Chapter 42: An accident occurred

Surrounded by cacophony, Liang Shu still heard her words clearly.

Compared to this woman who preached righteousness, she seemed somewhat aloof. "So, if I don't donate blood, are you going to force me? Is this what compassionate healthcare looks like?"

"For you, it's not a loss, and the other party is willing to pay. You're not at a disadvantage, so why are you so stubborn? It's a living person's life at stake."

"So if I don't donate blood, and this person dies, are you going to morally coerce me? Is that what you mean?"

"I didn't mean that..."

Liang Shu's tone was indifferent. "Then you don't need to call me anymore. I won't donate blood. Others' life or death..." She paused. "It's none of my concern."

"But..."

"Doctor, please stop trying to persuade me. The more you try, the colder my heart becomes. If I donate this time, what about next time? And the time after that?"

The female doctor was helpless and could only let the other party hang up.

Liang Shu looked at the five-minute-long call, pondered briefly, then simply turned off her phone.

...

Three days later.

Even though it was past closing time, Gu Hansheng was still in his office.

Shi Ying quietly brought in a cup of coffee and placed it on Gu Hansheng's desk. Due to Gu Hansheng missing Jiang Yu's call during the meeting two hours ago, Shi Ying reminded him softly, "Sir, Mr. Jiang called this afternoon. Please make sure to call him back after you finish your work."

Without looking at her, the man just made a sound of acknowledgment.

Shi Ying left the room.

After Gu Hansheng finished his work and called Jiang Yu back, it was already forty minutes later.

He stood by the French window, holding the coffee that had long gone cold, gazing down at the night view of Yucheng. The cold-toned lights cast his figure as lonely and slender, exuding the unique aura of a high-ranking individual's solitude.

During the pause while waiting for the call to connect, Gu Hansheng drank the coffee to moisten his throat. "You called me?"

"Yes, Ah Hang is going crazy. He rarely falls ill, but because of getting caught in the rain last week, he got sick."

This was certainly not the main point. Jiang Yu didn't need to call Gu Hansheng for such a trivial matter.

"The culprit is still that woman. Jingxing saw her before, and last week at the Imperial Club was the second time. The kid likes her. I watched the surveillance video. In this vast Yucheng, where am I supposed to find such a person?"

Gu Hansheng remained expressionless. "So you think I know?"

Jiang Yu was anxious. "He said you have an idea about this. Ah Hang is something my mother fought hard for back then. I have to take care of him. With so much going on in the Jing family now, with the old man on his last legs, everyone wants a piece of the pie. I can't spare the time. But it's just a woman. Think of a way, you can always dig up something to fool the kid."

For Gu Hansheng, this matter was simple.

In fact, if he wanted to, he could immediately bring this woman to Jingxing.

But he didn't agree.

Jiang Yu found it somewhat unbelievable. "Is this matter really so difficult for you?"

Gu Hansheng had already lit a cigarette and took a drag. As he flicked the ash, he casually said, "Not difficult, but Ah Hang can't afford to be more spoiled than he already is."

"Alright, it's up to you then."

Naturally, Jingxing couldn't find Liang Shu. His little tricks in front of Gu Hansheng were simply too childish.

The tricks he knew, Gu Hansheng could easily thwart.

As an elder brother, Jingxing couldn't touch Liang Shu.

And as Gu Hansheng, Jingxing couldn't touch Liang Shu even more.

It hadn't been long since Jiang Yu's call ended when the phone at Yushan Villa was directly transferred to Gu Hansheng's office.

His expression turned grave, and he was already on alert in his mind.

The villa doctor didn't hide anything and spoke frankly, "Sir, there have been some issues at the university hospital. Rh-negative blood is now extremely scarce, with insufficient stocks everywhere. There is currently not enough reserve blood..." He paused, his tone slightly admonishing, "Sir, we need to plan ahead."

Gu Hansheng's fingers made an impatient gesture, his tone becoming colder. "Wasn't it said that the number of people on the list increased?"

"After the final screening, only one person still fits."

"Who?"

