Gan Yuan’s nails had dug deeply into the back of Huangfu Jue’s hand, but he seemed utterly oblivious, his intertwined fingers not loosening in the slightest.
She bit her lip, relaxed her fingers, and simply let him hold her hand.
They had done more intimate things; what was hand-holding in comparison?
As he led her through the crowded street, his arm frequently tensed, pulling her behind him to protect her from being jostled by the passersby.
At first, her fingers remained stiffly extended, not touching his, but gradually they began to relax.
As they moved forward, her fingertips inadvertently brushed against the back of his hand, which sent her thoughts uncontrollably drifting back to six years ago.
That night, as he led her by the hand out of the relentless snowfall, it was just , with fingers spread and tightly interlocked with hers.
"This scar, it’s from back then, isn’t it?"
In front of her, his deep voice broke the silence, and Gan Yuan snapped back to reality, realizing that without noticing, they had already left the snack street and arrived at the roadside.
The man had stopped walking and was gently stroking the long, thin scar on the back of her hand with his fingertips.
That day, during the avalanche, both she and he had been trapped in the snowfield; the scar on her hand was a remnant of that time. Even after six years and numerous attempts with scar-removal skincare products, a faint white line was still visible.
Her eyelashes fluttered as she forcefully withdrew her hand.
The driver, who had spotted them from a distance, had already opened the car door.
She unceremoniously got into the back seat, and the man followed, sitting beside her in the spacious limousine.
Gan Yuan couldn’t be bothered to argue over such trivial matters, and simply turned her face to gaze out the window.
Huangfu Jue ordered quietly, and the driver started the car to return to the hotel.
As they neared the hotel, Gan Yuan made a phone call to Gan Tang. The little fellow had already arrived home and was playing chess with Will.
"Mommy might be late; if you’re sleepy, go to bed early. Don’t wait up for me."
Gan Yuan hung up the phone with a smile. For years, she and her son had relied on each other, her son being her everlasting source of joy.
The car entered the parking lot, and before the driver could get out to open her door, Gan Yuan had already pushed the door open and stepped out.
They entered the elevator one after the other, with her leaning against the elevator wall.
As the elevator ascended, Huangfu Jue stood to one side, his blue eyes deeply fixated on her face.
"What do you want to talk about?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the elevator came to a halt, and a man dressed in black entered, glanced at the two of them, and stood to the side after pressing a floor button.
With an outsider present, it was inappropriate to speak, and both remained silent.
The elevator stopped at the 56th floor and they walked out one after the other, arriving at the door of the room. Huangfu Jue raised his hand to ring the doorbell, and another assistant, who had been staying here to help with his work, immediately opened the door.
Huangfu Jue strode into the living room. The assistant nodded at Gan Yuan and hurriedly left.
He took off his jacket, and Gan Yuan turned her head, scanning the surroundings; her gaze lingered for a moment at the study door.
There was a safe in the study; surely, that thing was inside it?
After tossing his jacket on the sofa, Huangfu Jue turned and walked to the bar, poured two glasses of red wine, and held one out to her.
She raised an eyebrow, "I came to talk business with you, not to drink."
"I like to talk over drinks."
He stubbornly presented the glass, and under the light, visible blue finger marks stood out on the back of his hand—it had been her doing!