The mask is broken, the truth is revealed
At five in the morning, I opened my eyes in the darkness. Gu Yanshen's arm was still restraining my waist, but the touch felt different today—his fingertips dug deep into the fabric of my pajamas, as if he was making sure I wouldn't escape even in his sleep.
I lay quietly, waiting for dawn. Last night's confrontation was still vivid in my mind. The look on his face when he threatened to transfer Mother to another hospital was like a carefully painted mask suddenly cracking, revealing the true hideousness beneath.
At six o'clock sharp, Gu Yanshen's phone alarm rang. He woke up instantly, as if he had never fallen asleep. His hand on my waist naturally slipped away, and as he stood up, he placed a morning kiss on my forehead, his movements so smooth that it felt as if the confrontation in the study last night had never happened.
"I'm going to Shanghai on a business trip today," he said as he buttoned his shirt. "I won't be back until tonight."
I sat up, letting my pajama straps slip down to reveal the red mark on my collarbone—left by his loss of control last night. "Are you going to be gone all day?"
His gaze lingered on the scar for a moment, then he looked away as if nothing had happened. "There's an important merger and acquisition. Let Zhou Ling accompany you to the writing class."
I nodded obediently, but inwardly I sneered. A merger? I'm afraid we'll have to set up a new surveillance network cafe.
I was distracted during this morning's writing class. While the teacher was explaining character development, I couldn't stop thinking about the hidden folder in Gu Yanshen's study. If only I could get my hands on the original files of those surveillance recordings...
"Ms. Mo?" the teacher suddenly called on her. "Why do you think this character chose to compromise?"
The class's eyes were fixed on me. I took a deep breath. "Because she believes compromise can protect the ones she loves. But sometimes, compromise only emboldens the abuser."
The classroom was silent. The teacher looked at me thoughtfully. "That's a very profound insight."
After class, I went to the bookstore's surveillance blind spot alone, under the pretext of buying books. Shen Que was already waiting for me, wearing an unremarkable deliveryman's uniform.
"Here's what you asked for." He handed over a paper bag containing a portable scanner and a signal jammer. "Lawyer Li said the evidence wasn't strong enough."
"It'll be enough soon." I pulled out the recorder hidden in my underwear. "Listen to this."
Gu Yanshen's cold voice came from the recorder: "...Then your mother will be transferred to another hospital tomorrow due to 'medical needs'. As for where she'll be transferred to, it depends on your performance."
Shen Que's expression turned serious: "This is extortion."
"That's not all." I pulled up the photo on my phone. "I took this photo this morning while he was in the shower."
The photo shows the contents of Gu Yanshen’s desk drawer: in addition to the USB flash drive containing the surveillance records, there are also several equity transfer agreements, and the signatory is actually my mother’s name.
"He's transferring assets?" Shen Que said in shock.
"It's even worse." I pointed to the dates on the agreements. "These were signed while Mom was hospitalized and unconscious. I checked the nursing home records, and she was so under the influence of medication during that time that she wasn't able to sign any documents."
We stared at each other in silence, both understanding what this meant. Gu Yanshen not only controlled me emotionally, but also eroded my family financially.
When I returned to the apartment, I noticed that Zhou Ling's face looked a little strange.
"Mr. Gu came back early," he whispered, "and he was in a bad mood."
When I pushed open the door, the living room was filled with the strong smell of alcohol. Gu Yanshen sat on the sofa, his tie loose, a whiskey glass in his hand. Several documents lay spread out on the coffee table. I immediately recognized them as the equity agreement signed by my mother.
"Are you having fun?" He looked up, his eyes sinister. "My robin."
The air froze. I stood there, my mind racing. How did he know?
"Surprised?" He sneered and stood up. "Did you think I wouldn't recognize Shen Que if you used a deliveryman as a cover?"
He approached, the smell of alcohol wafting over him. "You think you can hide those little tricks from me? The recorder? The scanner? You're so naive."
