Chapter 22 That night, she told two lies. ...
At three in the morning, Gu Sui was awakened by the pain from her stitches. She went to the living room and looked for painkillers among the things Song Lan had brought. She glanced at Shang Shu's closed door and softened her movements again.
After taking the medicine, she couldn't sleep anymore, so she simply stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, gazing at the scenery outside in a daze. The hotel had a great view, and the Bund's river view was still beautiful even in the early morning.
Looking at the riverside promenade beside her, she couldn't help but think of going there for a walk with Shang Shu and enjoying the river breeze.
Because in Edmonton, it was difficult for them to practice this kind of romance. If they didn't want to run into alcoholics and drug addicts, they basically only had two places to go at night—nightclubs and bars or staying at home.
Gu Sui thought about it carefully, and it seemed that there were still so many things they hadn't had time to do.
Ironically, they were both from Macau, but they had never shared any memories of each other in Macau before.
However, it might not be a bad thing, Gu Sui thought, because it meant that they still had countless possibilities and too many memories waiting for them to create.
Suddenly, a mournful sob abruptly pulled her thoughts back. The sound, which was like a cry or a wail, was particularly jarring in the still night. One cry followed another, accompanied by incessant sobbing.
Gu Sui's heart sank suddenly. He rushed to Shang Shu's door, and after confirming the source of the sound again, he pushed the door open without hesitation.
"Gu...Sui...No!" Shang Shu was curled up on the bed, her hands tightly gripping the blanket. She kept twisting her body and crying out in a pitiful voice.
"Ah Shu!" Gu Sui rushed to the bedside and turned on the bedside lamp, knocking over the medicine bottle in her haste.
She then noticed that Shang Shu's forehead was already covered in fine sweat, tears mixed with sweat, her hair sticking messily to her face, and her expression was extremely painful.
"A-Shu, wake up!" Gu Sui called her name while gently shaking her shoulder, trying to wake her from the nightmare, but afraid of frightening her.
"I...killed...me!" Shang Shu suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath. She struggled in shock, as if she were still in that terrible dream.
"I'm here, I'm here, it's alright, A-Shu, it was a nightmare, it's alright." Ignoring the injury on his shoulder, Gu Sui tenderly pulled her into his arms, constantly stroking Shang Shu's back, which was already soaked with sweat.
Shang Shu nestled in Gu Sui's arms and burst into uncontrollable sobs. She clung tightly to Gu Sui's back, as if trying to dig her fingertips into his flesh, afraid that the person in front of her would disappear in the next second.
This time, she didn't dream of Gu Sui leaving like before; instead, the dream was more cruel than ever before.
She dreamt that Gu Sui was repeatedly killed in front of her, his blood staining her entire world, and that everything she did was in vain.
The scene looped before her eyes like a slideshow. In the end, she screamed desperately at the air, begging to take her place and even hoping to find relief through death.
Finally, she woke up in Gu Sui's arms.
Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a bright glow on the thick European-style carpet. The two embraced in the moonlight's shadow, their love tender and affectionate.
Hearing the heart-wrenching cries, Gu Sui felt as if his heart was being slowly torn apart.
Her back ached from being gripped, and the wound on her shoulder also stung faintly, but she still gently stroked Shang Shu's back and coaxed her, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid anymore."
She didn't know how long she cried before Shang Shu gradually stopped sobbing. She slowly loosened her grip and lifted her face from Gu Sui's embrace to look at her.
"It's just a nightmare, it's all fake." Gu Sui gently reached out and wiped away the remaining tears on Shang Shu's face.
"Gu Sui... could you stay with me for a while..." Shang Shu pleaded hoarsely, "Just a little while..."
"Okay, I won't leave." Gu Sui looked down at the person in his arms and asked softly, "Want to tell me what you dreamed about?"
"It's very bad." Shang Shu sniffed, and couldn't help but sob.
Gu Sui gently rested her chin on the other person's head, her eyes sweeping over the medicine bottle on the bedside table, and she frowned slightly: "A-Shu, how long have you been like this?"
This was the second time she had witnessed Shang Shu having a nightmare, and the second time she had heard her call her name and those medicine bottles in her dream.
She was certain this was not a coincidence, and could almost certainly conclude that these dreams were related to her.
Shang Shu didn't answer. She subconsciously glanced at the overturned medicine bottle and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, after what happened last time, she replaced the medicine bottle with one containing Vitamin C.
In fact, since Gu Sui came back, the frequency of her attacks has been gradually decreasing, and she has also begun to try to wean herself off medication, reducing it from two pills to one.
It must be because of the unexpected incident during the day; she ultimately made a mistake.
Seeing that the person didn't answer, Gu Sui's heart clenched again, and she asked in a trembling voice, "You're sick... aren't you?"
Seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, Shang Shu simply took the medicine bottle in her hand and shook it gently, saying in a hoarse voice, "Just mild anxiety, Vitamin C, you know, it's a placebo effect."
She then snuggled closer to Gu Sui and added with concern, "Being a boss has too many things to worry about."
Attributing it to the anxiety of entrepreneurs is a plausible reason.
Gu Sui tightened her grip on the person, half-believing and half-doubting. She lowered her eyes and brought up the dream again: "Did something bad happen to me in the dream?"
"Mmm," Shang Shu replied with a heavy nasal tone.
Even now, recalling the heart-wrenching pain of losing Gu Sui, she still feels lingering fear.
