Chapter 5 Lin Yuwei was startled: "Let go..."

As the party progressed into its second half, Zhou Xubai considerately led Lin Yuwei to the terrace lounge area. Moonlight streamed through the glass dome, casting a silvery glow on her white dress. Zhou Xubai called over a waiter to bring her lemonade. Lin Yuwei accepted the lemonade from Zhou Xubai and said thank you. The first half of the party had indeed made her a little tired, especially her feet in high heels.

She leaned back on the sofa, relaxing her whole body, her fingertips unconsciously drawing circles on the water droplets that had condensed on the glass.

"You know Gu Qingyan?" Zhou Xubai suddenly asked, his voice carrying just the right amount of casualness. Lin Yuwei's fingertips paused slightly, and the sound of the fountain in the distance suddenly became clear, mixed with the faint violin melody from inside the room, forming a strange symphony in her ears.

“Hmm… You know that Mr. Gu bought my ‘Thorn Bird’ at a high price at yesterday’s auction, right?” She pursed her lips, turning the champagne glass in her palm. “So, he’s like my lucky charm.” She tried to sound cheerful, as if she were talking about a collector she had never met. Only she knew that when she said the words “Mr. Gu,” a wave of bittersweet emotion washed over her.

Zhou Xubai leaned against the carved railing, thoughtfully swirling the wine in his glass, the ice clinking crisply. "You might not know him since you're abroad, but this Gu Qingyan is no ordinary person. In recent years, his company has risen to prominence in the tech world, becoming the biggest dark horse in everyone's eyes. He entered the top ten of the rich list at the age of twenty-seven. It's said that even Silicon Valley is vying for the AI ​​algorithm he developed." His gaze fell on Lin Yuwei's slightly tense shoulders. "I'm not familiar with him, but tonight, this tech upstart seems a bit difficult to get along with. If there are any problems with the handover of the subsequent works, you can let me know. I know a few professional craft brokers."

"Xu Bai, thank you, you're so kind." Lin Yuwei smiled sweetly, the dark gold glitter at the corner of her eyes shimmering gently with each blink. She lowered her head to sip her lemonade, using the gesture to conceal the turmoil in her eyes. Even Zhou Xu Bai, whom she was meeting for the first time, could see through Gu Qingyan's danger at a glance. It seemed that the boy who had once been as docile as a lamb in her presence had indeed grown into a fearsome beast.

She couldn't help but think that although Gu Qingyan paid a high price for The Thorn Birds, if she could do it all over again, she would have preferred that The Thorn Birds be bought by any other collector. During her eight years abroad, she had used all her strength to bury all the brokenness and darkness of the past and usher in a new life. Gu Qingyan's appearance was like someone suddenly digging up everything that had been buried and exposing it to the sunlight.

After resting, Lin Yuwei got up and walked towards the reception hall. As soon as she turned the corner, she saw Gu Qingyan talking with two guests. The terrace lights fell on his well-defined profile, making his eyebrows and eyes appear even more deep and cold. His gaze met Lin Yuwei's, and Lin Yuwei hurriedly looked away, put on a perfect smile, nodded to the guests, and quickly walked back to the front hall.

The opening reception finally came to a successful end, and as the last few guests left, the glow of the crystal chandelier gradually dimmed.

Zhou Xubai originally wanted to call a designated driver to take Lin Yuwei home first, but Lin Yuwei remembered that she still had things to do at the studio, so she politely declined Zhou Xubai's offer to see her off: "There's still some finishing work at the studio, I want to finish it before I leave, otherwise I won't be able to sleep well tonight." She pulled her shawl tighter: "I'll just take a taxi myself later." Zhou Xubai hesitated for a moment, but in the end he just gently squeezed her hand. The touch was cool and dry, completely different from the warm hands she remembered.

After finishing her work at the studio, it was already late at night. She walked out of the building where the studio was located. In front of the building was an open-air parking lot full of cars. The dim lights in the distance cast a long shadow of her. Her high heels made a crisp sound on the marble floor, and each step created a slight echo in the parking lot.

