Chapter 45: Nine out of ten gamblers lose.
For several days in a row, Shang Shu slept directly at the company. Everything before the launch was going smoothly. In fact, the busiest time had passed, but she still stubbornly tried to fill herself with various tasks. She personally went through the entire process of shooting the jewelry archives, personally supervised the packaging before shipping, and reviewed every word on the signed contracts.
Song Lan was also vaguely worried. The last time this happened was three years ago, but she couldn't say anything.
Shang Shu always appeared to be emotionally stable, neither particularly sad nor particularly happy.
She and Gu Sui never met again, but they still kept in touch, maintaining a subtle distance between them.
Good morning, good night. Remember to eat, don't overwork yourself, get some rest, and so do you.
No one brought it up again. I'll come pick you up. Wait for me at home. Stay tonight.
She pretended to be very busy, and Gu Sui pretended to understand her busyness. Shang Shu found it funny; she never expected that their perfect understanding would be achieved in something like this.
She thought this was good, because she really hadn't figured out how to face Gu Sui.
She was afraid to ask, and she was also afraid that the other person would ask. She didn't know what lie to make up to cover up her emotions. She was afraid that if she made up a lie, Gu Sui would see through it at a glance. What she feared most was that she would really not be able to help but ask, but she couldn't afford the price.
"That's good," Shang Shu thought. Although she didn't know why Gu Sui was cooperating with her, the result was exactly what she wanted.
The Macau Jewellery & Gem Fair finally opened in December. Media and guests arrived one after another, the red carpet was slowly laid out, and the dresses and suits shone with dazzling brilliance under the flashing lights. The photographers' shutters could not stop. In front of the ribbon-cutting platform, everyone held scissors and cut them down in unison at the host's announcement.
Flashing lights, applause, and crowds heralded the start of this grand exhibition.
Over the next few days, Shang Shu immersed herself in one business negotiation and social engagement after another, greeting people with a smile during the day and drinking and socializing at night.
She took hangover pills more often than Vitamin C, and in the later rounds, Shang Shu stopped letting Song Lan come along.
Inside the Venetian, Shang Shu had drunk a bit too much. She made an excuse to leave her private room for some fresh air. But in the distance, she seemed to see a somewhat familiar figure being embraced by a man at the end of the corridor.
Shang Zhiyi?
Shang Shu pinched the bridge of her nose and confirmed it again.
"Isn't this my dear sister?" The other person also saw her, his voice somewhat teasing, and he sounded like he had drunk quite a bit.
"What are you doing here?" Shang Shu's head spun when she heard those three words. She frowned, her expression ambiguous as if she were asking a question.
Shang Zhiyi leaned closer to the man: "A jewelry exhibition, why can't I come?" Then she looked up at the man and continued to show off with a smile, "Chen Yu brought me to look at diamond rings, right?"
The man, who had been silent, smiled and then hummed in agreement.
Shang Shu ignored her rambling and was about to leave when Shang Zhiyi continued talking on and on.
"It's so late and you still have to socialize, you must be exhausted. Poor sister, you're still single. How about Chen Yu introduces you to someone? He has a lot of men under him, maybe a few of them will be interested in you." Shang Zhiyi's face was flushed, her speech became increasingly unclear, and she chuckled to herself after speaking.
"Shang Zhiyi, what's wrong with you?" Shang Shu frowned in disgust. Perhaps because this man was backing her up, Shang Zhiyi's provocations sounded more confident than before.
"Alright, let's go." The man seemed fairly sober and didn't act recklessly with Shang Zhiyi.
Shang Zhiyi clicked her tongue and gave the man a push, somewhat annoyed: "Leave me alone."
She then staggered toward Shang Shu and scoffed, "Oh, I almost forgot, you like women."
Shang Shu's hands clenched tightly at her sides. The alcohol was getting stronger and stronger. She squinted, her tongue pressed against her back teeth, and a murderous look gradually appeared in her eyes.
She had initially intended to ignore Shang Zhiyi's drunken ramblings, but the other party insisted on courting disaster. Since the other party had already gone this far, she didn't need to be polite anymore, and she also had a bellyful of anger with nowhere to vent it.
Just as she chuckled and was about to lash out, she felt a warm sensation on her waist.
"Miss Gu." The man called out somewhat guiltily when he saw the woman's ashen face.
Not long ago, he had met this Miss Gu at a dinner party. Jia Hua Media had recently encountered some difficulties and was looking to turn enemies into friends and cooperate with Guangjing, an industry leader, for mutual benefit. Although it was not said on the surface, he had already found out that this was the person who currently held the power in Guangjing Media. Moreover, she was a member of the Gu family, so he dared not neglect her in the slightest.
"Is this how your fiancée usually talks?" Gu Sui's voice was frighteningly cold.
Your fiancée, with just a few words, distanced herself from the man and his young girl.
Shang Shu was so drunk and angry that she was a little dazed and stared blankly at the person beside her.
"I'm sorry, Miss Gu, I..."
"The one who should apologize is neither you nor me."
Before Chen Yu could finish speaking, Gu Sui interrupted him sharply.
"Yes, yes," Chen Yu hurriedly replied, then nudged Shang Zhiyi's shoulder, "Zhiyi, apologize to your sister."