"The one you brought to Yushan Villa last time."

Before Gu Hansheng could speak, he heard the doctor adding, "The university hospital has already contacted her in advance, but she is very resolute and refuses to donate blood."

...

This time, Ji Chen spent a long time circling around before finding some clues about Liang Shu.

She hadn't used any of her own identification documents, and the funds under her name were only circulating in Yucheng.

She withdrew enough cash from a certain bank in Yucheng, and the last time she was seen was at a bus station near the outskirts of Yucheng.

Gu Hansheng seemed quite nonchalant and said to Ji Chen, "Since she left Yucheng three days ago, do you think she would have no precautions? It's not so easy for you to find her just like that. She's not that foolish."

Quite clever indeed. Her so-called impending success, Gu Hansheng now understood it.

After Liang Shu gave blood to the person at Yushan Villa, Gu Hansheng had invested quite a bit in her, but this woman, with her character and background, was not someone Ji Chen wanted the boss to be involved with further.

When Gu Hansheng initially said 'when she's most suitable', Ji Chen thought he meant that Gu Hansheng would make a deal with Liang Shu. But people like Liang Shu, in Ji Chen's view, were most adept at taking advantage of situations.

In such transactions, she gave more, but demanded more in return.

People like her were insatiable, their desires unquenchable, and they had no sense of limits.

Once they realized that you were indispensable to them, they would push the boundaries, threatening you with whatever they held in their hands.

On this point, Ji Chen understood too well.

He suggested, "There is still room for reconciliation in this matter. We can always think of other ways."

Gu Hansheng tapped his index finger on the large desk twice, his lip line slightly cold. He looked at Ji Chen intently. "In all the years you've been with me, have you ever seen me lose?"

Ji Chen shook his head. "Never."

"That settles it; I never take uncertain risks, not because I can't afford to, but because I dare not. Her life, I, Gu Hansheng, cannot gamble with."

This time, Ji Chen fell silent.

He remembered a line from an art film he watched with his girlfriend that night: "It is impossible for one to truly empathize with others."

It couldn't have been more appropriate now.

As an aide, he merely suggested and never thought of trying to change Gu Hansheng's mind.

So he nodded. "I understand."

"Mm, you may go."

After Ji Chen left, Gu Hansheng called Liang Shu again, only to expect the phone to be switched off.

He had a faint feeling that in his thirty-something years of life, with everything planned meticulously, he had finally been caught by a wild girl.

Ji Chen had spent quite some effort tracking Liang Shu's whereabouts, and she had gone to a neighboring province.

With many matters to attend to, Gu Hansheng couldn't spare the time, so he had to instruct Ji Chen to go personally.

The day before departure, Shi Qing learned that he was going to a neighboring province and couldn't help but ask, "The subsidiary in Wencheng is in the midst of an IPO audit. Everyone is on edge. Mr. Gu, why are you going to the neighboring province at this time?"

After organizing the documents in his hand, Ji Chen handed them to Shi Qing and asked, "Do you think, for Mr. Gu, money is more important or people?"

Shi Qing frowned. "It depends on the person."

Not bothering to beat around the bush with her, Ji Chen said straightforwardly, "It's related to the person at Yushan Villa. Don't ask anymore. Handle your work properly. If I don't handle this matter well, and Mr. Gu gets upset, everyone will suffer."

Shi Qing glanced around and made a neck-rubbing motion. "Then you have to be very careful."

...

Liang Shu was very clever. She stayed in cheap motels where a little extra money meant no need for ID registration.

After much searching, Ji Chen finally found out where she had stayed, only to be told that she had already checked out.

In the surveillance footage, Liang Shu could be seen in the early morning dragging her suitcase and hailing a taxi to leave.

Two days later.

Ji Chen arrived at a remote town known for its skiing, a famous resort with many tourists coming and going. Finding one person here was like finding a needle in a haystack.

The temperature here was even lower than Yucheng, especially at the foot of the snowy mountains.

