Chapter 52. A Lover's Tale.

Gu Sui woke up again on the soft rabbit fur carpet because Gu Qi broke down the door.

As soon as Gu Qi opened the door, she was choked by the smell of smoke mixed with alcohol and coughed. Looking at Gu Sui, who was slumped in a pile of bottles, she was both anxious and angry, and almost fainted.

It's all her fault for being careless. She knew yesterday that Gu Sui was bound to get into trouble, but she still thought that their meeting at the performance would at least bring some hope.

"Gu Sui, are you crazy?!" She rushed in front of Gu Sui and scooped him up.

Gu Sui had almost never heard Gu Qi speak in such a voice; it was sharp and shrill, with a hint of sobbing.

Her head ached and she felt dizzy. She didn't know what to say, so she just listened silently to Gu Qi's judgment, letting her sister shake her by the collar.

"Say something, say something!" Gu Qi was furious and wanted to wake the man up, but his hand, which was raised and hovering in mid-air, just wouldn't come down.

She finally knelt down beside her sister, panting heavily, her hair disheveled, looking helpless and powerless. No one would guess that this was the same Mr. Gu who had been a powerful figure in the business world just a moment ago.

"Gu Sui, do you not want to live anymore?" She cried, releasing her grip on Gu Sui's collar and covering her face. "Have you forgotten how you've survived all these years? How could you..."

How could you hurt your own body like that? How could you be so impulsive and reckless?

She choked on her words, and all around was silent except for Gu Sui's soft breathing and her faint sobs.

Once Gu Qi's emotions had finally calmed down, she looked at her haggard-looking sister and slowly said, "Do you think that all these years, you've been the only one who's had a hard time, Gu Sui? I've watched my sister grow weaker and thinner day by day, teetering on the brink of death. Have you ever thought about how much I've suffered?"

“But I dare not say it, I dare not say a single word. I am your sister, I have to take care of you, I have to force a smile, I can’t put any more pressure on you. I’m also afraid that Xiangyi will worry, and even afraid that she will not be able to hide her worries and will affect you in return…”

Gu Qi choked up and reached out to brush her hair back.

“I kept it a secret from the Gu family for you. Even now, I’m still thankful every morning when I open my eyes that you made it through. During that time, I even dreamed that they were chasing me, interrogating and beating me. They asked me why I kept it from them, and blamed me for not being a good older sister and for not taking good care of you. If you really were gone, it would be my fault for preventing them from seeing their youngest daughter one last time…”

Gu Qi took a deep breath and wiped away the tears on his face: "So Gu Sui, how can you face me and yourself like this?"

"sister."

After a long silence, Gu Sui finally moved his lips in a hoarse voice.

"I'm sorry, I'm just... feeling really bad."

Her head was throbbing and her stomach was burning. She curled her knees up slightly and hugged her legs to her arms.

"Is it because of Shang Shu?" Gu Qi sniffed, realizing he was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Gu Sui's throat trembled slightly, and a wave of bitterness surged in her heart. She lowered her head, letting her long hair fall down her side.

"She... might agree to go on a blind date."

Blind date.

Gu Qi rubbed her temples, remembering that she had recently declined to attend Shang Zhiyi and Chen Yu's engagement party.

She knew what this meant, especially in their circle, where wealthy families were all calculating and eyeing each other, selecting suitable partners for resource complementarity, and using marriages among family members to bind interests and maximize value.

The social circle in Macau is small, so this process usually doesn't take too long.

The process involves two people choosing each other, going on a blind date, reaching an agreement, getting engaged, getting married, and having children.

Once it begins, participants are drawn into this fast-paced and formulaic life.

Gu Qi would have done the same back then, but something unexpected happened.

Gu Qi has a childhood sweetheart from a shipping family. The two are in love, and both families are satisfied. They are just waiting for the right age to get married.

However, as the port scale of Hong Kong and other places expanded rapidly, coupled with the limited natural waters of Macau, it could no longer undertake large-scale international shipping business, so the traditional shipping families began to lose the support they relied on for survival.

With the transformation of the times, the real estate industry has become the absolute core of Macau City. The explosive profits have led to a redistribution of resources in Macau City. The Gu family is at its peak, and the family has a near monopoly on the real estate industry in Macau City.

Therefore, Gu Yushan began to reconsider Gu Qi's marriage partner, and even wanted her to marry into a wealthy family in Hong Kong or Portugal so that the Gu family could rise to a higher level.

But Gu Qi refused to agree. She insisted on marrying only her childhood sweetheart. Later, in order to counter the Gu family, she became pregnant with Gu Xiangyi first, thinking that this would make Gu Yushan grant their love.

Unfortunately, just as the Gu family was about to relent, the childhood friend's family believed that the Gu family had broken their promise first and was now resorting to this desperate measure because they had no other choice. Therefore, they refused to agree no matter what, forcibly took the childhood friend away, immigrated overseas with their entire family, and severed all contact between the two.

After this ordeal, the Gu family felt quite embarrassed. Gu Yushan and Zhou Ling tried to persuade Gu Qi to abort the child so that everything could start over. However, Gu Qi refused and, in a fit of pique, was kicked out of the house.

For the first few years, Gu Sui never gave up trying to find out about her childhood sweetheart, but the two families deliberately kept it from her, making it extremely difficult for her to learn even the slightest bit. It wasn't until many years later that Gu Qi heard news about his childhood sweetheart again, only to learn that he had married someone else.

