Chapter 7 Please stay away from me.
Shang Shu always adhered to the principle of efficient working hours and punctual departure for S&S employees. She even ordered a ban on overtime and other competitive behaviors when the company was founded. Of course, she herself was an exception. So, as night fell, the company building became quiet.
Shang Shu glanced at Gu Sui's dark office, smoothed her hair, and left in her high heels. She went downstairs, lit a cigarette, and waited for her driver to pick her up.
But a moment later, a black Maybach stopped in front of Shang Shu. A bodyguard in black got out, opened the back door, and extended a hand to Shang Shu respectfully but coldly, saying, "Miss, the master requests that you go home."
Shang Shu took a deep drag on her cigarette and exhaled billowing white smoke: "In broad daylight, are they planning to kidnap me? I had no idea that the Shang family had connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds."
The bodyguard remained expressionless, seemingly having anticipated Shang Shu's refusal, and coldly said again, "Please get in the car, Miss."
"Are you deaf? I said I'm not going." Shang Shu was slightly annoyed. Although she knew they were just following Shang Wei's orders and shouldn't make things difficult, she couldn't swallow her anger at being confronted in public.
The bodyguard lowered his voice and spoke again: "The master said that if you don't want to make things difficult for Miss Gu, please have her come back with us."
Upon hearing Gu Sui's name, Shang Shu's pupils dilated, and the cigarette she hadn't finished smoking suddenly fell to the ground, struggling to emit a few sparks on the floor.
Shang Wei, that old fox, really hasn't given up on keeping an eye on me. Gu Sui had barely shown up in Aocheng when he got the news and used it as leverage.
Although Shang Shu knew in her heart that with the power and status of the Gu family, her father couldn't really do anything to Gu Sui, there were many ways he could secretly trip her up. She would never allow Gu Sui to suffer an undeserved disaster.
"Heh." Shang Shu sneered, crushed the cigarette butt on the ground with the tip of her high heel, then got into the car, not forgetting to throw a remark to the bodyguard outside: "Remember to pick up the cigarette butt."
On the other side, Gu Sui had just come out of the restroom when he saw that the light in Shang Shu's office was off. He didn't know who had turned off the light in his own office; perhaps the cleaning staff had seen that she wasn't there and assumed she had already left.
She grabbed her bag from the office and prepared to go downstairs to leave, but as she exited the elevator, she saw Shang Shu talking to her bodyguard. Noticing that Shang Shu's expression was a bit off, and remembering that the car that picked her up from the Lin family yesterday didn't seem to be this one, Gu Sui had a bad feeling.
She quickly went to her car, tossed her bag onto the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and immediately drove off to follow the other car.
The car drove into the villa, and Shang Shu got out of the car with a cold face and walked inside without looking back.
"Young Miss."
"Greetings, Miss." The servants greeted her one after another.
"Xiao Shu is back?" A middle-aged woman greeted her with a big smile. She was Feng Yuan, Shang Shu's stepmother. She might not be good at other things, but Feng Yuan was best at playing the role of a loving mother and daughter.
Shang Shu didn't even glance at her, and went straight upstairs to the study, behind her Shang Zhiyi's cursing voice coming from the sofa.
"Just say what you want to say. I don't have time to beat around the bush with you." She stood at the door and spoke to Shang Weihai rudely, venting all her anger from earlier.
"Cough cough..." Shang Wei turned his back and coughed a few times, his face flushed: "How can you talk to me like that? Don't you even respect me as your father?!"
"Want to be a good father? Aren't there two perfectly obedient daughters downstairs to play along with?" Shang Shu sneered disdainfully, then continued sharply, "I'll ask you one more time, what is it?"
"You! Cough cough cough..." Shang Wei finally caught his breath and said coldly, "I will arrange for someone to go on a blind date with you in a while. You are 25 years old this year, and it is time to find a husband and settle down so that you can help the Shang family again."
"Ha." Shang Shu laughed angrily, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world: "What right does someone who is such a failure as both a husband and a father have to interfere in my marriage?"
"Shang Shu!" Shang Wei roared her name, his eyes wide with anger. "Let me tell you, I don't care how outrageous you were abroad, but once you're back in Macau, you'd better behave yourself and don't even think about doing anything shameful again!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Shu seemed to have been struck on a sore spot. She clenched her fists so tightly that her short nails dug bloody marks into her palms: "What do you mean by shameful? Does anything that doesn't suit your taste count as shameful?"
Shang Wei snorted coldly, not denying it: "Don't forget, back when you were trying to kill yourself for that woman from the Gu family, who saved you? Now you're hooking up with her again. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Even if you're willing to go all out, are you so sure she'll throw away the Gu family's reputation for you?"
"Shut up! I won't allow you to talk about her like that!" Shang Shu trembled with anger. "Do you think I want to live? If you value my life so much, then take it!"
Shang Wei slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang, scattering the ornaments all over the floor. He pointed his finger at Shang Shu's nose and said, "You! How can you say that to me? How can you say that to your mother?"
"Don't mention my mother!" Shang Shu screamed, nearly collapsing. "Shang Wei! You're the one who's wronged my mother, it's always been you! What right do you have to mention her?"
