304: Chapter 303 The Backyard is on Fire!

The elevator door at Zhongshan International opened.

Shen Bingtong walked out, carrying seven or eight shopping bags.

MaxMara, Cartier, Dior, Tiffany—the logos on the paper bags were more eye-catching than the last.

She was wearing high heels and hadn't fully adjusted to the gait, causing her ankle to wobble slightly on the carpet.

The nude high heels elongated the lines of her calves, and the camel-colored skirt ended three fingers above her knees, revealing the faint outline of her thighs as she walked.

The mist-blue suit jacket cinched at her waist, and the collar of her white silk inner blouse was slightly open, causing the teardrop-shaped sapphire between her collarbones to sway with her steps.

She nudged the entryway door open with her elbow.

The living room lights were on.

Gu Qianqian was sitting on the sofa.

She wore white silk pajamas, the fabric so thin that the lines of her shoulder straps were visible.

Her long hair was draped over her left shoulder, and a tablet was spread across her lap, her fingers turning the pages.

Shen Bingtong paused in the entryway.

Gu Qianqian looked up at Shen Bingtong.

Her gaze fell on Shen Bingtong's face first, and she looked a bit surprised.

Was this still the Shen Bingtong she knew?

Gu Qianqian closed the tablet and placed it on the coffee table.

She shifted her posture, crossing her right leg over her left, and the silk pajamas slid up slightly, revealing the lower half of her calf.

She leaned back into the sofa and tilted her chin slightly.

"How much did Qin Feng spend today?"

The paper bags in Shen Bingtong's hands swayed.

She placed the bags on the entryway cabinet, her movements half a beat faster than usual.

The Cartier bag tipped over, and she reached out to steady it.

"He insisted on buying them."

Shen Bingtong turned around, her ears beginning to burn.

"I told him I didn't want them."

Gu Qianqian didn't respond.

Her gaze was still fixed on the sapphire on Shen Bingtong's neck.

"He said it was a company expense."

Shen Bingtong added.

Gu Qianqian's eyebrows twitched.

"Company expense?"

She picked up the water glass from the coffee table and took a sip; the sound of the rim hitting her lips was very soft.

"I'm the CEO, and I certainly never approved this."

Shen Bingtong opened her mouth.

Then closed it again.

She looked down at her clothes.

MaxMara forty-six thousand, Cartier one hundred sixty-eight thousand, Dior three hundred eighty thousand, Tiffany four hundred sixteen thousand.

It added up to just over a million.

On the first day a deputy director of security started, the boss had spent a million on clothes and jewelry.

No matter how she explained it, it sounded suspicious.

"I... can return them."

Gu Qianqian set down the glass.

"Return what?"

Shen Bingtong stood between the entryway and the living room, not knowing where to put her hands.

Back when she was with the Shen Family, facing people from dozens of venues, she wouldn't even have frowned.

She had managed fights, debt collection, and police coordination.

But standing in front of Gu Qianqian now, she felt like a new employee called into the office.

Gu Qianqian didn't get angry.

She didn't interrogate her.

She just sat there, legs crossed, watching Shen Bingtong.

This was much more uncomfortable than her getting angry.

"Come sit."

Gu Qianqian patted the sofa.

Shen Bingtong walked over and sat on the far edge of the sofa, leaving a seat between them.

Gu Qianqian glanced at her.

"The clothes fit quite well."

Shen Bingtong didn't respond.

"Haven't worn this style before?"

Shen Bingtong nodded.

"He picked them?"

Shen Bingtong nodded.

Gu Qianqian smiled slightly.

"He certainly knows how to pick. It really does look quite good."

Shen Bingtong could hear the jealousy in Gu Qianqian's tone.

She wanted to explain.

But the more she thought about it, the more she felt it couldn't be explained clearly.

He took her to buy clothes, yet had his own friend working for the company, and didn't even blink when swiping his card.

He even put the necklace on her himself.

