Favoerd Thoughts

Chapter Seven：Subtle Intimacy

Yu Xiaomeng let out a defeated sigh. "Fair enough. High society is all about strategic political marriages anyway. Cinderella marrying the prince only happens in fairy tales. In reality, working-class girls like us couldn't even rub shoulders with billionaire elite if we tried.

"Ugh, and here I was, dreaming that you had secretly scored a top-tier billionaire so I could ride your designer coat-tails to the top. Turns out it was just a daydreams."

"Well, you can't rely on me, but I can definitely rely on you!" Nuonuo teased, giving Xiaomeng’s shoulder a solemn pat. "Once you marry Xie Mingfei, you’ll officially be a rich house-wife. I’ll just hang onto your leg—maybe I won't be living in luxury, but I’ll definitely get a taste of the good life!"

"Don't worry," Xiaomeng declared, puffing out her chest. "As long as I’m eating steak, you’ll always have a bowl of soup. Oh crap, I almost forgot!" Xiaomeng suddenly slapped her forehead. "The delivery crew is dropping off the bed at our new marital home today! I have to run and keep watch."

Nuonuo waved her off with a warm smile. "Go on, you lucky woman."

After Xiaomeng left, Nuonuo caught a bus back home, her mind drifting to her medical report.

Gong Chenyi still hadn't contacted her. Slipping her phone out, she scrolled through her call history to find his number—it was still just a string of unmonitored digits without a contact name.

She had originally intended to save his name, but his icy demeanor toward her had completely extinguished any desire to be friendly.

She figured that in his phone, she was probably just an unsaved string of numbers too. Even if she wasn't, she was likely saved under three cold, sterile words: Ruan Nuonuo.

They hadn't even added each other on messaging apps.

Lost in thought, Nuonuo was just about to dial his number when his name illuminated her screen—he was calling her first.

Nuonuo answered, barely managing a quick "Hello?" before Gong Chenyi’s voice cut through the line, frigid and commanding.

"Are you at home?" he asked point-blank.

"Yes."

"Grandma and I are coming over after work. Her health has improved, and she wants to see you," he said, his tone as domineering as ever. "Get ready."

Ever since her collapse, the elderly woman had been undergoing medical treatments at a private care facility.

"Alright," Nuonuo replied softly. "What does Grandma like to eat? I’ll cook dinner."

"No need," Gong Chenyi dismissed coolly. "Grandma’s diet is carefully curated."

The unsaid implication was crystal clear: whatever Nuonuo cooked would merely be cheap, peasant food.

Nuonuo held her tongue, choosing not to push.

"I called to give you a quick reminder," the man continued, his tone loftily detached.

"Go ahead," Nuonuo murmured.

"You saved Grandma’s life, so she holds a high opinion of you. Because of that, I expect you to maintain impeccable character in front of her at all times."

Nuonuo caught the subtle warning immediately: he was warning her not to reach into his pockets or exploit his grandmother's fond feeling toward her.

Ever since the night she begged him for a loan on the bed, his opinion of her had plummeted to rock bottom.

Nuonuo didn't bother offering an explanation. Whatever he threw at her, she simply agreed without a fight.

After hanging up, Nuonuo went straight to the kitchen to boil a bowl of simple noodles. Since Grandma wasn't coming over to eat, she would just whip up a quick meal for herself.

Halfway through her meal, her phone buzzed with a text from Gong Chenyi:

Do not let Grandma know that I am not living with you.

Nuonuo didn't text back.

Setting her bowl aside, she opened the entryway shoe cabinet, pulled out the pair of men's slippers Gong Chenyi had worn previously, and set them conspicuously on the rack—creating the careful illusion that he actually lived here.

At the entrance of the elite sanatorium, a private nurse gently helped Old Lady Meng into the backseat of a sedan.

The matriarch wore an elegant, traditional silk tunic. Though her hair was silver-white, her face was kind and gentle. Yet, the moment her eyes fell on the modest, domestic sedan waiting for her, her brows knit into a tight frown.

Gong Chenyi, having just ended his phone call with Nuonuo, turned and walked toward the elderly woman.

The second he drew near, Old Lady Meng shot her eldest grandson a sharp, scolding glare. "Are you still keeping secrets?"

"Secrets about what?" Chenyi asked, caught momentarily off guard.

Old Lady Meng reached out, poking her finger firmly against his chest. "Your identity as the city’s top billionaire! Are you still keeping Nuonuo in the dark?"

Driving such an ordinary sedan just to see Nuonuo meant he definitely hadn't confessed his true background to her. Even the domestic staff's vehicles back at the main Gong Manor were far more luxurious than this.

