Chapter 88

Chapter 88

“Hitting you is getting off easy,” Gu Beixian said nonchalantly, casually brushing off non-existent dust from his sleeve.

Though the gesture was elegant, it carried an unmistakable sense of disgust.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Suosuo felt as if she had plummeted from heaven to hell.

It took her a long time to process this massive shift.

Clutching her face, her heart filled with resentment, she deliberately played dumb. “Beixian, why did you hit me? What did I do wrong?”

As she spoke, her voice took on a wronged tone, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

“You know exactly what you did last night. If there is a next time, it won’t be as simple as a slap.” Having said his piece, Gu Beixian turned away coldly.

His silhouette was aloof and resolute.

With his long fingers, he pulled open the car door, stepped inside with his long legs, and sat down.

A moment later, the driver and assistant arrived.

The two got into the car, and the driver started the engine.

With a roar of the accelerator, the engine rumbled loudly. The exhaust fumes from the tailpipe sprayed contemptuously over Chu Suosuo’s calves as the car sped away in a cloud of dust.

Chu Suosuo was left standing there, covered in grime.

Inside the car, Gu Beixian rolled up the window and took out a disinfectant wipe.

He pulled one out and repeatedly wiped his right hand. From his palm to his fingers, he scrubbed every single one, as if he had touched something incredibly filthy.

In his memory, Chu Suosuo had been a bit delicate and pretentious, but at least she wasn’t a bad person.

After three years, she had actually turned into this. Full of schemes, sowing discord, telling lies, and twisting the truth. She would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

She was worlds apart from how she used to be.

Forty minutes later, Gu Beixian returned to the hotel.

Su Hua was awake and washing her face in the bathroom.

Gu Beixian walked in, pumped some hand soap, and washed his hands repeatedly.

He washed them once, then again.

By the third time, even Su Hua found it strange.

She couldn’t help but ask, “What did your hands touch? Why are you washing them so many times?”

Gu Beixian unhurriedly rinsed his fingers and said, “I touched something dirty. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Washing a few more times makes me feel better.”

Su Hua paused, then used a towel to dry the water off her face. She placed her hands over his and helped him wash.

Gu Beixian turned his hands over to hold hers, his voice softening. “I’m very happy you came to see me. But don’t do it again next time; it’s too exhausting.”

Su Hua gave a soft hum of agreement.

However, she thought to herself: If I hadn’t rushed over to see for myself, I would be even more exhausted mentally.

It would have been like a thorn stuck in her throat, pricking her painfully.

After all, what Chu Suosuo had said was too disgusting-claiming that she and Gu Beixian were sleeping together.

Who could endure that?

Su Hua helped him rinse the foam off his fingers and turned off the faucet.

Gu Beixian dried his hands with a towel.

Suddenly, Su Hua reached out, wrapped her arms around his waist, and leaned her face against his chest.

She just held him like that, refusing to let go for a long time.

After three years of marriage, Gu Beixian knew she had something on her mind whenever she did this.

He gently stroked her head and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Su Hua said softly, “I can suddenly understand how you felt.”

Gu Beixian raised an eyebrow slightly. “How I felt when?”

“Back when I went to Longyao Village to restore that ancient silk painting, and you flew out to see me every day. Seeing me and Gu Jinyao in the same frame over and over again… you must have felt terrible.”

Gu Beixian’s lips curled into a faint smile. “A little.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I was at fault too. That first night, when you were bullied by that bastard, I suspected you without asking for the full story. You must have been very disappointed then, right?”

Su Hua thought about it.

When she saw Gu Beixian back then, she had truly craved his comfort-desperately so.

She had been raised by her maternal grandparents and wasn’t that close to her mother. It could be said that Gu Beixian’s place in her heart sometimes surpassed even her mother’s.

Yet, she had been met with a barrage of suspicion.

But that was all in the past, and he had made it up to her later.

She didn’t hold grudges against the people she loved. She only held grudges against those she hated-like Chu Suosuo.

The sense of filth and shame Chu Suosuo had brought upon her was something she would never forget for the rest of her life.

At the same time.

A disheveled Chu Suosuo caught a taxi back to the hotel.

Instead of returning to her own room, she went to Gu Aoting’s room.

Holding her red and swollen face where Gu Beixian had struck her, she began to cry and lodge a complaint with him.
“Uncle Gu, Beixian hit me just because you asked me to deliver those documents to him last night. In all my years, I’ve never been treated so unfairly.”

