Chapter 28

Xie Jinxing said he would arrange for her to stay in his house, not to drag her in to live together.
Although he found the little girl interesting, he wasn’t that much of a scoundrel to “claim” her before knowing his own feelings. If he later realized it was just a misconception, wouldn’t he be a total jerk? And then, would the girl be kicked out or continue living in the house?
Xie Jinxing considered himself short on conscience and morality, but he definitely couldn’t be called a scumbag.
Besides, the old man at home was watching him like a hawk. If he dared to wrong the little girl today, tomorrow the old man would drag him out with a cane and make him kneel at his mother’s grave to apologize.
What Xie Jinxing actually arranged was a spacious flat not far from Beijing.
He had never really lived there. Though not as extreme as what Mrs. Xie claimed, sleeping at the company every day, he seldom returned home. Inside the flat lived an old dog, thirteen years old. Xie Jinxing had rescued it from a stray shelter when he was a teenager. It was a golden retriever with a disabled right leg. He had hired a housekeeper specifically to take care of it.
The housekeeper was skilled at preparing dog food and had a kind heart, taking care of the little girl wouldn’t be a problem.
He lit a cigarette, biting down on it, and thought lightly.
Although the old man muttered under his breath, cursing, “Some people are thicker-skinned than city walls, cold and ruthless, yet can pretend so well; An’an, remember to watch out,” he still knew what kind of person his son really was.
Xie Jinxing had lived like a monk since childhood, he had plenty of admirers, beautiful, smart, wealthy girls, yet he never even glanced at any of them. His proud nature was practically sky-high.
Despite his grumbling, the old man didn’t stop Gu An’an from recuperating at Xie Jinxing’s residence. He only reminded her, “If you don’t get used to living with your uncle, you can always move back to the old house.”
“Okay, okay, I will,” Gu An’an nodded obediently, pecking like a little chick.
Xie Jinxing didn’t know whether he heard the old man’s sly, backhanded comments. Leaning lazily against the hospital wall, his tall figure slouched, eyelashes drooping, casting shadows across his high nose bridge.
He casually played with his lighter, fingers flicking the cap, making a faint click.
Finally, when the old man finished rambling, he looked down at Gu An’an. “Let’s go.”
Gu An’an immediately stood up. “Don’t worry, Grandpa Xie. I can take care of myself.”
The old man believed her, after all, when she fell and quickly called 120 for help, he was impressed. He still reminded her, “Alright, don’t sleep outside again. When you arrive, message Anshu.”
Gu An’an: “Okay.”
She hadn’t actually slept outside, just leaned for a moment.
Gu An’an didn’t yet know that in Xie Jinxing’s heart, she and his dog were essentially on the same level. She dangled her right arm, glancing back repeatedly as she watched the old man being helped into the car by Anshu.
Mrs. Xie went to the other side, hand on the car door, hesitated, then looked back at Gu An’an.
She felt guilty about severing the vague love between her son and Gu An’an. But her guilt wasn’t enough to outweigh her standards, apart from her face, Gu An’an didn’t meet her expectations. Better a short, sharp pain than a long one, she thought.
Chin raised, she nodded politely to Gu An’an, then turned into the car.
Gu An’an watched the car drive off, then dryly glanced at Xie Jinxing, who was staring down at his phone again. The modern CEO was truly busy, never letting a single hour of rest slip by.
Xie Jinxing quickly replied to a message, then without looking at Gu An’an, opened her car door.
Gu An’an looked at him, then back again, standing still.
Xie Jinxing lifted his head from the phone. “?”
“Oh, oh,” she realized he was holding the door for her, and climbed in, flustered. “I’ll get in right away, thank you, Uncle.”
Xie Jinxing’s eyes curved slightly as he closed the door.
Night had deepened. The city’s neon seemed to have muted, ceasing its clamor.
Outside the hospital, there were still people. Some, dressed in patient gowns with pale faces, quietly went to street stalls to buy food. No matter how bad hospital meals were, people always flocked there.
Late August was still hot. Standing at the hospital entrance made her sweat. Once in the car and hit by air conditioning, Gu An’an shivered.
The man noticed, tossing her spare suit jacket.
A woody scent unique to Xie Jinxing wafted over her. She pulled the jacket around her chest, whispering, “Thank you, Uncle,” and carefully draped it over her stomach.