He went into a noodle shop and ordered a bowl of noodles. While halfway through his meal, someone he had been searching for appeared before him, and surprisingly, Ji Chen's first emotion was one of joy.

Liang Shu, bundled up in thick cotton clothes, had a complete set of mountaineering gear beside her, as if she had silently appeared in front of him.

She sat opposite Ji Chen, wrapped up warmly, wearing a woolen hat, earmuffs, and gloves. She pointed at Ji Chen's slightly thin coat and said, "Assistant Ji, you'll be cold in that."

Out of politeness, Ji Chen chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth before setting down his chopsticks and asking, "Miss Liang, how long do you plan to stay here?"

She chuckled. "Does it concern you how long I stay?"

Ji Chen was taken aback, his demeanor still somewhat mild. "Mr. Gu is looking for you, hoping you'll return to Yucheng and meet with him."

"He's looking for me, what are you doing here?" Liang Shu rested her chin on one hand, her gaze lazily drifting over the bustling crowd outside the noodle shop. Her tone remained casual. "You folks from the Gu family can be quite bullying. I have no intention of going back."

As Ji Chen's hand, resting on his knee, slowly clenched into a fist, he was about to speak, but then he saw the woman across from him suddenly take off her gloves. She unzipped her cotton jacket one-third of the way, revealing a white turtleneck sweater underneath, and then she lightly flicked her index finger downward, exposing a portion of her snowy white neck.

There were faint marks on it.

She looked at him and smirked. "You see, this was done by your Mr. Gu. It hurt like hell at the time. That man is truly wicked."

Liang Shu's tone resembled that of a favored mistress boasting of her accomplishments to her master.

Ji Chen's face darkened. He had imagined how to 'persuade' her to return to Yucheng after finding her, but he hadn't expected it to turn out like this.

To Liang Shu, it seemed that her dignity was truly worthless.

He sneered, "You are quite adept at slandering people. In some ways, I am less easy to deal with than Mr. Gu. If you don't cooperate, I don't mind using means to make you comply."

"Tsk tsk, call it slander if you want. In your eyes, Gu Hansheng is as pure as snow, and I'm just the villain." She put her coat back on. "I only have this one life. Since Mr. Gu has sent you all the way here, I don't believe you can force me to any extreme."

This time, the initiative was in Liang Shu's hands, and she wasn't afraid.

After finishing speaking, Liang Shu got up to leave, but Ji Chen stood up and blocked her path. "Mr. Gu wants to see you."

Liang Shu glanced at the half-eaten noodles in front of him and said, "If he wants to see me, he should come in person. What's the point of you coming?"

...

This snow-capped mountain in the neighboring province is famous. To the north of the peak is a renowned ski resort with several ski runs, each with a different vertical drop.

But Liang Shu's destination today was not skiing. She followed a local group to the southern peak.

Compared to the north face, the terrain here was steep, attracting many extreme sports enthusiasts.

Ji Chen watched as Liang Shu followed the local group into the mountain. He wanted to follow, but was stopped by someone. He saw Liang Shu leaning on her trekking pole inside the restricted area, waving at him. "Assistant Ji, are you really following along? I forgot to tell you, this group only departs once a day, and you have to make a reservation at least three days in advance. If you want to come, it'll probably be a few days later."

Ji Chen stood there stunned, pinching his brow in frustration.

Liang Shu took a few steps forward, then turned back to look at him. "The discussion you want with Gu Hansheng can only happen if he comes himself. Otherwise, even if I die, you won't be able to get a drop of my blood."

She joined the mountaineering group in the morning.

In the afternoon, news spread that something had happened.

This year, the southern peak was unstable. The mountaineering group encountered an avalanche near two-thirds of the way up the mountain, and the signal was lost. The people below have been unable to contact any of them since.

Ji Chen remained somewhat composed and arranged for the people who came with him to wait for news at the exit, while he called Gu Hansheng.

Yucheng, the pinnacle of the Gu Group.

After Shi Qing had just delivered the documents, the meeting inside had been ongoing since morning and showed no signs of concluding.

