Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Chu Suosuo’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

Supporting herself on the sofa’s armrest, she stood up with a fragile air, her eyes fixed on Gu Beixian with a look of utter helplessness.

“Beixian, don’t be so angry. This was Uncle Gu’s idea. I was just following his instructions to bring you a document.”

Her voice was soft and delicate, carrying a hint of a fawning tone. Paired with her naturally pitiable features, any other man would have felt a surge of protective instinct.

Unfortunately, Gu Beixian had long since grown immune to her act. He didn’t even have the patience to listen to her explanation.

Seeing her lingering and refusing to leave, his patience snapped. He grabbed her arm and hoisted her up like a small chick, shoving her straight out the door.

Slam!

He threw the door shut with force.

Walking over to the coffee table, he picked up his phone and dialed Gu Aoting.

As soon as the call connected, he cut straight to the point. “Did you send Chu Suosuo here?”

Gu Aoting replied, “Yes. I promised you before that I wouldn’t bother Su Hua. In exchange, you agreed to look after Suosuo at work.”

Gu Beixian frowned. “It’s the middle of the night, and you had her crawl into my room. This is what you call ‘looking after her at work’?”

It was absolutely preposterous.

Gu Aoting spoke with a matter-of-fact tone. “Anything related to work counts.”

A cold sneer escaped Gu Beixian’s lips. “Chairman Gu, have you forgotten the Iron Barrel Incident at the Binhai Mingzhu Construction Site so soon?”

“That was Hua Qirou trying to help but making a mess of things. It had nothing to do with Suosuo.”

Gu Beixian’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone. “They’re family. Do you really think Chu Suosuo was unaware?”

Gu Aoting remained self-righteous. “Even if she knew, she only did it to please you. There is no crime in loving someone.”

Gu Beixian suppressed his rising fury. “Then what did Su Hua do wrong? How has she ever wronged you that you reject her so much?”

“I’ve already told her the reason. I don’t want to repeat myself. If you’re curious, you can ask her.”

Gu Beixian hung up the phone.

Anger surged in his chest like a storm, refusing to dissipate for a long time. He took several deep breaths before he finally managed to regain his composure.

After all that commotion, it was nearly eleven o’clock. He wanted to call Su Hua but was afraid of disturbing her rest. Yet, if he didn’t call, he missed her terribly.

After a moment of hesitation, he dialed her number.

Su Hua picked up after just one ring. Once the call connected, she didn’t say a word.

Gu Beixian softened his voice. “Did I wake you?”

“No.” Su Hua’s voice, usually gentle, sounded pale and distant.

Sensing something was off, Gu Beixian asked, “Are you tired? Are you feeling unwell?”

Su Hua gave a perfunctory reply. “No.”

Seeing that she didn’t want to talk, Gu Beixian assumed she was sleepy. He paused, then said, “Then get some sleep. Goodnight.”

Su Hua gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment.

After hanging up, Su Hua sat on the carpet, hugging her knees. She stared at her phone, her face pale as she continued to wait.

She waited until after one in the morning, when the driver, Ah Hong, came to pick her up for the airport.

At five in the morning, the eastern sky began to turn the color of a fish’s belly. The two of them arrived at the Haicheng airport.

Leaving the airport, they took a taxi to the hotel. There were few pedestrians on the road, and the air was thick with a fermented, greyish-white mist.

Though it was early summer, the morning in Haicheng carried a slight chill. Su Hua’s heart was cold as well-colder than the morning mist.

Despite not sleeping all night, she didn’t feel tired. A stubborn streak of persistence was the only thing keeping her going. She wanted to see the truth for herself.

If things were truly as Chu Suosuo had said, then there was no point in maintaining this marriage. Yet, she still wanted to believe in Gu Beixian one last time.

After all, he was the man she loved deeply. The person she held closest to her heart. She had flown through the night precisely because she wanted to believe in him.

Upon arriving at the hotel, they entered the lobby. Ah Hong took the IDs to the front desk to handle the arrangements.

Su Hua took the elevator to the penthouse suite where Gu Beixian was staying.

She reached the door. Her finger touched the doorbell, but just as she was about to press it, she hesitated.

She was afraid of seeing a sight that would sting her eyes, afraid of a sordid truth, afraid of the sharp pain that would come when the veil was lifted, and afraid that the beautiful bubble would burst.

Truly, love made one weak.

But she had come all this way. If she didn’t look, she would never be at peace.