Xie Jinxing’s mood seemed sour. Since meeting him on the fifth floor, his brows had been furrowed.
Gu An’an glanced at him; in the darkness, his deep-set eyes half-hidden by lashes gave off a cold, stagnant aura. Not knowing what irritated him, she moved slightly away from him toward the door.
Bit by bit, she shifted to the side, giving him space.
Xie Jinxing raised an eyebrow. “?”
“Well, Uncle, your legs are long, I’m afraid of taking up your space,” she explained awkwardly.
Xie Jinxing said nothing, closing his phone.
He hesitated slightly, then glanced at Gu An’an again.
Gu An’an: “?”
In truth, he was genuinely irritated.
On the fifth floor, he realized that standing next to Su Ruan, he didn’t even have the option to call her. Only in a private space with Su Ruan, his mind and body seemed split. Reason wanted to call Gu An’an, but his body wouldn’t obey. This shocked him.
Along with shock came a strange sense of violation and urgency.
He could foresee that if this sort of “confinement-like” situation wasn’t resolved promptly in the future, consequences would arise. Each day unresolved was a threat. He couldn’t just take Gu An’an everywhere he went.
Gu An’an’s scalp tingled as he stared, and she shrank closer to the car door. “…What’s wrong, Uncle?”
His gaze was terrifying. And he claimed he didn’t eat people!
She shivered inside.
“Nothing.” After a long while, he exhaled, undoing the buttons on his suit jacket.
His jacket was still the black suit from a gala, under which was a flashy purple shirt with black buttons, possibly jade. Expensive-looking, certainly.
He casually opened the jacket, leaning against the window with eyes closed.
This was beyond a subtle mental cue, such cues couldn’t have this effect. But Xie Jinxing still rejected supernatural explanations. No gods, ghosts, or demons, just that Su Ruan held secrets he hadn’t uncovered. He rubbed his temple, deciding to pay more attention to this matter.
“Is An’an familiar with Su Ruan?” After a long time, the neon lights on the streets blurred past. His deep, pleasant voice flowed electrically in the quiet car.
Goosebumps rose instantly on Gu An’an’s arm.
She rubbed her ears, amazed, Xie Jinxing’s voice was cheating-level good. With that voice, who couldn’t he charm?
Also…has the CEO male lead finally moved beyond workaholic mode and started taking an interest in the heroine?!
Nooo, give the cannon fodder some breathing room! She thought, rapidly organizing her words. “Uncle, why are you asking this?”
“Do you know?”
“Just heard bits and pieces about her past.”
After reading over a hundred chapters, she knew a bit about the heroine’s romantic history, tragic life, and run-ins with secondary male characters and rich kids. Not the full story, but enough.
“Tell me.” Xie Jinxing pressed a button, and the car window slowly rolled down.
He pulled a cigarette from his pocket politely. “Mind if I smoke?”
“No, I don’t mind.” She shook her head, still unsure what he wanted to know.
But maintaining her professional diligence, she began narrating Su Ruan’s troubled life: “She lived in Anfu District on the outskirts of Beijing. It’s known as the ‘dangerous building district,’ with many holdouts refusing to move. Her home situation is complicated, like attracting misfortune.”
“Her life’s been tragic. Her twin sister went missing at an amusement park, causing her father severe mental trauma. He died within months.”
To verify, Gu An’an opened her phone, pulled up the Beijing school forum, found a post allegedly exposing Su Ruan by her ex-boyfriend, and enlarged it for Xie Jinxing.
“With the family’s pillar gone, life became extremely difficult. They couldn’t even afford a Switch. Her grandfather had a serious chronic illness for years and died before she became an adult. Her grandmother died the same year.”
Gu An’an summarized: “A family of six dwindled to just her and her mother. Her mother also unfortunately got uremia three years ago.”
Gu An’an: “Wow.” The tragic story left her speechless.
So miserable, truly miserable!
The author really went all out, killing off the family to make the heroine’s love story with the male lead feel redemptive. Well, not entirely dead, her mother survived, but terminal uremia with a catheter is practically the same as being dead.
Gu An’an glanced at Xie Jinxing.
He bit his cigarette, but didn’t light it. His hair was tousled by the wind, eyes blurry, yet no trace of pity on his cold, ruthless face.
Of course, it might just be dark, and she was seeing poorly.
