Chapter 9: You Have a Home in Jiangzhou?

When Gu Yan got back, Shen Zhique was lounging against the headboard, eyes fixed on the tablet in his hands.

It was an easy-on-the-eyes picture, but the room felt a solid two degrees colder than when he'd left—Gu Yan could tell Shen Zhique was in a foul mood.

Worse than when he'd first woken up.

Gu Yan crossed his arms and walked closer, sneaking a glance at the tablet. He chose his words carefully. "Ah Que, what did you find?"

Shen Zhique, face dark, shoved the tablet in front of Gu Yan and jabbed a finger at a furtive figure in the paused frame. "Recognize her?" he ground out.

Gu Yan's first instinct was no.

The woman in the frame was hunched over, shifty and guilty-looking.

Clearly no good.

The women Gu Yan knew had to have at least one of three things: good looks, a good figure, or standout presence.

A woman with none of the three, like the one in the frame—he really hadn't seen one before...

No, wait. He had.

There was one living in his house right now—a shameless, stupid, thoroughly annoying woman.

Come to think of it, the woman in the frame did look a bit like that shameless, stupid Wen Zhizhi.

Gu Yan leaned in for a closer look...

And nearly dropped the tablet.

"A bit like" his ass—it was Wen Zhizhi herself...

But...

Why would Wen Zhizhi show up in the Emperor's Club surveillance footage?

Why had she gone to the Emperor's Club?

Could Ah Que's weird behavior tonight have something to do with Wen Zhizhi?

Suddenly, a bold guess flashed through his mind...

Could that idiot Wen Zhizhi have failed to seduce the eldest brother and set her sights on Ah Que instead?

If that were true, it would explain why Ah Que took a cold bath...

Damn that Wen Zhizhi—she was going to get the Gu family killed!

Gu Yan broke out in a cold sweat from his own guess.

Gu Yan's reaction said everything.

The way Shen Zhique looked at Gu Yan changed.

Gu Yan hurried to clear himself. "Ah Que, I do know the woman in the frame, but she has nothing to do with me, and nothing to do with the Gu family."

He wasn't sure if his guess was right.

But he knew the smartest move was to distance himself from Wen Zhizhi as early as possible.

Shen Zhique gave Gu Yan a faint glance.

Just that one glance had Gu Yan sweating. He held up three fingers. "Ah Que, I swear tonight's business really has nothing to do with me or the Gu family."

Shen Zhique said nothing, face dark.

Gu Yan couldn't figure out what Shen Zhique was thinking.

Did he...

Believe him? Or not?

Gu Yan anxiously pledged his loyalty. "Ah Que, it's been so many years—don't you know how I am with you?

Even my own brother doesn't hold as important a place in my heart as you do.

How could I ever team up with an outsider to harm you?

I..."

Seeing Gu Yan going further and further off track, Shen Zhique cut him off irritably. "Shut up. I have no interest in you whatsoever. I'm a real man—give up that hope right now!"

What did he mean, even his own brother didn't hold as important a place as him?

Was that something you just said casually?

Thank goodness no one else was around!

Otherwise the innocence he'd preserved for twenty-two years would be ruined in an instant!

Gu Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Still willing to joke—that meant Ah Que believed him.

After Gu Yan's round of "heartfelt confession," Shen Zhique's expression eased quite a bit. He took a deep breath. "Who is she? How do you know each other?"

Gu Yan's palm was slick with sweat.

He wasn't worried about Wen Zhizhi's fate.

He was worried about his own and the Gu family's.

Gu Yan didn't dare hide anything.

He answered honestly, "Her name is Wen Zhizhi. She's my sister's adopted older sister from the countryside. She came to our house half a year ago and is staying with us for now."

Shen Zhique had heard Gu Yan mention that the Gu family's biological daughter had been found.

But this adopted older sister—this was the first he'd heard of her.

Shen Zhique, "Wen Zhizhi? Which zhi?"

Gu Yan, "The zhi from zhi hu zhe ye!"

Shen Zhique let out a scoffing laugh. "It's a good name."

Then his smile vanished, his voice turning cold. "It's just that the person isn't much good. A waste of such a nice name."

Gu Yan almost admired Wen Zhizhi.

Apart from that one outside the Shen family, he'd never seen anyone else make Shen Zhique this angry.

But Wen Zhizhi had done it!

Worried that Wen Zhizhi's actions would drag down the Gu family.

Gu Yan steeled himself and distanced them. "Even though she lives with us, her actions have nothing to do with the Gu family.

She doesn't get along well with any of us.

She... her brain isn't quite right."

In Gu Yan's view, Wen Zhizhi's brain really wasn't right.

A woman who'd try to seduce her adopted sister's eldest brother—how normal could her brain be?

Shen Zhique rarely agreed. "Her brain really isn't normal."

At first, he'd thought she was an escapee from some mental hospital.

Gu Yan, "..."

He knew he shouldn't be curious right now, but damn it, his curiosity was completely hooked.

Would someone please tell him what that damn woman Wen Zhizhi had actually done to Ah Que?

"Ah Que, did she offend you?" Gu Yan probed.

Shen Zhique's lips curved up, a half-smile. "She did offend me!"

Offend? That was putting it lightly!

She'd practically thrown Second Young Master Shen's dignity on the ground and stomped on it again and again!

Drugging him!

Forcing herself on him!

Calling him a New Year's pig!

A princess carry!

Making him take a cold bath!

And then slipping away...

Any single one of these was enough to make him unable to show his face in North City's circles again.

But this kind of humiliation—he couldn't even say it out loud.

Gu Yan asked gossipily, "Can I ask how she offended you?"

Shen Zhique gave Gu Yan a half-smile. "Ah Yan, you're quite curious, aren't you!"

Gu Yan quickly mimed zipping his lips.

Got it—what he shouldn't ask, he'd shut up about!

Gu Yan straightened up and asked, "Ah Que, what do you plan to do?"

"Do?" Shen Zhique sneered. "Obviously, find the ugly woman's fatal weakness and pay her back tenfold, a hundredfold."

He looked up at Gu Yan. "This is what Brother Chen taught me."

Gu Yan, "..."

Why was the eldest brother involved now?

"Right, what is the ugly woman's fatal weakness?" Shen Zhique asked.

Gu Yan, "..."

How would he know?

He wasn't familiar with Wen Zhizhi.

"I'll go investigate right now," Gu Yan said, quick to read the room.

Shen Zhique called out to Gu Yan, who had already turned around. "Check her schedule while you're at it."

Thinking of that damn ugly woman's escape speed—comparable to a rat—Shen Zhique suspected she might try to run.

The kind of run that happens overnight.

Offend him and then try to run? Dream on!

Gu Yan nodded and said, "Okay."

Shen Zhique added, "Don't alert her for now, and don't tell anyone else."

Gu Yan knew—"anyone else" meant the Shen family, and everyone in the Gu family except him.

Gu Yan had originally planned to give Gu Chen a heads-up about tonight's situation.

After all, it concerned Wen Zhizhi.

Hearing Shen Zhique say that, he had no choice but to drop the idea.