Chapter 7: Scumbag on a Date—Do Not Disturb? Gu Yichen stared fixedly at those five characters. Heh, excellent! Su Nian had hung up on him twice and then replied to his text with outright provocation. Hadn't he already coaxed her into a good mood before leaving this morning? Why was she throwing a tantrum again? Did she think he would keep coaxing her over and over? It was fine to be a little willful, but there had to be limits. Gu Yichen's expression darkened, his voice turning cold and heavy.

"What is it?"

Across the desk, several managers straightened their spines and reported one by one.

"…The SD chip development is complete; during the adaptation and trial period…"

The atmosphere was so oppressive that the technical director stumbled over his words, his face paling. Yet the expected "death glare"

never came. To his surprise, he saw Gu Yichen resting his forehead on one hand, his gaze distant, as if lost in thought. Not only did the managers reporting notice, but even the assistant serving tea could sense it: Gu Yichen seemed distracted, and his work efficiency had dropped significantly. A pleasant ringtone sounded. Gu Yichen frowned slightly, irritation flickering in his eyes, but when he saw the caller ID, his features softened. His voice grew gentler.

"Wanrou?"

"Yichen, good morning."

Shen Wanrou smiled lightly, a hint of playfulness in her tone.

"Ziyan and I spontaneously decided to take a walk on the beach. Would we have the honor of inviting the esteemed Young Master Gu to spare some time from his busy schedule to be our chaperone?"

On the other end of the line, Gu Ziyan excitedly called out, "Brother, hurry up! Wanrou-jie and I are waiting for you."

"Send me your location. I'll come pick you up," Gu Yichen replied straightforwardly.

He closed his laptop, his thoughts drifting, and suddenly Su Nian came to mind. The reason he and Su Nian had ended up in this situation was that snowy night when he was twenty-one, when she had abandoned him to save herself. Coincidentally, the reason he had grown close to Shen Wanrou was also because of that same snowy night; if Shen Wanrou hadn't saved him, he would have died. * "Ah, it fell!"

Su Nian cried out urgently. The wind on the beach was strong. On a whim, Su Nian had bought a kite and was now barefoot in the golden fine sand, flying it to relieve stress.

"Pull the string quickly,"

Shen Yuhuan reminded with a smile. From childhood, Su Nian's extracurricular studies had always been artistic pursuits like piano and painting; this was her first time flying a kite. Though not yet skilled, she was clearly enjoying herself. Only after working up a sweat did she return to the shade of the sun umbrella, her small face flushed from the heat. Tang Shi leaned in and whispered into Su Nian's ear, "Nian-nian, Shen Yuxi is so aloof. Truly a conversation-ender. He's too hard to conquer. How about your Shen Yuhuan? You two seem to be having a great time together."

Su Nian shot her a glare and chided softly, "Don't talk nonsense."

Ever since they first met, Tang Shi had secretly told her that the twin brothers would be split between the two sisters, one each.

"I'm serious," Tang Shi said, her eyebrows dancing with amusement.

"Seeing how unfortunate your marriage is, who would dare to get married? I'd rather raise a young 'wolf-dog.' I'll be his sugar mama; he'll coax and curry favor with me. When I get tired of him, I can just pay him off and send him away."

A sudden pang of pain struck Su Nian's heart. Indeed, her marriage had become a cautionary tale.

"Nian-nian,"

Tang Shi realized her slip of the tongue and quickly changed the subject.

"Shall we go play in the water? Come on, let's find a place to change first."

Su Nian nodded, her smile somewhat forced.

"Yuxi, Yuhuan, do you have swimsuits?"

"Yes, we do," Shen Yuhuan answered promptly with a bright smile.

Su Nian returned the smile, then turned to Shen Yuxi.

"Then let's go find a place to change."

The Romantic Coast boasted breathtaking scenery, with crystal-clear azure waters. It was an exclusive playground for the upper class, a pristine natural beach maintained annually with substantial funding. Watching the retreating figures of Su Nian and her friend, Shen Yuhuan shook his head.

"Women these days… They claim to like 'milk dogs' or 'wolf dogs,' but deep down, they're all drawn to dominant CEOs and ice-cold types."

"Hmm?"

Shen Yuxi raised an eyebrow.Shen Yuhuan glanced sideways, the smile on his lips as flamboyant as fire.

"Can't you tell? Tang Shi wants to keep you as her sugar baby. Don't make that face; at least when you stand there, someone wants to sponsor you."

He stretched lazily.

"As for me, I rack my brain trying to cheer people up, yet my status still can't compare to yours. Just say a name, and Su Nian always calls yours first."

"You dragged me here,"

Shen Yuxi frowned slightly. In recent days, the genius criminologist known by the codename "Judgment"

had struck again, this time in Yucheng, keeping the entire criminal investigation brigade busy. Shen Yuhuan draped his elbow over his shoulder, his smile enigmatic.

"I saw how overloaded you've been lately, so I pulled you out to relax. Work and rest must be balanced."

Suddenly, a terrified scream echoed from afar. Shen Yuxi's gaze instantly sharpened; his athletic figure moved like a leopard as he immediately rushed toward the source of the sound. Su Nian was just reaching the dressing room door when the sudden shriek made her heart skip a beat. Puzzled, she felt a gust of wind rush past her side as someone hurriedly burst into the room, their arm accidentally brushing against her. The impact knocked Su Nian forward; she barely managed to grab the doorframe to steady herself.

"Wanrou?"

Gu Yichen's voice sounded urgent. Su Nian froze completely, turning to look in shock, her heart turning utterly cold. Gu Yichen had rushed from behind, bumping into her, his eyes and heart filled only with Shen Wanrou, completely oblivious to her presence.

"Yichen!"

Tears welling in her eyes, Shen Wanrou threw herself into Gu Yichen's arms. The usually noble and elegant goddess now looked pitiful and fragile after the fright, evoking instant sympathy. Gu Yichen comforted her, "Don't be afraid, it's over now."

His gaze swept around.

"Where is Ziyan?"

Su Nian's face turned pale; her nails dug into her palms as a sharp ringing seemed to echo in her eardrums, the surrounding scenery dimming before her eyes. Facing Shen Wanrou, Gu Yichen was gentle and patient—a warmth he had never shown her.

"Brother…"

Gu Ziyan's tearful voice came from inside the changing room. Gu Yichen frowned, his expression growing stern.

"What happened?"

Still holding Shen Wanrou, he approached, and upon seeing the situation inside, his complexion shifted slightly. The first to notice Su Nian was actually Gu Ziyan, who was being supported out, her body limp.

"Su Nian?"

She had never liked Su Nian since childhood; although she was Xu Qing's daughter, somehow Su Nian always received more favor from Xu Qing. Gu Yichen paused, lifting his eyes toward the doorway. Su Nian stood there expressionless yet strikingly beautiful. Taking stiff steps, she walked slowly toward Gu Yichen.

"Nian Nian?" Tang Shi called out worriedly.

Su Nian stopped right in front of Gu Yichen, forcing her eyes wide open, holding back the stinging heat of tears, as she watched Gu Yichen with his right arm around Shen Wanrou and his left hand supporting Gu Ziyan. While his hands were occupied, she raised hers and slapped him hard across the face.Author: Su Nian: You're just a masochist,simply asking to be slapped~