Chapter 42: Given how precious your condition is now, who would dare to mock you?-A Pequena Namorada do Chefão Obsessivo é Doce, Fofa e Irresistível(Doce Xiaobei)

It is the weekend.

After waking up, Su Ruanruan walked down the stairs, only to be caught off guard by the man standing in the foyer. Gu Jinzhou was wearing a crisp, well-tailored white shirt; the clean, sharp lines of his attire only served to accentuate his increasingly noble and elegant temperament.

"Walking barefoot again, courting a chill." He glanced at Su Ruanruan’s pristine little feet. Her jade-white toes curled unconsciously, drawing the man’s gaze whether she intended it or not.

Gu Jinzhou instructed Liu Ma to bring over a pair of socks.

Su Ruanruan protested, "I don't want to wear socks. Who wears socks in the summer? It’s sweltering."

"Then wear sandals," Gu Jinzhou replied.

Liu Ma brought a pair of pearl-encrusted sandals. While the entertainment industry could be lucrative, it couldn't afford a little fairy like Ruanruan; a single pair of her pearl sandals was worth enough to buy a property in Hong Kong.

Gu Jinzhou knelt on one knee, lifting her flawless, jade-like feet to put on the sandals that befitted her status as a fairy.

"So, the one yesterday was an impostor. No wonder you weren't interested," Qi Siyan remarked. A cigarette was held between his fingertips, the white smoke blurring his delicate yet handsome features. His thin lips curved into a smile that was defiant and arrogant, yet profoundly cold.

Su Ruanruan looked at Qi Siyan, then at Gu Jinzhou. So, it wasn't just a coincidence that he had run into that actress yesterday; Qi Siyan had been there too.

Fair enough. She really had misjudged Gu Jinzhou.

"We have matters to discuss," Gu Jinzhou said. "Play here at home for a while; I'll take you out for lunch later."

Su Ruanruan nodded obediently. As she watched the two men head upstairs, she muttered to herself, "Qi Siyan’s gaze is too terrifying—cold, icy, and devoid of warmth. But when he walked upstairs just now, his back looked so desolate. Why does he seem so lonely?"

Liu Ma chimed in, "With a temperament that cold, it’s hard to find a wife."

The remark hit home like a bolt of lightning. It was as if a background track had started playing, singing of careless words that suddenly unraveled a mystery. Su Ruanruan finally understood why Qi Siyan had become Su Lan'er’s backup option! If a man as lonely and indifferent as him found that Su Lan'er had inadvertently done something to warm his heart, how could she fail to win him over?

But what had Su Lan'er done to capture Qi Siyan?

Wearing a pink floral dress, the innocent young girl shifted positions on the sofa four or five times, feeling so restless she could have clawed at her feet. According to the original novel's plot, Qi Siyan's introduction was described as follows: [Qi Siyan would never forget that day. If not for the appearance of Su Lan'er, his world would have remained in darkness.]

Su Ruanruan rubbed her forehead. This novel focused entirely on catfights and face-slapping drama; there wasn't a single detail about the actual romance!

Liu Ma passed by the sofa and was startled to see the pink-clad girl sprawled out like a dried fish. "Little Miss, your phone has been vibrating constantly."

After answering the call, Su Ruanruan’s pupils constricted. She grabbed her car keys and rushed out.

Inside the study, Qi Siyan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, speaking in an unhurried tone, "She just drove off in your car."

"What?" Gu Jinzhou replied.

At Hong Kong Hospital, Su Ruanruan notified Gu Fengyan immediately after receiving the call.

When she arrived at the ward, Gu Fengyan was already there. He sat by the bedside, holding Mu Xin'er’s hand, his handsome, gentle face masked by a layer of faint indignation.

Su Ruanruan’s throat felt dry as she asked, "How is Xin'er?"

"The doctor says she suffered severe emotional fluctuations, which nearly caused a miscarriage," Gu Fengyan replied. "She has already received an injection to stabilize the pregnancy and needs to stay for observation for two or three days."

