Lu Yan Yi didn't have classes tonight, so she was filling in for her roommate, Xu Ying, at Sheng Ming Villa, the city's most luxurious restaurant, working part-time as a server. Many female students from her school liked to work part-time at Sheng Ming. Firstly, the environment was quite good; secondly, the pay and benefits were high; and thirdly, there was an unspoken reason. Since Sheng Ming Villa was known as Shen Xia City's most luxurious restaurant, naturally, its patrons were either wealthy or influential. In this day and age, there were many girls who wished to "fly onto a branch and become a phoenix." They weren't criticized for it; after all, given such an opportunity, who wouldn't want to take advantage?
The manager here, of course, was aware of their little ambitions. When assigning tasks, he would make his choices accordingly. After all, the primary reason for having university students work here sounded a bit more "high-class." Who would want to do something unprofitable? Thus, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, a cooperation.
This wasn't Lu Yan Yi's first time here, and naturally, it wouldn't be her last.
Lu Yan Yi was covering Xu Ying's shift, responsible only for bringing wine into the VIP private room. In fact, someone else was supposed to serve wine to this VIP room, but the manager immediately changed his mind the moment he saw Lu Yan Yi. This made the server who was originally assigned to the VIP room resent Lu Yan Yi.
Lu Yan Yi didn't say much, simply followed the manager's instructions, though she understood perfectly well what was happening.
Accompanying Lu Yan Yi was Zhang Hua, another server from the restaurant. Zhang Hua had a cheerful personality and felt a little indignant seeing Lu Yan Yi put in an awkward position. "Just ignore Zhang Li," she said. "That's just how she is. She always hopes to get into the VIP rooms more often. Who doesn't know her little intentions?"
Lu Yan Yi smiled silently, carrying the wine in her hands, and let Zhang Hua lead the way.
As soon as the private room door opened, Zhang Hua apologized to the group. "Young Master Chen, Young Master Xia, I apologize for the wait."
The one called Young Master Xia chuckled. "It's fine if we wait a bit, but it's important not to keep *this* gentleman waiting."
Young Master Xia gave a knowing smile, then subtly gestured with his eyes towards the man sitting opposite him.
The man exuded a powerful aura. His gaze was subtly intense, his expression unapproachable. His features were exquisite, well-defined, with a hint of sensuality. He wore a custom-tailored suit, its price naturally beyond mention. He turned his head, exchanging playful smiles with a few girls, yet his expression remained blank.
Anyone who could make Young Master Xia defer to them must possess extraordinary status. Young Master Chen understood the situation and nodded at Zhang Hua. Zhang Hua immediately nudged Lu Yan Yi, signaling her to go offer a toast.
Lu Yan Yi glanced at the man, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, but still stepped forward and filled his wine glass.
Young Master Xia observed Gu Yun Tu's expression, then slowly said to Lu Yan Yi, "How about you have two drinks with our Boss Gu?"
The moment Gu Laodai’s name was mentioned, everyone present naturally understood Gu Yuntu’s identity. Gu Yuntu, the eldest son of the Gu family, had brought the family’s business into a glorious era after returning to the country and taking over the Beishen Group. Any jewelry released by Beishen was almost always snatched up by eager buyers. Its line of wedding rings had become the coveted engagement rings that unmarried men scrambled to acquire. Every necklace released onto the market instantly became a favorite among young women. In recent years, in Shenxia City, Beishen could be said to command the winds and rains, standing as the leading enterprise in the jewelry industry. And Gu Yuntu himself had become one of the most powerful figures in Shenxia. Because his second uncle’s son, Gu Yanzhe, was also an exceptionally intelligent young man, people referred to Gu Yuntu as ‘Gu Laodai’ and Gu Yanzhe as ‘Gu Er’. It could be said that in Shenxia City, everyone knew and understood this.
However, usually, one only heard his name but never saw him in person. Yet now, such a legendary figure had appeared right before her. Lu Yanyi ignored the gazes sweeping over her, carefully pouring wine into the glass.
Gu Yuntu touched the wine glass but didn't drink, only swirling it gently.
Xia Feifan and Chen Yiting both didn't quite understand Gu Yuntu's intentions. They exchanged a glance, unsure of how to break the silence.
Zhang Hua chuckled, then pulled Lu Yanyi closer. "Young Master Xia told you to drink, so drink up."
