Chapter 25: Love at Chengxi Bieshu

The employees of the cultural tourism department worked overtime until very late before getting off work.

As soon as they came out, they saw Gu Yunci standing under the eaves, an unlit cigarette between his fingertips, the air pressure around him heavier than the night itself.

Everyone looked at him, then at Bai Cixian, and left with lips covered in quiet laughter.

Bai Cixian walked over. "Brother Yunci, you haven't left yet?"

Gu Yunci gave a slight nod, his gaze seemingly drifting casually toward Meng Shutang, who was wrapped in a trench coat and walking toward the car.

Bai Cixian noticed, concealing the sadness in her heart. "Our department will work hard and strive to finish the proposal next week."

Gu Yunci nodded. "That would be best."

With that, he turned and got into the car.

Meng Shutang had a slight fever and felt weak; she couldn't drive, so she walked to the subway station.

Before she reached the station entrance, a Rolls-Royce pulled up to the roadside at a leisurely pace, the window rolling down an inch or so. "Get in."

Hearing the man's voice, Meng Shutang bent down slightly, and when she confirmed it was him, she hesitated a little.

The man kept one hand on the wheel and, seeing her hesitate, said, "At this hour, even if you take the subway, it won't be easy to get a cab once you exit the station."

Meng Shutang thought about it and agreed, no longer hesitating. She opened the door and sat in the back row.

The car started, and the man saw through the rearview mirror that her face was flushed red. "You have a fever?"

Every time she had a fever before, she looked just like this.

Her small face flushed red, listless, docile as a cat.

"Do you want to go to the hospital?"

Meng Shutang shook her head. "The medicine Special Assistant Qin brought includes fever-reducing medicine. No need."

The man remarked, "Qin Zheng is quite attentive."

Meng Shutang pressed her lips together and said nothing.

After returning home, the two exchanged no extra words, politely wished each other good night, and each went upstairs.

The next day.

Saturday.

After finishing breakfast, Meng Shutang went to the Cangpinge in the west of the city to organize the provenance of the collection.

Auntie Zhang saw she was sick. "Madam, you can't carry on like this. When you're sick, you need to rest.

Rest for a day first, and go out once the fever breaks."

Given Bai Cixian's dislike of her, the proposal should be settled next week.

She had mostly finished designing the cultural creative jewelry, and next week she planned to look for Lu Shenyang.

The work at the Cangpinge in the west of the city could only be done on weekends.

Fortunately, Gu Yunci hadn't insisted she organize it on weekdays, otherwise she'd be stretched too thin to manage.

Auntie Zhang was about to say more when Gu Yunci walked over, passing between them. "Let her go."

Auntie Zhang said, "President Gu, Madam is sick."

Gu Yunci said, "Everyone eats grains and cereals — who doesn't get sick?

Besides, I've paid the fees. If she keeps not doing it, the project will fall through."

Meng Shutang didn't listen any further, picked up a stack of provenance files, and left.

She had been fine when she left home, but perhaps from the wind on the subway, by the time she arrived at the Cangpinge in the west of the city, Meng Shutang alternated between chills and fever, her cheeks began burning hot, and her mind grew dizzy and muddled.

She stood among a row of ebony display shelves, examining artifact rubbings and provenance files one by one. Sunlight fell through the window lattice onto the side of her face, making her expression look focused and serene.

But this state lasted only half an hour. Meng Shutang's body began to give out; she could barely stand steady without leaning against the shelves.

Yet after resting for just a moment, she forced herself to rally her spirits, checking the provenance records word by word, terrified of making a mistake.

But the next second, her vision went black and she crumpled.

Before losing consciousness, she only felt a force catch her from behind.

Whether an illusion or something else, she caught the man's cold, crisp scent, and even heard his complaint: "Told you not to push yourself, but you had to be stubborn. Now look what happened..."

But Meng Shutang thought it was all a hallucination.

How could he possibly appear here? The Cangpinge in the west of the city had always belonged to her memories alone.

When she woke again, she was at the suburban villa.

An IV drip was in her hand, so she couldn't move. Meng Shutang turned her eyes to glance out the window.

A few lonely stars hung sparsely across the night sky, and farther away, the silhouette of Green Mountain stood faintly visible.

Meng Shutang's gaze lingered there for a long time.

Chengxi Bieshu — it could be called her and Gu Yunci's love nest!

After marriage, they would come here to stay for a while every year.

