Chapter 86: Zhao Chen's Fury (I)

“Dang!”

The silver spoon fell on the bone china cup and saucer. The sound was crisp and harsh, like an exquisite mirror being smashed in the silent cafe.

The air froze completely. The piano music that had been flowing before had long since vanished, leaving only a suffocating vacuum. All those vague gazes now transformed into physical needles, piercing Gu Qianqian's bloodless face in unison.

Even the carefully applied makeup couldn't hide the dejection. Her lips trembled slightly, and the carefully maintained celebrity mask cracked into pieces, revealing the extreme embarrassment, shock, and humiliation of being stripped naked in public.

Her eyes were fixed on the dark blue "Zodiac" manual, especially the bold line "Noise level less than 45 decibels (library-level silence)". Every word was like a red-hot iron, burning the cheap memories of the "engine roar" and "the whole street of windows buzzing" that she had just boasted about.

Her eyes moved to the yellowed Polaroid photo next to her - the unruly back in the photo, herself proudly holding the silver sailboat model, and the broken glass all over the ground... The evidence that she used to treasure as a treasure and used to prove that Zhao Chen was crazy about her, now seemed so ridiculous, cheap, and not presentable in front of the silent luxury and silent irony of the "Star"!

Yu Ling's heart was still beating wildly, and her fingertips still remembered the shocking touch of taking the heavy booklet.

She looked at Gu Qianqian's shaky appearance, looked at the Polaroid photo, and looked at the giant silver whale in the manual that seemed to be able to break through reality and sail towards the sea of ​​stars... The huge contrast made her speechless for a moment.

She subconsciously reached out, her fingertips lightly brushing the hard, cold cover of the Star. The dark patterns of stars and waves were imprinted on her fingertips, bringing a strange, solid sense of reality. So, he had heard it. He had actually taken to heart her careless complaint about the noise of the Wind in the harbor, and... responded so solemnly.

"Heh..." A short, broken, nasally sneer escaped Gu Qianqian's throat. She suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with poisonous hatred and a near-mad paranoia, directed at Yu Ling, her voice shrill and inflected:

"Are you complacent? You think you've won? It's just a tattered booklet! Who knows if it's real or just something he used to tease you? Zhao Chen? What wouldn't he do to please a woman?!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, and stood up suddenly, the chair legs making a harsh noise as they rubbed against the smooth marble floor.

"Yu Ling! Who do you think you are? A lucky nouveau riche? Do you think he really likes someone like you..." Her words stopped abruptly because of Yu Ling's gaze.

Yu Ling didn't look at her, didn't even respond to her hysterics. Her gaze calmly fell on the dark blue booklet in her hands, her fingertips gently caressing the gilded cursive letters "Stella Maris." A faint, subtle smile crept into the corner of her mouth, enough to drive Gu Qianqian completely insane. It was a kind of understanding and a touch of pity that needed no words, a settled understanding.

This silent contempt is more deadly than any counterattack!

"You!" Gu Qianqian's chest heaved violently, her carefully styled curls scattered. She grabbed her Hermès handbag, like a gambler who had lost everything, wanting nothing more than to escape this suffocating place. Her high heels stumbled across the floor, and she didn't even dare to glance at the booklet and photo on the table. She just wanted to disappear immediately.

"Ms. Gu." A calm voice sounded behind her.

Gu Qianqian froze and turned around suddenly.

Lin Feng, who should have been gone long ago, reappeared like a programmed ghost, not far from her. He was still meticulous, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting a cold light, and in his hand was a professional-looking communicator with a small antenna.

"Mr. Zhao has a few words for me to convey to you." Lin Feng's voice was flat, as if he was reading out a boring financial statement.

Gu Qianqian's body was tense and her eyes were filled with uncertainty.

Lin Feng spoke calmly into the communicator: "Mr. Zhao."

After a brief electrical noise, a deep, cold voice came clearly through the small speaker of the communicator, echoing in the silent cafe. The voice was not loud, but it carried an invisible, bone-chilling oppression that instantly froze the air.

"Gu Qianqian."

With just three words, Gu Qianqian's body shuddered involuntarily, and her face became even paler than before.

"It seems like you didn't hear a single word I said last time." Zhao Chen's voice was transparent, without a trace of emotion, yet more terrifying than any roar. "Or, do you think the Gu family is too stable now?"

Gu Qianqian's lips trembled violently: "Chen...Brother Chen, I..."

"Shut up." Zhao Chen's voice suddenly dropped, like a layer of ice breaking, "You have no right to call me that."

"I'm saying this one last time." The cold voice enunciated each word clearly, like a judge striking the final gavel. "Stay away from my wife. Watch your mouth, and those pathetic, ridiculous 'memories' of yours."

"If I ever see you in front of her again, or hear your boring nonsense from anywhere..."

Zhao Chen's voice paused for a moment. The threat contained in that brief silence almost made Gu Qianqian lose her balance. "I don't mind letting the Gu family experience the true roar of the engine in advance."

The roar of "boom" wasn't from the engine, but from the fear exploding in Gu Qianqian's head! She knew Zhao Chen's methods, and even more so, the weight of his words! That wasn't some youthful, reckless feat of shattering windows along several streets; it was a destructive force capable of wiping out the entire Gu Group!

"Do you understand?" Zhao Chen's voice regained a hint of cold "calmness", as if asking what the weather was like today.

Gu Qianqian's teeth chattered, the overwhelming fear and humiliation nearly causing her to faint. She bit her lower lip tightly, tasting the rusty taste of blood before she managed a faint, hoarse sound from her throat: "...I understand...I understand."

"Very good." A faint sound, like something being closed, like a verdict, came from the communicator. Then, a busy tone sounded.

“Beep…beep…beep…”

The cold busy tone sounded particularly harsh in the silent cafe.

Lin Feng put away the communicator expressionlessly, nodded slightly at the pale and shaky Gu Qianqian, his posture still impeccable: "Miss Gu, please." After that, he retreated silently like a shadow again.

Gu Qianqian could no longer hold on, completely crushed by the immense embarrassment and overwhelming fear. She suddenly covered her mouth, letting out a suppressed, almost devastating sob, and stumbled out of the door of the "Genting" cafe. The sound of her high heels was messy and awkward, like a stray dog.

The café remained dead silent. All the guests, having witnessed this "one-sided massacre," even breathed softly. Their gazes were once again focused on Ling, filled with indescribable awe and complexity.

Yu Ling gently closed the thick "Star" manual. She picked up the now-cold cappuccino and took a sip. The bitter, icy taste slid down her throat, strangely soothing all the bitterness and turmoil she had felt.

She picked up the yellowed Polaroid photo and looked at the young Zhao Chen and the smiling Gu Qianqian in his arms. Her fingertips lingered for a moment on the hideous black sports car and the broken glass on the ground.

Then, she flicked her wrist.

The piece of paper that carried what others called "sweet memories" fell like a fallen leaf into the polished brass trash can beside the table.

"bite."

There was a soft sound. The dust settled.