Chapter 51
At the boarding gate, under a gray sky, a cold wind blew through the glass into the terminal. My knuckles turned white as I clutched my passport and boarding pass.
Zou Ping saw the news push on her phone:
"Behind Tang Yuchuan's accidental death, famous painter Li Li raises suspicious questions!"
"New developments in Tang Yuchuan's death? Li Li may become a key witness!"
"The industry is shocked! Tang Yuchuan died unexpectedly, and Li Lizeng appeared at the hotel?"
Zou Ping's heart suddenly tightened. Li Li? Hotel?
Her fingers trembled, and the words on the screen cut into her mind like a blade.
Tang Yuchuan's caution, the details of their past interactions, the controlled control he possessed in her mind all reminded her that he couldn't have stumbled while drunk, nor would he have chosen to take the stairs instead of the elevator for no apparent reason. The news at this very moment seemed to confirm his suspicions: perhaps someone had deliberately orchestrated this apparent "accident."
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and steeled herself. The gate announcement sounded, and she stood up. The wheels of her suitcase rolled across the floor, making a monotonous yet resolute sound. Outside the window, the plane slid toward the runway. She crossed the gray sky, muttering softly, "Tang Yuchuan, I will find the truth."
The plane took off smoothly. She connected to the Wi-Fi and logged into domestic news and forums. The headlines on the screen were glaring:
"Tang Yuchuan's death scene exposed? Hotel surveillance suspected to have been tampered with!"
"Was the painter Li Li present that night? There must be a secret behind Tang Yuchuan's accident!"
"Where did Tang Yuchuan's asthma medication go? The hotel incident is full of doubts!"
Her fingertips tapped quickly to record, trying to recreate the scene of that night on the alarm clock. She wanted to know what had happened to Tang Yuchuan.
On the computer, she wrote down every detail and secretly vowed:
——Will not let his sacrifice be buried.
——We will not let “accidents” cover up the facts.
The plane landed. For a moment, Zou Ping didn't know where to go.
No matter how bright the lights are in this city, it seems like there is no place for her.
The streets were strange and indifferent, with tall buildings standing in rows, but every window was separated by a layer of invisible glass, as if saying to her: "This does not belong to you."
She looked down at the suitcase, feeling empty inside. She suddenly realized that she had been living in Tang Yuchuan's apartment since she came here.
That house is not only his space, but also their past interactions. The laughter, quarrels, cautiousness, and whispers they had heard are like dust deposited in the air, ready to fall into his heart at any time.
Now when she goes back, she wonders if the scene will bring back memories.
Will seeing the traces he left behind once again make me feel like I can’t breathe?
She drew countless lines in her heart: go - don't go - go again - never go again. Each line led to the pain in her heart.
His presence had once been in the room, even if it was just a trace of air. But now, the air was as cold as metal, and she was afraid that every breath she took would carry his disappearance with her.
But if she didn't go, she would feel empty like a weightless luggage, drifting in the wind in the city's night, without weight or direction.
She looked up at the streetlight outside the window, its light stretched by the rain and swallowed by the night. Her heart felt like it was torn in two: one half afraid to touch the past, the other half eager to grasp something, something final, something she couldn't define.
Finally, she took a deep breath, gathered her luggage, and decided to find a hotel to stay in.
Zou Ping admitted that she was a coward and did not dare to face it.
She was afraid to face the space that once belonged to them, afraid to see every familiar object, afraid that the lingering smell in the air would swallow her whole.
She made excuses for herself: they broke up, had a falling out, it was his house, she had no right to live in it. Perhaps, she just wanted to delay, delay facing the fact that Tang Yuchuan had left.
Under the street light, she was dragging her suitcase, and her shadow was stretched long and distorted.
The whole city seemed to have closed its doors to her, and there was no place for her to stay in the huge streets.
Walking into the hotel lobby, warm yellow lights shone on the marble floor, but her heart felt as empty as a hollowed-out ocean. Every step felt like treading on thin ice that could break at any moment.
The receptionist asked about her reservation with a smile, and she mechanically handed over her ID card, her fingers trembling slightly, as if they would break if they touched something.
She knew in her heart that she would have to lie down alone in her bed tonight, facing the night wind, facing the glaring words in the news headlines, facing the various statements such as "accident", "fall after drinking", and "asthma attack".
What came to her mind were not the details of that night. She knew nothing. She had watched too much news, which said all kinds of things. She felt that she seemed to be closer to the truth, but also farther away.
A fear welled up in my heart, the fear of the unknown.
She even muttered in her heart: "Maybe it was really an accident... Maybe it was just..." The sound was drowned out by the night wind and she couldn't hear it herself.
Outside the room, the city lights flickered softly yet unfamiliarly. She leaned against the window, watching the lights, but they couldn't reach her heart. Her thoughts drifted like the wind on a winter night, unpredictable and unmoored.
