Chapter 48: I Saw the Pregnancy Test Report—Our Child…

The Gu residence.

Gu Yenan paced furiously around the room. "Brother, in front of everyone, that woman actually called the 'Southern Chen Phoenix Crown Ancient Pearl' a fake. We were trying to hold down the situation, but Yunci took her side instead. You can't just ignore something this big!"

Gu Yeheng picked up his teacup and took a sip, his voice low and heavy. "You still have the nerve to talk about what you did?"

Gu Yenan's restless body immediately froze. He pondered for a moment, then sat down to the side.

Gu Yeheng didn't look at him. With eyes lowered, he asked Bai Cixian, "What's that woman's background?"

Bai Cixian recognized her as Meng Shutang, but she couldn't say so.

Over the past four years, she had watched every detail of how Gu Yunci had gone half-mad over Meng Shutang's divorce and disappearance.

Now that she was back, there was no telling whether he might soften his heart for Gu Yunci's sake and let Meng Shutang through the door again.

"A master in the ancient pearl restoration field. Her professional name is Wanxing."

Gu Yenan remembered that the woman looked like Meng Shutang, and recalling the look in Gu Yunci's eyes when he watched her, he opened his mouth to explain.

Seeing this, Bai Cixian interjected, "Second Master, from the sound of it, she was asking President Gu to give the industry an explanation!"

Gu Yenan's blood surged with fury. Wanxing, Meng Shutang—he forgot them all.

"Brother, you can't just leave me hanging."

Gu Yeheng gazed at the pale yellow clear soup in his teacup, thinking slowly. After a moment, he set the teacup down on the table.

"Alright, I know.

I'll handle what comes next. Don't show your face again."

Gu Yenan nodded. "Brother, you're my own flesh-and-blood brother."

After Gu Yenan and the others left, Gu Yeheng headed to the group headquarters.

Gu Yunci was organizing the legal department and the authentication center to handle the aftermath.

He walked over and said in front of everyone, "It seems someone deliberately set a trap today to embarrass the Gu family."

Saying that, he waved at his assistant, who guided the people from the legal department and the authentication center out of the venue.

Only father and son remained in the auction hall.

He placed a hand on Gu Yunci's shoulder. "This was my oversight. The people below did sloppy work and brought out a flawed item from the private collection. The supervision was inadequate on my part. It has nothing to do with the auction house."

Gu Yunci's tone was cold and hard. "How generous of you. With one sentence, you've turned 'deliberately selling fakes' into 'a work mistake,' and Second Uncle has gone from 'a counterfeiter' to 'an incompetent subordinate' just like that."

"What, when the family dog bites someone, do we let outsiders decide its fate?"

Gu Yeheng couldn't be bothered to argue with Gu Yunci. "Today's matter ends here.

I'll deal with the collectors who attended the auction."

With that, he turned and left.

After a while, Qin Zheng came in and saw the man sitting at the table, dejected and dispirited despite his aloof nobility.

"President Gu, what Chairman Gu said isn't unreasonable. Are you really going to send Second Master Gu to prison over what happened today?"

The man said nothing.

"But Master Wanxing coming to expose the fakes today—on the surface it looked like she was crashing the event, but she actually helped us by accident.

Ever since Second Master came back from abroad after the overseas branch performed poorly, he's been jumping around making trouble, using the auction house to pull little stunts. With this fake-goods scandal, he'll have to lay low for a while at least."

The man kept his head down, as if listening and yet not listening.

Qin Zheng called out to him. "President Gu."

"Two hours. I want every piece of information on the Young Madam."

Qin Zheng's brow furrowed slightly. "This…"

If it were possible to find her, would he have spent four agonizing, half-mad years searching?

These four years, he had stayed by Gu Yunci's side without leaving for a moment. He knew exactly what kind of life the man lived.

The man's footsteps paused slightly. "What, is it difficult?"

"No, no difficulty." Meng Shutang was back—his year-end bonus and annual leave would surely double, right? He had to seize every opportunity to get ahead.

The next day.

Inside a standalone old-style villa in the city center.

Gu Yunci stood at the door holding a bouquet of champagne roses, looking up at the words "Wanxing Studio" inscribed prominently on the door plaque.

This place had changed hands half a year ago and started renovations four months ago. He often passed by here, yet it had never occurred to him.

That this deep, secluded courtyard with its antique charm would be Meng Shutang's.

Ruan An saw someone outside and went out with a smile to welcome them.

