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They only got out of the car once they had finished laughing. Sure enough, the moment they walked in, they found a business gathering in disguise. The guests were leading figures from all sorts of industries. Xie Wen's uncle was a fairly well-known entrepreneur himself, and he had invited quite a few people. The four of them were the only ones dressed so casually.

Gu Jiazi and the others had not expected the outing to turn out this way either, but it suited them. Once inside, they followed Xie Wen and the others over to greet Guan Yuan, then each went off to attend to their own business.

Just as Xie Wen had said, there was a Golden Retriever at the villa. The moment Mocha and the Golden Retriever met, they sniffed each other and circled around a few times. After a few minutes, they lowered their guard and gradually began interacting.

Among all the people who had come to socialize, Gu Bai was there to socialize too. Only, it was not him doing the socializing, but Mocha.

Chapter 21

Gu Bai had never let go of Mocha's leash. The pets' socializing also kept holding him up, leaving him lingering by the entrance, stopping after every step.

Chu Zeshen came over with a leash and bent down to clip it onto the Golden Retriever.

"Come say hello with me."

After the Golden Retriever rolled against him, Gu Bai's trouser legs were covered in fur. He did not mind and was about to follow Chu Zeshen, only to find that Chu Zeshen remained standing where he was.

"What's wrong?" Gu Bai asked.

Chu Zeshen crouched down and reached out to lightly brush the golden fur off Gu Bai's trouser legs.

For a moment, Chu Zeshen's actions left Gu Bai bewildered. He froze in place, not daring to move. A sudden tug on the leash in his hand snapped him out of it, and he took a step back.

"I can do it myself, thanks."

Chu Zeshen withdrew his hand as though nothing had happened. "The seasons are about to change. Pets are shedding quite badly."

Gu Bai bent down to brush the dog hair off his trousers. "Yes, Mocha's been shedding a little too. Looks like he'll need frequent brushing."

Mocha seemed to understand what Gu Bai said. He had been playing with the Golden Retriever, but suddenly ran up to Gu Bai and shook out his coat to prove that he was not shedding.

Chu Zeshen walked ahead with the Golden Retriever, while Gu Bai followed behind with Mocha.

Gu Bai thought Chu Zeshen was acting a little strangely. Crouching down to help brush off dog hair just now was rather unusual. He clearly remembered that this should not fall within the scope of their contract. It counted as excessive contact.

Still, it was also quite possible that Chu Zeshen could not bear to let him meet people looking so untidy and had simply done it himself. That was the more likely possibility.

Gu Bai did not dwell on it. He did need to mind his appearance when meeting other people, after all.

Guan Yuan had been chatting with Xie Wen and the others. Turning to see Chu Zeshen approaching with someone, he looked at Chu Zeshen with interest.

"Since when did Ze Shen like pets so much? He's even won over my Fendi."

Xie Wen took a sip of wine. "He has someone who keeps a pet at home now. Love him, love his dog."

Guan Yuan glanced at Gu Bai with a smile, then looked at the Border Collie. "What a lovely little one."

Chu Zeshen brought Gu Bai over to Guan Yuan. "Uncle Guan."

Guan Yuan nodded in acknowledgment. "Hello, Ze Shen. Is this a friend of yours?"

Chu Zeshen wore the same perfectly serious expression as always. "This is my spouse, Gu Bai."

Already accustomed to Chu Zeshen introducing him this way, Gu Bai greeted him without batting an eye. "Hello, Mr. Guan. I'm Gu Bai."

Guan Yuan had never expected to see the day Chu Zeshen got married, let alone brought his spouse over. He had caught on far too quickly. It would be a lie to say Guan Yuan was not shocked. He had gotten married without any warning at all, and the shock was hard to put into words.

Elders all shared the same tendency: they could not stand being addressed so distantly.

"Just call me Uncle Guan, like Ze Shen does."

"Uncle Guan," Gu Bai said.

Guan Yuan answered and patted Chu Zeshen on the shoulder. "You got married without saying a word, you rascal. I haven't even had time to prepare red envelopes for you two."

"We haven't held the wedding yet," Chu Zeshen said.

"Remember to send me an invitation when you do," Guan Yuan said. "Uncle Guan will prepare a big red envelope for you."

"Uncle, just how big is this red envelope?" Xie Wen joked. "Bigger than the one for my wedding?"

Guan Yuan could not resist smacking his good-for-nothing nephew on the head. "At your age, all you think about is having fun. Settle down, and I'll give you as much as you want."

To Xie Wen, money was nowhere near as enjoyable as freedom. The powerful Xie Family was also what gave him the means to be so willful. The Xie Family's young master had never lacked money.

Xie Wen had shot himself in the foot. Out of nowhere, he was being nagged to get married again.

"You'd better save that red envelope for my cousin."

Guan Yuan was displeased. "Ming Jin is only ten. Right now, the most important thing is for you to..."

Xie Wen laughed it off, cutting short this round of marriage nagging. "A Sheng said he's hungry. He hasn't had a decent meal since getting off the plane."

Lu Shengfan: ...

He threw Xie Wen's earlier words back at him. "It's been less than two hours since we got off the plane. How hungry could he be?"

Xie Wen glanced over and saw that Mocha and Fendi could not get close to each other while being held on their leashes. He quickly said, "You're not hungry, but they are. Mocha hasn't even had a sip of water yet."

Thanks to Xie Wen's efforts, Gu Bai successfully brought both dogs to the quiet backyard so they could play to their hearts' content.

Guan Yuan instructed someone to bring food to the backyard, including not only pet treats but food from the party, along with a bottle of champagne.

Only Chu Zeshen knew he liked drinking. Gu Bai picked up the champagne bottle and checked it. The alcohol content was low.

With just him and the two dogs in the entire backyard, Gu Bai poured himself a glass and leaned back in his chair to watch them play.

He no longer wanted to move at all. The first day of the trip was not even over, and he already felt tired. Sure enough, going out on trips did not really suit him.

Still, socializing with people was more tiring than looking after pets. Listening to the sounds drifting over from the front yard, Gu Bai already felt exhausted.

Gu Bai could not take part in business discussions, so Chu Zeshen and the others were here to talk work, while he was the one here on vacation.

As the sun sank in the west, Gu Bai lay on a lounge chair wearing sunglasses. Chu Zeshen really had been wise to give him a pair earlier. With them on, the sunlight was not so dazzling.