Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Slap!

Another heavy blow landed on the bodyguard’s face.

He stumbled back several steps, nearly collapsing. Half of his face swelled up instantly, leaving five distinct finger marks that mirrored the ones on his right cheek.

Gu Beixian’s eyes were incredibly dark and gloomy as he barked, “I told you to protect Su Hua, and this is how you do it? When something happened, you didn’t notify me immediately-you actually dared to lie to me! You’re a bunch of audacious, useless fools!”

It had been a long time since he had lost his temper like this. His handsome face was so grim it looked like it could drip water, and the pressure radiating from him was terrifyingly low.

The room fell into a deathly silence. No one dared to even breathe.

Once the bodyguard recovered, he immediately began slapping himself across the face with both hands, hitting himself with reckless abandon. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the crisp, rhythmic snapping of slaps.

“President Gu, I was wrong,” the bodyguard repented while striking himself. “I shouldn’t have gone downstairs to buy cigarettes. I was only gone for a few minutes, but that was enough for someone to take advantage of the situation. Worse, I was afraid of being punished, so I lied and even asked the Young Mistress to help me cover it up, causing a misunderstanding between you two. I am at your disposal for whatever punishment you see fit.”

Seeing that Gu Beixian’s expression remained chillingly cold, Su Hua knew that if this standoff continued, it wouldn’t end well.

She tilted her head toward the bodyguard and said, “You all should leave. It’s late; we need to rest.”

The bodyguard hesitated and stopped his movements. He looked cautiously at Gu Beixian, seeing that he hadn’t spoken. “President Gu,” the bodyguard said tentatively, “please rest with the Young Mistress. You can punish me tomorrow.”

Gu Beixian’s eyes were cold and sharp. “Get out!”

The bodyguards didn’t dare delay, filing out of the room one after another. They were terrified that if they stayed a second longer, they would provoke him again.

Once they were gone, Gu Beixian picked up his phone and called his assistant. “The local police station here in Longyao Village just took in a repeat offender named Niu Mang,” he commanded in a low voice. “Find someone to investigate him thoroughly. See if anyone was pulling his strings. Tell me as soon as you find anything!”

The assistant, sensing his foul mood, replied hurriedly, “Understood, President Gu. I’ll get on it right away.”

Gu Beixian gave a low grunt of affirmation.

The assistant paused before reminding him, “President Gu, you have an important meeting tomorrow morning at ten o’clock that you can’t miss. Can you make it back? I’ll need to arrange a car to pick you up from the airport.”

“I’ll be there,” Gu Beixian said, ending the call.

He tossed the phone onto the table and took Su Hua by the shoulders. He inspected her from head to toe, and only after seeing no obvious injuries did he breathe a small sigh of relief. “Are you hurt?”

Su Hua shook her head.

Gu Beixian stared into her eyes. “Are you sure?”

Su Hua’s tone was flat. “I’m sure.”

After a moment of silence, Gu Beixian apologized. “I was too impulsive just now. I’m sorry.”

Su Hua pursed her lips and said nothing.

Knowing she was still angry, Gu Beixian explained patiently, “I finished up at the company and took a flight through the night to surprise you. But when I arrived at your place, you weren’t there. I called your phone, and it was off. I called the bodyguard, and he said you were sleeping in your room. Then, a short while later, I saw you coming back with Gu Jinyao. If you were in my shoes, what would you think?”

Only then did Su Hua remember that she had called the archaeological team when she went to the police station to report the crime. After the call, her phone had run out of battery and shut down automatically. She had simply stuffed it under her pillow before heading out.

Putting herself in his position, she realized she would have misunderstood and been angry too. However, the things Gu Beixian had said earlier were truly hurtful.

How could he say that about her? To claim she was using the painting restoration as a pretense to have a private tryst with Gu Jinyao-what kind of person did he take her for?

Su Hua raised her hand and punched him in the chest. “That’s for not trusting me.”

Her tone was half-resentful, half-pouting. The punch wasn’t exactly light.

Gu Beixian’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly as he caught her wrist. The fact that she hit him was a good sign; it meant she was starting to vent her frustration. He was more afraid of her bottling everything up until the anger became unbearable.

His voice softened as he asked again, “Are you really not hurt?”

“How many times do I have to tell you? No,” Su Hua replied, her usually gentle voice carrying a bit of a sharp edge.

Gu Beixian smiled good-naturedly. He leaned down and tenderly kissed her hair. “As long as you’re okay.”

The heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled back into his chest. But the moment he thought about how her virtue had almost been ruined, his eyes turned dark and predatory again.

