Chapter 84 Confessing Our Hearts (Part 2) Why did you do all this...?

Lu Ming then dropped his joking tone and became serious: "Okay, listen carefully. First of all, do you know where the key strength came from that allowed us to stabilize the situation so quickly?" He stared into Gu Qingyan's eyes and said clearly, word by word: "It was Lin Yuwei. To help Qichen acquire those crucial scattered shares on the market, she sold all her apartments and award-winning artworks to cash out and enter the market. Also, that beautiful turnaround in public opinion was also orchestrated by her hiring a team of bloggers at great expense. Even the crucial code vulnerability that convinced the experts was discovered by her and her technical team working tirelessly day and night."

Lu Ming's few words struck Gu Qingyan's heart like heavy blows, leaving her completely stunned. Her pupils contracted, and her face was filled with disbelief.

Shock, overwhelming heartache, and surging emotion... a multitude of extremely complex emotions clashed and churned violently in his chest, leaving him speechless for a moment. He could only stare blankly at Lu Ming, as if unable to process this astonishing fact.

Seeing his brother's rare moment of loss of composure, Lu Ming deliberately paused for a moment, giving him time to process it. Then, he slowly dropped the last, and most impactful, piece of news: "Of course, all of the above is just an 'appetizer' compared to the real bombshell news below."

Gu Qingyan's heart skipped a beat. A vague but unthinkable guess surfaced in his mind, and he almost held his breath: "...What news?"

Lu Ming's face broke into a bright smile, genuinely happy for her, and he said slowly, "Miss Lin has dissolved her engagement with Zhou Xubai and is now a free woman. You can pursue her openly and honestly."

"!!!" Gu Qingyan froze completely, his mind went blank. Lu Ming's words were like a thunderclap that ripped through the night sky, exploding in his mind.

Shares, public opinion, stock codes, her resolute decision to sell all her assets, her tireless protection day and night, the tenderness in her eyes that he once dared not confirm, and this sudden news of the annulment of the engagement... all the fragmented clues were connected in an instant, forming the truth that almost stopped his heart.

A tremendous shock and overwhelming joy crashed over Gu Qingyan like a tsunami, overwhelming his reason and restraint. He opened his mouth, but found his throat choked and he couldn't make a sound. Only his eyes uncontrollably reddened and became wet.

An eerie silence fell over the ward, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the medical equipment.

Lu Ming gently patted Gu Qingyan's shoulder, his tone becoming more serious and sincere than ever before: "Now, you finally understand, right? What she did for you was far more than you imagined, far more selfless. Miss Lin should be back soon. I'll keep an eye on things at the company, so you can focus on recovering. I'll be going now." He stood up, walked to the door, then turned back to look deeply at Gu Qingyan, his tone solemn: "Brother, Miss Lin's intentions are too profound. This time, you must cherish it and not miss it again."

Lin Yuwei guessed that Lu Ming had already left before slowly walking back to the ward. Pushing open the door, she was caught off guard and bumped into Gu Qingyan's unfathomable eyes. He was staring at her intently, his gaze no longer weak and confused as when he was ill, but sharp and calm, as if it contained a raging storm, and also carried an insight that could almost see through her soul.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively stopped at the doorway, as if an invisible tension was spreading in the air.

Gu Qingyan didn't speak, but simply gazed at her silently and intently. His gaze slowly swept over her slightly flushed cheeks, past her lips that were pursed in slight nervousness, and finally locked onto her eyes again. His eyes were too complex, surging with unbelievable shock, unfathomable heartache, and an almost bursting, overwhelming joy of having regained what was lost.

Lin Yuwei felt flustered under his gaze, her heart pounding like a drum. She hastily looked away, walked to the bedside table, and instinctively reached for a water glass, trying to break the suffocating atmosphere with her busy movements: "Do you...do you want some water? Or...would you like some fruit? I'll peel an apple for you..."

The moment her fingertips touched the cool glass, a slightly cool but unusually firm and strong hand covered hers, gently pressing down on the back of her hand and stopping her movement.

Lin Yuwei froze, as if she had been frozen in place.

“Weiwei,” Gu Qingyan finally spoke, his voice hoarse with excitement, “come sit down, don’t be busy.” He paused, his gaze still fixed on her, each word spoken extremely slowly and clearly, as if using all his strength: “Lu Ming… he told me everything. All the… funding, the propaganda war, the code… and, your engagement with Zhou Xubai…”

He spoke the last few words almost breathlessly, as if confirming a miracle so beautiful it seemed unreal.

