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After breakfast, Gu Bai took Mocha out to the front yard and ran around for a while. Mocha was bursting with energy, while Gu Bai sat beneath a nearby tree, slightly out of breath, and tossed the Frisbee now and then.

As soon as the Frisbee left his hand, Mocha shot after it like an arrow.

Gu Bai followed Mocha with his eyes. Suddenly, the phone in his pocket rang. He took it out and saw that Chu Zeshen was calling.

Once the call connected, Gu Bai asked, "What is it?"

The voice on the other end was a little low. "I forgot something before I left."

Mocha came back with the Frisbee in his mouth. Gu Bai took it and threw it again. "What?"

Chu Zeshen said, "We don't sleep in the same room."

"Oh," Gu Bai said. "Is there a problem with that?"

Chu Zeshen continued, "Grandpa is coming today. He might go upstairs."

Elder Chu had already said this was their marital home, so he might well go upstairs and look inside their room. If he saw that they slept in separate rooms, unnecessary explanations would follow one after another.

Normally, few people went upstairs apart from the cleaning lady. Although the guest room showed signs of use, there were pet supplies inside, so she assumed it was a spare room for the pet. It had never occurred to her that the married couple slept in separate rooms.

Gu Bai frowned and thought for a moment. "Then... I'll put my clothes in your wardrobe in a bit and bring some of my things over."

Chu Zeshen fell silent for a moment. "All right."

Gu Bai said, "I'll go get things ready. Drive safely."

In a bit of a hurry, Gu Bai hung up before Chu Zeshen could speak.

Back in his room, Gu Bai took the clothes from his wardrobe into Chu Zeshen's room and hung them up one by one. Then he brought over some daily necessities. To keep up the act all the way, he even dragged Mocha's bed inside.

Actually, Chu Zeshen's room had always been very tidy, with few personal belongings on the desk. Adding more would look a little too deliberate.

Gu Bai put his toiletries in the master bathroom. Two sets of shower gel together looked rather deliberate too, but without them, everything clearly belonged to Chu Zeshen, making the act easy to see through.

After some thought, Gu Bai picked out a perfume Chu Zeshen liked to use and sprayed it on himself. That should do it.

With everything ready, Gu Bai went downstairs to wait for them to arrive.

Instead of Elder Chu, several uninvited guests arrived first.

Uncle Li spoke to the people outside, his voice loud enough to carry into the living room.

"Third Madam, Elder Chu is visiting today, so the Chu Family isn't receiving other guests at the moment. Please take Miss Hanjin and Young Master Ning home."

Hearing this, Chu Hanjin said unhappily, "What do you mean, the Chu Family? We're members of the Chu Family too. It's perfect that Great-Uncle is coming. We can discuss why my dad was transferred to a branch office. Great-Uncle gave my dad his position, so if it's going to be taken away, Great-Uncle should say so himself. Our cousin transferred my dad without a word. Surely our family has every right to come ask for an explanation."

Uncle Li repeated himself. "Elder Chu is coming here on important business today. The young master instructed us not to receive anyone else."

Standing at the entrance, Chu Ningwei had long since run out of patience. He was the Chu Family's second young master, after all. When had anyone ever shut him out, much less at his own cousin's front door?

He shoved Uncle Li aside and swaggered inside with his mother and sister. "My brother's home is my home. Why draw a line between us? You're treating us like strangers."

Gu Bai sat on the sofa drinking coffee and did not even raise his eyes when they came in.

Chu Ningwei was the first to spot Gu Bai in the living room, and his eyes immediately lit up. He went for both men and women; as long as they were beautiful, he liked them. He particularly liked the kind who seemed cold on the outside but turned out to be outrageously slutty once seduced, utterly wanton in bed.

Since he was seeing Elder Chu today, Gu Bai had deliberately dressed to look a little more mature: a white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers, with his fringe swept up to reveal his eyes and brows. He looked clean-cut, with a touch of composure.

When Gu Bai lifted his cup, his sleeve slid down, revealing a pale wrist with clearly defined bones. He wore no accessories on his hand, but it seemed suited to being gripped and marked.

Chu Ningwei's rakish air immediately surfaced, and he said roguishly, "I thought the Chu Family wasn't receiving outsiders. Who's this, then?"

Chapter 11

Hearing him, Uncle Li hurried inside, afraid they would disturb the home's second master. He said to Chu Ningwei, "Young Master Ning, please leave. This is the person Elder Chu is here to see. Please don't spoil Elder Chu's mood."

Chu Ningwei had been frazzled by Chu Zeshen's transfer arrangements over the past few days and had found no time to go out and indulge himself. Now that he had spotted someone who interested him, how could he possibly leave so easily?

Watching her older brother coldly, Chu Hanjin knew from his behavior that he had taken a lustful interest. Hmph, men were all the same, and Chu Zeshen was no exception. He looked perfectly respectable, yet out of nowhere, he had hidden someone away at home.

"Uncle Li, go about your work. We only want to see our cousin. We won't disturb Great-Uncle. Besides, our family hasn't gotten together in a long time. Have them prepare some more food. We've come uninvited, but we'll stay here for lunch."

Uncle Li could not afford to offend either side. Although Chu Zeshen headed the main branch of the Chu Family, Young Master Chu Ningwei and Miss Chu Hanjin belonged to a collateral branch descended from Elder Chu's own brother. The blood ties were there, and he could hardly be unfeeling.

He walked over to Gu Bai, bent down, and said quietly, "Young Master Gu, they're the young master's younger cousins. They're here on business. If they disturb you, I'll have them wait in the front yard."

Gu Bai did not particularly mind. "They're not disturbing me. The sun is rather fierce outside. It wouldn't be right to make them go out."

Uncle Li sent someone to prepare tea, leaving only the two parties in the living room.

Chu Ningwei swaggered over and sat beside Gu Bai, while Chu Hanjin took her mother to sit on the other side.

Second Madam had never been one to take the lead. She tugged at her daughter's hand and said quietly, "Since your cousin has an important guest, let's come back another day. We shouldn't disturb him."

Chu Hanjin had always disliked this attitude of her mother's, meekly accepting whatever came her way. She was the Chu Family's perfectly legitimate Second Madam, yet this was how she carried herself.

"Mom, do you really want Dad transferred to a branch office that isn't even a fifth the size of headquarters? If he goes, he won't be able to come back even once in six months or a year."