Chapter 357 Let’s See How Sincere You Are

Gu Nianbin’s hand was hot and dry, which made Du Xiaoxian feel a sense of peace that she had not felt for a long time. She looked up at him. He lowered his head and smiled. He then suddenly retracted his hand and hugged her. Du Xiaoxian was only stunned for a second. Then her heart felt like it was shooting out dazzling and eye-catching fireworks. She hugged his waist tightly and buried her head in his embrace. She almost cried.

However, Gu Nianbin soon withdrew from the hug and wrapped his arm back around her waist. “President Lu, why are you so late? I thought you weren’t going to come!”

Lu Haochen glanced at the hand on Du Xiaoxian’s waist and smiled coolly. “How could I not come to Niannian’s birthday party? There was quite a lot of traffic on the road.”

Only then did Du Xiaoxian understand why Gu Nianbin had hugged her out of the blue. It was all for Lu Haochen to see. The blush on her face gradually faded as she forced a smile. “Brother Ah Yue, Haochen, you’re here. I’m so glad. Hurry in!”

As soon as she called him “Haochen”, Lu Haochen’s face instantly lit up. He looked Du Xiaoxian up and down before saying with a smile, “Xiaoxian, you look so beautiful today!”

Du Xiaoxian blushed at the praise and said softly, “Thank you!”

“Xiaoxian, were you alright after that day?” Du Huayue asked. “President Lu felt so guilty that he couldn’t sleep at all that night. He was afraid that something bad would happen to you!”

“I’m fine!” Du Xiaoxian quickly said, “Haochen, don’t take it to heart. I’m fine.”

“How could you be fine?!” Gu Nianbin suddenly interrupted. “There’s a massive bruise on your waist. If I hadn’t helped you massage the extravasated blood away, I’m afraid you wouldn’t even be able to straighten your back right now!”

“Thank you, President Gu,” Lu Haochen said with a smile. “Otherwise, I would’ve felt absolutely guilty.”

“Of course.” Gu Nianbin smiled as well. “No matter what, she’s the mother of my child. It’s my duty to take care of her.”

The two men chimed in one after another. It seemed that they were chatting and joking around, but each sentence seemed like a barbed insinuation. They both refused to back down even by half a step.

Even a simple-minded person like Du Xiaoxian could tell that something was wrong. She was afraid that they would start fighting again like that night, so she quickly said, “I’ll bring you in!”

This was Gu Nianbin’s territory. If they really fought, Du Huayue and Lu Haochen wouldn’t be able to win. Du Huayue was still calm-headed and knew that they couldn’t be impulsive. He dragged Lu Haochen inside, and Du Xiaoxian was about to follow. However, Gu Nianbin reached out his arm and pulled Du Xiaoxian back. He looked displeased. “Why are you going? Are you afraid that such a grown man would be lost?”

Du Xiaoxian could only stand in place. After they entered, she asked, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“What?” Gu Nianbin frowned.

“You were putting on a show in front of everyone just now. You were deliberately trying to make Lu Haochen angry, right?”

Gu Nianbin laughed. “Du Xiaoxian, everyone says that you’re stupid, but there are occasions when you’re smart.” His smile faded. “It’s good that you know. I’m being nice to you today to make Niannian happy and also for the sake of my parents. Otherwise, do you think I would like to touch you?”

She knew this was the case, but Du Xiaoxian still felt very uncomfortable hearing him confirm it. She bit her lip and shook off Gu Nianbin’s hand. “I would rather you act the way you did before. I don’t like how you’re treating me right now!”

“You think I like it? I wouldn’t be bothered to deal with you if I didn’t have to keep up appearances for everyone’s sake!” Gu Nianbin bent down and spoke fiercely in her ear, “I’m warning you. You’d better be good tonight. Don’t become a laughingstock, or else, I won’t spare you!”

Du Xiaoxian suddenly felt emboldened and stared at him fearlessly. “Are you going to hit me?”

“Why would I hit you?” Gu Nianbin said coolly, “I’ll just make sure you never see Niannian again.”

“You!” Du Xiaoxian was furious. She could endure nearly anything except this. Keeping her away from her child was crueler than killing her!

She was so angry that she started to breathe rapidly. Her chest was heaving up and down violently. “What do you want?”

“I want you to be obedient. You know that I always keep my word.” Gu Nianbin laughed when he saw that she was angry. “Why don’t we test it out now? Let’s see how sincere you are.”

Du Xiaoxian glared at him. “What do you want me to do?”

Gu Nianbin looked at her with a contemplative expression. His smile deepened. After a long while, he said, “Kiss me!”

Du Xiaoxian was startled. She thought that she misheard him or that Gu Nianbin was playing tricks with her, but his expression was very serious.

Du Xiaoxian bit her lips and hesitated. The man in front of her had become a little like a stranger to her. She couldn’t read him at all. She didn’t know what he was going to do. But she knew how powerful he was.

After some hesitation, she finally stood on her tiptoes and reached for his shoulder, gently touching his lips with hers. Just as she was about to break apart from him, Gu Nianbin suddenly tightened his arms around her tightly and kissed her passionately.

His sudden passion caused Du Xiaoxian’s mind to go blank and her body to go weak. Gu Nianbin held her tightly so that she would not fall. He was like a plunderer that suddenly appeared, ruthlessly pillaging her fragrance, her sweetness, and everything wonderful about her!