She casually put her luggage down and leaned against the bed, her fingers stroking the sheets, as if she wanted to grasp something, but couldn't.
Tonight, she just needed to stay in a safe place. Even if she was timid or escaped, it was easier than facing the memories in the apartment and the void left by his departure.
The night wind blew in through the window, bringing with it a damp and cold breeze. She wrapped her coat tightly around her as if wrapping up her shaking heart.
She told herself in her heart:
——I’ll think of a solution tomorrow.
Tonight, let’s just stay like this, hide ourselves in unfamiliar lights and avoid all painful imaginations.
The next morning, Zou Ping was about to ask someone if anyone had Li Li's contact information when there was a gentle knock on the door.
She looked up and saw Gu Xing standing at the door, as if he had walked out of the shadows. There was no smile, no greeting, only an uneasy silence.
"Gu Xing?" Zou Ping's voice trembled unconsciously, but she tried hard to keep it steady.
Gu Xing simply explained the truth of that night, which was the truth she was looking for, the truth with confusing clues.
He told her that night, Tang Yuchuan stood in front of Li Li in the hotel corridor, enduring stomach pain, and was pushed towards the stairs during the struggle. He used all his strength to ensure Li Li's safety first, and then ignored himself. Someone had thrown the medicine down the stairs as a joke, leaving him unable to save himself. And that person also intended to harm Li Li.
"How did you know? Why didn't the police find out? Did you cause the change in public opinion online?" Zou Ping's voice was still trembling.
"I found Li Li." Gu Xing did not respond, but walked in slowly, his eyes calm, as if he could see through every inch of air in the room.
She didn't ask him how he knew he lived here and why he was looking for Li Li to find out the situation.
He also assumed that he didn't need to explain anything.
It's clear that the two people had limited interactions before.
Zou Ping's heart tightened slightly, but she asked directly, "Will he... tell me?"
Gu Xing walked into her room and, without asking for her consent, leaned against the window, tapping his fingers on the glass lightly, as if beating a silent rhythm: "He doesn't want to talk. But I can make him talk."
Her heart tightened: "You...you want to threaten him?"
The corners of Gu Xing's mouth curled up slightly, with determination and coldness, but he did not answer whether it was a threat. He only said: "I came to you to give you a chance."
He paused, his eyes filled with a strange concentration. "I'm willing to return everything of the Gu family to you—the name, the company, the property... all yours. But you have to do me a favor and make Li Li tell the truth."
Zou Ping felt a chill run down her spine, like a gust of wind piercing her chest. His resoluteness, his indifference, was frightening.
"Why?" Her voice was low, but with suppressed determination.
Gu Xing stared straight at her and approached her, a smile on his face, as if he accepted his fate. "When Brother Yuchuan was alive, you and I must have been torn because of us. I think he wants me to give you back what belongs to you."
Zou Ping raised her hand to block him, her eyes stern. "I'm only Zou Ping. I don't want to be Gu Wanqing. No matter where this name came from, it's been on my household registration for so many years. I'm used to it. There's no reason to change it just like that."
She took a deep breath, and her voice gradually became clearer: "Besides, he also said that everything you have in the Gu family was not easy to come by, and he doesn't want me to compete with you. You misunderstood him."
Gu Xing moved the corners of his mouth slightly, but didn't say anything else.
Zou Ping continued, her tone sharp as a knife: "I don't know much about your company, and I have no interest in anything related to the Gu family. I can earn what I want on my own. Coercion and inducement won't work on me."
The room was quiet for a long time, with only the cool breeze outside the window blowing the curtains.
Gu Xing stood there, terrifyingly quiet, as if he could transform into another kind of power in the next second.
But Zou Ping suddenly wasn't afraid at all. She suddenly felt invincible. "I'm willing to help you, but it's not really helping you. If you can get Li Li to tell the truth, then you should be helping me."
Gu Xing was also very direct, "I want you to find a way to help Li Li develop in France."
Zou Ping looked up at him with doubt in her eyes, but still waited quietly for his next words.
"Li Li," Gu Xing said, "I've found him. He doesn't want to tell the truth because he's afraid... afraid something might happen."
His voice fell softly, like wind blowing on ice.
Zou Ping's heart tightened. She knew better than anyone what it meant for Li Li to tell the truth in China. Public opinion, power, those who could mobilize everything... it was a dead end.
Gu Xing stared at her, as if gauging her reaction. "The situation now is that if he helps us tell the truth, he'll be in danger, and those people won't let him go. If he doesn't tell us, I won't let him go either... I promised that as long as he stands on our side, I can guarantee his safety, but he's not satisfied with this condition and wants me to help him develop. This matter... you have to help me."
Zou Ping did not agree immediately.
However, her composure in front of Gu Xing didn't last long. After the silence, she took even faster action. Not for Gu Xing, but for the man who collapsed at the bottom of the stairs, for the man who had left the hope of life to others.