Su Hua looked down at the watch on his wrist. It was already one in the morning. Remembering what the assistant had said on the phone about the important meeting at ten tomorrow, she realized he would have to wake up early to catch his flight.
She urged him, “Go to sleep. You have to get up early tomorrow.”

Gu Beixian tilted her chin up, staring into her eyes as he asked, “Are you still mad at me?”

Su Hua gave a distracted hum of agreement.

How could she not be angry?

He had said those things to her in front of so many people, practically grinding her self-esteem into the dirt. Not only had he insulted her, but he had also put Gu Jinyao in an impossible position.

Anyone else could have insulted her, but not him.

Because he was her closest and most beloved person, he was different from everyone else.

Su Hua turned to leave, but Gu Beixian hooked his arm around her waist. He gave her soft waist a squeeze and said in a low, muffled voice, “You still won’t forgive me.”

Su Hua just wanted to sleep, but seeing how he couldn’t let it go, she stood on her tiptoes and gave his jaw a perfunctory kiss. “I forgive you,” she said.

Only then was Gu Beixian willing to let her go.

Su Hua went to wash her hands, then returned to undress and get into bed. Gu Beixian went to the bathroom to freshen up.

When he traveled for business, he usually stayed in five-star hotels or presidential suites. He had never stayed in such a primitive guesthouse before.

As soon as he entered the bathroom and saw the cramped, crude toilet and sink, along with the years of stubborn grime in the corners of the walls, he couldn’t help but frown.

Was this even a place for people to live?

Su Hua was here to help. How could the archaeological team arrange for her to stay in such a filthy, dilapidated environment?

Yet she hadn’t complained at all, simply going about her work with a calm heart. Gu Beixian couldn’t help but feel a few more degrees of respect for her.

Coming to see Su Hua tonight had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, so he hadn’t prepared any toiletries. The quality of the toothbrush provided by the guesthouse was too poor, so he used her pink electric toothbrush to brush his teeth.

This was the first time he had ever used her toothbrush. For someone with such a severe germaphobia, he found that using her toothbrush felt quite nice, like an indirect kiss.

When someone was beautiful, even their used toothbrush seemed to carry a pleasant scent.

After washing up, Gu Beixian returned to the bed. Su Hua was facing away from him, toward the wall.

Gu Beixian hadn’t brought pajamas either. He took off his jacket and trousers and climbed into bed, wrapping his arm around her waist and gently turning her to face him.

He hovered over her, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “The quality of the guesthouse’s disposable toothbrushes was too low, so I used yours. You don’t mind, do you?”

Su Hua was surprised.

He was someone with such severe germaphobia and such an eye for detail, yet he had actually used her toothbrush. But then she thought about how they kissed every day; there was no point in being so particular anymore. “I don’t mind,” she said.

Gu Beixian nipped the tip of her nose. “Does it smell good?”

Su Hua didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was this still the cold, abstinent, and solemn man she knew? He seemed more like a…

She couldn’t find the right word to describe him for a moment.

Suppressing a smile, Su Hua said plainly, “It does.”

“Then taste it and see if it’s sweet.” He bit her soft lips, his tongue lightly brushing against her teeth as he sucked and kissed her bit by bit.

He didn’t give her a solid kiss, instead dangling it like a hook to lure her in. The intent to tease her was incredibly obvious.

He was too good at flirting.

How could a romantically oblivious girl like Su Hua withstand this? Even though she was still harboring anger in her heart, her body was uncontrollably drawn to him.

The last shred of her reason drove her to raise her hands and push against his chest, trying to shove him off her.

Through the thin fabric of his shirt, her fingers brushed against his well-defined muscles. They felt wonderful-firm, sexy, and perfectly shaped.

An image of the two of them naked together involuntarily flashed through her mind, and the tips of Su Hua’s ears turned red.

Gu Beixian stared at her reddening ears and let out a low chuckle. He caught her wrists, pinned them above her head, and deepened the kiss.

It shifted from gentle at the start to gradually more forceful. It felt like heartache, like possession, like a declaration of sovereignty, and perhaps… like deep love?

Su Hua’s heart was soon racing from his kiss, her breathing becoming ragged.

After a long, powerful kiss, Gu Beixian released her.

Su Hua panted slightly, nesting in his arms. “You have a meeting early tomorrow morning. Why did you rush all the way out to this middle-of-nowhere wilderness when time is so tight?”

Gu Beixian’s cold, brooding eyes locked onto her silently. “What do you think?”

Su Hua whispered, “Say it yourself.”

Gu Beixian pulled her tight, burying his jaw in the crook of her neck as he kissed her. He said nonchalantly, “I was restless all day. I had my assistant book a flight because I had to fly here overnight just to see you once before I could feel at ease.”

What he actually wanted to say was: I missed you very much.