Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Gu Zechuan's White Moonlight Gu Zechuan instinctively brushed away the hand of the woman beside him that was resting on his arm, and her expression stiffened. "I'm friends with Qiuyi too. Is it really that strange for me to come to her birthday party?" Ruan Chutang looked at him with a hint of a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "No, it's not that. I just thought you didn't like attending this kind of party, so I didn't mention it to you in advance." Ruan Chutang sneered inwardly. Was it really because she didn't like such parties that he didn't tell her? Or was it that he deliberately kept it from her because he planned to bring someone else? After explaining himself, Gu Zechuan swept his cold gaze across the room. His eyes seemed to ask: Who invited her? Su Qiuyi guiltily averted her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes, pretending she had nothing to do with it. "Hello, you must be Ruan Chutang, right? My name is Chen Wan. I'm sure Zechuan has mentioned me to you." The woman who had come with Gu Zechuan stepped forward to greet Ruan Chutang on her own initiative. Oh, so she was Chen Wan—Gu Zechuan's first love, his White Moonlight. Ruan Chutang still felt terrible inside, her chest tight and heavy. After all, she had been dating Gu Zechuan for three years; feelings couldn't be completely erased overnight. But she disguised herself well. A smile curved at the corners of Ruan Chutang's lips as she nodded in response. "Miss Chen, I've heard so much about you." Chen Wan smiled brightly at her. "Miss Ruan, has anyone ever told you that the two of us look a little alike?" The moment those words left her mouth, Gu Zechuan's face darkened abruptly. Ruan Chutang found it amusing and swept a glance at him, then curved her lips into a smile and shifted her gaze to meet Chen Wan's slightly provocative stare. "Oh? Is that so?" Ruan Chutang blinked her moist, doe-like eyes, looking innocent and guileless. "But I don't think so. You're not as pretty as me." The onlookers who had gathered to watch the drama were all stunned. Wasn't Ruan Chutang always the gentle, obedient type? Why was she speaking with such a sharp edge today? Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward, Su Qiuyi quickly changed the subject. "Don't just stand there, everyone—come sit down." Chen Wan suppressed her irritation toward Ruan Chutang, forced a smile, and handed her gift to Su Qiuyi. "Happy birthday, Qiuyi. This is for you." Su Qiuyi took it and looked at it—the gift bag was exactly the same as the one Ruan Chutang had just given her. She exclaimed in surprise as she took out the gift box from the bag and opened it. "Wow, I've wanted this necklace for so long! Thank you, Sister Chen Wan." Ruan Chutang's gaze paused. How was this the same style as the necklace she had given? Su Qiuyi then opened the gift bag Ruan Chutang had just given her. "Wow! Chutang, the one you gave me is the same necklace too!" "It's fake." A girl standing behind Su Qiuyi declared it counterfeit without even looking. "This necklace costs over fifty thousand yuan. Ruan Chutang is just a small-time lawyer—how much can she make in a month? How could she possibly afford to buy you such an expensive necklace?" The moment those words were spoken, the room fell silent. Judgmental looks converged on Ruan Chutang from all directions. Clearly, they all agreed with what the girl had just said. She was a nobody lawyer; there was no way she'd spend that kind of money on a genuine necklace for Su Qiuyi. Gu Zechuan's expression turned grim. "Chutang, if you're short on money, just tell me. I could have helped you prepare a gift. How could you..." How could you give a fake? Gu Zechuan couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, but everyone present understood. Ruan Chutang looked at him coolly. "Gu Zechuan, you think I gave a fake too?" Gu Zechuan remained silent with a dark face. A tacit admission. Su Qiuyi gave an awkward smile and tried to smooth things over. "No, no, it's fine. Chutang and I are close—how could she give me something fake? Don't say things like that, it's so hurtful." That was what she said, but Ruan Chutang still caught a flicker of disdain in Su Qiuyi's eyes. Ruan Chutang's heart sank halfway. The reason she had spent over fifty thousand on this necklace for Su Qiuyi was to thank her for the small kindnesses she had shown before. Three years ago, Ruan Chutang had fallen out with her family over refusing an arranged marriage and had run off to Haicheng alone. Ruan Shaodong had canceled her cards and cut off her financial support. She hadn't used any of the Ruan family's connections and had found a job at a law firm through her own efforts. In that first year, Ruan Chutang worked as a trainee lawyer, earning only four thousand a month. After getting her lawyer's license a year later, her salary improved somewhat, but it still wasn't high. In the eyes