Chapter 8 It's been five years, you should fight for yourself
Autumn afternoon.
Gu Manman sat on the sofa, gently stroking Snowball's soft fur, her eyes looking at Feng Mingzhou who was packing his luggage in front of her.
"The project in the UK needs to be handled personally. I'll be back in three days at the earliest and a week at the latest." Feng Mingzhou folded his suitcase and put it in the suitcase, looking up at her. "If there is anything during this period, please contact Li Xu. I have told him to be on standby at any time."
Gu Manman nodded, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes, but she forced herself to suppress it.
Feng Mingzhou walked up to her and gently lifted her chin with his slender fingers: "Eat well these few days and don't stay up late. Your cold has just healed. Don't make me worry anymore."
He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
After seeing Feng Mingzhou off, Gu Manman stood in front of the window, watching the black car going farther and farther away downstairs.
In the following days, Gu Manman completely immersed herself in the ocean of work.
Creation has always been her safe haven from reality, but this time, even words became her accomplices in betraying her.
The characters of the story struggle to come alive in her mind.
The protagonist's eyes, smile, and frown all resemble Feng Mingzhou.
Inspiration is running out, but the deadline is approaching.
Emails from the editor flooded into her inbox one after another, reminding her that the deadline had been extended three times and there could be no more delays.
When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, she often sat by the window with her knees hugged, staring at the twinkling lights on the tall buildings in the distance, wondering if the man far away in England was also looking at the same night sky.
The shackles of creation and the burden of emotions intertwined together almost crushed her nerves.
The only consolation was that the exhaustion from work made her fall into a deep sleep at night, avoiding too many wild thoughts when she was alone.
When the sun rose on the fifth day, she finally managed to finish revising the last scene and handed the script to the producer.
The producers were full of praise for her manuscript.
Just when she was exhausted and almost collapsed on the sofa, her cell phone suddenly rang. It was her best friend Su Yu whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
"Manman, I'm back home! We must meet tonight, and I won't accept any rejection!"
"Hello? Manman? Are you still there?"
"Yes, yes." Gu Manman rubbed his temples. "Tonight?"
"Yes, seven o'clock, the same place." Su Yu said without question and hung up the phone.
Gu Manman put down her phone and stared at the pile of manuscripts on the table in a daze. She hadn't seen Su Yu for more than half a year. The last time they met was at Su Yu's farewell party before she went abroad.
At exactly seven o'clock, Gu Manman appeared in the secluded little restaurant on time.
Su Yu was already sitting by the window waiting for her. When she saw her come in, she immediately waved: "This way!"
As soon as she sat down, Su Yu stared at her up and down.
"Damn, you have dark circles under your eyes, they're scary. You didn't sleep at all these two days, did you?"
Gu Manman casually picked up the menu to cover her face: "The script was rushed and the manuscript was just submitted."
"Bullshit." Su Yu pulled down the menu. "We've been friends for more than ten years, who doesn't know who? You were the most energetic when you were rushing to finish the manuscript, but now you're obviously not in the right state."
Gu Manman’s smile froze.
"What happened? Is there a problem with Feng Mingzhou?"
This sentence touched a sore spot. Gu Manman couldn't hold it back and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Did I really guess it?" Su Yu was immediately furious, "What did that bastard do again?"
The waiter came over to take the order, and Gu Manman lowered her head and wiped the corners of her eyes.
After everyone left, Su Yu leaned forward and lowered her voice: “Don’t hold it in, say it out.”
Gu Manman took a deep breath and recounted what had happened during this period from the beginning.
Su Yu was so angry that she stood up: "You bastard! I knew he had bad intentions!"
The guests at the surrounding tables all looked over, and Gu Manman quickly pulled her to sit down: "Don't be like that, keep your voice down."
"You're still covering up for him?" Su Yu's eyes turned red. "You've put in so much effort in the past five years, and he just wants to marry someone else? What gives him the right?"
Gu Manman lowered her head and said nothing, her tears falling on the tablecloth.
"What are you going to do?" Su Yu asked.
Gu Manman shook her head: "I don't know."