Lin Yuwei's face instantly flushed red, even her fair neck turning crimson. Embarrassed, she tried to pull her hand away, wanting to escape this situation where she was completely exposed and had nowhere to hide. Her voice was so weak it was almost inaudible: "No...it's nothing...you've helped me a lot before...this time, I can't just stand by and watch..."

“It’s not because of the project, nor because of morality.” Gu Qingyan interrupted her decisively, his tone carrying an unprecedented and unquestionable certainty. He slightly propped himself up and moved closer to her. In his usually deep and calm eyes, there was now a surge of intense emotions she had never seen before, like a turbulent sea.

“It’s because of me.” He stared at her intently, his gaze unwavering, allowing her no room to look away. “Look at me, Weiwei.” He gently raised his other hand, his fingertips trembling slightly, and carefully touched her chin, forcing her to lift her head, which had been hanging low, to meet his burning gaze.

His fingertips were cool, yet wherever they touched, they felt like they were igniting flames, burning her heart.

“You broke off the engagement, staked your entire fortune and future, ran around for me, and stayed up countless nights… and now, you’re here by my side like this,” his voice was deep and powerful, each word like a hammer blow striking her heart: “Tell me, Weiwei, did all this… was it out of pity for me, Gu Qingyan, in my misfortune, out of pity for me, or because…”

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. In those usually calm and restrained eyes, a fragile eagerness and fear were now clearly revealed. He finally asked the crucial question that had stood between them for years: "...Do you still have me in your heart?"

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Lin Yuwei gazed at him, at this man she had loved, resented, and struggled with, yet ultimately found to be deeply etched into her soul. She looked at his pale yet undeniably handsome face, at the intense, almost overflowing affection in his eyes, at the barely concealed anxiety, at his stubbornness in seeking a clear answer from her despite his illness…

All the carefully constructed defenses, all the feigned calm, collapsed and shattered completely at this moment.

Her eyes quickly reddened, and the pent-up tears blurred her vision. She didn't answer immediately, but simply took a deep breath, as if she had finally lifted a heavy burden from her heart.

Then, very slowly, yet with unwavering determination, she nodded.

With this simple action, glistening tears finally succumbed to the weight and quietly slid down.

The moment she nodded, a dazzling light burst forth in Gu Qingyan's eyes—an extreme ecstasy and an unbelievable sense of redemption. All restraint and forbearance crumbled at that moment, and he pulled her into his arms with a sudden burst of strength, holding her tightly, very tightly.

It was an embrace that used almost all its strength, filled with the trembling of someone who had survived a catastrophe and the preciousness of something lost and found, as if it wanted to completely integrate her slender body into its own bones and blood, so that they would never be separated again.

Lin Yuwei was caught off guard and fell into his firm yet still somewhat thin embrace. Her cheek pressed against his slightly cool hospital gown, and she could hear the violent and rapid heartbeat coming from his chest. Each beat heavily struck her eardrums and deeply impacted her soul.

Her body stiffened for a moment, and then, all the pent-up grievances, the worries and fears of the past few days, and the love that had never been extinguished deep in her heart finally found its final resting place in this incredibly solid and warm embrace. She closed her eyes, reached out her slightly trembling arms, and gently, yet with absolute certainty, hugged his slender waist back. Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls, silently gushing forth and quickly soaking the front of his shirt.

This is an embrace that has been long overdue. It has traversed a long period of time, numerous misunderstandings, and inner struggles, and finally, at this moment, it has fulfilled its wish and landed perfectly.

Gu Qingyan buried his face deep in the crook of her neck, which exuded a faint fragrance, greedily inhaling her scent that was uniquely hers and brought him immense peace. His voice was muffled, thick with nasal tone and choked with unprecedented emotion: "I'm sorry... Weiwei, I'm so sorry... It's all my fault, making you bear so much alone, it's been so hard... Thank you... Thank you for still coming to me, for not giving up on me..."

He raised his head, gently cupping her tear-streaked face in his hands, his thumbs softly wiping away her tears again and again. His gaze was devout and solemn, as if he were making a vow for life: "Weiwei, this time, even if the sky falls, I will never let go of your hand again, never!"

Lin Yuwei looked at him, and through her teary eyes, she clearly saw her small, complete reflection in his pupils. She finally stopped suppressing her surging emotions and let her tears flow freely. Slowly, slowly, a tearful, incredibly relieved and happy smile appeared on her lips.

The morning sunlight streamed through the clean window, gently enveloping the two people who were tightly embracing, as if gilding their love, which had overcome many hardships and finally seen the light of day, with an eternal golden glow.

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Author's note: Hooray! (°▽°)ノ Damn, we're finally together!

Preview~ The next chapter is about them persuading Lin Yuwei's mother, a highlight moment~ After that, there will be some sweet and romantic scenes... haha, don't miss it!