Su Hua took a deep breath and placed her finger on the doorbell again. Just as she was about to ring it, her resolve wavered once more.
In the end, she didn’t press it.

She slowly turned around and leaned her back against the door.

Wait.

Just wait, she thought.

It was as if, with the passage of time, those glaring images would somehow fade.

The pain might stop being so sharp.

Her brain, deprived of sleep all night, was groggy now. Her head throbbed painfully, yet she wasn’t sleepy.

Her nerves were stretched too tight.

Seeing that her face was as pale as paper and the whites of her eyes were bloodshot, the driver, Ah Hong, whispered, “Young Mistress, should I open a room next door so you can get some rest?”

Su Hua shook her head gently. “No need.”

“Then should I wake President Gu for you?”

Su Hua lifted her wrist to check her watch. It was past six o’clock. If she waited another hour or two, Gu Beixian would be coming out.

If Chu Suosuo was in the room, she would surely come out with him.

A scene where they were both fully dressed would be much easier to look at than one where they weren’t.

“No need,” she repeated, her tone firm.

Ah Hong didn’t dare to disobey her.

During such a sensitive time, it wasn’t appropriate for him to send a message to tip off Gu Beixian either.

President Gu was not someone to be trifled with.

And while the Young Mistress was gentle, she also had a strong personality.

He couldn’t afford to offend either of them.

After standing for so long, Su Hua’s legs began to go numb.

She slowly crouched down, resting her chin on her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs, making herself look very, very small.

It was as if she had reverted to that silent little girl from her childhood.

Involuntarily, her mind replayed Chu Suosuo’s words over and over: “Are you really that stupid, or are you just pretending? When a man and a woman share a hotel room, what else could they be doing besides that?”

That cloying voice had been sickeningly soft.

Yet to Su Hua’s ears, every word was a dagger to the heart, every sentence dripping with blood.

Even though hours had passed, her heart still throbbed with a sharp, bitter ache.

It was like a highly corrosive acid slowly spreading through her body, threatening to burn her whole.

Time became agonizingly slow.

Security guards came by once, but Ah Hong sent them away.

Soon, the cleaning staff arrived to start their shift.

Su Hua paid them no mind.

Though she was outside the door, her ears felt like they had grown antennae, reaching into the room to catch even the slightest hint of what was happening inside.

Unfortunately, the room was well-soundproofed, and she couldn’t hear a thing.

There must have been thick carpeting inside, as she couldn’t even hear footsteps.

The space within was a mystery-one that filled her with pain and anxiety.

As it approached eight o’clock, the door was pulled open from the inside.

Caught off guard, Su Hua’s body uncontrollably fell backward.

Gu Beixian instinctively leaned down to steady her.

He caught her by the waist and pulled her into his arms.

Seeing her appear out of thin air, Gu Beixian was inwardly pleasantly surprised, his dark eyes shimmering with light.

He hadn’t expected her to come to Haicheng to find him.

Suppressing his joy, Gu Beixian gave a faint smile. “You didn’t want to talk to me last night just so you could fly here overnight and surprise me, right? Why didn’t you ring the bell? Silly girl. How long have you been waiting at the door? Are your legs sore? Come inside, I’ll massage them for you.”

Because he was so surprised, he spoke much more than usual.

He was both delighted and pained for her.

It hurt him to think of her waiting outside the door all this time, unable to rest, just crouching there.

Su Hua’s mood, however, was the polar opposite of his.

She had neither the energy nor the inclination to answer him. Her gaze darted past him into the room.

She was looking for Chu Suosuo.

Following her gaze, Gu Beixian looked behind him and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Su Hua didn’t say a word. She wrenched herself out of his embrace and walked into the suite.

As soon as she took a step, she realized how numb her legs were and nearly stumbled.

Gu Beixian hurried forward to support her.

Su Hua pushed him away with stubborn disdain.

After leaning against the wall for a moment to recover, she headed straight for the master bedroom. The large bed was empty.

She walked to the wardrobe and flung the doors open.

Chu Suosuo wasn’t inside.

She went to the curtains and yanked them aside with a whoosh. Nothing.

Seeing her acting like she was catching an adulterous couple in the act, a corner of Gu Beixian’s mouth curled up. “Did you travel all this way just to catch me cheating?”

Su Hua gave him a cold look and ignored him.

She entered the master bathroom and pushed the door open. No one was there either.

She backed out and searched every other room in the suite.

There was no sign of Chu Suosuo anywhere.

Su Hua was stunned.