Shang Zhiyi's drunken face immediately turned angry: "Chen Yu, how did I end up with such a coward like you?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yu's face turned ashen, as if he had swallowed a fly. He was both ashamed of his own reputation being damaged and embarrassed by Shang Zhiyi's antics. Although he liked Shang Zhiyi, he was not at the point where he would sacrifice his own family's interests for her.
So he quickly tried to smooth things over: "Miss Gu, Miss Shang, I'm so sorry, Zhiyi had too much to drink today. I apologize on her behalf. I was very sorry for being so offensive earlier."
Gu Sui glanced at the person without saying anything, then looked at Shang Zhiyi, who moved her lips and said, "The second time."
This was the second time Shang Zhiyi had provoked the young girl in front of her.
"I think we should skip this collaboration between Guangjing and Jiahua," she said calmly to Chen Yu. "If Jiahua's future mistress is like this, then we'll have to reconsider future collaborations."
Then she moved the hand around the girl's waist, lowered her head and whispered to Shang Shu, "Let's go."
"Gu..." Chen Yu wanted to salvage the situation, but Shang Zhiyi slapped him across the face. He had just been humiliated and lost the cooperation, and was in a bad mood. So he started arguing with Shang Zhiyi without saying a word.
Shang Shu listened silently to the argument behind her. Gu Sui pulled her away until only their breathing could be heard. Then she subtly removed herself from his hand.
"You don't need to do this for me," she said somewhat distantly, "but thank you anyway."
She didn't ask Gu Sui why she was there, because she had already asked her enough questions.
Gu Sui listened, looking at those somewhat dazed eyes without saying a word.
"I'm not done yet, I'm going back first." Shang Shu's face was flushed with drunkenness. She pointed haphazardly with one finger. It was true that the dinner party wasn't over, but it wasn't impossible for her to leave if she wanted to.
"Okay, I'll wait for you." Gu Sui neither tried to persuade nor stopped him, but frowned as he looked at the man's flushed face.
"No." Shang Shu shook her head, the dizziness intensifying. "You called me here, is there something you need?"
That was close, I almost bit my tongue.
"Let's talk after you're done," Gu Sui said, gently touching Shang Shu's swaying shoulder.
Seeing that the person wasn't planning to give up, Shang Shu moistened her lips and took a deep breath: "Let's talk about it now."
The moment she said it, she suddenly regretted it. She should have agreed, gone back to the drinking party, gotten herself drunk, and faced the situation later.
The bright, ornate ceiling lights were a bit dazzling, and the constant temperature central air conditioning made her feel sleepy. Shang Shu felt really tired.
"Ah Shu, you're avoiding me." Gu Sui's tone was flat, without any emotion, as if stating a fact.
Shang Shu opened her mouth, exhaled softly, but did not speak.
She didn't use being busy as an excuse because she knew Gu Sui wouldn't believe her.
"You don't want to see me, do you?" After a moment of silence, Gu Sui spoke again, this time with a slight tremor in her voice.
"I just... ha..."
I just don't know how to face you.
Shang Shu smiled bitterly, and stopped mid-sentence.
The air pressure was very low, so low that she felt a tightness in her chest, just like the feeling before a storm, gloomy and suffocating.
She was preparing herself for its arrival.
"It started after that day you saw the psychologist, right?" Gu Sui continued to ask.
Since Shang Shu didn't want to say it, she would say it for her.
Shang Shu tilted her head slightly and leaned against the wall on one side of the corridor.
After a long while, she stared blankly at the somewhat dazzling ceiling, opened her mouth and said, "Liang Wanzhi said that I have a knot in my heart, and as long as this knot is not untied, I will not be able to truly get better. And the answer to this knot is in your heart."
She turned her gaze back to those beautiful eyes: "Now, are you willing to tell me, Gu Sui?"
The last time.
Let her take this gamble one more time.
The surroundings were exceptionally quiet, as if the hustle and bustle outside the wall had nothing to do with them.
Even if I'm back by your side, does that answer still matter?
Shang Shu chuckled softly.
Nine out of ten gamblers lose; the outcome is predetermined from the moment she sits down at the gambling table, and now she believes it.
She closed her eyes, trying to smell the reassuring scent of white moss on Gu Sui's body, but all she could smell was the strong, decadent smell of alcohol emanating from him.
"Gu Sui, do you love me?" She curved her lips into a sweet smile, her voice lingering, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Of course, I love you, A-Shu." Gu Sui said urgently, as if a fish that had been starving had finally touched a drop of water.
See? If they really wanted to answer, they wouldn't have evaded the question.
"Okay, I understand." Shang Shu nodded, stretched out her fair arms, which were slightly flushed from the alcohol, and hooked them around Gu Sui's neck.
She kissed those soft lips tenderly, as if sculpting a fine work of art. Her tongue was still a little numb, but she did her best to create a beautiful picture.
She felt the other person stiffen slightly in surprise, felt the neck clinging to her hand gradually become hot, and felt the hand that couldn't help but wander on her waist. She let the other person respond and take what they wanted. Her mind went blank, and she almost suffocated.
The choked breath turned into tears, sliding down her cheeks, just like the unspoken words stuck in her throat, turning into bitterness flowing back into her heart.
If this dream will eventually end, then let her put an end to it herself.
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