Chapter 31: Crown Prince Gu is a dragon among men; what task could he possibly undertake that wouldn't be formidable?

It was Gu Jinzhou who had returned.

Su Ruanruan checked the time; she hadn't realized it was already time for lunch.

As she approached, she noticed the man’s handsome, refined face looked incredibly gloomy, a glowing, scarlet cigarette smoldering between his slender fingers.

"Brother Jinzhou."

Su Ruanruan hated the smell of smoke, but she leaned in toward him nonetheless.

Gu Jinzhou stroked her hair, his gentle movements accompanied by a cold, indifferent voice: "Didn't you say you hated the smell of smoke?"

White smoke obscured his handsome features, but it could not hide the sinister, terrifying look in his eyes.

Su Ruanruan’s eyelashes trembled, her fingertips clutching tightly at the man’s finely crafted white shirt.

*Didn't you say you hated the smell of smoke...*

Was he minding her habits, or was he trying to drive her away?

People change. When she was a child, she could clearly sense Gu Jinzhou’s joys and sorrows, but as an adult, he hid all his emotions. He was only happy when she was being exceptionally well-behaved.

Perhaps because she was slow-witted, pleasing Gu Jinzhou was an incredibly difficult task.

After her rebirth, she found him even harder to please.

Gu Jinzhou, dressed in an exquisite, custom-made suit with expensive black trousers that accentuated his noble and upright stature, finished his cigarette in a leisurely manner before pulling the young woman into his arms to coax her gently.

"Be a good girl, let’s go eat."

"...Yes. Brother Jinzhou, were you angry just now?"

"Only a little bit."

There was a faint smile in his eyes, and his thin lips curled upward. His voice was haughty and elegant, sounding almost as if he were acting spoiled.

After lunch, Gu Jinzhou didn't rush off to work; instead, he stayed to watch a movie with Su Ruanruan in the private screening room.

Heaven knows she didn't want to watch a movie right now.

"Are you sleepy?" he asked softly.

"A little," Su Ruanruan replied.

Gu Jinzhou pulled her into his arms and suddenly kissed her with fierce intensity.

A light tug on her lace underwear, and it fell to the floor.

The movie’s audio drowned out the unspeakable sounds.

Two hours later, when the movie ended, Gu Jinzhou carried the weak, limp young woman away.

A maid stepped forward to ask what was wrong with the young mistress. She was completely motionless, which looked quite worrying.

Gu Jinzhou was in a fairly good mood; a faint smile appeared on his handsome, sated face: "She is tired and needs to rest."

The maid didn't press further. But watching a movie wasn't strenuous exercise, so why was the young mistress so exhausted?

—

When Su Ruanruan woke up, aside from a certain soreness in her body, she felt refreshed and clean from head to toe.

Fragments of the absurd memories from the private screening room flashed through her mind, and her pure, delicate face couldn't help but flush red.

Only when Gu Jinzhou was relentlessly tormenting her, growling and demanding to know if she liked Lu Huaiyu, did Ruanruan understand why he had been so dark and gloomy today.

Gu Jinzhou was jealous.

When other people get jealous, they might throw a tantrum or bicker.

When Gu Jinzhou got jealous, Ruanruan felt as though half her life was being scared out of her.

Was it normal for a man of such immense power and status to be this fierce when jealous?

Su Ruanruan didn't understand.

She sent a WeChat message to Mu Xin'er.

Mu Xin'er replied: *Prince Gu is a dragon among men; what does he do that isn't fierce?*

Su Ruanruan: *Speak properly! Don't be suggestive!*

Mu Xin'er: *[Little face turning yellow.jpg]*

Mu Xin'er: *I will never forget the day you were forcibly kissed by Gu Jinzhou and slapped him twice. He didn't even care about his dignity or face as the Crown Prince; he just asked if your hand hurt. Lady Ruan, you are the sole favorite in the Eastern Palace—what more could you possibly want?*

Su Ruanruan: *...I didn't hit him that day because he kissed me, but because of something else.*

Mu Xin'er: *Princess, please tell! My melon seeds and soda are ready! I always feel like the hidden story behind it is very exciting. Gu’s method of taking by force sounds incredibly sexually tense!*

Su Ruanruan gave up on the chat.

