Chapter 24
What were they doing?!
The moment Lu Yu saw this scene, his mind went blank with a deafening roar, leaving him completely frozen. He opened his mouth to shout, but no sound came out, causing him to miss the fleeting opportunity for the best moment to question.
As Gu Wan continued to apply makeup with her brush, Lu Yu's body gradually thawed. After a while, when he could finally see clearly, his rationality slowly returned.
Things weren't quite as he had imagined.
But...
Despite this, all of his previous shock and disbelief had transformed into anger, surging towards Shen An.
Lu Yu thought this was Shen An's deliberate act, and indeed, all his previous words about not doing anything were clearly lies.
Shen An only felt a piercing gaze land on him, filled with malice. Even if he wanted to ignore it, he simply couldn't.
Shen An suddenly snapped out of his previous trance and turned his head towards the source of the gaze.
Unexpectedly, his sudden movement caught Gu Wan off guard, causing her to accidentally apply the concealer beyond its intended area, directly onto Shen An's neck.
Gu Wan belatedly looked up, only then realizing that Lu Yu had arrived.
Calculating the time, Gu Wan realized it had been about forty minutes since she left her seat, no wonder he had come looking for her.
Although Lu Yu had already restrained himself considerably, traces of anger still leaked from the corners of his eyes and the edges of his brows.
Thanks to his upbringing, Lu Yu wasn't a person prone to extreme emotional fluctuations, but recently, whenever it involved Gu Wan, he simply couldn't control himself.
Seeing his unusual expression and the even more peculiar way he looked at Shen An, Gu Wan knew he had misunderstood. After a moment's thought, she explained, "Mr. Shen seems to have gotten into a fight with someone earlier. I'm helping him cover up the marks on his face."
After she finished speaking, no one responded for quite a while.
Lu Yu never imagined that this incident was actually related to him. If he hadn't punched Shen An earlier, that scene just now wouldn't have happened.
Moreover, if he hadn't emphatically stated that Shen An was his friend when they arrived at the hotel, given Gu Wan's personality, she wouldn't have cared whether a strange man was injured or if he would lose face if someone saw his injuries.
Even when they first met, it was he who had introduced them.
Realizing this, Lu Yu felt as if he could vomit blood.
Of course, the person Lu Yu hated the most was still Shen An, sitting there.
Gu Wan was unaware of what the two men had just experienced. She merely examined Shen An carefully for a moment, feeling that the marks on his face were sufficiently concealed, and then stood up.
Shen An couldn't help feeling a bit of regret at this, but he carefully concealed this disappointment, not letting anyone notice.
Then Gu Wan noticed that even though his suit had dried, the wine stains were still obvious, so she asked, "Mr. Shen, didn't you bring a spare set of clothes?"
Shen An shook his head.
Gu Wan couldn't help but look at Lu Yu, who had somehow already come to stand beside her. She remembered that Lu Yu had brought a spare suit, and from her estimation, the two men were about the same height and build.
In Gu Wan's eyes, the two were good friends. Although Gu Wan hadn't made many friends herself, she had Xia Qianqian, so she assumed the relationship between Lu Yu and Shen An was similar to hers with Qianqian.
Realizing Gu Wan's intention, Lu Yu felt even more upset.
Shen An shamelessly had feelings for his wife, and after saying he wouldn't do anything, he got so close to her. And now, he was supposed to give Shen An his spare suit to help him cover it up?!
Lu Yu swore that if Shen An dared to accept, he would confront him on the spot.
Sure enough, Shen An was tactful enough not to agree.
"It's alright, the banquet is almost over, and the indoor lighting isn't very bright. No one will notice," Shen An said.
At this point, Gu Wan finally sensed the odd atmosphere between the two men.
However, before Gu Wan could think it through, Lu Yu took the initiative to hold her hand.
The moment she felt his palm, Gu Wan realized that for some reason, his hand was a bit cold.
Gu Wan vaguely felt that something must have happened tonight, so she didn't pay any more attention to Shen An. She just said a quick "Sorry" before leaving with Lu Yu.
Even though Gu Wan no longer loved him, their relationship was still closer than with anyone else.
Shen An was stunned, watching helplessly as the two left.
The warm atmosphere from just a few minutes ago had dissipated in the blink of an eye. It was like a bubble floating in mid-air, bursting at the slightest touch.
This time, Shen An's silence lasted longer than ever before.
Meanwhile...
Gu Wan could feel Lu Yu gripping her hand a bit too tightly. His whole demeanor was off, with his jaw clenched as if he was trying hard to endure something. He even ignored the people around who saw him and wanted to come over to greet him.
Thinking back to how Lu Yu had left after Shen An excused himself earlier, a sudden thought occurred to Gu Wan—
"The injury on Shen An's face... did you do that?"
Lu Yu's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Seeing his reaction, Gu Wan knew she had guessed correctly.
But weren't they friends?
Although she didn't know what conflict had arisen between them, Gu Wan roughly understood why Lu Yu had been so angry when he saw her with Shen An.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Given their status, for things to escalate to physical violence, one could imagine the grudge between them was not small. Her well-intentioned help must have looked like betrayal in Lu Yu's eyes.
Gu Wan apologized straightforwardly.
As she finished speaking, Gu Wan saw Lu Yu glance at her. It wasn't the look of forgiveness or unforgiveness she had imagined, but rather a kind of... sorrow?
