Chapter 191: Flustered and Confused, Just Let Me Die

"We’re still friends. What I mean is, don’t let my problems affect you. If you get a girlfriend in the future and she finds out about the rumors people are spreading about us, she’ll be upset. So, there’s no need for any of this."

Gu Shengsheng thought she had explained herself clearly, but Lu Shijing refused to let go of her hand.

He said, "That won’t happen."

"What?" Gu Shengsheng asked.

"Gu Shengsheng."

"Yes?"

"I like you."

"..."

Gu Shengsheng froze, suddenly unable to speak. She even forgot to pull her hand away.

Then, Lu Shijing added, "Can you like me back?"

Just as Gu Shengsheng was about to answer, Lu Shijing beat her to it by walking to the door, clearly not intending to hear her reply.

He ran to the garage, got in his car, and sped off...

Leaving Gu Shengsheng standing there, her thoughts a whirlwind.

After Lu Shijing drove away, he couldn’t suppress the smile on his face.

’No matter what, I’ve made my feelings clear. Now that she knows how I feel, things will be much easier from now on.’

Of course, Lu Shijing knew very well that he couldn’t do this alone. So, he immediately told his grandmother what had happened today.

Mrs. Lu was overjoyed when she heard. That stone-faced grandson of hers finally knew how to take the initiative!

’He finally figured out how to keep Shengsheng around.’

Mrs. Lu didn’t care much about that bratty grandson of hers, but she cared a great deal about whether or not Shengsheng stayed in the family.

’If that brat suddenly pops up and reveals he’s Lu Shijing, then... wouldn’t Gu Shengsheng just divorce him immediately?’

’Grandma doesn’t want to be abandoned; she wants to stick with Shengsheng.’

So, for now, she definitely had to help that brat. If anything went wrong, he would take the fall, and she would immediately wash her hands of the matter.

The old lady started thinking about how she would console Gu Shengsheng that evening.

Meanwhile, Gu Shengsheng was completely thrown for a loop by Mr. Ryan.

First of all, there was something strange about Mr. Ryan’s identity. It definitely wasn’t that simple, and she had been investigating it recently.

Secondly, Mr. Ryan had been so good to her, which Gu Shengsheng had always found odd. She wondered if he had ulterior motives.

Now, he had come right out and said... he liked her.

Gu Shengsheng was usually a logical person, but right now, her thoughts were a mess. When she thought of Mr. Ryan, all she could hear were his words: ’I like you...’

Gu Shengsheng’s face felt hot. ’It must be the weather today,’ she mused. ’It’s just too hot.’

Where she couldn’t see them, her ears were bright red.

She had planned to take a taxi home, but she was in such a daze, it felt like she had had too much to drink.

She ended up storming all the way home on foot, even bumping into a pole along the way.

When Gu Shengsheng got back, her face was still suspiciously flushed.

Coming out of the elevator, she saw that Mr. Ryan’s door was shut tight. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran into her own apartment.

Lu Linlin and Mrs. Lu crowded around her.

Although Mrs. Lu already knew what had happened, she still asked, "Shengsheng, what’s wrong? Did someone bully you?"

"No."

She avoided their gaze.

Lu Linlin said, "Sister-in-law, who did you meet today? You don’t seem like yourself."

"A friend," Gu Shengsheng said, her words clipped.

"Grandma, aren’t we going to the old family estate?" Gu Shengsheng said. "I’m going to go change."

Gu Shengsheng couldn’t make sense of it all. Mr. Ryan’s face kept replaying in her mind.

After some thought, she decided to contact Yang Jiao.

She typed: "Mr. Ryan said he likes me."

Yang Jiao: "!!!"

"Shengsheng! You have to accept him! He’s a top-tier guy, the best of the best! And do you know? He’s a legend in the business world. Investing in him is a guaranteed profit!"

"This Mr. Ryan, he’s a new magnate in the business world, but he’s already number one! If a man like that is completely devoted to you, he’s a true romantic hero."

Gu Shengsheng: "...I haven’t decided yet."

"Sister Yang Jiao, can you help me look into Mr. Ryan’s background? I just feel like something is off."

’Grandma seems to know something, too...’ Gu Shengsheng thought.

Their relationship couldn’t be this good based on her connection to the family alone. Besides, while Grandma was friendly with everyone, she always maintained a certain propriety.

’Mr. Ryan must be more than just *the* Mr. Ryan from abroad.’

Yang Jiao replied, "Roger that! Shengsheng, I’ll look into it for you."

"But I have to say something. The fact that you’re even asking me this means your heart has been moved. You like him. At the very least, you feel differently about him than you do about other people."

"Besides, he’s saved you time and again. If you two got together, it would be a case of both people meeting each other halfway."

"..."

Gu Shengsheng didn’t reply. She put down her phone, completely lost in thought.

’If I can’t find the answer, I’ll just keep looking.’

She wasn’t a coward. If she was truly certain that he was the one she could spend her life with, she would definitely make the effort to meet him halfway.

And she wouldn’t let her other half bear any burdens.

That evening, she changed into a little black dress studded with rhinestones, put on a set of emerald-green jadeite jewelry, and casually braided her hair.

When she came out, all dressed up, her mother-in-law had just arrived.

Madam Lu stood there, a look of utter astonishment on her face when she saw Gu Shengsheng.

"Shengsheng, you look beautiful." She was usually a woman of few words, and her attitude toward Gu Shengsheng was typically lukewarm.

But right now, her eyes held genuine admiration.

"Madam Lu." Gu Shengsheng walked over and took her arm.

The old lady came over as well.

"Let’s go, let’s go. To the old estate."

"We haven’t been back in ages. Is the second branch of the family still threatening to jump off a building today? Did they jump yet?" the old lady asked, looking like a total gossip.

Madam Lu looked exasperated. "Mom, you couldn’t have asked earlier? They’ve been causing a scene all day, just waiting for you all to come back."

"Hmph. They won’t actually die. They just know how to threaten an old woman like me. Isn’t it usually people my age who are supposed to throw tantrums and make scenes? They’re just bullying our Shengsheng."

As she spoke, she pulled Shengsheng closer, her expression full of sympathy.

Madam Lu said helplessly, "I’ll protect Shengsheng, too."

"You’ve already run away from home with Shengsheng. They wouldn’t dare say anything."

Mrs. Lu took Shengsheng’s hand and said, "Come on, let’s go watch the drama unfold."

After the group got into the car, Gu Shengsheng sent a message to Zhao Dehai: "Mr. Zhao, is there some kind of conflict between Mr. Ryan and the Lu Group?"

Upon receiving this message, Zhao Dehai broke out in a cold sweat, too scared to say a word.

’Did... did that brat Lu Shijing get exposed...?’

’This is ridiculous. He’s the one lying, but everyone else has to play along with his act.’

Then, Zhao Dehai replied, "I don’t think so. Mr. Ryan just returned from abroad. He’s probably just trying to break into the domestic market."

Seeing this message, Gu Shengsheng thought for a moment and decided that Mr. Zhao couldn’t be trusted either.

Given Mr. Ryan’s way of doing things, he was clearly just toying with the Lu Group.

’How could there be no connection?’

But Lu Chaoyang really didn’t know Mr. Ryan.

Gu Shengsheng sighed. According to her current theory, Mr. Ryan had to be connected to the Lu Family, and it was a deep connection at that.

For now, she would have to wait and see what Yang Jiao found. If that didn’t work, Gu Shengsheng would just have to investigate it herself.

As they neared the old family estate, Madam Lu said, "Shengsheng, I heard that this Mr. Ryan who’s targeting the Lu Group has been getting very close to you?"