You Owe Me, My Love

Chapter 386 I Did Not Ask For Your Opinion

"You..." Wu Nian wanted to ask how Gu Mingchen knew she had gone to the top of the building. Then, she thought that he might have come here on a whim, too. That their meeting was purely a coincidence.

“Fancy meeting you here,” she proclaimed.

“Not by chance. I've been looking for you,” Gu Mingchen confessed.

"Oh?" Wu Nian muttered in surprise.

“I watched you come up here. It should be impossible for Su Xuyan to compete with you now. Stephen is staying at this hotel. So, just spend the night here. Tomorrow, Stephen will paint a portrait for Mo Xue. He'll bring you along,” Gu Mingchen instructed.

"Oh, thank you,” Wu Nian responded.

"If all goes well, you'll be signing a contract with Mo Xue the day after tomorrow. I'll have a lawyer go with you to avoid any unwanted incidents,” Gu Mingchen added.

Wu Nian had an odd feeling in her gut. “If everything goes the way it should, you should be the one who gets the partnership. So I'm curious, Mr. Gu. Why are you handing it over to me?”

“Haven't we agreed that I'll let you have this partnership and that I'll help you ensure its success? You've always had a bad memory,” Gu Mingchen said, devoid of any shame or guilt.

She remembered that part, but she was unsure why Gu Mingchen had been willing to give her the job. Is it just so I could work for you?

If she gave too much thought to it, she might get the wrong idea.

"You..." she began, working up a wry smile, “You don't think I'm Bai Rong, do you?”

"If you're Bai Rong, you would have told me. After all, we have experienced life and cheated death together. We had some good times. And when we separated, it was by force. I don't see any reason why you won't tell me that you're Bai Rong,” Gu Mingchen answered knowingly.

Wu Nian lowered her eyes. “If your wife is still alive, and sees you so eagerly waiting for her to return, she'll definitely come back to you.”

“You're really hypocritical,” Gu Mingchen blurted.

Wu Nian did not respond to that.

She looked at him with a guilty conscience, her brows in a twist.

“The truth is, everyone knows that she’s dead. It's been two years. If she’s alive, I figured she would've come back a long time ago,” Gu Mingchen added.

Wu Nian had a feeling that Gu Mingchen would not listen to whatever she had to say, so she decided to ignore him. She checked her phone for the time and realized that it was already ten minutes past eleven. “Well, it's getting late. I should get going.”

"When do you plan to start working for me?” Gu Mingchen asked, his eyes fixed on her.

"After I go back. Do we need to sign a contract?” Wu Nian asked.

"You really do have a bad memory. You have forgotten everything we've agreed on. We've talked about this at Stephen's place. You'll come to work for me and take care of my children until my wife comes back.” Gu Mingchen was rather aggressive as he spoke. It was as if he was in a bad mood and chose to vent his anger on her.

“Mr. Gu, by saying you want me to take care of your kids until your wife returns, doesn’t that mean I'll be doing it for a lifetime? Since you've admitted that she’s dead,” Wu Nian retorted.

“That was what we agreed on last time.”

“What happens after your kids get married, then? I can't possibly stay at your house after that. I'm a tutor,” Wu Nian reminded him

“Then you'll take care of my grandchildren. I'll buy a villa when I get back. They won't leave my side. Even after they marry, I'll want them to stay close to me.”

Wu Nian was rendered speechless again.

She had the feeling that he was deliberately arguing with her, but she could not beat him. “I see. If you don’t mind, I'm retiring for the night.”

She walked toward the door and pulled the handle before finding that it would not budge. She tried pushing it. Nothing happened. She got anxious. “Gu Mingchen, did you shut the door behind you when you came up just now?”

With his brows quirked, Gu Mingchen went over to help Wu Nian with the door.

His palm touched the back of hers. Wu Nian withdrew her hand instinctively.

A burst of irritation came over him. Furious, he glared at her. “I didn't close the door. The wind must have done that."

“Well, what do we do now?” Wu Nian pushed hard, but the door still would not budge.

“It should be able to open from the inside, right?” Wu Nian asked.

“I don’t own the hotel. How should I know?” Gu Mingchen answered sternly.

Wu Nian recalled that Stephen was staying in the hotel. She gave him a call immediately. Unfortunately, his phone was switched off.

She looked to Gu Mingchen for help.

Liu Yan had returned to the homeland. It would take three hours for the people from the manor to get here, and it was already midnight.

"Well, Ai Wei'er is hosting her party downstairs. Maybe you can call her and get her to open the door for us,” Wu Nian requested.

"You really don't like the idea of sharing a space with me, do you?” Gu Mingchen asked a rhetorical question.

"What? I'll be working at your house after we get back, for God's sake. It's just that we're currently at the top of this building, and it's getting cold. Not to mention it's getting late,” Wu Nian explained in frustration.

Gu Mingchen placed his hands on her shoulders and wrapped her in an embrace, “There, it's not so cold now. I'd like to add that it's not appropriate for me to call Ai Wei'er. Some people can't do things, but they'll make things worse. If she sees us together, she won't want her mother working with you.”

Wu Nian gave it some thought and eventually agreed. She recalled Ai Wei'er confessing her love to Gu Mingchen. She immediately pushed him away and said, “Then, do you know anyone else who can open the door for us?”

Gu Mingchen looked at her in resignation. “Fine. I'm calling Stephen.”

“I tried that. His phone is off,” Wu Nian said, exasperated.

“Then we'll just have to wait.” Gu Mingchen turned around and walked toward the attic. With a little push, he found that the door was unlocked.

“Come here,” he called out to Wu Nian.

Wu Nian pulled his coat tighter around her. She hesitated and did not heed him.

Gu Mingchen was uncertain what she was fidgeting about. Does she think I'm going to take advantage of her? We already have kids!

He grew frustrated. Nevertheless, he turned on the flashlight on his phone and successfully located the switch on the wall. They were lucky that the lights worked.

The attic was filled with cleaning supplies and cardboard boxes.

He bet that the cleaning staff would come here to pick up their tools early in the morning.

He gathered the mop and other cleaning supplies and placed them outside the door, he then ripped the boxes apart and spread them on the ground.

Wu Nian came over to help without saying a word.

Gu Mingchen peered at her.

She blushed but continued the work at hand.

They spent fifteen minutes making a makeshift bed from cardboard. “Get some sleep,” he said. “The workers should be here to open the door at around six. I'm heading out for a smoke.”

“You're such a heavy smoker,” Wu Nian uttered with concern.

“So? I didn't ask for your opinion,” he said with little emotion and stepped out.

Wu Nian dropped her gaze.

He's right. I'm not in the position to care.

She lay down on the cardboard and closed her eyes.

But she could not fall asleep at all.

Ten minutes later, Gu Mingchen got back in and lay down beside her.

Wu Nian detected the scent of smoke on him and cringed.

So, Gu Mingchen believes that Bai Rong is dead. That's fine. He can start life anew.

Wu Nian slowly opened her eyes, only to meet Gu Mingchen's captivating pair. Her heart skipped a beat.

Gu Mingchen rolled over, had her pressed against the cardboard, and then kissed her on the lips. Wu Nian's eyes widened in shock as she instinctively pushed against his shoulders.

Gu Mingchen held her leg firmly, his palm facing upwards, and touched her sensitive spot.