The Gentle, Sickly Beauty Is Won Over By The Loyal Big Shot - Chapter 30

“Is it that serious?”

Gu Han frowned. “Then I’ll bring Secretary Qi over right now. I’m staying at Litian Fengyue today, so I’ll be there soon.”

Gu Han hung up the phone. Seeing his solemn expression, Qi Ran asked, “Hubby, what’s wrong?”

“Yu Shen said something happened at Jianchen. He didn’t go into detail over the phone, thinking it might be better to meet in person. It sounds like it might have something to do with you, he asked me to bring you along,” Gu Han said, helping Qi Ran up. Since Qi Ran hadn’t changed out of his shirt yet, Gu Han slid a suit jacket onto him and knelt down to help him put on his socks.

He said gently, “I suspect some people related to Ruihao are causing trouble. The timing happens to coincide exactly with the day before you officially join us. If that’s the case, they are likely looking to target you.”

“Ruihao?”

Qi Ran frowned as well. “There are Ruihao people inside Jianchen?”

“Yes, there always have been,” Gu Han leaned in to tidy Qi Ran’s collar. “Yu Shen is rarely this serious, so I think the situation must be quite difficult to handle.”

Before heading out, the two of them quickly tidied the house. The oven was on a timer, so they didn’t need to worry about it. The washed strawberries and grapes were a bit cold, fearing Qi Ran’s stomach couldn’t handle it, Gu Han coaxed him into waiting until they returned from the office to eat them. Then, they naturally reminded each other to take out the kitchen waste, since there were fish scraps, they couldn’t leave it overnight. Both reached for the trash bag at the same time, their hands overlapping.

The relationship between Qi Ran and Gu Han had naturally transitioned from passionate lovers to an old married couple living a domestic life. Though they had only been “dating” for a week, their rapport and devotion felt as though they had been together for a lifetime.

A house, a lover, and a puppy, they truly lacked nothing.

To the old Gu Han, all that was missing were two marriage certificates. But the current Gu Han wasn’t in such a rush to realize that wish. Seeing how stable and happy their lives were now proved that he and Qi Ran were natural partners. Loyalty and deep love weren’t tied to a piece of paper. Since Qi Ran still had a fear of marriage and lacked a strong desire to “marry” him yet, Gu Han didn’t want to pressure him.

Ultimately, Gu Han carried the trash bag and followed behind Qi Ran. Standing beside him, he said softly, “Wife, remember to lock the door.”

Qi Ran curled his lips into a smile. “I remember, Hubby.”

“Good boy. Cover your stomach when you get in the car,” Gu Han looked at Qi Ran with eyes full of indulgence. “Your body hasn’t recovered yet, you can’t catch a cold.”

“I know,” Qi Ran tucked his arm into Gu Han’s, looking up at him. “Hubby, can we eat dried fish tonight?”

“Of course. It only needs another hour in the oven. We can eat it as soon as we get back.”

Gu Han tossed the trash bag and wiped his hands with a wet wipe. Only after ensuring his hands were completely clean did he rub Qi Ran’s head. “So, my wife likes fish and shrimp meat?”

Qi Ran nodded. “Mhm, I like it very much.”

“Oh, so you’re a little kitten wife,” Gu Han leaned down and kissed Qi Ran’s lips. “If I knew you liked it so much, I would have bought it more often. The doctor said fish and shrimp are easy for you to digest and good for your stomach. I was just afraid you wouldn’t want to eat it.”

Qi Ran gripped Gu Han’s hand, interlocking their fingers as they chatted while walking to the parking lot. “Hubby, do you like kittens?”

“I don’t. In fact, I don’t like any pets,” Gu Han said. “I only like my kitten wife and our baby puppy.”

When they reached the parking lot, Qi Ran mentioned wanting to see the “starlight headliner” again. Gu Han quickly wiped down the Cullinan, aired it out, and adjusted the air conditioning temperature. He carefully helped Qi Ran into the passenger seat and covered his waist and abdomen with a suit jacket.