“Anything else?” he asked casually.
“Other things…” Gu An’an retracted her observing gaze, recalling Su Ruan’s traits, “She’s extremely popular with boys, especially wealthy ones.”
Xie Jinxing said nothing. Silence in the car was suffocating.
Gu An’an regretted mentioning it, it sounded like she was putting poison in his ear.
Thinking quickly, she added: “She often suffers from female school bullying too.”
“Hm.” Xie Jinxing’s tone was neutral, not like he wanted to avenge the heroine.
Silence again, eerily quiet.
“Uncle?” Gu An’an asked cautiously, worried about the conversation’s direction. If the CEO male lead fell for the heroine, would he see her as an obstacle and eliminate her? “What do you want to know about her?”
Xie Jinxing tilted his head, silent. His expression was complex.
Gu An’an immediately became obedient.
He smiled faintly, paused, then asked a peculiar question: “Has she ever dabbled in superstition?”
“Ah?” Gu An’an was confused.
Thinking, she shook her head. “No.”
No? His brows furrowed again.
Gu An’an, looking with her huge, sparkling eyes, noticed it clearly, he frowned because Su Ruan didn’t practice superstition. Why? She was truly puzzled.
And this was odd, the male lead’s attitude seemed strange. He didn’t dislike her or wish her ill, yet his expression almost looked like he regretted that not all of the heroine’s family had died?!
She rubbed her eyes, confirming Xie Jinxing’s expression was like a minus-seventy-degree Northeast icicle. Shocked, really shocked. If the readers realized he was this kind of male lead, he’d instantly end up in a fiery wife-chasing scenario, ashes flying, used as face powder.
About fifteen seconds, and Gu An’an swallowed all her crazy commentary.
No one spoke. Silence.
Gu An’an was restless, sliding her fingers across her phone, flipping to another post, carelessly pestering Xie Jinxing again.
Xie Jinxing: “?”
“Consulting a fortune for exams?”
The post, clearly from a high-society girl, had a high-def shot of Su Ruan with a crooked face.
“Last semester she failed six subjects; someone saw her at the school gate praying to the exam deity.”
Xie Jinxing glanced once, then looked away. Up close, he could smell her sweet orange scent. He extended a finger, gently pressing it against Gu An’an’s forehead.
Gu An’an: “?”
The finger applied slow pressure, and her head followed, gently pushed aside.
Gu An’an: “…”
“Sit properly.”
“Oh.”
Awkward moment. She let out a rude little sigh in frustration, if not allowed close, then fine!
…
After asking nothing else, Xie Jinxing sent the little girl to his private residence.
He seemed genuinely upset, he didn’t even pet the dog.
Gu An’an stood in the huge flat, dazed and innocent. She had no idea which room to sleep in.
The housekeeper, already informed, came out and guided her to the guest room.
“Miss Gu, follow me.”
Following orders, she lifted her right arm and entered the guest room.
The guest room was bigger than her rented apartment’s two rooms. Decor was masculine, cold-toned, with impersonal furniture. Not even a full-length mirror.
The housekeeper seemed to notice her thoughts, pointing to the bathroom: “Mirror is there.”
Gu An’an said “oh” and opened the bathroom. It was bigger than her living room.
“Miss Gu, hungry?” The housekeeper asked thoughtfully, as if expecting her answer. “Shall I prepare something?”
Honestly, she was a bit hungry and nodded.
The housekeeper chuckled, “The dog’s downstairs. Miss Gu, if you get bored, you can go give it some pets.”
Gu An’an wasn’t sleepy, so she decided to go downstairs with the housekeeper. Sure enough, she saw the big fluff lying on the first-floor living room carpet. Its golden coat was glossy and smooth, nose damp, eyes bright and alert. If she hadn’t known in advance, there was no way she’d guess it was already thirteen years old.
Clearly, this was the same dog in Xie Jinxing’s profile picture.
“What’s its name?”
The housekeeper, opening the fridge for ingredients, smiled. “This one? It’s called Gouzaizi.”
“Excuse me?” Gu An’an cupped her hand to her ear and asked again, puzzled.
“Gouzaizi.”
“?”
“You heard right. Its name is Gouzaizi.”
Gu An’an: “…Alright. Not surprised. Xie Jinxing really does live by the philosophy of Supreme Swagger. Naming a dog just like naming his WeChat profile, if it’s a person, call it ‘person,’ if it’s a dog, call it ‘doggie.’”