Regardless of how it was put, in the eyes of any woman, this matter didn't seem like something that could be dismissed with the words "company expense."

Gu Qianqian stood up.

The hem of her silk pajamas reached mid-thigh, and as she stood, the fabric clung to her body, leaving the contours of her waist and hips fully exposed under the light.

She walked in front of Shen Bingtong.

Shen Bingtong instinctively leaned back a little.

Gu Qianqian reached out, using two fingers to pinch the teardrop-shaped sapphire on Shen Bingtong's collarbone.

Her fingertips flipped the pendant over.

The platinum chain gleamed under the light, and the facets of the sapphire reflected a small patch of blue.

The distance between the two of them was less than half an arm's length.

Shen Bingtong could smell the scent on Gu Qianqian. It was cool, with a hint of white tea base notes.

It wasn't perfume.

It was the lingering scent of body wash.

Shen Bingtong's breath hitched for a beat.

Gu Qianqian looked down, examining the sapphire, her eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes.

"Tiffany's?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

Shen Bingtong hesitated for a moment.

"Four hundred sixteen thousand."

Gu Qianqian's fingers didn't move.

"This chain is nice."

She let go of the sapphire and straightened up.

"It's even more expensive than what he gave me. I've never even worn such a beautiful necklace."

Shen Bingtong froze.

She didn't know what Qin Feng had given Gu Qianqian, nor did she know how to respond to that statement.

She instinctively raised her hand to take off the necklace.

Just as her fingers touched the clasp, Gu Qianqian pressed down on her wrist.

Her fingertips pressed against the inside of Shen Bingtong's wrist bone.

The pressure wasn't heavy.

But Shen Bingtong stiffened completely.

Her hand hung in mid-air, her neck slightly tilted, the clasp only half undone.

Gu Qianqian's fingers stayed on her wrist for two seconds.

Shen Bingtong felt the warmth of her fingertips.

Her heart skipped a beat; she couldn't tell if it was because of nervousness or something else.

"Keep it on."

Gu Qianqian let go.

"He gave it to you."

Shen Bingtong lowered her hand and fastened the clasp again.

She didn't dare look into Gu Qianqian's eyes.

Gu Qianqian turned, picked up the tablet from the coffee table, and tucked it under her arm.

She walked toward the stairs.

The silk pajamas clung to her waistline with every step, the curves of her back—from shoulders to waist to hips—flowing gracefully.

When she reached the third step of the stairs, she paused.

She didn't turn back.

"Qin Feng, this boss, is quite generous with his onboarding benefits for new employees."

She lifted her foot and continued walking up.

"When he comes back tonight, I'll have to ask him when he'll give me one too."

Her voice drifted down from the stairwell, neither loud nor soft.

Shen Bingtong sat on the sofa, unmoving.

The sound of a door closing came from upstairs.

It wasn't loud.

It was light.

This sound made her feel even more uneasy than if a door had been slammed.

Shen Bingtong looked down at her hands.

The sensation of Gu Qianqian's fingertips pressing against the inside of her wrist still lingered.

She raised her hand and touched the sapphire on her collarbone.

The chain was still warm.

The seven or eight paper bags on the entryway cabinet were lined up in a row.

The logos were facing outward.

Shen Bingtong stood up and turned the paper bags one by one so the logos faced the wall.

After turning the last one, she felt that this action was unnecessary.

Her phone vibrated.

A message from Qin Feng.

"Are you home?"

Shen Bingtong replied with two words.

"I'm home."

She stared at the screen for a few seconds, then typed another line.

"Regarding the company expense you mentioned, Gu Qianqian said she never approved it."

After sending it.

The reply was instantaneous.

"Oh, then it must have come from my personal account."

Shen Bingtong stared at this line of text and placed her phone face down on the sofa.

Personal account.

There was a sound of something being placed on a table upstairs. Shen Bingtong touched the sapphire on her neck, then lowered her hand again.

What she wanted to know most right now was how Gu Qianqian would treat Qin Feng when he came home tonight and opened the door.