Lu Yanyi frowned, looking at the wine in Gu Yuntu's hand. She softly said, "I can't drink alcohol."
"Oh?" Gu Yuntu raised an eyebrow. His already refined face now possessed a captivating beauty that could make one lose their soul, extraordinarily handsome.
Zhang Hua stared blankly, while Lu Yanyi's expression remained unchanged. "I've already promised someone."
Young Master Chen furrowed his brow. "Who is so important that you refuse to drink just because they told you not to? If Gu Laodai tells you to drink, then drink. This is your job."
Lu Yanyi bit her lip, then looked at Gu Yuntu. Her eyes shone brightly. Gu Yuntu also looked directly into her eyes, then brought the wine to her mouth. "Do you want me to feed it to you?"
Xia Feifan and Chen Yiting were both shocked. In their view, Gu Yuntu was someone who strongly disliked physical contact with others and rarely initiated conversations, especially with strangers. But Gu Yuntu tonight seemed a little different. Could it be with this girl...?
Lu Yanyi pushed Gu Yuntu's hand away. "Boss Gu, you must be joking. I wouldn't dare trouble you. It's just that I really cannot drink alcohol."
Her action was extremely rude; almost no one dared to push Gu Yuntu's hand away. In others' eyes, she was utterly ignorant of what was good for her. But she understood that if she drank this glass of wine, that would truly be a sign of not knowing what was good for her. Therefore, she could only ignore the puzzled, even strange, looks of the others, and pushed Gu Yuntu's hand away.
On the contrary, Gu Yuntu wasn't angry. The corner of his mouth curved up as he drank the wine in his hand in one gulp. "Truly a person of principle."
Seeing that Gu Yuntu didn't seem intent on pursuing the matter, Zhang Hua secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She softly said to Lu Yanyi, "You must serve carefully; no one here can be offended." After saying that, she also went out.
Lu Yanyi sighed softly, refilling Gu Yuntu's wine. This time, she only poured half a glass. Gu Yuntu looked at her with a puzzled expression, his lips moving as if to speak, but he remained silent, then shifted his gaze towards Xia Feifan. Xia Feifan saw that he seemed interested in Lu Yanyi and signaled to another person. That person, receiving the hint, immediately went out.
Lu Yan Yi merely stood behind Gu Yun Tu, unable to understand the projects they were discussing, or something about going abroad. She had never been abroad in her life, hadn't even considered it. However, the last time she read in the newspaper about vast fields of tulips in the Netherlands, her heart still held a hint of longing. She was a little lost in thought, until Gu Yun Tu's glass clinked onto the table.
She became the center of attention again, but she didn't care. Normally, she might have felt embarrassed. But now, she felt nothing at all. She calmly poured him wine, though the wine in the glass seemed to be getting closer and closer to the bottom.
Xia Feifan observed Lu Yan Yi meticulously. She was a very beautiful girl, with a hint of sensuality in her purity, but there was still a definite gap compared to the diva Yun Chang. There were many girls more beautiful than Lu Yan Yi, but he had never seen Gu Yun Tu treat any girl as specially as he did tonight. He narrowed his eyes, looking at Gu Yun Tu with a hint of curiosity.
People said Gu Yun Tu was a playboy, but the one who could truly make him give his sincere heart had probably not yet appeared.
Lu Yan Yi didn't know how long she had been standing there, until Gu Yun Tu finally said slowly, "You can go now!"
Like an aloof, unapproachable emperor, she could only leave once he gave the order. Lu Yan Yi felt extremely indignant inside. This was status, this was position. Just thinking about it was infuriating, but she didn't dare show anything, leaving with a slightly dejected expression.
As soon as she was out the door, she let out a long breath, finally away from that place.
After a few steps, down the corridor, the manager stopped her, observing her from head to toe. "Yan Yi, I hear you've been looking for part-time work, is that right?"
Lu Yan Yi knew she wasn't familiar with the manager here; she looked at him suspiciously. "Yes."
"You must be short on money, huh?" The manager shook his head. "These days, there are really too few girls like you who support themselves through part-time jobs."
Lu Yan Yi frowned. "Is that so?"
"Girls like you usually don't need to work so hard for money anymore."
"What are you trying to say, Manager?" By now, Lu Yan Yi truly understood what the other person meant.
