Gu Shang barely registered his question. Instead, he frowned slightly.
You?
Why was the little pampered brat being so rude, calling him "you" over and over? Didn't he love calling him hubby? Why had he stopped?
Could it be...
Gu Shang's brows drew tightly together, his expression as stern as when he was dressing someone down in a meeting.
Was he angry that Gu Shang hadn't stood up for him right away? Or unhappy that he hadn't shown enough appreciation for the meal he'd made?
Gu Shang unconsciously rubbed the young man's wrist, his voice unusually soft. "Are you angry?"
"Mm... thanks for the effort," Gu Shang said stiffly. "If something upsets you again, don't keep it to yourself. You can tell me directly."
The pampered brat seemed a little calculating, but not very, and he was foolish too. He didn't even know how to secure an advantage for himself. He'd been bullied like that, yet he couldn't even complain when he saw Gu Shang.
If Gu Mom had been there, she would probably have been surprised that her eldest son had finally learned to say something decent. By Gu Shang's standards, this was already exceptionally high praise.
Unfortunately, the person here was Ji Mingzhu.
Ji Mingzhu had heard countless glowing compliments all his life. Gu Shang's little bit of praise was barely a drop in the ocean to him. What hurt was his husband's resistance toward him. He didn't mind the harsh tone-after all, you couldn't judge someone by appearances-but he had still noticed Gu Shang's occasional suspicious looks.
How awful! He had to make his husband reflect on his behavior!
The man pondered.
Had he still not vented enough of the anger he'd suffered downstairs?
It had to be Wang Chuan's fault. He would pull up Wang Chuan's work reports later and take a look. Surely that would do.
The weight beside him suddenly lifted as Ji Mingzhu stood up. A faint haze of sorrow seemed to shroud his lovely features, leaving him looking listless and heartbreakingly pitiful.
Ji Mingzhu said listlessly, "I only came to bring you lunch. Now that you've eaten, hubby, I'll get going."
Gu Shang couldn't stop him, nor did he know how. He'd tried soothing him, but the pampered brat didn't seem to accept it. Helpless, Gu Shang could only let him leave, then hurriedly messaged Secretary Chen and told him to keep a close eye on him.
The employees who witnessed Secretary Chen escorting him out were stunned.
Secretary Chen was so respectful as he escorted him downstairs. This... this hardly looked like the powerless trophy spouse the rumors described.
From behind his workstation, Wang Chuan watched the person walking past with venomous eyes.
It was bad enough that Ji Mingzhu had used his husband's backing to give him attitude, but he'd even made him watch others eat on an empty stomach, leaving him on pins and needles the whole time. When he finally got out, the colleagues he usually ate with had already finished. Too embarrassed to get a meal by himself, he'd had to make do with a rice ball.
His phone suddenly vibrated. Wang Chuan picked it up and saw that his bastard nephew was pestering him for an update again.
Veins bulged at Wang Chuan's temples as he replied with trembling hands:
[Wang Chuan: Get lost!!!]
Wang Ke was utterly bewildered by the outburst:
[Wang Ke: ???]
[Wang Ke: What's wrong, Uncle? Did Ji Mingzhu give you attitude? Tell him off! He's just a trophy spouse. What are you afraid of?]
[Wang Chuan: Who said I was afraid!]
[I just can't be bothered to pick on a brat who's even younger than you. He came out of President Gu's office looking awful. His life's miserable enough without me making things difficult for him. That's enough. Stop talking about it.]
[You and that pack of good-for-nothing friends of yours had better rein it in. If you keep acting like you can get away with anything, I'll tell your dad to send you abroad!]
[Wang Ke: ???]
After being scolded out of nowhere, Wang Ke still couldn't understand why his uncle had suddenly changed his tune. His friends in the group chat were still pressing him for an update.
Too concerned about saving face to admit that his uncle had told him off, Wang Ke gave the group a vague half-truth instead:
[Wang Ke: Stop asking, stop asking. My uncle said Ji Mingzhu came out of Gu Shang's office in tears. He probably got a scolding. My uncle told me to stop prying.]
The group instantly erupted in gleeful chatter, and someone even tagged Ji Zhian:
[@Ji Zhian Hey, your brother cried! Hahahaha, shouldn't you comfort him, as his little brother?]
Ji Zhian smiled in satisfaction and replied:
[Ji Zhian: Tomorrow's the day my brother comes home for his post-wedding visit. I'll be sure to comfort him properly. Don't worry, everyone.]
Putting down his phone, Ji Zhian finally broke into a delighted smile.
He'd been stewing over this for an entire day and night.
Ever since he'd seen how handsome Ji Mingzhu's arranged-marriage partner was at the wedding, Ji Zhian had felt a faint twinge of regret.
Although reason told him he'd made the right choice-even if Gu Shang wasn't as ugly as he'd imagined, his vile character had to be real, and marrying him couldn't lead to a good life.
Yet the sight of Ji Mingzhu's pink diamond had begun to shatter all his defenses.
Why? A bastard like Ji Mingzhu didn't deserve to wear something that fine!
The Ji Family had made its fortune in jewelry, yet even Ji Zhian had never seen such a large, flawless pink diamond. Giving it to Ji Mingzhu was an utter waste.
Thankfully, thankfully, Ji Mingzhu was spending his days in tears. That... was what he deserved.
As they passed Wang Chuan's workstation, Secretary Chen's gentle tone suddenly turned businesslike. He stopped and rapped on Wang Chuan's desk, making the man flinch.
Secretary Chen looked down at him. "Manager Wang, President Gu wants you to bring your work reports and performance sheets to his office shortly."
Wang Chuan's heart sank. His cloudy eyes turned toward the spreadsheets he'd left entirely to his subordinates, his mind a complete blank.
He opened his mouth to offer some excuse, only to look up and find that Secretary Chen had already hurried after the young man.
But Ji Mingzhu wouldn't let anyone see him off, so Secretary Chen could only escort him to the company entrance before retracing his steps to Gu Shang's office.
Holding the documents he should have given Gu Shang that morning, he knocked on the office door.
Before you continue