A flush of shame inexplicably rose within Qin He. She clenched her fist, casting a look at Gu Qichen, wanting him to leave.
"Sir, have you mistaken me for someone else? I'm not some CEO Qin."
A subtle glint flickered in Gu Qichen's dark eyes. "CEO Qin, when did you get this tattoo? It looks good."
Qin He gritted her teeth. Wasn't Gu Qichen smart? Why was he so obtuse now? Didn't he see the look she was giving him?
Yan Chen looked at Gu Qichen, surprised that even he couldn't hold back.
He chuckled. "Qichen, I rarely come to Qingcheng. I was just planning to find you."
Qin He's brow suddenly furrowed. "You know each other?"
"Miss Xu, Qichen and I are like brothers," Yan Chen said with a hint of malice. "But why is he calling you Miss Qin? Isn't your surname Xu?"
A thought flashed through Qin He's mind, leading her to a conclusion: she had been tricked!
Since Yan Chen was Gu Qichen's brother, he must have recognized her from the start!
And yet, this man watched her with faux innocence, enjoying her act!
Qin He clenched her fist. Considering the baby in her belly, she suppressed her anger.
She shot Gu Qichen a cold glare. "Hey, is this fun for you?"
Gu Qichen pursed his lips, offering his first explanation. "I just accompanied Yan Chen on a blind date, I didn't expect it to be you."
Qin He's demeanor had completely changed. She put on her coat and picked up her bag.
Wrapped in a storm of anger and chill, she glared fiercely at Gu Qichen and Yan Chen, then turned to leave.
Yan Chen looked innocently aggrieved. "She's so fierce."
As he spoke, he felt the air turn freezing. He turned to look at Gu Qichen.
His brother's eyes were dangerously cold!
"What, what's wrong?"
Gu Qichen felt a surge of emotion stuck in his chest, unable to escape. Thinking of Qin He's expression as she left, he strode out purposefully.
He finally caught up to Qin He at the restaurant entrance.
"Gu Qichen, do you need something?" Qin He coldly tried to bat his hand away.
But Gu Qichen's grip on her wrist was tight. "This has nothing to do with me."
"Yes, you were just watching the show." Qin He gritted her teeth. She knew she had been in the wrong first, but for some reason, she felt angry, feeling like she had been played.
A car drove by. Gu Qichen's expression turned serious as he pulled her a step closer, his voice deep. "Stop this nonsense."
Qin He pursed her lips. "Fine, I admit defeat on this matter. Can you let me go now?"
Gu Qichen didn't release her hand. His dark eyes lowered, fixing on Qin He. "Why did you impersonate Xu Wanwan for the blind date?"
What if the man on the blind date actually fell for her?
Qin He pursed her lips. Thinking of Gu Qichen's relationship with Yan Chen, she suppressed her anger. "Xu Wanwan is my future sister-in-law!"
Gu Qichen finally understood. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "I will resolve this. I'll tell Yan Chen to tell the Xu family that he wasn't interested in Xu Wanwan."
Qin He narrowed her eyes. Was this man really that kind?
However, the anger in her chest subsided.
"I understand. Can you let me go now?"
Gu Qichen released her hand and watched as Qin He got into her car and left.
The touch of her wrist seemed to linger on his fingertips. Her wrist was slender, her skin so delicate it made him feel a pang of tenderness.
Yan Chen had also followed them out. "Brother, you—"
He turned, his expression indifferent. "Yan Chen, when you return to the Yan family, tell them you weren't interested in Xu Wanwan and have already refused."
Yan Chen's eyelids twitched. "Impossible! My grandfather values this blind date so highly. If I say that, he'll personally administer family punishment! You've seen how brutal the Yan family's punishment whips are!"
Gu Qichen pursed his lips. "I'll provide you with the building for your bar in Qingcheng."
Yan Chen: "And the equipment?"
"That's covered too."
Yan Chen calculated on his fingers. This would save him tens of millions.
Tens of millions for a few dozen lashes... it seemed bearable.
"Fine, I'm agreeing solely based on our brotherhood!"
After leaving the blind date restaurant, Qin He went straight home. She used water to remove the tattoo sticker, then took off her makeup.
After coming out of the bathroom, she received a call from Xu Wanwan.
Xu Wanwan's voice was excited. "He'er, you're amazing! I heard that Yan Chen was very unhappy with the blind date. My parents were furious, and Elder Yan beat him severely over it. It's a pity for him."
Thinking of Yan Chen, Qin He felt a bit of sympathy.
Yan Chen hadn't done anything wrong, yet he'd been beaten. She had heard of the young master of the Yan family in Hai City.
Gu Qichen had actually managed to persuade Yan Chen to take the blame.
Qin He's mood was complicated. After hanging up, she lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Gu Qichen's recent "kindness" towards her had become quite apparent. But she still firmly remembered that this man was a scumbag.
However, since Gu Qichen was with Song Nuan, why was he showing her kindness?
Qin He turned over. If she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't think about it.
...
Weekend.
Qin He woke up early. She changed into a grey casual outfit. Her figure was well-proportioned, and even ordinary casual wear made her look elegant.
Tying her hair into a ponytail, Qin He finished breakfast and prepared to go out.
Madam Qin was sitting in the living room. "It's the weekend, and Zhou Yang is at the company today. Where are you going?"
Qin He slung a large bag over her shoulder. "To see Grandma Gu."
"You're going to the Gu family?" Madam Qin sat up straight, her brows furrowing into a deep line. "What are you going there for?"
Qin He smiled. "Mom, no matter what the Gu family is like, Grandma Gu still dotes on me like her own granddaughter. One cannot be ungrateful."
She persuaded her for a while, and also told Madam Qin about Grandma Gu's Alzheimer's.
"Sigh, I can't stop you. Although you shouldn't be ungrateful, just visit and come back. Don't stay there too long." Madam Qin eventually softened, but she added with a hint of annoyance, "If that Mrs. Wang bullies you again, you can't let her have her way! And Gu Qichen—"
The surname Wang referred to Mrs. Gu, Wang Yingzi.
Qin He responded with an "Mm," and smiled. "Mom, do you think I'm easily bullied? Besides, Gu Qichen doesn't live at the old residence, so I won't run into him."
After finally convincing Madam Qin, Qin He drove to the Gu family's old residence.
Upon arriving at the old residence, Qin He's car passed through without hindrance and reached the villa.
Old Madam Gu knew that Qin He visited every weekend and had already instructed the household staff and security guards to let her in immediately upon sight.
The Gu family's old residence had a classical architectural style, and the villa was also purely Chinese in design.
As Qin He entered, Old Madam Gu had already received the news and came out.
"He'er is here! Grandma has missed you terribly."
"Grandma Gu," Qin He called out obediently, taking hold of Old Madam Gu's arm. "I've missed you too."
She took out a box of incense from her large bag. "This is the Tranquility Incense I prepared for you. Light it before bed, it helps with sleep."
Old Madam Gu accepted it happily, then playfully glared at Qin He. "Don't call me Grandma Gu. Call me Grandma, understand? Are you saying you don't acknowledge me as your grandmother anymore?"
"Okay, okay, Grandma," Qin He said.
Old Madam Gu was old and had a childlike disposition.
Qin He genuinely felt a sense of closeness to the old lady. They chatted in the living room.