Becoming the Caged Canary of a Forced Love - Chapter 25

Gu Nian was sitting in a dim corner eating a small piece of cake. The spotlights of the banquet couldn’t reach this spot. To maintain their elegant figures, most guests rarely touched the food at these events, making Gu Nian a clear outlier.

An attendant passed by carrying a tray of wine. Suddenly, the attendant’s foot slipped, and a wine glass slid off the tray. The liquid splashed everywhere, soaking Gu Nian.

Gu Nian sat there holding his cake, his spoon still in his mouth. He froze in a daze, wine dripping down his face and saturating half of his shoulder.

The attendant, having regained his balance, looked absolutely devastated. He rushed forward immediately.

“I am so sorry! I’m so sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose. Are you alright?”

Gu Nian pulled the spoon out of his mouth. He had no intention of making things difficult for the servant; it was just a piece of clothing.

“I am truly sorry, guest. Please follow me to the second floor to tidy up. We have spare clothes for guests. I will take your soiled clothes to be cleaned and returned to you immediately. Please… please don’t tell the butler. My mother is ill, and I really need this job.” The attendant bowed his head, his voice trembling.

Gu Nian scanned his surroundings. It was a very dark corner, and almost no one had noticed what happened.

Why would an attendant come to a corner like this? And why would he happen to spill wine on the only guest here?

The attendant’s gaze was flickering—it wasn’t just panic.

What are they so meticulously plotting?

“Fine. Lead the way,” Gu Nian said. He glanced at Pei Jichuan, who was deep in conversation with the eldest He son. Without notifying him, Gu Nian followed the attendant to the second floor.

The staircase was near the stage, and the tables nearby were piled with various equipment. As Gu Nian followed the attendant, he smoothly swiped an object from the table and tucked it into his sleeve. Fortunately, his suit was relatively loose today.

Once upstairs, the attendant led Gu Nian around a corner and stopped in front of a room. He took out a key and opened the door, but he didn’t enter. Instead, he stepped aside and gestured inward.

“Please wait inside for a moment. I will go get the replacement formal wear for you.” The attendant kept his head low, his tone carrying a hint of urgency.

Gu Nian raised an eyebrow. Clumsy acting.

“Alright.”

He didn’t expose the lie and entered the room as directed. However, the moment Gu Nian stepped inside, the door was slammed shut. The sound of it being locked echoed clearly.

Gu Nian turned around and tugged at the handle. As expected, it wouldn’t open. The sound of hurried footsteps came from outside, growing further and further away.

As the room fell silent, only a small desk lamp remained lit. In this dim environment, Gu Nian heard the breathing of another person.

In the center of the room was a large bed, and lying upon it was a man. Hearing the sound of the door, he was slowly crawling up.

Gu Nian stood his ground. He caught the heavy scent of alcohol; his opponent was clearly a drunkard.

Gu Nian narrowed his eyes. Using the faint light, he managed to make out the man’s face. The man had a round, bloated build, squinty eyes, a bulbous “strawberry” nose, and a face covered in acne.

The man used the bed to pull himself up, muttering, “Who is it? Disturbing my rest…”

The moment he saw Gu Nian, his eyes widened—though it made little difference given how small they were.

“Ooh, a little beauty! Are you here to serve me?” He stumbled toward Gu Nian, reaching out his hand to touch Gu Nian’s face.

“Little beauty, let me have a feel… look at this lovely little face,” the man said with a lecherous grin.

Gu Nian shifted his body to dodge the hand, which looked more like a pig’s trotter.

“Who are you?” Gu Nian asked coldly.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t know me? I am the eldest young master of Wanjin Group, Qian Minghui! My old man is the boss of Wanjin, Qian Jiang! Follow me, little beauty, and you’ll be living the high life!” Qian Minghui patted his chest, swayed on his feet, and let out a loud alcoholic burp.

Wanjin? Gu Nian had never heard of them. No such company had appeared in Zhou Yi’s intelligence reports.

It seemed this was just another scapegoat being used in someone’s scheme.

Gu Nian ignored him and turned to leave. Seeing that he was being ignored, Qian Minghui’s temper flared. He reached out with a large hand and forcibly grabbed Gu Nian’s arm.

As the heat of another person touched him, a wave of discomfort washed over Gu Nian. He turned back with loathing, his eyes already tinged with murderous intent.

He hated being touched by others—even Zhou Yi.

“Hehehe, do you think I’d let a piece of meat this close to my mouth get away?”

Qian Minghui scrutinized Gu Nian thoroughly, his beady eyes darting up and down. This figure, this face… a top-tier specimen. And that skin looks incredibly fair and tender.

Gu Nian’s eyes flickered. He didn’t struggle; instead, his other hand slid across his phone screen behind his back. The people behind this were cautious—this room definitely had a signal jammer, but certain phone functions were unaffected.

“I am from the Pei family. You dare touch me?”

Qian Minghui chuckled. “What Pei family? My dad said that once he gets me into the Pei Group, he’ll swallow it whole. When that happens, even that Pei CEO will have to kneel and lick the soles of my shoes! Hahaha!”

Gu Nian looked at that flat pig-face in genuine surprise. He had never dared to utter such arrogant words even when he controlled both Tianyu and Black Crow, yet here he was hearing them from the heir of an obscure little company.

This world really is a bit insane.

Having received the answer he wanted, Gu Nian was done talking. He planted his feet, stepped back half a pace, and swung his right fist violently into the bridge of the man’s nose. The dull thud was enough to make one’s teeth ache.

“AAAGH!”

Struck by the sudden attack, Qian Minghui’s nose exploded with pain. He staggered backward, instinctively loosening his grip on Gu Nian. However, before he could fully let go, Gu Nian seized the very arm the man was trying to withdraw.

Gu Nian stepped forward, lowering his center of gravity. His spine snapped back like a bowstring drawn to its limit.

Qian Minghui felt his body go airborne. The world spun, and then he slammed heavily onto the floor. Falling from that height, his body felt paralyzed, as if every bone and muscle had gone numb. He was utterly stunned by the throw.

Gu Nian stood up and stretched his waist. This body hadn’t been in a fight before; a few simple moves made him feel like he was falling apart. He had nearly thrown his back out.

Ignoring Qian Minghui groaning on the floor, he plucked a wire from a nearby decorative piece, bent it a few times, and poked at the lock. After a few tries, the door clicked open. This was a trick Gu Congnan had taught him.

Without looking back, Gu Nian walked out.

It took Qian Minghui a long time to recover. He wiped his nose, coming away with a hand full of startling red blood. With the alcohol rushing to his head, he seemed to forget the pain. In a fit of rage, he scrambled up and chased after Gu Nian.

Gu Nian held up his phone; sure enough, the signal returned to normal as soon as he left the room. Just as he reached the ornate railing overlooking the first floor, he heard heavy panting behind him. Accompanied by thundering footsteps, the floorboards seemed to shake.

Gu Nian turned around to see Qian Minghui charging straight at him.

“You dare hit me! Die!” Qian Minghui roared, his face flushed red with fury.

Gu Nian stood perfectly still. A split second before Qian Minghui could touch him, he dodged to the side. Qian Minghui slammed heavily into the railing.

Fortunately, the railing was sturdy enough not to break, but the protruding decorative patterns dug into his chest. The pain left him unable to stand up for a moment.

Gu Nian glanced tentatively at the banquet hall below. Several people with sharp hearing had already noticed the commotion and were looking up inquisitively.

Might as well make it a bigger scene.

The railing wasn’t particularly high. Gu Nian extended a foot, gave a forceful shove, and Qian Minghui flipped over the railing, falling straight down toward the floor below.