She bit her lower lip, her voice barely a whisper: "Gu Sui, please don't risk your life for me anymore, okay?"
She would rather Gu Sui not love her, or even disappear from her world like before. She just wanted Gu Sui to live, and she just wanted her to be safe.
"Okay," Gu Sui replied gently. Perhaps what happened during the day really frightened her. "Then let's not think about it anymore. Look, I'm right here, aren't I?"
She stroked the forearm of the person in her arms to reassure them, but her fingertips brushed against the scar on Shang Shu's wrist again.
Gu Sui's eyes darkened slightly as he placed Shang Shu's wrist in his palm and asked softly, "What is the meaning of this flower?"
Following her words, Shang Shu looked at her wrist and gently moved it: "It's nothing, I just think it looks nice."
"Just because it looks good?" Gu Sui raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Mmm." Shang Shu's eyelashes trembled.
Gu Sui was wrong to say that she was not good at pretending.
That night, she told two lies.
Gu Sui reached out and turned off the bedside lamp, then looked down at the person in his arms and whispered, "It's still early, let's sleep a little longer."
Upon hearing this, Shang Shu assumed that Gu Sui was about to leave, and immediately shook her head in alarm, tightly gripping his arm and refusing to let go.
"I won't leave. Let's lie down together, is that okay?" Gu Sui asked soothingly.
After receiving the consent of the person in her arms, she tucked the person back into the quilt, then reached out and tucked the corner of the quilt in, before lifting the other side of the quilt and lying down next to Shang Shu.
Shang Shu unconsciously moved closer to him. Gu Sui smelled wonderfully, a blend of her usual moss scent and a hint of shower gel, which made her feel at ease.
Shang Shu leaned her head closer, her eyelids began to droop, and soon she fell asleep against Gu Sui.
Gu Sui felt Shang Shu's even breathing, turned her head to stare at her sleeping face. For some reason, she just really liked watching her sleep.
I love watching her sleep, I love watching her eat, I love watching her smile...
I love everything about her.
*
With Gu Sui by her side, Shang Shu slept exceptionally well, only waking up when the sun was high in the sky.
With her eyes closed, she subconsciously reached out and touched the spot next to her, only to find herself touching something soft. The comfortable touch made her unconsciously squeeze it a couple of times. A few seconds later, she realized something was terribly wrong.
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate so early in the morning?" A cool voice came from above Shang Shu's head. "Oh no, it's the middle of the day."
Shang Shu hurriedly removed her hand from that soft mass and grabbed the blanket to cover her face like an ostrich.
How shameful! How could she do such a thing in broad daylight!
Buried under the covers, Shang Shu was berating herself when she heard a few pleasant laughs above her head. Then the covers were pulled back, and the ostrich was finally able to see the light again.
"Alright, get up. I'll take you out to eat in a bit." Gu Sui smiled.
She accepted it pretty quickly? Who was touching whom, anyway...?
"I'm going to take a shower." Shang Shu, with slightly swollen eyes, quickly got up and went into the bathroom.
"Be careful not to fall." Gu Sui shook his head as he watched the figure running away quickly, straightened his shirt, and blushed slightly.
Shang Shu took off her sweat-drenched clothes, walked to the showerhead, and let the water wash over her face.
Everything that happened yesterday felt so unreal that she's still in a daze.
However, it is certain that she and Gu Sui slept in the same bed for one night.
Shang Shu slowly closed her eyes, savoring the memory of that warm embrace and the pleasant fragrance called "Gu Sui".
After a long while, she slowly came out of the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel. Since the itinerary had changed, she would just treat the next few days in Shanghai as a vacation in a different environment.
Just then, she caught a glimpse of a figure on the sofa in the room out of the corner of her eye, which startled her so much that she trembled all over.
"You... why are you still here?" Shang Shu pulled her bath towel up and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Gu Sui was already dressed and crossed her legs, casually scrolling through her phone with one hand.
Shang Shu swallowed hard; this woman was truly beautiful.
Her long, jet-black hair fell to one side of her shoulder, and she wore a coffee-colored shirt that she had never seen before. The top two buttons were still undone, revealing her delicate and alluring collarbone. Below, she wore apricot-colored trousers, and her crossed legs inadvertently revealed her jade-like ankles, making her blush and her heart race.
Seeing her come out, Gu Sui put down his phone, placed his hands on his knees, and stared at the snow-white bundle not far away: "Use her and then discard her, how heartless."
Shang Shu met Gu Sui's slightly narrowed smiling eyes. The golden sunlight shone on her face, making her charming eyes look like amber.
"I'm going to blow-dry my hair." Shang Shu quickly looked away when she felt the water droplets sliding down her hair and dripping onto the back of her hand.
"I'll help you." With that, Gu Sui gently stood up from the sofa.
Seeing this, Shang Shu quickly snatched the hair dryer away: "I can do it myself, don't touch it."
Gu Sui smiled and sat back down on the sofa to look at her.
The sunlight outlined Shang Shu's high, straight nose with a light golden hue, and her long, dark chestnut hair, curled up, shone with a soft, lustrous sheen.
Compared to her previous childishness, the girl in front of her now had a more mature charm, and Gu Sui couldn't help but stare at her in a daze.
As the wind subsided, Shang Shu felt the other person's gaze, pursed her lips, and put the hairdryer aside: "Why are you staring at me like that..."
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