As Gu Hansheng did not receive a call from Ji Chen, Ji Chen had no choice but to call Shi Qing.

Shi Qing was just about to call Ji Chen when he unexpectedly received a call from him, so he inquired, "Ji Assistant, when will you be able to return? What did Mr. Gu ask you to do, exactly?"

"Shi Qing, please contact Mr. Gu immediately. I need to report a situation to him."

"But Mr. Gu is in a meeting..."

"It's an emergency situation that arose suddenly."

"Understood."

...

Gu Hansheng was in a meeting, attentively listening to the report from the head of a subsidiary on the recent quarter's performance. Everyone was on edge, hoping to avoid any mistakes that would give the boss any reason to criticize, thus ending the meeting as soon as possible.

However, unexpectedly, the secretary whispered something in his ear, causing Gu Hansheng to lose his composure in front of all the subsidiary heads.

The situation at that moment was like this: Gu Hansheng was about to sip from a cup of tea when he accidentally overheard something, causing him to drop the cup.

Shi Qing was shocked and pale at the time, forgetting what important things he had just said. He quickly took out a handkerchief from Gu Hansheng's suit pocket and handed it to him.

Gu Hansheng took the handkerchief, dabbed his mouth symbolically as he got up, and walked out.

Outside, he headed to his office, making a phone call to Ji Chen while instructing the secretary to book the next flight to the neighboring province.

"What's the situation over there now?"

"Mr. Gu, Miss Liang organized a mountaineering group in the neighboring province, but they encountered an avalanche. The fire department has sent people in, but so far, no one has come out."

"Keep an eye on it. I'll be there soon."

Gu Hansheng arrived in the neighboring province at 5 p.m., and Ji Chen had already arranged a car. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was past 8 p.m.

The scene was sealed off, with only media and official personnel like firefighters present; there were no unnecessary individuals.

Ji Chen had already taken care of everything. When Gu Hansheng arrived, a man in his forties with a receding hairline stepped forward. "Mr. Gu."

"What's the situation?"

"I heard they have located their exact position, but there's no further news yet. Please be patient."

Gu Hansheng arrived in a weary state, still clad in his elegant suit, which stood out conspicuously amidst the crowd.

Ji Chen handed him a pre-prepared gentleman's down jacket to drape over Gu Hansheng, remarking, "Although there's currently no good tidings emerging, there's also no dreadful news for now."

At this moment, Gu Hansheng yearned for a smoke, but such a setting was hardly appropriate.

As he squinted at the flashing lights around him, his brow furrowed. Ji Chen swiftly grasped the situation. "It wouldn't be fitting for you to be captured here. It wouldn't cast a favorable light. Let me intervene."

However, Gu Hansheng waved his hand slightly. "No need."

He added, "What did she convey to you?"

"She requested your personal presence. Nothing beyond that was said."

Gu Hansheng gazed towards the snowy expanse concealed in darkness, unable to articulate his current state of mind, merely maintaining a cold demeanor. "Yet she must preserve her life to meet me."

Over these past few days, whenever Ji Chen contacted Shi Qing, she occasionally mentioned that the situation with the woman at the Villa on Mount Yu was unstable. For several consecutive nights, Gu Hansheng had to drive to the Villa on Mount Yu after finishing his company's affairs.

If something happened to Liang Shu...

Liang Shu mustn't have any accidents, not even injuries, or else, the condition for drawing blood wouldn't be met.

Gu Hansheng and Ji Chen were well aware of this. Ji Chen's greatest regret at the moment was why she hadn't halted her back then.

The avalanche at the neighboring province's snow mountain had made it to the real-time trending list on Weibo.

While everyone was anxious, many people also saw Gu Hansheng under the media's spotlight.

Ruan Yunyun's assistant saw the news while browsing Weibo and promptly passed it to Ruan Yunyun. "Madam Ruan, look, Mr. Gu is trending."

Ruan Yunyun, hurt by Gu Hansheng, had just finished shooting for the Gu Group and then immediately came to the neighboring province. It had been over ten days since filming started, and she had been here for this long.

