sad

After leaving Platinum Mansion, Gu Nan inexplicably took a detour and passed by the New Times.

The moment she parked the car, she realized that she seemed to have nothing to say. Since the day the vice president was removed, she hadn't had the energy to care about the New Times anymore. Ji Yuanyu, on the other hand, would send her a message or two from time to time, sometimes telling her about her aunt's physical and mental condition, and sometimes about Su Di's performance at the company.

She would only remember to reply to about ten messages at a time, but even so, Ji Yuanyu still enjoyed it immensely.

Gu Nan leaned against the front of the car, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a thin cigarette with one hand, put it between his lips, and smiled inexplicably.

She had previously said that Ji Yuanyu should become a kindergarten principal, and her aunt gave her a good lecture, telling her not to talk nonsense.

This is not nonsense; she has evidence to back it up.

As the last rays of golden light disappeared below the horizon, and twilight had not yet completely dissipated into the night, the light was soft and gentle, outlining the entire city into a hazy painting.

"Clatter".

A spark flashed, Gu Nan let out a long breath, got into the car and drove away.

I have a hypnosis session with Lu Yushi tonight. If the hypnosis ends early, I won't have to stay overnight.

Guessing that Lu Yushi had already eaten dinner, Gu Nan parked the car in front of the villa, handed the car keys to the security guard, and said, "I'll be leaving in a bit, no need to park in the garage."

With her mind preoccupied, she had no heart to appreciate the beautiful scenery, nor any interest in noticing any difference in the courtyard compared to usual.

The maid jogged forward to open the door for her.

Gu Nan nodded slightly and strode up the steps.

An unconscious glance upwards.

His steps suddenly stopped, and his body instinctively turned around.

The maid spoke before she could: "Miss Gu."

...

My left foot was dangling in mid-air; I couldn't move forward or backward.

The next second, Shi Nian'an's voice came from inside, gentle and elegant.

"Nannan? Is Nannan back?"

Gu Nan silently took a breath, wishing she had come later.

We can't leave now.

Quickly regaining her composure, Shi Nian'an arrived at the doorway, her eyes crinkling with joy. She affectionately took her arm and asked, "Child, have you had dinner yet?"

As he spoke, he led her into the house.

Beyond the screen, the table was laden with a rich variety of vibrant dishes. Lu Yuanjing sat in the head seat, and when their eyes met, he put down his chopsticks, nodded kindly to Gu Nan, and gestured for her to sit down.

Every move he made exuded warmth and elegance.

Gu Nan's gaze involuntarily shifted to the right, her peripheral vision falling on the table. The plate in front of Lu Yushi was piled high with nourishing dishes, making it easy to guess the deep love the man had for his son.

Feeling a soreness in her throat, Gu Nan looked away and declined, saying, "I've already eaten."

"Add another set of chopsticks and a bowl," Lu Yushi said calmly.

They spoke almost simultaneously, and their tones fell at the same time. The servant stood there, unsure of what to do.

Shi Nian'an waved to the maid to get it, and said with a smile, "Have some with us too."

Gu Nan rubbed her nose and muttered softly, "How could I possibly accept this?"

Shi Nian'an said reproachfully, "What's wrong with having a meal at your own home?"

As she spoke, she glared at Lu Yushi, feigning anger: "You knew Nannan was coming, why didn't you tell me sooner? Last time, my daughter and I met in a hurry, and we didn't even prepare a gift. This is the second time we've met. Are you deliberately trying to embarrass your father and me?"

Lu Yuanjing smiled and said, "Let's eat. I'll have someone prepare it right away."

Gu Nan quickly declined, "Thank you, Uncle and Aunt, there's no need for you to spend money."

She had been secretly observing Lu Yushi's expression and hadn't been able to respond in time. When Lu Yuanjing spoke again, she immediately made her stance clear.

She and Lu Yushi aren't really together, so what's the point of her accepting gifts?

“It’s no trouble at all, good child, don’t be so formal with us. If you want to thank us, we’d like to thank you instead. If it weren’t for Xiaoshi’s good fortune in meeting you, I wouldn’t have known… you’re our great benefactor.” Shi Nian’an took a sip of water, suppressing the sob churning in her throat, and continued, “Xiaoshi is busy, and we didn’t want to bother him, so we haven’t had a chance to meet you. Since you’re staying in a hotel in Beicheng, why don’t you just stay here? His father and I aren’t old-fashioned; we don’t have all those ridiculous ideas.”

Gu Nan lowered her eyes, her thoughts no longer on Shi Nian'an's words.

It was unclear whether it was the sob Shi Nian'an forced down that intensified the stinging in her nose, or the guilt in her heart that prevented her from accepting Shi Nian'an's gratitude with a clear conscience.

After dinner, Lu Yushi and Lu Yuanjing returned to the study one after the other. Shi Nian'an seemed to have finally found someone she could confide in, and tirelessly told Lu Yushi stories from his childhood.

Gu Nan responded occasionally, listening to those stories, and seemed to be able to imagine Lu Yushi as a child.

A calm and reliable young adult.

Influenced by Shi Nian'an, a subtle ripple appeared in her eyes.

Shi Nian'an changed the subject and sighed: "It's all my fault. I thought he was capable, so why was he squeezed into a branch company on the outskirts of Xuncheng? I was not convinced, so I complained to his father. His father finally persuaded the old man and got the start-up capital, but... but something still happened."

"What happened?" Gu Nan asked immediately, her thoughts being pulled forward by Shi Nian'an. Shi Nian'an suddenly stopped, and Gu Nan asked, her tone urgent without her even realizing it.

