Chapter 36 You Really Know How to Put Yourself on a Pedestal

Xu Anan suddenly looked up, meeting Jiang Li’s dark, brooding gaze. Her heart immediately sank—just her luck! However, Jiang Li didn’t bother to argue with her; instead, he had his assistant call for the doctor.

He’d been sleeping deeply earlier, and accidentally hit the guardrail. The pain had woken him, causing his wound to split open again. That was how he’d overheard Xu Anan’s brazen remarks—she even wanted to find him a tigress of a woman! She certainly had a vivid imagination.

The doctor arrived promptly. Xu Anan took the opportunity to wheel herself outside, even thoughtfully closing the door behind her. She intended to peek into the ward through the small window, only to discover it was one-way glass. She couldn’t see a thing from the outside! Furious, Xu Anan nearly kicked the door. Damn Jiang Li, he hadn’t explained anything, leaving her to worry for nothing all this time.

It struck her as strange—Jiang Yu never seemed like someone who could act so well.

When the doctor finally left, Xu Anan reentered the room, planning to toss the tablet to Jiang Li. But to her surprise, Jiang Li was already asleep again.

“Asleep?” she asked the assistant uncertainly.

The assistant’s eyes darted away. “Yes.”

Xu Anan breathed a sigh of relief. “Youth really is wonderful—falling asleep the moment your head hits the pillow.”

The assistant forced a dry laugh. “Miss Xu, perhaps you should hurry and take a look. Once you’re done, I can report back to the old master.”

“Come now, Assistant Wang, I’m human, not a machine. How could I possibly finish all at once?” Xu Anan grumbled, though her fingers flipped through the pages at lightning speed.

As she browsed, she said, “Why don’t you tell me what kind of woman the Second Master likes? It’ll help me pick out someone he’d actually fancy, right?”

“Uh, well…”

“For example, his ex, his ex-ex, his ex-ex-ex, and so on—just tell me about all the women connected to the Second Master. Surely there’s a common thread among them. Men are always like this—after finding their one true love, they go searching for substitutes.”

Assistant Wang wiped the sweat from his brow. “You’d better just focus on reading.”

Xu Anan cast a glance at Jiang Li to confirm that he was still asleep. “It’s all in the past, isn’t it? Or does the Second Master still brood over it? Tell me, which former flame does he long for? Or does he have an untouchable first love? Or perhaps a red mole he can’t forget?”

Assistant Wang looked at Jiang Li again.

“Please don’t ask me anymore.”

“Oh, I see now—the Second Master must like women like me! After all, I’m the epitome of beauty, though he’s destined never to win my heart.”

“You certainly know how to flatter yourself.”

Jiang Li slowly opened his eyes, his gaze dark and penetrating.

From Assistant Wang’s behavior, Xu Anan knew Jiang Li hadn’t really fallen asleep. She was provoking him on purpose.

Sure enough, Jiang Li couldn’t keep his composure.

Assistant Wang slipped away quietly.

Xu Anan handed over the tablet. If she weren’t worried about hitting Jiang Li’s wound, she really would have tossed it at him without ceremony. “See if there’s anyone you like. The old master is running himself ragged over your marriage.”

“You sure have the nerve, taking the money and not doing the work.” Jiang Li didn’t accept the tablet.

“Fine, I’ll take it home and look through it at my leisure.” Xu Anan stuffed the tablet in her bag and got up to leave. She had no interest in spending another night on the sofa.

Leaving the hospital, Xu Anan abandoned the wheelchair and headed for Floating Cloud Villa. After an hour-long bus ride, she arrived at the foot of the hill and looked around to see if there were any motorbikes available.

“Excuse me, are you Miss Xu?”

A black Bentley pulled up beside her. The window rolled down to reveal a handsome face.

Xu Anan recognized him—he was the grandson of the reclusive master, Gu Yang. Last time, the old man had even shown her a photo and suggested introducing his grandson to her, but Xu Anan had mentioned her fiancé, and the old master had dropped the idea.

“Are you here to interview my grandfather? Let me give you a ride up. I’m headed there myself,” Gu Yang offered.

“Well, I’d be honored. Thank you.” Xu Anan walked around to the passenger seat—sitting in the back would make him feel like her driver.

It was a short drive—only ten minutes.

Gu Yang went to park the car.

Xu Anan waited politely, then entered the house with him.

“How did the two of you end up arriving together?” Old Master Gu was delighted. “Little girl, do you know my grandson?”

Gu Yang explained how they’d met at the foot of the hill. “Grandpa, I know what you’re thinking, but I’m really not in any hurry right now.”

“You two chat. I’ll go upstairs to take care of some things.”

Old Master Gu snorted, clearly displeased with his grandson’s attitude. “Such a wonderful girl right in front of you, and you don’t appreciate it—you’d better not regret it later.”

Xu Anan broke into a cold sweat and could only repeat, “Old Master Gu, I really do have a fiancé.”

“I was only joking.”

“You have quite the sense of humor.”

“Haha, I think so too!”

The old master was a bit of a rascal. “Come, come, play a game of chess with me. Those so-called chess players these days are getting worse and worse—not one of them is even a third as skilled as you. Playing with them is just a waste of my time.”

Xu Anan wanted information about the Lake Island Resort, so she had to humor him.

“Of course.”

After placing the first white stone, Xu Anan took the initiative to steer the conversation, and the old master chatted freely, telling her almost everything he knew.

Though Old Master Gu had chosen a life of seclusion, the Gu family still held considerable influence in Shanghai. Each day, many came to visit him. Those who met his standards were invited into the villa for a chat about current affairs, so he was never out of touch.

Having obtained some key information, Xu Anan finally relaxed. She now had leverage for her negotiations with Jiang Li!

Ring, ring, ring!

Seeing that it was Shen Ying calling, a shadow flickered in Xu Anan’s eyes. “Old Master Gu, I’m sorry, but I have to go now.”

The old master was still pondering his next chess move. He’d been thinking for a full twenty minutes and still hadn’t decided. He waved her away. “Go on, today’s session is quite enough.”

If they played any longer, he’d surely lose.

Xu Anan stood, bowed, and hurried off.

Old Master Gu even arranged for a driver to take her back to the city, having noticed the instant change in her expression when she received the call. Clearly, something urgent had come up.

“Grandpa, she’s gone,” Gu Yang announced as he came downstairs.

The old master didn’t even look up. “Aren’t you just asking the obvious? You were deliberately avoiding her—was that really necessary? She already has a fiancé, so she wouldn’t be interested in you anyway.”

Gu Yang sat across from his grandfather.

“If she’s already engaged, why are you still trying to set me up with her? Do you want your grandson to be the other man?”

Old Master Gu snorted. “That punk Jiang Yu isn’t worthy.”

“Jiang Li would be more than enough, but he’s too much, while you strike the perfect balance.”

Gu Yang could only shake his head with a smile at his grandfather’s teasing. Then, glancing at the chessboard, his pupils contracted sharply. “Wait… was she playing the white stones?”