Page 49 of Assistant to My Contracted Husband

Jian Ran would never believe that Gu Mochen could be her first kiss.

As a man who was “thirty and established,” with such overwhelming power, exquisite features, and an outstanding presence among his peers, even being married couldn’t stop countless women from flocking to him like moths to a flame.

How could it be a first kiss?

Yet, why did the man dodge her gaze?

Gu Mochen narrowed his eyes; aside from an extreme night four years ago, there had been no woman by his side.

Only Jian Ran.

Four years ago, even if there had been skin-to-skin contact, he hadn’t kissed the woman beneath him.

So, she was the first woman he had taken the initiative to kiss, as if possessed by a ghost.

Gu Mochen did not think that a man who was “thirty and established” necessarily had to flit among the flowers, accustomed to women of all colors.

He wanted to become a man pure to the point of cleanliness.

Facing the woman’s puzzled beautiful eyes, Gu Mochen’s large hand tightened again, pulling Jian Ran so close to him that they were nearly one.

Jian Ran’s beautiful eyes widened in shock, as the two of them clung together with almost no space between them.

Their faces were incredibly close; with just a slight movement from him, his thin lips could land on hers.

Jian Ran’s heart trembled slightly, meeting his dark, unfathomable eyes, she held her breath.

“Can I take it that Mrs.

Gu is very concerned about me, hoping that I practice my kissing skills until they’re perfect?

I’m married, so if I need to practice, I’ll have to turn to Mrs.

Gu.”

Jian Ran hadn’t expected the man to sidestep her question, then throw it back in her face, causing her complexion to change slightly.

“I never knew Mr.

Gu suffered from delusions of grandeur!”

After speaking, Jian Ran pretended to twist her ankle and stepped on Gu Mochen again, just as the music ended, the corners of her mouth curving up into a bright smile.

“Sorry, I really didn’t…

mean to do it.”

Gu Mochen didn’t get angry but laughed instead, his gaze locking onto Jian Ran’s delicate face, his hand politely withdrawing from her waist.

He pursed his lips and said, “Mrs.

Gu, accompany me to greet people.”

“You…

I…

If I talk too much, I’ll reveal myself,” she said.

If the Design Department or Qin Mu overheard her, then her identity would be exposed.

Hearing Jian Ran’s urgent words, Gu Mochen’s dark eyes deepened, “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

Jian Ran felt somewhat dazed by Gu Mochen’s words; at some point in the past, someone also said the same thing to her.

In her moment of distraction, she found herself being led by Gu Mochen through the crowd.

Secretary Zhou had already learned the conditions of the individuals wearing masks and thus was able to introduce Gu Mochen and Jian Ran without any mistakes.

All were influential figures in Yuncheng City.

These were people Jian Ran had also encountered before.

After all, Jian Anguo was once among Yuncheng’s elite, and she often accompanied him to banquets.

Jian Ran’s eyes darkened.

Once business acquaintances and friends, when her father fell from grace, each and every one of them had disappeared, avoiding her at all cost.

The human heart is unfathomable.

…

“Mr.

Gu, long time no see,” came a resonant voice, eerily familiar.

Jian Ran’s eyes widened in shock as she looked over.

It was none other than Old Master Qin, with Qin Mu standing by his side.

The only other people in the hall not wearing masks were Gu Mochen, Old Master Qin, and Qin Mu.

The former was the king of the night, naturally the center of attention.

Old Master Qin was like Mount Tai or the Big Dipper of Yuncheng, his status meant he didn’t care for such foreign frivolities, and Qin Mu, the Crown Prince, accustomed to living unrestrainedly and playfully.

Old Master Qin lived up to his reputation as a founding figure, with decades of political and business experience; he was spirited and carried an impressive aura.

Jian Ran’s eyes widened; as a child, she often played at Old Master Qin’s feet.

After the incident, she hadn’t seen him since.

The old master had always been the center of everyone’s attention; unexpectedly, today he took the initiative to lower his stature to greet Gu Mochen.

This demonstrated Gu Mochen’s prominent status in Yuncheng City.

Gu Mochen narrowed his eyes, clearly sensing the woman beside him stiffening a little.

“Elder Qin, long time no see,” he said.

“Qin Mu, what are you dawdling for?

Go greet Mr.

Gu, Mrs.

Gu,” Elder Qin rebuked, prompting Qin Mu to finally speak lazily, “Mr.

Gu, Mrs.

Gu, what a pleasure.”

Jian Ran’s small hand clenched the stemware she held; among the four of them, she was the only one wearing a fox mask.

Panicking, she sipped the red wine in her glass and forced a smile on her lips, yet she dared not make a sound.

Qin Mu’s gaze didn’t even stray toward this Mrs.

Gu.

In the whole world, the only woman he cared about was Jian Ran.

As for other women, even if it was Mrs.

Gu, he wouldn’t spare a second glance.

He also wondered what his own Ran girl and Tang girl were up to now.

“Say hello to the elder, be good,” Gu Mochen said as he hugged Jian Ran tighter to his side, his lips curling in amusement.

Jian Ran: “…”

Say hello?

Me?

Jian Ran’s beautiful eyes glared at Gu Mochen; her chest heaved violently.

Was Gu Mochen trying to expose her?

Jian Ran clenched her hand tighter, striving to lower her voice.

“Elder Qin, Young Master Qin…

good evening,” she said.

Elder Qin narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the tranquil woman before him.

Gu Mochen was inscrutable, and the woman was extremely well-protected.

“Mrs.

Gu is too modest, such a gentle and charming character, Mr.

Gu is truly fortunate,” Elder Qin praised.

Jian Ran: “…”

Elder Qin always used to say she was just a mischievous little cat.

She never had a moment to herself.

Hearing Mrs.

Gu’s voice made Qin Mu’s eyebrows knit, a vague sense of familiarity arising, compelling him to look her way.

The woman was slender, dressed in an exquisite purple gown, lively and mysterious, especially with the fox mask, which toyed with a man’s innate curiosity.

Gu Mochen’s lips curled up, “The woman I’ve chosen, naturally, isn’t lacking; thank you for the compliment, Elder.”

Jian Ran’s beautiful eyes darkened slightly, “My woman,” Gu Mochen’s words were arrogant, his inky eyes brimming with aggression.

“Grandfather, it’s not just Mrs.

Gu you should praise; Ran girl is also great.

You just keep calling Ran girl a naughty little thing,” Qin Mu said lazily, prompting varied reactions from the crowd.

Jian Ran subconsciously tightened her grip on her small hand, but in the next instant, Gu Mochen stretched out his large hand, took hers, and made her hand open, then intertwined his fingers with hers, incredibly intimate.

“You little rascal, always going on about Ran girl, I think that girl Jian Ran has bewitched you,” the elder chided.

Qin Mu narrowed his eyes and took the initiative to respond: “Grandfather, I have an eye for talent; I know Ran girl’s worth…”

“No matter how good Jian Ran is, she’s still Han…”

Smack!

Before the name Han Siming could be spoken, Jian Ran was momentarily dazed, and the stemware in her hand dropped with a sound, shattering on the ground, the wine staining her immaculate purple gown.

All eyes involuntarily focused on Jian Ran.