Chapter 43 She seemed even more annoyed with Gu Xubai…
Since there have been injuries, the tasks assigned by the production team must be suspended.
Gu Xubai knelt down in front of Yun Qingqing without saying a word.
“Come up,” he said, leaving no room for argument.
Yun looked at the broad back in front of her, then glanced at the other person's serious and cold profile. Knowing the importance of the situation, she swallowed back the words "I can walk by myself" and silently climbed onto the other person's back.
Gu Xubai steadily supported her, stood up, and strode straight back along the mountain path they had come from.
He walked very fast, taking large, hurried steps. Gu Mingyan followed closely beside him and dialed the emergency number for the program crew.
Yun gently rested on Gu Xubai's back, feeling the tension in his shoulder and back muscles, as well as his slightly higher than usual body temperature transmitted through his clothes.
Although his steps were hurried, they were surprisingly steady, and Yun Qingqing barely felt any jolts.
She really wanted to say something to ease the tension, like "I'm really fine now" or "It's probably just a slight bruise," but when she turned her head, she saw the siblings' lips pressed tightly together in unison.
Gu Mingyan and Gu Xubai had gloomy faces and low auras, truly giving off the cold and ruthless villainous vibe of the story.
Upon arrival at the campsite, the program's emergency response team, who had been informed in advance, immediately swarmed around them.
Gu Xubai carefully placed Yun Qingqing on a makeshift folding bed set up in the medical tent. Immediately, medical staff used various portable examination instruments to check Yun Qingqing's condition.
After a series of examinations, the lead doctor breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, there were no fractures or internal organ damage. The main issues are extensive bruising on the left shoulder and back, as well as some abrasions," the doctor said while gently treating Yun's wounds. "The impact was quite forceful, so you may experience soreness all over your body for the next few days. You'll need to rest well and apply medication as prescribed."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xubai and Gu Mingyan visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yun Qingqing caught a glimpse of Ye Jinyan and Meng Xian dawdling down the mountain out of the corner of her eye. After learning that she was alright, they started groaning in pain instead.
"Doctor, please take another look at me. Am I really okay? My head is spinning, and I can't lift my arm..."
Seeing her screaming so loudly, Ye Jinyan's eyelids twitched violently.
He calmly took out his phone and quickly glanced at the program that was still being broadcast live.
As expected, viewers in the live stream were outraged, and he and Meng Xian have become trending topics for their criticism.
[After watching the replay, I felt like throwing up. Jiang Mingqian clearly warned Meng Xian from the beginning not to touch the sheep, but he still had to do it anyway.]
She must have thought she looked adorable petting the lamb.
[Meng Xian's extreme selfishness is ingrained in her bones. No matter how well she pretends normally, her instinctive reaction when faced with mortal danger is to drag others down with her.]
[Ye Jinyan's attitude was also quite interesting. His first priority after the incident was to protect Meng Xian, rather than checking on the victim or condemning the dangerous behavior.]
Birds of a feather flock together; one is stupid and wicked, the other a hypocritical coward. These two should be locked up; don't let them cause trouble for others.
[Tsk tsk, Meng Xian is crying like she's the one being gored by a goat, and the aroma of tea is overflowing.]
What Ye Jinyan found even more unacceptable was that, in addition to the criticism and ridicule from these netizens, the homepage also pushed his own bizarre and absurd videos to him.
The video covers are incredibly diverse, and the accompanying titles are even more sarcastic, each word piercing the heart—
"The Night Watchman's Show-Off Backfires"
The iconic scene of Young Master Ye's cowardly act.
As the only son of the Ye family who was pampered and adored since childhood, Ye Jinyan had just as much of an idol image to maintain as Meng Xian.
A strong sense of humiliation burned through his reason, and he desperately needed to do something to save face.
"Yun Qingqing, you must have been frightened today. The Ye family will mobilize the best medical resources for you, and the group's private hospitals will be open for you throughout the process. This is a small token of our appreciation and compensation from Meng Xian..."
However, before he could finish speaking, Gu Xubai coldly interrupted him:
"No need."
Ye Jinyan frowned, wanting to emphasize the Ye family's abundant medical resources.
Gu Xubai stated bluntly, "If I remember correctly, the medical sector of the Ye Group is still firmly in the hands of your sister, Ye Jiahe. The few idle shares you hold don't even have the authority to move a single department, so what gives you the right to represent the Ye family?"
When Ye Jinyan was publicly pointed out that he had no real power, his face turned red at a visible speed, and finally froze into an embarrassing ashen color.
