Chapter 11: Big Brother, Are You Confessing to Me?
Manager Liu walked up to Shen Xi, bowed slightly, and respectfully said,
"Madam, Mr. Gu has been waiting for you for a long time."
All eyes in the room turned to Shen Xi. That’s when people noticed, standing right here in the lobby was an absolutely stunning woman with both elegance and beauty.
A few people even gasped in surprise. But what shocked them the most was Manager Liu’s attitude. After all, as one of the top figures in Yunding, he had significant influence in Su City.
Not far away, Lin Yueyue’s gaze was filled with jealousy and resentment, sending a chill down Shen Xi’s spine.
Seriously? I was just standing here quietly, and I still managed to attract this much hate?
Shen Xi frowned slightly. “How do you even know I’m the one you’re looking for?”
Manager Liu smiled kindly and answered with the same respectful tone,
"Sir said, 'The most beautiful one must be Madam.' And now that I see you, I can tell he wasn’t wrong. Madam, you truly stand out. Only someone like you is worthy of Mr. Gu."
Shen Xi’s lips twitched at that response.
"Wow, how flattering. Thanks a lot, I guess?"
Manager Liu stepped aside and gestured towards the elevator. "Please, Madam."
The surrounding crowd instinctively moved aside, forming a clear path.
At that moment, Shen Xi felt like she wasn’t walking towards an elevator. She was ascending a throne.
There’s a saying: If you can’t resist, you might as well enjoy it.
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture and walked forward with composed elegance.
All eyes followed her as she moved. People were dying to know who she was, but the grace and confidence she exuded made it clear. She was someone of extraordinary status.
As she passed by Lin Yueyue’s group, Shen Xi didn’t stop but slightly tilted her head and nodded in a polite, elegant manner.
Shi Jingyan opened his mouth as if to say something but remained silent. He had already guessed that the person on the top floor had to be that Mr. Gu from the Gu family. After all, in Su City, who else could command this level of treatment?
Even so, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated, as if his beautiful fiancée was being forced into another man’s arms.
Lin Yueyue, on the surface, looked calm and composed, but under her dress, her hands were clenched into tight fists. Her perfectly manicured nails dug deep into her palms, gripping so hard that her skin turned pale.
Meanwhile, on the top floor, a man watched everything unfold on his phone screen. A faint smirk appeared on Gu Hanling’s lips as he chuckled softly.
"Interesting little one."
Inside the fast-rising elevator, Shen Xi suddenly recalled something from the original story.
The Starry Sky restaurant on the top floor… wasn’t this the place where the male and female leads confessed their love?
"No way… NO WAY! Is Big Brother about to confess to me?! How am I supposed to reject him without getting myself killed?"
"Calm down, Shen Xi. That can’t be it. Maybe he’s just… not into that sort of thing? Haha, I’m totally overthinking this."
She stared at the elevator panel as the numbers climbed higher and higher, but her heart only grew more uneasy.
Ding—
The elevator doors slid open. She had reached the top floor.
Stepping out, she saw four men in black suits standing on both sides of a grand, tightly shut door.
One of them stepped forward and said, "Madam, this way please."
A moment ago, walking into the elevator felt like ascending the throne.
But now… it felt like walking straight to an execution.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.
The moment she entered, she was stunned by the restaurant’s breathtaking design. The ceiling was crafted from massive glass panels arranged in a semi-circle, showcasing the deep, endless night sky. It felt as if the entire Milky Way had been pulled into the room.
Lowering her gaze, Shen Xi suddenly felt relieved.
Gu Hanling wasn’t waiting for her with some romantic confession.
He was just sitting there… eating.
Alone.
And judging by the mostly empty plates, he had been eating for a while.
See? She totally overthought this. Who starts a confession by stuffing their face with food? Right?
As she approached, the man looked up at her, his expression calm.
"Sit. What’s wrong? Seeing me is that hard for you?"
Shen Xi sighed, looking somewhat dejected.