She tugged at the corner of her mouth, “Good name. First-rate.”
She even gave a thumbs-up for emphasis.
…
Xie Jinxing left his residence but didn’t return to the Linshui villa. Instead, he drove off into the night.
When he arrived, Liang Chengli and Qin Jiashu were already there.
The four of them, rarely free, lounged lazily on the corner sofas, tossing casual insults back and forth. Out in public they looked composed, but together they were a mess.
As soon as Xie Jinxing entered the private room, Qin Jiashu jumped up like greeting his dad.
“Bro, just a little more, one more round. This project’s at a critical stage, I really can’t afford a shortfall. Just a little more from you, and it’ll be your glorious tomorrow.”
Xie Jinxing expressionlessly dodged him, letting him nearly face-plant. Then he looked at Liang Chengli. “Did you find out what I asked?”
Liang Chengli, still scrolling his social feed on the sofa, glanced up. “What is it?”
Xie Jinxing loosened his tie, tossed his jacket on the sofa, and sat down alone. A heavy, oppressive aura seemed to weigh on the room, sharp enough to cut.
He couldn’t tell anyone about what had happened today. It would sound ridiculous. But the truth was, Su Ruan, an unremarkable college girl, had affected him profoundly. Normally, Xie Jinxing was composed and avoided using his power to bully others unnecessarily.
If a problem could be solved peacefully, he preferred that.
Having Gu An’an around to neutralize the inexplicable situations he faced was his cautious backup plan. It didn’t mean he relied entirely on her, he usually preferred handling problems himself.
Liang Chengli tossed his phone aside and sat up. “Found something.”
“Go on.”
“The missing girl from the Su family…she’s long dead.”
He pulled a stack of documents from his bag and dropped them in front of Xie Jinxing. “The remains were in the abandoned amusement park’s viewing pool. DNA confirmed it. As for supernatural stuff, modern science doesn’t cover that. That girl, Su Ruan, may have mental issues.”
Qin Jiashu and Ling Chengsheng gathered closer.
This college girl had already appeared in their investigations twice. Being mentioned by Xie Jinxing once was shocking enough, twice was even more so. The busy men were intensely focused on her information late at night.
Finally, Qin Jiashu, an expert in both computer science and psychology, concluded: “Paranoid personality disorder. She immerses herself in delusions of persecution and conspiracies, insisting someone must belong to her, convinced of her uniqueness and brilliance, with extraordinary insight into human hearts.”
He tapped the papers with long fingers, abandoning his previously shameless plea for money. He removed his glasses, narrowing his sharp eyes. “Looks severe.”
Ling Chengsheng laughed. “She means that ‘someone’, could it be Jinxing?”
Liang Chengli didn’t laugh, but his expression said enough.
“Holy… this is unreal,” Ling Chengsheng chuckled, bending over in amusement. “Jinxing’s broken too many hearts in his youth, now he’s being punished with a crazy girl?”
Qin Jiashu glanced at Xie Jinxing, a small smile tugging his lips. For once, the infamous Xie Jinxing was finally flustered!
Clearly, they didn’t take Su Ruan seriously. They didn’t think an ordinary college girl could really affect Xie Jinxing.
Xie Jinxing ignored them, focusing intently on the detailed analysis.
Initially, he had considered controlling Su Ruan through her mother if he couldn’t deal with her directly. Now, with her mental instability, it wasn’t that simple. If she snapped, she might not even care about her mother’s survival.
He pondered: “What kind of incident would require her to stay in a mental hospital for over twenty years?”
The question silenced the room. Ruthless, as expected.
Liang Chengli finally answered: “Harming someone to death.”
Xie Jinxing remained calm, as if the question hadn’t been his. The others panicked.
“Hey! A Jin, don’t push legal boundaries!” Qin Jiashu warned.
But Xie Jinxing revealed nothing, keeping his thoughts unreadable.
He wasn’t going to risk a life for a random girl. He was simply calculating. Knowing that Su Ruan was mentally unstable and disruptive, he needed to isolate her.
He wouldn’t leave Beijing just to avoid her, so she would have to leave instead.
“You guys thinking what?” he said, smiling faintly. “Do I look like someone who breaks the law?”
