Chapter 29

At 6:30 in the evening, Gu Wan finished dinner at the hotel restaurant. With half an hour left before the agreed meeting time, she prepared to leave.The bodyguard who had been observing for a long time finally couldn't help but advise, "It's too dangerous. Why don't you just not go..."

Gu Wan was certainly not someone without safety awareness. She only felt unconcerned because she knew someone was following her. If the two bodyguards weren't there, she certainly wouldn't have so casually agreed to an invitation from people she had just met on the street.

Moreover, she had seen Xia Xue and the others' student IDs today, which were undoubtedly genuine.

Hearing this, the bodyguard couldn't help but shout in his heart - that's not the kind of danger he meant at all!

Hadn't the madam noticed that some of the boys were looking at her differently? Especially the two who had actively offered to send her back to the hotel today - they clearly had ulterior motives.

However, as soon as the bodyguard tentatively voiced his suspicions, Gu Wan looked as if she was trying hard not to laugh.

In her view, there was nearly a ten-year age gap between herself and those young boys and girls. Today, she learned from Xia Xue and the others that they would be starting their sophomore year after the summer break, putting them at around nineteen or twenty years old. A ten-year age difference wasn't just something to be mentioned casually - while it might not seem like much on paper, in real life, it was an almost insurmountable gap.

In the eyes of society, even a man being ten years older than a woman was already quite difficult to accept. A woman being ten years older than a man was practically unheard of.

And societal views were always the hardest to overcome.

"They're just momentarily intrigued, and they can hear a lot of things from me that they don't usually hear about, so that's why they're so enthusiastic towards me," Gu Wan preferred to believe it was the investment information she shared that attracted them.

Looking at the madam who was completely oblivious to her own charm, the bodyguard was beyond just shouting in his heart now. He wondered just how negligent Mr. Lu must be in his daily life towards the madam, for her to be so unaware of her near-fatal attraction to others.

But considering that Mr. Lu had specially sent bodyguards to protect the madam, it didn't seem to fit.

And so, Gu Wan didn't take this little incident to heart. Thinking about how young Xia Xue and the others were, at an age when they loved to have fun and try new things, she stopped by a supermarket on the way and bought lots of snacks, all suited to young people's tastes.

When Gu Wan found the entertainment room in the hotel where Xia Xue and the others were staying, as soon as she pushed open the door, everyone's attention was drawn to her and the several bags in her hands.

Xia Xue had never felt that there was such a difference between students still in school and adults who had entered society. Of course, it was also possible that she was just different from other adults.

At the very least, Xia Xue wouldn't have thought to bring gifts for others in this situation, and most people who treated them like children and didn't take a group of kids seriously wouldn't have either.

Who wouldn't like a beautiful and kind-hearted big sister?

Everyone already had a good impression of her, and now they were completely won over by these bags of snacks.

Fortunately, Gu Wan still remembered to specially thank the two boys who had sent her and Beibei back to the hotel, so she gave them more snacks than the others.

This time, not just Xiao Chi, but even Gao Mingqian was taken aback.

Gao Mingqian suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable, along with a mix of shyness and embarrassment at being given special treatment. He thought to himself: Ha, it's just some snacks, it's not like he couldn't afford them.

But when Gao Mingqian reached out to accept them, he didn't hesitate at all.

After accepting, he felt a bit awkward, after all, he hadn't intentionally offered to send her back at noon.

But refusing would have seemed like making a big deal out of nothing, so in the end, Gao Mingqian awkwardly said, "Thank you."

Xiao Chi took a deep breath, silently telling himself that Gao Mingqian was just there to make up the numbers, so the only one truly being given special treatment was himself.

Xiao Chi couldn't help feeling a bit happy, his smile becoming even more radiant.

An Jinyue, who had been watching the whole thing, wished she could take out a pen and write down everything she was seeing.

Since it was an entertainment room, the hotel had of course set up many entertainment-related things inside, such as the most common mahjong and poker, followed by popular board games, Werewolf, murder mystery games, and Three Kingdoms Kill.

This was Gu Wan's first time playing Werewolf, and also the first time she had been invited to play it.

Seeing that the beautiful older sister who had been so knowledgeable about various industry information at noon didn't even know the rules of such a simple game, everyone was surprised at first, and then they all began to explain the rules to her.

Xia Xue wasn't quick enough and was once again intercepted by Xiao Chi, which made Xia Xue so angry she wanted to hit someone.

Xiao Chi's voice was clear and concise, and in no time at all, Gu Wan understood seven or eight tenths of it. As for the effect, they would have to wait and see during the actual game.

When everyone got their cards, they saw that her expression hadn't changed at all, so they didn't think much of it. It wasn't until several rounds had passed, the good team was completely wiped out, and the game ended that everyone was shocked as they began to review the game. They discovered that Gu Wan had been holding a bright red werewolf card in her hand.

Seeing everyone's dumbfounded faces, Gu Wan couldn't help but laugh, "I just hadn't played before, it doesn't mean I don't know how to lie. You'd better be careful from now on."

Xia Xue murmured, her face full of disbelief, "You've got to be kidding..."

She clearly had a face that looked incapable of lying, but when it came to it, she could lie as easily as breathing. seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Gu Wan's face rarely showed a hint of craftiness, but even when she tricked everyone in the game, no one could get angry at her.

Xiao Chi, sitting two seats away, saw this scene and his heart couldn't help but start thumping.

In the next few rounds, Gu Wan used half-truths and half-lies to confuse the others, making them unsure whether to believe her or not.

