Investigate Him

Once inside the car, Luo Shiyi shut out Gu Ci's lingering gaze.

The car had driven quite a distance before Gu Ci finally retracted his gaze, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. He then turned and walked away.

But Luo Shiyi didn't relax after getting into the car. She could feel the cold aura emanating from Shen Xiuyi.

"Uncle?"

"Was that person your classmate?"

Shen Xiuyi's gaze shifted to Luo Shiyi.

Luo Shiyi immediately straightened her back. "Yeah."

"Are you two desk mates?"

"I didn't have a seat when I first came, so I had to sit next to him."

For some reason, Luo Shiyi felt like a child who had been caught doing something wrong by her parents. She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. But after a moment, she thought to herself, *I haven't done anything wrong, so why should I feel guilty?*

"Has he been bothering you?"

"It's nothing serious. I can handle it myself."

Luo Shiyi didn't want Shen Xiuyi getting involved in her affairs. Him sending her to school was already drawing too much attention, and she didn't want to invite more trouble.

Shen Xiuyi stared at Luo Shiyi for a while before finally shifting his gaze away, adding, "Focus on your studies. Don't get caught up in nonsense."

The memory of Luo Shiyi's little interaction with Gu Ci earlier resurfaced in Shen Xiuyi's mind, and his brows furrowed deeper.

"Got it, Uncle."

Luo Shiyi thought to herself, *I'm not caught up in any nonsense. Besides, what's so fun about school anyway?*

The two of them remained silent for the rest of the ride. Luo Shiyi turned her face toward the window, watching the scenery pass by.

The atmosphere in the car was unusually quiet.

Even Xu Feng, who was driving, noticed something was off. Through the rearview mirror, he glanced at Shen Xiuyi's stern face, then at Luo Shiyi, who seemed completely oblivious. He sighed inwardly.

He drove even more carefully, maintaining the silence all the way to the Shen family estate. The two didn't exchange another word. Luo Shiyi politely bid Shen Xiuyi goodbye before heading to her room and closing the door.

Shen Xiuyi's expression turned icy. "Go and find out who that person talking to Jiayi today is."

"Understood."

Xu Feng nodded. He had expected Shen Xiuyi to ask him to investigate this. He quickly went to get it done.

Not long after, Xu Feng returned with a stack of documents and placed them on Shen Xiuyi's desk. "Fourth Master, this is the information you requested."

Shen Xiuyi flicked the ash off his cigarette and leaned forward, his long fingers pulling the stack of documents closer.

"The person in question is Gu Ci, the youngest son of the Gu family. It's said that he's been living abroad for the past few years and only recently returned. As soon as he came back, the Gu family patriarch sent him to the international school. However, he's been involved in fights and caused a lot of trouble, infuriating the old man…"

Shen Xiuyi flipped through the documents, his eyes scanning the contents quickly. His expression remained impassive until he reached a certain section. His gaze paused, and a cold aura began to radiate from him.

Xu Feng knew Shen Xiuyi had seen that part and lowered his voice. "These details only surfaced recently, and they're mostly rumors. They're not very credible…"

Shen Xiuyi closed the documents and tapped his fingers on the stack. "Find a way to suppress these rumors."

"Yes, Fourth Master."

Shen Xiuyi waved his hand, signaling for Xu Feng to leave.

Xu Feng nodded and promptly exited the study.

Shen Xiuyi stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, lighting another cigarette. The ember glowed as smoke curled upward, obscuring his features. His deep gaze fixed on the outside world. 

From where he stood, he could just catch a corner of Luo Shiyi's room. She hadn't drawn the curtains after returning and was now lying on her soft bed, phone in hand, engrossed in something. Her legs occasionally swung back and forth, giving her a carefree appearance.

Shen Xiuyi's gaze lingered on her exposed calves for a moment before he finally looked away.

Luo Shiyi didn't notice his gaze. She was busy playing a challenging game when a call interrupted her. Seeing the number on the screen, her expression darkened. She was about to ignore it, but the caller persisted, dialing again and again as if determined to make her answer.

Annoyed, Luo Shiyi finally picked up. "What?"

"Why didn't you answer my call?" Shen Xiuwen's accusatory voice came through.

"I didn't hear the ring. What do you want?"

Shen Xiuwen's temper flared at Luo Shiyi's attitude. "Is that any way to talk to your employer?"

"Get to the point."

Luo Shiyi wasn't in the mood to listen to Shen Xiuwen's complaints. "If you've got nothing to say, I'm hanging up."

"Fine. Now that you've got Shen Xiuyi backing you, you think you're all that, huh? You don't even see me as a threat anymore?"

"Remember your place. You're just a fake heiress. If you keep acting all high and mighty, I swear I'll—"

Luo Shiyi hung up without hesitation. Not a moment later, her phone rang again. It was still Shen Xiuwen. She answered it, only to be met with more anger. "You dare hang up on me?"

"If you keep wasting my time, I'll hang up again."

On the other end, there was a sound of teeth grinding. After a moment, Shen Xiuwen seemed to have calmed himself. "We're going to the hospital to see the old man tomorrow. You know what to say and what not to say, right?"

Luo Shiyi raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry. I know how to do my job."

Shen Xiuwen let out a cold laugh, and a woman's coquettish voice echoed in the background. "Third Master~~"

Luo Shiyi was instantly repulsed by the overly sweet tone, her skin crawling.

Shen Xiuwen seemed to console the woman before returning to the topic. "I hope you keep your word."

"Don't worry about it."

Luo Shiyi had no desire to listen to Shen Xiuwen flirt with the woman any longer, fearing it would dirty her ears. She quickly hung up.

After ending the call, she held her phone and glanced out the window—only to freeze. Shen Xiuyi was standing there, smoking, his deep gaze fixed on her. She had no idea how long he'd been watching.

A chill ran down Luo Shiyi's spine as she frantically tried to recall if she'd done anything out of character.