Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Late the next night.

Su Hua’s fingers still throbbed with pain. She tossed and turned in bed, only managing to fall asleep with great difficulty.

Gu Beixian lay beside her, his arm around her.

Suddenly, his phone began to vibrate.

Fearing he might wake Su Hua, Gu Beixian silenced the device. He gently began to slide his arm out from under her neck, intending to take the call outside.

However, halfway through the motion, Su Hua woke up.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, bleary-eyed with sleep. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Gu Beixian pointed to his phone. “I’m going out to take a call.”

“Just take it here. Don’t go out; it’s cold in the hallway,” she said considerately.

Gu Beixian gave a soft grunt of affirmation and answered the call. “Mochen, is something the matter?”

Chu Mochen, Chu Suosuo’s older brother, spoke politely. “I’m sorry to disturb you so late. Suosuo’s hand was smashed with a hammer. Four fingers on her left hand have comminuted fractures. She’s in a bad state and hasn’t stopped crying for you. Is it convenient for you to come see her?”

Gu Beixian’s expression shifted. He sat up straight and asked, “When did this happen?”

“A little over two hours ago.”

Gu Beixian knit his brows. “I’ll be right there.”

“Thank you. I’ll text you the ward number in a moment.”

“Alright.”

Putting the phone down, Gu Beixian began unbuttoning his pajamas with hurried fingers.

Seeing his frantic state, Su Hua had a premonition: once he left, he likely wouldn’t be back tonight.

He would probably care for Chu Suosuo just as he had cared for her-holding her, being intimate, and offering every comfort possible.

Su Hua felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her heart, as if it were being pierced by a blade.

She remembered what Xiao Yi had told her: she needed to act spoiled and show her vulnerability when the time was right, otherwise, she would never win against Chu Suosuo.

Su Hua couldn’t bring herself to act spoiled at a time like this, but she could manage vulnerability. After all, it was a woman’s natural instinct.

She suddenly wrapped her arms around Gu Beixian’s waist and buried her head in his chest.

Her meaning was clear: she didn’t want him to go.

Gu Beixian’s hands paused on his buttons. He reached up to stroke her hair, his voice softening. “Be good. I’ll just go take a look and come right back.”

Su Hua refused to let go, still clinging tightly to his waist as she pleaded softly, “Can’t you wait until dawn? When it’s light out, I’ll go with you to see her.”

Gu Beixian frowned slightly, his voice tinged with a hint of displeasure. “You’ve always been so reasonable. What’s wrong with you tonight?”

He was subtly accusing her of being difficult.

Su Hua thought to herself: *Fine, let me be difficult then.*

In three years of marriage, she had never once been unreasonable. Tonight, she would make an exception.

At this point, it wasn’t even about love anymore; it had turned into a contest between two women.

She simply found Chu Suosuo loathsome-plainly and clearly loathsome.

In all her years, she had never felt such a strong aversion to anyone.

Gu Beixian waited for a while, but seeing that she still wouldn’t let go, he reached down. One by one, he pried her fingers away from his waist.

He shed his pajamas, changed into his clothes, and left.

Su Hua stared blankly at the closed door, her self-esteem shattered into pieces.

It would be light in just a few hours, yet he couldn’t even wait that long.

No matter what a substitute did, she could never compare to the childhood sweetheart, the “white moonlight” of his heart.

Su Hua let out a self-mocking laugh. Enduring the pain in her hand, she got out of bed and double-locked the ward door.

As she lay back down, her eyes grew red, and an overwhelming sadness filled her heart.

***

Gu Beixian arrived at Chu Suosuo’s ward.

She had just been transferred back from the operating room. Lying on the hospital bed, her body was curled into a ball from the pain. Her face was ashen, and her eyes were red and swollen.

She looked utterly haggard.

Her four broken fingers were in splints. The back of her hand was severely swollen, the skin stretched thin and translucent, and the wounds were jagged and gruesome.

Hua Qirou was covering her face, sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath.

Mr. Chu stood by the window in the hallway, silently smoking one cigarette after another.

Seeing Gu Beixian arrive, Chu Mochen came forward and said politely, “Beixian, I’m sorry to trouble you by calling you out so late.”

“It’s fine.”

After a brief reply, Gu Beixian walked to the bedside. He leaned over slightly to look at Chu Suosuo and called out softly, “Suosuo.”

Chu Suosuo’s gaze had been vacant, but upon hearing Gu Beixian’s voice, she slowly turned her head.

Once she saw his face, she let out a loud wail and began to sob uncontrollably.

Gu Beixian sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted her arm. “Suosuo, you have to be strong.”

Chu Suosuo’s tears fell like rain as she choked out through her sobs, “My hand… Beixian, my hand is ruined.”

Gu Beixian comforted her, “You’re still young. It will heal.”

“It won’t heal. They were comminuted fractures; they had to piece the bone fragments back together one by one. My life is over.” Chu Suosuo wailed in despair, her cries heart-wrenching.

As Gu Beixian watched the devastated Chu Suosuo, the image that flashed in his mind was the look of utter hopelessness in Su Hua’s eyes when her own fingers were broken.

He pulled out some tissues and gently wiped away her tears, coaxing her, “Don’t cry. Try to be optimistic.”

“I can’t be optimistic, waah…”

He spent an unknown amount of time comforting her, but she wouldn’t stop crying.

Gu Beixian felt a flicker of irritability and checked his watch.

He had been out for nearly an hour.

Su Hua was likely angry.

After a moment of thought, he took a card from his wallet and placed it on the nightstand. “I came in a hurry and didn’t have time to buy anything. This is a small token of my concern. The PIN is 618618. It’s very late, and Su Hua is still waiting for me in her ward. I should head back now.”
Chu Suosuo stopped crying immediately.