As she walked past a Maybach, the rear door near her suddenly opened. Lin Yuwei instinctively tried to back away, but felt an irresistible force grip her wrist, instantly pulling her into the car.

Lin Yuwei gasped and stumbled into a familiar embrace. The chest was firmer than she remembered, but the breath was as cold as the wind in a pine forest. It was Gu Qingyan! Gu Qingyan pressed her against the back of the car seat, the coolness of the backrest seeping into her spine through her thin dress.

"Pretending not to know me in front of Zhou Xubai?" His voice was low and hoarse, his ambiguous and dangerous aura brushing against her ear: "Lin Yuwei, I thought that in the eight years you disappeared, you had at least learned to respect people, but it seems that you haven't."

Lin Yuwei looked at the person on top of her, her gaze meeting his eyes. She found that the calm expression he showed in public was gone, replaced by a surging, complex emotion that she couldn't understand. Was it anger? Was it hurt? Or something else?

****

On his first day transferring to Lin Yuwei's class, Gu Qingyan was like a little sparrow that had wandered into a peacock garden. The brand-new school uniform that Lin Yuwei's mother had bought for him looked empty on his thin body, and his tanned face was particularly striking under the bright classroom lights.

"Lin Yuwei, who is this country bumpkin? I heard you went to school with him today? Is he a relative of yours?" The girls in the class surrounded Lin Yuwei and started gossiping.

"Who said that? I don't know him at all!" Lin Yuwei slammed her metal pencil case down with a loud bang, speaking slowly and deliberately.

When school was over, she deliberately quickened her pace, leaving Gu Qingyan far behind. After getting into the car, she shouted to the driver in the front seat, "Master Xie, hurry up and drive!" Driver Xie looked in the direction of the school and asked, "Where's Gu Qingyan? Isn't he taking a car home?"

Lin Yuwei angrily ordered, "Ignore him. My stomach hurts, I need to go home right away. If you don't leave, I'll tell my mom to fire you." Driver Xie withdrew his gaze and hurriedly started the car.

As the car drove past the school gate, Lin Yuwei saw through the car window that small figure was looking around blankly at the school gate, and a mischievous pleasure flashed through her heart.

That evening, Aunt Gu, who had finished cooking, realized that Gu Qingyan hadn't come home. She was frantic with worry. Her rough fingers gripped the edge of her apron as she cautiously asked, "Miss Lin, didn't Qingyan come home with you after school?"

Lin Yuwei sat at the dining table, slowly picking at the fish bones: "I don't know. I didn't see him after school. Maybe he was playing and went off with other kids." Aunt Gu's cooking was indeed as delicious as her mother had said. Lin Yuwei didn't want to waste any more time explaining anything about Gu Qingyan, so she lowered her head to eat and stopped looking at Aunt Gu.

Aunt Gu muttered to herself, "Qingyan doesn't know the way back, where could he have gone?" Seeing that Lin Yuwei ignored her, she walked to the door, took out her phone, and said, "Mrs. Lin, I've prepared dinner for tonight. Qingyan hasn't come home yet. I'd like to ask for leave to go look for him." Her voice was trembling, whether from fear or nervousness.

Just then, Gu Qingyan, covered in sweat, ran into the dining room. Aunt Gu exclaimed and ran over, slapping him hard on the back several times: "Running around on your first day of school?" Gu Qingyan's body lurched forward from the slaps, and he looked up to meet Lin Yuwei's provocative gaze.

"Mom, I was wrong, it was my fault... I was too slow when I got home from school." His voice was as light as a feather: "I missed the bus."

Late at night, Lin Yuwei's mother came home. She went to Lin Yuwei's room, and Lin Yuwei pretended to be asleep. But her mother suddenly turned on the light, and the light hurt Lin Yuwei's eyes.

She saw Aunt Gu and the annoying Gu Qingyan standing by the door.

Lin Yuwei's mother raised her voice: "Weiwei, tell me honestly, did you deliberately not bring Gu Qingyan home today?"

"I told you long ago I didn't want him as my playmate! I don't want him following me!" Lin Yuwei kicked off the blanket: "You didn't see it, all the classmates laughed at me today."

