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Gu Nanyan casually added, “Poaching me and poaching my employees—Miss Song should understand the difference.”
Poach the boss of Zhongyue Technology?
Honestly, Song Miaoli was tempted.
No one could match Gu Nanyan’s understanding of the product—it was his creation after all, and he had personally delivered it.
But she couldn’t give in just yet.
Song Miaoli pursed her lips, saying nothing.
Later, some stragglers from the auction exited and noticed the two standing there—neither leaving nor speaking. It seemed odd.
“President Gu, Miss Song, what are you both—”
Surely they weren’t waiting for a ride?
It was hard to imagine—him being a company president and her a wealthy young lady. If they were still waiting for a car, that would be laughable.
Gu Nanyan spoke slowly, “Miss Song and I have a misunderstanding.”
Song Miaoli corrected him, “Not a misunderstanding—it’s fact.”
The interloper froze momentarily before enlightenment dawned.
Earlier during the auction, rumors had circulated that Gu Nanyan’s ex-girlfriend bore a striking resemblance to Song Miaoli.
Now, with their strained atmosphere…
“I’ll leave then,” the person nodded, sensing they had stumbled upon juicy gossip. Their eyes gleamed with curiosity as they departed.
Song Miaoli felt uneasy under his gaze.
She thought carefully, turning to ask, “Did you say something to him?”
Gu Nanyan hadn’t said anything, nor did he know what assumptions the other party had made—but it didn’t stop him from leveraging the situation.
His dark eyes met hers as he said, “It’s a long story.”
Song Miaoli raised an eyebrow. “…Huh?”
Gu Nanyan glanced at the guests milling about and the waitstaff moving around. “Are you sure you want to stand here listening by someone else’s door?”
Song Miaoli hadn’t expected him to be so persuasive.
She’d stood there for several minutes, greeted by acquaintances who asked if she needed a ride.
Gu Nanyan reached out to take her hand.
Song Miaoli eyed him warily. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Gu Nanyan lifted his gaze. “I’m certain we haven’t broken up yet.”
“…”
“And you’re going to keep standing here?”
Gu Nanyan’s car was parked nearby. This was the first time Song Miaoli had seen it—after all, during their dating days, they had taken the subway everywhere.
She wanted to go back in time and slap herself.
Two wealthy people pretending to be poor, squeezing onto a packed subway during rush hour like it was the apocalypse—what a sight.
What had Gu Nanyan been thinking?
Song Miaoli was extremely curious.
She reluctantly followed Gu Nanyan toward the car, consoling herself along the way.
It wasn’t because she didn’t have a car—it was because she didn’t want to become a spectacle like a gorilla in a zoo. So, she begrudgingly accepted his offer.
It was just a ride.
On her phone, Chi Suisui had recently sent a message: [Are you heading home now or still there?]
She replied: [On my way home.]
Chi Suisui responded with a simple “Good.”
Seizing the opportunity, Su Mian chimed in: [Whose car is Dr. Song riding tonight?]
Song Miaoli: [?]
Song Miaoli: [Do you think I’d be without a ride?]
Song Miaoli: [Little Cotton, that’s a dangerous statement.]
Chi Suisui: [She’s riding with Little Gu.]
Su Mian: [Wow, really? Dr. Song, is Little Gu’s car big? Is it nice? Is it one of those multi-million luxury cars?]
Song Miaoli: [?]
She was caught off guard, exposed. And how did Chi Suisui know?
Furious and embarrassed, Song Miaoli turned off her phone, deciding to ignore them.
She didn’t know if it was a multi-million-dollar car—she wasn’t particularly interested in cars. But this one certainly wasn’t cheap; even if it wasn’t worth millions, it was close.
Gu Nanyan was unaware of her thoughts.
Without a response, Su Mian wasn’t upset. Instead, she nearly laughed herself silly at home, imagining the colorful expressions on Dr. Song’s face.
Director Chi truly had sharp eyes.
When she had learned half an hour earlier that Dr. Song’s boyfriend was pretending to be poor, she had rolled around on her bed for nearly a minute.
This development was straight out of a novel.
Su Mian had dined with Song Miaoli and Gu Nanyan once and found his demeanor extraordinary. But every time Dr. Song spoke fondly of him, Su Mian had been misled into thinking Little Gu was from an ordinary family.
