NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36 - Scumbag at the Crematorium (9)
Upon hearing that, He Dongchen inwardly thought it wasn’t good. Sure enough, Gu Huan, who had been talking to his assistant beside him, immediately turned her gaze towards him.
“The house opposite?”
Gu Huan knew that in these past few days, there had been moving workers coming in and out of the house opposite. But she never expected that the person moving in would turn out to be He Dongchen!
This guy was at my place last night, wearing an ill-fitting bathrobe, and didn’t say a word about it! Quite adaptable, isn’t he!
He Dongchen touched his nose and explained, “I noticed the environment here wasn’t safe earlier, so I thought of moving here to be nearby.”
Gu Huan smiled ambiguously, “Someone last night said they wanted to see me and came over to try their luck.”
Feeling somewhat guilty, He Dongchen went over and hugged Gu Huan, attempting to play dumb and evade responsibility.
The two assistants next to them looked dumbfounded as they watched the tall figure of He Dongchen, who was over 180cm tall, hugging Gu Huan and acting cute!
“Who would’ve thought you’re such a bossy CEO! We thought you were elegant and aloof, cold and indifferent!”
Seeing the expressions of the two assistants, Gu Huan tried hard to keep a straight face, pushing He Dongchen’s big head to the side and gritting her teeth as she whispered, “Be careful, there are still people watching.”
The sharp-eared assistants immediately claimed they had a call to take and hurriedly left to avoid the situation.
With one in front and the other behind, holding their phones without even unlocking the screen, they were just going through the motions!
Distracted by the interruption, Gu Huan didn’t pursue the matter of the house any further. They both tidied up and went to work separately with their respective assistants.
Passing by the place where the accident happened last night, Gu Huan looked at the broken boards moved to the side of the road, her expression subtly changing. He Dongchen noticed this and suggested, “How about finding another place to live?”
Gu Huan shook her head, “I just received notice that the neighborhood has changed to a highly reputable property management. I think it won’t be as chaotic in the future.”
And this place is close to the police station too. Seeing how many police cars were here last night gives me a sense of security.
“Alright, then I’ll accompany you,” He Dongchen respected her decision and secretly gave her a good luck charm.
The four of them parted ways in the parking lot. He Dongchen was in a good mood, and his efficiency at work increased significantly.
The assistant responsible for driving glanced at the CEO’s wildly upturned mouth in the rearview mirror and thought, spring has come, and the scent of dog food is in the air.
(T/N: Dog Food = euphemism for PDA, to torture single dogs.)
He Dongchen moved to the apartment opposite Gu Huan’s, occasionally visiting her home, enjoying the neighbor’s large bed, making his days busy and fulfilling.
***
On the other hand, He Guanyun and Si Manman’s studio began to take off. He Guanyun discovered that He Dongchen had ordered not to provide him with resources, feeling frustrated and wanting to make a name for himself. Currently, he was focused on songwriting and not interested in romance.
Si Manman also landed a major role as the third female lead in a big production, joining the cast for filming. The two of them were in a sporadic communication state, which wasn’t ideal for a newly committed couple needing to nurture their relationship.
One day, after writing a few song lyrics over a cup of tea and a cigarette, He Guanyun felt restless and decided to go out for some fresh air.
As he was about to leave, he suddenly received a call from Xiao Tang. He hesitated for a moment but decided to answer it.
“Guanyun, help me!” The voice on the other end was frantic and chaotic, mixed with fear and helplessness.
He Guanyun’s face changed, quickly asking for the location.
“I’m at Cloud Club!”
The call ended abruptly.
Without further thought, He Guanyun put on his coat and hurried to Cloud Club. Upon arrival, he searched frantically and finally found Xiao Tang, drenched all over, in the restroom of a private room.
“Guanyun!” Xiao Tang’s face was flushed, and she threw herself into He Guanyun’s arms, holding onto him tightly like a drowning person clutching a lifesaver.
He Guanyun noticed something unusual about Xiao Tang, suspecting she might have been drugged. His face turned red with embarrassment and confusion. In the struggle, Xiao Tang’s seductive red lips brushed against He Guanyun’s chin, and with a bang, his mind went blank!
The club manager watched coldly from the side and suggested, “We have a suppressant here.”
He Guanyun immediately breathed a sigh of relief and had someone administer an injection to Xiao Tang.
Soon, Xiao Tang regained consciousness, her face flushed with embarrassment. “Thank you so much today, Guanyun. Without you, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
He Guanyun felt extremely uncomfortable all over, his gaze wandering.
Just as he was about to speak, the club manager interjected coldly, “We operate a legitimate establishment here and reject any illegal activities. Miss Xiao, if you encounter such a situation again, you can directly seek help from our staff.”
He Guanyun had caused quite a stir when he rushed in earlier, rummaging around. The manager’s expression would have been hard to read.
Xiao Tang glanced at the manager darkly, arms crossed, and pitifully said, “I was supposed to attend a dinner introduced by Miss Si tonight, and I didn’t expect this to happen.”
He Guanyun, who had been feeling embarrassed, suddenly looked up. “What did you say, introduced by Manman?”
Xiao Tang nodded, understandingly adding, “People aren’t always what they seem. Miss Si must have been deceived too. Luckily, it was me this time. If it had been Miss Si at the scene, who knows what could have happened.”
He Guanyun’s expression darkened. Si Manman was usually so cautious, having thoroughly vetted the directors and actors she worked with. How could she have misjudged someone so easily?
***
He Guanyun felt a mess of emotions. After escorting Xiao Tang back to her residence, he called Si Manman and demanded, “Who did you introduce Xiao Tang to? Do you realize how close we came to a disaster tonight!?”
Si Manman, who had just finished her day’s work, was puzzled. “What happened? Please explain.”
