Annie Gu had been searching for days at the Yujin Hotel but still couldn't uncover the identity of the mysterious "duck." Frustrated after returning from the club on Saturday, instead of going home, the heiress made a sudden detour to Yushan Residence to vent to Elena Shen.
Seeing the gloom etched into her friend's delicate features, Elena gently put down Tuan Tuan and called for tea and fruit to be served. She patted the couch beside her.
"Still hung up on the duck incident?"
Annie slumped into the couch, scowling so hard her brows nearly knotted into a braid. Agitated, she roughly scrubbed her scalp with both hands before bending over to scoop up the little dog rubbing against her ankle. She plopped him on her lap and began petting him with irritation.
"I just want to figure out who he was! How can it be this hard?"
Elena watched in silence as Annie aggressively pet the pup. After a moment, she asked, "Did you check the surveillance footage?"
That question made Annie even more confused and furious. She shot a glare at Elena and exploded:
"I did! But would you believe it? The surveillance at a place like Yujin Hotel—broke!"
Elena blinked. "...What?"
Annie cursed under her breath. "All that for a charity gala, and now it's turned into a cursed soap opera!"
She'd never heard of such a bizarre thing—one of the top luxury hotels in the city having broken surveillance cameras.
Elena hugged a cushion, silent for a long beat before saying, "Even if the cameras were down, hotels like that usually have backup auto-recording systems. I could get someone to try recovering the footage."
Annie's eyes gleamed at the offer—but just as she was about to nod, she paused, then quickly shook her head.
"No, no, better not."
Elena glanced over.
Annie was twisting Tuan Tuan's fur between her fingers, her gaze downcast.
"If you ask someone to investigate, your husband will find out—no doubt about it. And if Ethan knows, Winston will find out too. Those two meet up all the time. If my brother catches wind of this... I'm screwed."
She buried her face in the dog's fur, muffling her voice. "He already didn't believe my excuse that night. If he gets even a whiff of what really happened, I'm dead. The risk is too high. I'd rather let this go than have it blow up."
Elena said nothing.
Annie stayed slumped for a while before straightening up and squishing Tuan Tuan's round head like a stress ball.
"Screw it. I'll just pretend I got bit by a stray dog. No point wasting energy on someone I'll never see again. What am I gonna do—bite him back?"
She'd already tried everything—surveillance was inaccessible, and the club's male escorts turned up no leads. Continuing the search was only going to stress her out more. Better to move on.
Trying to distract herself, Annie began scrolling her phone while scratching behind Tuan Tuan's ears.
"By the way, did you hear about Grace Su leaving the industry, Elena darling?"
Elena nodded. "I caught a bit of news."
Though Annie had been preoccupied with her own mess, she hadn't missed Grace Su's scandal either.
Now that she was starting to accept what happened and let it go, her mood was visibly lifting. She scooted closer to Elena, resting against her side as she spoke.
"Rumor has it Adrian Jiang personally made the call to blacklist her, permanently."
"That night at the gala, Grace didn't just drug you—she allegedly hired a few men from outside. From what I heard, Adrian used the same tactics on her in revenge. She nearly died that night in a private room at Yujin Club. What happened after that, nobody really knows."
But the ending surely wasn't pretty.
Annie had once thought Adrian was devoted to Grace, especially considering how hard he'd worked to make her a rising star, even enabling her repeated stunts for online buzz.
But clearly, she was wrong.
After all, Grace had dared to target the wife of the Jiang Group's true heir. Even if Adrian had wanted to protect her, there was no way he could.
Grace had been Adrian's creation—but Ethan's approval was the reason she'd stayed in the limelight. Allowing Adrian to handle the mess himself was already the furthest Ethan could go for the sake of brotherhood.
Had Ethan chosen to personally take action that night—given how furious he was—Grace's fate would have been even more brutal.
By sunset, Annie finally returned to the Gu residence.
Elena took the tail-wagging, happy little pup out to the courtyard to feed him.
A week ago, the old master had gone abroad, and she and Ethan had since moved back to Yushan Residence.
Though the place had changed, their pet had no trouble adjusting—still bouncing around like he owned the place.
In the doghouse reserved for Tuan Tuan's exclusive meals, Butler Pang had already prepared warm goat milk. He was about to fetch the pup when he saw Elena bringing him over herself.
"Madam," he greeted respectfully, then set the small bowl down and tapped its rim playfully to call the dog over.
Tuan Tuan ran up with excitement, burying his snout in the milk, his tail wagging like a propeller.
By the time Ethan Jiang returned that evening, it was already quite late.
Business had been hectic lately—he never made it home before sundown.
Tonight was no exception.
At 7:30, the sound of steady footsteps echoed through the courtyard.
Elena was curled on the sofa with her laptop, reviewing an academic paper, when she looked up.
Tuan Tuan, curled up beside her, reacted even faster—he leapt up and dashed toward the door, tail spinning in delight.
Ethan glanced down at the furball bounding over to greet him, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Without pausing, he strode toward Elena, carrying a box of delicate pastries.
"Feeling okay today?" he asked.
Elena's gaze followed him naturally. Her lips curved into a smile as she shook her head, her eyes soon catching sight of the box in his hand.
Ethan's dark eyes sparkled with amusement.
He handed her the box and explained, "Butler Pang said you mentioned craving the Old Zhaiji cakes from East City while feeding Tuan Tuan today. I happened to pass by on the way back, so I picked some up. Try it—see if it's the flavor you like."
Her eyes lit up. She quickly set aside her laptop, cheerfully opened the exquisite box, and picked up a spoon.
But the moment she was about to dig in, she froze.
Ethan had just handed off his coat to Butler Pang. When he turned back, he saw Elena staring longingly at the cake but not taking a bite.
Pouring himself a glass of water, he sat beside her.
"What's wrong? Don't like the flavor?"
She looked slightly conflicted.
Her gaze remained fixed on the dessert. After a few seconds of inner turmoil, she put the spoon down with obvious reluctance.
Ethan's eyes fell on her.
She rubbed her slightly fuller cheeks, muttering, "I shouldn't. I think I've put on weight."
Ethan swirled the water in his glass, his eyes trailing down to her slim waist—so slender it barely filled one hand. The corners of his lips quirked in quiet amusement.
"A waist so small one hand could wrap around it—how is that fat?"
Setting the glass aside, he picked up the spoon she'd abandoned. Scooping a perfect bite from the center of the cake, he held it up to her lips.
His voice, low and coaxing, was just as gentle as when he was wooing her.
"You're not fat. Just eat."
"And if you do gain a little, I'll help you work it off—with some extra… activity."
Elena didn't catch the double meaning in his last line. Still watching the dessert, she hesitated for just a second—then finally opened her mouth and took the bite.