From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

"Nobody can drive out tonight."

Gu Nanqiao put her phone back on the table; the lockdown notification on the screen was still lit up.

She clutched the car keys, the dampness on her clothes still lingering, and the back of her hand brushed against the rim of the cup, leaving a half-circle of watermark.

Lu Yunzhou looked out the window.

The streetlights on the other side of the river embankment were shrouded in a dim yellow glow by the rain, and the sound of traffic had long since ceased.

If they leave now, all three of them will have to wait for rescue if their wheels get stuck in the water.

"Okay, I'll stay."

After he finished speaking, he reached for his car keys.

Gu Nanqiao pursed her lips and looked away.

She wanted to ask about what happened in the pool, but the words caught in her throat.

Ye Zhiwei brought hot water from the kitchen, paused when she reached the table, and pushed the cup over after seeing that Gu Nanqiao was avoiding Lu Yunzhou.

"She already knows."

Ye Zhiwei said.

Lu Yunzhou raised his eyes: "Know what?"

Ye Zhiwei gripped the glass, her voice lowered: "The swimming pool. When she woke up, she saw you and me by the escalator."

The only sound inside was the rain.

Lu Yunzhou's Adam's apple bobbed.

He didn't chase after her or stop Gu Nanqiao at the time.

The guilt was laid bare on the table, and even tea couldn't suppress it.

She didn't ask me.

"She doesn't want to ask."

Ye Zhiwei brought the cup closer, tapping her fingernail lightly on the glass. "You two got the house together, and you even got the access cards together. She came out in the rain tonight and made herself very clear."

Lu Yunzhou didn't reply, pressing his hand against the gauze on his shoulder.

The wound had been soaked in rainwater, and it was throbbing inside.

Bai Zhi took out dry clothes from the inner room, and after hearing these words, she stuffed the clothes into Gu Nanqiao's arms.

"Change it first. If you want to argue, wait until the road is open tomorrow."

Gu Nanqiao stood up, holding her clothes, and paused for a moment as she passed Lu Yunzhou.

She looked up and met his gaze, then quickly looked away and turned to go into the bedroom.

Ye Zhiwei stood at the door with her arms crossed, the hint of probing on her face disappearing.

Lu Yunzhou could tell that she was also waiting for his decision.

"You'll all stay here tonight."

Lu Yunzhou said, "I'll sleep on the sofa."

You have injuries.

Ye Zhiwei frowned.

"You can sleep on the sofa too."

Bai Zhi leaned against the wall, raised her hand to touch her earlobe, and smiled: "You sure know how to arrange things. Two women in the bedroom, and you're in the living room. People will think you're here to be a maid."

Lu Yunzhou glanced at her and said, "If you're not satisfied, you can give me the sofa."

"That's wishful thinking."

Bai Zhi tossed him a dry towel. "In this room, the bed is mine, and the sofa is mine too. You can only sit."

Gu Nanqiao came out of the bedroom, already changed into Bai Zhi's long-sleeved clothes.

The clothes were a size too big, and the cuffs covered half of the back of my hand.

She was still clutching her laptop bag, her expression evasive. When she reached the stairs, Bai Zhi reached out to support her.

"Go upstairs to sleep."

Gu Nanqiao responded and didn't look at Lu Yunzhou again.

Bai Zhi helped her up the stairs.

When she reached the second step, she suddenly turned around and tapped the handrail twice with her index finger.

Lu Yunzhou raised his eyes.

That was Bai Zhi's secret signal to him, telling him to stay and wait for her to come down.

The sound of a door closing came from upstairs.

Lu Yunzhou sat on the sofa, picked up the hot water on the table, and took a couple of sips.

Because his right shoulder was difficult to raise, he could only use his left hand to open the medicine box and re-examine the gauze.

When Bai Zhi bandaged his wound, he didn't even flinch when the cotton swab pressed against it.

No one was speaking in the room at that moment, but the throbbing pain in my shoulder became increasingly clear.

He had just closed the medicine box when he heard footsteps coming from the stairs.

Bai Zhi changed into a loose black dress, her hair was already dry, and she stood by the lamplight looking at him.

