"Nanyan, your husband is already lying beside someone else's pillow, and you can still sleep? Aren't you afraid that the position of Mrs. Lu won't be secure?"
Inside the villa's bedroom.
Qin Haiyun, frustrated with the situation, Nanyan groggily asked, "Mom, which little vixen is it tonight?"
Married for two years, and with a line of women outside waiting for her to step down, Nanyan had grown accustomed to her mother-in-law's frequent commands to catch her husband cheating.
But each attempt had been in vain; she never caught Lu Beicheng with any concrete evidence.
"I've sent the hotel room number to your WeChat. Go bring the person back." After a pause, Qin Haiyun added, "Child, if you keep being so indifferent toward Beicheng, there's nothing I can do to help you."
Indifferent?
But that would require Lu Beicheng to give her a chance at his heart!
In two years, his home visits were countable on one hand, and each encounter with him ended on a sour note.
He avoided her like the plague; where was she supposed to show concern?
It wasn't like this before, though. He was very nice to her, very indulgent, until that one time, after which everything changed between them.
She shut her eyes and fell silent for a while.
Sitting up in bed with a lazy posture, Nanyan said, "Mom, I got it. Send me the address."
—
Half an hour later.
Nanyan arrived at the hotel and obtained the room card from the manager just as Zhou Bei also arrived.
They both reached the suite's door.
As Nanyan was about to use the card to open the door, her heart, which had been calm until now, suddenly felt unpleasant.
Although used to such scenes, it was naturally uncomfortable to have one's belongings snatched by others.
As the door opened, a voice from inside said, "Four bars."
"…" Both of them.
Wasn't it supposed to be catching a cheater? Why are they playing mahjong?
The sight of the young girls sitting next to the men still made her uncomfortable.
Especially Lu Beicheng, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, his hand on the mahjong tiles, and Ye Chu clinging coquettishly to his arm, sitting beside him.
The men at the table were A City's elite bachelors, the finest of men.
Lu Beicheng was still the most eye-catching of all, with a very handsome face, glasses with gold frames resting on his nose, and casually slicked-back hair.
A scholarly look mixed with a hint of hooliganism, astonishing no matter how many times one looked at him.
His good looks alone were enough; no need to spend money on women—many would bankrupt themselves for him.
Under his management, Lu's Corporation had become the leading powerhouse in A City within two years, commanding respect from everyone.
If he were still like before, if not for that one time, Lu Beicheng would have been the most perfect husband in the world.
Lu Beicheng was great in every aspect, except he was no longer good to her.
Facing the entrance, Su Mubai saw Nanyan come in, startled at first, then greeted her with a smile, "Three…"
He didn't finish calling her "sister-in-law" because a cold look from Lu Beicheng made Su Mubai quickly change his words, "Nanyan, what brings you here?"
With a grand air and a slow smile, Nanyan walked in, "I missed you! Just came to see."
"Don't! Three…" Sneaking a glance at Lu Beicheng, Su Mubai said, "Nanyan, I can't take that kind of joke."
No need to explain, she was obviously here to catch his third brother.
They had all gotten used to it in these two years.
Leaving such a beautiful wife at home, neglected—what was his third brother thinking?
That evening, Nanyan wore a knee-length V-neck little black dress with a waterfall of black wavy hair cascading freely, each strand exuding an irresistible aura.
When she gracefully reached the mahjong table, the young girls in the room were already staring in awe.
Dazzled by her.
Realizing Nanyan had arrived, Ye Chu let go of Lu Beicheng's arm to greet her, "Nanyan."
Ignoring her, Nanyan glanced at the arm Ye Chu just released and hurriedly explained, "Beicheng just won a game, and I was happy for him, so…"
Ye Chu had not finished speaking when Gu Nanyan raised her hand and grabbed her wrist, "Ye Chu, if you touch him again, I'll chop off your hand."
"Nanyan, listen to me..." Ye Chu's eyebrows were tightly knitted, "Nanyan, it hurts, you're pinching me."
At Ye Chu's cries, Lu Beicheng looked coldly at Gu Nanyan, "If you don't let go of her, I'll chop off your hand first."
