Chapter 387 The good show is finally about to begin
She paused, carefully observing Gu Rushuang's increasingly pale face, and continued in a tone of heartache and regret:
"He rarely reveals anything, always tense like a fully drawn bow, carrying all the pressure alone. In the years I followed him, I rarely saw him truly relax and rest. Most of the time, he stayed alone in the office very late... His silence and exhaustion made people..."
She stopped talking at the right time, leaving endless room for imagination.
"and,"
Xu Nanxing seemed to have remembered something, and his tone became more obscure.
"For some reason, Mr. Lu seems to have difficulty truly trusting the people around him and always keeps his distance. Perhaps... perhaps it's because he lacked sufficient... care and support in his early years."
Every word she spoke seemed carefully crafted. She did not directly accuse Gu Rushuang, but every word silently confirmed Mu Nanyan's previous accusations, deeply imprinting the concepts of "loneliness", "fatigue" and "lack of care" into Gu Rushuang's heart, which was at its most vulnerable and guilty at the moment.
She successfully linked Lu Yiran's past difficulties perfectly with the absence of Gu Rushuang and his wife, and portrayed herself as a loyal bystander who witnessed everything but was powerless to do anything.
Gu Rushuang listened, slowly loosened her grip on Xu Nanxing's hand, and let it fall down weakly.
She seemed to have lost all her strength. She leaned back on the sofa, staring blankly ahead.
Xu Nanxing's words, like the last handfuls of dirt, completely buried the faint hope of defense in her heart.
It turned out that the child had suffered so much in a place she couldn't see.
Xu Nanxing looked at her distraught appearance, sneered in his heart, but still maintained a worried and respectful expression on his face:
"Director Gu, are you... okay? That's all in the past. Isn't Mr. Lu very successful now?"
She seemed to be comforting, but in fact she was rubbing salt into Gu Rushuang's wounds - what price did success come at?
Gu Rushuang didn't answer, but just closed her eyes tiredly and waved her hand, her voice so hoarse that it was almost inaudible:
"...The meeting is postponed. Please go out first and leave me alone."
Xu Nanxing replied respectfully, "Yes." The moment he turned around and left, a smile of triumph couldn't be suppressed from appearing on the corner of his mouth.
The first step is done.
Xu Nanxing respectfully left the cafe, and the heavy glass door slowly closed behind her, isolating the depressing low pressure inside.
The cool air outside the door hit her face, but made her feel extremely comfortable.
The triumphant curve at the corner of her mouth no longer needed to be concealed, and it rose up wantonly.
She walked to the corner of the street, but did not leave immediately. Instead, she took out her cell phone and quickly dialed a number. Her tone was no longer as heavy as it had been in front of Gu Rushuang, but rather sharp and calm.
"It's me. The plan is going smoothly. The fish has taken the bait, and the mood swings are huge... Yes, far beyond expectations. Follow up according to the original plan B. Prepare the information of 'Ms. Lin' and hand it to Director Gu at any time when I give the order."
After hanging up the phone, she looked back at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the cafe.
Through the distance and reflection, she could only vaguely see Gu Rushuang still sitting alone in the same place, like a sculpture that had instantly lost all its luster.
A hint of cold excitement flashed across Xu Nanxing's eyes.
She knew that the seeds she had planted had begun to grow wildly in Gu Rushuang's fertile soil of guilt.
Next, she only needed to water and fertilize the plants at the right time, guiding the poisonous ivy named "Compensation" to wrap around Lu Yiran and Mu Nanyan tightly in the direction she set, until they were suffocated.
And she will be the only audience hiding behind the vines, enjoying this drama directed by her.
Meanwhile, inside the cafe.
Gu Rushuang was still sunken into the sofa, and the air around her seemed to be frozen.
Xu Nanxing's words and Mu Nanyan's sharp accusations kept colliding and echoing in her mind, and finally converged into a fact that made her breathless:
She was a failed mother and her son suffered greatly because of her.
The sting of this realization was far more unbearable for her than any attack from a business rival.
However, after the huge emotional shock, a paranoid and twisted thought began to entwine around her heart like a vine - she must make amends!