She didn't call out to him, nor did she approach him. She simply withdrew her hand from the stair railing and gestured with her chin toward the sofa.

Lu Yunzhou got up and walked over.

"Is Gu Nanqiao asleep?"

he asks.

"She wasn't fast asleep."

Bai Zhi lowered her voice, "So be quiet."

After he finished speaking, Lu Yunzhou's gaze lingered on her face for a moment.

Bai Zhi reached out and grabbed his collar, using the leverage to sit on the sofa armrest, her knees touching his legs.

"You saved someone tonight, killed someone, and then took me home."

She looked at him. "So busy, how are you planning to collect the debts?"

Lu Yunzhou grasped her wrist: "Let's put the bill on record first."

You owe me even more.

Bai Zhi took a half step closer, the scent of soap mingling with the rain as she breathed into his mouth.

Her palm rested on his chest, stopping there through his clothes, without applying any more pressure.

Lu Yunzhou said in a low voice, "Are you sure you want to provoke me here?"

"Gu Nanqiao is upstairs, I'm downstairs."

Bai Zhi raised her chin. "The location is quite fair."

She spoke frankly, but her eyes swept towards the shadows on the stairs.

Lu Yunzhou followed her gaze and saw half of a snow-white cup protruding from behind the wooden railing.

Gu Nanqiao stood there with the water in her hand, her back against the wall, without making a sound.

Bai Zhi withdrew her hand, but did not back down.

She raised her hand and pressed it against Lu Yunzhou's chest, pushing him back onto the sofa, deliberately making her voice even softer.

"So what if you saw it? Why are you hiding?"

The cup behind the stairs wobbled.

As Lu Yunzhou stood up, Gu Nanqiao had already turned and gone upstairs.

She walked slowly, her footsteps echoing one after another, making it impossible to tell whether she was angry or simply didn't want anyone to catch up.

Bai Zhi tugged at Lu Yunzhou's sleeve and shook her head.

"Let her be alone for a while."

Lu Yunzhou turned around: "You knew she was there all along?"

"She always steps on the left-hand step first when she walks."

Bai Zhi loosened the hem of her clothes. "I've known her for far too long."

She brought the water glass on the table to her lips, took a sip, and her tone returned to normal: "Don't beat around the bush with what you want to ask. Bai Zhi is just the name I use at Night Flight Bar. My real name is Bai Wantang."

Lu Yunzhou looked at her: "Gu Nanqiao and Ye Zhiwei have known you for a long time too?"

Bai Wantang placed the cup back on the table, the bottom of the cup making a soft clinking sound.

"The three of us followed Sister Lan and lived overseas for several years. We ate from the same pot and hid from being hunted down together."

Lu Yunzhou remembered the name, and he also remembered the pauses in her words.

Bai Wantang was unwilling to say more, so he did not press her for the time being.

Just as she was about to grab the medicine box, her abdomen suddenly tightened, and her breathing stopped for a moment.

He placed his right hand under his ribs, and the smile on his face vanished completely.

Lu Yunzhou held her shoulder: "An old injury?"

Bai Wantang glanced at him for two seconds, then lifted a corner of her shirt.

There was a dark old scar under his ribs. The area beneath the scar felt hard to the touch, and several meridians were tangled together, making it difficult for even his internal energy to flow smoothly.

"Gunshot wound."

She said, "It's been many years, and I haven't died."

Lu Yunzhou placed his palm above her injury, and his True Qi of Creation probed into her through her meridians.

Bai Wantang's body tensed up first, then she leaned back on the sofa, a thin layer of sweat beading on her forehead.

"What are you doing?"

She asked through gritted teeth.

"I'll clear the blockage for you."

What will be the consequences?

Lu Yunzhou did not answer.

The true energy bypassed the old injury, suppressing the hardened mass that had accumulated over many years.

Bai Wantang's breathing gradually stabilized, but her hand gripped his arm, increasing the pressure inch by inch.

She seemed to want to push him away, yet she couldn't bear to part with the heat spreading from her abdomen.

In the shadows of the staircase, Gu Nanqiao revealed half of her face once more.

She glanced at their clasped hands, stood there for a moment with her water glass in hand, then turned and went back to her room.