First, she was starving.
Second, she had assumed he invited her for a meal, so she hadn’t eaten beforehand.
Now, looking at the table full of exquisite dishes… with only leftovers remaining…
…This man really didn’t wait for her, huh?
"I'm in the lobby. I ran into Jingyan. He brought that woman with him. They were planning to eat here, but you stopped them downstairs."
In front of Big Brother Number One, she had to keep up the act of a devoted lover. If she slipped up, there'd be no reward.
"Then… I suppose I can make an exception and let them up."
"Hey, no, please don’t! The moment I see him with another woman, my heart aches so much I can’t breathe. I don’t want to see them."
Shen Xi clutched her chest, looking utterly heartbroken.
No way can she let them meet! Her treatment of Shi Jingyan was different from what she conveyed to Gu Hanling. If they met and compared their perspectives on her, she'd be doomed! Gu Hanling mustn't know the truth.
"So, Big Brother, just let me move back into the villa, okay? Pretty please?"
Seizing the moment, she let her eyes well up with tears, looking up at him with a pitiful expression.
Gu Hanling calmly wiped the corner of his lips with a napkin, his every move carrying an air of natural elegance and nobility.
"Three conditions."
Hearing that, Shen Xi’s teary eyes instantly lit up. She quickly sat up straight, all traces of sadness gone, looking like an obedient little child.
"Big Brother, forget three conditions, even eight or nine, I’ll absolutely follow them!"
The man glanced at her with an unreadable smile, but his eyes remained as cold as ever.
"Don’t do anything strange. And don’t think that moving into the villa means you can start getting any ideas."
Gu Hanling was always wary of women who tried to get close to him. His marriage contract with Shen Xi was just a way to deal with a certain woman he was bound to encounter at the Gu family estate tomorrow.
Hearing this, Shen Xi internally scoffed.
Me? Falling for a man? Liking this ice-cold Gu Hanling? What a joke!
Even if the world ended, meteors crashed into Earth, and the entire universe exploded, I, Shen Xi, would NEVER fall in love with a man!
"Don’t worry, Big Brother. My heart will always belong to Shi Jingyan. Even though he has a girlfriend now, I won’t give up! So there’s absolutely no way I’ll ever bother you."
"If I ever do… may lightning strike me five times in a row, and may I be reborn as a man!"
Gu Hanling studied her. Her expression was firm, her words sincere. She really did seem like she meant it. He gave a slight nod.
"Let’s hope so."
With that, he pressed the service bell on the table. Several female attendants entered, swiftly clearing the table and replacing the dishes with an array of exquisite new delicacies. Among them was one particular dish, an exact replica of the one she had eaten the most back at the villa.
Two of the attendants stepped forward, each holding a wooden tray. One tray carried an elegant, custom-made vintage cheongsam, and the other held a set of precious jade jewelry designed to match it.
Gu Hanling stood up and gestured toward the trays.
"Madam, after you eat, go to the room downstairs and try it on. If it doesn’t fit, they’ll alter it overnight."
"You’ll be staying here tonight. We leave tomorrow morning."
Since there were other people around, Shen Xi nodded obediently without saying much.
Gu Hanling waved his hand, and the attendants immediately understood, quietly exiting the room.
"Tomorrow… you might have to endure some grievances. These are a little compensation for you."
For the first time, there was a slight softness in his tone.
Looking at the lavish gifts, Shen Xi was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected Big Brother Number One to be so considerate toward his stand-in Mrs. Gu.
Thinking back to her past life, where bosses exploited their employees and clients made unreasonable demands, she figured, what’s a little more hardship compared to that?
"Big Brother, don’t worry! Mission will be completed without fail!"
With a whimsical, somewhat clumsy salute, Shen Xi bid him farewell. Gu Hanling showed no reaction, simply turning toward the door.
But if one looked closely… there was the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.
"The surveillance cameras are off now. I don’t like being watched while I eat. I assume you don’t either."