It turned out he was saying that one of the big bosses in the private room just now had taken a liking to her, and someone wanted to pay for her to accompany that big boss tonight. Only, this word "accompany" had a deeper, more sinister meaning. Lu Yan Yi felt disheartened. This big boss wasn't referring to Gu Yun Tu, was he? Her body trembled slightly.
Her expression wasn't good, and the manager couldn't help but observe her a few more times. "Name your price!"
Lu Yan Yi regulated her breathing. "I'm sorry, I'm only here filling in for Xu Ying today. My shift is over now, and I won't be doing any 'part-time' work."
The manager was stunned. He hadn't expected her to refuse. "The price is negotiable."
Lu Yan Yi was very firm. "I'm sorry, there's nothing to negotiate."
She was breathing rapidly, almost able to predict that she definitely wouldn't have a peaceful night. She could only pray for herself, hoping she wouldn't be too miserable, meaning a little miserable would still be acceptable. Soon after, she utterly despised herself. Why should she let herself be miserable?
Seeing Lu Yan Yi pass by, Zhang Hua immediately pulled her aside. "So, what did the manager say to you just now?"
Lu Yan Yi shook her head. "Nothing."
Zhang Hua clearly didn't believe it. "Even if you don't say it, I know. Boss Gu has taken a liking to you, hasn't he?" She saw Lu Dienyi's expression tense up slightly. "Don't be nervous, things like this happen all the time here. It's nothing. Have you agreed yet?"
Lu Dienyi shook her head.
Zhang Hua was puzzled. "Why? Do you know how many people want to be in his bed? Unfortunately, they never get the chance."
As soon as Lu Dienyi heard this, goosebumps immediately broke out all over her. Her body couldn't help but tremble. "Is he really that popular?"
"Of course, he's the top diamond bachelor in Shenxia. So many women dream of marrying into wealth and becoming a phoenix. Unfortunately, Gu Yuntu is very private about his personal life, and I've never heard of him having a girlfriend."
Lu Dienyi shook her head. "Why would he need to tell everyone if he has a girlfriend?"
Zhang Hua gave a strange laugh. "Oh, forget it. Men like him are just playing around anyway." She glanced at Lu Dienyi, thought of the earlier interruption, and changed the subject. "But I've heard for a long time that he and Yun Chang are involved. They're both so good-looking, they make a perfect couple."
"Oh, have they gone public with their relationship?"
"Not yet. But the media has been photographing them together for a long time. Usually, 90% of the gossip the media puts out is true."
Lu Dienyi nodded. "That's true."
Zhang Hua looked a little downcast again. "I used to hear that Gu Yuntu was a notorious playboy, involved with many women. But now he seems to have become a discreet, good man. Perhaps he's with Yun Chang and wants to settle down."
Lu Dienyi pouted, clearly disdainful. "How do you know Gu Yuntu isn't with other women?"
Zhang Hua shook her head. "Starting two years ago, besides the news of Gu Yuntu being with Yun Chang, there's been absolutely no news of him with other women. Where would these 'other women' come from?"
"Even if there were, you wouldn't know."
Zhang Hua laughed. "Kid, you're just jealous that Yun Chang managed to tame such a handsome and rich man, aren't you?"
Lu Dienyi pressed her right hand to her forehead. "Yeah, I'm super jealous."
Zhang Hua didn't pay attention to her attitude. "What happened just now definitely wasn't Gu Yuntu's idea. It must have been something his two best friends asked him to do. So, don't think that Gu Yuntu is always messing around with women. I even heard another strange story about him before!"
This time, Lu Dienyi was genuinely a little curious.
Zhang Hua whispered, "I heard that once someone drugged Gu Yuntu's drink, but he was incredibly tough. He didn't let the other person get their way and endured it..."
Lu Dienyi shook her head; she didn't believe it one bit, not at all.
Finally, work was over. Lu Dienyi's steps grew slower and slower. She didn't want to face tonight at all.
Stepping out of the bar, she looked around. The person who worried her wasn't there. She quietly patted her chest, thinking she could just call a car home.
Just as that thought popped into her head, a car quickly pulled up beside her.
Her body stiffened. She watched as the other person rolled down the car window. "Lu Dienyi, you're playing hard to get more and more these days, aren't you? Do I need to invite you into the car?"
Lu Dienyi's expression hardened. She looked at Gu Yuntu's face. "I have a lot of classes these days."
Gu Yuntu let out a cold snort. After she got in the car, he sped away.