CHAPTER 276: CHAPTER 275: FOR WHOM THE VISIT (3)

Gu Ningyi’s anger was terrifying, Dong Xin Yan trembled all over, silently taking deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down, trying hard to recall what exactly she said wrong.

But no matter how much she thought, she couldn’t find a mistake.

Yet she didn’t dare to answer directly. Instead, she swallowed nervously and timidly asked, "Mr. Gu, you invited me to be your partner, wasn’t it to help you act... act?"

Acting...

He invited her as a partner... just for acting.

Such a ridiculous thing, his lips curled slightly, yet couldn’t form even a half-smile.

So... when he asked if she knew what accepting to be his partner meant, she said she knew.

Turns out she knew, but not what he thought—that she had accepted him.

Turns out, she merely thought she was here to act.

The leading lady he assumed, in her heart, was nothing more than a passerby.

Perhaps, she wouldn’t even want to be a passerby.

Gu Ningyi gazed at Dong Xin Yan, looking at her intently, he once thought there was something changing between them, but now she was still so afraid, so tense, desperately wishing to disappear from his world.

He tried so hard to get close, yet in the end, it was still a one-man show.

"Heh heh."

In the end, he chuckled, softly at first, then gradually louder.

Gu Ningyi’s laughter made Dong Xin Yan’s heart tremble, she didn’t understand why Gu Ningyi laughed, but that laughter, why it felt like a deep sense of sorrow.

Her chest felt like it was being crushed by something heavy, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

As Gu Ningyi laughed, a blur of wetness silently filled his eyes, and he shut them tightly.

If there had never been hope, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt this much now.

But having hope, only to be mercilessly shattered, that pain was so... almost unbearable.

"Dong Xin Yan, do you have any...."

He spoke softly, so softly as though it would vanish with the wind once spoken.

"Do you have... a little bit...."

A little bit of fondness, a little bit of liking, even a little.

However, in the end, he said nothing. Because he already... knew the answer.

Gu Ningyi tightly clenched his hands, then gradually loosened them, reopening his eyes. All the emotions in his eyes had subsided, returning to their usual cold and distant demeanor, yet his whole being exuded an icy aura, as if he had once again donned his hard armor.

Gu Ningyi’s dark eyes lowered, his cold gaze falling on Dong Xin Yan’s pale face, his thin lips parted slowly, word by word, "Dong Xin Yan, you really think too highly of yourself."

Dong Xin Yan’s heart trembled, an inexplicable unease rose in her heart.

But after saying this, Gu Ningyi no longer looked at her, turned around and walked away briskly.

Dong Xin Yan stood frozen in place, blankly watching Gu Ningyi’s back, her eyes gradually dazed.

-

When Gu Ningyi returned to the hall, Yuan Shen had just arrived, and he walked straight towards him. Yuan Shen flashed his signature smile, ready to greet him, but Gu Ningyi spoke first, "Yuan Shen, host the banquet for me tonight."

"What?"

"Also, you drove here by yourself, right? Give me your car keys."

"Wha... what?"

"I said, give me the car keys!"