Before the drunkard’s hand could reach Luo Yunyan’s face, she swiftly caught his wrist in a firm grip.

Her eyes lifted, locking onto him with an icy stare.

The man, clearly startled by the coldness in her gaze, hesitated. Just as he opened his mouth to say something to bolster his courage, she twisted his arm behind his back with a sharp movement.

“Ahh! You little bitch! Don’t know what’s good for you, huh?! Do you even know who I am?! I’m Zhang Ming, General Manager of Xingyue Entertainment! Ever heard of Xingyue?! You should be grateful I took an interest in you!”

Zhang Ming groaned, his body bending awkwardly with the pain.

Luo Yunyan let go of his wrist.
Entertainment company manager? she scoffed inwardly. What, like one of those offline, untraceable ones?

Zhang Ming, thinking he’d intimidated her into backing down, straightened up.
“See? Got scared, didn’t you? Be a good girl and stick with me, maybe I’ll put you in the industry, get you to second-tier stardom or something.”

“Xingyue Entertainment? What’s that? Never heard of it~” Luo Yunyan’s lips curved into a bloodthirsty smile.

Then—bam!—she grabbed his greasy head and slammed it into the wall.

Zhang Ming saw stars.
“You—you crazy bitch! You’re dead! Just you wait—”

“Oh? Okay.” And then came another round.
Bam. Bam. Bam.

“Aghhh! It hurts! It hurts! Auntie, please, I’m sorry, I was wrong!” Zhang Ming collapsed against the wall, sliding to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Luo Yunyan bent down, wiped her hand on his hair slick with styling gel, and without even glancing back, said coldly,
“Enjoying the show?”

A low, amused voice came from the corner,
“Hey now, little miss… fighting’s not very nice, y’know.”

Luo Yunyan turned—and couldn’t help the sparkle in her eyes.

A man stood in the shadows, around twenty-four or twenty-five, with neatly slicked-back hair, striking features, and a pair of peach-blossom eyes that looked tender even when aimed at a stray dog. Right now, those same eyes were lit up with amusement as they watched her.

Her gaze dipped lower, to the simple black prayer beads on his wrist that made his hand look even more fair and slender.

Tsk. Damn. This man checks all the boxes.
Legs, waist… everything’s on point.

Gu Shilin, noticing her brief but heated appraisal, smiled slightly and took a step forward.

Just as Luo Yunyan was about to speak, Zhang Ming crawled toward the man like he’d seen his savior.
“President Gu! President Gu, help me! I’m Zhang Ming from Xingyue Entertainment! I just wanted to offer her an opportunity in the industry, and she attacked me without warning! Please, you must help me!”

Gu…?

As in the Gu family, on par with the Luos?

Recalling what her second brother had said earlier—”Gu-ge”—and the fact that Comet belonged to the Gu family, things clicked into place.

Interesting.

Luo Yunyan leaned against the wall, watching with raised brows as Gu Shilin said nothing.

Gu Shilin didn’t even look at the blob of man on the floor. Instead, he took a handkerchief from his suit pocket and handed it to Luo Yunyan.

“Next time, don’t get your hands dirty. It’s not worth it.”

Luo Yunyan looked at the handkerchief but didn’t take it.

“What, are you trying to cover for your employee?” she asked, tone dry.

Gu Shilin chuckled, clearly amused.
“You’re really good at twisting meanings, huh?”

He pulled out his phone and made a quick call.
“Send someone to the rooftop. Also, fire Zhang Ming from Xingyue immediately. Let it be known—anyone who hires him is going against both the Gu and Luo families.”

He recognizes me?

Luo Yunyan raised a brow.
“That’s a bit much, Mr. Handsome. Why drag in my Luo family?”

Gu Shilin blinked—Mr. Handsome?
This little marshmallow… really is a sucker for a pretty face, huh?

“My name is Gu Shilin.”

Huh? We’re quipping one second and exchanging names the next?

“Luo Yunyan.”

Gu Shilin offered the handkerchief again.
“Just figured the Gu family’s weight alone might not be enough. Miss Luo’s name adds credibility. Am I right to assume you’re satisfied with how I handled things?”

“Hmm… it’s passable, I guess. But my hand’s sore now, too tired to clean it. How about you do it for me?”

She held out her hands to him, fingers spread.

Gu Shilin paused, caught off guard.
“Miss Luo… that might not be very appropriate.”

“Oh, never mind then. I’ll clean them myself later.” She began to withdraw her hands.

He sighed—and caught her hand gently, then began to wipe each of her fingers meticulously.

Her hands were slim and soft, though a bit too thin. She needed to eat more.

At this point, if Zhang Ming still didn’t get what was happening, he really was hopeless.

He truly hadn’t recognized her earlier. He’d heard the rumors that the Luo family found their missing daughter, but he hadn’t seen the trending posts—who actually works during work hours anyway?!
Plus, who would’ve thought a real heiress would wear something without a single logo on it?!

Luo Yunyan (internally): Excuse me?! Bargain bin? My thirty-grand custom dress is a “knockoff” to you?

“Miss Luo! I didn’t recognize you! Please forgive me! It was all a big misunderstanding!” Zhang Ming grovelled, reaching to grab her leg.

But Gu Shilin sent a sharp kick his way.
“Shut up.”

Zhang Ming clamped his mouth shut instantly. One more word and he might end up permanently silenced.

Luo Yunyan gave Gu Shilin’s palm a light tap.
“That’s clean enough. Anymore and you’ll start rubbing the skin off.”

Her touch left a strange, ticklish feeling in his palm. Gu Shilin, strangely reluctant, let go of her hand.

“I was going to ask—”

“Yanyan? Why are you still out here?” came Luo Yunyi’s voice, interrupting.

Luo Yunyan casually walked over.
“Someone was being a bully. I was educating him.”

Gu Shilin watched her go, lips curled into a smile.
Marshmallow? Nah. Definitely a little fox.

Luo Yunyi recognized Gu Shilin and was briefly stunned.
“President Gu… sorry, I think my sister misunderstood something.”

Gu Shilin smiled gently.
“No worries. Probably just startled her. How about dinner sometime? My treat as an apology.”

“No need, Gu-ge. We’re picking up Xiaojin after school and heading home for dinner.” Luo Yunyi subtly pulled Yunyan behind him, protective.

Gu Shilin looked slightly disappointed.
“Alright, maybe next time then.”

“Thanks for understanding. We’ll head back now.” Luo Yunyi didn’t wait for a response and turned away, pulling Yunyan along.

As they left, Luo Yunyan turned her head, gave Gu Shilin a wink, and waved.

Heh. Gu Shilin smiled faintly.
Little marshmallow, you heartless tease.

Once the siblings were gone, his smile vanished. His aura sharpened.

“Drag him out,” he ordered.

The two guards—who had just watched their boss spend minutes carefully wiping someone’s fingers—breathed a sigh of relief and rushed to haul Zhang Ming away.

Gu Shilin toyed with the used handkerchief between his fingers, lost in thought, then turned and walked back to his office on the top floor.

Inside, Chu Moxuan, who had been buried in paperwork, looked up and moaned.
“Bro, finally! One cigarette break takes a whole damn hour?! What, you go home to smoke it?!”

Gu Shilin ignored him and sank into the couch.
“What time does your brother get out of school?”

(End of Chapter)