The next day at noon, Di Shishi drove Qin He to the airport, and they boarded the plane together.
Qin He found her seat and sat down. Having stayed up all night, she felt drowsy and lay down, dozing off.
Di Shishi's seat was to her left. With her there, Qin He felt at ease and soon fell into a deep sleep.
She didn't know how long she slept before Qin He groggily woke up, smelling a very familiar scent.
The man's cool scent, with a hint of agarwood, wafted into her nostrils, causing her to feel dizzy and captivated for a moment.
In an instant, Qin He became vigilant. She suddenly sat up and found that a woolen men's coat was draped over her.
Qin He turned her head to the side. Di Shishi was still sitting on her left, but on the right—
She widened her eyes: "Gu Qichen?!"
Gu Qichen was holding a document. Hearing Qin He's voice, he simply turned his head to look at her.
His gaze was sharp as he swept over Qin He's face, not missing a single detail. Seeing the dark circles under Qin He's eyes, he spoke in a low voice, "You should rest for a while longer. It's still two hours until we reach Country L."
Qin He widened her eyes: "That's not the issue, why are you here?"
"The renovation issue in Xicheng District is a public matter. Gu Corporation and Qin Corporation are partners. Since there's a problem and we need to invite someone, it's natural that our two families should go together to show more sincerity."
Qin He gritted her teeth. No matter what this man said, she could only accept it.
Now that he was already on the plane, she couldn't just abandon him!
Two hours later, the group of four disembarked at the capital airport of Country L. Gu Qichen had only brought Yu Jing with him this time.
Qin He had only brought Di Shishi.
As the four of them emerged from the airport, Di Shishi, who was pushing the luggage ahead, sneezed directly.
Gu Qichen, walking behind her, looked at Qin He beside him. "Are you cold?"
Qin He pursed her lips. She had known that Country L was very cold, but she hadn't expected it to be this cold!
Qin He rubbed her hands secretly. Before she could speak, Gu Qichen had already taken off his coat and draped it over her again.
Hesitantly, she didn't refuse.
Fortunately, someone was already waiting to pick them up at the airport entrance, as Yu Jing had contacted them in advance.
The four of them got into the car. Qin He turned and asked, "Where are we going now? Have you booked a hotel?"
Gu Qichen nodded.
The car soon started moving. Although the air conditioning was on, Qin He still felt cold to the touch.
She rubbed her hands, the coat Gu Qichen had given her warming her as she gently breathed on it.
An hour later, the car stopped on a street full of exotic charm. The street was narrow, lined with two rows of small Western-style houses. As Qin He got out of the car, she stared at the small houses in front of her, speechless for a long time.
"Didn't you say you booked a hotel?"
Qin He looked at Gu Qichen.
Gu Qichen's voice was calm, betraying none of the inner thoughts of a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"I have a place here. There's no need to stay in a hotel; it's not safe."
Qin He had no choice. Seeing that it was almost dark, she could only accept it. She was too cold.
The four of them entered the small Western-style house. Qin He tidied up a bit and checked the route online.
The Vincent family's castle was also in the capital of Country L, but it was still a two to three-hour drive from here. It was too late to go today.
It was already afternoon, and visiting someone in the evening wouldn't be very polite. Qin He planned to visit Master Liu Xin'an the next morning.
After staying in the room for a short while, Yu Jing came to knock on the door. "Miss Qin, the food downstairs is almost ready."
Now that she was staying at someone else's house, Qin He was polite and courteous. After responding, she soon went downstairs.
Downstairs, the two maids in the living room had the appearance of people from Country L but spoke fluent Chinese.
"Miss Qin, this is a warming soup that Mr. Gu specifically asked us to prepare for you. It's also suitable for pregnant women to drink."
The two women were full of curiosity about Qin He's belly, looking as if they considered her Gu Qichen's wife.
But since they didn't say it directly, Qin He found it awkward to explain, so she could only thank them and take a sip of the soup.
The warm soup entered her stomach, and Qin He felt much more comfortable.
A moment later, Gu Qichen came out from a side room. Seeing Qin He, he nodded. "Do you feel better?"
Qin He held the soup. "Thank you."
Gu Qichen sat opposite her, his eyes showing concern. "Do you want me to call a doctor to examine you? You might have caught a cold this afternoon."
Qin He shook her head and smiled. "It's fine, my body is quite resilient."
After all, she had practiced martial arts, and her body was much stronger than that of ordinary people.
When Yu Jing and Di Shishi, who had gone out to buy daily necessities, returned, the four of them went to the dining room.
At the dining table, Qin He ate while explaining her plan for the next morning to Gu Qichen.
"We'll set off at eight in the morning. That way, we can arrive at the Vincent family's castle at ten. Even if we have to wait for half an hour, we can still meet Master Liu Xin'an at ten-thirty. We'll discuss other matters with him first, and then have lunch together. We'll see if he has any requests and try our best to agree to them."
Qin He chattered on. "According to my investigation, this Master Liu has no pursuit of wealth. We'll have to see tomorrow if he has any obsessions or wishes."
Gu Qichen lowered his eyes, cutting his steak, and occasionally looked up at Qin He.
When she was working, her eyes always sparkled.
And she was very smart. She knew how to exploit a person's weakness and understood the machinations of the business world.
Midway through her explanation, Qin He noticed Gu Qichen staring at her.
She narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"
Gu Qichen chuckled, his voice deep and slightly hoarse. "Nothing, I just find you very charming when you're working."
Such direct praise made Qin He almost choke on her food. She glanced at Gu Qichen.
Throughout the journey, Gu Qichen had taken great care of her. Qin He was grateful, so she kindly reminded him, "Gu Qichen, we don't have any relationship now. Whether as partners or ordinary friends, I have no objections, but I hope you won't overstep our boundaries."
Gu Qichen's eyes flickered. After a long moment, he said, "Okay."
After finishing dinner, the four of them retired to their rooms to sleep.
As soon as Qin He returned to her room, her head felt heavy. A gust of cold wind had blown across the back of her head when they were waiting outside the airport before getting into the car earlier. Now, she had a headache.
The next day, at nine in the morning.
Qin He seemed to hear someone constantly calling her name. She frowned, opened her sleepy eyes, and saw Gu Qichen's tense face, his deep pupils filled with anxiety.