Chapter 31: I Promise You

Gu Nanyan’s pupils instantly widened.

She stared blankly at the handsome, cold man in front of her, her eyes filled with disbelief.

A passionate kiss…?

Is this the condition?

Could it… not be a favor?

Gu Nanyan tightened her fingers around the hem of her dress. The intensity in the man’s gaze was too overwhelming. She lowered her head, feeling nervous, and swallowed hard. “I… I promise you.”

Seeing Gu Nanyan agree, Shen Boyan slowly returned to his seat at the desk.

His fingers, well-defined and elegant, casually flipped open a document without looking at her. “Prepare the situation well, and I’ll notify you.”

“Okay.” Gu Nanyan obediently responded before leaving.

The night was dark, the wind gently brushing against the windowsill.

The sheer curtains fluttered lightly.

After looking at the documents for a while, Shen Boyan raised his sharp brows again.

He stared silently at the study door, his deep, phoenix-like eyes as dark as the ocean.

Gu Nanyan returned to her room, washed up, and lay in bed, tossing and turning, but she couldn’t fall asleep.

In her mind, Shen Boyan’s words kept echoing.

A passionate kiss…

She had always been focused on her career and had never been in a relationship.

She didn’t even know what love felt like.

But now, every word and action from Shen Boyan completely stirred her heart. Every accidental touch made her flustered, her heart racing, and her body tingling.

She didn’t know if this could be considered love.

Gu Nanyan tightly closed her eyes, trying to force herself to sleep.

After a few minutes, however, her eyes opened again.

Unable to sleep, she reached for her phone on the bedside table.

She logged into a medical discussion group she had created, where some members were still chatting.

They were all passionate about medicine, and two were debating a medical theory.

Gu Nanyan scrolled through the chat history and replied with a couple of sentences.

The two debaters immediately quieted down.

Liuxing: “Y Senior, your logic is so clear, right to the point.”

NB: “Y Senior, you don’t want to reveal your real name, but at least tell us your age. Are you over seventy? In this lifetime, we must meet!”

Over seventy?

Gu Nanyan felt speechless.

Did these people think she was some seventy or eighty-year-old?

Were they worried she’d die before they had a chance to meet?

Y: “Don’t worry, as long as you all live well, we will definitely meet in this lifetime.”

These people were all people she knew personally, so she knew their backgrounds.

The oldest one was probably in their fifties or sixties.

The youngest was her brother.

Liuxing: “From the way you’re talking, you’re not younger than us, right?”

Y: “Secret.”

SS: “Only women’s ages are secrets. Y Senior, are you a woman?”

Gu Nanyan: …

What’s going on with these people?

They started probing into her details after just a few sentences.

Y: “I’m going to sleep now. Good night, everyone.”

C: “Good night.”

Deep Abyss: “Good night.”

Gu Nanyan was about to close the app when she noticed these two usernames.

The “C” was her brother, Gu Nancheng.

And this “Deep Abyss” was the only person in the group whose background she didn’t know.

All she knew was that he was an outstanding medical genius from abroad.

But there was no public information about his identity online.

He was usually quiet in the group, but whenever they discussed medical topics, his arguments were always impressive.

Gu Nanyan closed the app, set her phone down, and turned over, facing the window.

Her room was on the second floor, and the curtains were open. From the bed, she could see the distant stars twinkling.

The night sky was so beautiful.

Just staring at the night sky, Gu Nanyan finally began to feel sleepy, and her eyes slowly closed.

Meanwhile, in another bedroom, Shen Boyan, dressed in a bathrobe, stood by the window, his dark, deep eyes quietly gazing at the starry sky.

His gaze was profound and deep, as if lost in thought.

His phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

Shen Boyan took it out calmly.

Ji Mingyu: “It’s settled. The day after tomorrow night, same place.”

Shen Boyan looked at the message for a few seconds before replying with “OK.”

He then put his phone away and continued gazing at the stars, his eyes even darker now.

The night was dark, casting shadows over his face, making it hard to read his expression.

Shen Boyan had arranged the situation.

Gu Nanyan immediately called Lu Wan.

“Nanyan, do you really think this will work?” Lu Wan hadn’t expected Gu Nanyan to come up with a solution so quickly. Though she was scared, she now had a glimmer of hope.

“Wan, you’ve never met him, and he doesn’t know what you look like. Usually, men judge based on appearance. If you give him a really bad first impression, he might take the initiative to break off the engagement. As long as he’s willing to break it off, your family won’t oppose it.”

Right now, this was the only solution.

Whether it worked or not, they had to try.

“Alright, I’ll make myself as ugly as possible. I’ll buy a bucktooth, a big mole, maybe even…”

“Don’t go that far.” Gu Nanyan was a bit exasperated. “If you make it too exaggerated, he won’t believe it. Just make it look natural. Paint your face darker, add some freckles, and wear exaggerated clothes. Don’t make it obvious that you’re trying to look ugly—just make it seem like you’re naturally unattractive.”

There were more people at the gathering than just Ho Beiting. If Wan looked too noticeably ugly, not only would Ho Beiting not expose it, but others would also point it out.

It had to be just the right amount of “ugly.”

Otherwise, if Ho Beiting got angered, it would all backfire.

“Got it. I’ll make sure he breaks off the engagement.”

Hearing Lu Wan’s confident voice, Gu Nanyan hesitated before reminding her, “But Wan, being dumped will affect your reputation. Are you prepared for that?”

The Lu family was well-known in Rong City. Wan was the fourth young lady of the Lu family, and if she were publicly dumped, she would surely become the topic of gossip.

Could Lu Wan handle that?

“Compared to marrying Ho Beiting, this is nothing,” Lu Wan had already made up her mind.

Gu Nanyan didn’t say anything further. “Then we’ll meet tomorrow night.”

“Okay.”

After Lu Wan confirmed, Gu Nanyan hung up the phone.

She set the phone down and, once again, her mind involuntarily recalled Shen Boyan’s words.

Her face flushed once again.

She quickly opened her computer to distract herself.

Some things were best left to unfold naturally.

At worst, she could… have a few drinks.

She should be able to kiss him to his satisfaction.

“Did you leave the prescription for the old lady at the house?”

Outside, the night was pitch black. The Rolls-Royce sped towards the bar.

Inside the car, Gu Nanyan was wearing a light-colored long dress, her delicate face naturally beautiful without makeup. She sat beside the powerful man, her small hands nervously clutching each other.

Shen Boyan, probably trying to ease the atmosphere, initiated the conversation.

He was wearing a black shirt, and his whole figure seemed to disappear into the darkness, making his cold face difficult to see.

As soon as Gu Nanyan heard him, her eyes immediately brightened, and she turned to look at him. “Has grandma used the prescription? Has her headache gotten any better?”