I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Gu Yan snapped out of her daze and looked at Fu Wanqing, her gaze somewhat unfocused before slowly refocusing on her face.

He then realized that she was already standing next to him, and a faint fragrance wafted into his nose.

"It's nothing, it's just a bit hot. Is the air conditioning off?" His voice was calm, but sweat was still dripping from his forehead.

Fu Wanqing held a tissue and stood on tiptoe, her ankle twisting inside her shoe and almost losing her balance.

She gently rubbed Gu Yan's forehead with a tissue, her fingers moving as if she were polishing a precious piece of porcelain.

Her fingertips traced slowly from his brow to his temples and then to his sideburns.

A faint fragrance wafted from her, not perfume, but the scent of a young girl's body mixed with the fresh smell of laundry detergent.

Gu Yan felt a little uncomfortable being wiped, so she took half a step back and turned her head away.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. I told you it's nothing, don't worry." His voice was a little urgent, but his ears weren't red.

Fu Wanqing withdrew her hand, crumpled the tissue into a ball, and held it in her palm, but her eyes were still fixed on his face.

His amber eyes scanned from top to bottom and left to right, as if checking if he had missed anything amiss.

It was only then that Gu Yan noticed that she was wearing makeup, and it was rather indescribable, with problems at every step.

But those amber eyes paired with long pink hair and messy makeup created a strange and indescribable charm.

Like an elf that never grew up, or a famous painting doodled on by a child, it's adorably ugly.

Seeing that Gu Yan was staring at her face, Fu Wanqing slowly curled up her lips and narrowed her eyes into crescents.

She put her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly, causing the neckline of her sundress to sway.

Her amber eyes sparkled as she looked at Gu Yan, her chin lifted to reveal her fair neck.

"How do I look? Do I look better? Say something! I've been staring at you for so long."

Her tone was smug, like a little peacock spreading its tail feathers, waiting to be praised for its beautiful plumage.

Gu Yan's lips twitched. She didn't know whether to tell the truth or a lie. Her gaze shifted from the woman's face but couldn't help but sweep back.

"Why did you suddenly decide to wear makeup? You never used to wear it." His voice was very calm, as if he were asking about the weather.

Fu Wanqing tilted her head and thought for a moment. Her long pink hair slid down from her shoulder and brushed against her arm.

Then she grinned, revealing two rows of small white teeth, with a thin gap between her front teeth.

"Can't I just wear makeup if I want to? There's no law that says I can't wear makeup. I can wear it whenever I want."

"Besides, the weather is nice today and I'm in a good mood, so I wanted to give it a try. What's wrong? Doesn't it look good? You have to put up with it even if it doesn't look good."

As she spoke, she raised her chin even higher than before, like a defiant little cat.

Gu Yan looked at her smug face and couldn't help but sigh. The sigh was very soft, but Fu Wanqing heard it.

"You're beautiful, you're beautiful whether you wear makeup or not, okay? Don't get so close."

His tone carried a hint of helplessness, but the curve of his lips betrayed him.

Fu Wanqing nodded in satisfaction, her long pink hair swaying behind her like a small flag.

Then she stopped smiling and looked at Gu Yan, the playful light in her amber eyes slowly fading away.

"Have you thought it through? Whether you want to make a move or not, Boss Chen is still waiting for news, he's been waiting for a long time."

Her tone suddenly became serious, losing its previous lightness, as if she were a different person.

Gu Yan nodded, her voice not loud but firm, like a nail driven into a wooden board or a stone falling into the water.

"I've made up my mind. Let's go see Boss Chen and settle things today, without further delay."

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and hung the Demon-Suppressing Blade at his waist, the cool blade pressed against his thigh.

Fu Wanqing hesitated for a moment as she watched his retreating figure, her lips moved a few times but she still didn't speak.

When Gu Yan pushed open the Chen family's door, the sunlight outside shone on her, warm and cozy, like someone had draped a thin blanket over her shoulders.

The coolness of last night has been completely washed away by the sun. The roses in the flowerbed in the yard are in full bloom, with morning dew still clinging to their petals, which look like shattered gems in the sunlight.

The air was filled with the scent of grass and earth, and occasionally a few birdsongs could be heard from the distant trees.

He walked towards Chen Sinian's study with practiced ease; he had walked this route many times and could find it with his eyes closed.

The stone path underfoot was worn smooth, and the bamboo on both sides grew taller than a person, rustling in the wind as if someone was whispering.

Fu Wanqing followed beside him, her long pink hair shimmering softly in the sunlight, but her attention was entirely focused on something else.

There was a traditional Chinese ink painting hanging on the wall of the corridor. She leaned closer to look at the signature, then gasped as if someone had choked her.

"This is an authentic work by Zhang Daqian. Isn't it afraid of it being stolen if it's just hung in the corridor like this?"

She reached out her finger to touch it, but quickly pulled it back, as if afraid of damaging the painting.

She turned her head and saw the blue and white porcelain vase in the corner. She squatted down and looked at it for several seconds, her eyes almost touching the vase.

"I've seen this bottle's color on TV. They said it could buy a whole building, the kind with a garden."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard throughout the courtyard. It carried a kind of amazement that came from someone who had never seen anything like it before, and her amber eyes were wide open.

The stair railings were inlaid with gold thread, which shimmered under the lights. The carpet was hand-woven, and every step felt as soft as walking on clouds.

The corridor lights are made of crystal and hang down like bunches of transparent grapes. There are reliefs on the ceiling depicting phoenixes and peonies, with lines so smooth they seem alive.

Fu Wanqing kept talking the whole way, like a radio that had been turned on. Her eyes were wide open, like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, or a magpie dazzled by the dazzling array of treasures.

"No wonder he's the richest man, he's really rich. I can't even imagine how much all the stuff in this house must cost."

As she spoke, she counted on her fingers, then put them down, probably because she felt she didn't have enough fingers.

Gu Yan's lips twitched, but she didn't reply and continued walking forward, thinking to herself, "Your Fu family isn't short of money, okay? The painting in your grandmother's study is more expensive than this."

Fu Wanqing didn't notice his expression and was still looking around when she almost bumped into a pillar at the corner of the corridor.

After passing through a long corridor and turning a corner, a small garden came into view. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground with patches of light.

The air was filled with the scents of flowers, grass, and a faint sandalwood fragrance, wafting from some room I couldn't tell.

Chen Ssu-nien stood in the middle of the garden, holding a pair of scissors, intently pruning a potted Podocarpus macrophyllus.

His movements were slow and steady, each snip landing precisely on the excess branches and leaves, as if he were giving a tree a haircut.

He was wearing a beige Chinese-style top, the cotton and linen material looked very breathable, his black trousers were crisp, and his hair was neatly combed, even his sideburns were trimmed.

The sunlight shone on his gold-rimmed glasses, reflecting off them. His profile looked very focused, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes betrayed his age.