He plundered her seemingly without ever growing tired. He was domineering and fierce. Du Xiaoxian felt as though the air in her lungs was being sucked away by him bit by bit until she was about to suffocate. He held her so tightly that even her ribs hurt.

Du Xiaoxian had no choice but to open her mouth and try to get some oxygen from him. But his tongue took the opportunity to invade and fill her mouth. She mewled and cried out like a kitten…

Gu Nianbin finally let go. Du Xiaoxian felt as if her legs had turned into jelly as she slid down. She instinctively clutched his clothes and slowly looked up. She saw his teasing smile. “I see you enjoyed it a lot. Do you want to continue?”

Du Xiaoxian was so embarrassed that she wanted to die. She forced herself to stand up and slowly let go of his clothes. When she looked up again, she found that he was looking somewhere else. She followed his gaze and saw Lu Haochen standing there, staring at them.

Du Xiaoxian lowered her eyes. Her blood that was boiling slowly turned cold. There was a strange look of calmness on her face. It was as if she was laughing at herself. She slowly walked toward Lu Haochen. Gu Nianbin seemed to want to pull her back, but his hand hung midair before he finally let it fall. In the end, he remained standing in place and just watched her in shock.

Du Xiaoxian couldn’t stand the fact that Gu Nianbin put on acts with her time and time again. He could be cold and put on a fierce look, but she couldn’t stand his pretense. She couldn’t stand him putting on an act with her because she didn’t have the ability to distinguish between what was real and what was an act. She would think that everything was true. She would let herself desire these acts of his and grow addicted to them. She would think that his affectionate actions were love, but reality would only disappoint her.

She walked to Lu Haochen. She tried to force out a smile. She wanted to explain, but she did not know where to start.

“Xiaoxian, is this the happiness you want?” Lu Haochen asked slowly in a low voice.

It seemed like he could see through the act. “He wasn’t like this in the past. It’s because I hurt him too much that he became like this,” Du Xiaoxian said with a bitter smile.

“If he really loves you, why hasn’t he chosen to forgive you? Why does he have to keep hurting you like this? And you.” He paused. “Are you really willing to keep getting hurt by him like this?”

Du Xiaoxian did not respond. After a while, she nodded gently. Lu Haochen was about to say something more, but Gu Nianbin walked over and shot a look at Lu Haochen. Gu Nianbin gently hugged Du Xiaoxian’s waist and said gently, “Let’s go greet the guests!”

Du Xiaoxian smiled apologetically at Lu Haochen and left with Gu Nianbin.

Gu Niannian, Gu Guangxian, and Fang Yaru stood together in the middle of the hall. They were surrounded by lots of people in every direction. Gu Niannian was dressed like a princess today. She was wearing a pink dress and her hair was tied up above her head. She wore a silver crown that was shaped like a butterfly and had pink diamonds in the middle. Under the lights, the diamonds looked like pink water droplets, shining and glimmering brightly. She was a beautiful girl. It would not be an exaggeration to call her a natural beauty. That was why Gu Shanshan did not put any makeup on her. Gu Shanshan only placed a little blusher between her eyebrows, which highlighted how fair and tender her skin was. She looked so delicate that it was as though even a gust of wind would tear her skin. Although she was still young, one could tell that she would grow into a great beauty.

The noble ladies surrounding her naturally complimented Gu Niannian. They praised Gu Niannian, calling her beautiful, cute, smart, and generous. They also complimented her for her good temperament. She was practically outstanding. In the future, she would charm a great number of young men! They were full of endless praise for Gu Niannian. Gu Guangxian and Fang Yaru both grinned from ear to ear.

Du Xiaoxian was a little scared when she saw the crowd. She unconsciously slowed her footsteps. Gu Nianbin turned to look at her and suddenly let go of her waist. He held her hand and led her to the dining area.

The orchestra was seated beside the wall. They were all dressed in black tailcoats paired with snow-white shirts, but everyone also had a pink bow. The women looked fine, but the men looked a little comical. Du Xiaoxian thought to herself that this was probably Gu Shanshan’s idea.

The cheerful dance music swept through every corner of the hall like a tide, and the atmosphere began to warm up. However, there was no one on the dance floor. Since it was still early, there might still be an opening ceremony!

Du Xiaoxian remembered that it was also in this hall where Gu Nianbin held a ball for her on her 18th birthday five years ago. The venue was beautifully decorated as well. All the flowers and pink gauze made her feel like she was in a dream. At that time, she was still a young girl, being shy and delicate. She was so nervous that her entire body trembled. It was Gu Nianbin who protected her and took care of her with love and tenderness. He practically never left her until the first dance.

At that time, she never thought that five years later, her daughter would be throwing her fifth birthday party here!

She wondered who would have the first dance today. As she was immersed in thought, Gu Nianbin had brought her to the dining area. He picked some food and brought it to her. “You haven’t had dinner yet. Grab a bite first.”

Du Xiaoxian didn’t feel it at first, but when he mentioned it, she realized that she was indeed a little hungry. She stood by the wall with the plate and ate slowly. Once Gu Nianbin was done serving her, he walked away. Now that he was gone, Du Xiaoxian felt like she could breathe better. She took a deep breath and tried to relax.

However, she had barely begun to unwind when Xia Xiaowan walked up to her with a glass of wine.