Chapter 86: She Has Only Beauty and Sex

A perfectly good meal turned deeply uncomfortable — though that discomfort certainly didn't include He Huanhuan and Qi Meili.

“Meili, this crab is expensive, let's eat more of this.”

“Oh wow! It's super sweet!”

“Well, that's why it's pricey!”

The two chatted away, heads together, taking turns feeding each other bites, eating with pure, unbridled joy.

At the side, Chen Jiarong watched them devour their food, his mind racing with calculations.

These two clearly haven't seen much of the world or spent big money. People like that love little bargains.

All I have to do is dangle something tempting, and getting them out of the country is a matter of minutes.

At the thought, a faint, barely noticeable smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

His ancestral home was in the south; his grandfather had moved overseas, and the family had always been in a trade that wasn't exactly respectable but was highly profitable.

But the last few years had been hard on the business. Domestic crackdowns were relentless, and they'd teamed up with foreign authorities to bust several of their operations.

Every year, the bribes he paid out grew larger while the profits shrank.

He needed to find himself a new path.

The Gu family had three generations of deep roots in Jiangcheng, and they'd always maintained good relations with those in power.

If he could get in with the Gu family, he could plant himself firmly on domestic soil.

Once his domestic ventures took off, he could cut all ties with the overseas operations.

Then he could become, completely and utterly, Chen Jiarong the respectable Malaysian businessman, with no trace of his past left to haunt him.

But Gu Chacha wasn't the Gu family's biological daughter, and that was a problem.

Blood was a strange and powerful thing. With He Huanhuan around, the Gu family wasn't necessarily willing to accept him.

If they lost what they'd just recovered, the grief and love would all be redirected onto Gu Chacha.

That would work in his favor.

He cast another glance at He Huanhuan, still buried in her food. When we meet again at the compound, I'll apologize to her properly.

Beside He Huanhuan, Han Mo's face was grim.

He was certain: Chen Jiarong had looked at Huanhuan several times, and there was something deeply wrong in his eyes.

What was he planning?

After the meal, Gu Chengye and his wife went for a stroll in the hotel garden to digest. Gu Jinghan stuck to his brother's side, grumbling and complaining in a low voice.

Han Mo shot one look at Chen Jiarong, then turned and walked out.

He waited in the corridor for half a minute before Chen Jiarong pushed the door open as expected: “Master Han, we finally meet.”

Han Mo's face was cold: “Do I know you?”

Chen Jiarong smirked teasingly: “If you didn't know me, why would you be waiting for me here?”

Han Mo's expression grew even colder: “You're on domestic soil now. Keep your dirty tricks to yourself. If you so much as lay a finger on He Huanhuan, I'll make you regret it.”

Chen Jiarong blinked, his tone turning suggestive: “Didn't you just say you don't know me? Then how do you know about my tricks?”

Han Mo turned to look out at the courtyard, his voice full of warning: “If you want to stay in this country and live well, behave yourself.”

Chen Jiarong smiled: “Don't worry. She's going to be my future sister-in-law.”

Han Mo shot him a cold glare: “You'd better keep your word.”

“Han Mo!”

He Huanhuan stood at the doorway, eyes bright, calling him: “What are you doing standing out there? Get over here!”

The coldness in Han Mo's eyes vanished instantly. He nodded: “Alright.”

After firing one last warning look at Chen Jiarong, he left without hesitation and stepped back into the private room.

He Huanhuan frowned at him: “Why were you talking to Chen Jiarong? Do you two know each other?”

She didn't like this Chen Jiarong. He gave her a worse feeling than Han Xuan.

There was something about his eyes — murky and sinister. He didn't seem like a good person.

Han Mo shook his head: “Just bumped into him in the corridor. Exchanged a few words.”

He didn't want to elaborate, so he changed the subject and asked Qi Meili: “How did you think to bluff Gu Chacha like that?”

The trick was dirty, but it certainly did the job.

For the rest of the meal, Gu Chacha sat quietly, eating her food without causing a single scene.

Qi Meili frowned: “I wasn't bluffing. He really does have that smell on him.”

The smell of someone who'd slept around and hadn't bothered to shower. She'd grown up smelling it. It only disappeared from her life after she moved out at fifteen.

The moment Chen Jiarong got near her, she caught that disgusting odor.

Too familiar, too nauseating. There was no mistaking it.

Han Mo: ... Why did I even ask? How am I supposed to respond to this topic?

Luckily, Old Mr. Gu finished his walk and pushed the door open just in time: “Everyone rested enough? Shall we head back?”

Han Mo immediately turned around: “Sure.”

Behind him, Qi Meili leaned over to He Huanhuan: “Is he embarrassed?”

He Huanhuan nodded: “Definitely. Guys his age can't talk about this kind of stuff.”

Han Mo: ...

Gu Chacha had planned to leave with Chen Jiarong, but Gu Jingchen suddenly called out: “Chacha, do you have anything planned for the afternoon?”

Gu Chacha shook her head: “No.”

Gu Jingchen: “Come to the company with me then. I have something to say to you.”

His tone was stern, his attitude cold and hard. No need to guess — whatever it was, it wouldn't be pleasant.

But Gu Chacha couldn't refuse. Since childhood, her eldest brother had spoiled her the most, and she could never say no to him.

She nodded obediently: “Okay.”

Once in the car, the siblings sat in silence, like a wordless battle of wills.

Finally, Gu Jingchen let out a sigh: “What's the deal with this Chen Jiarong?”

Gu Chacha glanced at the rearview mirror. Gu Jingchen's expression wasn't especially harsh, so she said, “He's a friend I recently met. He treats me well...”

“How, exactly?”

Gu Chacha lowered her eyes: “He supports my career. He'll help me put on a concert.”

Gu Jingchen's eyes darkened instantly: “And for that, you...”

He didn't finish the sentence, but Gu Chacha knew what he meant. Tears slid down her lashes and fell one by one onto her skirt: “Brother, is that what you think of me?”

Gu Jingchen didn't look at her. He'd watched her grow up; how could he not know her nature?

She was a master at playing innocent and crying pitifully.

A few blinks and tears would stream down her face, tugging at everyone's heartstrings.

If it were a small matter, she'd cry a little and he'd let it go.

But matters of the heart weren't a game. He couldn't just let her cry a few tears and move on.

His voice grew colder: “It's not about what I think of you. It's about whether you even know what you're doing.”

Gu Chacha choked back sobs: “Of course I know. He likes me, and he's willing to treat me well, so I like him.”

Gu Jingchen's brows knitted tightly: “Look me in the eye and tell me you truly like him.”

But Gu Chacha couldn't lift her head. Her tears fell harder, and she felt her heart clench: “Brother, stop pushing me, please?”

Gu Jingchen's eyes were filled with barely restrained anger: “Am I the one pushing you? You're pushing yourself. You can't even look me in the eye and say you like him. How could you... how could you sleep with him...”

Sleeping with him wasn't love. It was a transaction.

The words struck Gu Chacha's heart like heavy fists, battering her with grief and resentment.

She wanted things her family refused to give her. What else could she do?

There was nothing else.

The only things she had were her beauty and her body.

If she didn't use them to trade, what did she have left to exchange?