“He was tricked by his uncle.” Shi Nian’an shook her head, her eyes filled with hatred, and gently patted Gu Nan’s hand. “Thanks to you.”

Gu Nan didn't understand and just said "Ah".

A sudden thought flashed through my mind, and I remembered that when I hypnotized Lu Yushi, he seemed to be making a lot of noise.

His gaze involuntarily followed Shi Nian'an.

"Many years ago, the northern suburbs were undeveloped and eerie. During the day, people would feel a chill run down their spines if they went there. Once it got dark, people would avoid going there altogether. If it happened to be a rainy day with thunder and lightning, they would be scared to death."

Shi Nian'an patted his chest, seemingly still shaken.

"That damned Lu Yuanzhi framed Xiao Shi by accusing him of stealing and selling company secrets, and then locked him up in the suburbs."

In the desolate suburbs, the room where Lu Yushi was locked up could only provide shelter from the wind and rain, and could not block out any sound at all. The thick blackout curtains deprived him of the right to see, and his bound hands and feet made even walking to the door a luxury.

In the distance, packs of wild dogs howled intermittently. Inside the house, the electronic machine's sound fluctuated, sometimes as soft as a gentle stream, enticing one to sleep, but just as one was about to drift off, it suddenly turned into a sharp, piercing high-decibel noise.

This tormented Lu Yushi for a full 28 days.

During those 28 days, the only person he could see was Lu Yuanzhi, who either mocked his incompetence or forced him to kneel and beg for mercy.

Shi Nian'an tried to hold back, but still turned her head away, quickly wiping away a tear that she couldn't control. She clenched her teeth.

"Xiao Shi was tortured for almost a month. After he was released, the doctor found a high concentration of caffeine in his body. At that time, his father and I didn't dare to think whether Xiao Shi would wake up. Fortunately... fortunately he survived, but he was left with severe insomnia."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Shi Nian'an held Gu Nan's hand tightly, stroking it back and forth tirelessly, wishing she could convey all her goodwill through the warmth of his palm.

“Child, we really don’t know how to thank you, I…” Shi Nian’an choked up.

Gu Nan considered herself heartless, but when she saw Nian An, she was trying to suppress her grief, yet it was as if a blank space had appeared in her heart, as if a needle had scratched it.

She held Shi Nian'an's hand in a comforting gesture, unable to articulate her thoughts. Perhaps she was moved by a mother's love for her children, or perhaps she felt sorrow for what had happened to Lu Yushi.

Or perhaps, it's self-loathing.

"Old Lu... doesn't his grandfather care?"

Shi Nian'an's hatred intensified, and her tone involuntarily became harsher: "How can you not care? You're just meddling too much. I'd rather not handle family matters and deal with it according to the rules. Maybe that could clear Xiao Shi's name. The old man is a judge, but I don't know which country his heart is biased towards. Lu Yuanzhi's evidence is clearly insufficient, and even inconsistent. Just because Xiao Shi appeared at the chairman's office door on the day the information was leaked, the old man let Lu Yuanzhi handle everything. That Lu Yuanzhi is simply inhuman."

"The company doesn't have surveillance?"

"The surveillance system, which had been working perfectly, broke down that day, and the information inside could not be recovered."

Gu Nan blurted out, "This is clearly a setup."

“Yes, even we could immediately see that we were set up. How could the old man, who has been in charge of the whole thing for so many years, not have thought of it!” Shi Nian’an said bitterly. “It’s just favoritism. Now that things have come to this, Lu Yuanzhi has reaped what he sowed. What right does the old man have to ask Xiaoshi to watch over Lu Yuanzhi?”

Gu Nan subconsciously turned her head to look upstairs. The two of them were sitting in a position where they couldn't actually see the study, but she just wanted to take a look.

It's as if just one glance at it can let out the breath that's been suffocating me.

She kept trying to reassure herself that it was Lu Yushi's past, and what did it have to do with her?

She was a bad person to begin with.

But the more I forced myself to think that way, the stronger the feeling of tightness in my chest became.

He made an excuse that a phone call had come in, then fled in a panic, closing the door to the guest room and standing against the wall with his eyes closed for a long time.

It wasn't until the maid knocked on the door and said, "Miss Gu, Mr. Lu has finished his work and would like to see you."

Gu Nan gave a vague reply.

I took a deep breath and splashed cold water on my face.

I pushed open the study door.

Lu Yushi looked back, his probing gaze lingering on her face. After a long pause, he asked, "What is this?"

"Tsk," Gu Nan impatiently touched her face, trying to make herself look more natural with an exaggerated gesture, "I'm sleepy, let me wash my face."

Changing the subject: "In the study or your bedroom?"

"study."

Gu Nan blurted out, "You still have a job?"

As soon as she spoke, she noticed Lu Yushi's questioning gaze. She awkwardly touched the tip of her nose and explained, "It's best to rest after hypnosis. No matter how busy you are at work, nothing is more important than your life."

Realizing that her tone might have sounded a little concerned, Gu Nan immediately dragged out her lazy voice: "I don't want my boyfriend to die at my hands."

Lu Yushi: "..."

Looking at the person lying with their eyes closed in front of her, the deliberately malicious look in Gu Nan's eyes faded away. As she looked at them, she slowly felt a little sad, and she couldn't even tell if it was for herself or for Lu Yushi.

He gave a wry smile and muttered to himself silently, "Your life is truly miserable."

After escaping Lu Yuanzhi, she came again.