This “inscrutability” had started as mere curiosity.
He wanted to know what had happened to this woman, whom he had once controlled so easily, to cause such a massive transformation.
So, he had gone to the unfinished building.
He told himself he was just looking, just curious.
He even used the excuse of “wanting to help” to try and get close to her.
But Su Wan’s reaction had exceeded all his expectations.
There was no joy, no gratitude, not even a hint of hesitation.
There was only bone-chilling indifference and undisguised hatred.
When that slap landed on his face, he didn't see the girl whose eyes used to be filled with him; he saw a stranger, a woman with murderous intent.
In that moment, he felt more than just anger.
He felt a sense of loss he had never experienced before.
Only then did he realize that he actually missed the Su Wan who had been utterly devoted to him, whose heart and soul were focused entirely on him.
He missed her attempts to please him, her smiles, and her clumsy but sincere concern.
The things that had once annoyed him now seemed like precious memories of a time he could never return to.
He wanted her to change back.
To become the old Su Wan again—the woman who would give everything for him.
But the current Su Wan didn't even deign to give him a second glance.
This contrast, this feeling of losing control as he was completely excised from her world, left him with an unprecedented sense of frustration.
And following that frustration was an even stronger desire to conquer her!
Gu Huaiyu never failed to get what he wanted.
Since she was so cold to him, he would make her be good to him again. He would make her beg him and please him just like before!
So, when he learned she was looking into the title of that unfinished building, he didn't hesitate to snatch it away.
It wasn't for the money, and it wasn't for that pile of junk.
It was simply to let her know—what you want is in my hands.
If you want it back, you have to come and beg me.
He was waiting for her.
Waiting to see her bow her head again, waiting to see her forced to soften her attitude for the sake of that building... perhaps even being good to him again.
At the thought, a complex curve formed at the corner of Gu Huaiyu’s mouth.
What he wanted was never the building.
It was the Su Wan who had once belonged to him.
His phone suddenly rang; it was an unknown number.
He answered, and a voice he knew all too well—yet one that was incredibly cold—came from the other end:
“Gu Huaiyu, it’s me. I have something to discuss with you. Now.”
Gu Huaiyu’s fingers tightened slightly. He remained silent for two seconds before speaking, his voice so calm it betrayed no emotion:
“I’m at the office. Come up.”
After hanging up, he continued to stand by the window, his gaze fixed on the distant skyline.
She had come, as expected.
Even faster than he had anticipated.
When Su Wan pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the CEO's office, there was only one person inside.
Gu Huaiyu stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows with his back to her, seemingly watching the city skyline in the distance.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass, casting a golden halo around his silhouette.
If one didn't know what he had done, the scene would have looked quite elegant—the picture of a “successful businessman.”
At the sound of the door closing, he turned around.
The moment he saw Su Wan, Gu Huaiyu’s eyes visibly brightened.
He could even feel his heart skip a beat before its rhythm quickened.
He hadn't felt this way in a long time.
But he was Gu Huaiyu, after all. His years of shrewdness allowed him to quickly suppress that inexplicable excitement, and a perfectly measured, gentlemanly smile appeared on his face.
“You’re here.” His voice was gentle as he gestured toward a nearby sofa. “Sit. What would you like to drink? Tea or coffee? I remember you used to like lattes with extra sugar...”
“No need,” Su Wan interrupted coldly. She sat on the sofa, her back straight, and looked him directly in the eye. “I’m here for business. I want to ask you: why did you buy that asset bundle?”
Gu Huaiyu was slightly taken abandoned for a moment, then he smiled and didn't answer. Instead, he sat in the armchair opposite her, crossing his legs in a relaxed manner.
“Su Wan, it’s been a long time since we’ve sat down and talked like this.” His gaze lingered on her face, filled with a complex emotion he couldn't even name. “You’ve... changed a lot lately.”
“I still remember how you used to bring snacks whenever you came to the office to see me, saying you were worried I’d be hungry working late. Once, you brought macarons, and I casually mentioned they were too sweet; the next day, you switched them for savory crackers...”
Su Wan’s brow furrowed slightly, and her fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the sofa.
She patiently listened to him ramble about these so-called “memories,” but in her heart, she only felt disgusted.
The sincere efforts she had once made were now coming out of his mouth as nothing more than the ultimate mockery of her past.
“Gu Huaiyu,” she spoke again, her voice growing even colder. “I’m not interested in the past. I’m only asking you: why did you buy that asset bundle?”
Gu Huaiyu’s smile faded slightly, but he maintained his surface-level gentleness.
“Su Wan, why the rush? We finally have a chance to meet; can’t we just have a proper conversation?”
“No,” Su Wan replied bluntly. “I only want to know why you bought that asset bundle.”
Gu Huaiyu was silent for two seconds before changing the subject. “I know you’re living in that unfinished building.”
“But how can a place like that be fit for habitation? If you want a stable place to live, I can arrange an apartment for you. It would be much better than that place...”
“Gu Huaiyu.” Su Wan interrupted him again, her voice now tinged with impatience. “I’m asking you one last time—why did you buy that asset bundle?”
Gu Huaiyu’s smile finally vanished completely.
He looked at Su Wan’s cold face, and a trace of hostility gradually surfaced in his eyes.
This woman had once been completely submissive to him, yet now she wouldn't even listen to him speak for a few more minutes? By what right?
“Fine.” His voice also turned cold as he leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing as he stared at her. “Then I’ll ask you—why are you so interested in that unfinished building?”
“Listen closely, Su Wan. If you just wanted a stable place to live, given the market value of that building, a few million would be enough to buy a very nice home in any high-end residential area in Jiangcheng...”
“But you insist on buying that wreck, even going so far as to use shady channels like Old Ghost to check the title.”
Su Wan was startled to hear Old Ghost’s name. It seemed the hush money she had given him today was indeed well-spent.
It appeared Gu Huaiyu had learned of her interest in Jinxiu Garden from Old Ghost.
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