She looked at him in disbelief, her voice raspy and strained as she said, “Beixian, I’m in this state, and you’re still leaving?”

“Yes. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

“Don’t go, okay?” Chu Suosuo’s eyes were misty with tears. She pouted and reached out to grab his hand, even though an IV needle was still inserted in the back of it.

She looked incredibly fragile and helpless.

Gu Beixian remained silent for a moment before gently pulling his hand back. “Be good,” he said softly. “You have your father, mother, and brother to stay with you. Su Hua only has me.”

Chu Suosuo was indignant. “Doesn’t she have a mother too?”

“Her grandmother is hospitalized. Her mother has been taking care of her grandmother these past few days.”

Chu Suosuo was utterly disappointed. “Beixian, you’ve changed. You used to dote on me so much. You would stay with me all night even if I just had a fever.”

She began to sob and wail again.

Chu Mochen frowned and said to Gu Beixian, “Beixian, you should head back. We’ll take care of Suosuo.”

Gu Beixian gave him a slight nod and stood up. “Who did it? Have they caught the person yet?”

Chu Mochen shook his head. “No. The person cornered Suosuo in the underground parking lot. As soon as she got out of the car, she was knocked unconscious, dragged to a corner, and had her left hand smashed with a hammer. Nothing valuable was missing from her bag, and she wasn’t assaulted. It wasn’t a robbery or a sexual assault; it was clearly an act of revenge.”

Gu Beixian looked thoughtful. “I’ll send someone to investigate.”

“No need. We’ve already called the police. Thank you.”

“Alright.” Gu Beixian turned and walked out.

As soon as the door closed, Chu Suosuo grabbed her pillow and threw it onto the floor, howling in grief.

She cried until she was breathless, sobbing out, “Beixian and I were childhood sweethearts. We have over a decade of history. Why can’t it compare to his three years of marriage with Su Hua? Waaaah… I hate her! I hate that country bumpkin to death!”

Chu Mochen picked up the pillow and placed it back on the bed. “When you were with Gu Beixian, he was a man in his prime, high-spirited and successful. But when Su Hua was with him, it was during his most difficult and desperate days. As the saying goes, true feelings are revealed in times of trouble. Naturally, your decade-plus can’t compare to her three years.”

Chu Suosuo instantly lost control of her emotions and screamed at him, “Why are you taking her side too? Are you my brother or hers?”

“I’m judging the situation objectively, not the person. I’m helping you analyze this rationally,” Chu Mochen said calmly.

Chu Suosuo’s breakdown only intensified.

Standing nearby, Father Chu said gloomily, “Mochen, that’s enough. Your sister’s hand is already injured like that.”

***

Gu Beixian returned to Su Hua’s ward and tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

It was locked from the inside.

He knocked for a long time, but Su Hua refused to open it, and she wouldn’t answer his calls.

He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and called his bodyguards to find a way to pick the lock.

A few minutes later, the lock clicked open.

Gu Beixian walked into the room.

Su Hua was lying on the bed, facing the wall, ignoring him.

Gu Beixian changed into his pajamas and lay down beside her, pulling her into his arms.

Su Hua struggled, but she couldn’t break free. Her eyes were red, yet her voice was cold as she said, “Have someone prepare the divorce papers tomorrow.”

Gu Beixian’s grip on her tightened. After a long silence, his Adam’s apple bobbed. “I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”

After dawn, Gu Beixian accompanied Su Hua for breakfast.

He reached out to touch her face, his gaze tender. “I have a meeting this morning. I’ll come back to have lunch with you.”

Su Hua turned her head away to avoid him. “No need. Don’t forget about the divorce papers.”

Gu Beixian’s expression darkened. “Grandmother’s health has been very poor lately, and your hand is injured. We’ll talk about it after some time has passed.”

He stood up, changed his clothes, and left.

After the doctor came to change her bandages, Su Hua took a book and sat quietly on the bed to read.

By noon, a bodyguard knocked on the door. “Young Mistress, Miss Chu’s mother is outside. She wishes to see you.”

Su Hua was silent for a few seconds before saying, “Let her in.”

The door was pushed open, and Hua Qirou walked in with swollen eyes. She glared at Su Hua, gritting her teeth. “It was you, wasn’t it?”

Su Hua was startled. “What?”

“You’re the one who hired someone to smash Suosuo’s hand with a hammer, aren’t you?”

Su Hua’s expression faltered for a split second before she quickly regained her composure. “It wasn’t me.”

Hua Qirou stepped forward and grabbed her by the collar. “You vicious brat! How could you be so cruel? You stole Suosuo’s beloved, and now you had to smash her hand! She’s my only daughter! My only daughter! I’ve cherished her my whole life, afraid she’d get sunburned or melt away, and yet you dared to ruin her hand! I’ll kill you!”

Aunt Liu heard the commotion and rushed out of the bathroom, pulling Hua Qirou away from Su Hua.

Even as Aunt Liu held her back, Hua Qirou kept lunging forward, her hands clawing the air as she tried to hit Su Hua while hurling abuse.

“Slut,” “vicious brat,” “country bumpkin”-all sorts of foul language spewed from her mouth.

She looked exactly like a common shrew.

Su Hua listened quietly for a full seven or eight minutes before saying to Aunt Liu, “Aunt Liu, please step aside for a moment.”

Aunt Liu blinked, then slowly released Hua Qirou and moved to the side.

Su Hua grabbed the thermos on the nightstand and hurled it straight at Hua Qirou’s face.

*Bang!*

A loud thud echoed through the room.

The stainless steel thermos slammed hard against her nose.

Blood immediately gushed out like a fountain.

Su Hua pointed at the door and barked, “Get out!”