After dressing neatly, she set off for the dance studio.

Gu Jinzhou sent several text messages asking if she had woken up, but Su Ruanruan, currently in a foul mood, didn't want to engage with him.

—

At the dance studio not far from Longteng Entertainment, Su Ruanruan had been teaching them for a week. The four members of the girl group had basically mastered the choreography, and the rest was just up to their own extra practice.

Liu Qing: "Teacher Su, thank you so much for your guidance!"

The girl group members chimed in to thank her as well. They were all trainees who had debuted in Country H, where status and seniority were highly emphasized.

Sun Na said confidently: "I have a feeling this dance is going to be a huge hit!"

Su Ruanruan said with a smile: "Then when you make this dance go viral, I’ll be able to bask in some of that glory too."

Sun Na: "Teacher Su, you're too humble. You’re already very talented and carry your own aura!"

Liu Qing: "I’ll be closing out this studio tomorrow, so today is the last day. If you have anything else you don't understand, hurry up and ask Teacher Su."

Just as she finished speaking, the studio door was pushed open.

Li Shaojue walked in, wearing a black shirt that looked understated yet luxurious. His gaze was cold and distant, making his thoughts impossible to fathom.

Liu Qing and the girl group felt a sense of dread and offered a respectful "President Li."

How did President Li know about this place? And why was he here?

Su Ruanruan unscrewed a bottle of mineral water with her slender, fair fingers and began drinking, seemingly busy, though her beautiful, delicate eyes didn't bother to acknowledge him at all.

Li Shaojue said: "You all go out. I have something to discuss with Miss Su."

Liu Qing and the others were full of suspicion, but President Li’s aura was too intimidating, so they could only leave obediently to wait outside. If Teacher Su were in danger, they would definitely rush in to save her!

"Although I still don't understand why you hate me," the man said, his tall frame and deep, sharp brow ridge giving him a dark, menacing presence, his black eyes eerily wicked like a gang leader, "if you want to make it in the entertainment industry, it is inevitable that you will have to deal with me. You are Lan'er’s sister; as long as you don't provoke me, I won't do anything to you. There is no need for you to be so afraid of me."

Su Ruanruan’s expression shifted. Her eyes, filled with a charming, feigned smile, were so beautiful that it was impossible to stay angry at her.

"Fine. I promise I won't provoke you. Can President Li leave now?"

"I can."

Li Shaojue left.

Su Ruanruan felt as if she had been drained of all strength, collapsing into a chair.

Liu Qing and Sun Na walked back in, asking with concern what was wrong.

Su Ruanruan shook her head: "I'm fine. You guys continue practicing."

She would never forget how, after her first kidney was removed, she had knelt weakly and miserably at Su Lan'er’s feet, begging her to let her go. Li Shaojue, full of a protective instinct, had held Su Lan'er close and kicked Su Ruanruan in the chest, as if she were some filth that would stain Su Lan'er.

Li Shaojue was worthy of his name—ruthless and cruel. For Su Lan'er, he would commit any crime. Even Rong Xiu, the primary male lead, wasn't willing to take a life, yet Li Shaojue could kill Su Ruanruan without blinking, just to harvest her healthy kidneys for Su Lan'er.

It hurt. It really, really hurt.

"Teacher Su, are you really okay?" Liu Qing asked.

"I'm fine." Su Ruanruan suppressed the mist in her eyes. In this lifetime, the only ones who would suffer were those villains!

—

Late that night, a tabloid media outlet published photos under the headline #Entertainment Tycoon Li Shaojue’s Secret Girlfriend#, and the trending search exploded instantly!