Now, with both pulling off such elaborate schemes, they were clearly a perfect match.
Breaking up and reconciling—it was best for them to stay together. They had wealth and looks, fulfilling all of Dr. Song’s requirements.
“Miaoli,” Gu Nanyan’s voice suddenly came from beside her.
Song Miaoli looked up.
The air inside the car wasn’t as free-flowing as outside. She could almost smell the faint, cold fragrance on Gu Nanyan—he never wore cologne when they were together before.
This scent was unfamiliar, a crisp pine aroma. Perhaps his assistant had chosen it?
Song Miaoli owned many perfumes. If she liked a scent, she didn’t care whether it was for men or women. She even had small sample bottles.
Back then, she had sprayed one of her sample bottles on Gu Nanyan.
If he didn’t ask, she wouldn’t mention it—just say it was some cheap knockoff from Taobao.
At the time, Gu Nanyan hadn’t said anything. Instead, he kissed her and praised her choice. She had been delighted that her taste was acknowledged.
Now, thinking about it…perhaps he had already figured it out?
Song Miaoli grew angrier at the thought.
So he had known all along and played along.
________________________________________
Gu Nanyan watched as Song Miaoli drifted off into another daze.
Her absent-mindedness was obvious—her faraway expression paired with her delicate features held a peculiar charm.
Gu Nanyan stared, unable to resist leaning closer.
She carried a faint, pleasant scent—sweet but not cloying, more like the refreshing sweetness of fruit.
Her lips glistened with moisture.
When Song Miaoli snapped back to reality, she saw Gu Nanyan only a few centimeters away. Startled, she exclaimed, “Why are you so close?”
She pushed him with her hand.
Her palm brushed against the exquisite fabric of his suit, catching slightly on his tie and collar.
“You were daydreaming,” Gu Nanyan said, retreating gracefully to lean back against the seat.
Song Miaoli let out a soft humph.
Gu Nanyan handed her the box containing the jadeite. “Trade it for the watch.”
Song Miaoli said, “No trade.”
Gu Nanyan asked, “No need to make up the price difference?”
“…”
The jadeite had been bid up to nine million by Song Miaoli, but Gu Nanyan had seized it while she was distracted, bringing the final price to ten million.
Two million for ten million.
A steal.
Song Miaoli suppressed the slight upward curve of her lips and handed over the paper bag. “Since you want it, I’ll trade it to you.”
“It’s an honor.”
Gu Nanyan was amused by her little antics.
As soon as Song Miaoli took the jadeite box, she couldn’t resist opening it. Under the soft glow of the car’s interior lights, the green hue appeared even more stunning.
She had always adored this kind of thing, and she truly loved it.
Her mood improved rapidly, and she felt a bit calmer about Gu Nanyan’s deception—after all, she had deceived him too.
But that didn’t mean the matter was settled.
Song Miaoli suddenly remembered, “You haven’t answered my earlier question. ‘It’s a long story’—how long exactly? What did you say?”
Gu Nanyan spoke slowly, “I didn’t say much.”
Song Miaoli didn’t believe him.
Gu Nanyan sighed before explaining patiently, “Last time at Renjian, I ran into you and mentioned that you resembled my ex-girlfriend.”
Ex-girlfriend?
The three words captivated Song Miaoli’s attention completely.
Seeing her silent for a long while, Gu Nanyan turned his head and saw her fuming expression. He chuckled softly.
Only then did Song Miaoli respond with an “Oh.” “So you had an ex-girlfriend.”
And she resembled her???
She, the esteemed young miss of the Song family, had been someone’s substitute?
Gu Nanyan sighed again, feeling as though he had exhausted a lifetime’s worth of sighs on her. “Where’s your logic?”
Song Miaoli wore an expression that said, “Let’s see how you wriggle out of this.”
Gu Nanyan murmured, “We had just broken up then. In that context, who else could my ex-girlfriend be but you?”
Song Miaoli raised an eyebrow. “Who knows if you had someone in the capital?”
“Whether I did or not, don’t you already know?”
Gu Nanyan deflected the question back to her.
