Chapter 43 The Knot in the Heart.

The following day, Gu Sui accompanied Shang Shu to Liang Wanzhi's clinic as agreed.

Shang Shu took a couple of light breaths, stopped at the door, and began to stare blankly at the familiar nameplate.

"Do you need me to come in with you?" Gu Sui stood behind the person and noticed the unease in their eyes.

Actually, she knew Shang Shu was nervous last night. When a young girl is nervous, she tends to talk about other things. She barely ate any dinner last night.

Shang Shu turned her head slightly, then shook it again, somewhat dazed, and said, "No need."

"Then I'll wait for you here," Gu Sui said, gently placing his hand on the other's lower back.

Shang Shu closed her eyes, knowing that she was the type of person who would back down the more she hesitated, so she simply forced herself to raise her hand and knock on the door of the consultation room.

After being told to "come in," Shang Shu pushed the door open and entered. As she closed the door, she deliberately avoided meeting Gu Sui's gaze, because she was afraid that she would back down again.

Gu Sui sat down on the sofa in the corridor and began browsing the articles. Not long after she met the professor in Luncheng, she received an email from Annie, who wanted to invite her to co-author a book.

Looking at the dates marked on the outline that Annie sent, and the chapters in the plan that closely matched her professional direction, I guessed that this plan might have been around for a long time. The other party must have been unsure of her health condition before, which is why they didn't dare to contact her rashly. After all, humanistic care is a top priority in their culture.

Now that the topic has been brought up again, she is naturally very happy to help. Reading articles and documents is not only not difficult for her, but she has even regarded it as a pastime in her spare time. Shang Shu has complained about this as "abnormal" more than once.

Thinking of this, Gu Sui couldn't help but curl up her lips. The image of the little girl's coquettish face appeared in her mind. She tapped the screen, which was about to go dark, and continued watching.

When Shang Shu came out again, it was more than an hour later.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw Gu Sui sitting on a single sofa not far away, scrolling through his phone with one hand.

Seeing her come out, Gu Sui got up and put her phone away. Looking at Shang Shu's somewhat tired face, she didn't ask any questions, only asking, "Are you hungry?"

Shang Shu shook her head, her steps quickening: "Let's go."

Gu Sui didn't say anything, just quietly followed behind the person, thinking that there probably weren't many people who could be lively and energetic right after coming out of the clinic.

Back in the car, Gu Sui put his hands on the steering wheel and watched as the little girl beside him started struggling with the seatbelt again.

She knew this was a sign of being in a bad mood.

She leaned over to help button it up, and asked softly, "Do you want to go home?"

She used the question "want" to mean that it's okay if she doesn't want to, she can go somewhere else, eat, go shopping, have entertainment or anything else, she'd be happy to accompany her.

Shang Shu hesitated for a few seconds, then said calmly, "I might have to go to the company to take care of some things." She placed her hands on her thighs. "I don't know when it will be over, so don't wait for me."

The tone was neither firm nor soft, not like a discussion.

"Okay." Gu Sui agreed readily, then started the sports car. "Take a nap if you're tired, I'll wake you when we get there."

She knew Shang Shu was in a state of turmoil, and she had done some research before coming, clearly knowing that she should give her some time and space to process things.

Shang Shu leaned her head against the window frame, staring blankly at the receding street scene.

Even in December, the banyan trees lining the roadside are still lush and verdant, and in some places they have even been decorated with Christmas lights.

In fact, the Christmas atmosphere in Macau is no less than that abroad, but in recent years, she has intentionally kept herself out of the atmosphere.

She thought there might really be a chance to change things this year, but that bucket of cold water just now has completely drenched her.

Liang Wanzhi was very smart, or rather, she had excellent professional skills and rich experience. People could tell from the moment she entered that she was different from last time, even though she thought that her not-so-good complexion was no different from before.

What made you change your attitude towards her?

"Through our time together and her apology, I feel that her departure back then wasn't as terrible as I had imagined."

"So, do you still care about this unknown answer?"

"certainly."

"But you didn't choose to ask directly, was it because you were afraid of losing her again?"

Shang Shu fell silent.

A deep, long silence followed, until she watched helplessly as the steam from Liang Wanzhi's coffee dissipated once more.

"Your willingness to confront this relationship is a big step forward, but if you don't address the real pain points, the relationship's difficulties may recur."

"In other words, avoiding the underlying issues cannot completely solve the problem."

A knot in one's heart.

She was somewhat annoyed by Liang Wanzhi's sharp remark, which was no less than having a mouthful of wasabi suddenly shoved into her mouth while she was enjoying dessert.

A sudden enlightenment? But she clearly knew everything.

She was fully aware of the unresolved barriers, yet she insisted on indulging in that alluring and seductive love, and she herself wove this beautiful dream that would eventually vanish.

"Are you cold?" Gu Sui's soft voice pulled her back to reality.

Shang Shu shook her head, her eyes still fixed on the street outside the car window.

She counted down one minute, took a few breaths, and asked, "Gu Sui, will you regret this?"

"What?" the person beside him asked in confusion.

Shang Shu's eyes reddened slightly as she looked at the banyan trees that crowded into her field of vision and then fled in an instant: "I regret breaking up with you."

