Mr. Nice Guy hates socializing
Gu Yansheng had to find Fan Zhong. He wanted to find out why he went back on his word like this, so he tried to send private messages to several classmates in the group who seemed to have had contact with Fan Zhong:
Gu Yansheng: Hello, excuse me. Do you have Fan Zhong's current contact information? Or where he lives? I have something important to discuss with him.
Classmate A: Huh? Fan Zhong? I haven't been in touch with him since graduation. I'm not close to him. Why don't you ask someone else?
Classmate B: Yansheng, what's going on? Did Fan Zhong mess with you? He seems to have changed his account, and the one I saved is the old one. Let me ask other people if they have his new account. I'll let you know if I have any news.
Classmate C: "Fan Zhong? He seems to be hanging out in the west part of the city, right? I'm not sure exactly." "Yansheng, calm down. Don't bother with that kind of guy."
Gu Yansheng stared at the perfunctory or helpless replies on the phone screen, and a deep feeling of powerlessness and dizziness swept over him.
The wound on his arm ached dully, and the weakness from blood loss made his steps unsteady. The hospital corridor seemed to be spinning before him. He couldn't stay here any longer.
Almost instinctively, he dragged his heavy body out of the hospital and hailed a taxi.
"Master, go..." He subconsciously gave the address that was engraved in his bones - the address of Jiang Lin's home. It was the only safe haven he wanted to return to at this moment.
The car drove away from the noisy hospital. Gu Yansheng leaned against the car window tiredly and closed his eyes. Fan Zhong's greedy face, Xiaoyou's angry accusations, the gossip information that kept refreshing in the group, and Jiang Lin's cold eyes that suppressed anger in the treatment room... all the images were mixed together in his confused mind.
Back in that familiar space, Xiaofei rushed over enthusiastically. Gu Yansheng reluctantly patted its head and said in a hoarse voice, "Be good, Xiaofei, play by yourself for a while..."
He went to the bathroom, carefully avoiding the wound on his left arm. He rinsed briefly. The hot water brought a hint of warmth, but it couldn't dispel the coldness in his heart and the extreme fatigue in his body.
He put on soft pajamas and threw himself onto the bed in the guest room. He hugged Xiao Fei who snuggled up to him and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly. The blood loss and huge emotional exhaustion drained all his energy.
He didn't know how long he had slept when the persistent ringing of his cell phone pulled him out of the deep darkness. Gu Yansheng frowned and fumbled to pick up the phone. The name "Mom" was jumping on the screen.
"Hey, Mom..." His voice was thick with sleep and hoarseness.
"Yansheng! Where are you? Why haven't you arrived yet? Your second uncle's birthday party has started for a while! You didn't even answer the phone!" Mother Su Wanqing's voice was filled with her usual elegance and gentleness.
Gu Yansheng suddenly remembered that tonight was his second uncle's birthday party! He had completely forgotten about it before, so he forced himself to sit up. The pain in his arm made him gasp, and his head was still dizzy.
He struggled to his feet and opened his wardrobe. Luckily, Jiang Lin had several formal suits ready for him. He chose a relatively low-key dark gray suit and put it on with one hand, trying not to look too disheveled. The man in the mirror was still pale, with dark circles under his eyes, but at least he was dressed appropriately.
He took a taxi to the luxurious hotel where the banquet was held. Inside, it was already bustling with elegantly dressed people and the clinking of glasses. Gu Yansheng's presence, especially his awkward position with his arms and slightly pale face, immediately attracted a number of concerned and inquiring glances. He steeled himself, found his second uncle at the main table, respectfully toasted him, and offered a few polite words of birthday congratulations.
Second Uncle asked a few questions with concern, but Gu Yansheng only vaguely replied, "Go away." He wanted to find a quiet corner to hide away from these banquets, but at this moment, a warm, strong hand rested on his uninjured right shoulder.
"Are you tired? You look so bad." It was his elder brother Gu Ting. Gu Ting knew that his younger brother was slow to warm up and always rejected these business gatherings, so he naturally put his arm around him, cleverly separated a few people who wanted to come forward to talk, and took him to a relatively quiet corner of the terrace on the side of the banquet hall.
"Stay here, no one will disturb you. Tell me when you want to leave." Gu Ting handed him a glass of warm water, his tone gentle but with an unquestionable sense of protection.
"Thank you, brother." Gu Yansheng breathed a sigh of relief, truly grateful for his elder brother's help. He leaned against the cool railing of the terrace, watching the bustling crowd in the hall, wanting only to become invisible and wait for the banquet to end.
However, his wish for transparency was soon dashed. Several smartly dressed young men with a somewhat cynical demeanor walked towards the corner where he was, holding wine glasses and laughing.
