Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Su Hua felt as if someone had plunged a sharp knife deep into her heart, the pain so intense it felt like she was being torn apart.

Her face turned as pale as paper, and she could barely keep her balance. She gripped the railing tightly, her knuckles turning white.

This was the same man who, just this morning, had been so reluctant to leave her, saying he wanted to shrink her down and carry her in his pocket wherever he went.

In the blink of an eye, he was laughing and chatting with his ex-girlfriend, appearing everywhere as a pair.

Truly, a man’s words were as deceptive as a ghost’s lies.

Shen Yuan was frightened by her appearance. Grabbing her hand, she asked anxiously, “Su Hua, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Is the Ferris wheel too high? Do you have a fear of heights?”

Su Hua nodded numbly, her chest heaving with rapid breaths.

It took a full minute before the color slowly returned to her pale face. She curled her lips into a self-deprecating smile.

No wonder Gu Beixian didn’t want her going out.

All that talk about the world being dangerous was likely just an excuse to keep her from seeing him and Chu Suosuo together.

She couldn’t understand him. If he still had feelings for Chu Suosuo, he should just get a divorce and marry her. Why did he insist on holding onto Su Hua while remaining entangled with Chu Suosuo?

Su Hua sat back quietly, expressionless and silent.

Shen Yuan sat down beside her and reached out to feel her forehead. “Do you feel nauseous?”

Su Hua forced a smile. “How much longer until we can go down?”

Shen Yuan checked her watch. “Soon. Just wait a bit longer.”

A few minutes later, the Ferris wheel descended.

Su Hua and Shen Yuan stepped off together. Shen Yuan looked at her with concern. “Do you feel any better? I’ll take you home.”

“I feel a bit better. Take me to the Jingdu Grand Hotel instead.”

Shen Yuan realized what she meant. “You’re going to see that handsome guy of yours, Gu Beixian?”

Su Hua nodded.

She wanted to see the scene of the two of them on an intimate date with her own eyes. She wanted to crush her own heart completely so she could leave him once and for all, rather than staying caught in this web of lingering, messy emotions.

Shen Yuan went to get the car and drove Su Hua to the Jingdu Grand Hotel.

After getting out, Su Hua said to her, “Thank you. You can head back now.”

Shen Yuan didn’t think much of it, assuming Su Hua’s earlier reaction was just vertigo. “Alright, call me if you need anything.”

Su Hua hummed in response and walked into the Jingdu Grand Hotel.

She opened her bag, took out her phone, and dialed Gu Beixian’s number. “Which room are you in at the Jingdu Grand Hotel?” she asked calmly.

Gu Beixian paused before answering, “Third floor, Yingsong Pavilion. Why?”

“It’s nothing,” Su Hua said and hung up.

She walked to the elevators, pressed the button, and stepped inside.

A few minutes later, she arrived at the entrance of Yingsong Pavilion and rapped her knuckles lightly against the door.

A man’s deep voice came from inside. “Come in.”

The voice was familiar and pleasant; it was Gu Beixian.

Su Hua took a deep breath and pushed the door open. She saw a large round table surrounded by people-at least seven or eight of them-with two people who looked like assistants standing nearby.

Gu Aoting and Chu Yanru were seated in the seats of honor.

Gu Beixian was sitting next to Gu Aoting. Chu Suosuo was sitting next to Chu Yanru.

Gu Beixian and Chu Suosuo were not sitting together.

The assistants standing behind them were holding contracts, as if they were discussing business.

It was a business function, not the private tryst she had imagined.

Su Hua’s heart, which had been lodged in her throat, finally thudded back into her chest. However, the thought of the two of them getting out of the same car earlier, talking intimately while Chu Suosuo laughed so happily, still made her feel uneasy.

Trying her best to compose herself, Su Hua gave a polite nod to the cold-faced Gu Aoting. “I’m sorry, Uncle Gu, I have the wrong room,” she said apologetically.

Without waiting for a response, she quickly closed the door.

Gu Aoting’s expression had been incredibly grim, as had Chu Yanru’s. Both were so somber that looking at them any longer would surely give her nightmares.

Su Hua turned to leave, walking hurriedly toward the elevator.

She had only taken about twenty steps when she heard Gu Beixian’s voice behind her. “Su Hua.”

Su Hua paused for a moment but then began walking even faster. She was feeling stubborn, still upset that he and Chu Suosuo had shared a car. The company had so many vehicles; why did those two have to be in the same one?

Gu Beixian took off with his long legs, catching up with large strides.

Su Hua broke into a light jog.

As she turned a corner, she wasn’t looking where she was going and accidentally slammed into someone.

The person was very tall, and their chest muscles felt hard beneath a thin shirt.