Gu Sui's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his breathing becoming erratic: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Shang Shu forced a bitter smile at the car window. Gu Sui was like that; when he didn't want to answer, he would always ask a question in return, throwing the question to someone else. He was very clever.

"Liang Wanzhi asked me that just now." She tried to make a last-ditch effort.

The sports car stopped at the traffic light, and the atmosphere inside was somewhat subtle.

"So what's your answer?" Gu Sui's cool voice drifted lightly into her ears.

Itching, weakness.

"Focus on driving for now." She turned around somewhat inappropriately and smiled at the person.

She knew her smile must be very sweet, with her lips curving into a beautiful arc and her eyes slightly narrowed, because many years ago, she could smile like that every day.

Gu Sui.

I really have given you far too many chances.

*

Sitting in her office, Shang Shu looked down through the floor-to-ceiling window. The black sports car paused briefly before obediently leaving.

"Mr. Shang."

"Give me ten minutes." Shang Shu sat in the chair with her back to Song Lanye. She needed some time before dealing with other matters.

Song Lan didn't say anything, but silently closed the door when she left.

She knew Shang Shu's habit, especially from three years ago, when Shang Shu always needed time to adjust herself and would only call her in after she was sure she could fully devote herself to her work.

It started as two hours, then became one, half, and then got shorter and shorter.

She admired him for being able to do it, but she didn't know why this habit had suddenly returned today.

Shang Shu stared blankly at the buildings in the distance.

“Build new trust and security in the new relationship, and gradually fill the void from the past.” This was Liang Wanzhi’s second suggestion to her.

She told her that there was no standard answer as to whether it could be fully covered, only attempts, and that such a process was usually more arduous and longer than "reconstruction after understanding the truth"—a year, ten years, or even a lifetime.

So she had to find a way to end things.

Shang Shu rubbed her numb temples, got up and opened the door.

"Speak," she said, gesturing for Song Lan to come in as well, before closing the door tightly.

Song Lan also pulled up the contents of the tablet and frowned, saying, "Look, here, and here, these funds are marked as 'for internal family use' and have complicated transfers. The account they finally arrived at belongs to the Chen family."

"..."

Looking at her, Shang Shu had to admit that Feng Yuan had really made a good plan. The "family internal use" could not only prevent the board of directors from asking troublesome questions, but even if the matter came to light, it could be covered up by the name of Shang Zhiyi's "dowry". In that case... she must have reached some kind of cooperation with the Chen family. So, Shang Zhiyi's marriage was also a transaction?

“Keep an eye on this account.” Shang Shu pondered. She still had too little evidence. Taking rash action would alert the enemy, especially since she didn’t know Shang Wei’s attitude.

"Any news from Secretary Kong?" she asked, frowning.

Song Lan also shook her head: "No, we haven't received any private or anonymous contact either. Perhaps she really is under surveillance."

"After the exhibition ends in a few days, I need to find an opportunity to meet with Shang Wei." Shang Shu closed her eyes.

She didn't know whether to hope it was a conspiracy theory or something else. If it was all Shang Wei and Feng Yuan's own scheme, then there was nothing she could do. But the fact that Secretary Kong had gone to so much trouble to tell her about this matter and her situation didn't seem fake. If it was all true, then she would have to think about this matter more carefully.

She sighed and asked something else: "Has everything been confirmed with White-Glove?"

White Gloves Art Logistics offers a dedicated and extremely cautious jewelry transportation service. Before shipment, each piece is categorized by value and sensitivity, photographed in high resolution, and its weight, dimensions, certificate number, and special markings are recorded. For packing, the team uses tamper-evident seals and secure bags with visible signs of damage, prioritizing protection and ensuring traceability.

"The policy has already been signed, and we're making the necessary records for departure these past two days," Song Lan replied quickly.

Shang Shu had always trusted Song Lan's work. With the start date drawing closer, she only hoped to ensure everything went smoothly and without any mishaps.

My phone vibrated.

Shang Shu's heart tightened, and she subconsciously thought it was Gu Sui.

I picked up my phone and saw it was a message from Ji Songning: "Senior, are you busy?"

The crucial period for frequent communication between them had passed, and she was a little unsure of what the other person was thinking.

"What's wrong?" she replied.

It's pathetic, but the rhetorical question is indeed a useful tactic.

After hesitating for a while, the other party sent a voice message, roughly saying that they wanted to invite her to dinner and also wanted to visit S&S, asking if it was convenient for her.

Shang Shu sighed. Having just gone through all that, she really didn't have the leisure or inclination for anything else. But since she was the one who brought up the idea of ​​inviting someone to dinner, and the other person didn't take it as just a polite remark, she naturally had to take it seriously as well.

She glanced at the time, deciding to get things done quickly: "Are you free later?"

【Yes!】Ji Songning replied quickly, adding a happy emoji.

Shang Shu noticed that Ji Songning really liked using cute emojis, and for some reason, she thought of Gu Sui, who never used emojis.

She shook her head, asked Song Lan to book a restaurant near her home, and sent the company address to Ji Songning.

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Author's Note: Thank you again to my little angels for the nutrient solution! [heart emoji] Grateful~