Chapter 55: You Dare—She Is My Life!

Wanxing Ge.

Meng Shutang carefully packed the restored porcelain and handed it to Gu Yunci.

Aside from the base and the handle on top, the other four sides of the packaging were transparent.

Gu Yunci handed it directly to Qin Zheng without even looking, but his eyes stayed fixed on her without blinking.

"President Gu, aren't you going to inspect it? If you find a problem after leaving, it'll be hard to explain."

she tactfully reminded him.

Gu Yunci's expression was calm and unruffled, without a ripple, but the words he spoke carried a commanding pressure in his voice, the complete posture of someone in authority, "No need."

He turned and left with his people.

Before long, Lu Shenyang came over.

He brought her a lot of delicious food, and also told her, "Tangtang, don't go running to the hospital these next few days. Leave Auntie's side to me."

Meng Shutang said, "No need, you've been tired enough these past few days too."

Lu Shenyang shook his head, "I was originally going to take your place last night, but Director Zhang suddenly called, and I couldn't get away, so I couldn't make it either."

Meng Shutang had been smiling, but upon hearing this, her smile froze on her face.

Even though she had slept very deeply last night, she was certain someone had been beside her.

It was precisely because of this that she had been able to sleep peacefully.

She had assumed it was Lu Shenyang all along.

If it wasn't him, then who could it have been?

Lu Shenyang said only a few words before hurrying off.

Meng Shutang watched him leave, then walked to the front desk, "Jingjing, from now on if Gu Yunci comes over again, no matter what he asks for, just tell him my schedule is full."

Zhao Jing replied, "Sure, but... do you think if I say that, he'll believe it?"

Meng Shutang couldn't worry about all that. Gu Yunci was accompanying Bai Cixian to nurse her health back, and they ran into each other at the hospital almost every day.

Whether or not the person last night was him, it was no longer appropriate for them to meet again.

Over the next two days, every time she passed the front desk, Meng Shutang would ask the same question.

"Jingjing, has Gu Yunci come to give you a hard time?"

Zhao Jing shook her head, "It's strange. Since he took the porcelain and left that day, he hasn't come back."

Later, she casually asked once more.

Chen Man, who was nearby, overheard, "Are you afraid he'll come, or afraid he won't come?"

Meng Shutang couldn't help but laugh a little, "Me, wanting to see him? Is that even possible?"

……

"You treat my words like wind in your ears? I told you I'd handle your second uncle's matter, so why did you still have Qin Zheng and the others secretly investigate and gather evidence!"

It's just one fake item from the autumn auction—do you really need to be so righteous as to turn against your own kin?

"Do you realize, at that astronomical price, if you refuse to let it go, your second uncle will go to prison!"

"Once he goes in, everyone in high society will know. Our century-old Gu family cannot afford such disgrace."

Gu Yeheng's voice was pressed cold and hard, every word dipped in ice.

Facing his father's explosive fury, Gu Yunci's expression didn't change, "This isn't a family matter, it's a criminal matter.

"The person you've been trying so hard to protect is your brother, but he's also a cancer in the company at the same time.

I can't tolerate a speck of sand in my eye. He must be dealt with."

"Even if he punched a hole in the sky, I have the ability to patch it up.

I see you won't let this go—is it because you gave Meng Shutang a promise that day, saying you'd give her and the industry an explanation?

If you don't deal with your second uncle, you can't deliver on that, and you'd lose face?"

Listening to Gu Yeheng's unreasonable arguments, Gu Yunci could better understand his mother's suffocation in those final years.

He gave a bleak smile, pressed his lips together, and said nothing more.

Gu Yeheng said, "I absolutely will not allow the Gu family's reputation to be damaged, and I absolutely will not allow the Gu family to be unstable."

This was his responsibility as the head of the Gu family.

"Gu Yunci, I see your wings have grown strong, and you no longer take me seriously.

If you dare touch your second uncle, I'll make Meng Shutang die without a burial place."

Gu Yunci's emotions had been steady the whole time, but upon hearing these words, he abruptly stood up, "You dare—she is my life!"

"The Gu family's reputation is my life too!" Gu Yeheng couldn't help but raise his voice, but then remembered this was the CEO's office, and downstairs was the secretarial room.

He subconsciously raised his hand to cover his mouth, then bit his lower lip.

"I'm not threatening you. You'd better think it over carefully."

