Chapter 1028: What Other Disguises Do You Have?
He Yidu suddenly realized that Lin Shuang was certainly ride-or-die buddies with Gu Mang.
He sat on the stool with his long legs a little restrained and he looked at the Mala skewers that were being cooked in the black claypot on the small table in front of him. "…"
Disposable bowls and a cheap disposable pair of chopsticks.
"Cheap" was written all over.
There were young couples and married couples chatting away and eating around them. They were all in a pretty good mood.
He Yidu realized that ever since they met Gu Mang and Lin Shuang, they have all become rather… down to earth…
The two of them looked a lot more eye-catching than the rest.
A young lady took a photo of them secretly from the side but He Yidu just gave a quick glance and said nothing.
Lin Shuang knew that a rich Young Master like He Yidu would look down on the idea of having a meal like this, so she pulled up the handle of the beer cans and placed one in front of him with a loud thud. "Have some drinks if you don't feel like eating."
He Yidu looked up and eventually picked up the disposable bowl. Then, he picked up a few pieces of beef slices which looked pretty fake.
"You don't look like someone who'd come to such a place." He Yidu said and took a bite. The meat quality was bad and it was also spicy.
"I go everywhere." Lin Shuang tied her curly hair up casually and picked up slices of meat in the pot.
He Yidu took a bite and he could not handle the spiciness, so he drank some beer.
He looked at how she panted and gasped for air, yet she could not stop eating, and he said, "Consume less of that. Junk food isn't good for your health."
"I know. Junk food." Lin Shuang looked up and smiled at him. Her lips were really red and she looked a little devilish. "But it's really satisfying. Just like f*ckboys, although they're trashy, they are satisfying. Who doesn't want to date f*ckboys? Similarly, who doesn't love junk food?"
He Yidu stared at her.
Lin Shuang looked at He Yidu's speechless state and her smile widened. Then, she looked down and continued to eat.
"You…" He Yidu suddenly spoke. "Know quite a lot about these things. Have you experienced them personally?"
Dating a f*ckboy?
Lin Shuang raised her eyebrows. "I may not have seen pigs running around, but I've tasted pork."
He Yidu understood what she meant. There was a smile in his eyes behind the gold rimmed glasses. "Do you want another plate of meat?"
"Sure." Lin Shuang continued to battle with the extremely spicy meatballs in the pot.
The two of them ate for over two hours and the small table was filled with beer cans.
Although Lin Shuang said that it was going to be her treat, He Yidu would never let her foot the bill.
He footed the bill for everyone who ate at the stall, just like how she usually liked to.
As such, when the two of them left, the boss and lady boss stared at their backs with an expression in their eyes that said 'are the two of them crazy?'.
They got down from the curb.
He Yidu looked at Lin Shuang's side profile and maintained a gentlemanly distance with her. "Are you feeling better now?"
As he spoke, he walked to the left and let Lin Shuang walk on the inner side.
Lin Shuang nodded. "Is there anything that we can't get through after a couple of drinks and a hearty meal?"
She dug for her cigarette box in her pocket and noticed that there were only two sticks left. There happened to be a convenience store in front of them.
"I'm going to get a box of cigarettes." Lin Shuang walked towards the convenience store.
He Yidu followed.
When they eventually stepped into the convenience store, Lin Shuang took a few cans of beer and checked them out with the cigarettes.
He Yidu showed the cashier his mobile payment code.
The cashier's eyes kept going back and forth between the two.
After packing the items into plastic carriers, the two of them left the store.
There was a movie on the big screen at the mall across from them. Lin Shuang walked over to the steps and sat down, then she opened a can of beer with one hand, and drank while watching a science fiction movie.
He Yidu did not express contempt about the floor being dirty either. He just sat beside her in silence.
He still maintained his good distance with her. "Don't drink too much or you might not be able to return later."
Lin Shuang tugged at the handle of the can. She had actually drunk a lot when they were eating just now, so while she watched the movie at this moment, her vision was a little blurry.
But she felt that He Yidu was the only person among the three of them who had not turned out to be different from whom they seemed to be.
Just as rumored, he was a well-mannered gentleman. "He Yidu, if your company requires any assistance for your projects, I won't charge you a fee."
When the man heard this, he laughed. "What needs to be paid must be paid for. I can't let you work for free. Otherwise, how can I explain to that person called Gu Mang?"
Lin Shuang thought about it. True, how would Gu Mang sit back and watch her provide free labor?
"Oh." She responded. She lost the slightest bit of wariness she had left around him.
He Yidu saw through everything.
Lin Shuang squeezed the emptied can and opened another one. She gulped it down and looked at the huge movie screen in the shopping mall that was across from them. "This is a pretty good movie."
An hour later, there was a pile of empty crushed cans.