She missed his past and could not bear to watch him "go astray", choose the "wrong" woman and destroy everything he had worked hard for!
Stopping this mismatched marriage and getting him back on track is her belated responsibility as a mother and her only way of redemption!
Her eyes snapped open, the emptiness and vulnerability she'd felt before replaced by an almost insane determination.
The light was gathered in those eyes again, but it was no longer the calm and calculating business gaze of the past, but a fiery one that carried a heavy burden and paranoia.
She pulled out her phone, ignored the several messages from her assistant on the screen asking about meetings, and dialed another number.
The call was connected quickly.
"It's me,"
Gu Rushuang's voice was still a little hoarse, but it revealed an unquestionable coldness and determination.
"Immediately conduct a thorough investigation of Mu Nanyan. I want to know all her information, from childhood to adulthood, no matter how big or small, especially... any possible stains and weaknesses."
"Remember, give it to me as quickly as possible, at all costs."
After giving the order, she hung up the phone and pressed her fingertips hard on the cold screen.
Guilt did not make her reflect on how to get along with her son. Instead, it catalyzed her desire to control everything. But this time, she put on the gorgeous cloak of "I'm doing this for your own good."
The fire ignited by Xu Nanxing finally began to burn fiercely in the most deadly way.
After Xu Nanxing's figure completely disappeared around the corner of the street, time in the cafe seemed to still be frozen around Gu Rushuang.
The cold touch of her fingertips spread from the phone screen to her whole body, but her heart, which was repeatedly burned by guilt and paranoia, was extremely hot.
Without hesitation, she dialed a number again in her hoarse and cold voice.
This time, the call was made directly to the head of her personal security team, a man who specialized in special matters.
"It's me."
Her voice contained no emotion, only unquestionable commands:
"The target, Mu Nanyan, is currently in Washington. I want a 24-hour detailed report of her whereabouts, including who she's met and where she's been. The more detailed the better. Also, dig deep into all of her social relationships, especially those of the opposite sex, to uncover any possible inappropriate interactions or historical stains. Remember, I want the result, not the process."
After hanging up the phone, she placed the phone heavily on the table, making a dull sound.
The cold water in the cup reflected her slightly distorted reflection.
Xu Nanxing's words "What price was paid for success" echoed like a curse - yes, her son paid a price, and now it was up to her to eliminate this "price" that might make all his previous efforts go to waste.
At the same time, Xu Nanxing, who was sitting in his car, was looking at the encrypted file he had just received on his tablet computer, with a sneer on his lips.
The first page of the document contained detailed information about a daughter of an elegant demeanor and prominent family background.
"Ms. Lin's" life experience, family background, academic achievements, and even several carefully taken photos showing her elegant temperament and beautiful face.
With a flick of her fingertips, she sent the information to one of Gu Rushuang's core assistants through an anonymous encrypted channel, with a note:
[If you find any unexpected results, or if they are helpful to Mr. Gu, please share them with us as appropriate.]
She didn't need to hand it over directly to Gu Rushuang, that would be too deliberate.
Through the hands of the assistant, this "just right" perfect candidate information will be more like an "unexpected surprise" and will better cater to Gu Rushuang's current mentality of urgently wanting to "set things right".
After doing all this, Xu Nanxing leaned back in his chair, imagining Gu Rushuang's expression when she saw Miss Lin's information, and everything that might happen next, and a morbid sense of satisfaction arose spontaneously.
Gu Rushuang's paranoia is the sharpest knife in her hand.
And the seemingly perfect information about "Ms. Lin" was actually the poison she carefully prepared.
The knife has been handed out, the poison has been prepared, and the show is finally about to begin.
————
Mu Nanyan walked out of the cafe almost instinctively. The moment she opened the door, the biting cold wind carrying fine snowflakes immediately hit her face.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the sky was as gloomy as in the evening. Lead-gray clouds hung low over the entire city. The continuous snowfall had already covered the streets, roofs and dead branches with a thick layer of silver.
She opened the car door and got into the driver's seat. The moment the door closed, it seemed as if she was temporarily isolated from the outside world that was filled with indifference and calculation.
