"Dear Gan, long time no see!"
"Didn’t we just see each other at the party?" Gan Yuan laughed.
"That was just a glance." Abel stepped forward, opening his arms, "Before the Duke gets here, shall we sneak in a hug?"
Gan Yuan smiled and extended her right hand, "Thank you!"
"Okay, a handshake it is!" Abel laughed as he took her hand, "But speaking of which, I think the President isn’t quite suitable for you, you should consider becoming an actress."
Gan Yuan knew he was alluding to her disguise, but her face still brimmed with a smile, "When it comes to performance, I’m no match for Mr. Abel."
She had realized sometime earlier that this man was no ordinary fellow, and now it seemed her judgement was right, even Huangfu Jue trusted him, even sharing this secret with him. How could such a person be an idle playboy?
Abel shrugged, "I’m no performer, I just do my own thing."
"Same here," Gan Yuan said.
"Please, have a seat!" Abel smiled invitingly, "To avoid raising any suspicion, they need to arrive a bit later. You know, he’s quite the attention-grabber."
Gan Yuan nodded, indicating she understood.
Abel pushed the juice on the table towards her, "This is the Duke’s idea, but I don’t mind if you’d rather have wine."
"No, juice is fine." She was pregnant and couldn’t drink alcohol; it seemed that Huangfu Jue hadn’t told him this part.
As they waited together, Abel leaned back in his chair, eyes half closed, gazing at Gan Yuan in front of him.
"You know, I’m quite curious whether, in a few days, you’ll do something else surprising. Out of all the women I know, you are the special one."
"I’m not joking." Abel smiled mischievously, "I’ve slept with numerous women, movie stars, distinguished ladies... I’ve always prided myself on understanding them, knowing their thoughts by their actions, but you are the only one I can’t see through."
At this, he leaned in with a cheeky grin.
"Now that you’ve already broken off your engagement with the Duke, how about... giving me a chance?" His phone rang just as he finished his sentence, and seeing Huangfu Jue’s number, Abel immediately shook his head, "Forget I said anything, please don’t tell the Duke!"
With that, he stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and with a gentle push, the shelf parted to reveal secret doors.
"Not bad, right?" Leading Gan Yuan into the passage, there was a hint of roguish pride in Abel’s tone, "I built this passage for trysts with women, though it’s a shame that you walking by my side now are off to see another man."
His words were teasing, but his eyes held no trace of flirtation.
Abel never denied his fondness for women.
Before meeting Gan Yuan, women were simply divided into those he wanted to sleep with and those he didn’t. After meeting her, he had to add a new category—some women, were meant to be friends.
After proceeding through another section of the passage, Abel led Gan Yuan into a splendid suite.
Gan Tang, who was looking around in the hall, immediately rushed over with cheers, dashing into Gan Yuan’s arms.
"Mommy!" This time, Huangfu Jue certainly wouldn’t stop him, merely smiling as he watched mother and son embrace. He softly reminded, "Xiaotang, be careful not to tire Mommy out."