Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Su Hua shrank back slightly.

Gu Beixian’s kiss landed on her chin instead.

Su Hua could clearly feel the atmospheric pressure around him drop several degrees. The hand Gu Beixian had used to pinch her chin slid down her back, wrapping firmly around her waist.

“Why did you tell Shen Huai I was your cousin?” he demanded.

Su Hua lowered her gaze and said softly, “We’re getting divorced soon anyway. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it or tell everyone we’re husband and wife. Besides, you come from a prominent family. If my colleagues find out after the divorce, they’ll look at me differently. I don’t want to be labeled a ‘discarded socialite.’ It’s much more convenient to say you’re a distant cousin.”

Gu Beixian looked at her meaningfully. “You’ve certainly thought this through.”

Su Hua gave a self-deprecating smile. “I have no choice. It’s just the survival instinct of a nobody.”

“You’re hardly a nobody. There aren’t many people in all of Kyoto who can lead me around by the nose like you do.” A playful, enigmatic smile played on his lips as he watched her.

“Stop making fun of me. I wouldn’t dare try to boss you around.”

Su Hua felt a bit embarrassed and turned her back to him, ignoring him. Just as she finished speaking, Gu Beixian’s phone rang.

He pulled it out of his trouser pocket and glanced at it, his expression shifting slightly.

Curious, Su Hua turned her head and caught a glimpse of the name “Suosuo” out of the corner of her eye.

Her stomach cramped. “You should answer it,” she said.

Gu Beixian arched an eyebrow. “You’re not angry?”

Su Hua thought to herself: *If I were angry, would you not answer? You’d take the call regardless.*

“Go ahead and answer. Don’t keep her waiting,” she urged, feigning indifference.

Gu Beixian gave her a deep, searching look before pressing the answer button. “Suosuo, is something wrong?”

Chu Suosuo’s frail, pitiful voice came through the phone. “Beixian, where did you go? You didn’t come to the hospital to see me at all yesterday. Can you come today? I can’t even eat because you’re not here. I’m so sad.”

A wave of revulsion washed over Su Hua; she was utterly disgusted. She stood on her tiptoes, leaned toward the phone, and mimicked Chu Suosuo’s tone. “Hubby, I’ve already taken my clothes off. What are you still dawdling for?”

The phone went dead silent instantly.

Gu Beixian looked down at her with a half-smile. Su Hua met his gaze with an expressionless face.

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a long time.

Finally, Chu Suosuo’s weak voice came through the speaker. “Then… I’ll let you get back to work, Beixian.”

She hung up.

Su Hua’s expression remained unreadable as she said flatly, “You should go to the hospital and see her. She has severe depression and a serious hand injury. If she takes sleeping pills to commit suicide again, it’ll be my fault.”

Gu Beixian reached out and ruffled her hair. “I’m going outside to make a call.”

He stepped out of the house and dialed Chu Mochen’s number.

Once the call connected, he said, “Have someone keep an eye on Suosuo. She just called me and sounded a bit triggered. I’m afraid she might do something drastic if she can’t handle it.”

“Understood.” Chu Mochen paused for a moment before adding, “Suosuo has been spoiled by all of us since she was a child, so she’s a bit willful. She still feels like the two of you haven’t truly broken up, and she lacks a sense of boundaries. I’m sorry for the trouble she’s causing you.”

Gu Beixian was silent for a few seconds. “It’s fine. Her depression is partly my responsibility.”

“Will your wife be angry?”

Gu Beixian’s lips curled into a faint smile. “She’s fine. She has a good temper and is very reasonable.” *And she doesn’t care about me that much.*

He kept that last part to himself; adults don’t easily pour their hearts out to others.

Chu Mochen hesitated, then said, “I’ll treat you and your wife to dinner sometime to apologize properly.”

“We’ll see when there’s time.”

“Alright.”

After hanging up, Gu Beixian returned to the room. He found Su Hua leaning against the bed, reading an old book. Her face was calm, betraying no emotion.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, touched her face, and brushed his nose against her hair. “I’m leaving.”

“Mhm.”

“I’ll come back to see you tonight.”

“It’s too far, and you have work. Don’t exhaust yourself running back and forth.”

“Then you should come back with me sooner. How can I feel at ease with a young woman like you living out here in the middle of nowhere? Your hand hasn’t healed yet, either. Even eating is a struggle for you.” He picked up her injured hand and lowered his head to inspect it.
Su Hua felt a pang of sadness.