Of course, she knew. During their relationship, they had been honest about their past romantic experiences—they were each other’s first loves.
A young maiden on her wedding sedan chair—for the first time.
Thinking back to their first breakup, it was almost amusing.
Hearing his answer, Song Miaoli felt a small flicker of joy. No matter what, it was satisfying to know that her boyfriend’s first love was her.
The assistant in the front seat remained expressionless, but his inner gossip radar was working overtime.
It had all started because of an accident that landed him in the hospital, where their boss and Dr. Song had met, sparking a chain of events.
Come to think of it, he was like the red thread of fate.
Perhaps this year he could negotiate a bigger bonus. The assistant’s thoughts wandered far and wide.
________________________________________
Nighttime in Nan City was as bright as day.
The roadside trees were adorned with tiny lights, neon signs flickered in the distance, and outside the window, traffic flowed and crowds of pedestrians moved in groups.
Song Miaoli’s emotions had stabilized.
She lowered her voice and asked, “Why did you lie to me back then?”
Gu Nanyan recalled their first meeting—at the hospital. She had worn a clean white lab coat, gentle and beautiful, speaking softly to her patients.
As an observer, he had taken a second glance.
Gu Nanyan’s gaze remained fixed on Song Miaoli. “You told me you were a hardworking doctor saving up to buy a sea-view apartment.”
He had believed her then.
Mentioning that fabricated persona made Song Miaoli feel slightly awkward—it had been concocted specifically to get closer to Gu Nanyan.
They had both pretended to be poor.
Song Miaoli had assumed he was a lowly employee, and Gu Nanyan had thought she was an ordinary doctor. The misunderstanding had arisen just that simply.
“I didn’t want to upset you,” Gu Nanyan’s voice dropped lower.
Song Miaoli’s ears tingled, feeling as though he were whispering directly into her ear, sending shivers down her spine—it was strangely enticing.
She spoke, “You also said your monthly salary was fifteen thousand.”
Gu Nanyan: “That was what my assistant said.”
Song Miaoli: “So you and your assistant conspired to deceive me.”
After a moment’s contemplation, Gu Nanyan nodded. “That’s not wrong.”
Song Miaoli gave a small humph. Just then, she heard his casual voice again: “And what about you deceiving me?”
“…”
Gu Nanyan turned to her. “You told me you couldn’t afford a house, that all your jewelry came from street vendors, and that the diamonds I saw were fake, and your branded clothes were high-quality knockoffs—”
It was like a public execution scene.
#Counting the Lies Told While Pretending to Be Poor#
#How Hard I Worked to Act Poor#
“Stop talking.”
Overcome with emotion, Song Miaoli covered his mouth.
Gu Nanyan gently pulled her hand away. Wearing only a thin evening gown, her hand was icy from the car’s air conditioning.
He squeezed it lightly. “Only officials can start fires, but commoners can’t light lamps?”
“…”
“You were just accusing me.”
As he spoke, he encircled Song Miaoli’s wrist. From somewhere, he produced a ring and slipped it onto her finger.
It fit perfectly.
Song Miaoli’s ears heated up. Her attention was instantly drawn to the diamond ring, stirring something deep within her chest.
It was even more captivating than the jadeite from earlier.
Her heart skipped a beat as her mind raced—why was he putting a ring on her finger now, and why a diamond ring?
And why did he happen to have a ring on him?
Had he anticipated meeting her? Or not?
“What are you doing?” Unable to contain herself, Song Miaoli tilted her head and asked.
“The answer is obvious—I’m putting a ring on you,” Gu Nanyan said.
“…We’re still arguing. Are you trying to bribe me?” Song Miaoli shot him a glare. “I’m not that naive.”
Even blindingly shiny diamonds wouldn’t sway her.
To emphasize her point, she added extra force to her words.
Gu Nanyan chuckled silently.
Song Miaoli’s hand was beautiful on its own, but under his touch, it seemed smaller. His slender fingers gently slid between hers.
Then he clasped her hand.
Leaning down, he brushed a kiss against her lips before asking in a low, husky voice, “Miss Song, who isn’t naive, do you like me?”
Song Miaoli’s face flushed. She didn’t speak.
Gu Nanyan said, “I want to hear you say it yourself.”
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