Chapter 13: The Temptation of the Shirt

Gu Yao slept until six in the evening before finally waking up. She had briefly woken around seven in the morning, drank some water, and called the hospital to request a day off: her ankle wasn’t fully healed yet, and standing for long periods wasn’t advisable. Then she burrowed back under the covers. The bedroom was decent overall, though the mattress was too soft, causing her lower back to ache as she slept.

She drifted drowsily, her thoughts fading away until her stomach began to protest fiercely, hunger gnawing at her insides. After a shower, she lazily wandered out in search of food.

The kitchen was almost empty. Aside from a few raw ingredients in the fridge that needed cooking, there were no snacks or instant noodles to be found. Life was certainly tight these days.

Just then, the door opened—someone had come back. She had half-jokingly told Su Yu to cook; given how many people usually waited on him, she assumed he could have anything made for him at any time. But the man in front of her remained silent, neither refusing nor responding. He reached out slowly to tug at his collar and, brushing against her shoulder, stepped into the kitchen.

Leaning against the doorframe, Gu Yao tilted her head with curiosity, scanning him from top to bottom.

“Come here,” he said quietly, opening a cabinet to retrieve a deep blue apron which he tied around his waist. His large hands reached behind to knot it securely.

“Are you asking me to help?” Gu Yao raised an eyebrow.

“Who else is here?” he replied.

She moved slowly toward him, intrigued to see what he intended to do.

His long arm reached over her head to open the refrigerator door, grabbing three eggs and gently setting them on the marble countertop. He set a small bowl beside them. “Crack the eggs into the bowl and beat them.”

“Am I cooking, or are you?” Gu Yao crossed her arms, unwilling to move.

Su Yu paused, glancing at her. “If you want to eat sooner, come help. If not, wait outside. The choice is yours.”

Of course she wanted to eat sooner—there were no snacks to tide her over.

Frowning slightly, she picked up the eggs and tapped them lightly, cracking them into the bowl. She stirred them with chopsticks, watching him carefully.

Su Yu efficiently rinsed the rice, placed it in the rice cooker to steam, and without turning back, tossed her a potato. “Wash it and peel it.”

“Where’s the peeler?” Gu Yao caught it and opened the cabinet to search.

The potato was soon taken from her, and he produced a gleaming kitchen knife, skillfully peeling the potato with smooth, even strokes.

Just two strokes.

Watching his large hand holding the plump, peeled potato, Gu Yao teased, “Did you study culinary arts at Blue Xiang?”

As she spoke, two long, pale legs beneath his shirt swung openly.

Su Yu’s gaze darkened; suddenly shifting attention, he pointed toward the door. “Go sit outside. The meal will be ready soon.”

“That was your idea,” Gu Yao said happily, slipping on her slippers and crossing to the sofa to sit cross-legged, playing on her phone.

Soon, the kitchen filled with the sound of the range hood and the sizzle of ingredients hitting hot oil.

When Su Yu emerged, he carried two bowls of rice, bending to place them on the table. He returned with several plates: stir-fried shredded potato, cucumber and sausage slices, and a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup.

All of it took no more than half an hour.

The aroma was enticing. She quickly picked up her chopsticks and tasted the shredded potatoes—they were quite good.

“How is it?” Su Yu asked as he ladled soup into her bowl.

“Not bad.” Gu Yao nodded, responding briefly while focusing on eating.

After watching her for a moment, Su Yu picked up his own chopsticks. Both sat quietly, finishing their meal without a word.

When she finished the last sip of soup, Gu Yao rubbed her stomach, feeling unexpectedly full.

“Want some stomach medicine?” Su Yu asked, gathering the remaining dishes and carrying them back to the kitchen.

“No need,” she shook her head, narrowing her eyes to study him. Suddenly she asked, “You weren’t home all last night?”

“Mm.” Su Yu sat on the sofa, answering casually.

The room was dim, so Gu Yao switched on the light, filling the space with warm glow. She stood by the wall, tossing her phone lightly in the air and catching it steadily. “There’s trouble at the company, isn’t there? I saw the news.”

“Although Su Xingshui is foolish and malicious, he’s adept at winning loyalty. Many remain fiercely loyal to him, which is why I’ve held off acting,” she said.

Su Yu nodded, as if unwilling to hide anything. “We found a reason to bring him down this time, but it wasn’t enough. Soon enough, he’ll rise again. When that happens, a public feud is inevitable, and it’ll affect the company.”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t rush to take him down. Wait until your hammer is heavy enough to strike a fatal blow,” Gu Yao smiled.

By then, Su Yu had finished his tea, stood, and put on his coat. He walked over, pressed the elevator button, and said coolly, “That was the plan, but he pissed me off.”

Gu Yao watched him leave. After a minute, he appeared in the yard, got in the car, and quickly drove away from the villa.

Heading downstairs, she stopped a white-haired middle-aged bodyguard. “Is Mr. Su here to pick something up?”

“No,” the man shook his head.

“Then is he going back to work at the company?” Gu Yao asked.

“Yes, there’s trouble at headquarters these days. Mr. Su is very busy,” he replied.

That was about what she expected. Gu Yao nodded. “Last question: is Mr. Su the type who suddenly dashes home from work?”

“No. When he’s busy, he lives and eats at the company. Sometimes he doesn’t return home for a whole month,” the guard said.

“I see, thanks,” she said, then turned and went upstairs. Sitting on her bed, she crossed her legs and smiled with interest: so he came home just to cook her a meal? Quite an amusing man.

That night, Su Yu did not return. Gu Yao slept through the night, and the next day, her ankle swelling had mostly subsided. She got ready and headed to work.

As soon as she stepped downstairs, a white-haired middle-aged man greeted her respectfully. “Miss Gu, Mr. Su asked me to escort you to work.”

“That’s kind of you,” Gu Yao nodded, relieved she wouldn’t need to call a car.

Once at the office, Cen Xi hurried over. “Where were you yesterday? You vanished.”

Gu Yao rolled up her pant leg to show her ankle. “I twisted it. It’s better today.”

Cen Xi immediately covered her mouth. “So the emergency room rumors were true—you really had a man carry you in the night! I heard he was super handsome!”

Gu Yao pushed her away gently. “Your news is a bit slow. Didn’t you know? Last Wednesday, he even brought flowers to meet me at the hospital entrance.”

“So you’re not single anymore? Leaving me all alone and lonely...” Cen Xi whined.

“No, I’m fine alone. Besides, I’m not close to him,” Gu Yao waved her off and went to change.

The day was busy. That afternoon, after finishing surgery, Gu Yao was called to a consultation. An eighteen-year-old girl was writhing on the bed with a headache, but no cause could be found.

Gu Yao examined her head—no signs of injury—and sent her for imaging.

On her way out, still pondering the girl’s condition, she spotted Cen Xi standing nearby, frowning.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“My stocks dropped again!” Cen Xi sighed miserably. “You know Hangseng Group, right? There’s been trouble inside recently, and the shares have plummeted. Everyone’s rushing to sell. I was a bit slow and lost several thousand.”

“So Hangseng’s stock is cheap now?” Gu Yao thought for a moment, then asked.

“You could say that.”

“Hmm, maybe I’ll buy a few shares. Might even make some money,” Gu Yao said, nodding as she walked away.