He was making it truly difficult for her to give up on him completely. He always reached out to pull her back just when she had resolved to leave, yet he always managed to stab her in the heart just as she was softening toward him. This kind of lingering, back-and-forth relationship was the most agonizing torture.

Su Hua pulled her hand back and said coolly, “You should go. Don’t come back tonight. I grew up here; I lived perfectly well before you were in my life.”

“That’s true.” Gu Beixian squeezed her other hand. “You, little girl, have such a delicate, pitiable appearance, but you’re actually tough to the bone. Your heart is harder than mine.”

Su Hua pursed her lips slightly.

*You’re the one with the hard heart,* she thought. *Turning things around on me like that-how wicked.*

Gu Beixian stood up. “I’m really leaving. Aren’t you going to see me out?”

Su Hua turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Her heart was a tangled mess of emotions; she wanted him to leave, yet she didn’t.

Gu Beixian’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned and walked out.

When he saw Shen Huai outside, his expression turned cold. “When are you leaving?” he asked in a distant tone.

Shen Huai gave a faint smile. “I’m off duty for the next few days. I’ll head back the day after tomorrow. Su Hua’s hand still needs its dressing changed, and as a doctor, it’s more convenient for me to look after her.”

Gu Beixian’s face darkened. He looked toward the distance.

Two bodyguards were sitting on stools nearby, slurping down instant noodles. He commanded, “The two of you stay here. Protect Su Hua well.”

The bodyguards hurriedly put down their noodle cups and stood up. “Understood, President Gu.”

Gu Beixian then looked at Aunt Liu, who was washing dishes by the sink. “Aunt Liu, come to the car with me.”

Aunt Liu quickly wiped her hands on her clothes and followed him toward the vehicle.

Once inside the passenger seat, she nervously twisted her fingers. “President Gu, the Young Mistress told me to turn off my phone yesterday. I didn’t dare disobey her.”

Gu Beixian sat with his long legs crossed, one arm resting on the car window frame and his fingers lightly pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t be afraid,” he said calmly. “I wanted to ask you something else. What is Su Hua’s attitude toward that man named Shen?”

Aunt Liu thought carefully before answering. “The Young Mistress is very polite to Dr. Shen but keeps her distance. She doesn’t seem to have any feelings for him. However, Dr. Shen seems to like the Young Mistress quite a bit; he’s been very attentive. He’s the one who found someone to delete the hospital surveillance footage, and he was the one who drove us here. President Gu, should I tell Dr. Shen that the Young Mistress is your wife?”

“No need. If she wants to play, let her have her way.”

“Understood, President Gu.”

Gu Beixian pulled a cash check from his bag and handed it to her. “Take good care of her. Don’t let her be alone with that Shen fellow.”

Aunt Liu’s face lit up with a smile as she took the check. “Don’t you worry. I guarantee I won’t let them be alone together.”

“Get out.”

Aunt Liu pushed the door open and stepped out.

The driver started the engine.

Gu Beixian rolled down the window and looked out. When he didn’t see Su Hua, he felt a slight void in his chest.

*The little ingrate.* He had traveled a long distance and searched for her through the night, yet she wouldn’t even come out to see him off.

The car drove forward, kicking up a trail of dust.

Just as they were about to turn the corner, Gu Beixian couldn’t help but look back one last time.

There, at the intersection, stood a slender, upright figure wrapped in a white knit sweater. That small, exquisite face belonged to none other than Su Hua.

The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. At least she had a bit of a conscience.

The car turned the corner, and Su Hua’s figure vanished from sight.

Gu Beixian slowly rolled up the window.

He thought back to the first time he had met her three years ago.

She had been only twenty then, a young girl fresh out of university. Her face was so small, pale, and delicate. Her large eyes were framed by thick, soft lashes, and she was more beautiful than he had expected.

Even then, she hadn’t been much of a talker. She would answer when he spoke, but otherwise, she remained silent. She always had a smile on her face, but it was a distant one-the kind of permanent, polite smile one might see on an ID photo.

Beneath that beautiful exterior, there was a hint of stubbornness.

He remembered it had been a very cold day, and she had brought him a gift for their first meeting. He couldn’t remember what the gift was, only that her slender fingers had been flushed red from the biting cold. Looking at those hands, he had felt an inexplicable sense of pity.

And on that very day, they had registered their marriage and become husband and wife.