Volume One, Chapter 19: Moving House to the Ashes Box

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Seeming to notice Jiang Chenyu’s confusion, Gu Jinyan spoke again, “Thank you for not taking out your disappointment with others on this remedy and for willingly offering it to me for treatment.”

“Ah?” Damn it, the Calm Heart Chant really wasn’t a remedy; it was a cultivation technique her master had painstakingly developed through countless hours of idle practice.

Jiang Chenyu silently grumbled in her heart but couldn’t help feeling a little happy—she had thought Gu Jinyan might misunderstand her intention to have him practice the Calm Heart Chant as treating him like a substitute for Jiang Mu.

Of course, she never regarded Gu Jinyan as anyone’s replacement, nor did she need to project her love for her family onto others.

Her giving him the Calm Heart Chant was purely out of kindness!

And perhaps just a tiny, barely noticeable hint of desire…

Looking into Gu Jinyan’s long, beautiful eyes, she quietly added that thought in her mind.

Her gaze involuntarily shifted as she cleared her throat, “It’s good that you understand; I’m not just after your billion yuan.”

Gu Jinyan was momentarily taken aback, then smiled at the little smirk playing on Jiang Chenyu’s lips.

He noticed her constantly fidgeting with the ring in her hand and asked, “Why is this ring called ‘Guiding Grass’?”

Jiang Chenyu glanced down at it and didn’t hide the truth, directly explaining the ring’s function to him.

“Wearing this ring lets you find anyone at any time?” Gu Jinyan asked skeptically.

Thinking he might still be skeptical of mysticism, Jiang Chenyu quickly corrected him, “Not just me, but your family, friends, even childhood acquaintances you’ve only met once… as long as you remember that person, the ring can help you find them.”

She then thought of something else and gave a sweet smile, heavily hinting, “And it’s not expensive—just thirty to fifty million yuan to bring it home.”

Gu Jinyan: “...” Thankfully, he can earn money; otherwise, this troublemaker would empty his wallet soon enough!

Still, he did fancy the device. Concerned that Jiang Chenyu might feel awkward due to the ring’s special meaning, he didn’t initiate the transaction.

Since Jiang Chenyu was willing to sell it proactively, he was naturally pleased, “Then put it on the account.”

“You want to keep tabs?” Jiang Chenyu pouted, thinking they weren’t that close after all.

Gu Jinyan saw through her intention and smiled, “Afraid I’ll shortchange you?”

“Of course not, President Gu, you’re such a good person.” Jiang Chenyu shook her head repeatedly and respectfully placed the ring on Gu Jinyan’s hand.

Gu Jinyan didn’t expose her; instead, he accepted the praise and slid the ring onto his ring finger.

Strangely enough, though the ring was initially a bit large, once on his finger, it automatically adjusted its size.

Indeed, Jiang Chenyu was magical, and her belongings were magical too.

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Jiang Chenyu caught the fleeting look of amazement in his eyes and saw the care he showed toward the ring. An indescribable feeling stirred within her.

She believed the gold badge Jiang Mu gave her was proof of her second brother’s past love for her, so she desperately showered her family with gifts as proof of her love.

Yet, unlike her appreciation, her family had always looked down on her gifts.

No matter how precious those gifts were, they had all become evidence of their lack of love for her.

This was one reason she was willing to sell her belongings to Gu Jinyan at such a “cheap” price.

Another reason was that Gu Jinyan seemed genuinely interested in “finding people.”

“President Gu, who are you trying to find?” Jiang Chenyu rarely indulged in gossip but couldn’t help asking.

Gu Jinyan slightly furrowed his brow at the title, thought for a moment, and decided to explain carefully, “Actually, when we were kids…”

“President Gu, the burn ointment has arrived!” Their driver’s cheerful voice came from outside.

It immediately caught Jiang Chenyu’s attention.

The driver got into the car excitedly, boasting to the two in the back, “I bought one of every kind of burn ointment, burn patches, and painkillers…”

He noticed their boss’s expression seemed off and quickly shut his mouth, then tentatively asked, “Did I buy too much?”

“Not at all. Thank you, you’re such a great person!” Jiang Chenyu held the ointment gratefully.

She wasn’t the type to seek favors or pity when hurt; she usually just endured her injuries quietly.

Now that someone had helped by buying medicine, her gratitude was genuine.

Seeing the persistent dark aura lingering over the driver’s forehead, she thought for a moment and took the initiative to warn, “You’d better stay home tonight and not go out; otherwise, it could be dangerous.”

The driver naturally didn’t believe her nonsense. Gu Jinyan paid him well and had no special demands—only that he remain on call for twelve hours.

Having only a little free time after work, forbidding him from going out would be suffocating.

But seeing Gu Jinyan’s increasingly grim expression, he dared not push further and nodded repeatedly, feigning compliance, “I will, thank you for the reminder, madam.”

Jiang Chenyu knew he didn’t believe her, but she left it at that without elaborating.

Meanwhile, unknown to Jiang Chenyu, Gu Jinyan’s mood shifted from bright to dark and then back to bright.

His tone softened slightly to the driver, “Let’s go—to the East City nursing home.”

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The driver wiped his sweat, secretly glanced at his boss in the rearview mirror, and only relaxed when he saw he was indeed well.

He muttered silently—crazy man.

The East City nursing home was the largest elderly care center in the capital, housing not only many seniors but also several entertainment areas. It was a “health-oriented” entertainment center established by one of Gu Jinyan’s friends in the suburbs.

The person who hid the doll box for Gu Jinyan was his nanny, Li Hehua.

Li Hehua had cared for him since infancy, treating him like her own son. When Gu’s family moved out of the old mansion, they had planned to bring Li Hehua along, but she refused, not wanting to be a burden.

Seeing her age and knowing her husband and son had passed away early, Gu Jinyan arranged for her to stay at this nursing home.

He wanted her to enjoy her twilight years in peace, but…

“The box was placed in my apartment right after I moved; it’s been there for about five or six years,” Gu Jinyan recalled the information his secretary had uncovered.

He lived alone in his apartment, frequently changing and airing out his bedding using external sets, so no one had noticed the box for so long.

Jiang Chenyu recalled the golden toad gifted to Gu Jinyan as a housewarming present and couldn’t help but curl her lips in exasperation, “You should move less in the future; it’s really unsafe.”

Gu Jinyan understood her implied meaning, thinking of her lively conversations with others, and smiled wryly, teasing, “Don’t worry, the next move will probably be into an urn.”

At that, the driver slammed the brakes abruptly, and Jiang Chenyu was momentarily silent.

Gu Jinyan was displeased by their reactions, “Not funny?”

Jiang Chenyu didn’t answer, but her complicated expression said it all.

She turned away to ask the driver about the route, unwilling to entertain him further.

The journey was somewhat long, and by the time they arrived, it was nearly noon.

Gu Jinyan had made arrangements in advance; upon seeing his car, staff immediately came forward and led them to Li Hehua’s apartment.

Since staff were scheduled to cook and wash dishes at her home during lunch, Li Hehua’s door was wide open.

Jiang Chenyu followed Gu Jinyan inside and immediately saw the elderly woman eating inside.