Chapter 56: Gu Shiyan Asks Who Luo Xing Calls "Baby"

Gu Shiyan held the stack of prize tickets in one hand and strolled leisurely toward the front desk.

When he saw Luo Xing smiling at him with the same unrestrained delight as before, the gloom in his heart seemed to be swept away by the sun, leaving only warmth.

“Hurry up!” Luo Xing waved her hand, the corners of her mouth unable to hide their upward curve. Her eyes sparkled as if sprinkled with stardust, dazzlingly bright.

Gu Shiyan handed the tickets to the attendant.

Luo Xing impatiently pushed the tickets further in. She felt she was in especially good form today—not distracted even once while playing. In the past, whenever she came to the arcade with Gu Shiyan, she would constantly glance at him, worried he might find the games boring, or worse, that he would find spending time with her tedious.

But today, she was fully focused, not looking at Gu Shiyan even once.

“Hello, you have a total of twelve thousand two hundred and ten tickets,” the attendant announced.

When Luo Xing saw the number stop above ten thousand on the machine, her eyes crinkled with laughter. She turned to Gu Shiyan, triumphant. “I won!”

Gu Shiyan answered softly, “You won.”

He stood tall before her, the light from outside streaming in, and Luo Xing saw her own shadow cast across his chest.

She reined in her smile, pressed her lips together, and addressed the staff member. “Excuse me, what can these tickets be redeemed for?”

“On the prize wall behind you, the required number of tickets is listed under each item. You can redeem anything that costs less than your total number of tickets,” the staff explained.

Together, their tickets amounted to more than thirty thousand.

Luo Xing looked, but most of the prizes required hundreds of thousands, even millions of tickets.

The attendant suggested, “You can also store the tickets on a card and save up for a bigger prize later.”

But Luo Xing would only be in the city for two more months; saving them was pointless. She looked at Gu Shiyan. “How about I store them for you? You’ll be back in the capital someday, right?”

As she finished her sentence, she noticed Gu Shiyan’s brows twitch slightly before he regained his composure.

He glanced at the number displayed on the machine. “No need.”

It felt wasteful to Luo Xing, so she looked again at the prize wall, searching for something that could be exchanged for thirty thousand tickets.

The attendant bent down and picked up a tiny mini umbrella from the bottom shelf, its surface visibly coated with dust. “This one is thirty thousand. If you don’t mind…”

Clearly, no one was willing to exchange so many tickets for an old umbrella.

Luo Xing looked to Gu Shiyan. “Do you want it?”

After all, he was the one who paid for the game tokens earlier.

Gu Shiyan’s gaze flickered to Luo Xing. “For me?”

Luo Xing nodded. “It was yours to begin with.”

He glanced at the umbrella, which bore a pattern of a shooting star, and took it. “Let’s go.”

They left the arcade.

Luo Xing kept her eyes on Gu Shiyan until he got into the car.

He showed no intention of speaking, his hand resting casually on the umbrella beside him.

The umbrella was barely the size of his palm, with a white base and a pattern of whales and shooting stars.

“You lost,” she couldn’t help but remind him.

A faint laugh escaped Gu Shiyan’s nose. “Ah.”

He didn’t seem to care.

Luo Xing gritted her teeth. “You need to pay your forfeit, darling.”

She mimicked the way Gu Shiyan had called her that in the bar last time. But even knowing he’d meant it as a joke about Qi Zhi, her face still flushed.

Truly, not everyone could be as shameless as Gu Shiyan, able to utter such intimate words so easily.

Gu Shiyan reached up and brushed aside the hair that fell across his eyes. Light glimmered in his pupils as he narrowed them, a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth, his raised brows shining with youthful arrogance.

It was a side of him Luo Xing rarely saw. She lowered her lashes, momentarily stunned, her fingers curling tightly around the seatbelt.

“Who are you calling darling?” His voice was lazy and nonchalant.

Luo Xing remained silent.

The car sat unmoving in its spot, the air growing thick with tension.

She looked out the window, her voice stiff. “You know who I mean.”

Gu Shiyan turned his head to study her.

Bathed in sunlight, the girl’s porcelain skin glowed with a delicate luster. Even the fine down on her cheeks was visible, her features exquisitely bright and flawless.

Seeing her discomfort, Gu Shiyan chose not to tease her further.

A knock sounded at the window beside Luo Xing.

She froze, looking to Gu Shiyan.

He rolled the window down a third of the way.

Luo Xing peered outside. She didn’t recognize the person, but it was clear he was no friend.

After what had happened at school, Luo Xing had developed a fear of big men with scars and tattoos.

She edged closer to Gu Shiyan, her breath tense.

He closed the window, shutting out their view.

He unfastened his seatbelt, preparing to get out.

Luo Xing grabbed the fabric at his waist. “Where are you going?”

She had seen Gu Shiyan fight before. Though he’d subdued those men, the scene was still frighteningly intense—one careless move could mean fists and blood.

“They’re here for me.” His gaze flicked to her hand, gripping his shirt.

Her throat was dry, and she couldn’t speak. She didn’t let go. “You can’t go alone. There’s more than one of them.”

She couldn’t understand how trouble had found Gu Shiyan even here; there had been more men behind the one outside.

“Why are they after you?” Her brows drew together, worry clouding her eyes.

The men were clearly heading for Gu Shiyan’s side of the car, and the noise outside grew.

“If you’re so rich, why not pay off your fiancée’s debts, Young Master Gu?” someone jeered.

Luo Xing’s fingers froze, her grip loosening. She turned aside, a little flustered. “Right, it’s your private matter. I won’t ask.”

Gu Shiyan opened his mouth. “She…”

“Go on, then. I’ll wait in the car. Call me if anything happens.” Luo Xing spoke quickly, releasing him and folding her hands in her lap.

Seeing her nervously biting her lip, Gu Shiyan said nothing more.

He opened the door and got out.

She heard the click as he locked the car.

Leaning forward, she watched the scene outside, her phone gripped tightly.

There were only three men. Remembering how Gu Shiyan had taken on three before, she felt a little reassured.

Still, she unlocked her phone and sent a message to Assistant Song.

The voices outside were muffled; she watched as they moved further from the car.

“So, Young Master, have you already forgotten Miss Wen?” the leader sneered, his face icy cold.

Gu Shiyan’s expression was calm, but his eyes were frigid. “Where is she?”

“Her father owes a fortune. I’m just doing my job. You bought those gems for billions—can’t bear to pay her debts? Don’t you have any guts?”

“Your Gu family really is heartless. Once, you were in-laws; now that the Wen family’s fallen, you’re enemies, is that it?”