“Wife, your waist still hurts, you absolutely cannot catch a cold. In a couple of days, I’ll ask a friend in the textile business to custom-order some lumbar pillows for the car, the dining table, the office, everywhere you sit frequently. Wife, we can’t let the problem with your back get any worse.”

“I’m really not that delicate,” Qi Ran leaned against Gu Han’s shoulder as the latter held the steering wheel, acting coy. “Bad husband, I won’t let you drive.”

“Wife won’t let me drive?” Gu Han asked once and kissed Qi Ran once. After an unknown amount of time spent “tussling,” he finally kissed Qi Ran into submission. Qi Ran reluctantly pulled away from Gu Han’s shoulder and sat obediently in his seat.

“Kitten wife, don’t be mad,” Gu Han coaxed. “When we get home, we can hug and be as happy as we want. While I’m driving, I can’t take care of you properly.”

“I’m not mad,” Qi Ran laughed. “As soon as I put on a face, you start coaxing me. I told you I was pretending, but you always believe it. Are you really that afraid of me being unhappy?”

“Of course,” Gu Han said seriously. “I want my wife to be happy every day. If I can’t keep you joyful, what kind of good husband would I be?”

“You are a super good husband,” Qi Ran said earnestly. “I won’t allow anyone to say Gu Han is bad, not even Gu Han himself.”

Ten minutes later, Gu Han parked the car in Jianchen’s private garage and led Qi Ran into the office building. They took the VIP elevator straight to the 19th floor. When they pushed open the door, Yu Shen was busy sending messages on his phone. Without looking up, he said, “President Gu and Secretary Qi are here? Please sit. I need a moment to finish these messages, then we need to talk.”

Gu Han helped Qi Ran sit down. Yu Shen finally looked up and thoughtfully poured Qi Ran a glass of warm water. “I’m truly sorry, Secretary Qi. You just finished your surgery and had to come over. You should have been resting.”

“It’s alright, Manager Yu,” Qi Ran took the glass. “You don’t need to worry so much about me.”

“Now, let’s discuss what’s happening,” Yu Shen turned his computer screen to show a photo of an accident scene. “President Gu, before Secretary Qi was transferred, many departments in our company were talking about something, the executives who drive would occasionally get into minor car accidents. No one was hurt, but it caused a lot of red tape and compensation disputes, which was annoying. I looked into it, it was done by those two ex-convicts working under Ruihao. Wu Hong spoke with them, and the matter was settled.”

Yu Shen’s expression darkened. “But just now, I received news. A female employee who used to work at Ruihao and later joined Jianchen’s HR department was in a car accident. She died on the spot. The perpetrator fled. Because it was late and the location was remote, the investigation is difficult, and the suspect hasn’t been caught yet. Normally, this could be seen as an accident, we’d provide humanitarian compensation to the family and move on. However, there was a note left next to her body. It said: ‘Jianchen, 2025.02.21’. Tomorrow. The exact day Secretary Qi is scheduled to resign from Ruihao and officially join Jianchen.”

Yu Shen fell silent, waiting for their reaction.

“The 21st… that is indeed the day Qi Ran joins us. Both Ruihao and Jianchen know this date,” Gu Han frowned. “But isn’t this a bit of a stretch? Even if you suspect Ruihao is behind the accident and they targeted her, what does that have to do with Qi Ran?”

“A stretch? Maybe,” Yu Shen showed a rare flash of impatience, though he restrained himself. His voice grew slightly agitated. “Tomorrow is the 21st. Qi Ran is resigning from Ruihao to join Jianchen. At this exact moment, an employee who theoretically, shared the same mission as Qi Ran (coming from Ruihao to Jianchen as an ‘undercover’) is murdered in a staged car accident. Next to her is a note with Qi Ran’s start date and the word ‘Jianchen.’ Gu Han, don’t you find that terrifying? What is the intent of the person who left that note? Could it be that Qi Ran is the next intended victim for a ‘murderous car accident’?”

It was only then that the realization hit Gu Han like a plunge into freezing water.

“Then… what do we do?” Gu Han gripped Qi Ran’s hand, his face pale with fear. “Should we just live in the office for the next few days? Shen, how on earth can I protect Qi Ran?”