Page 42

Chu Zeshen raised a hand and pushed the hanging chair, letting Gu Bai sway gently on it. "I'll send you a separate red packet."

Gu Bai raised an eyebrow and reluctantly agreed. "Fine. Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know."

The moment he finished speaking, a curious canine head suddenly popped up from beneath the chair.

Gu Bai added, "And Mocha."

When it was nearly time to leave, Xie Wen called up from downstairs.

Gu Bai opened his eyes and was about to get up when he discovered that his slippers on the floor were gone. Inside the room, Mocha was happily chewing on them.

"Mocha!"

Caught off guard, Mocha startled, his ears instantly flattening sideways.

Chu Zeshen looked up from his tablet and noticed the scraps strewn across the floor. He was already used to Mocha's destructive capabilities.

"I forgot to give him a dental chew this morning."

Mocha had gone two days without anything to chew on for his teeth, and he was now at the stage where he felt uncomfortable all over unless he chewed something.

Gu Bai held himself back. "Forget it. Let him chew them. It's our fault for forgetting to give him his chew."

In the end, Mocha got into the car with a dental chew in his mouth.

Xie Wen said cheerfully, "Whoa, bringing your own food to lunch?"

They had lunch with Gu Jiazi and the others. Perhaps it was because they had attended the Guan Family's banquet last night, but they were unusually well-behaved today.

After lunch, they rested and chatted in the private dining room for a little while before preparing to head to their next destination.

Gu Bai had been sitting perfectly comfortably on his own when Gu Jiazi and Gu Ruilin suddenly sat down beside him.

Gu Ruilin looked casual, but his eyes were full of scrutiny. "Third Brother, how come we didn't see you at the Guan Family's banquet last night?"

The private room was large. They were sitting in the lounge area on the other side, where normal conversation was practically inaudible from across the room.

Gu Bai had long grown used to that look. He said calmly, "I took Mocha out to play in the backyard."

Gu Ruilin asked, "Were you alone?"

Ever since Gu Bai had become the heir to the Gu Family's shares, Gu Ruilin and Gu Jiazi had felt that he was not as simple as he appeared. As the future head of the Gu Family, surely he would be taking action now, such as establishing a connection with the Guan Family.

Gu Bai answered truthfully, "Me, Mocha, and Fendi."

Gu Jiazi asked, "Who's Fendi?"

Gu Bai said, "A golden retriever the Guan Family keeps."

Gu Jiazi and Gu Ruilin: ...

"All you ever think about is dogs." Gu Ruilin could not stand this attitude of Gu Bai's. "Have you never thought about contributing to the family? You're the future head of Gu Corporation."

How enticing the word "head" sounded, tempting people to dream about the future. Yet it seemed to hold no appeal whatsoever for Gu Bai.

Looking at Gu Bai's expressionless face, Gu Ruilin grew even more resentful. Why had all the shares gone to this Third Brother of theirs, who had no head for business at all? Someone like him would be lording it over them in the future.

Gu Bai remained unconcerned. "There are so many people in the family. I'm just a literature major. The family doesn't need me to contribute too. Having you is enough."

Having obtained no useful information from Gu Bai, Gu Jiazi and Gu Ruilin left, inwardly disdainful.

Gu Bai had thought he would finally be able to rest properly, but after one group left, someone else came over.

This time, however, it was Chu Zeshen.

Bored, Gu Bai leaned back on the sofa and looked at Chu Zeshen without speaking. He did not feel awkward either.

Chu Zeshen suddenly said, "You still owe me a meal."

The words "a meal" brought the memory flooding back into Gu Bai's mind, along with Mocha's cheeky expression with his ears flattened sideways. He also still owed Chu Zeshen a bedside table.

"I remember. So you want to..."

Chu Zeshen put down his teacup. "Want to go out with me?"

Gu Bai paused and glanced at Xie Wen and Lu Shengfan opposite them. "Now? What about them?"

"We won't take them. Just the two of us." Seeing through Gu Bai's concern, Chu Zeshen added, "Don't worry about Mocha. I'll have them look after him."

It was not good to keep putting off this meal. Since Chu Zeshen had brought it up, Gu Bai had no reason to refuse as the one who owed him.

Besides, going out alone together without anyone else seemed rather nice.

Seeing that Gu Bai still had not answered, Chu Zeshen asked again, "Shall we go?"

Gu Bai nodded, his eyes bright. "Let's go."

Chapter 23

Chu Zeshen ran off with Gu Bai, disappearing without a trace and leaving a dog for Xie Wen and the others to look after.

Xie Wen did not notice at first. When he heard that the two were going to the restroom together, he could not help grumbling to himself again. Why did they even have to go to the restroom together? Could they not bear to be apart?

Only after playing fetch with Mocha for quite a while did he realize something was wrong. These two were taking far too long in the restroom.

He had even wondered whether Chu Zeshen had been unable to restrain himself and had taken Gu Bai right there in the restroom. Even such an outrageous thought had crossed his mind, yet it had never occurred to him that Chu Zeshen and Gu Bai would abandon them.

Not until Lu Shengfan went to the restroom to look for them and found no one.

Xie Wen looked betrayed and incredulous. "They left Mocha with us and went off to have fun themselves!"

Lu Shengfan nodded calmly. "According to the receptionist, she saw them going downstairs, so they probably left, just as you said."

Gu Jiazi and Gu Ruilin came over when they heard the news.

"Third Brother left with Ze Shen? Why didn't they tell us?"

Chu Ningwei and Chu Hanjin also came over.

"Our cousin isn't that kind of person. I'll call and ask. Maybe something important came up."

How could he abandon his blood relatives and run off with someone else?

Xie Wen had already come to terms with it. "Don't bother calling. Are any of you more important than Mocha? They didn't even take Mocha with them. They've gone off to spend time alone together. I've finally seen Chu Zeshen for who he really is."

The next second, Lu Shengfan received a WeChat message from Chu Zeshen.

[A Ze: Sorry for the trouble, but please look after Mocha. The pet bag is in the car. We'll be back tonight.]