He Guanyun briefly recounted the evening’s events and concluded, “I know you want to please Big Brother and avoid me and Xiao Tang getting too close, but you can’t set people up like this! Tomorrow, you take a day off and apologize to Xiao Tang!”
Si Manman processed a large amount of information and felt chilled by He Guanyun’s attitude of convicting her without clarifying anything. Exhausted after a day’s work, she had no heart to explain further. With a blank expression, she said, “So this is what you think of me? That I deliberately harm others for my own selfish desires?”
She wanted He Guanyun and He Dongchen to have a good relationship, and she didn’t want He Guanyun meddling in Xiao Tang’s affairs. But she had never intended to harm anyone! To be blunt, what could a divorced woman like Xiao Tang, who isn’t exactly young anymore, possibly have that would be worth her scheming against?
He Guanyun frowned. “Man Man, if you’re wrong, you’re wrong. There’s no need to argue. Trust me, I will make up for it together with you.”
Si Manman hung up the phone directly, unwilling to talk to the fool anymore. She realized He Guanyun had a kind of sickness; an addiction to making amends! He was always sympathetic towards the weak, whether or not it was his fault, he would tirelessly make up for it.
***
On the other hand, He Dongchen’s assistant walked into the office and whispered a few words to He Dongchen.
He Dongchen raised an eyebrow slightly. Why couldn’t He Guanyun get around Xiao Tang?
He thought it was just a plot inertia and didn’t think much about it. He continued to work and occasionally made time to date Gu Huan.
He Dongchen was already 30 years old, and Gu Huan was not young either, at 27. After spending some time together, they found that they got along well, whether in daily habits or in their sexual lives. Therefore, they chose a day to visit each other’s parents.
He Dongchen made the decision on his own in the He family; He Guanyun didn’t pay any attention to that, while the Gu family had quite a few members: Grandfather Gu, Father Gu and Mother Gu, a younger uncle, an aunt, and six or seven cousins of Gu Huan’s generation.
He Dongchen had prepared a lot of gifts, but the dinner table was filled with toasts, and he ended up being drunk and supported upstairs by Gu Huan.
Once inside the room, He Dongchen simply hung onto Gu Huan, burying his face in her neck and smelling her lightly scented hair. He murmured, “I’m drunk.”
Gu Huan exerted great effort to push him onto the bed, standing with hands on her hips, looking down at him. “Stop pretending. I know your alcohol tolerance. Remember that dinner party where you single-handedly knocked out several business partners from Country E?”
He Dongchen laid on the soft bed, striking a seductive pose with one hand propping his head and one leg slightly bent. His gray suit was half-opened, outlining his toned muscles faintly.
He squinted slightly, his voice deep and husky. “I’m not drunk on wine, but on beauty.”
Gu Huan felt uncomfortable with his blatant teasing and hastily instructed him before leaving the room.
He Dongchen chuckled lightly, then got up from the bed and leisurely walked to the bathroom to freshen up.
After their formal visit, they frequently appeared together in public, and soon, both inside and outside their circles, it was known that the He Group and the Gu Family were intending to merge, causing a sharp rise in the stocks of both companies.
He Guanyun, as the younger brother, learned about it from others and was infuriated for a while, also feeling sorry for Xiao Tang.
***
“It’s only been a short time since his divorce, and my brother already has someone!”
Xiao Tang was also surprised. Wasn’t He Dongchen supposed to be married to his work for a lifetime according to the books? How did a merger suddenly come up?
However, despite her surprise, Xiao Tang didn’t dwell on it because she had noticed many things were different from the books.
For example, He Guanyun and Si Manman, this seemingly perfect couple, were now in a cold war.
When He Guanyun was frustrated with his writing, he would occasionally come to her for drinks and heart-to-heart talks. Their relationship was extremely delicate, constantly teetering on the edge of danger.
On one occasion, He Guanyun, in a mood, mistook Xiao Tang for Si Manman after drinking heavily. Xiao Tang had initially wanted to resist, but inexplicably thought of the high and mighty He Dongchen and Si Manman, fueling a desire for revenge, and ended up sleeping with him half reluctantly.
The next day, when He Guanyun woke up, he was struck by a bolt from the blue. He couldn’t even bring himself to look directly at Xiao Tang, hastily threw on his clothes, and fled in disarray.
As luck would have it, paparazzi from the neighborhood who were stalking other celebrities caught them in the act. Oh, those obvious love bites on their necks!
Initially, the paparazzi hadn’t paid much attention, since He Guanyun, the musical prodigy who had recently gained some attention with a hit song, quickly faded into obscurity. But when they connected the dots with his companion; Hey hey, Si Manman, who was supposed to be his official girlfriend, was busy filming on set. So who was He Guanyun rolling in the sheets with?
The paparazzi were suddenly energized, pulling out all the stops; investigations, digging up details. They discovered that the luxurious mansion where He Guanyun frequented was under his own name; definitely a wealthy person. And then they found out that the current occupant of the house was none other than He Guanyun’s elder brother, He Dongchen’s ex-wife!
This conclusion nearly drove the paparazzi insane!
[The musical prodigy cheating! His younger brother and his ex-sister-in-law! Secrets of a wealthy family! Any one of these was explosive news!]
The paparazzi were ecstatic, dancing with excitement as they penned several sensational reports to hand over to their editors.
***
Soon after, Gu Huan intercepted a piece of information from a friend at a high price.
After reading it, she was shocked for a moment, then silently forwarded it to He Dongchen’s email and dialed a number, her tone subtle. “I have a business deal to discuss with you.”
He Dongchen, suddenly receiving this call, found the words oddly familiar, sensing trouble brewing.
Had something gone wrong recently?
The system chimed in, adding fuel to the fire; [Boss, you’re in big trouble!]