Moreover, her psychological quality was excellent, and coupled with her very deceptive face, she didn't show any signs even when she got the werewolf or god cards throughout the entire evening. The words she spoke made even those most skilled at the Werewolf game unable to distinguish truth from lies, leaving them only able to cry foul while being mercilessly voted out by their ignorant teammates.

Everyone: "..."

Damn, they were impressed.

It wasn't until late at night, around eleven o'clock, that Gu Wan started to feel tired, even though the young people were still full of energy, looking as if they wouldn't stop until they were fully satisfied. She secretly marveled at how she was only in her twenties herself, equally young, but the gap between her and them was just too big. She had no choice but to bid farewell.

Seeing that she was about to leave, Xiao Chi, who didn't feel sleepy at all and could usually stay up all night without any issues, immediately put down his cards.

"I'll walk you back," he said.

Then, seeming to realize his tone was a bit too eager, he hurriedly added, "The street lights went out half an hour ago, it's not safe for you to go alone."

Upon hearing this, the rest of the group started cursing in their hearts. Damn, this guy really had ulterior motives. It wasn't just their imagination at noon.

However, Gu Wan knew someone was following her, so she initially didn't plan to accept. But before she could respond, Xiao Chi had already stood up on his own.

Gao Mingqian's hand holding the cards paused for a moment.

The tall and long-legged boy who often exercised at school indeed gave a sense of security, immediately causing the others who were also eager to try to give up the idea.

Gu Wan quickly left the entertainment room filled with laughter and chatter, accompanied by Xiao Chi.

As soon as they walked out of the hotel's main entrance, Gu Wan felt the sea breeze blowing towards her, and suddenly felt a bit cold.

But before she could express this, an oversized sun protection shirt worn by the boy was draped over her shoulders. Although Gu Wan wasn't short, she still couldn't quite fill it out, and the hem of the shirt immediately slid down to her knees.

Gu Wan hadn't even noticed when he had taken out the sun protection shirt, or if he had been wearing it during the day.

But Gu Wan didn't think too much about it, she just smiled and thanked him.

"...You're welcome, it's nothing," he replied.

The night was too dark for Gu Wan to notice the young man's uneasy expression.

After the two left, Gao Mingqian inexplicably began to feel distracted. He suddenly lost interest in continuing to play. After saying goodbye to the others, he came to the sofa and couldn't help but lean back, only to belatedly realize that something seemed to be missing from the sofa.

Wait, where did his jacket go?

On the other side, since the two hotels were close to each other and it was already quite late, when the young man beside her proactively suggested taking a walk, Gu Wan thought for a moment and decided not to call a car. After playing for several hours, her legs had become stiff.

The two walked along the coast, their ears filled with the sound of waves crashing one after another. Xiao Chi quickly found a topic of conversation.

"By the way, how's Beibei? I noticed it seemed pretty tired today. Is it okay?"

At the mention of Beibei, Gu Wan didn't hesitate to continue the conversation.

"It's fine. Beibei's just getting old and can't keep up with the energy like before. It's probably still sleeping at the hotel now."

The two quickly began exchanging dog-raising experiences. Before she knew it, Gu Wan learned that he also had an elderly dog at home, which he had rescued years ago. He seemed to have even gotten a beating for it, which reminded Gu Wan of how she had to beg her parents for a long time before Beibei was allowed to stay at home.

Gu Wan soon discovered that he was a very caring and enthusiastic young man. He spoke about dogs with great experience and familiarity, clearly someone who had been personally taking care of the dog at home rather than leaving it to others.

Later, with Xiao Chi's subtle probing, since it wasn't a secret, he soon learned that Gu Wan seemed to be looking for a diving instructor.

However, she had just arrived, and there were so many training institutions by the sea that she didn't know which one was more reliable.

Hearing this, Xiao Chi blurted out, "Don't look for anyone else. I can teach you!"

Gu Wan was stunned by his words, probably not expecting that the young man in front of her was also skilled in this area. She had thought that when others said he was good at sports, they meant basketball or football or something similar.

Not just Gu Wan, even Xiao Chi couldn't help but feel that the diving certificate he had obtained last summer had really come in handy. Fortunately, he had specifically brought his diving certificate with him on this trip to the seaside.

Xiao Chi's brain was working at high speed. He never knew he could remember those diving knowledge so clearly, it was like reliving the day of the college entrance exam.

As Xiao Chi explained, Gu Wan had to admit that his fundamentals were indeed solid.

The instructor she had been desperately seeking had fallen from the sky, which meant now all that was missing were two sets of diving equipment. Given this, what reason did she have not to agree?

Seeing that she had thought for a long time and finally nodded, Xiao Chi's eyes became bright and shiny.

He had even made up his mind to stay up all night reviewing diving knowledge when he got back. Otherwise, what if she asked a question he couldn't answer?

Even after safely escorting Gu Wan back to the hotel, Xiao Chi was still in a state of extreme excitement. For a moment, he couldn't help but want to jump into the sea and swim a few laps right away.

A young person's joy is always so swift and intense, with overflowing enthusiasm that seems to melt a person, completely unable to conceal it.

The bodyguard who witnessed this scene, however, looked pale.

Meanwhile, in City A—

The light on the top floor of the company was still on until now. After finishing another document, Lu Yu belatedly felt that his throat was a bit dry.

After getting himself a glass of water, he showed no intention of going home and made do with sleeping in the room behind the office.

It wasn't until the next morning when Lu Yu got up that he felt his head was a bit hot.