As evening fell, the hotel's night view took on a different appearance. Under the starry sky, rows of twinkling fairy lights created a wonderful atmosphere.
Several barbecue grills were set up on the lush green lawn, the charcoal crackling and illuminating the enticing colors of the food nearby. Not far away, under a tent, white rattan chairs were arranged, with groups of people chatting idly.
Secretary Cai was organizing a self-service barbecue for everyone. Suddenly, someone called out, "President Gu is here." Secretary Cai looked in the direction of the voice and, sure enough, saw Gu Yizhou, dressed casually, walking towards them.
President Gu's physique had always been a favorite topic of conversation among the female colleagues in the company. Broad shoulders and long legs, he was a walking clothes hanger; whatever he wore always exuded an air of elegance and sophistication.
Adding to this his superior, handsome features, the female colleagues had privately declared that if they couldn't get a man like President Gu, they would rather remain single forever. Upon seeing Gu Yizhou, everyone stood up simultaneously.
Gu Yizhou walked over, stopped, and his dark eyes scanned the surroundings. Not finding the person he was looking for, his gaze darkened. "Everyone, please make yourselves at home. I've just come over for a look around." He glanced at the grill not far away and walked over.
Gao Zegang was directing the hotel staff to bring over several cases of wine. Seeing Gu Yizhou walk towards the grill, he quickly went over, "Mr. Gu, what would you like to eat? I'll grill it for you." Gu Yizhou raised an eyebrow, "No need, I'll grill something for my wife."
The people standing around exchanged glances, their astonishment unspoken. Mr. Gu is so doting on his wife! He's personally grilling meat for her!
Su Mianmian and Song Zhi strolled around outside the hotel, then went to Song Zhi's room for a nap before leisurely walking towards the self-service barbecue area. From afar, they saw a lively scene, with laughter and the sounds of drinking games filling the air.
A gust of wind blew in, carrying the savory aroma of cumin-scented grilled meat straight to Su Mianmian's nose. Su Mianmian's delicate throat bobbed. "Zhizhi, it smells so good! Haven't we had barbecue in ages?"
Song Zhi, who loved drinking and eating skewers, was already even more eager than Su Mianmian, pulling her a few steps over. "Hey? Isn't that your Mr. Z? The dignified CEO Gu, actually grilling meat himself?"
Su Mianmian followed Song Zhi's gaze and, sure enough, saw the tall and slender Gu Yizhou standing quietly in front of the grill, grilling meat. He had his head down, his expression focused, his profile sharp and handsome.
His sweater sleeves were slightly rolled up, revealing his forearms with prominent veins. The dim light enveloped him, and the word "sexy" inexplicably popped into Su Mianmian's mind. "He's not just good at grilling meat, he's also an amazing cook, even better than a restaurant chef!"
Song Zhi clicked her tongue twice. "You're really making us jealous. After seeing your Mr. Z, other men are just single-celled organisms." Especially Cheng Yuli, he's not even as good as a single-celled organism! After her exclamation, she pulled Su Mianmian straight to Gu Yizhou's side.
"Mr. Z, I've brought your little Mianmian back!" Song Zhi's voice preceded her arrival. Gu Yizhou glanced sideways and saw the cute little girl, like a bunny, being pulled over by Song Zhi. A smile played on his lips. "The meat's freshly grilled, bring it over and have a taste."
Su Mianmian still remembered the hickeys Gu Yizhou had left all over her body. She silently took the plate, gave the largest skewers to Song Zhi, and slowly ate a small skewer herself, not even glancing at Gu Yizhou.
Gu Yizhou was all too familiar with her puffed-up cheeks; she'd discovered the hickeys on her neck and was angry again. Feeling a little guilty, she picked out a few more skewers of the girls' favorite foods and placed them on the grill. "Isn't there another classmate? Why isn't he here?"
Song Zhi knew Gu Yizhou was referring to Cheng Yuli, and she was momentarily annoyed. "Who cares? Maybe he's having fun somewhere!" Just as she finished speaking, a chorus of cheers rose from under a nearby tent, where a young couple was passionately kissing.
Song Zhi's eyes lit up. "Mianmian, let's go see what they're playing!" A group of young people from the company were playing Truth or Dare, and two people had just lost; the punishment was to kiss passionately in public for a minute.
Everyone had drunk a little, and their courage had increased considerably. Seeing that Mrs. Gu and her classmate had also arrived, they quickly made room for them to join in.