Lin Shuang let out a long sigh and stood up. "Nice! Let's head back."
She got up a little too quickly and seemed to not have stood firmly. She swayed around as if she was about to fall.
He Yidu reached out and wanted to help her but he realized that she had found her balance.
"Let me pick up the trash." Lin Shuang never looked drunk when she was. She seemed normal, and she bent over to pick up all the cans.
But her head was heavy and she fell face down. She quickly reached her hands out reflexively to support herself from the ground.
When He Yidu saw her like that, he reached out to hold her up by her shoulders. In a heavy voice, he said. "Stand well, I'll clean them up."
He placed the cans into bags and threw them into a recycling bin.
When he turned around, Lin Shuang was staring at him intently like a fox.
He Yidu was sure that she was drunk but he wasn't sure if Lin Shuang had the habit of blacking out when she gets drunk.
He walked over. "Where are you staying? I'll send you home."
Lin Shuang thought about it for three seconds before she answered. "I stay at Hotel W."
"Let's go, I'll send you back." He Yidu looked at her. "Can you walk?"
Lin Shuang nodded in slow response. "I guess."
He Yidu hummed in acknowledgment and he did not support her. He just let her walk in the inner side of the pathway.
"What's with that fiancé of yours?" He pretended to ask about it inadvertently.
Lin Shuang stuck both of her hands in the pockets of her coat and she looked down. After the drinks and the good impression that He Yidu gave her on that night, she became more chatty. "Oh about that. My Mom made the choice when I was younger. I don't even know how he looks now."
"Have you guys not met up in a long time?"
"Yeah." Lin Shuang lit a cigarette. "For about one… two… three… four… years. Anyway, for a pretty long time."
He Yidu felt his mind loosen. "It's been so long. Aren't you afraid of having to marry him? He's no different from a stranger."
Lin Shuang laughed. "I don't want to, but someone does. I simply refuse to give in to her."
She said in a vengeful tone.
He Yidu did not get who that 'someone' was.
His attention was all drawn to Lin Shuang saying that she 'didn't want to'.
…
Hotel W was nearby.
Ten minutes later.
He Yidu parked his car at the entrance of Hotel W and he looked at the passenger seat beside him.
Lin Shuang was silent for the entire trip. It seemed like the alcohol had gotten to her and her eyes were slightly opened.
He Yidu wondered if she could make it into her own room.
"We're here…" Lin Shuang glanced at the imposing entrance of the hotel and pushed the door open to get out of the car. Then, she said, "Thank you, Sir."
He Yidu stared at her.
Is she taking him for a driver?
He Yidu watched as she entered the hotel. She walked quite unstably and she swayed around a little.
He took off his glasses and rested his arms on the window. He recalled what she had said and he smirked. "So that's what she meant by 'fiancé'."
He thought she had a great relationship.
When Lin Shuang could no longer be seen in the hotel, he looked away and started the engine. He was in a rather good mood.
Just then, he noticed from the corner of his eyes that there was a black backpack under the passenger seat. He stared blankly.
It belonged to Lin Shuang.
He Yidu took his phone out and made a voice call to Lin Shuang.
It was picked up rather slowly. "Lin Shuang speaking, who's this?"
The man answered, "He Yidu."
Lin Shuang was struggling to open the door. She turned the doorknob hard but she could not unlock it. "He Yidu, have you left? I can't return. I can't hold it in anymore, I'm about to throw up…"
Click! Click! Click! He Yidu heard the sound of her turning the doorknob.
He looked at her bag and knew that her room key must be inside there.
Just then, there was a serious voice from the hotel staff, "Miss, this is 1608. Did you go to the wrong room?"
Lin Shuang reeked of alcohol and she was mistaken for going to the wrong room.
But even if she was drunk, how could the mighty veteran, Nine Tails, from the Shadow League forget where she stayed?
He Yidu took the bag, got out of the car and went straight into the lift to head to Room 1608.
When he arrived, Lin Shuang was having an argument with the hotel staff.
"I stay in this room."
"Miss, if you lost your room key, please follow me down to the front desk with your ID."
"I…" Lin Shuang's head hurt really bad from the alcohol.
"Did you lose your ID as well?" The hotel staff asked. "Then you can just show me anything that can prove your identity. We will report it to the police for you later on."
"There's no need for that." He Yidu walked over.
The hotel staff turned around.
He Yidu gave Lin Shuang the bag. "Get your room key."
Lin Shuang took it and searched through her bag. She could still recognize the room key and she took it out.
Seeing what had happened, the hotel staff smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, have a good rest. Call the front desk if you need any assistance."
He Yidu nodded and turned to Lin Shuang. She stuck the card below the doorknob several times but she still could not unlock the door.
She was really quite drunk.
He Yidu took the room key from her hand. Beep! He swiped the card and turned the doorknob. "Go in."
