When Gu Yu Sheng opened the car door and got into the car, Xiao Wang turned around and gave him a strange look.
Mr Gu had clearly gone right up to the front door of the mansion, so why did he merely stand at the entrance for a while and then leave just like that?
There were many things that puzzled Xiao Wang that he wanted to ask about. However, he didn’t dare to and simply waited until Gu Yu Sheng was seated properly before starting the car again. Only after he drove out of the mansion’s gates, did he finally speak, “Mr Gu, will we be returning to the company?”
Gu Yu Sheng was preoccupied with his own thoughts, and didn’t answer Xiao Wang.
Xiao Wang didn’t try to ask again and directly started heading towards the company.
After they had travelled for almost two kilometres, as usual, Gu Yu Sheng found a cigarette, and started smoking again.
As Xiao Wang paid attention to the road in front, he secretly observed Gu Yu Sheng.
He couldn’t shake off the feeling that the Mr Gu right now was a bit different from his usual self. However, he was unable to pinpoint what exactly the difference was.
Just as they were about to arrive at the company, Gu Yu Sheng suddenly said, “Drive back home.”
Ever since Miss Liang had moved into Mr Gu’s house, besides the two months Miss Liang was away for filming, he had almost never returned home, why did he suddenly want to go home now?
“Huh?” Momentarily losing his composure, Xiao Wang let out a sound of surprise. A second later, Xiao Wang realised he had forgotten himself and hastily corrected, “Yes, Mr Gu.”
He then drew back the foot that was originally going to brake, and started driving towards Gu Yu Sheng’s house.
After the car stopped at the courtyard of Gu Yu Sheng’s villa, Gu Yu Sheng got out of the car and entered the house. It wasn’t until Xiao Wang had already reversed out and left that he suddenly had a thought. When Mr Gu was smoking in the car just before, the reason he felt that Mr Gu was different from usual today was because he looked almost as if, he was at a loss…… At a loss? Yes, precisely, ‘at a loss,’ like the ‘at a loss’ when you can’t think something through.
♦♦♦♦♦
Qin Zhi Ai didn’t stay at the Gu Family Mansion for dinner. When it was six-thirty, she drove back to Gu Yu Sheng’s Villa.
Although it wasn’t yet the time people got off work, it was still nearing closing time. The roads were a bit congested. A drive that would normally take forty minutes ended up taking Qin Zhi Ai one and a half hours before she finally returned home.
After Qin Zhi Ai parked the car in the garage, she rode the elevator directly up to the second floor.
Qin Zhi Ai changed her shoes to slippers at the elevator doors, and carrying her bag, she headed towards the bedroom.
Just after she had pushed open the door, before she had even taken a step inside, a heavy and acrid smoke smell assaulted her head on.
Qin Zhi Qi lightly knitted her brows, and after seeming to realise something, she raised her head, and peered in the room.
Gu Yu Sheng was sitting crossed-legged on the sofa, smoking. The ashtray in front of him was heaped with cigarette butts of all sizes.
The window was open. The summer evening breeze blew against the net curtain, causing it to flutter continuously, occasionally brushing his shoulder.
Qin Zhi Ai stood at the door, and after a good moment of shock, she slowly recovered her senses.
Gu Yu Sheng…… Why was he at home?
While she was hesitating whether to go in or to leave, Gu Yu Sheng appeared to have detected movement, and slanted his head slightly, catching hold of her silhouette out of the corner of his eye.
CHAPTER 77 – DEEP FEELINGS, SHALLOW FATE (7) Deep Feelings, Shallow Fate (7)Qin Zhi Ai’s body instinctively froze, and after a short while, she finally moved her lower lip, wanting to call out to greet him. However, immediately after, she remembered that he was eager to cut his relationship with her completely, and may not appreciate her greeting him. Consequently, she lowered her eyes slightly, hiding the gloominess inside her eyes, and dispelled the idea of greeting him.
Qin Zhi Ai stood at the doorway in silence, not entering the room.
Gu Yu Sheng also had no intention of speaking.
The entire room was disastrously silent.
Gradually, Qin Zhi Ai started to feel that she wouldn’t be able to hold out any longer. She was so nervous her palms were soaked in sweat.
