"So, I'm not qualified to go in again?" Gu Qingyan gritted her teeth and said angrily.
“Yes. This is my home now, and I don’t want to see you,” Shen Zhi Qiu retorted defiantly.
"I disagree!" Gu Qingyan's anger flared up again, and she glanced at Lu Jia. "Why should he be allowed in? Remember, I'm still your husband in name only! How can you bring a man into our marital home?!"
"What? When you brought Xiao Wanqing back, weren't you my husband? Or wasn't this our marital home?!" Shen Zhi Qiu said sarcastically. "You've never cared about my feelings, yet you expect me to care about yours. Isn't that a double standard?"
Seeing that Gu Qingyan was about to argue, Shen Zhi Qiu gently rubbed her temples. "Gu Qingyan, I'm tired. I don't want to argue with you. You can leave."
Gu Qingyan was furious when she saw Lu Jia standing next to her; her suppressed anger was finally about to explode.
Seeing that things were not going well, Si Mingyu stepped forward and grabbed Gu Qingyan's arm, lowering his voice to say, "Qingyan, if you want to provoke Zhi Qiu to completely break with you, then keep throwing a tantrum, otherwise come with me right now."
"Okay, I'm leaving." Gu Qingyan's expression changed instantly, but she regained her composure.
Shen Zhi Qiu didn't have time to pay attention to his emotional changes. She simply nodded expressionlessly and prepared to walk inside. Before turning around, she still politely said to Si Mingyu, "Brother Mingyu, thank you for coming to save me. You've worked so hard!"
Si Mingyu's gentle expression was touched, and a trace of loneliness appeared between his brows. Thinking of how Shen Zhi Qiu could accept Lu Jia's concern as a matter of course, but was so distant from him, he smiled bitterly and said, "Zhi Qiu, it's good that you're alright. Get some rest. Qing Yan and I will go first."
One hour later, in the blue zone.
The moment Meng Yunche pushed open the door with An'an, he couldn't help but frown, and An'an immediately covered her mouth and nose.
The room was filled with smoke. Gu Qingyan sat upright on the sofa, his white shirt collar open and his coat carelessly tossed aside. His face was dark as he chugdled glass after glass. He didn't even bother to look up when he heard them push open the door.
In contrast, Si Mingyu stood to the side, presenting a stark contrast. Upon seeing them enter, Si Mingyu immediately sat up straight and greeted them with a gentle smile, "An'an's here too. Please sit down."
"What's wrong with him? What happened to Xiao Wanqing again?" Meng Yunche moved forward and whispered to Si Mingyu.
"When have you ever seen him act like this because of Xiao Wanqing?" An'an curled her lips in disdain, looking down on Gu Qingyan's drunken state.
"Could it be because of Shen Zhi Qiu? That shouldn't be the case, he..." Meng Yun Che swallowed the words back, shaking his head, somewhat puzzled.
"He was kicked out by Zhi Qiu. You'd better not mess with him tonight," Si Mingyu said in a low voice, taking a sip of his juice.
"Serves you right." An An said irritably, then nudged Meng Yunche with her elbow, rolled her eyes at him, and said, "Birds of a feather flock together."
"An'an, no, I didn't! He's not my friend!" Meng Yunche quickly sat up straight, hurriedly trying to distance himself from the situation.
An An glanced at the juice in Si Mingyu's hand, her eyes scanning him up and down. He and Gu Qingyan were truly two completely different people. One was always gentle and refined, polite and courteous, with a faint, warm smile always playing on his lips, his every word and action exuding elegance. The other, on the other hand, always had an icy expression, his every move radiating coldness, as if everyone owed him something. She had once heard Meng Yunche mention that Shen Zhi Qiu had always admired Si Mingyu during their school days, or rather, it was a girlish infatuation. But in the end, Si Mingyu married someone else, and Shen Zhi Qiu married Gu Qingyan. Everyone was surprised, after all, everyone thought Gu Qingyan would marry the little girl he had always doted on, and no one would have connected Gu Qingyan and Shen Zhi Qiu.
Sensing An An's probing gaze, Si Mingyu smiled gently, but An An immediately saw through the loneliness and bitterness in that smile.
"An'an." Suddenly, Gu Qingyan, who was drowning his sorrows in alcohol, broke the silence and softly called her name.
Those present were somewhat surprised, after all, the two had never gotten along well, and Gu Qingyan had never addressed her in such a tone.
“You’re a girl too, tell me, haven’t I been good to Shen Zhi Qiu? I buy her whatever she wants.” Gu Qingyan said somewhat forlornly, and before An An could answer, he tilted his head back and gulped down another mouthful of wine.
"Giving money is good?" An An's lips twitched involuntarily. "I'm too lazy to reason with a drunkard like you."
An An gave him a disgusted look, stood up, and prepared to leave.
"Then what can I do to keep her by my side?" Gu Qingyan asked, looking down and somewhat dejected.
Si Mingyu unconsciously tightened his grip on the glass, his brows furrowed.
"I think you've missed your chance. In Nancheng, when it comes to money, probably no one can compare to you, Gu Jia. But many girls want more than just money. Besides, what else do you have besides money?" An'an wasn't going to let him off the hook, constantly stabbing Gu Qingyan in the chest. "There are plenty of rich people out there. Although they may not be as wealthy as you, there are plenty of men who know how to care for you. They not only give you enough money, but they also provide all the tenderness, consideration, and love you deserve. Have you ever given Shen Zhi Qiu any of that? No, right? But I don't think you're incapable of it."
An An sneered, "Think about it carefully. What were you doing when Shen Zhi Qiu was suffering in the mountains while pregnant with your child? Weren't you cleaning up Xiao Wan Qing's mess? You're quite good at dealing with her. Someone like you has the nerve to come here drinking and saying you want to keep Shen Zhi Qiu here?!"
Having said that, she didn't care about Gu Qingyan's reaction and simply opened the door and left. She really didn't want to stay here for even a second longer; it was so unlucky!
"In the mountains?" Gu Qingyan suddenly raised her head, rushed over and grabbed Meng Yunche by the collar, saying fiercely, "So, An'an knew she was in the mountains of Rongcheng, and you knew that too but didn't tell me?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