My back hit the wall and there was no way back.
"When did it start?" He reached out and took hold of my chin. "Since we first met in the bookstore? Or even earlier?"
I forced myself to meet his gaze. "From the day you started spying on me."
He was stunned, then burst into shrill laughter. "Surveillance? I'm protecting you! Protecting you, you ungrateful, ungrateful bastard!"
His fingers tightened, and the pain made me gasp. "Do you know how much money your father owes? Thirty million! If it weren't for me, you and your daughter would have been living on the streets long ago!"
"So you took advantage of this opportunity to acquire Mo Enterprises? And so you forced my mother to sign these documents while she was unconscious?" I broke free from his grip. "Is this what you call protection?"
His expression twisted instantly, and he slammed the wine glass to the ground: "Who do you think you are? Without me, you are nothing!"
Glass shards flew everywhere, and one of them scratched my ankle, leaving a thin streak of blood. This was the first time in our marriage that he had completely lost control in front of me.
"Finally revealing his true colors?" I whispered, "The perfect Mr. Gu Yanshen is actually a coward who only knows how to bully the weak."
This completely infuriated him. He grabbed my wrist with such force that it practically broke the bone. "What did you say?"
"I called you a coward," I repeated, each word clearly. "Just like your father, you only take your anger out on the weak."
Time seemed to stand still. His face turned from red to white, and his fingers trembled slightly. "How...how did you know..."
"You have childhood photos hidden in your study," I said. "The newspaper from the day your mother passed away, your father drunk... You treasure them all, as if punishing yourself with pain."
His arms drooped limply, his eyes becoming empty: "You don't understand..."
"I understand." I stepped forward. "You're afraid of being abandoned like your father, so you want to control everything. But you know what? It's this very control that's destined to make you lose everything."
He suddenly fell to his knees, covering his face with his hands. The always calm Gu Yanshen disappeared, replaced by a fragile middle-aged man.
"The day she left..." His voice leaked out through his fingers, "It was raining heavily. She said she couldn't stand it anymore, that my father's control was suffocating her..."
I listened quietly, feeling mixed emotions.
"I swear I won't become like him..." He raised his head, tears on his face, "But Xiaoyu, I can't control myself... I'm too afraid of losing..."
At this moment, I saw his truest self: a soul tormented by childhood trauma, a child who used control to cover up his fear.
But understanding does not mean forgiveness.
"Yan Shen," I whispered, "it's time for us all to be free."
He stared at me blankly, as if trying to confirm the meaning of my words. Then, he slowly stood up and wiped away his tears. When he spoke again, his voice had regained its usual calmness, but with a hint of fatigue that I had never heard before.
"You're right." He walked over to the desk and pulled out the USB drive. "Here. All the surveillance records are here."
I took the USB drive and couldn't believe that he gave up like that.
"But," he turned to face me, his eyes complicated, "once you walk out this door, you'll no longer be Mrs. Gu. Have you thought this through?"
I looked at the USB drive in my hand, then looked up at him. In that moment, I seemed to see the whole truth of our relationship: two wounded people, hurting each other in the dark, but both thinking that was their way of love.
"I've thought it through."
When I uttered these three words, I felt an unprecedented sense of relief, like someone who had been struggling in the deep sea for a long time, finally surfacing and breathing the first breath of fresh air.
He nodded and said nothing more.
The sun was shining brightly as I walked out of the apartment with my simple luggage. Yun Tuan squatted at the door, tilting his head to look at me, as if saying goodbye.
I didn't look back.
Because I know that once some masks are broken, they can never be put back together. And once some truths are seen, it is impossible to pretend to be ignorant.
While standing on the street waiting for a bus, I took out my phone and sent a text message to Chen Que:
"The mask is broken, ready to take off."
After sending it, I looked up at the blue sky. That is where I truly belong.
When the perfect mask shattered, I saw the real monster
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