Chapter Seventy-Nine: A Confession Rejected

It was only when Gu Xiujin finished his conversation with Feng Hanxuan and was about to leave that Wang Miao’er could no longer suppress the feelings within her heart. Summoning all her courage, she lifted her skirt and hurried several steps forward, coming to stand before Gu Xiujin.

“President Gu, do you remember me?” Wang Miao’er looked at Gu Xiujin with some anticipation.

Gu Xiujin glanced at her. How could he possibly forget Wang Miao’er? Yet his expression remained cold as he replied, “Is there something you need?”

“Could we speak privately for a moment?” Wang Miao’er bit her lip, her voice tinged with shyness. Gu Xiujin frowned slightly, but said nothing.

The two walked to the small garden within the ancient castle. Around them, colorful lights twined through the foliage, turning the garden into a dreamlike scene.

In such a wondrous setting, Wang Miao’er felt it was the perfect moment for a confession. She looked up at Gu Xiujin’s indifferent face and spoke, “Gu Xiujin, I know the impression I left on you when we first met wasn’t good.”

“But that’s not the real me. If you’re willing to give me a chance, I want you to get to know the real me.”

After her words fell, Gu Xiujin’s expression did not change; he merely replied coolly, “There’s no need.”

He turned to leave. Wang Miao’er’s body stiffened, but at last she spoke the words that had circled endlessly in her heart, “Gu Xiujin, I like you. I like you very, very much. Won’t you give me a chance?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, it felt as if a heavy stone had finally been lifted from her heart. Wang Miao’er felt inexplicably light and once again dashed cheerfully to stand before Gu Xiujin, her eyes alight with hope.

But seeing her blocking his path, Gu Xiujin’s brow furrowed tightly. He rejected her coldly, “I do not like you.”

Such a direct refusal left the expectant Wang Miao’er stunned. Her body faltered backward several steps, and she murmured, “What did you say?”

Gu Xiujin’s brow knit even tighter. He repeated, “I said, I do not like you, and I ask that you do not disturb me again.”

With those words, he walked past Wang Miao’er without hesitation, not a trace of pity in his demeanor, leading Li Zhao and the others away from the banquet. He had attended this gathering solely to seek out Feng Hanxuan, the treasure hunter.

Standing there, Wang Miao’er’s tears fell in torrents. Her heart felt as though someone had carved a gaping wound into it, an invisible black hole consuming all her joy and longing.

She seemed to become a soulless puppet, her body swaying before she collapsed to the ground. Helpless tears slid from the corners of her eyes as she repeated, over and over, a phrase devoid of meaning, “Why, why?”

“President Gu, I’ve already posted a bounty on CloudNet. Whoever can find the listed medicinal ingredients will receive a very generous reward,” Li Zhao reported to Gu Xiujin.

Gu Xiujin nodded. Gazing into the deepening night outside, he spoke coldly, “My time is running short. We must use every available resource to find those ingredients listed in the prescription.”

Wang Miao’er, her confession rejected, remained desolate in the small garden. She had no idea how much time had passed before a pair of hands appeared before her. Looking up, she saw it was Gu Xiucheng.

“What are you doing here?” Wang Miao’er snapped out of her daze and stood up at once, her voice icy as she addressed Gu Xiucheng.

Gu Xiucheng had not been invited to tonight’s banquet, yet somehow he appeared here now.

“I knew you would attend tonight, so I wanted to see you,” Gu Xiucheng said with a faint smile.

Wang Miao’er’s expression froze, a cold light flickering in her eyes. “When did you arrive, and what did you see?”

“I saw nothing you didn’t want me to see, and I won’t forget anything you did want me to witness,” Gu Xiucheng replied ambiguously, his lips still curled in a smile that now struck Wang Miao’er as almost demonic.

She said nothing more and simply turned to leave. Gu Xiucheng did not stop her, but his smile lingered, filled with enigmatic meaning.

When Wang Miao’er returned home, her father Wang Kaishan took one look at her defeated expression and immediately understood what had happened. His brow knotted tightly as he said, “Gu Xiujin is too much. What about my daughter is not worthy of him, that he dares reject your confession?”

“Dad, please don’t say any more. On the way home, I thought a lot. I’ve decided I will inherit the family business, grow into a strong woman, and then attract Gu Xiujin’s attention. When that time comes, I’ll make sure he sees me in a new light,” Wang Miao’er said through gritted teeth.

Wang Kaishan had not expected that a single rejection would awaken his daughter’s business acumen. He immediately nodded in agreement.

After all, Wang Kaishan had only this precious daughter. At first, he had begged her to get involved in the Bloodsucker family’s business so she could smoothly take over the company, but Wang Miao’er had refused.

He never imagined that after being rejected by Gu Xiujin, Wang Miao’er would come around on her own and wish to inherit the family business—this made Wang Kaishan overjoyed.

The next day, he brought his daughter Wang Miao’er to the company and made her the general manager of Wang Pharmaceuticals, beginning her training in company management.

Gu Xiujin, of course, had no idea that rejecting a woman’s confession would spur her ambition. At this moment, he was watching Xie Qingtang in his kitchen, his expression somewhat unusual.

Today happened to be the day Xie Qingtang was to administer acupuncture to Gu Xiujin, so she had arrived early—not to take his pulse, but to learn the recipe for Bloodsucker Eggs.

Even with the detailed steps in hand, Xie Qingtang could not manage to successfully recreate the dish, so she seized the opportunity to consult with the villa’s chef.

As the patient, Gu Xiujin felt oddly ignored by his doctor, but he quickly suppressed this feeling and went to the study to handle company affairs. Just then, Li Zhao burst in excitedly.

“President Gu, someone has accepted our bounty!” Li Zhao announced, brimming with enthusiasm.