Beijing-Hong Kong Rosemary

Chapter 35 Mr. Qu will not let you off the hook
A black Land Rover was parked on the side of the road.

Shen Guining subconsciously gripped the shoulder strap of her bag, turned around, and saw Zhou Shilin getting out of the car.

His face was grim. "It's been so long. How have you been?"

Shen Guining calmly met his gaze. "Did Young Master Zhou come here specifically to see me?"

With vehicles and pedestrians constantly passing by, no matter how arrogant he was, he couldn't possibly do anything to her in public.

Zhou Shilin approached her and said, "I heard that you've gotten involved with Mr. Qu."

He narrowed his eyes, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "You're quite resourceful, managing to get Mr. Qu to invest 300 million yuan in the Shen family to start a new project."

Shen Guining was stunned.

Three hundred million? Mr. Qu invested so much money in the Shen family for her?
After a moment, she pulled herself together and said, "Since you already know, why are you still coming to see me? If you dare to cause me any more trouble, Mr. Qu will not let you off the hook."

Zhou Shilin was rarely threatened, and he tried his best to suppress his anger, sneering, "You think you can rest easy just because you've temporarily gotten on Mr. Qu's good side? He's only playing around with you for the moment. You can't get into a high-ranking and powerful family like the Qu family."

Shen Guining remained unmoved. She had never intended to have a long-term relationship with Mr. Qu, nor had she ever dared to hope to enter the Qu family.

"If you're so capable, let him protect you for the rest of your life." Zhou Shilin said this and turned to get into the car.

Shen Guining clenched her fist, stood there for a while, then took out her phone from her bag, opened her contacts, and made a call.

The notification beeped a few times, then the call was connected.

“Mr. Qu,” she said.

Qu Yanci had just finished his work, closed his laptop, took off his silver-rimmed glasses, and pressed his fingertip to his brow. "What's wrong?"

“I…” Shen Guining paused, wanting to ask but not knowing how to start, “It’s nothing, I just wanted to ask if you’re done with your work.”

"Just finished." Qu Yanci leaned back in his leather chair, hearing car horns honking from the girl's direction. "Are you outside?"

Shen Guining walked along the pedestrian walkway. "Yes, there's a performance tonight. I just came out of the theater."

Qu Yanci asked casually, "When is the next performance?"

"Are you coming next Thursday?" Shen Guining suddenly remembered that he was very busy, and quickly took back her words, "I think it's better not to. Anyway, I'm just a minor supporting actor now. You might not even see me from the audience, so I won't waste your time."

Qu Yanci tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. "I'm going on a business trip next week."

"Oh, okay." Shen Guining didn't ask any further questions and ended the call. "Mr. Qu, you should get some rest. I won't bother you anymore. Goodbye."

Qu Yanci gave a soft "hmm".

They had very few things in common. The age gap and experience difference were obvious. Shen Guining knew nothing about business, and Mr. Qu certainly wasn't interested in her trivial matters of daily life; in fact, they might even annoy him.

She was well aware of this and knew how to maintain appropriate boundaries.
-
Shen Guining had half a day off this Saturday afternoon. She was going to the Qu family to give Xia Xi a dance lesson, and Qu Yanci arranged for a driver to pick her up.

After not seeing her for half a month, the little girl ran over with a beaming smile as soon as Shen Guining entered the door, "Sister, you're here!"

Xia Xi pulled her to sit in the living room, "Was that resort you visited last time fun?"

Shen Guining smiled and said, "It's fun, and the environment is very comfortable."

"I'm sorry I stood you up last time, but I brought you a gift from America!" Xia Xi handed her a cute pink box from the coffee table.

Inside is a Jellycat kitten plush toy, gray and white in color, with a soft and cuddly texture.

Shen Guining liked it very much, "It's so cute, thank you."

Most girls can't resist fluffy little toys.

"I also bought a lion, which I originally wanted to give to my uncle, but he disliked it." Xia Xi pouted and had no choice but to give up.

Shen Guining smiled.

As expected, Mr. Qu is probably only interested in things like finance, securities, and venture capital; dolls are too childish for him.

Xia Xi found that the cat and the lion looked surprisingly good together, so she simply gave them both to Shen Guining.

The two-hour dance class ended at six o'clock in the afternoon. Just as Shen Guining was about to leave, she happened to run into Mr. Qu, who was coming in from outside, on the first floor.

"Are you done with class?" he asked.

"Hmm." Shen Guining glanced at him and then quickly looked away, afraid that others would discover their relationship.

Qu Yanci said calmly, "Go back after dinner."

Shen Guining exclaimed "Ah," not realizing that tutoring also included meals.

Uncle Bai, who was standing to the side, was quite surprised. Those who knew Mr. Qu knew that, apart from unavoidable social engagements, he never liked to eat at the same table with outsiders.

Xia Xi hadn't thought that far ahead, and chimed in, "Yes, sister, why don't you stay and have dinner with us before you leave? The kitchen lady's cooking is delicious!"

Unable to refuse Shen Guining's earnest invitation, he agreed.

The food was already on the table, its aroma filling the air, and under the soft light, the exquisite plates looked like works of art.

Qu Yanci pulled out the chair in the main seat and sat down.

Xia Xi pushed Shen Guining to sit on his left, "Sister, please sit here."

The little girl had her own selfish reasons; she didn't want to sit under her uncle's nose because she would get caught every time she was picky about food.

Shen Guining didn't want to sit too close to Mr. Qu, but deliberately changing seats would only make things seem stranger.

The usually quiet dining atmosphere was unusually lively today, with Xia Xi's voice occasionally drifting through the air.

"Sister, try this boiled bamboo shrimp."

"The poached chicken tastes even better with chili sauce."

"That mixed soup was also very good."

Despite the noise around him, Qu Yanci frowned almost imperceptibly, but still didn't say anything.

"Hey, why didn't you put cashews in today's steamed egg custard?" Xia Xi asked curiously.

The cook in the kitchen answered her, "Miss, it was the master's order."

Shen Guining paused in her grip on the spoon handle, her eyes instinctively glancing at the man on her right.

Xia Xi was still asking, "Uncle, don't you eat cashews? I remember you used to eat them."

Qu Yanci said calmly, "Just eat your meal."

Xia Xi obediently shut up.

This incident caused Shen Guining to lose focus slightly.

Growing up in the Shen family, even though everyone knew she was allergic to nuts, no one would go out of their way to accommodate her; they would just remind her not to eat them by mistake.

She's gotten used to it over the years; it's just that she eats fewer dishes and desserts.

However, Mr. Qu will take care of her dietary restrictions.

The last time we ate together, he asked the chef to make a new caramel pudding without nuts.

He doesn't seem like a meticulous person at all.

While lost in thought, my elbow accidentally bumped into the tissue box next to me, and it fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Shen Guining snapped out of her daze, said "sorry," and bent down to pick it up.

Almost simultaneously, a large hand blocked the corner of the table.

Shen Guining straightened up, her forehead brushing against the back of the man's hand, a slight tickle running through her.

She suddenly realized something, looked at Qu Yanci, and whispered her thanks.

(End of this chapter)