C9 Chapter 9

“You!” Zimu’s face flushed bright red as she slapped him across the cheek. She scrambled up from the floor, retreated to the corner of the elevator, and shook with anger, her expression turning icy. “Stop following me!”

What was he, some kind of stalker? No matter where she went, he always managed to find her—and then wreck whatever she was trying to do.

Something that should’ve taken a few minutes turned into an hour, sometimes even an all-day ordeal, all because of him.

Yanjue looked wronged, a gloomy, wounded air settling over him. With his shaggy hair hiding most of his face, only those flirtatious, almond-shaped eyes showed. “Zimu… it’s dangerous for a girl to be out and about. I’m going to be your bodyguard.”

“No.”

“You’ve seen my build.” As he spoke, Gu Yanjue started to pull off his shirt to prove it. “I’ve got an eight-pack. Go on, feel it… isn’t it hard? Look—”

“Get out!” Zimu’s face went flat with disbelief. She didn’t want to keep arguing with him.

Gu Yanjue immediately shrank into the opposite corner of the elevator, biting his lip, eyes glossy like he was about to cry.

He looked like she’d just dumped him.

Zimu stepped out of the elevator, then after a moment, came back, grabbed him by the collar, and hauled him out.

“I must’ve stolen some family heirloom in a past life, because in this one I get punished by you, you idiot—sleeping is a luxury.”

“Heh… so does that mean you like me too, Zimu?” Gu Yanjue’s eyes lit up, practically sparkling. He was genuinely in a great mood.

Zimu stopped short and shot him a razor-cold look. “No. I’m just taking care of a patient.”

“And I already like someone. He’ll be back soon.”

In October, it would make two years. After two years in the military, Lian Chi would be coming back.

Just thinking about it made her feel warm and giddy.

Even if this guy looked exactly like the jerk from her past life, it didn’t change the fact that he had money.

After being pushed around for so many years, it was time to collect a little interest.

How are you supposed to live in a world where money disappears the second you get it if you don’t have any?

She still had to split rent with a roommate just to afford a nice apartment in the Zizhu complex!

“Zimu... my heart hurts.”

That airy little line yanked Yang Zimu right out of her daydream. She immediately shook off Gu Yanjue’s hand from her collar—still putting on that fake heartbroken act—and strode forward.

Gu Yanjue chased after her, not letting up. “Zimu, wait for me... I’m starving... I haven’t eaten all day!”

Neither had she. She’d spent the whole day dealing with City A’s underworld.

From revealing the Heart of Flame, to getting hunted down by that bunch, to turning around and bringing them under her control.

It took brains and effort—and she even had to demonstrate her “skills” for them for free.

Without something you’re truly good at, it’s hard to win people over.

No matter where you are, having people at your back gives you confidence when you move. Yang Zimu had understood that early on, back when she’d been a princess of a fallen dynasty. It was just that she’d run into a trash man and a trash woman, and that was how she’d ended up with such a miserable outcome.

There was no going back. As for everything from her last life, Yang Zimu had already told herself it was in the past. This time, she had to live even brighter, even happier than before—otherwise, what was the point of getting a second chance?

“Fine. Come on—I’ll take you to eat.” Yang Zimu pursed her lips, stopped where she was, and waited for Gu Yanjue to catch up.

Gu Yanjue’s hair was a mess, sure, but his worn-out clothes were still washed clean, and his room was kept spotless. If he’d just cut his hair and showed that devastatingly handsome, almost unreal face—

The girls on the street would probably faint.

Yang Zimu had met a man who looked just like him before—only cruel and overbearing—so she’d long since built up an immunity to this kind of face.