious womanizer. He has, uh... well, quite a few women on the side."
He gave Gu Jia a knowing look. "Mrs. Wang's past her prime. You understand."
Gu Jia understood immediately.
Though Mrs. Wang was the legitimate wife, the first wife, and had plenty of money, she still depended on her husband. Forget cash flow and liquidity. Even if she could afford it, she understood that antiques gained value over time, and that collecting them could be a good investment. But with that kind of money, why waste it on paintings? Put it into real estate, and the returns would be much higher.
If her husband found out she'd spent money like that, he'd throw her out in a heartbeat.
Remembering the flirtatious look Wang Yan had given her just now, Gu Jia's face flushed. She didn't dare look at him.
Gu Jia looked quite alluring at that moment.
Gu Jia also noticed the change in Wang Yan, but she didn't dare call attention to it. The two of them simply kept pretending.
After a long while, he finally finished treating all the visible injuries.
"All right, that should do it. Judging by the way you look, the rest of you is probably in no better shape."
Wang Yan said, "There's nothing I can do about those. Ask Old Xu to treat them for you when you get home."
Ignoring Gu Jia's bright red face, Wang Yan put away the medicine and said, "Bring Ziyan over to see me when you have time. I really like that kid."
"I won't keep you. Old Xu might start worrying otherwise. Hurry home."
Gu Jia fled with the child in her arms, looking flustered.
When she got home, Gu Jia brushed off the housekeeper's concern with a casual excuse, her face still red.
After settling Xu Ziyan in, Gu Jia hurried to take a bath. She couldn't even bring herself to think about how she'd been bullied that day. She needed to calm down properly.
After her bath, she applied some medicine to herself. Then Xu Huanshan came home.
Seeing Gu Jia sitting alone on the balcony and looking out at the view, Xu Huanshan sat down beside her. "What's wrong? Something on your mind?"
Gu Jia didn't look at him. She was afraid he'd notice her guilty conscience. "No. I'm just looking at the view."
Xu Huanshan took her hand and was about to speak when he felt that it wasn't as smooth as usual.
He raised her hand and saw the treated injuries. "How'd you get it like this?"
Gu Jia explained, "It's nothing. I fell by accident. I've already taken care of it."
Xu Huanshan didn't suspect anything. He just reminded Gu Jia to be careful, then asked about Manager Wan.
Gu Jia was somewhat disappointed by his behavior. They were both men, so why was there such a huge difference between them?
Perhaps she'd managed to put things behind her, or perhaps she felt guilty about flirting with Wang Yan. Either way, Gu Jia didn't hold it against Xu Huanshan. Instead, she tried to comfort him, saying she respected his decision and that they could do things his way.
They talked for a while, then went back to bed.
Xu Huanshan wanted to get intimate, but Gu Jia turned him down, saying she felt uncomfortable with the smell of medicine on her and didn't feel well.
He didn't say much. He was tired after playing soccer all evening. Besides, he'd only brought it up because the exercise had left him worked up.
After Gu Jia left, Wang Yan got a WeChat call from Wang Manni. She said she needed comforting.
Still needing to cool off after the flirtatious atmosphere with Gu Jia, Wang Yan was more than happy to oblige. Old Wang had always been straightforward and saw no point in putting on an act. He asked for Wang Manni's address, got in his car, and set out to blow off steam.
At that moment, Wang Manni felt helpless. Linda had framed her, and she was in deep trouble with no way out. At home, she tossed and turned, trying to think of a way to resolve the issue. Such a scandal had tainted her reputation; she knew there was no way she'd be able to stay in the business after this.
How else could she get close to those elite men? How could she find a rich prince charming who would love only her?
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't come up with anything. She needed to let off steam—really let off steam. She couldn't help thinking of the virile man who'd given her such pleasure: Wang Yan.
Nervously, she called him. Ever since their last time together, she'd been flirting with him whenever she could, but Wang Yan had never given her the time of day. She wasn't sure whether he'd pick up this time.
To her delight, Wang Yan answered. After she explained what she wanted, he agreed.
After hanging up, Wang Manni hurried to tidy up her place.
Before long, Wang Yan arrived and found somewhere to park.
Following the address, he found Wang Manni's rented apartment. He knocked once, and the door opened.
He shut the door and, without a word, swept Wang Manni up in his arms.
A long time later, once they'd both relaxed, Wang Yan leaned against the bed and smoked.
Wang Manni talked to him about everything that had happened recently.
This plotline had no bearing on Wang Yan's plans, so he didn't hold back. He told her exactly what Zhong Xiaoqin had said: find the person who'd accumulated points around the time in question, then follow the trail to him.
It hit Wang Manni like a bolt from the blue, and she suddenly saw the way forward.
Once she'd found a solution, her worries vanished. She thanked Wang Yan profusely.
Once again, this author wanted to thank the big brothers.
Thanks to (2424 Niuniu) for the 500 coins.
Thanks to (I'm in West Africa) for the 100 coins.
Thanks to (Fallen Rain Day Maple) for the 100 coins.
Thanks to (Evening Star) for the 100 coins.
Thanks to (So Bored) for the 100 coins.
As for the first four, those were all arranged by this author himself.
I don't know if the big brothers are still reading, but I wanted to thank you anyway and show my appreciation.
Before you continue