Chapter 43: Strangely Adorable

After dealing with the hoodlums, Song Shiyu saw the two staring at each other at the door. He asked tentatively, “President, where are we going now? Should we find a restaurant to celebrate his birthday?” The second question was for Qiao Xi.

He did not believe that the wife would remain indifferent even after he had reminded her so obviously.

Reality proved that not only was Qiao Xi indifferent, but she also yawned bothering about Gu Zheng. For the sake of rushing to complete Mo Yuan’s birthday present, she had not slept the entire night yesterday. Now that she was feeling sleepy, she wished for nothing more than to bury her head in her pillow and sleep.

“I’m not going to eat. You guys go ahead. I have to go back and sleep.”

Qiao Xi yawned as she walked out. When she walked past Gu Zheng, he grabbed her arm. “I’m not eating as well. There’s nothing good to eat. Let’s go home together.”

When he thought of the messy pile of draft papers and all sorts of equipment that she did not have time to pack away, Gu Zheng could guess that Qiao Xi had not slept last night.

He pulled Qiao Xi out without asking any questions, leaving Song Shiyu alone in confusion.

In the car.

Qiao Xi leaned against the back seat and closed her eyes to rest. Gu Zheng was sitting on the other side, looking out of the window. It was unknown what he was thinking, but there was a large distance between the two of them.

Song Shiyu secretly looked at the rearview mirror as he drove. He watched helplessly as Gu Zheng moved closer to Qiao Xi. He only stopped when there was a fist’s distance between them.

Qiao Xi was not deeply asleep. Coupled with the fact that Gu Zheng’s aura was invading her personal space bit by bit, the trace of sleepiness instantly vanished. Rubbing the space between her eyebrows, she turned to look at Gu Zheng and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Gu Zheng tapped open his phone screen. “You made this?”

Qiao Xi nodded. “Yes, I thought it was cute, so I sent it to you. It’s perfect for a birthday gift. You don’t like it?”

Gu Zheng’s index finger, which was resting on his knee, tapped lightly. He did not answer for a long time.

Like? It was not exactly like. He was not a fool. She knew that it was also Mo Yuan’s birthday, and the cufflinks she gave him were personally designed and made by her. Meanwhile, the gift he got from her was an animation of a figure waving a lightstick. One glance and anyone could tell that it was a very perfunctory gift.

However, to say that he did not like it… If it were not for this familiar figure waving a lightstick, he would not have been able to discover Qiao Xi’s true identity—much less know that their shared destiny had started many years ago.

“It’s not too bad.”

In the end, Gu Zheng gave an ambiguous answer.

Qiao Xi nodded and did not ask further.

Song Shiyu muttered in his heart, ‘No wonder the president is in a good mood. He received Young Madam’s birthday gift a long time ago!’

Gu Zheng put away his phone and ignored his restless assistant. His slender body leaned lazily against the back of the seat as he casually chatted with Qiao Xi as though he was bored.

It was only when the car stopped in front of the villa that Qiao Xi heaved a sigh of relief. For some reason, she felt that Gu Zheng was acting strangely today. He spoke more than usual and he was in a better mood than usual too… Could it be that it was because it was his birthday?

Qiao Xi’s thoughts ran wild as she changed her shoes. It was only when she returned to the third floor that she suddenly recalled she had forgotten to ask Mo Yuan if he received the gift! When she thought of this, she hurriedly took out her phone to send a message to Mo Yuan.

When Gu Zheng saw the contents of the WeChat message, he chuckled. He looked up at the third floor. This woman had yet to discover his identity. What should he do? He did not want to take the initiative to tell her either.

[I received it. Thank you. I really like the gift.]

When she saw Mo Yuan’s reply, she grew relaxed. She casually picked up the cup of water on the coffee table and took a sip. However, she realized that the taste was wrong after taking a sip… This seemed to be wine!

Qiao Xi looked at the cup with a dumbfounded expression. Why was there wine in her room? She did not have the time to think about it before Qiao Xi fell to the floor with a bang. She was unconscious.

Gu Zheng, who was walking toward the study on the second floor, stopped in his tracks. The sound just now seemed to come from the third floor.

“Qiao Xi?”

Gu Zheng knocked on the door but there was no response.

“If you don’t say anything, I’m going in.”

Gu Zheng pressed his hand down and the door handle turned.

Qiao Xi could vaguely hear Gu Zheng’s voice, but she was unable to answer because she had downed the contents of the cup in one go!

Who would have thought that Black Tide, the top hacker in the world, would collapse after a cup of wine?

Her mind became increasingly muddled, and the world was spinning. She could vaguely see Gu Zheng running toward her in a panic. She wanted to comfort him and say that she was fine. She was just drunk, but her mouth seemed to be sealed shut. She could not open it at all, and she could only let Gu Zheng carry her with trembling hands. He was shouting for the housekeeper and doctor.

Gu Zheng could not recall the scene he saw the moment he pushed the door open. Qiao Xi had fainted on the floor, and there was a shattered cup beside her. An unknown liquid had soaked the carpet, leaving a small stain.

His first reaction was that Qiao Xi had been poisoned. At that moment, panic enveloped his heart. He staggered as he picked Qiao Xi up and rushed out the door without even thinking.

The family doctor who was urgently called over did a check-up on Qiao Xi. The moment he received the results, he was a little hesitant… Drunk? Just drunk? Was there nothing wrong with her? He looked at Gu Zheng, then at the report in his hand.. His eyebrows furrowed together.