Chapter 143: Death Gaze

Meng Shutang's heart gave a slight skip; how could she not catch the implication in Gu Yunci's words? She subconsciously glanced through the rearview mirror at Gu Jin Xing standing umbrella in hand amidst the curtain of rain.

But in just an instant, she shifted her gaze away, her voice so faint it was nearly perfunctory.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

It wasn't that Meng Shutang couldn't read people's hearts; she had also noticed the change in Gu Jin Xing since his return.

But at that engagement banquet years ago, where Gu Yunci had snatched away her love, she had left him alone, owing him far too much.

Even if Gu Jin Xing truly intended to do something, she would rather deceive herself than cast the slightest malicious speculation upon him.

Gu Yunci stared at her face as she hastily looked away, his throat tightening.

Four years—he had exhausted every ounce of strength to finally make her soften even a little.

In the end, it still couldn't compete with her soft-heartedness and favoritism toward Gu Jin Xing.

He said nothing more; the hand resting on his knee slowly clenched tight, a cold darkness pooling in his eyes.

Half an hour later, the Rolls-Royce pulled up at the entrance of Qingluju.

Gu Yunci got out with an umbrella, and the moment Meng Shutang bent out of the car, he immediately shielded her in his arms.

Meng Shutang only felt a bit cold, and when he drew her into his embrace, she didn't deliberately push him away.

Reaching the entrance of the apartment building, the man stopped.

"You have grievances with me, and I don't want Xin Xin to see a scene where Mommy and Daddy aren't loving toward each other.

Today, I won't go up."

Quite self-aware, but that excuse made it sound like he was blaming her!

Meng Shutang ignored him, wrapped her trench coat tighter, and headed toward the elevator.

Just before the elevator doors opened, the man suddenly came over and held the door.

He raised his hand, brushing the loose strands of hair that had fallen across her cheek to one side. "Tangtang, can you be brave one more time, just like you were seven years ago?"

Without worrying about anyone or anything, truly live for yourself once!

Meng Shutang: "Seven years ago, I was very brave, but what did I get in the end?"

She got Bai Cixian parachuting into Gu Group, and herself getting a cliff-edge divorce.

"I admit, for a brief moment, my heart stirred for you again.

But President Gu, neither of us is a child anymore. Responsibility and guilt won't allow me to simply follow my heart."

Gu Yunci froze there; Meng Shutang turned and stepped into the elevator.

After dinner and cleaning up, Meng Shutang worked a while longer, then got ready to go to sleep.

She seemed to casually glance out the window; the rain had stopped, the night was heavy, and in the distance... a figure in black...

Meng Shutang bolted up and saw Gu Yunci leaning against the Rolls-Royce, the ember of his cigarette flickering between his fingers. The man who was once aloof and imposing now stood alone, his loneliness steeped in the night.

Meng Shutang took one look, then pulled the curtains shut.

That very night, Meng Shutang came down with a fever. She came out in the middle of the night to get some water and accidentally knocked over her cup, waking Li Xiuyun.

Li Xiuyun came out wrapped in a coat and saw Meng Shutang standing dizzily, looking as though she could barely keep her balance. She caught hold of her at once. "You're burning up—you have a fever!"

Meng Shutang's throat felt as if it were on fire, yet her body was freezing cold.

She braced herself to sit down. "Grandma, pour me a glass of water."

Li Xiuyun poured her a glass of water, and she rummaged around for cold medicine and took some.

Li Xiuyun suggested, "How about we go to the hospital?"

Meng Shutang shook her head. "It's fine, just a regular cold. I'll be fine after a good sleep."

But two hours later, Li Xiuyun quietly slipped into her room and felt her forehead—still alarmingly hot.

She immediately picked up the phone from the nightstand and dialed out.

The moment the call connected, Li Xiuyun said eagerly, "Shenyang, Tangtang is sick. Come take her to the hospital, child!"

There was a one-second pause on the other end, then Gu Jin Xing's voice came through. "Grandma, it's Jin Xing.

Shutang is sick? Don't worry, I'll be right over."

Hearing Gu Jin Xing's voice, Li Xiuyun was briefly startled, then realized this wasn't her own phone.

Lu Shenyang's name usually sat at the top of her call list; the lights in the room were dim, and she had dialed without thinking, which was how this mix-up happened.

"Jin Xing, no need, let me call Shenyang instead!"

"No need, Grandma, I've already left."

……

Twenty minutes later, Gu Jin Xing arrived at Qingluju, travel-worn and hurried.

"Grandma, where is Shutang?"

Li Xiuyun looked anxious. "In her room. Come with me."

Gu Jin Xing followed her over and pushed open the door to see Meng Shutang curled up quietly, her hair falling loose and soft, her lips drained of color, a layer of listless weariness shadowing beneath her eyes, making her whole person seem fragile and delicate.

His heart gave a violent lurch.

She overlapped with the girl in his memory—the one in the white dress who had smiled and said to him, "We'll get married after we graduate."

His Adam's apple rolled slightly, and without even realizing it, his steps grew nervously unsteady as he approached Meng Shutang.

"Tangtang, Tangtang..."

He called out several times, but Meng Shutang didn't respond.

Burning with anxiety, Gu Jin Xing yanked back the covers and scooped Meng Shutang up in a princess carry. "Grandma, I'm taking her to the hospital. Take good care of Xin Xin."

With that, he strode out with her in his arms.

Jiangcheng was quiet at night, with only a few cars on the road.

Meng Shutang was delirious with fever, leaning softly against Gu Jin Xing's shoulder, her lashes lowered and trembling faintly, as if touched by frost, fragile as a leaf in the wind.

Gu Jin Xing's eyes were dark; the tension and panic from just moments ago seemed to have been slammed shut by him, vanishing completely.

The woman's warm breath puffed against his neck, as if afraid of slipping, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his body.

"Uncomfortable?" he said, his voice extremely low, hiding his complex feelings.

Meng Shutang nodded dazedly, breath like a silk thread: "Cold... I'm cold..."

Gu Jin Xing's body stiffened, then he turned sideways, drawing her into his embrace, and in a low voice told the driver: "Drive faster."

At night, the emergency room had few people; after they registered, they saw a doctor.

The doctor said it was a cold from exposure to cold, "For patients with high fever, there's no need to rush to see a doctor; first give them fever-reducing medicine, and only after the fever subsides should they see a doctor—it's not too late."

Gu Jin Xing nodded, "It's all my fault, I haven't taken care of a patient before."

The doctor prescribed several medicines, then let them go.

When they arrived at the residential complex, Meng Shutang was drenched in sweat, and her fever began to break.

She leaned on the car to get out, but her steps were unsteady and she almost toppled; Gu Jin Xing saw this, took off his coat and covered her with it.

He didn't ask further, directly scooped her up in a horizontal hold.

Meng Shutang felt it improper, "Jin Xing, I'm fine, put me down!"

Gu Jin Xing's attitude was firm, "You've just broken your fever; don't expose yourself to wind again."

Meng Shutang's whole body ached, she was weak and lacking energy, so she didn't argue further.

Upon reaching the entrance of the building unit, before they even got close to the elevator, Gu Jin Xing's steps suddenly halted.

Gu Yunci emanated a cold, composed aura; it was unknown how long he had been standing there.

The moment their eyes met, the air instantly froze.

His gaze fell on her slender arm, then slowly moved downward, a deathly stare locking onto Gu Jin Xing's arm encircling her waist.