Taking advantage of the moment, Ye Chu struggled free from Gu Nanyan and took two small steps back, rubbing her wrist and saying with teary eyes, "Beicheng."
Lu Beicheng glanced at her with an impassive gaze, "Why are you afraid of her? Sit down."
The girl beside Su Mubai, sensing the tense atmosphere, curiously asked Lu Beicheng, "Master Cheng, who is this?"
The smoke dispersed around the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, and Lu Beicheng elegantly tapped off some ash, "I don't know her."
The words had barely left his mouth when Su Mubai and the others were completely stunned.
Don't know her?
Clearly, he did know her and had for 23 years.
This year, Gu Nanyan was precisely 23 years old.
Beside the mahjong table, Gu Nanyan found it both annoying and amusing.
Even so, she still walked up to Lu Beicheng and reminded him softly, "It's half-past two, time to wrap things up."
Holding a cigarette in his right hand, Lu Beicheng remained poised, "Self-draw thirteen orphans."
As if Gu Nanyan was a wisp of air.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Ye Chu stepped forward to smooth things over, "Nanyan, it's natural for men to enjoy games, and Mubai and the others are also here, so you really don't need to worry too much."
With amusement, Gu Nanyan responded, "Why don't you get married first and then lend me your husband to have some fun with?"
Ye Chu was left speechless by her retort.
After Gu Nanyan finished speaking, she turned and walked over to Su Mubai, tapped her fingers on the mahjong table, and said softly, "Mubai, get up."
Su Mubai looked up, "Sister Nanyan, do you want to play too?"
Beside, Zhou Bei—who had come along with Gu Nanyan to catch a cheater and had not spoken until now—suddenly laughed and said, "What's the matter? Men can play but women can't?"
With her handsome short hair and Japanese-style floral shirt, anyone unaware would think she was a man, possibly Gu Nanyan's lover.
After saying this, she looked back at Gu Nanyan, "Nanyan, I heard the young guys at this hotel club are quite good; let me call a couple over for you."
Gu Nanyan nonchalantly took the chair Su Mubai had offered and sat down, "Great!"
Once Gu Nanyan sat down, Lu Beicheng's gaze finally fell on her face.
Gu Nanyan blatantly ignored him, continued with Su Mubai's move, and played, "Three dots."
Not long after, several handsome young men stood in the suite's lounge. Zhou Bei instructed the tallest and most attractive boy to ensure Gu Nanyan was well accompanied.
The boy accepted the task and sat down next to Gu Nanyan with a smiling face, "Sister, you're sure to win money with me by your side."
Gu Nanyan laughed, "If sister wins money, I'll give you a big red envelope."
Sure enough, in a few rounds of play, Gu Nanyan was the only one winning, and the worst part was she wouldn't win on anyone else's play—only forcing Lu Beicheng to pay.
Thus, one could imagine Lu Beicheng's current complexion.
At this moment, after Gu Nanyan pulled off another thirteen orphans, Lu Beicheng slammed the mahjong tiles in his hand down.
His face was so cold it seemed to freeze the air around him.
Gu Nanyan didn't take it to heart, pushed the tiles into the shuffling machine, and teased with a laugh, "Young Master Lu can't stand to lose? If you can't stand it, go home and sleep!"
Gu Nanyan's suggestion to go to sleep provoked a smile from Lu Beicheng, "Want to sleep with me? Gu Nanyan, you're delusional."
After Lu Beicheng spoke, Ye Chu cautiously glanced at Gu Nanyan, wondering if they were heading for divorce this time.
Despite Lu Beicheng's sarcasm, Gu Nanyan handed the winnings to the boy next to her, "This is your red envelope from sister."
The boy excitedly accepted the cash from Gu Nanyan, "Thank you, sister."
In the room, the eyes of the other girls instantly brightened with envy.
After accepting Gu Nanyan's money, the boy blushed and said to her, "Sister, I can make you even happier, how about I go with you tonight?"
When the boy spoke these words, Su Mubai's cigarette dropped from his mouth to the floor, and everyone else looked over.
For a moment, the room was extraordinarily quiet, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.