The Gu Yunci here was gentler than the one at Qian Shui Wan, better at coaxing, and more clingy.

Gu Yunci was cold on the outside and warm on the inside. Everyone around him, including Auntie Zhang, said he was cold.

But for some reason, these three years, what Meng Shutang felt more was his warmth.

One winter, they came to Chengxi Bieshu for a vacation.

On just the second day, they encountered a once-in-a-century blizzard.

The mountain road was sealed off, and the two were trapped in an isolated house cut off from the world.

With no servants and no signal, Gu Yunci, who had never lifted a finger in the kitchen, washed his hands and clumsily cooked soup for her.

Once, he held a roasted sweet potato to her lips. She took a bite, and the sweet aroma spread across her tongue.

He sat beside her, reaching over to adjust her slipped shawl. "Are you cold?"

She shook her head and continued knitting the yarn in her arms.

He glanced, raised an eyebrow: "You knitted this for me?"

She nodded, turned and wrapped the scarf around his neck, "Do you like it?"

Gu Yunci lowered his gaze, glanced, took her hand, kissed her fingertip, "I like it."

"Gu Yunci," she called softly.

"Hmm?"

"They all say I'm just a vase who plays with worthless beads. They say I'm not good enough for you."

He fell silent for a moment, then lowered his head and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"They don't understand anything." His voice gentle as water, "My Mrs. Gu, you don't need a noble birth, you don't need to know music, chess, calligraphy, or painting."

"As long as you stay by my side, that's enough."

Later he said again, "This snow blocking the mountain is really great," he lowered his head, noses touching, tone tender, "This way, you can only be mine."

Afterwards, he coaxed her onto the bed; when passion deepened, panting, he told her, "In this lifetime, I will never let you suffer any grievance."

Heavy snow sealed the mountain, sealing it for a full half month.

During that half month, they stayed at the Chengxi Bieshu.

Day and night reversed, eating and sleeping together, the days passed peacefully and lazily.

Later, the mountain was unsealed.

Gu Yunci left early for work; she stayed alone here to tidy up, finishing the scarf.

Worried she'd be lonely, Gu Yunci had Zhang Ma come keep her company.

And at this moment.

"Madam, why aren't you turning on the lights!!!"

With the sound of the door opening, Zhang Ma's voice rang out, as if two voices from different times overlapped and combined.

"Look, the medicine's finished, your hands are about to regain blood flow."

Zhang Ma pulled out the needle, then pressed on Meng Shutang, "Do you feel better? You slept three whole days; from now on you can't work like this, even a healthy person working nonstop will collapse."

Meng Shutang also felt much better; after three minutes of pressure, Zhang Ma let go.

Meng Shutang propped herself up to sit, "When did my fever break?"

Zhang Ma, "President Gu said your fever broke the first day of the IV drip."

That means after her fever broke, she slept deeply another two days.

"Zhang Ma, let's go back to Qian Shui Wan!"

"It's dark; we can stay here just the same."

"Deep autumn won't bring snow, but if a heavy rain comes, sealing the mountain for another month or half month, her work would be ruined."

"I'm not used to sleeping here; let's go back!"

Zhang Ma listened to her, "Okay."

She went out to tidy, "Madam, call President Gu and have him send someone to pick us up.

It's pitch black; we two can't get out."

"Okay," Meng Shutang picked up her phone, saw the battery full, and dialed.

The phone took a moment to connect.

From inside came Bai Cixian's coquettish voice, "Yunci-ge is taking a bath; what do you need?"

Meng Shutang felt a pang in her heart, then said lightly, "Zhang Ma and I need to return to Qian Shui Wan; please have him send someone to pick us up."

Bai Cixian, "I'll call Qin Zheng to have him come get you."

Meng Shutang, "Okay."

Thirty minutes later, Qin Zheng appeared at Chengxi Bieshu.

Upon getting in the car, Meng Shutang smelled the perfume Bai Cixian often uses,

lowering her gaze, she saw the scarf in the car, the very one she had stitched stitch by stitch for him at Chengxi Bieshu.

She picked it up and stuffed it into her bag.

Zhang Ma saw it and said, "Madam, what are you taking this for?"

Meng Shutang gave a light smile, "You'll find out soon."

Back home, she took out the scarf and cut it into cleaning cloths, "Zhang Ma, you've always complained that our rags are useless; this one works well, very absorbent."

Zhang Ma stared for a moment, then placed the cloth in a conspicuous spot.