Lin Shuang took her bag and staggered in.
He Yidu followed her and watched as she threw her bag on the floor upon entering. Then, she walked to the bed and threw herself on it and she stopped moving.
He was silent for a few seconds and he glanced around the room. He saw some small bags of tea leaves and small bags of honey, and he walked over.
He made her a glass of honey water to cure her hangover, and brought it to her, "Lin Shuang, drink up."
She could still respond to him. When she heard her, she sat up, took the cup from him and gulped it down as if it was beer.
"Don't drink so hard." He Yidu said.
After finishing it, Lin Shuang gave him the cup. Just as He Yidu received it from her, he saw her covering her mouth forcefully and said indistinctly. "I'm going to throw up…"
She stood up and wanted to run to the washroom.
But she got up in such a hurry that she bumped into He Yidu and fell back onto bed. She covered her mouth hard.
When He Yidu saw this, he immediately put the cup down and carried her towards the washroom in big steps. He even looked down and threatened her, "Hold it in. If you throw up on me, I'll…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Shuang retched.
He Yidu froze.
A mixture of the spicy skewers and the beer that she had had that night went all over his chest.
The strange smell rushed into his nose.
…
At the clubhouse.
Around eleven, everyone was ready to leave and return to their homes.
Qin Fang was in luck and since he won a lot tonight, he felt refreshed. He walked to Ji Heng, "Where is Old He?"
Ji Heng answered, "He had something on so he left first."
Qin Fang frowned. This was the first time that He Yidu had left in advance and it was also the first time that he did not bid him goodbye.
What happened?
They didn't have much work lately and there was nothing going on in the He family either.
Yun Ling put on his coat and looked at them. "Have you guys seen Lin Shuang?"
They all shook their heads.
Ji Heng said, "Ms. Lin went out for a call and she never returned."
This was the first time that Yun Ling had experienced something like that. Lin Shuang did not tell him that she had left.
Qin Fang suddenly thought of something and he looked at Ji Heng with a terrified expression. "Did the two of them go out together?"
Ji Heng thought about it. "I think so."
Yun Ling realized it too.
He immediately made a call to Lin Shuang.
She did not pick up very quickly. When the line got through, a man's voice was heard. "Hello?"
That voice was exceptionally familiar.
Yun Ling's heart skipped a beat and he suppressed his tone. "He Yidu, where is Lin Shuang?"
There, He Yidu looked down at the vomit on his chest and then at Lin Shuang who had taken off her dirty coat and was lying in bed. "She's asleep."
"He Yidu!" Yun Ling growled. "What did you go to Lin Shuang?!"
The yell made He Yidu move the phone away. Then, he put it back by his ear. "She drank too much so I sent her back. She's fine."
"Lin Shuang's drunk? But why are you with her?!" Yun Ling blew up. He had just watched his big boss get married today, and now another person was going to be taken by someone from Red Flame. He was so angry, his brain could be damaged!
He Yidu felt really uncomfortable with the dirty shirt on so he did not waste anymore time. "She's fine, I'm hanging up."
When Yun Ling heard the cold and busy tone over the phone, he was confused.
When Qin Fang heard Yun Ling call out He Yidu's name, he felt that his world had fallen apart and he began to doubt life.
Old He and the rich lady…
What about him?
He has no partner now?!
Yun Ling was so mad that he wished he could go to He Yidu with a knife and stab him. He glared at the phone. "F*ck!"
When Qin Fang heard this, he turned to Yun Ling and realized that they were both on the same boat. He cried out miserably, "Butterfly, it's just the two of us now."
To outsiders, Yun Ling was known as the 'social butterfly' of the Shadow League.
Being called 'Butterfly' by Qin Fang all of a sudden made his face turn black. "Butterfly my *ss."
…
In Lin Shuang's room.
Only Lin Shuang's coat was stained with vomit. When she took it off, there was nothing inside.
He Yidu only had a shirt on. Now that it's dirty, he could not leave even if he wanted to.
He sighed and went to have a shower in the bathroom. Then, he put on a bathrobe.
As he put on the belt of the bathrobe, he walked out. He saw Lin Shuang sitting in the middle of the bed and staring at him without even blinking. Her seductive face was really cold and beautiful at the moment.
He Yidu stared at her.
He was afraid that she might have been mistaken about something.
He Yidu tried to explain. "You vomited on my shirt. I will get my assistant to send some clothes over later, then I'll leave."
Lin Shuang did not answer.
He Yidu continued, "Go to sleep. Have a shower when you wake up tomorrow."
"I want water." Lin Shuang ordered.
He Yidu poured her a glass of water and watched her finish it. "Have some rest, I'll shut the door well when I leave."
He put the cut down and pulled the quilt aside so she could lie in it.