There was silence in the car, and the calmness and sharpness that he had forced himself to maintain during the confrontation with Gu Rushuang just now disappeared in an instant.
She leaned back in her chair, feeling a wave of deep fatigue, but even more surging was an indescribable heartache that gripped her heart sharply, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
She almost couldn't wait to take out her cell phone, and with a barely perceptible tremor on her fingertips, she found Lu Yiran's number and dialed it.
At this moment, she longed to hear his voice and feel his presence, as if only in this way could she confirm that everything she had just fought so hard to defend was real and warm.
However, what came from the receiver was a cold and mechanical prompt tone:
"The user you dialed has switched off the phone..."
Oh, and he's still on the plane.
A huge feeling of loss and powerlessness instantly overwhelmed her.
She slowly put down her phone, her eyes unfocused on the steering wheel.
My thoughts involuntarily drifted back to a few years ago.
At that time, she had just agreed to marry Lu Yiran, and occasionally heard some fragments from the old lady of the Lu family about his parents' broken relationship and his mother's early departure for a foreign country.
When she listened at that time, it was more like listening to the gossip within a wealthy family, and there was not much ripple in her heart.
But now, having seen Gu Rushuang with his own eyes, heard her icy "profit first" theory with his own ears, and personally felt her almost indifferent judgment of her son and her undisguised desire to control him...
Mu Nanyan's heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, causing her to feel aching and dry.
She suddenly realized with great clarity what a desolate and lonely childhood and youth lay hidden beneath Lu Yiran's seemingly indestructible and powerful appearance.
What does it feel like to be without the love and companionship of your parents?
How did he stumble through those growing years when he needed guidance and protection?
When facing the open and covert attacks from both inside and outside the group, has he ever longed for an embrace where he could rely on and confide in others?
Did his inadvertent paranoia, insecurity, and occasional silence stem from this?
Questions flooded into her mind like a tide, but the answers only made her feel more heartbroken.
She remembered the casual tone he used when he occasionally mentioned the past, and now she understood how much unknown hardship and forbearance was hidden behind it.
"Yiran..."
She murmured unconsciously, her eyes slightly warm.
Before, she loved Lu Yiran, who was strong, noble, and occasionally showed tenderness and vulnerability to her.
And now, she seemed to have penetrated time and saw the little boy who was forced to mature and become independent prematurely. The love she felt for him was instantly filled with deep and unbreakable heartache.
She suddenly felt that his life in those years had been very difficult.
This belated tenderness, born of deep understanding, was more turbulent and heavier than any other emotion, filling her heart and making her want to see him immediately and hug him tightly.
The car's air conditioner slowly blew out warm air, but it couldn't dispel the coldness and anxiety in Mu Nanyan's heart.
She raised her hand and rubbed her stiff cheek. When her fingertips touched the moisture at the corner of her eyes, she was surprised to find that her eyes had quietly turned red.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her surging emotions, but her eyes involuntarily drifted to the window.
The snow was still falling, and the goose-feather-like snowflakes were blown by the cold wind, leaving winding water marks on the car windows, blurring the world outside the window.
The street lights came on early, and the dim light shone through the snowflakes, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground, making it look particularly lonely.
She looked at the pedestrians hurrying along the road. Everyone wrapped their clothes tightly and hurried towards home. Her longing for Lu Yiran grew stronger.
Mu Nanyan took a deep breath of the cold air and forced herself to calm down.
She raised her hand, gently wiped away the remaining moisture from the corners of her eyes with her fingertips, and started the engine.
The car slowly drove away from the roadside, rolled over the snow, and drove steadily towards the hotel.
The snowy scene outside the car window kept passing by, but her mind was extremely clear. If she wanted to see Lu Yiran as soon as possible, she had to complete all the work at hand as quickly as possible.
In fact, the core mission of this trip to Washington is nearing completion.
The design drafts of all performance costumes have been finalized and delivered to the workshop for expedited production.
According to the original plan, she should have stayed to wait for the final review after the finished product was completed. She was even invited by the dance troupe's director Emma to watch the first performance before returning home, which would take at least half a month.
But at this moment, she couldn't wait any longer.
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