My Prince Charming Lives Next Door VI

Three years ago, Gu Qingcheng and Tang Shi had spent the night together. However, when Gu Qingcheng didn't get pregnant and Tang Shi hadn't contacted Gu Qingcheng afterward, Gu Zhengnan had accepted the fact that his daughter was not going to be asked to marry Tang Shi. Hence, he'd decided to send her to the UK for more education. Now that three years had gone by, Gu Zhengnan had assumed that the memory of that incident would have become hazy and that Gu Qingcheng and Tang Shi, having been friends since childhood, wouldn't be too embarrassed if they met each other again. He'd even hoped that they might be able to pick up from where they'd left off. However, now, even with Gu Qingcheng sitting right in front of him, Tang Shi hadn't said a single word to her. Was it possible that, in a short period of only three years, Tang Shi had completely forgotten about Gu Qingcheng?

Giving it some thought, Gu Zhengnan tried to guide the conversation to Gu Qingcheng, saying, "Attending a string of these events can indeed be exhausting. But since Qingqing has just returned from three years in the UK, I decided to bring her along here tonight to ease her back into the social scene, since she's lost touch with many people here in Beijing."

Since the conversation had been so pointedly guided to talk about Gu Qingcheng, Tang Shi finally turned to glance briefly at her. Not having seen her for three years, he could see that this woman was even more beautiful than before, with her charming eyes and well-defined brows and full rosy lips framing perfect white teeth. Indeed, she was, as her name suggested, a woman so alluringly beautiful that she could destroy an entire city. Staring intently at Gu Qingcheng, Tang Shi remained quiet for a long time before he finally said hesitatingly, "Oh, so this is Uncle Gu's daughter. It's been a while. I remember...her name's...Qing something."

Tang Shi paused, as though trying hard to recall what Gu Qingcheng's name was.

They had known each other for 20 years and had even been intimate for one night. And yet he was insinuating that he couldn't even recall her name.

With that comment, he had not only slapped Gu Qingcheng in the face, but also dealt Gu Zhengnan a heavy blow as well.

Gu Qingcheng turned slightly pale, and her hands subconsciously clenched into fists.

Gu Zhengnan's expression had also changed for the worse.

Frowning, Tang Shi seemed to be trying his best to recall her name and, after a long while, managed to utter the words, "Gu Qingcheng."

Gu Zhengnan's expression got slightly better, and he looked sideways at Gu Qingcheng, saying, "Qingqing, you and Shi used to be classmates and have known each other for many years. Why don't you even greet each other now?"

In the past, others would address him as Young Master Shi or Elder Brother Shi, but not Gu Qingcheng. She would simply address him as Tang Shi or Shiguang, her own nickname for him. But now, noting Tang Shi's icy indifference toward her, Gu Qingcheng was in a dilemma as to how she should address him. After some hesitation, she eventually decided to adopt the most traditional form of address. Looking at Tang Shi, Gu Qingcheng smiled appropriately and, without coming across as either too meek or too proud, said, "Mr. Tang, how do you do."

Since he had known her for so many years, there was no way Tang Shi couldn't work out whether her smile was sincere or simply an act.

"Mr. Tang? And complete with an official tone as well..." Instantly, Tang Shi's expression turned cold as ice, and he chose not to respond to Gu Qingcheng's greeting.

Gu Qingcheng had absolutely no idea what she had done wrong. All she'd done was to offer a greeting, a gesture that had, for a reason unknown to her, instantly caused that thunderous look on his face. Just like three years ago, when he'd behaved as normal toward her during the night when they'd had their tryst, only to turn into a heartless brute the very next day. It was really mind-boggling.

Having spent many years in the business world, Gu Zhengnan had honed his observational skills for a long time. Noticing Tang Shi's dark expression, he quickly and cleverly said something to try and defuse the tense situation. "Shi, Qingqing is back for good this time and intends to stay in Beijing. I inquired at the human resources department at Sheng Tang Company and found out that your secretarial department has an opening for a secretarial assistant. So, I've submitted Qingqing's CV, hoping maybe that she could work in the secretarial department of your company."