"The city’s top billionaire is my father, not me," Chenyi joked dryly.

The old lady glared at him. "Don't get cheeky with me."

Chenyi chuckled softly, stepping forward to gently support her arm. "Grandma, you promised you would go along with our secret marriage."

Old Lady Meng swiped his hand away playfully, scolding him: "A secret marriage doesn't mean hiding who you are! You’re just terrified that she’s after your fortune. But use your brain for a second—in a city like this, the bride price for an ordinary family is way more than one hundred thousand yuan! If Nuonuo were truly a gold-digger, wouldn't she have demanded ten times that amount?

"You scored a wonderful, golden-hearted wife for a mere hundred thousand, and yet you're getting cheap perks while acting like a martyr! Besides, I, Meng Yuchun, have lived for decades—do you think I can't read a person's soul? You are my blood grandson. If Nuonuo weren't a sweet, pure girl, would I ever let you marry her and drag you into a trap?"

She poked his head again for good measure. "Brilliant your whole life, yet so hopelessly blind when it comes to love!"

Chenyi accepted the scolding with good-natured silence.

Yet, when he remembered the way Nuonuo had boldly asked him for money right while lying on the bed, a wave of cold disappointment washed through his heart. "Grandma, true character is revealed over time, not judged in a single glance. Caution is always best. We keep my identity hidden for now."

His final sentence was absolute, leaving no room for debate.

Sigh.

Old Lady Meng let out a heavy breath.

Her grandson was dutiful and fiercely devoted to her, but he was also stubborn and possessed a mind of his own.

"Have it your way," Old Lady Meng grumbled with a huff. "But as far as I'm concerned, she is my grand-daughter-in-law. And as long as I’m still breathing, don't you dare bully that sweet girl!"

Gong Chenyi said nothing as he helped the matriarch safely into the vehicle.

Sliding into the backseat beside her, he gave the driver a quiet instruction: "To Regent Gardens."

Old Lady Meng’s face dropped again. "That's where you and Nuonuo are living?"

Chenyi wrapped an arm around the old lady's shoulders, coaxing her: "Grandma, it's one of the highest-end high-rise apartments in the entire city."

"Don't think adding 'high-end' will stop me from scolding you!" Old Lady Meng snapped, her face turning solemn. "Fine, you want to hide your wealth and keep her out of a luxury villa, but you couldn't even arrange a grand garden townhouse for her? You're making the Third Young Mistress of the Gong family squeeze into a apartment?!"

Chenyi chuckled. "Grandma, shouldn't you be feeling sorry for your eldest grandson instead?"

The master bathroom in Gong Manor was literally larger than this apartment's master bedroom.

"Serves you right!" Old Lady Meng rolled her eyes dramatically. "Keep playing these foolish games. Mark my words—one day, you’ll be crawling on your knees through the crematorium just to chase her back!"

The smile on Gong Chenyi’s lips turned icy cold.

That situation would never happen.

In this lifetime, no woman would ever have the power to make him chase her.

By the time Nuonuo finished her simple bowl of noodles and cleared the kitchen, Gong Chenyi and Old Lady Meng arrived.

Nuonuo instantly wrapped Old Lady Meng in a warm, tight hug, their natural warmth echoing that of a biological grandmother and granddaughter.

"Grandma! You look so much better—your cheeks are glowing! If I didn't know better, I’d think you put on blush today," Nuonuo praised softly, her sweet tone completely genuine.

The matriarch beamed, her eyes sparkling with affection for the girl. "Look at you, sweet talker! Did you dip your tongue in honey today? You only say the sweetest things."

"Grandma, I'm telling the absolute truth! Your complexion is night and day compared to two months ago, and your skin looks so radiant. You must have been a stunning beauty when you were young..."

Nuonuo kept the old lady laughing, her heart overflowing with joy.

As the two women laughed and chatted warmly, Gong Chenyi stood to the side like an unwanted third wheel. A sharp spike of irritation prickled at his chest as he watched Nuonuo use her 'glib tongue' to charm his grandmother.

A gold-digger playing the dutiful granddaughter—she definitely has an ulterior motive.

His grandmother had been sharp and shrewd her entire life, yet in her twilight years, her eyes were being completely pulled over by a manipulative young girl.

Unable to openly call her out in front of the matriarch, Gong Chenyi could only shoot Nuonuo a razor-sharp, warning glare from across the room.

He had explicitly called her beforehand to warn her not to pull any tricks, yet here she was, playing her games anyway.