With that, Gu Yeheng turned and left.

Just as he reached the door, he was suddenly called to a stop.

"Fine, I won't touch Second Uncle."

He wouldn't make a move on Gu Yenan for now.

Over the past month, Qin Zheng and the others had worked hard to gather evidence, but they simply couldn't find the key proof that the fake item had been ordered by Gu Yenan.

In that case, he would wait quietly for the right moment and bring Gu Yenan to justice in a more thorough manner.

"But I have one condition. You must agree to it."

Gu Yeheng walked back slowly, "Go ahead, let's see if I can agree."

"There's a batch of artifacts in the storage room. I'd like to donate them to the Palace Museum free of charge."

Gu Yeheng looked at Gu Yunci, and saw that the last trace of warmth in his eyes toward him had also vanished.

His heart ached for a moment.

After all, this was the heir he had carefully cultivated since childhood, his son.

He was very satisfied with him—ruthless yet devoted.

His and Chu Fu's child.

He gave a faint smile. "Fine, but don't go back on your word, or for the sake of the Gu family, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life."

Gu Yunci looked at him and nodded.

After Gu Yeheng left, Gu Yunci sat alone in the office for the entire afternoon.

He would never let Gu Yenan, this sinner of the family, off—he would never compromise.

But for Meng Shutang's sake, he had to compromise.

Meng Shutang was unwilling to see him now, so naturally he couldn't tie her up and settle her at Qian Shui Wan.

Actually, even so, it wasn't very safe.

Gu Yeheng was a ruthless man; for the Gu family's sake, he truly was capable of anything—he had to stay on guard.

When work was nearly over in the afternoon, Qin Zheng came in and brought him takeout.

Ever since Meng Shutang disappeared four years ago, after he had been mad for a long time, he threw himself entirely into work.

He no longer cared much about eating.

"President, eat now?"

"Wait a bit!"

He glanced over and saw Gu Yunci looking at a photo of Meng Shutang.

When handing over the itinerary, he asked, as if casually.

"A while back, you'd make time to go to Wanxing Ge and the hospital every day, but these past few days I've seen you staying at the company without going. Do you need me to reserve the upcoming schedule as before?"

It wasn't that Gu Yunci didn't want to find Meng Shutang—he knew that using excuses like restoring cultural relics wouldn't let him see her anymore.

"Qin Zheng, help me find a group of bodyguards to protect Tangtang. Don't let her know, and don't let Chairman Gu know either."

Saying that, he put away his phone, grabbed his jacket, and walked out.

Qin Zheng: "President, the food..."

"You all eat!"

Gu Yunci drove, originally planning to return to Qian Shui Wan—he wanted to take a shower and get a good night's sleep.

Only by falling asleep could he forget his troubles.

But the car seemed to have a mind of its own, bringing him to Wanxing Ge.

In the dim twilight, the streetlamps along Wanxing Ge lit up one after another, their orange glow piercing the deepening dusk, spreading a delicate warmth in the autumn wind.

He shouldn't have come.

But his heart was heavy with sorrow, and he still couldn't resist coming.

Even if Meng Shutang was unwilling to see him, even if she drove him away with a cold face—to him, it was still a comfort.

After sitting in the car for a while, he braved the impulse of water splashing onto his face and went inside.

Seeing him enter, Zhao Jing stood up and tried to stop him with a somewhat cautious tone. "President Gu, you... don't go in. President Meng is busy."

Gu Yunci looked at her and smiled.

He didn't step forward but stood at the entryway, gazing through the layers of glass doors at the silhouette in the innermost work area.

The light fell on Meng Shutang; she smiled with ease and naturalness.

The entanglements and pain of four years ago had nothing to do with her anymore.

He watched quietly for a moment, suppressing all the emotions surging in his eyes, then gave a slight nod, turned, and left.

Zhao Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

A while later, when Chen Man came out, she even told her about it.

Both of them thought Gu Yunci had left.

Until five minutes later, when the sky suddenly began to pour; raindrops the size of beans struck the ground, kicking up a veil of mist.

Chen Man wanted to watch the rain and quietly walked to the doorway, where she froze in place at a single glance.

In the curtain of rain, a tall, upright, and lonely figure stood without an umbrella beneath the old locust tree.

That position was neither too far nor too near—just right to see Meng Shutang in the work area with perfect clarity.