C10 Chapter 10

That man—just thinking about him now—was enough to make Yang Zimu feel that raw, flayed kind of pain all over again.

All of a sudden, someone grabbed her arm. Gu Yanjue blinked those bright, flirtatious eyes, hope written all over his face. “Zimu... I want to eat there.”

The place he meant was a newly opened upscale Western restaurant in the Splendid Garden complex downtown. She’d been there once before—the food was pretty good, and the staff had been polite.

“Fine. I haven’t eaten here in days, either.” Yang Zimu patted her wallet and walked in with a twinge of reluctance. Gu Yanjue chuckled and followed right behind her—only to be stopped at the door.

“This isn’t a place for you!” Two male servers in black suits each grabbed one of Gu Yanjue’s arms, ready to toss him out. “Go somewhere else!”

Gu Yanjue froze for a second, then howled like a wounded animal. “Zimu! Zimu, help! They won’t let me in!”

“Who says he can’t come in?” Yang Zimu had already stepped inside, but she turned back at the sound of his voice and walked out again. Her slender hand closed over the server’s wrist—there was a faint crack, and the man yelped, instantly letting go of Gu Yanjue.

The other server, seeing that, hurriedly released Gu Yanjue’s shoulder in alarm.

Inside, the hostess quickly called for the manager, afraid things were about to blow up.

“Ma’am, we do have a policy here,” the manager said. He was a thin man in his early thirties, with a close-cropped haircut, a narrow face, and sharp eyes. “I apologize for the inconvenience, but this gentleman...”

He pointed at Gu Yanjue, trailing off.

Yang Zimu was in a simple white dress—plain at first glance, but clearly not cheap. The man with her, on the other hand, looked disheveled. Even if his clothes were clean, they didn’t look like they belonged in a place like this.

“Forget it. We’ll go somewhere else.” Yang Zimu held out her hand, and Gu Yanjue immediately, eagerly placed his big hand in hers. “Mm-hmm... I want to eat with Zimu. If they won’t let me, then we’ll go somewhere else.”

The manager was stunned—she was really just leaving like that?

Watching the two of them head into the restaurant across the street—the one that had been going head-to-head with theirs—made him so mad he practically stomped his feet.

What made it worse was that the staff over there still treated Gu Yanjue politely. Not a trace of contempt in their eyes.

Gu Yanjue ordered a plate of pasta, while Yang Zimu went with a steak. While they waited, she turned on the TV in the private dining room, and a news segment immediately caught her attention.

“The CEO of RY Group has been missing for over three months. Many suspect a kidnapping or that he may have died... Police are now involved and are searching for relevant evidence...”

The report went on and on, but Yang Zimu only caught the important parts.

RY Group—wasn’t that the multinational company where Huang Canxin and Xiaoli worked?

Their boss was missing?

How was she only hearing about this now?

Gu Yanjue had been watching her the whole time. When he saw her eyes brighten—almost sparkling with the glow of money—he couldn’t help but smile a little. “Zimu, are you thinking about doing something shady again?”

“Me? No way. I’m sweet and harmless. How could I be plotting anything?”

Yang Zimu flat-out denied the absolutely wild idea that had just flashed through her mind.

After they finished eating, Yang Zimu stood on a crowded street and frowned at him. “Go home by yourself. Stop following me!”

Gu Yanjue closed his eyes and shook his head—once, twice, then again. “Zimu, I told you I’d protect you.”

“I don’t need your protection!” Her gaze sharpened. She turned and slipped into the crowd, disappearing from sight in seconds.

Gu Yanjue rubbed the back of his head, the corner of his mouth lifting as he let out a quiet snort. “And she still says she’s not off to do something bad.”