Mu Xin'er turned her head toward Su Ruanruan. "Your face has gone pale with fright." Even with her own lips drained of color, she still had the energy to tease others. Gu Fengyan’s breathing was heavy, as if he were suppressing something.

Su Ruanruan touched her own face and sat on the sofa, still shaken. "What on earth happened?" Xin'er wasn't a suspicious or brooding person; Su Ruanruan had often envied her free-spirited, transparent nature.

"She won't say," Gu Fengyan said. "She insisted on waiting for you to arrive."

Mu Xin'er glanced at her right hand, which was being held. Although the sensation was unfamiliar, it was also warm and reassuring. "I’ll tell you, but you aren't allowed to laugh at me, and you aren't allowed to get angry."

Gu Fengyan: "..."
Su Ruanruan: "..." Given your current delicate condition, who would dare laugh at you or provoke you?

Mu Xin'er looked at Gu Fengyan and said, "I went to the Rong Group today to discuss postponing the engagement banquet. When I went to the restroom, I ran into Su Lan'er." She gave a bitter laugh. "As fate would have it, I saw a necklace around Su Lan'er's neck that was identical to the one I was wearing. This ruby necklace was a twentieth-birthday gift from Rong Xiu."

"When I was making a wish in front of the birthday candles, I saw a distracted look on Rong Xiu's face. I thought I had imagined it, but a woman's intuition is damnably accurate."

"After I made my wish and cut the cake, Rong Xiu rushed to the airport to head back home. It turns out he wasn't busy with work; he was rushing back to celebrate Su Lan'er’s birthday. Those few seconds he spent by my side, lost in thought... he was thinking of Su Lan'er, wasn't he?"

"I was too emotional and ended up struggling with Su Lan'er. She pushed me by accident. Ruanruan, my heart hurts so much... I can accept that Rong Xiu doesn't love me, but why did he have to be distracted while celebrating my birthday?"

Su Ruanruan’s gentle, serene face was filled with shock. "Xin'er, are you sure you didn't misinterpret it?"

"We’ve been childhood sweethearts for twenty years," Mu Xin'er said. "I know by a single glance, a single breath, whether he is focused or distracted. If Gu Jinzhou were thinking of another woman while he was with you, I’m sure you would notice it too."

Su Ruanruan had no rebuttal.

Gu Fengyan listened quietly to the end. The gentle, refined man offered no opinion; there wasn't even a ripple in his eyes. He reached out to stroke the woman’s pale, delicate cheek. "Rest for a while."

Mu Xin'er suddenly felt deeply sorry for Gu Fengyan and for the baby in her womb. She gripped his hand back, trying to hold onto something to steady her heart. Gu Fengyan kissed her fingers before leaving the VIP ward with Su Ruanruan.

Seeing Gu Jinzhou standing in the hallway, Su Ruanruan’s tense, cold expression finally softened. She leaned into his embrace to calm herself.

"Why is it that when some people do wrong, not only are they not punished, but they get to live like the heroine of the story?" she murmured.

"No one goes unpunished for their wrongdoings," Gu Jinzhou’s voice was calm and solemn.

"Third Brother, what do you intend to do?"

Gu Fengyan’s eyes were cold and dark. "I think that Miss Su needs a lesson."

Gu Jinzhou kept his focus on the little woman in his arms, his voice indifferent as he said, "In high school, Su Lan'er studied dance. She bullied a girl in her dance class so severely that it left the girl with a permanent disability in one leg."

Gu Fengyan and Su Ruanruan looked at him. Gu Jinzhou’s elegant, perfect features remained flawless, his expression mild and composed, betraying nothing else.

"Thank you," Gu Fengyan said.

Inside the Maybach, Su Ruanruan suddenly kissed him. Gu Jinzhou, finding the taste addictive, held the back of her head and kissed her deeply for several minutes.

"Brother Jinzhou, how did you know about Su Lan'er’s dark history?"

"I just looked into it."

"..."

Su Ruanruan suddenly felt that her greatest "cheat" after being reborn wasn't the ability to foresee certain events—it was Gu Jinzhou.