Chapter 10: Graceful

Gu Hansheng took the person away.

Ji Chen, however, saw clearly. The bag was personally handed to someone by him, and now it appeared here.

What a coincidence.

Stepping back behind him, Ji Chen turned to look at Gu Hansheng. As he took two steps forward.

"Take him back to the Jing family and tell Jing Yu that it's best to keep him locked up for a month or two."

The young man furrowed his brows slightly, his somewhat immature face filled with indignation. "Why?"

Gu Hansheng stood firm. The contrast between a man and a boy was particularly evident. He towered over the little rascal in front of him, his superiority evident.

He sneered, "You pick fights every few days. Your brother isn't here, and you can land yourself in trouble directly. Do you have any reason?"

The young man's mind raced, rare for him not to retort, only saying, "Brother, I suddenly fell in love with someone. Can you find out who she is for me? I promise to study hard and cause no trouble in the future."

Gu Hansheng took a step forward, dismissively mocking, "Alright."

"I remember her appearance and voice. If I see her again, I'll definitely recognize her!"

"Heh."

...

Liang Shu fainted and was admitted to the hospital, with only Aunt Mei sitting by her side.

She finished her last bottle of IV drip, the room plunged into darkness. She groggily opened her eyes and saw Aunt Mei nestled on the small sofa by the window.

These past two days, dealing with Jiang Jiucheng's affairs had been exhausting. Mei Aunt was probably tired too, sleeping with a slight snore in that posture.

She sat up against the head of the bed, having slept too much during the day and now found herself unable to sleep. She looked at Aunt Mei's figure and fell into thought.

It was no secret that Aunt Mei had become a high-class *courtesan* in the gray area of Yucheng.

She was beautiful and sophisticated, particularly adept at navigating the circles of the wealthy and powerful. In her forties, she still exuded that charm.

On the day she adopted Liang Shu, it was pouring rain. Mei Aunt was holding a large dark umbrella with twenty-four ribs, wearing a fitted embroidered qipao, her hair meticulously styled, her red lips enchanting. She seemed to have stepped out of a painting of a woman from the Republic of China.

She said, "From now on, I'll be your aunt. I'll protect you."

Liang Shu had forgotten Mei Aunt's real name long ago. In the underground city, everyone called her Aunt Mei, but she had heard Jiang Jiucheng call her by her nickname a few times in private: Pianpian.

Liang Shu felt that if it weren't for Jiang Jiucheng, Aunt Mei would probably have had a good life, at least not like this.

Jiang Jiucheng, this rotten person, had ruined her life.

Even the money she had painstakingly earned from selling blood was gone, not even had a chance to feel its warmth.

...

The next day, Qian Hui came to visit Liang Shu.

Qian Hui was originally one of Aunt Mei's people, several years older than Liang Shu.

People trained by Aunt Mei all carried a hint of the gentle and charming demeanor of a Jiangnan countryside woman, with brows and eyes that contained the spring, and a tone of voice that could sweeten people to death.

Qian Hui asked her, "How did you manage to get such a large sum of money? Did you find a man?"

She blinked casually, "I sold blood."

"Hundreds of thousands... Tell your sister clearly, did you sell blood or your body?"

Liang Shu looked at Qian Hui, smiling calmly. "Elsewhere, hundreds of thousands for my body would be worth it."

In other words, she would be worth hundreds of thousands to be bought by someone.

"As long as you weren't deceived by rich old men," Qian Hui raised her eyebrows.

But Liang Shu fell silent. The experiences of the past half month were probably unforgettable for her entire life.

Unforgettable, including that man.

After Qian Hui left, Liang Shu quietly took out a cigarette and lighter from under the pillow, walked to the wide-open window, and lit it to start smoking.