Eleven was mulling over the thought. Gu Liancheng was a very astute businessman, how could he indulge in a loss-making deal...
Spending an extra twenty grand. Wasnât he being foolish?
"Donât worry, the money will reach your account soon."
"Thank you, Boss Gu!"
"Youâre welcome." He gave her a sly smile.
"Fang Eleven, are you silly?"
In the end, Gu Liancheng didnât choose to sleep in any of the rooms but settled for the couch in the living room.
Meanwhile in her room, Eleven shared the incident about the break-in at home with Feiâer that day, adding in the end: Thank God for Gu Liancheng!
Otherwise, she would have been scared out of her wits when she saw the house in disarray.
...
The weather had been rather unpredictable of late. It was hot during the day, but slightly chilly in the night. The ambiance in the living room wasnât as cozy as the bedroom. After thinking for a bit, Eleven decided to bring out a blanket from the closet for him.
Her room directly faced the couch so she could easily see it was empty.
That was weird, where is he?
He didnât sneak off, did he?
It was now she realized that after having been robbed, one does feel a bit uneasy being alone at night.
As she stepped outside with the blanket, she saw him standing on the balcony, back towards her, talking on the phone. Eleven walked towards him, intending to tell him about the blanket, but as she got closer, she overheard his conversation.
"Yes, you guys can arrange the engagement banquet, I have no issues."
"Itâs fine, I will find time for it. Donât bother coordinating with my schedule, you can decide."
"No need for Cute to be involved, I donât want her to get in the public eye."
Eleven stopped dead in her tracks. She twitched her toes, turned around and left. She had brought the blanket to keep him warm, but now she carried it away.
Shutting the door behind her, Eleven leaned against it and thought, "Let him freeze for all I care! After all, he has a fiancée. Her sweet words would keep him warm anyway."
...
After ending the call, he turned around to see nothing.
Was it a mishearing?
Didnât he sense her presence behind him?
Even if it had crossed midnight and he was at Elevenâs place, he could still hold a video conference on his cell. He took those calls out on the balcony to avoid disturbing her.
He initially thought of using her laptop but couldnât bypass the password in a hurry and didnât want to waste more time on it.
Work lasted till two in the morning, after which he finally decided to sleep.
He had been battling insomnia lately, had pulled an all-nighter on Friday, and even on Saturday, insomnia stretched into the wee hours. He was indeed quite tired now.
As he lay down, sleepiness crept in. He closed his eyes and felt strangely hopeful of falling asleep tonight.
Compared to the previous days, he didnât feel restless anymore. His heart felt pretty calm.
He had been asleep for a while when suddenly, he heard a noise.
He was a light sleeper, even the faintest noise could easily rouse him.
Following the source of the sound, he realized it was coming from Elevenâs room. He could hear soft whimpering noises.
Taken aback slightly, he gently opened her room door, which hadnât been locked from inside, indicating how much she trusted him.
"Eleven? Itâs me," he whispered gently, not wanting to scare her, and entered the room without turning on the lights.
The room wasnât entirely dark since she slept with the night light on, providing a certain amount of illumination.
Upon getting no response, he moved forward.
Eleven was curled under the blanket, lying on her side. He saw her in a curled-up position, whimpering gently, crying out, "mom..."
He squatted by her bed, and in the faint glow of the bedside lamp, he saw her cheeks wet with tears.