She secretly gritted her teeth, and after pondering for a while, she finally thought up a way to excuse herself. She raised her eyes, wanting to speak out to Gu Yu Sheng. However, Gu Yu Sheng, who had been silent the same length of time as her, suddenly beckoned her over with his hand, “Come over.”
This was probably the first time, in the three months and more since she had moved into his house, that he had tranquilly and even-temperedly talked to her on his own accord…… Overwhelmed, Qin Zhi Ai glanced at Gu Yu Sheng, and then withdrew her gaze and lowered her eyelids. She stood in the doorway unmoving for a few seconds before taking a step and slowly entering the room.
The closer she neared Gu Yu Sheng, the thicker the smoke smell grew, and the more unease Qin Zhi Ai felt.
In the end, she couldn’t summon the courage to get too close to him and halted her steps when she was around over a metre away.
As Gu Yu Sheng bit his cigarette, he swept a glance at Qin Zhi Ai, and then after a short pause, he ruffled through his bag, pulled out an envelope and held it out to her.
Not quite understanding, Qin Zhi Ai first shot a glance at Gu Yu Sheng and seeing that he had no intention of explaining, she extended her hand and took the envelope. She lowered her head, made a small opening in the envelope, and saw that there was a thick wad of bills inside.
What was he giving her money for?
While Qin Zhi Ai was still staring at the inside of the envelope in a daze, the housekeeper came up the stairs and knocked on the door, shattering the silence in the room. “Mr Gu, Miss, dinner is ready.”
“En.” Gu Yu Sheng responded, indicating to the housekeeper to go down first. He then raised his head slightly, looked at the girl who was still staring blankly at the envelope and after a brief mind blank, he stubbed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray, stood up, and indifferently gave her a one sentence explanation. “That money is your doctor’s fee.”
And, not caring whether she had heard clearly or not, he sidestepped around her, left the room and went downstairs.
‘That money is your doctor’s fee’…… Those several words swirled around Qin Zhi Ai’s head twice before she suddenly remembered the words that he had said on the phone on the day following the car accident, ‘Ask her how much the doctor’s fee was yesterday. I will have my secretary send over the money to her, lest I owe her and she seizes the opportunity to entrap me forever.’
So, the first time he had voluntarily spoken to her in a normal tone of voice was only for the sake of getting rid of the barely existing connection between them.
But, did he also know? That night, she didn’t save him as Liang Dou Kou. She had saved him under the identity of the person who he had stood up twice in the past, the person who had, even after he had cleanly forgotten her, still refused to give up and continued thinking about him for eight years, Qin Zhi Ai.
CHAPTER 78 – DEEP FEELINGS, SHALLOW FATE (8) Deep Feelings, Shallow Fate (8)Qin Zhi Ai didn’t know how long she blanked out for while holding the envelope. By the time she snapped out of it, it was already pitch-black outside.
She carelessly tossed the envelope into a drawer of the dressing table and turned around to go downstairs.
When Qin Zhi Ai entered the dining room, to her surprise, Gu Yu Sheng was sitting at the dining table eating dinner. He heard movement, and raised his eyes to look at her. There was not a slightest change in his expression, as if she didn’t even exist in his eyes. He then lowered his head and continued drinking his bowl of soup with one hand, the other hand scrolling down his cell phone screen to read the news.
“Miss, what would you like to eat?” The housekeeper drew a chair opposite to Gu Yu Sheng. “Would you like to have noodles like Mr Gu or rice?”
For the three months since she started living in Gu Yu Sheng’s villa, excluding that time they ate a meal together at the Gu Family mansion, Qin Zhi Ai and Gu Yu Sheng had never sat together on the same dinner table. With sluggish steps, she made her way to the dining table and sat down. She then quietly answered the housekeeper, “Rice.”
“Yes, Miss.” The housekeeper replied and swiftly carried out a bowl of rice for Qin Zhi Ai.
“Thank you,” Qin Zhi Ai said in a very quiet voice. She then picked up her chopsticks, lowered her head a little and started scooping the rice into her mouth.
The dining room was peaceful. Besides the occasional quiet clinking sound of chopsticks making contact with dishes, there was no other sound of activity.
