No Other Option but to Endure

Tang Shi stopped what he'd been doing and looked into Gu Qingcheng's eyes for a long time before saying, "Weren't you desperate for an invitation to my birthday party? Sleep with me now, and I will get Tang Wan to send you an invitation."

Qingcheng was perplexed. She couldn't help thinking, "How did he know that she'd wanted an invitation to his birthday party? Could it be that he'd discovered her real motive for visiting Tang Wan at the Tang family home?"

Although she had no idea about how or why she had upset Tang Shi three years ago, Gu Qingcheng knew from his attitude toward her that…he'd had absolutely no intention of inviting her to his birthday party.

She had originally planned to go behind Tang Shi's back and to try to secure an invitation from Tang Wan. That would at least have ensured that she was seen at his party and thus wouldn't have ended up as a total laughingstock.

But now, somehow, her little scheme seemed to have been discovered by him.

If he'd intervened at this point, Tang Wan would surely not send her a birthday party invitation…unless she agreed to what he had just demanded and did what he wanted in exchange for an invitation...

Gu Qingcheng began to feel extremely conflicted and uneasy.

When Tang Shi noticed the faltering hesitation in Gu Qingcheng's eyes, a flicker of warmth, even the trace of a smile, appeared in his usually glacial eyes.

So, it seemed that Gu Qingcheng hadn't lost herself to the point of no return. Deep inside, in her subconscious, she still cared about her dignity and self-esteem.

Suppressing his delight, Tang Shi spoke up and repeated what he'd said earlier without any emotion. However, his tone seemed a tad softer and not as blatantly cruel as he said, "Gu Qingcheng, you do realize that with just one word from me, Tang Wan wouldn't dare send you an invitation, right?"

Just as she'd realized, he would make sure that nothing went smoothly for her, and her wishes wouldn't be granted.

Gu Qingcheng clenched her fists. As a woman with innate modesty and self-esteem, she simply couldn't bring herself to agree to what he had suggested.

Many people in Beijing had been aware of the close relationship between the daughter of the Gu family and the heir to the Tang family business. And just as many people knew that she had suddenly, for reasons unknown, left for the UK three years ago.

While they didn't know any of the details of what had happened then, everyone had been waiting in anticipation to see how the drama between her and Tang Shi would be played out, now that she was back in the country.

Having grown up in the upper echelons of society, Gu Qingcheng understood, more than most people, that if she didn't receive an invitation to Tang Shi's birthday party then the mystery around her sudden departure for the UK three years ago would promptly be understood by all the gossipmongers of Beijing society as Tang Shi having dumped her all those years ago.

Over the years, a large part of the Gu family business had been successfully conducted because of her relationship with Tang Shi and people's understanding of the probability of their getting married.

If they knew that she had lost the last glimmer of hope where Tang Shi was concerned, those shrewd businessmen would also know that they could no longer get any advantages from being associated with the Gus. Therefore, they would stay away and no longer collaborate with the Gus.

If that happened, the Gu family business would most definitely be placed in a most precarious position.

Gu Qingcheng was taking such a very long time to consider her position. It was so long that Tang Shi had actually thought that she would reject his suggestion.