Some were even bolder, directly shouting at Gu Yizhou, "Mr. Gu, stop grilling meat, come and play with us!" It was just a casual remark, but unexpectedly, Gu Yizhou heard it and actually came.
He pulled aside the seat everyone had specially made for him next to Su Mianmian, casually placing the grilled skewers in front of her. His voice was gentle and indulgent. "Eat up, they won't taste good if they get cold." Everyone responded with a chorus of "Oh."
"Mr. Gu, this is such a public display of affection! We've all had enough of this dog food today!" Su Mianmian blushed instantly, her face turning bright red. Gu Yizhou smiled slightly. "My wife is a bit shy, so please don't tease her."
Not teasing Mrs. Gu meant they could tease Mr. Gu, right? Everyone was shrewd; they rarely had the chance to be so close to the CEO, and their playful spirits immediately soared. They exchanged glances.
"Come on, let's continue the game. Let's go over the rules again: spin the bottle. Whoever the bottle points to has to accept a punishment—Truth or Dare, choose one. If you really don't want to choose either, you have to drink three glasses of wine as punishment."
The game began. Song Zhi was unlucky; the bottle landed on her in the first round. Not being the coy type, she immediately chose Truth.
The questioner was a sunny-looking young man. "Miss Song, is the guy who carried you down the mountain today your boyfriend?"
Song Zhi found it annoying; everyone seemed to mention Cheng Yuli's name. She frowned and replied firmly, "No." "No? That can't be! Two hours! They're not even related. Who could carry you for that long? They wouldn't even let us switch halfway through. Miss Song, you can't lie in this game."
Song Zhi smiled. "I understand the rules. I'm not lying. He's really just an ordinary classmate, the kind of person I'll never be boyfriend and girlfriend with." The man nodded.
No one noticed that a figure walking towards them suddenly paused, then silently turned and walked in the opposite direction. In the second round, it was Song Zhi's turn to spin the bottle. The bottle's mouth landed squarely on Gu Yizhou.
Song Zhi's eyes lit up. She cleared her throat. "Mr. Z, Truth or Dare?" Su Mianmian glanced at Gu Yizhou. He wasn't wearing his glasses that night, and his narrow eyes shimmered with a warm light under the lamplight. "I choose Truth."
Truth was great, just what Song Zhi wanted. A wicked smile played on Song Zhi's lips. "If loving someone is a perfect score of ten, how would you rate your love for our Mianmian?"
This question immediately caused a stir among the crowd. It was blatantly asking President Gu to publicly confess his feelings! Were these working stiffs really going to listen? Song Zhi's ideal answer was, of course, a perfect 10. Her gaze towards Gu Yizhou was even more fervent than Su Mianmian's. "Mr. Z, answer truthfully, no lying!"
Gu Yizhou's lips curved into a smile, his gaze shifting slightly to Su Mianmian beside him. Her face was flushed under the light. "No upper limit, always three points more than Mrs. Gu imagines."
No upper limit, always three points more than she imagined… Su Mianmian was still immersed in Gu Yizhou's touching words, while everyone around her couldn't help but gasp.
Indeed, who would have thought that the usually aloof CEO Gu could be so direct and sophisticated when it came to sweet talk! Song Zhi received an answer far superior to what she had anticipated, and she was incredibly excited. She tugged at Su Mianmian's sleeve and whispered in her ear.
"Mianmian, you're such a charmer, how can you resist?" Su Mianmian didn't know how she could resist either. It seemed that ever since they got their marriage certificate, Gu Yizhou had always flirted with her like this.
However, Su Mianmian didn't expect that in front of so many people, especially his subordinates, he could say such things without batting an eye. Her face was already flushed and burning. Su Mianmian lowered her head and heard the sound of Gu Yizhou spinning a wine bottle.
After spinning for a while, the bottle slowly stopped, coincidentally pointing at Su Mianmian. The cheers from the crowd grew louder. It seemed that the president's gossip was far from over. "Mianmian, truth or dare?"
Gu Yizhou's voice rang in her ears, deep and pleasant, with a seductive quality. Su Mianmian couldn't help but think of how he had pinned her down by the hot spring earlier that day, asking her in the same tone, "Sweetie, have you heard the story of the big bad wolf and the little white rabbit?"
Su Mianmian felt that itchy and tingling sensation in her ear again. "I...I choose Truth or Dare."