Su Hua’s face throbbed from the impact, especially her nose. The sharp, stinging pain triggered her tear ducts, and her eyes began to well up.
She quickly covered her aching nose and apologized to the man. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. Is your nose okay?” The man’s voice was a bit cold but very distinctive. It sounded like a foreigner speaking Chinese-a bit stiff.

Su Hua looked up.

She saw a handsome, chiseled face and short-cropped hair.

Before she could even take in his features, she was deeply drawn to his eyes.

They were beautiful eyes-dark as night, deep as the sea, and filled with a somber coolness. His eyelids had deep creases, and his lashes were black and thick.

Looking into his eyes, Su Hua’s heart suddenly jolted.

Those eyes looked exactly like Ah Yao’s-even more so than Gu Beixian’s.

Thinking of Ah Yao, who had died from his injuries while trying to save her, her heart began to ache again.

At first, it was a dull throb, but after a moment, it felt like a twisting knife.

Clutching her chest, she leaned against the wall, her face turning deathly pale.

“Are you alright?” The man reached out to support her.

Before his fingers could touch Su Hua’s arm, he was forcefully pushed away.

A tall figure loomed over them.

Gu Beixian had arrived.

He pulled Su Hua into his arms with an air of dominant possessiveness. Cupping her face, his expression was cold, but his eyes were filled with worry. “Where did you get hit?”

Su Hua shook her head. When she tried to look for the man again, he had already vanished.

She stared at the empty hallway, dazed for a moment.

Gu Beixian took in every bit of her distraction.

That man’s build just now looked exactly like the person he had seen in Su Village yesterday. He also matched the man in the photo Chu Mochen had given him; in terms of both height and physique, they were almost identical.

The only differences were the clothes and the hairstyle.

Clothes could be changed, and hair could be cut.

A shadow passed over Gu Beixian’s eyes, but his face remained expressionless. He asked calmly, “Do you know that man?”

Su Hua spoke truthfully. “No, I don’t. I just thought his eyes looked familiar.”

Gu Beixian fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the credibility of her words.

After a beat, he acted as if nothing was wrong and guided her into the elevator. He pressed the button for the first floor and asked gently, “Why did you come out?”

Su Hua stared blankly at the elevator floor numbers, replying absentmindedly, “Shen Yuan wanted a partial copy of Wang Meng’s Seclusion Painting. The museum is choosing someone to perform the ‘connecting strokes’ technique, so I finished the drawing and brought it to her. I was just passing by.”

Gu Beixian took her hand and inspected it closely. “Is your hand well enough to paint?”

Su Hua pulled her hand back and said dismissively, “Painting mainly uses the right hand. It doesn’t affect it much.”

“What do you want to eat? I’ll take you.”

“I already ate with Shen Yuan.” Su Hua still wouldn’t look at him.

Gu Beixian guessed what she was upset about and explained, “Chu Suosuo joined her father’s company as his assistant. The Gu Group and the Chu Group have many business collaborations, so it’s inevitable that we’ll run into each other. But don’t worry, I’ll maintain proper boundaries.”

Su Hua pursed her lips and said nothing.

She knew Chu Suosuo.

On several occasions, she had seen with her own eyes how Chu Suosuo would cling to and hug Gu Beixian, acting incredibly suggestive.

That woman was beautiful, delicate, and knew how to act spoiled and flirtatious. She was thick-skinned and full of schemes. Over time, what man could resist that?

Not to mention, she was Gu Beixian’s childhood sweetheart, an ex-girlfriend with over a decade of history, and the daughter-in-law approved by Gu Aoting.

Su Hua walked out of the hotel lobby with Gu Beixian, her mind heavy with worry.

Seeing them, the driver immediately started the car and drove over.

Gu Beixian instructed the driver, “Take Su Hua home.”

The driver got out, opened the rear door, and said respectfully, “Young Mistress, please step inside.”

Su Hua thanked him and sat down.

She immediately caught the scent of a cloyingly sweet perfume in the car-it was Chu Suosuo’s.

She covered her nose, feeling a wave of disgust.

It felt like taking a bite of an apple only to find half a worm left inside, while the other half had already been swallowed.

After watching the car leave, Gu Beixian returned to the hotel.

Entering the lobby, he took out his phone and called his assistant. “Go check the surveillance footage for the third-floor corridor. Find out the name and background of the man who bumped into Su Hua.”

Half an hour later, the assistant entered Yingsong Pavilion and handed the information to Gu Beixian.

Gu Beixian took it and looked down. As he stared at the name column, his gaze gradually turned icy.

There, in plain black and white, three words were written clearly: Gu Jinyao.

Ah Yao.

The ‘Ay Yao’ Su Hua thought of day and night.