A soft sound came from the entrance.
Curled up on the sofa, Su Qianqian’s keen little ears immediately caught the noise. In an instant, she tossed aside her script and hopped down barefoot, her delicate toes barely making a sound as she dashed toward the door.
The moment Gu Chengyu pushed the door open, a warm, soft figure in white practically flew into his arms.
"Chengyu! You're back!" Su Qianqian’s voice was sweet and tender, brimming with unrestrained delight.
She was wearing a milky-white spaghetti-strap dress today. At some point, the hair tie holding her long, raven-black hair had slipped off, leaving the silky strands cascading freely around her shoulders. Her face was bare, her lips naturally rosy, and she looked as fresh and pure as a gardenia kissed by morning dew.
Gu Chengyu gazed at the delicate face before him, alight with joy and anticipation, and felt his heart soften with an almost unbearable fondness.
His eyebrows lifted in pleasant surprise.
Usually, when he returned home, the little miss couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge him.
This was only the second time she’d rushed to greet him like this.
The last time had been when she wanted to hire a dance instructor.
A thought flickered through his mind, and he understood.
Ah. So the sudden disappearance of that 10-billion-yuan allowance had really gotten under her skin.
His hand slid casually into his trouser pocket, fingertips brushing against the crisp new black card inside.
He’d been about to pull it out and surprise her—
But Su Qianqian was already rising onto her tiptoes, her slender, snow-white arms looping around his neck as she nuzzled against his collarbone like an affectionate kitten.
"Did you have a tiring day?"
She tilted her face up, her dewy almond eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
Gu Chengyu savored this rare moment of her willingly throwing herself into his arms. His free hand settled naturally around her tiny waist, drawing her closer.
"Not too bad," he murmured, his low chuckle laced with amusement. His gaze dropped to her plush, tempting lips, darkening slightly.
No rush. The night was still young.
His fingers, which had been about to retrieve the card, paused in his pocket before he withdrew them empty-handed.
A new idea had taken root.
This little act of hers—clearly fretting over her allowance but too shy to ask outright, resorting to sweet, roundabout gestures—was far too entertaining.
Might as well tease her a little first.
"Hmm…"
A lazy, deliberate sigh escaped him, edged with playful mischief. "Though I am a bit thirsty."
Su Qianqian immediately released his neck and spun toward the kitchen, the hem of her dress fluttering lightly as she hurried off.
"I’ll get you some water!"
Gu Chengyu watched her slender figure retreat, the curve of his lips deepening.
With unhurried grace, he undid another button of his shirt before strolling to the living room sofa and settling into it like royalty.
Su Qianqian returned swiftly with a glass of water, carefully offering it to him. Her voice was sugar-sweet and obedient: "Chengyu, here."
He took the glass, his fingers brushing against hers—cool to the touch.
As he took a sip, his eyes never left her, his gaze openly admiring and indulgent.
Su Qianqian squirmed slightly under his attention, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink.
She sat beside him but, unlike usual, didn’t immediately curl into his embrace. Instead, she turned slightly toward him, her small fingers furtively tugging at his shirt cuff.
"Chengyu…" Her voice softened further, laced with a tentative, coaxing lilt.
"Did you… forget anything today?"
Gu Chengyu set the glass down and leaned back into the sofa, his arm draping casually along the backrest—effectively caging her in the circle of his embrace.
He pretended to be clueless, a look of confusion playing on his handsome face. "Hmm? Forget what? All the important meetings are done."
Su Qianqian's lips pursed almost imperceptibly, her almond-shaped eyes blinking as her long lashes fluttered like tiny fans.
"It's not about work..." she muttered under her breath, inching closer to him until her body brushed against his firm arm.
"Then what is it?" Gu Chengyu arched a brow, watching her with amusement as her face betrayed a hint of poorly concealed impatience and pouty frustration.
Su Qianqian gazed at his devastatingly handsome face so close to hers, at the teasing glint in his eyes, and finally mustered the courage to slowly, like a timid little snail, nestle herself into his embrace.
She found a comfortable spot, resting her small head against his broad, solid chest.
Then she tilted her delicate, sweetly alluring face up, her large eyes glistening with a mix of accusation and endearing petulance.
"You know... it's about the allowance."
"The allowance you give me... it suddenly stopped. Did you just... forget about it later?"
Her voice grew softer with each word, her cheeks tinged pink as if admitting something embarrassingly trivial.
Gu Chengyu's heart melted at the sight of her—so obedient yet so pitifully aggrieved—that he nearly caved and pulled out his card right then.
But he held back.
"Oh," he said, feigning sudden recollection before frowning slightly, as if troubled. "The allowance, huh..."
He shifted the arm she was leaning on, his voice low and teasing. "Signed a stack of documents today. My arm's a bit sore... Hah, must've been too busy to remember."
Su Qianqian's eyes instantly widened.
Sore arm? Forgot?
That wouldn’t do!
She immediately sat up straight, like an eager little bee.
"Your arm hurts? Let me massage it for you!" Her voice was bright and full of enthusiasm.
Without waiting for his response, her slender, delicate hands were already on his forearm.
Her touch was soft and gentle, lacking any real strength against his well-toned muscles—less like a massage and more like the light kneading of kitten paws.
But the girl worked with utmost seriousness, her face earnest, her tender lips slightly pursed. Every now and then, she'd peek up at his expression and ask cautiously,
"Chengyu, is this pressure okay? Does it feel better?"
As her hands busied themselves on his arm, she unconsciously leaned even closer, her sweet, fresh fragrance enveloping him.
Gu Chengyu looked down at her long, fluttering lashes, savoring her clumsy yet devoted little ministrations.
The featherlight touches did nothing to ease the tension—instead, they sent a tantalizing itch straight to his heart.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his gaze darkening.
After indulging in her attentive service for a while, Gu Chengyu finally spoke, his voice rough with satisfaction. "Mmm... much better."
Su Qianqian's eyes lit up. She stopped immediately, looking at him with hopeful expectation, her face practically screaming, "So what about my allowance?"
Gu Chengyu couldn't hold back a low chuckle at her pleading expression.
The deep, amused sound rumbled in his chest, laced with fond indulgence.
Done teasing her, he reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a black card.
He held it out to her, his phoenix eyes brimming with laughter and unreserved affection.
"Here you go, little money-grubber."