When Qin Zhi Ai had arrived, there already hadn’t been much soup left in Gu Yu Sheng bowl. After he stared at the screen of his phone for a moment, he tilted his head back and finished off the rest in one mouthful. Next, he put down the bowl, stood up and left.
Perhaps because she had eaten too much at noon, or perhaps because Gu Yu Sheng was present, Qin Zhi Ai didn’t have much appetite. She sat alone in the big dining table, forcing herself to finish off half a bowl of rice before putting down her chopsticks.
She did not hurry to get up and sat on the dining chair for a while. It was only after the housekeeper came in that she asked in a lowered voice, “What……is he doing right now?”
Originally, she had wanted to ask, ‘Has he left yet?’ However, when the words were on the verge of leaving her lips, she realised it wasn’t appropriate, and changed her question.
“Mr Gu? He’s watching TV in the living room.”
After hearing the housekeeper’s reply, Qin Zhi Ai responded with an “Oh” with a straight face, and didn’t say anything else. Nonetheless, her heart had become a little perturbed.
She continued sitting on the dining chair for some time before she managed to force the undulations of her heart under control and then left the dining room.
Gu Yu Sheng was sitting right in the middle of the sofa with his legs crossed, currently watching the latest Olympic Games which was airing everywhere these days.
The TV was currently broadcasting a soccer match. The volume was really low and from time to time she could hear the sound of the spectator’s cheers.
Possibly because Gu Yu Sheng was deeply engrossed in watching the match, he didn’t seem to notice that Qin Zhi Ai had come out from the dining room.
Qin Zhi Ai stood a short distance away, staring at him for a while and discovered that he wasn’t showing any signs of leaving. She then crooked her head to look at the grandfather clock on the side.
It’s already nine thirty. If it’s this late and he still hasn’t left, don’t tell me that…… he’s planning to sleep in this house tonight?
The room that she was currently using was his bedroom…… So, if he was sleeping at home, then tonight, she would have to sleep in the same room and same bed as him?
CHAPTER 79 – DEEP FEELINGS, SHALLOW FATE (9) Deep Feelings, Shallow Fate (9)Same room and same bed?
As soon as those words crossed Qin Zhi Ai’s brain, she recalled what Gu Yu Sheng had done to her on that bed.
Instantly, she was engulfed by an indescribable sense of nervousness and panic. In mere seconds, Qin Zhi Ai’s palms were already covered with a thick layer of sweat.
Qin Zhi Ai knew that the reason Gu Yu Sheng had treated her cruelly those several times was because his Grandfather had forced him to go home.
He had come home on his own initiative today. What reason would he have to do anything to her? Nevertheless, she still didn’t have the courage to be alone with him on the same bed……
But, he wouldn’t want to sleep together with her either anyway. And he had also previously told her to stay as far away from him as possible if she ever sees him……
Even though that was a fact she already knew, thinking about it still made Qin Zhi Ai feel a slight piercing pain in her heart.
That is his bedroom. She can’t drive him out……
Qin Zhi Ai cast down her eyes and stared at the phone in her hand for a little while. After that, she raised her head, and was about to shout for the housekeeper to brew her some tea, but then saw the housekeeper come out of the kitchen holding a plate of fruit.
Qin Zhi Ai opened her mouth to speak, but the housekeeper beat her to it and said with a beaming smile, “Miss, you’ll be eating fruit with Mr Gu?”
Qin Zhi Ai lightly shook her head, the corner of her eyes floating to Gu Yu Sheng’s direction, and then said in a soft and lowered voice, “Not today, I still have a script to memorize that I need to use in two days, I’ll be going upstairs first.”
A short pause later, Qin Zhi Ai voiced the words she had been preparing to say, “Go brew me some tea, and bring it to the sunroom.”
“Okay, Miss.”
Qin Zhi Ai gave a faint smile and didn’t say another word. She put away her phone and went upstairs.
When her silhouette disappeared at the turn of the stairs, Gu Yu Sheng, who had maintained the same crossed-legged pose on the sofa the entire time without moving a single inch, slanted his head slightly, and looked at the stairs. The expression on his face showed absolutely no change. After around half a minute, he shifted his gaze, reached out a hand for the cigarette box on the table, lit a cigarette, and smoked while continuing to watch TV.
