Night Fire Lingering

Chapter 226 Gu Yanci, I love you

The man paused for a moment, then looked at her helplessly: "What do you think?"

It felt like bubbles were rising in Wen Yan's mind, and for the first time, she was so certain about her relationship with Gu Yanci.

"I think it is!"

Her smile was so radiant that Gu Yanci felt he had nowhere to hide, so he simply grabbed the back of her head and kissed her hard, silencing her chattering.

As the last rays of the setting sun faded, night fell.

The mansion's understated yet luxurious lights came on.

As the once quiet and deserted mansion gradually came out, many waiters emerged, and the music troupe took to the stage to play Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major. One after another, expensive luxury cars drove in.

The guests have arrived.

"Wen Yan, happy birthday!" Gu Jinzhi's car was the second to arrive, but she was the first to jump out, her voice high and sweet, and presented a beautifully packaged square gift box.

Gu Jinzhi said smugly, "None of my other siblings are qualified to come! Only me!"

Wen Yan: "..." For a moment, she was speechless.

She wasn't familiar with the other members of the Gu family's generation, and several of them had even openly or subtly mocked her. As for Gu Jinzhi… perhaps she was just lucky.

The person who got out of the first Lincoln limousine was the butler of the Gu family mansion: "Young Madam, these are gifts from the old lady to wish you a happy birthday. She said that since everyone here is young, she won't be joining in the fun today."

Although the person did not come, the entourage was quite large, with four bodyguards following behind, each carrying a gift box, attracting the attention of many.

Jiang Xing followed Shi Sheng in. Although she did not come from a wealthy family, she was neither humble nor arrogant. Standing next to Wen Yan, she was neither obsequious nor timid. She helped Wen Yan deal with the guests and was clearly a good friend of Wen Yan.

But upon closer inspection, she stood half a step behind Wen Yan, resembling a silent guardian.

Lou Qi, as Gu Yanci's best friend, naturally attended.

Wen Yan subconsciously looked at Jiang Xing, then at Lou Qi, and was shocked to find that neither of them was looking at the other!

Wen Yan: ?

What's going on with these two people?

However, now is not a good time for gossip.

The people arriving one after another were the sons and daughters, wives and sons-in-law of various families in the industry. Although Wen Yan wasn't familiar with them all, she knew most of them. Each person came forward with a gift and a beaming smile:

Happy birthday, Mrs. Gu!

"Miss Wen, you're still so beautiful! Happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday, Mrs. Gu!"

……

There weren't many guests, less than a hundred, but the gifts gradually piled up into a small mountain.

The guests exchanged glances, especially the women, who all saw envy in each other's eyes. A year ago, they had ridiculed and mocked Wen Yan, but now she had become Gu Yanci's darling, receiving his most exclusive favor.

Luo Beiqing, who had quietly left earlier, reappeared. She didn't move closer to Wen Yan, but instead sat on the edge of the sofa, quietly watching Wen Yan with a smile on her lips and tenderness in her eyes.

"Bam—!"

Suddenly, a firework burst open in the sky.

"Bang bang!"

"Bam—!"

Then came more and more, increasingly dazzling fireworks.

In recent years, smoking has been banned, and even setting off fireworks requires special permission in advance. Because of their scarcity, these young men and women couldn't help but look up at them.

As Wen Yan gazed at the dazzling fireworks in the sky, she suddenly remembered something, her heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Gu Yanci in astonishment.

"Gu Yanci, I also saw a fireworks display on my 16th birthday."

"Really?" Gu Yanci wasn't surprised; instead, he asked with a light laugh, "Do you like it?"

Wen Yan was both surprised and delighted, her eyes shining brightly: "Is that my sixteenth birthday present?"

Gu Yanci nodded.

That fireworks display was the happiest day for Wen Yan during her year and three months in the mental hospital, and also the only bright spot in those painful memories.

In a flash, Wen Yan suddenly remembered that when she was seventeen, Gu Jingzhou was already seriously ill, and Gu Yanci took her back to Hong Kong to pay respects to her maternal grandparents and Nan Yun, whom she thought was outdated. That night, they walked along the Central waterfront and saw the Victoria Harbour fireworks suddenly burst into bloom.

That day was not supposed to be a day for fireworks to light up Victoria Harbour.

Wen Yan asked, "What about seventeen?"

The man replied, "That's true."

The sounds of fireworks filled her ears, but Wen Yan could almost hear the pounding of her own heart.

She had been heartbroken because she hadn't received any decent birthday gifts from Gu Yanci when she turned sixteen or seventeen, thinking that she had hurt Wen Muzhi and that Gu Yanci disliked her even more. But it turned out that wasn't the case...

It turns out not to be!

Wen Yan smiled, and couldn't help but tiptoe to kiss the man, whispering, "Gu Yanci, I love you."

Gu Yanci's body stiffened for a moment, wanting her to say it again, but her body responded uncontrollably in the next second, deepening the kiss!

The man held the woman's waist, almost pulling her into his arms.

Passionate and possessive.

"Wow!"

Some people noticed Wen Yan and Gu Yanci's intimate actions and started to cheer.

Wen Yan was startled and quickly separated them, almost biting Gu Yanci's tongue.

Gu Yanci looked over expressionlessly, not knowing who had called out.

Some people looked at the sky and the ground, while Lou Qi, who was thick-skinned, and Luo Beiqing, who had a very good relationship with Wen Yan and Gu Yanci, just looked at them and laughed.

Wen Yan: "..."

The room was filled with young men and women. Several couples and spouses shared a few kisses on the spot, making the atmosphere even warmer and more romantic. Wen Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why did you invite so many people today?" Wen Yan asked the man beside her in a low voice.

In Wen Yan's opinion, Gu Yanci was not a person who liked excitement and pomp.

Wen Yan originally thought this party was just a small private gathering, but she didn't expect that all the well-known young people in the capital's elite circles were invited, and even many elders sent gifts through intermediaries, making it a grand affair.

"I've never thrown you a birthday party before, let's give it a try," Gu Yanci said casually.

Jiang Xing heard the conversation between the two people but remained silent.

After Gu Yan left to socialize with others, Jiang Xing whispered in Wen Yan's ear, "Nan Zhiyi is holding a banquet at Minghui today. The publicity department of a club went there specifically to gather information. Tomorrow, the school will probably be flooded with news about her party."

Nan Zhiyi was a rather unique figure at Imperial University. Although she was slightly inferior to Wen Yan in the competition, she maintained her identity as the only daughter of a wealthy European aristocratic family and was friendly and generous, making her quite well-known at the school.

After this banquet, probably no one will believe that someone of her status and wealth would plagiarize—because everyone will think that Nan Zhiyi has no need to compete like an ordinary person.

In Jiang Xing's view, the real purpose of Nan Zhiyi's so-called birthday banquet was to clear her name and surpass Wen Yan.

“But Yan Yan,” Jiang Xing said with a smile, looking at the shadowy figures in the hall, “how can she compare to you?”