She didn't blame him; she figured he must have had no choice in the situation either. She just lamented how fate plays tricks on people and how unpredictable life is.

For many years, with Gu Sui's secret help, Gu Qi raised Gu Xiangyi all by himself. Now, nearing middle age, he seems to have everything and is almost perfect.

Only she and Gu Sui knew this regret, so she would never forgive her parents. Even after taking over the Guangjing, she still refused to step into the Gu family home.

Gu Qi completed this rebellion with a less-than-ideal ending, and now it's her sister's turn, and the young girl from the merchant's shop.

Gu Qi sighed, wondering how the Gu family, such a cold and indifferent place, could produce two such romantic souls like them.

She knew they loved each other, or at least she knew all too well how much Gu Sui loved them, so she wanted to do her best to help them, which could be considered as making up for her own regrets from back then.

They didn't deserve such a hasty ending.

Gu Sui sighed: "What did you tell me back then? You said you didn't want me to interfere, that you could handle this relationship, but look at you now."

“I don’t know Shang Shu, but I know that if she really marries someone she doesn’t like, she may not be happy. I also know you. You will stay by her side and never consider anyone else in this life. Is this really what you want?”

Gu Qi shook his head and looked into his sister's eyes: "Ah Sui, what you planned back then..."

"Sister." Gu Sui interrupted Gu Qi before she could finish speaking. Of course, she knew what Gu Qi was talking about, but it was something she didn't want to bring up again.

"Are you really willing to just let go like this? Can't you be a little selfish and just do it this once, for your sake and for hers?"

Gu Qi was so anxious that she even used the word "selfish," which was Gu Sui's original word. But she never thought that way. She just knew that her younger sister was stubborn and always had her own plans. She had never been able to persuade her sister successfully in any matter in her life, so she had no choice but to say it now.

Seeing the man frowning and silent, she glanced at the scattered bottles and cigarettes on the ground and felt a wave of fear wash over her.

Thankfully, she hadn't drunk too much; she was glad that Gu Sui had a low alcohol tolerance.

"Go take a shower, tidy yourself up, and think carefully about what I said." Gu Qi stood up, supporting himself on the edge of the bed, and then pulled Gu Sui up as well.

However, this was only half true, because she didn't intend to give Gu Sui any more time to consider; she couldn't afford to be threatened like this a second time.

Since Gu Sui is unwilling to speak, then she will speak for herself.

*

Shang Shu had a fever all night, and then she fell into a deep sleep. She was in a daze and felt like she was hallucinating. When she opened her eyes during the intervals between sleep, everyone looked like Gu Sui.

The family doctor reluctantly gave the young lady an immune booster injection after her fever-reducing injection, since she seemed to be coming a bit too frequently lately.

When Shang Shu woke up again, she opened her eyes and saw Song Lanye watching over her bedside. She moved her lips, her throat dry: "How long have I been asleep?"

Her voice was so hoarse and unpleasant that Shang Shu couldn't help but cough.

Song Lan thoughtfully poured a glass of warm water and handed it to the person: "Two days."

So long.

When she first woke up, her mind was still a bit fuzzy, but she instinctively reached for her phone, afraid of missing any messages from Gu Sui.

She found half of it, then suddenly stopped.

She was delirious with fever, acting like a fool. If Gu Sui had intended to make contact, the person she saw when she opened her eyes just now wouldn't have been Song Lanye.

She was somewhat dejected, vaguely remembering that the person who had been by her side at the beginning was Lin Lang. She looked around for Lin Lang but couldn't find him, so she asked Song Lan, "Where is Lin Lang?"

"Ms. Lin went home for a family gathering and said she would come over after it ended in the afternoon."

Song Lan was telling the truth. It was fortunate that Shang Shu asked her at this time. If it had been a day earlier, when Lin Lang went to find Gu Sui, she would probably have had to think carefully about what lie to make up.

She remained outwardly calm, but involuntarily thought of the agreement. After all, she had done something "guilty" behind the back of the person in question. She only hoped that Shang Shu would remember it later, or never remember the yacht again.

"Oh." Shang Shu took small sips of water, still feeling a little dizzy.

After drinking for a while, Shang Shu noticed that the person was staring at her intently, as if they had figured something out.

Her throat felt a little better, and she put the cup aside: "Go back now. You've had a hard time these past two days. You don't need to watch over me anymore. I'll be fine."

She knew that Song Lan was also someone Lin Lang had found to take over her shift, and she also knew that they were doing it because they were worried about her. Thinking about how the two of them were taking turns watching over her, she felt a little embarrassed.

"It's alright, I'll wait for Miss Lin to come back." Song Lan, realizing she had been exposed, looked away somewhat awkwardly.

You can't trust people who say things like that, let alone a task assigned by Lin Lang. She wouldn't dare to run away halfway through.

Shang Shu pursed her lips. Since the other party had said that, she couldn't really send them away. She leaned back on the soft pillow to ease her dizziness.

My phone vibrated.

Song Lan glanced at her own phone subconsciously, then realized that another phone was ringing. She got up and took the phone from the coffee table not far away and handed it to Shang Shu.

A call from an unknown number.

Seeing that Shang Shu was about to answer the call, Song Lan tactfully left the room.

Shang Shu hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button and waited quietly for the other party to speak. A few seconds later, a familiar female voice came from the other end of the phone.

"It's me, Gu Qi."

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Author's Note: The countdown to reconciliation has begun! Keep up the countdown, three, two, one! [doge head with a rose in its mouth]