"I don't know shit!" Su Yu slammed the table, "You have to ask him clearly. Face him and see how he explains it."
"But……"
"No buts!" Su Yu interrupted her, "Either come clean and ask clearly, or break up as soon as possible and stop wasting time. It's been five years, you should fight for yourself."
Gu Manman was silent for a while and then nodded.
/
Feng Mingzhou returned from the UK two days earlier than expected. He put aside the fatigue of the business class flight and just wanted to give Gu Manman a surprise.
He stood in front of the apartment door, feeling quite excited.
The moment the door opened, the expected warm hug and surprised smile did not appear.
Snowball was lying lazily in the cat's bed. When he heard the noise, he looked up and then lay back down lazily.
"Manman?"
The only response he got was a few meows from Snowball.
Snowball walked over silently, rubbed his trouser leg, then moved to the cat food bowl and poked at the almost empty bowl with his claws.
Feng Mingzhou picked up the phone and dialed Gu Manman's number.
Su Yu's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Boss Feng, your Manman is drunk, come and pick her up."
"Where did she get so drunk?" Feng Mingzhou frowned, his voice filled with anxiety.
"I'll send her the location. Please hurry up. I can't help her by myself."
After hanging up the phone, Feng Mingzhou hurried out.
In the restaurant box, Su Yu was supporting Gu Manman who was leaning on the chair.
Feng Mingzhou pushed the door open and came in.
Gu Manman's face was flushed with drunkenness, tear marks hung on her eyelashes, and her whole body exuded an indescribable sense of grievance.
Feng Mingzhou felt a dull pain in his heart and reached out to touch her hot cheek. Her hot forehead reminded him of the cold he had last week, and his brows unconsciously frowned tighter.
"Why do you drink so much?"
Feng Mingzhou's eyes darkened, he bent down and picked up Gu Manman horizontally.
"Thank you for taking care of her. I'll take her back."
Feng Mingzhou carried Gu Manman out of the restaurant and placed her in the back seat of the car.
The car was driving steadily in the night. Gu Manman was mumbling intermittently, mumbling something, but it was hard to hear clearly.
He leaned over and pulled her into his arms.
"What are you drinking so much for, idiot?"
Return to Gu Manman's apartment.
He put her on the big bed in the bedroom, and frowned when he touched her clothes soaked with wine.
"Don't touch me..." Gu Manman half opened her eyes, her voice unclear, but she pushed his hand away stubbornly.
Feng Mingzhou was amused by her reaction. He leaned over and sniffed, the faint aroma of wine mixed with her unique fragrance.
He looked at Gu Manman in his arms, and a wave of pity surged in his heart.
Alcohol dyed her face red, and her usual vigilance and coldness disappeared, instead she looked more childish and innocent.
"Be good, your clothes are wet, change them before you go to sleep."
Although the drunk Gu Manman was somewhat resistant, she was no longer as alert as usual. She resisted more like a spoiled child and soon calmed down.
Feng Mingzhou sighed softly, leaned over and picked her up, letting her lean against his arms. He coaxed her softly while changing her into clean clothes.
After changing her clothes, Feng Mingzhou brought a warm towel and wiped her carefully.
He stood up and walked to the kitchen, and quickly brought back a bowl of warm hangover soup. He supported her back with one hand and brought the soup to her lips with the other.
"Manman, be good and drink some hangover soup."
His voice was extremely gentle, completely different from his usual decisive and stern voice in the business world.
Gu Manman obediently opened her mouth in a daze and drank the bowl of hangover soup in small sips. Occasionally a few drops of liquid slid down the corners of her mouth.
Feng Mingzhou gently wiped away the traces with his fingertips, his eyes filled with tenderness that he himself was not aware of.
Putting down the empty bowl, he lay down beside Gu Manman and gently held her in his arms.
The faint scent of alcohol and her unique body fragrance intertwined together, lingering around his nose, making him feel strangely at peace.
Outside the window, the shadows of trees were swaying and the stars were twinkling. The room was so quiet that the only sound was the intertwined breathing of the two people.
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