When He Yidu was about to switch off the lights around the bed…
"He Yidu." Lin Shuang suddenly called out. She watched as the man turned his head around. She was lying on her side. She stared into his eyes and smirked. "Do you know how good I am in bed?"
When the man heard this, there was a buzzing sound in his head.
Lin Shuang was beautiful and very open-minded. She had dated others before and He Yidu would not be surprised if she had been intimate with them.
But this was what happened in the past. In the future, she would not have the chance to.
"How so?" He Yidu thought that she was giving him an invitation so he sat by the bed. His eyes were really deep and dark and he asked.
Lin Shuang laughed and answered. "I can lie in bed and play with my phone for one whole day without eating or drinking anything."
With that, she raised her eyebrows and gave an expression that said, "Don't you think I'm amazing?"
He Yidu stared at her.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over something that was burning in his blood.
…
The next day.
At about seven o'clock, Gu Mang opened her eyes and frowned. She wanted to keep a distance from Lu Chengzhou.
Behind her, the man noticed her intentions. He tightened his arms around her waist and said by her ear. "Don't move."
Gu Mang pursed her lips. "We have to return to Changning County to pay respects to Mom and Dad."
"I've got it all settled." Lu Chengzhou dug his face into her neck. "We will leave at 10 and arrive by 2."
The capital was quite a distance from Changning County.
"Let me sleep for a while more." Lu Chengzhou held her hand and rested them on her abdomen.
"Okay." Gu Mang responded.
…
Around 9am.
Lan Sha came to the Lu Manor with Gu Si from Xishan Villa.
There were only busy servants in the main hall.
Gu Si looked at Butler Lu. "Where's my sister?"
Butler Lu answered respectfully. "Young Master Lu and Madam are still asleep."
Gu Si looked at the clock in the living room. "Still asleep?"
It's already 9am.
Butler Lu served the two of them tea. "Madam must be very tired from the wedding yesterday."
Gu Si saw how cumbersome the procedures were yesterday. Lu Chengzhou removed a lot of unnecessary steps but during the wedding, there were still too many procedures.
"Alright." Gu Si looked at Lan Sha. 'Godfather, let's wait a while more. Let my sister have a little more rest."
Lan Sha nodded.
Butler Lu took some snacks over and placed them on the coffee table. He even took a few magazines along.
Gu Si played games at the side.
Lu Chengzhou and Gu Mang only came down from upstairs at 9.40am.
"Godfather." The two of them greeted each other in unison.
Gu Si greeted them too obediently. "Sister, Brother."
Lu Chengzhou patted him on the head.
Lan Sha put the military magazine down and looked at Gu Mang who was wearing a vintage red sweater and smiled. It was rare for her to wear that. "Let's eat before we go."
Gu Mang nodded.
Lan Sha and Gu Si had already eaten but since they were following Gu Mang and Lu Chengzhou, they had some food too.
They all finished their breakfast.
They went straight to Lu Chengzhou's private airport, and the private jet flew directly to the airport which was nearest to Changning County.
This was the latest private jet that Lu Chengzhou had.
The furnishings in it were so luxurious that they were scary. The technology was also the most advanced.
Before Gu Si had seen much of the world, he used to wear clothes from street sellers which cost less than a hundred.
But ever since he went through training and working as the Director of Jijing Island, his life had taken a qualitative leap from a beggar to an emperor.
He was very calm even when he saw Lu Chengzhou's luxurious private jet.
Gu Mang got on the plane and responded to the messages on her mobile phone. After returning to the capital, she did not return to Capital University immediately, so the school was urging her to do so.
Also, while she was at Jijing Island for those months, there were a lot of matters that were waiting for her to be handled.
She really wasn't kidding when she told Lu Chengzhou that she might not have the time to get married back then.
Lan Ting showed her the samples of the spring and summer designs to be released, and Gu Mang made some comments as usual.
A message from X Sound Factory: [Boss! Your fans are pressing you so hard! They want to hear your elegant and amazing voice!]
Gu Mang: [Daddy retired long ago.]
X Sound Factory: [Daddy! Please return!!!]
Gu Mang: [I'm busy now.]
After exiting the chat, Gu Mang replied to a lot of other messages.
When Lu Chengzhou saw that she was even busier than him ever since they got on the plane, he was rather silent.
When she had slowed down at replying to the messages.
Lu Chengzhou fed her a piece of fruit. "Madam, are there some things that you haven't fully told me about?"
When Gu Mang heard this, she stopped in her tracks. Then, she chewed on the fruit a few more times and swallowed it. "What?"
Lu Chengzhou fed her another piece. "What other disguises do you have? Isn't it time that you be honest with me?"
Gu Mang raised her eyebrows. "What about you? What other assets do you have under your name? Isn't it time for you to be honest with me as well?"