When she saw who it was, her face immediately darkened. "Sorry, we don't receive uninvited guests here."

Gu Yunci said nothing. Qin Zheng stepped forward to the door first. "President Gu isn't a guest. He's here to see President Meng."

Ruan An: "President Meng has gone out. I don't know when she'll be back."

Qin Zheng: "However long it takes, we'll wait."

Ruan An glanced at Gu Yunci, then turned back to the work area helplessly.

After entering, Gu Yunci didn't wander around or look about. He simply sat down quietly in the most prominent spot in the studio, his gaze fixed heavily on the door.

He was clearly an intruder, yet he wanted to sit his way back through all four years of absence.

After a moment, Chen Man returned. Seeing Gu Yunci sitting there, she went to Ruan An's side. "How did you invite this plague god in?"

Ruan An: "I couldn't chase him away."

The murmurs of discussion drifted ceaselessly into Gu Yunci's ears. His well-defined fingers slowly stroked his chin, and he gave a faint smile.

"Sister Tangtang, you're back." At Ruan An's voice, the man on the leather sofa felt his heart seize violently. He clutched the roses and shot to his feet—but when he saw the scene at the door, it was as if he'd plunged into an ice cavern.

Meng Shutang and Lu Shenyang walked in, talking and laughing. Lu Shenyang gave a slight nod upon seeing him, by way of greeting.

Meng Shutang acted as though she hadn't seen him at all, not sparing him a single glance. She went straight to the front desk. "Jingjing, while I was away, who came by?"

The receptionist Zhao Jing placed two full pages of visitor slips in front of her, and finally pointed at Gu Yunci.

Though newly hired, she had just heard Chen Man's introduction and already understood the relationship between Gu Yunci and Meng Shutang more or less.

Meng Shutang acted as if she hadn't noticed.

During this time, Lu Shenyang stood beside her and quietly took the bag from her hand, and also removed her camel-colored coat.

While Meng Shutang took out her phone to do follow-up calls with several clients, Lu Shenyang went directly to the office next door.

Through the transparent glass, Gu Yunci saw him hang the bag and coat on the rack like the man of the house.

He even tidied Meng Shutang's desk for her.

Looking every bit like the man behind Meng Shutang handling her miscellaneous affairs.

He only felt a bit suffocated; four years ago, he had been the one to do all these things for Meng Shutang.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and heat surged into his eyes.

When Lu Shenyang finished and came out of the office, he abruptly turned around and looked out the window.

Lu Shenyang walked to Meng Shutang's side. "You carry on, I'll head out first."

Gu Yunci didn't want to watch their intimacy, yet couldn't help himself; he turned his head slightly and saw Meng Shutang take Lu Shenyang's hand, see him to the door, then return unhurriedly.

Her makeup was exquisite, her manner crisp and efficient, entirely different from her lowly self of four years ago.

Gu Yunci suddenly remembered—four years ago, when the bead string slipped at the collectibles exhibition, Meng Shutang had gone to his office to apologize, and he had left her waiting for four hours.

He thought she would, as she had four years ago, leave him waiting for a few hours too.

Who knew—Meng Shutang approached him unhurriedly. "President Gu, sorry to keep you waiting."

The man's heart was fiercely wrenched.

She no longer loved him, so naturally she felt no hatred toward him, and of course would not seek revenge.

Her career, friends, and self-improvement made for a rich and colorful life.

Whereas "ex-husband" was merely an inconspicuous little object in a corner of her life, not worth spending emotion on to tend to.

Gu Yunci looked at her, a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind.

To some extent, it was his cruelty that had made her who she was now.

The man held out the flowers in his arms to her. "For you."

She accepted them with a smile, glanced at them only once, and tossed them aside casually.

If this scene had been four years ago, she would have happily taken them, run to his side, hugged and kissed him, and afterward found the prettiest vase to arrange the flowers in.

"Last time we met, so many words were stuck in my throat and I couldn't get them out. After I went back, I didn't sleep all night."

As he spoke, the man's hand tightened slightly. "After you left, I saw the pregnancy test report. Our child..."

Hearing Gu Yunci mention the child, Meng Shutang's hand tightened slightly, her face going a shade pale.

"If he found out... would he fight me for Xin Xin without hesitation?"

Meng Shutang didn't dare think further, violently averting her gaze, but her tone carried a deliberate coldness.

"Child? It was gone long ago. Before I left back then, I already had it aborted."