of this crowd, she was just a poor wretch. The young masters and ladies in Gu Zechuan's circle had always looked down on someone as "broke" as her. Every time they went out together, they would subtly ostracize and isolate her. Gu Zechuan turned a blind eye to it all, but Su Qiuyi had helped her out of a few awkward situations and had even taken the initiative to chat with her. Chutang had thought Su Qiuyi was different from the others, but it turned out she also looked down on her from the bottom of her heart. How ridiculous. On the night she agreed to the arranged marriage, Ruan Shaodong had restored access to her bank cards. Fifty thousand yuan meant no more to her than fifty cents. "Give me the necklace. I'll get you a new birthday gift later," Gu Zechuan spoke up. "Chutang doesn't know any better. My apologies." Su Qiuyi glanced at Ruan Chutang, then at Gu Zechuan, caught in a dilemma. If she didn't hand the necklace over to Gu Zechuan, she'd be disrespecting him. If she handed it over, it would mean she also believed the necklace was fake. On the surface, it was Ruan Chutang who lost face, but since Ruan Chutang was Gu Zechuan's girlfriend, in reality, it was still Gu Zechuan's face that was lost. "If he wants it, just give it to him." Ruan Chutang crossed her arms, staring coldly at Gu Zechuan. Su Qiuyi had no choice but to hand the necklace to him. Chen Wan, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up: "Zechuan, don't blame Miss Ruan. She meant well." Gu Zechuan said nothing, his face remaining dark and sullen. At that moment, someone suggested playing a game to ease the tension. Chen Wan smiled and went over to drink and play games with them. Ruan Chutang didn't care for such lively gatherings, so she walked alone to a sofa in the corner and sat down. Gu Zechuan walked over with a cold expression and sat down beside her. Ruan Chutang ignored him, playing with her phone on her own. After a while, Gu Zechuan spoke in a low voice: "If you don't have money, you could have given something cheaper. That's still better than giving someone a fake." "If you think it's fake, then give it back to me." Ruan Chutang's eyes remained fixed on her phone, her tone indifferent. "Do you know you're embarrassing me like this?" Ruan Chutang closed her eyes and took two deep breaths, then suddenly opened them again. She turned to look at Gu Zechuan. "What have I done to embarrass you? The receipt is inside. Can't you look at it yourself? Do I need to take you to the counter to ask the salesperson to verify?" Gu Zechuan was stunned for a moment before lowering his head to look for the receipt. Only after seeing the receipt did Gu Zechuan believe the necklace was real. His expression softened slightly, and his tone gentled: "Why didn't you mention the receipt earlier?" Ruan Chutang let out a cold snort. "Couldn't be bothered." With that, she went back to playing on her phone. After a long moment, Gu Zechuan beside her spoke in a low, suppressed voice, offering an apology. "I'm sorry. I misunderstood you today." Ruan Chutang pretended not to hear, focusing entirely on her game. Gu Zechuan stayed by her side without saying another word, but his gaze kept drifting toward the group playing games. More precisely, it was fixed on Chen Wan. When Ruan Chutang finished a round and looked up, she happened to catch Gu Zechuan staring at Chen Wan. Chen Wan lost the game and was being urged to drink as punishment. At first, Gu Zechuan held himself back. But when he saw Chen Wan down her third glass and reach for a fourth, he suddenly stood up, strode quickly to her side, and snatched the glass from her hand. "With your bad stomach, drinking this much? Chen Wan, do you have a death wish?" Anyone could see that Gu Zechuan was angry. The previously boisterous private room fell silent in an instant. All eyes converged on them. Chen Wan pouted defiantly, looking up to meet Gu Zechuan's furious gaze. "What's it to you?" "You're not drinking anymore." Gu Zechuan swept a cold glance over the group playing games, his face dark as he spoke: "Whoever dares to make her drink again, just try it." One by one, they averted their eyes, not daring to meet his gaze. Ruan Chutang sat on the sofa watching this farce with cold eyes, a mocking curve forming at the corner of her lips. Chen Wan stood up, trying to snatch the glass back. Gu Zechuan raised it high, keeping it out of her reach. Chen Wan stood on her tiptoes, but lost her balance and stumbled into Gu Zechuan's arms. Gu Zechuan instinctively wrapped his other arm around her. "Careful. It's been so many years, and you're still as clumsy as ever." Chen Wan's cheeks were flushed red. Leaning against Gu Zechuan's chest, she tilted her face up to look at him, her voice carrying a hint of coyness. "Gu Zechuan, you're really annoying." The people around them started egging them on again. Gu Zechuan was about to say something when he looked up and unexpectedly met Ruan Chutang's icy gaze.