Gu Yansheng recognized them. They were all of the same generation from the Gu family or from old friends' families. They had played together when they were young. Later, because they spoke rudely to Jiang Lin, Gu Yansheng gradually distanced himself from them.
They belong to the typical circle of playboys, and Gu Yansheng has never liked to make close friends with them.
"Hey! Isn't this our Second Young Master Gu? He's here to find some peace and quiet?" The leader was Zhao Peng, the youngest son of the Zhao family, who spoke with a smile.
Gu Yansheng suppressed his impatience and forced a social smile. "Zhao Peng, long time no see. Just a surprise."
"Yes, it's been a long time since we last met! Second Young Master Gu is a very busy man now, an elite in the research institute. He is different from those of us who just eat and wait to die!" Another man named Sun Hao interjected with his usual teasing tone.
Gu Yansheng didn't want to talk much, just wanted them to exchange a few pleasantries and leave. However, the topic quickly slid into the direction Gu Yansheng least wanted to hear amid their aimless chatter.
"Hey, speaking of busy people, guess who I saw at Yunjian Villa a few days ago?" Zhao Peng seemed to suddenly remember something and lowered his voice mysteriously.
'Yunjian Villa'? Gu Yansheng's heart skipped a beat. It was one of City A's most exclusive villa complexes, renowned for its natural hot springs and exceptional recuperation environment. The prices were staggeringly high, a haven reserved for the truly wealthy.
"Who is it? Don't keep us in suspense!" Sun Hao urged.
"Jiang Lin!" Zhao Peng spat out the name, a look of anticipation on his face. "That childhood sweetheart of Young Master Gu! He's actually at the Yunjian Villa sales office, looking at the best-located single-family villas with private baths! Tsk tsk, he doesn't look like he's just browsing casually."
"Jiang Lin?!" Sun Hao widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief, "That cold-faced devil? He went to see 'Yunjian Villa'? Is he crazy? Can a doctor afford it? Even in a private hospital, how high can the salary be? I'm afraid he is treating the second young master Gu as an ATM?" As he spoke, he glanced at Gu Yansheng with ill intent.
"Sun Hao!" A more stable man named Li Ming frowned, thinking that this was a bit too much.
"Just kidding!" Sun Hao shrugged, but the contempt in his tone remained. "But seriously, he was the top scorer in the college entrance examination, and he received his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from top medical schools. But after graduation, he didn't go to a top public hospital like Union Medical College or Huashan Hospital, but insisted on going to a private hospital like Zhongnao... What's the point? Isn't it because private hospitals pay more generously, have fewer restrictions, and can make more money? Zhongnao has good equipment and many experts, but in the end, isn't it just a fancy 'money-making' hospital? It's designed to exploit the rich! Isn't Jiang Lin like a fish in water there?"
"Zhongnao Central Hospital is not what you think!" Gu Yansheng suddenly raised his head. His voice was not loud, but it was filled with a rare coldness and decisiveness, interrupting Sun Hao's harsh conjecture.
His pale face flushed with excitement and anger. "The medical level and resources there are top-notch! Jiang Lin chose it because it gives him the greatest freedom to delve into technology and treat patients! It's not about the money!"
His sudden, earnest defense stunned both Zhao Peng and Sun Hao for a moment. Then, as if he'd discovered something amusing, Zhao Peng let out a chuckle, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Oh my goodness, Second Young Master Gu, are you getting anxious? After all these years, you're still so protective of that 'cold monster'? It's truly remarkable! Only you can stand his deadpan expression!"
"Monster?" Gu Yansheng chewed over this malicious name, looking at the faces in front of him that were full of frivolity and worldly calculations, a strong sense of disgust and alienation surged in his heart.
The wound on his arm was aching slightly, but what hurt more was the feeling of being offended in his heart - not only for Jiang Lin, but also for the narrow-mindedness and ugliness of linking everything to money as they said.
He stopped talking and simply gave them a cold look. The alienation and disappointment in his eyes made Zhao Peng and Sun Hao, who were still trying to tease him, stop talking awkwardly. He turned away, ignoring them and casting his gaze on the dark night outside the terrace.
"Indifferent Monster"
“For the money”…
These harsh words echoed in his ears, but at this moment, what was churning in Gu Yansheng's heart was no longer simple anger, but a mixture of shock, confusion, and a deeper pain that even he himself had not yet fully sorted out.
And the priceless Yunjian Villa that Zhao Peng mentioned was like a heavy stone that smashed into the surface of his supposedly calm understanding. Why did Jiang Lin change houses without telling him? Is Jiang Lin really that rich now?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