[Hahahaha, what's with Ye Jinyan pretending to be a domineering CEO? He's just a complete clown in front of a true big shot like Gu Xubai.]
To put it bluntly, his seemingly impressive investments were actually just dabbling, like children playing house in front of someone like Gu Xubai who truly held power.
I used to think Ye Jinyan had the aura of a powerful figure, but now you're telling me he's just a young master with the title of heir?
[My brother is really cruel; I bet Ye Jinyan is so embarrassed he wants to disappear into the ground.]
Yun Qingqing, who was originally clutching her arm and groaning, almost lost her composure.
She quickly lowered her head, buried her face in the pillow, and forced the laughter that was rising in her throat into a few muffled, pain-like gasps.
Yun gently poked the system in her mind: "System, something's not right. Ye Jinyan is supposed to be the male lead in the original book, so why is he acting so pathetic now? He seems so low-class."
The system hesitated, then said: "Host...actually, according to the original plot, he shouldn't be like this."
"Hmm?" Yun raised an eyebrow gently.
[In the original book, at this point in time, Ye Jinyan should have stumbled upon a policy boom in a new field and made a fortune. He would not only have been able to shake off his sister's constraints but also gain some real power within the Ye family, giving him the confidence to challenge Ye Jiahe.]
Yun Qingqing silently spat out a disdainful "Pah!" in her heart.
She knew it! The male lead has absolutely no real skills; he only reached the pinnacle of life because of the protagonist's halo given to him by the author!
After finishing her tirade, Yun Qingqing noticed the system's choice of words: "You just said... originally?"
System: [Yes, the storyline has shifted. That project required a huge initial investment, but didn't your Gu Mingyan just withdraw her investment recently?]
Yun raised an eyebrow slightly: "So..."
Therefore, Ye Jinyan ran out of working capital, and the project that was supposed to make him a legend couldn't even raise the initial funding, forcing him to terminate it completely.
A smile slowly bloomed on Yun Qingqing's face.
As expected.
Without Gu Mingyan's strong support, and without the funds and connections she swindled from him, Ye Jinyan simply wouldn't have the ability to independently operate major projects.
Without business acumen, how could one be so lucky every time, relying solely on the protagonist's halo?
Due to this unexpected accident, the production team decided to suspend all filming and give all guests a day off.
At dinner time, Gu Xubai, carrying medicine provided by the medical staff, entered Yun Qingqing and Gu Mingyan's tent.
Gu Mingyan was sitting on the edge of the bed talking to Yun Qingqing. When she saw him come in, she stood up naturally and said, "I was just about to call you in to take care of Qingqing. I'm going to get some food."
"Mm." Gu Xubai nodded.
After Gu Mingyan left, only the two of them remained in the tent, where the evening light filtered through the canvas, creating a hazy atmosphere.
Yun leaned back on the folding bed. To make it easier to treat her shoulder and back injuries, she changed into a loose tank top and draped a thin jacket over it.
Seeing Gu Xubai approaching with the medicine bottle, she hesitated for a moment, then silently took off her coat a little, revealing her left shoulder and part of her back.
Gu Xubai restrained himself and kept his gaze at a distance, not looking around aimlessly.
He unscrewed the ointment and squeezed some onto his fingertip.
The ointment had a faint, cooling scent. "It might feel a little cool, bear with it." His voice was lower than usual.
"Mmm." Yun responded softly, feeling the cool fingertips, coated with ointment, gently touch the edge of the bruise near her shoulder blade.
His movements were light, carrying a caution that didn't match his cold and aloof appearance; one could even call it gentleness.
Her fingertips moved slowly in circles, spreading the cool ointment evenly over the wound. She controlled the pressure perfectly, ensuring the medicine penetrated effectively without hurting her.
But Yun Qingqing couldn't help but tense up slightly. Not because of pain.
It's because the distance is just too close.
She could clearly feel the temperature of the other person's fingertips. At first, they were slightly cool, but as they massaged, they gradually became warm and penetrated into her skin.
"System," she whispered to the system in her mind, trying to distract herself, "I really feel a little unwell, my head feels hot, do I have a fever?"
The system paused for two seconds, then replied in a flat, electronic voice: [It's not a fever, host, you're blushing.]
Yun Qingqing: "?"
The system highlighted: "Your face is really red, even the tips of your ears are red."