Upon hearing that Gu Hansheng was trending, she was skeptical until she saw the tall and slender figure outlined against the dim and chaotic scene. Only then did her fluctuating heart finally settle.

She stared blankly at that face, asking her assistant, "How did he end up here?"

They were aware of the avalanche incident at the neighboring province's snow mountain.

During dinner on the set, they had even overheard a female celebrity expressing relief, saying she was fortunate not to have gone this morning, or she would have been in jeopardy.

Ruan Yunyun was aware of all this.

But why would Gu Hansheng, who was far away in Yucheng, appear here?

The assistant said, "I heard it from gossip, the most credible version among all, that there's a woman in the mountaineering team whom Mr. Gu fancies. Hence, it's only natural for him to come over when she encounters such a plight."

Ruan Yunyun's expression dimmed as the previous incidents flashed through her mind like a fleeting panorama. She returned the phone to her assistant. "What's the current situation with the mountaineering team?"

"It's still unclear. There are about ten people in the team, and none of them have been rescued yet."

...

It was already half-past eleven at night.

Gu Hansheng had been waiting here for three hours.

People had been rescued one after another, and Liang Shu was the third from the last.

She lay on the stretcher, wrapped tightly like a dumpling, covered with thick blankets.

But in the extremely poorly illuminated environment, what was Liang Shu like in Gu Hansheng's eyes?

She still had a faint breath, but the air exhaled from her nostrils couldn't even gather into a mist. Her stray locks and long, dense eyelashes exposed to the cold were frozen together, her face not flushed but pallid.

Gu Hansheng even unconsciously wanted to reach out to feel her breath, but he was stopped by Ji Chen, who blocked the media's cameras and whispered, "She's still alive, sir, don't worry. Let's have the ambulance take her to the hospital first."

He remained composed, retracting his hand and watching as the ambulance closed its doors.

Gu Hansheng closed his dry eyes, feeling a sense of relief. Unexpected accidents were beyond human control.

If he hadn't personally seen Liang Shu in this state, he would have even doubted if this was another scheme orchestrated by her to pressure him.

At one o'clock in the morning.

Liang Shu was admitted to the best local hospital, regaining consciousness at three in the morning.

Previously, it seemed like she had only dreamt.

She had fallen into a world of ice and snow for a long time.

Upon awakening again, the bone-penetrating cold seemed unrelenting. As she moved under the blanket and opened her eyes, the various medicinal scents in the air brought awareness to her body before her mind.

Another hospital.

But her consciousness was fragmented. It was only when she turned her head and saw Gu Hansheng that everything slowly came back to her.

Gu Hansheng was sitting on the sofa, leaning slightly forward with his hand supporting his chin on his knee, looking as though he was asleep.

Liang Shu didn't forget. This was the neighboring province, not Yucheng.

The time displayed on the bedside table was: five minutes past three in the morning.

And Gu Hansheng's presence here was undoubtedly for her.

Look, she had indeed hit the mark.

The woman from the Villa on Mount Yu didn't need testing in his heart; her importance had already been revealed.

She wanted to drink water, but she didn't have the strength to reach it.

So she deliberately knocked over the clock on the bedside table, the abrupt sound catching his attention. Liang Shu stared straight at the man sitting in the sofa area.

He was indeed asleep.

So when she opened her eyes, there was a moment of bewilderment, but it cleared in less than a second.

Their eyes met, and Liang Shu looked towards the only water dispenser in the room, her voice hoarse as she struggled to speak, "I want water."

Gu Hansheng remained seated on the sofa, but he had shifted his posture, staring steadily at her.

He didn't offer to pour her water.

Furrowing her brows, Liang Shu felt a chill down her spine from his deep gaze, so she remained silent, slowly propping herself up to get out of bed and fetch the water herself.

However, this time she overestimated her physical condition.

She fell off the hospital bed.

Gu Hansheng reacted quite quickly, but it still took him a moment to come over. He didn't catch her, and Liang Shu fell to the ground.

Did it hurt?

Yes, it did.