At this moment, what exactly was making Lu Yu feel so sad?
Before Gu Wan could discern it clearly, Lu Yu had already averted his gaze.
"...It's not your fault. It has nothing to do with you."
Lu Yu clenched his jaw, refusing to reveal that the reason for their conflict was because he discovered Shen An's feelings for her.
The current Gu Wan had no such feelings for Shen An at all. Once he pointed it out, even Gu Wan wouldn't be able to treat Shen An normally anymore.
Regarding the specific reason, Lu Yu chose to keep his mouth shut.
Seeing that he didn't seem to want to explain, Gu Wan didn't pursue the matter further. She just assumed it was related to company business, like Shen An stealing his deals or something.
As for reasons related to feelings, Gu Wan hadn't even considered it. She wasn't money, after all – how could she be so likable?
It's important to know oneself. Even Lu Yu, who was with her day and night, didn't find her stirring emotions, let alone Mr. Shen, whom she only met occasionally.
Seeing that she didn't seem to take this matter to heart, completely unaware that it might be related to her, Lu Yu opened his mouth as if to say something, but the banquet hall was too noisy, and Gu Wan couldn't hear him clearly.
Lu Yu fell silent, lowering his gaze.
Afterwards, even though the banquet was clearly coming to an end, Gu Wan noticed that Lu Yu, who had only been drinking perfunctorily before, suddenly had a few more glasses.
Not just him, but even Shen An, who had returned later, seemed a bit off.
Neither of them spoke, especially not to each other. They just silently raised their glasses in front of them, causing those around to exchange puzzled glances. Their thoughts aligned with Gu Wan's, all assuming that the two had some business conflict.
Seeing this, Gu Wan frowned slightly and gently advised, "Drink less, or you'll have a headache later."
Shen An's hand, holding the wine glass, paused.
Although Gu Wan's words weren't directed at him, Shen An, who had gradually calmed down and realized his loss of composure, pressed his lips together and discreetly put down his glass.
Lu Yu, on the other hand, did the complete opposite, completely ignoring her advice.
However, no one knew what was really going through his mind, nor did anyone realize that Lu Yu had no interest in the wine glass before him at that moment. He no longer expected Gu Wan to lecture him earnestly as she had before; he just wanted Gu Wan to say one more thing, just one word, and he would obediently listen.
But Gu Wan didn't. She never did, right up until the end.
In Gu Wan's view, Lu Yu was already an adult. He should have an adult's mindset and self-control. Given their current relationship, she could offer a gentle reminder, but if he didn't want to listen, so be it. As for excessive drinking being harmful to his health, that was his own choice to make.
Gu Wan was no longer going to worry about his various behaviors.
Having come to this realization, Lu Yu, who had been relatively sober until now, suddenly felt drunk.
As the banquet ended, while Gu Wan was hesitating about whether to call up the driver, Shen An, who was only slightly tipsy, had already taken the initiative to support the silent and seemingly drunk Lu Yu.
Gu Wan was taken aback; even she didn't quite know what to make of this situation.
Sensing that the supposedly drunk man had momentarily stiffened, Shen An inwardly sneered. Others might not know Lu Yu's alcohol tolerance, but how could he not?
Taking advantage of Gu Wan reaching for her handbag, Shen An lowered his voice to a whisper only the two of them could hear: "You're being incredibly childish right now."
Lu Yu kept his eyes closed, not wanting to say a word to him, nor refute Shen An's statement. It seemed he was aware of how unreasonable he was being.
The next second, Lu Yu shook off Shen An's ill-intentioned support and, emboldened by the alcohol, brazenly leaned against Gu Wan.
Gu Wan was startled, but when the expected impact didn't come, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to let him be.
However, the stares from everyone around made Gu Wan extremely uncomfortable the entire way. Even she felt a bit embarrassed and couldn't help but push the seemingly unconscious Lu Yu.
"Hey, can't you walk by yourself? Everyone's watching!"
Lu Yu ignored her completely, and even went so far as to kiss Gu Wan's earlobe in full view of everyone.
Gu Wan couldn't help but let out a hiss, instinctively reaching up to cover her ear. Then she realized that the gasps from the people around them were much louder than hers. Zhong Yi, who was pretending to just be passing by, initially froze, then seemed to think of something and gave Lu Yu a meaningful look.
As for the girls who had been secretly inquiring about the couple's relationship status with Gu Wan earlier, their expressions changed repeatedly. After witnessing this scene, some were ready to give up on the spot.
Perhaps because Lu Yu usually gave the impression of being cool and composed, his recent actions were all the more shocking.
Now, who knows how many people would misunderstand the nature of their relationship.
Only Shen An pursed his lips, saying nothing, and walked away.
Gu Wan: "..."
Well, it's not like she was really part of this social circle anyway. As long as he didn't find it embarrassing afterward, what did she have to worry about?
Gu Wan maintained her composure as best she could, half-supporting and half-dragging Lu Yu into the car. When the doorman closed the car door, Gu Wan finally let out a sigh of relief.
Thinking back to what had just happened, she couldn't help but say, "Even if it was to dispel people's suspicions, you didn't have to go that far."
Yes, in Gu Wan's eyes, Lu Yu's sudden actions were meant to tell everyone that their marriage was fine, so the company wouldn't have any problems.
After saying this, Gu Wan turned to straighten her clothes, missing the increasingly fractured expression on Lu Yu's face.
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