“I’m a conscientious businessman running multiple ventures and charity projects. Don’t spout nonsense,” he added.
Qin Jiashu nearly had a heart attack. A “conscientious businessman”? Yeah, sure.
Ling Chengsheng: “So, what’s the plan?”
“Plan?” Xie Jinxing packed the documents casually. “I just want to help her a little.”
Meanwhile, Su Ruan had been waiting at the hospital for days, but Xie Jinxing never appeared. Disappointed, she realized someone like him couldn’t be in the same place twice.
She knew she couldn’t casually try her luck at any Xie-owned business or resort, they didn’t hire women under 1.6m. Female HRs, while sympathetic, couldn’t override policy.
After hitting walls everywhere, she grudgingly took a job elsewhere. But now her chance of running into Xie Jinxing dropped significantly.
Summer ended. After receiving her daily wages, she returned to school.
The school, aware of her financial difficulties, had waived some fees. Last semester, she’d caused a scandal involving Shen Shan, which led the Shen family to sponsor her tuition and living expenses for four years.
Su Ruan only needed to earn money for her mother’s dialysis and hospitalization.
Remembering the system’s warning, she knew her mother’s lifespan limited her own “aura and filter.” She worked hard, hoping to secure a kidney transplant for her mother.
But RH-blood-type kidneys were scarce, and her mother wasn’t lucky.
Despite the unfairness, Su Ruan told herself: as long as she ultimately got Xie Jinxing, everything would be worth it. Patience, patience…
Three weeks into the semester, after freshman military training, the school suddenly announced a full health check for all students and staff.
Monday morning, Gu An’an, juggling a bag of soup dumplings, was dragged by Lin Niaoniao to line up.
Though they weren’t in the same department, Gu An’an didn’t live on campus and knew little of campus news. Lin Niaoniao, well aware of Gu An’an’s cluelessness, had come early.
“Come on, come on!” Lin Niaoniao pulled her along. “Blood test today! Put the dumplings away!”
“What? Blood test? What for?”
“See, you don’t know anything!” Lin Niaoniao rolled her eyes. “All students are doing a checkup. What part of that do you not get?”
Gu An’an checked the class group chat, hundreds of messages a day, impossible to sift through, but found the notice.
“Why so generous all of a sudden? The school’s poor, right?”
“No idea,” Lin Niaoniao shrugged. “Since the school didn’t charge, free is free. They said it’s to care for everyone’s health, courtesy of the Xie family.”
Gu An’an: “Damn, the Xies must be rolling in money! How much would that cost?”
Lin Niaoniao dragged her toward the sports field, muttering about hospital costs: “Even checking blood pressure at the hospital costs sixty or seventy yuan; full checkups cost over ten thousand”
“Over ten thousand?!”
“Yes, proper hospital, no insurance, a CT alone is 300. Whole-body CT over a thousand!”
Gu An’an, panting as she ran, tried to recall if the original plot had this checkup. She remembered: the male lead wanted to discreetly check the heroine’s kidney function, arranging a private doctor to draw extra blood for a thorough examination.
Finally in line, Gu An’an was dizzy from hunger. Lin Niaoniao, still waiting behind, pretended to cover her eyes, but Gu An’an dodged.
Gu An’an sat down. The nurse across from her was beautiful and gentle.
“Scared? Turn your head away.”
Though Gu An’an wasn’t afraid of blood, she disliked pain. “Can this test check blood type?”
“Yes, along with kidney function, coagulation, hepatitis B and C…basically everything blood can tell us. Today they’re mainly checking kidneys, blood routine, and thyroid. Blood type included,” the nurse said with a sweet “oh.”
“Okay” Gu An’an nodded, numb. “Thanks, sister.”
Being polite, the nurse gave her a candy. Gu An’an walked aside, sugar in her mouth.
Lin Niaoniao, finally finishing, came over: “Guess what I heard?”
“What?”
“She was on the phone, seems someone willing to arrange surgery for her mother next week.”
Gu An’an was shocked. Really shocked.
“No way! Her mother’s condition is severe, and she’s RH-negative, hard to find a kidney. Who could do this?”
“Don’t know,” Lin Niaoniao shrugged, “but Su Ruan seemed reluctant to leave school and go.”
Gu An’an: “…Of course she doesn’t want to leave! Who’d flirt with a rich guy in Shan Kaka then?”