Aunt Gu immediately said, "Madam, Qingyan can take the bus to school by herself from now on." But Lin Yuwei's mother interrupted her, "It's such a long way, how can she take the bus?" She turned to Lin Yuwei and said, "If you keep acting up, I'll deduct three months' allowance."

In the end, Lin Yuwei reluctantly compromised on the condition that Gu Qingyan must pretend not to know her at school and that he must arrive at the car ten minutes early every day and not walk with her.

****

Inside the Maybach.

“Gu Qingyan, I was wrong for the past ten years or so. I’m truly sorry for the harm I caused you and Aunt Gu.” Lin Yuwei lowered her head, trying to make her voice sound as sincere as possible. “I’ve spent eight years reflecting on my actions, and I’m back now to start afresh.” Her gaze was fixed on the road ahead, trying to keep her eyes calm. “Once the project is handed over, we won’t contact each other again. I promise I will never appear in front of you on my own initiative…”

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Qingyan suddenly ripped open his shirt collar. The car was dimly lit, and the hideous scar below his collarbone resembled a twisted centipede—a mark left when he shielded her from a knife in a bar on a rainy night when they were seventeen. "You think you can just turn the page like that?" His voice carried a ruthlessness and resentment she had never heard before.

"Then what do you want to do..." Lin Yuwei asked, frowning.

The next second, Gu Qingyan's lips pressed down heavily, startling Lin Yuwei: "Let... um... go..." But her words were crushed between her lips and teeth.

Gu Qingyan's kiss carried a punitive meaning. The more Lin Yuwei struggled, the tighter his arms became. Lin Yuwei was truly helpless, and the fear and grievance in her heart turned into tears, rolling down from the corners of her eyes.

Gu Qingyan tasted the salty tears on her face and abruptly released her.

"Gu Qingyan, what do you want from me to let me go?" Lin Yuwei gasped for breath, her voice trembling. "And let yourself go too?"

Gu Qingyan's fingers traced the corner of her moist lips, his eyes as dark as unyielding ink: "Lin Yuwei, you've bullied me for twelve years. I thought I could let it go, but unfortunately, I'm still in the shadow you cast." He pressed his thumb heavily against her lips: "Once I've gotten my revenge, I'll naturally let you go. That's fair, isn't it?"

Lin Yuwei was speechless. Gu Qingyan's voice suddenly became very soft: "Where do you live now?" She didn't want him to know where she lived, so she made an excuse: "You can't drive after drinking."

“I’ve switched to soda water.” Gu Qingyan took out his car keys from his pocket. “Nobody’s leaving tonight without my address. Would you rather I take you home, or spend the night with me in the car?” Lin Yuwei knew she couldn’t refuse him, so she had no choice but to give him her address.

The black Maybach drove into the deep night. Lin Yuwei looked at the flowing neon lights outside the window and vaguely remembered a late night in college when Gu Qingyan took her to the hospital when she had a fever.

When Gu Qingyan's car pulled into the parking lot downstairs from her apartment building, she thought this ordeal was finally over. But to her surprise, Gu Qingyan showed no intention of leaving and even followed her upstairs. Lin Yuwei had no choice but to bite the bullet and go upstairs to open the door. Before she could even ask him to leave, Gu Qingyan had already entered the apartment, took off his suit jacket as if he were in his own home, and headed to the kitchen.

Lin Yuwei stood at the kitchen door, watching his practiced movements as he rolled up his shirt sleeves, the pale blue veins on the inside of his wrists appearing and disappearing with each movement.

As he sliced ​​the ginger and put it into the pot, the steam blurred his silhouette, and in that instant, he perfectly overlapped with the image of him cooking for her in the apartment during their college years.

The sounds of flowing water, cutting, and clinking porcelain... these subtle sounds of daily life suddenly brought tears to Lin Yuwei's eyes. She hurriedly turned around, pretending to tidy up the already neatly arranged coffee table. The glass coffee table reflected her blurry image, as well as the busy figure in the kitchen, as if they were meant to be this way, as if the eight years of separation had never existed.

A note from the author:

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