Chu Suosuo glossed over the details, cherry-picking only the parts that favored her. She omitted the fact that she had secretly answered Gu Beixian’s phone and intentionally fabricated lies to Su Hua to cause a misunderstanding.

Seeing her looking so aggrieved, Gu Aoting felt a pang of pity. He lowered his head to examine her face properly. Half of her fair, small face was swollen, marked with five distinct finger prints. It was clear how much force Gu Beixian had used.

Gu Aoting’s anger began to simmer.

With tears welling in her eyes, Chu Suosuo said, “My ears are ringing so loudly that I can barely hear you. I don’t know if my hearing will be affected. I’ll have to go to the hospital for a check-up in a bit.”

Gu Aoting was instantly incensed. Usually very mindful of his image, he now rolled up his sleeves, put his hands on his hips, and cursed, “That brat! He’s completely out of control! To hit you over such a trivial matter! Just watch how I teach him a lesson!”

He grabbed his phone, intending to call Gu Beixian, but Chu Suosuo caught his wrist.

She took the phone from his hand and said, “Uncle Gu, please don’t confront Beixian. If you do, he’ll only hate me more. I didn’t want you to punish him; I just felt so hurt and had no one to talk to. If I told my parents, it would affect the relationship between the Gu and Chu Families, so I could only talk to you. I feel much better now that I’ve let it out.”

The more she spoke like this, the more Gu Aoting’s heart ached for her. He stared at her red, swollen cheek and said, “Sit down and wait a moment. I’ll get some ice from the fridge to help with the swelling. Later, I’ll have the driver take you to the hospital to get your hearing checked.”

Chu Suosuo gave a compliant nod and went to sit on the sofa.

Gu Aoting went to the refrigerator, took out some ice, wrapped it in a towel, and handed it to her. Chu Suosuo took it, pressed it against her face, and said with reddened eyes, “Thank you, Uncle Gu.”

“No need for thanks. This all started because of me; I didn’t handle things well.”

Chu Suosuo replied with a delicate, sensible air, “It’s not your fault, Uncle Gu. You were acting out of kindness.”

Gu Aoting asked warmly, “Would you like something to drink?”

Chu Suosuo thought for a moment. “Yogurt, please.”

“Alright.” Gu Aoting opened the fridge, took out a yogurt, and poured it into a clear glass. He carried the glass to the sofa and handed it to Chu Suosuo.

Chu Suosuo’s palms were sweaty and a bit slick. When she reached out to take the glass, it slipped and fell. The yogurt splashed all over her pants.

Gu Aoting hurriedly grabbed some tissues to help her wipe it off. Chu Suosuo also pulled out some tissues, saying repeatedly, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it myself, Uncle Gu.”

“It’s fine, it’s no trouble at all.”

Just then, a beep sounded at the door. It was the sound of a key card opening the room. Suites usually came with two key cards-Gu Aoting had one, and his assistant had the other for convenience when retrieving items.

Thinking it was his assistant, Gu Aoting didn’t even look up. Once he finished helping Chu Suosuo wipe the yogurt off her pants, he turned around.

He saw Qin Shu standing behind him with a frigid expression, her eyes staring at him with icy coldness. Her look was incredibly complex, filled with anger, disgust, loathing, and contempt.

Even though Gu Aoting hadn’t actually done anything scandalous, being stared at so coldly made him feel inexplicably guilty. He coughed, reaching up to loosen his tie to mask his true emotions. He rolled his sleeves up a bit further, an involuntary, sheepish smile appearing on his face.

Carefully observing her expression, he asked, “Why did you come to Haicheng too? You should have called ahead so I could send someone down to meet you.”

His tone carried a hint of caution.

Qin Shu curled one side of her mouth into a cold sneer. “I suppose I’ve arrived at a bad time and ruined your fun.”

Panic flickered in Gu Aoting’s eyes, and he blustered, “What nonsense are you talking about? Suosuo is the same age as Nanyin!”

Qin Shu scoffed in disdain. “You old men are so blinded by lust that you don’t care about age. No wonder you protect this girl from the Chu Family so much. No wonder at all.”

She spoke with heavy implication. After casting a look of pure disgust at Chu Suosuo, she turned to leave.

Gu Aoting rushed after her, grabbing her wrist. “Qin Shu, don’t you dare slander me!”

Qin Shu shook his hand off and said coldly, “Gu Aoting, let’s get a divorce!”