"Alright, alright, stop talking so much," Yun Qingqing quickly interrupted. "Who wouldn't blush when a handsome guy like that applies medicine at such close range! It's a normal physiological reaction!"
The system gave a reluctant "oh" and then shut up.
It was Yun Qingqing who spoke to it, and it was also Yun Qingqing who complained that it talked too much. This must be because it was embarrassed and angry!
To ease the awkwardness, Yun Qingqing quickly tried to change the subject, asking Gu Xubai the question she cared about most:
"Xu Bai, I don't think I've ever met Uncle Gu before. What kind of person is he?"
Gu Xubai's fingertips, still damp with ointment, paused slightly.
Why are you suddenly asking this?
Yun gently lay on her side on the pillow, pretending to be nonchalant, and said, "I'm just a little curious."
Based on her observations, Gu Xubai's relationship with his stepmother Xu Manhua seemed to be alright, not to mention his relationship with Gu Mingyan. Although they often bickered, it was clear that they cared about each other.
The siblings kept their father, Gu Zhentao, a secret from them.
In the original book, Gu Xubai ultimately went so far as to destroy the Gu family, and the root cause probably lies with this father.
"Not so great," Gu Xubai said calmly. "He's just an extremely selfish bastard."
Yun thought to herself, "As expected."
"It's actually a very simple, very old-fashioned story." Gu Xubai didn't hide anything and slowly began to recount this past event.
"A shrewd businessman concealed the fact that he was already married, used sweet words to deceive a young girl, and made her pregnant out of wedlock."
Yun Qingqing's heart slowly sank.
She already knew roughly how things would develop.
Gu Xubai continued, "Once the novelty wears off, the person gets tired of playing around, finds it troublesome and doesn't want to take responsibility, so they simply disappear and go back to being a good husband and a good father."
"The woman gave birth to her child alone, enduring criticism from those around her and inner turmoil, and suffered from long-term depression. Finally, on an ordinary night, she swallowed an overdose of sleeping pills."
As the last rays of evening light slid in through the cracks, they shone on Gu Xubai's expressionless face, making the undercurrents deep within his eyes appear even more obscure and difficult to decipher.
Yun felt a tightness in her throat and a dull ache in her chest, as if something was blocking her throat.
She wanted to say something, words of comfort, words of condemnation, but found that words were pale and powerless at this moment.
Gu Xubai looked at her troubled face and seemed to chuckle softly.
"But it doesn't matter. Doesn't he value his business empire, his social status, and the respectable life he's painstakingly maintained the most? Sooner or later, I'll destroy all of that."
"Wait a minute!" Yun Qingqing couldn't help but correct him with heartache, "That scumbag is despicable and deserves to be torn to pieces! But his money is innocent!"
"If you're going to do it, just kill him! Lingchi, dismemberment, all eighteen kinds of cruel torture—do whatever you want to vent your anger!"
We can't afford to turn down money!
system:【……】
What terrifying things is the host saying with that innocent-looking face?!
Gu Xubai looked at Yun Qingqing thoughtfully, seemingly finding some truth in her words.
"Just kill him directly?" he repeated in a low voice.
“Yes.” Seeing that he had taken her words to heart, Yun Qingqing became even more excited and couldn’t help but want to sit up and explain properly.
As a result of the large movements, the thin jacket that was already loosely draped over her shoulders slipped down even further, revealing more of her fair neck and shoulder skin.
Gu Xubai's gaze unconsciously followed the slipping fabric. Almost without thinking, he raised his hand, pulled up the edge of the coat, and draped it back over her shoulder.
Only after he finished doing this did he realize that his behavior seemed slightly inappropriate.
The two of them paused for a moment, then looked at each other.
"I'm sorry, I..."
Just as Gu Xubai was about to apologize, someone squeezed into the tent.
Gu Mingyan, carrying two lunchboxes, said hurriedly, "The food is ready. Tsk, the production team is really ripping us off. We have a day off and we still have to deduct points to redeem food..."
Before she could finish speaking, she noticed the unusual silence in the room.
Gu Mingyan paused, her gaze quickly sweeping back and forth between Gu Xubai's curled fingertips and Yun Qingqing's flushed cheeks.
Gu Xubai was the first to regain his composure and calmly instructed Yun, "The medicine has been applied. Get some rest and eat on time."
After saying that, he nodded to Gu Mingyan and stepped out of the tent.
Gu Mingyan stared at Gu Xubai's departing figure, her right eyelid twitching violently a few times without warning.
For some reason, she suddenly disliked this guy even more :)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com