She quickly realized that she had made a friend in Lyon who might be able to help. His name was Bastien, a gallery curator who traveled between Paris and Lyon year-round and often had access to short-term residency permits and artist residencies.
Bastien had expressed an interest in her work at an exhibition, and for a while they exchanged frequent emails.
Thinking of this, she sent Bastien her first message.
The tone was ordinary, like a general invitation for cooperation, but there was urgency between the lines: a painter needed to go abroad and needed a safe place to stay. The reason was vague and time was pressing.
Bastien responded quickly. His questions were few and direct: Passport? Portfolio? Funding? Contact information?
Zou Ping wrote down Li Li's situation item by item.
Fearing the email would be leaked, she avoided specific information in the message, but she made it clear that she was referring to a person in real danger. She sent Bastien a detailed account of what had happened that night and the situation she was about to face.
Bastien was as reliable as she had imagined. He agreed to help without hesitation and wrote down the steps in the email: first arrange a short-term artist exchange visa; contact a resident studio willing to take her in; advance the first payment of living expenses and work remuneration; and then, connect with medical and psychological support.
His words are like a pair of calm scissors, cutting out feasible paths one by one.
Zou Ping initiated a small bank transfer in her own name, and Bastien wrote an invitation letter with project information, specifying the artist residency she needed. She also contacted several lawyers she knew to inquire about the most time-efficient route for immigration. Meanwhile, Zou Ping quietly relayed the necessary information to Li Li through trusted channels in China—without appearing in person, without causing any disturbance, and without issuing any public announcements. She simply told him in private that if he wished to leave, someone here would be there to take him.
She repeatedly emphasized: This is for safety and hopes to achieve mutual assistance.
She also comforted Li Li in her message: There's nothing shameful about avoiding danger. Save your life first, and you can wait until the time is right to make things clear.
If it was her own wish, she thought, she would want him to tell the truth immediately. But thinking about how Tang Yuchuan had protected him and so many others, he certainly didn't want anyone to lose their future or even their life for the truth.
Zou Ping knows that some people will regard being "banned by the industry" as a substitute for "social judgment" - public opinion can destroy a reputation, and once resources are cut off, the artist's life will be slowly hollowed out, which may ultimately be more terrifying than direct violence.
The threats from Gu Xing and those people are basically along this line: not to draw blood, but to leave people with no way out.
Zou Ping knew this because she had seen it all. She had once thought Tang Yuchuan would be like those people, demanding she give something in exchange for a stable life. She considered accepting her fate and tried to struggle. Ultimately, she realized she was just judging others by her own standards.
But, in fact, her worries are normal, not everyone is like Tang Yuchuan.
In the next few days, she was busy helping Li Li prepare everything for his trip to France.
She was unwilling to admit that when she did all this, there was something else moving in her heart. She didn't know which was greater, the guilt towards Tang Yuchuan or the regret for leaving.
A few days later, Bastien sent the first confirmation: a short-term residency quota could be activated immediately; a familiar driver and temporary accommodation had been arranged; the visa route was feasible, but Li Li himself needed to cooperate in providing his passport and some basic materials, which could be temporarily processed using the protection procedure, provided that he was willing to come forward.
Zou Ping forwarded this message to Li Li. She waited a long time before receiving a response: a short, trembling sentence: "I'm afraid."
She didn't try to force him. She told him: Fear is normal. You can share your fear with her. She told him: Whether you do it or not, I will be here ready, and I won't let you bear the truth alone.
What she did was not to make decisions for others, but to give them room to choose. Whenever she didn't know what to do, she thought of Tang Yuchuan, imagining what he would do in the same situation. She kept telling herself: This is what I should do, this is what I can do.
During these days, her fingertips often felt cold at night, as if she was touching an old photo but could not feel the warmth.
Gu Xing watched from the side. Sometimes he would pass her information, and sometimes he would stand quietly in the distance.
Zou Ping sometimes felt that they were fellow travelers, both wanting to seek justice for Tang Yuchuan in public, and they were working hard to reveal the same truth.
Zou Ping sometimes felt that they were two completely different people, and they were naturally hostile to each other, whether in their status in the Gu family or in their personalities and ways of doing things.
Their actions gradually paid off: Bastien's place was confirmed, and the driver and the keys to the small apartment were being prepared; with Zou Ping's encouragement, Li Li finally sent a scanned copy of his passport to an anonymous email address.
At that moment, Zou Ping's hands were shaking violently on the keyboard, but she still transferred all the files one by one, like sewing the last stitch of a thin piece of clothing.
If time drags on a little longer, everything will be concluded and the public will gradually forget about this matter.
Zou Ping was actually worried, but she didn't show it. Instead, she kept repeating to herself: Let them live first, then find out the truth.
She began to imitate Tang Yuchuan's behavior and imagine how Tang Yuchuan would respond.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
