Chapter 156: Missing Him

Gu Jin Xing parked the car beside the western manor's crabapple tree at the entrance of Tangxia Si Yan.

Meng Shutang got out of the car, her dark eyebrows flickering, "Why come to this place?"

It's a couples' restaurant; she recalled that back when she and Gu Jin Xing were together, he had never taken her here.

On the contrary, Gu Yunci and Lu Shenyang had both brought her here before.

Gu Jin Xing gave a faint smile, offering no explanation.

He reached out to pull her; Meng Shutang saw it and paused slightly, bewildered.

Since returning, Gu Jin Xing had been restraining himself, behaving decorously, and this was the first time he initiated physical contact with her.

Seeing Meng Shutang standing there, Gu Jin Xing's hand, suspended in mid‑air, tightened slightly as he made a gentlemanly gesture inviting her in.

Meng Shutang saw it, made no sound, and walked straight inside.

The two chose a window seat, and Gu Jin Xing placed a small object in front of her.

Meng Shutang asked curiously, "What is this?"

Gu Jin Xing said mysteriously, "Open it and see."

The box was exquisite; Meng Shutang had received diamond rings and necklaces before, and a quiet voice rose in her mind.

But she thought it unlikely; after all, Gu Jin Xing had just returned, and she had already opened up.

She had never liked Gu Jin Xing; from start to finish, the one she loved was his older brother, Gu Yunci.

Seeing her hesitation, Gu Jin Xing stood, took it, opened it, and placed it before Meng Shutang, "Shutang, do you still remember this?"

Meng Shutang lowered her eyes; indeed it was a diamond ring.

She looked at it, smiled faintly, "Of course I remember; we chose it together, it was our engagement ring back then."

Gu Jin Xing nodded.

Meng Shutang thought he might confess or something, and her heart tightened.

But unexpectedly, Gu Jin Xing laughed and put it back, "I didn't expect that after so long, you still remember."

"I didn't expect that after so long, I haven't forgotten either."

He said, as he put it away, "I was tidying up today and happened upon this. I was going to discard it, but then I recalled the initials of our names on the ring, so I couldn't bear to throw it away."

"There are some other things I couldn't bring myself to throw away either; I left them at Chen Bi Shan Zhuang."

Meng Shutang's fingers twitched unconsciously, her throat went dry, and she couldn't utter a word.

Gu Jin Xing forced a smile, his voice light and airy, "I know you no longer need these; my brother… is the one you truly cherish."

Meng Shutang looked at him, her eyes full of guilt and pain, "Jin Xing, I'm sorry…"

Gu Jin Xing pretended to be relaxed, laughed lightly, waved his hand, "It's okay, just pretend I never said that."

"We'll eat, and later I'll take you home; Xin Xin must be missing you."

Meng Shutang pressed her lips together, "Thank you, Jin Xing."

Leaving Tangxia Si Yan, Gu Jin Xing escorted Meng Shutang back to Qingluju.

At the apartment building entrance, the complex's landscape lights stretched their silhouettes long.

Meng Shutang looked at him, "I've arrived; take it easy on the way back."

She was about to turn, when Gu Jin Xing suddenly reached out, gently sweeping the hair that had fallen onto her cheek behind her ear.

His movement was light; his fingertips brushed her earlobe, making her body pause slightly.

His eyes held a gentle smile, "It's getting windy."

Her hair was already blown messy.

Meng Shutang looked at him, and Gu Yunci's face suddenly flashed in her mind. If Gu Yunci had done this to her shortly after returning to the country, she would most likely have erupted in fury, pushed him away, and then scolded him harshly.

But with Gu Jin Xing, she couldn't bring herself to act that way.

Seeing her stunned, Gu Jin Xing slipped his hands into his pockets, his gaze soft as night, "What's wrong?"

Meng Shutang shook her head slightly.

He had said it: he is a younger brother.

She truly regarded him as a younger brother, as she should.

"Go back, Jin Xing."

After Meng Shutang went upstairs, Gu Jin Xing left Qingluju.

He had just left when a Rolls‑Royce rolled up slowly,

Inside the car, Huo Yanchen looked at Gu Yunci, "Since you can't control yourself like this, why not go find her?"

Gu Yunci wore a scornful expression, "What are you saying? I don't understand."

He parked the car by the roadside, took out a cigar and shared it with Huo Yanchen.

Huo Yanchen snickered lightly, "If you don't understand, why park the car here?"

Gu Yunci replied, "To smoke."

Upstairs, when Meng Shutang returned, Xin Xin was already asleep; she tidied up briefly and went back to her own room.

While pulling the curtains, she inadvertently caught sight of a Rolls‑Royce parked by the roadside.

She thought she had imagined it, opened the window, leaned on the screen and stared intently at that spot.

In the deep night, she stood by the window, and at a glance she collided with that familiar silhouette.

A man in an elegant, expensive suit sat in a black sedan; the car window lowered a few inches, the dim yellow streetlights slanted in, perfectly outlining his sharp, cold side profile.

One hand propped the window, the other held a cigar resting on the steering wheel; merely sitting there in silence, he became the most eye‑catching presence in the night.

Even though they were far apart, in an instant Meng Shutang seemed to sense his aura, smelling the deep, bone‑penetrating scent of cedar on him.

He sat there; why didn't he get out and come to the house? Could it be because he saw Xin Xin's room light off, and would meet her?

Meng Shutang held her breath, quietly gazing at that spot.

Soon, Huo Yanchen beside him noticed her.

He raised his hand as if gesturing this way.

The man seemed to glance at her unintentionally.

Meng Shutang saw clearly that he merely gave a casual glance, with no warmth in his eyes, as if looking at something he didn't care about at all.

In the next instant, the man tossed his cigar into the roadside trash can and started the car.

The Rolls-Royce slowly drove away, disappearing at the end of the road.

Left alone, Meng Shutang stood there, slowly closing the window, drawing the curtains, her heart sinking bit by bit.

He no longer lingered for her, no longer cared for her— isn't this exactly what she wanted?

Why does her heart feel empty!

Meng Shutang didn't want to keep sinking into this self-destructive emotion, so she sat back at her desk intending to work.

Just as she sat down, she saw the star-shaped hairpin placed beside the computer.

Perhaps Xin Xin had come to her room today, taken it out to play with for a while, then put it back.

She slowly took it out and held it in her hand.

She gazed at it silently, and Gu Yunci's words surfaced in her mind.

At that time, she had just learned that Bai Cixian was her half-sister, who was ill and hospitalized, and Gu Yunci was taking care of her.

Bai Lianyue suddenly called, saying Bai Cixian had attempted suicide.

Gu Yunci went over.

She thought he had gone to care for Bai Cixian, but in fact he had gone to Meng Zhibang to demand this.

And over these years, he had done everything for Zhou Xingfan, and to vent his anger on her behalf, he had caused the Meng family to go bankrupt, Meng Zhibang to be imprisoned, Bai Lianyue to lose her reputation and status, and Bai Cixian to fall from grace...

Meng Shutang's heart clenched slightly.

Suddenly, she very much missed that man.

"Gu Yunci, the other day I still thought you were overreacting, but after calming down and thinking, I realize my words that day were indeed too harsh.

If I see you again, I will apologize to you."