"Smack!"
Even if Shang Wei was not the best, he was still an adult male, and this sudden slap knocked Shang Shu to the ground.
“Buzz—” Shang Shu lay prostrate on the ground, feeling dizzy and hearing a sharp buzzing in her ears.
In a daze, she seemed to see Feng Yuan rush in, passing by her to support the furious Shang Wei, and she also seemed to see Shang Shiqing leaning against the door frame in fright, and Shang Zhiyi standing aside fanning the flames.
Shang Shu staggered to her feet with all her might and ran out of the Shang family villa.
Gu Sui, who was standing not far away, saw Shang Shu come out with one hand covering her face and swaying as if she were about to collapse. She immediately jumped out of the car and ran to Shang Shu's side without even closing the car door. She hugged her and asked, "Shu! Shu, are you alright?"
Shang Shu was in a daze; the world seemed to be silenced, and apart from the piercing buzzing, she could not hear any other sound.
"Get out! Get away! Don't touch me!" Shang Shu cried hysterically, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam. She couldn't tell who was in front of her and just kept hitting and struggling.
Gu Sui endured the blows, her brows furrowed tightly, yet she held Shang Shu tightly, refusing to let go. She cupped Shang Shu's swollen face and, unusually, roared at her, "Shang Shu! Look at me!"
Shang Shu was immobilized by her, and her tears made the already blurry image in front of her even more blurred. She kept sobbing, and each sob caused her body to tremble, as if her heart would stop beating at any moment.
"Listen to me, A-Shu, you're injured and need to see a doctor."
Shang Shu watched Gu Sui's mouth open and close, but couldn't hear what she was saying. She only saw Gu Sui's furrowed brows and her anxious face twisted into a knot. She stopped struggling and gradually calmed down. Gu Sui helped her into the car.
Inside the Gu family's medical center, Shang Shu lay on the treatment bed, her cheeks even more swollen and red under the white light.
"Second Miss, Miss Shang's condition is preliminarily determined to be an inner ear labyrinth injury caused by external force. Fortunately, the eardrum was not damaged, but she may experience tinnitus and dizziness for the next few weeks to a month."
Gu Sui stood outside the glass window, looking at the weak Shang Shu on the bed, and his heart ached: "Okay, we must make sure she recovers as soon as possible."
"Yes," the doctor replied and returned to the examination room.
Shang Shu propped herself up and sat on the edge of the bed. The tinnitus was not as severe as before, and she could hear the doctor clearly, but she still felt dizzy.
"Ms. Shang, have you been taking any other medications recently?"
Shang Shu looked up and met Gu Sui's eyes outside the glass window. She turned her head away coldly and said to the doctor, "I hope you won't tell her about sertraline and melatonin."
SSRIs are antidepressants used to relieve depression, anxiety, and nightmares. Melatonin is added to address sleep disorders, a typical post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD.
The doctor understood and said gently, "Please rest assured, we are obligated to keep the patient's information confidential." He then explained to Shang Shu how to take the medication in combination.
Outside the gate, Gu Sui looked at Shang Shu with some concern and said softly, "Let me take you back."
"No need, I'll wait for the driver to pick me up." Shang Shu's expression was calm, no longer showing the excitement she had just displayed.
Gu Sui remained noncommittal and did not force her. He simply stood quietly beside her and draped his wool coat over Shang Shu's shoulders, asking, "Does your face still hurt?"
Shang Shu's eyes darkened, but she didn't answer. She took out a cigarette from her pocket and put it in her mouth, but just as she took out a lighter to light it, Gu Sui nimbly snatched it away.
"Your current condition is not suitable for smoking, as it may worsen your symptoms."
Shang Shu felt dizzy listening to her words, but Shang Wei's words, "She can also disregard the family's reputation for you?" echoed in her ears, each word clear and distinct, like a never-ending sea rushing into her mind, making it hard for her to breathe, until she was completely submerged.
Yes, what is she doing?
Even back when they were still together, she never imagined what Gu Sui's answer would be if she really had to choose between herself and the Gu family.
But now she has the answer, or perhaps she already knew it three years ago.
The cold air rushed into Shang Shu's nostrils, making her want to cry. She turned around to face Gu Sui, her voice even colder.
"Gu Sui," she said slowly, "could you please put away your self-righteous concern?"
Gu Sui lowered her eyelashes, her hand pausing as she touched the lighter.
"Who do you think you are to me?" Shang Shu sneered sarcastically.
"I don't need your concern, I don't need your care, and I certainly don't need your pity!" She suddenly raised her voice, her body trembling uncontrollably, and the coat she was wearing slipped off her shoulders and fell to the ground.
"Gu Sui, listen carefully. You and I have had no relationship since the moment you abandoned me three years ago."
Shang Shu took a deep breath, looked at the flashing white light not far away, and exhaled white mist with trembling hands.
"So please stay away from me."
The wool coat lay quietly on the stone steps. Gu Sui gripped the lighter tightly in her hand; the icy touch had long since melted away with the warmth of her palm. She watched as Shang Shu got into the car without looking back and disappeared into the silent night.
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