♦♦♦♦♦
At eleven o’clock, Gu Yu Sheng turned off the TV, went to the dining room to pour a cup of warm water and after drinking, went upstairs to the second floor.
As he started to push his bedroom door open, he turned his head and looked at the glassed sunroom at the very end of the corridor.
The chandelier was on, emitting a bright, dazzling light. The girl sat on a rattan chair, holding a script in both hands, reading earnestly.
The greenery around her looked verdant and lush. There were several pots of gardenia and jasmine in perfect bloom.
Less than ten seconds later, Gu Yu Sheng moved his eyes away. The hand holding the door faltered for a moment before he opened the door and went into the room.
After a comfortable hot bath, he came out from the bathroom, but as before, he was the only person in the room.
Gu Yu Sheng glanced outside the window. The lights all around had already been extinguished; only the sunroom emitted a pale glimmer of light.
CHAPTER 80 – DEEP FEELINGS, SHALLOW FATE (10) Deep Feelings, Shallow Fate (10)As always, Gu Yu Sheng searched for a cigarette and lit it. He stood on the balcony, staring at the faint glow from the sunroom, and slowly took a puff.
Even after he finished smoking, the light in the sunroom showed no signs of going out. Propping both hands on the railing, Gu Yu Sheng stood there staring at the dusky night scene for a short while before withdrawing his eyes. He indifferently turned back into the room, got into bed and turned off the light.
When he woke up, it was already very bright outside. Gu Yu Sheng felt for his phone, and took a glance with half-opened eyes; it was seven thirty in the morning.
It was only when he lifted the blankets and got out of bed, that he noticed that he was alone on the bed.
Gu Yu Sheng didn’t pay it much heed, merely wrinkling his brows lightly, and went straight into the bathroom.
After he finished washing up, Gu Yu Sheng picked out and put on a black suit. He walked towards the bedroom door while tying his necktie.
He pulled open the door, and had just taken one step outside when he heard the housekeeper’s overly alarmed voice from the end of the corridor, “Miss? Why are you sleeping in here?”
Gu Yu Sheng’s hands froze in the midst of tying. He turned his head, following the direction of the voice. The girl who had been reading a script on the rattan chair last night had already been roused from sleep by the noise the housekeeper had made. She didn’t seem to be fully awake yet and looked a bit at a loss. After a little while, she finally smiled gently at the housekeeper, and softly said, “I was memorizing until late, didn’t expect that I would accidently fall asleep here.”
“You didn’t even cover yourself with a blanket, what if you caught a cold……” The housekeeper said, pained, and suddenly broke off mid-sentence. “……Miss, look at your body, you’ve been bitten by mosquitoes. You have bites all over, even on your face. I’ll go get you some ointment to rub on……”
“Don’t worry about it.” The girl stopped the housekeeper from going. Her expression looked slightly conflicted but after a while she seemed to decide to ask anyway, “What about Mr Gu? Is he…… awake yet?”
“He’s already awake. I peered into the bedroom before I came over. There wasn’t anyone in bed. I’m guessing he must be washing up.” The housekeeper paused, and continued, “Breakfast is ready. Miss, would you like to go down to eat now?”
“Not now. There’s still a small section I haven’t finished memorizing. I tend to memorise a lot better in the morning. I’ll come down after I’m done. You go call Mr Gu to eat first……”
Before she had even finished her sentence, Gu Yu Sheng had already moved his eyes away. As he headed downstairs, he calmly continued tying his tie like nothing had happened. His beautiful face, however, was covered with a layer of frost, making him, who originally already seemed eminent and unapproachable, appear even more indifferent and cold.
When Gu Yu Sheng was halfway down the stairs, the housekeeper rushed down and saw him. She immediately stopped her steps and greeted. “Good morning, Mr Gu.”
Gu Yu Sheng continued down the stairs as if he hadn’t heard her at all.
The housekeeper was used this behaviour and continued, “Mr Gu. Breakfast is already ready. Would you like to eat it now?”
Chapter end
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