Chapter 62: The Watch

The crowd gathered around grew steadily, their voices carrying from afar, filled with gestures and comments.

Ye Lan, buoyed by the support behind her, had little to fear. Moreover, with most people now siding with her and her purpose aligned with the welfare of this establishment, she felt even more emboldened.

She arched a brow, "Yes?"

Liang Shu swiftly retrieved her phone with her other hand and dialed a number, then glanced at Ye Lan, "Alright, I'll report both incidents to the authorities."

An elegantly dressed woman nearby, unable to contain her indignation, stepped forward and snatched Liang Shu's phone, abruptly ending the call. She then pointed at Liang Shu, "How dare you! Do you even know who she is?"

Liang Shu remained unfazed, her expression unchanged, "What does her identity have to do with me?"

"Humph, ignorance indeed! How dare you bully the wife of the mayor of Yucheng City?" 

Ye Lan withdrew her hand, folding them in front of her, watching Liang Shu with amusement.

Liang Shu shifted her gaze, her cold eyes piercing the woman before her, exuding an icy demeanor, akin to a female warrior.

The woman recoiled several steps, pointing her finger at Liang Shu, "What... what do you want?"

Liang Shu glanced at the phone in the woman's hand and reached out to her, "Give it to me."

The situation took an unexpected turn, prompting the shopkeeper to intervene immediately. He bowed, taking the phone from the woman and respectfully handing it back to Liang Shu, "My apologies, ladies, please don't be upset. It's all my fault. It's really not worth it."

Given an out, the woman huffed heavily, "So ignorant!"

With that, she turned, linking arms with Ye Lan, "Lan Lan, let's call security and have them thrown out. They've ruined your mood."

Ye Lan glanced at Liang Shu, her expression unchanged. Good mood? What good mood?

What good mood could she possibly have now? Su Qiping was having an affair, yet he hadn't shown the slightest trace.

Ye Lan didn't show any abnormality on the surface, and neither did Su Qiping.

He was the same as before, calling her name, giving her whatever she wanted. Even at night, faced with her advances, Su Qiping never refused. However, every time, Ye Lan would remember the expression on Su Qiping's face in the photo.

That fair hand against his prominent features, the sensual sweat on his damp hair, and the expression on his face.

Ye Lan was sick.

The normal feeling Su Qiping gave her was unbearable, but now, she knew everything was fake. The affection was fake, the comfort was fake, and that heart that always put Ye Lan first was also fake.

But her husband disguised it so well.

If she felt unwell and couldn't do it, Su Qiping would accommodate her, still able to embrace her peacefully in sleep.

Sometimes, Ye Lan would have a delusion, wondering if Gu Han Sheng was lying to her. Could her husband, who had always been so good to her, really cheat? But every midnight, Ye Lan would wake up from deep nightmares. In her dreams, she kept pushing open that door, only to feel like her eyes were being gouged out, repeatedly observing Su Qiping with that unclear-faced woman in an illicit affair.

Especially heart-wrenching.

Lost in her thoughts, Ye Lan was nudged by her best friend. She snapped back, looking at her friend, only seeing her lips moving, "Lan Lan, what's wrong? Is this woman disgusting you?"

Ye Lan shook her head, grasping her friend's hand, only to find Liang Shu's figure had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Liang Shu was escorted by the shopkeeper to the VIP lounge at the back. The shopkeeper apologized sincerely once again, "Miss, I'm truly sorry. We couldn't retrieve it. Reporting to the police seems to be the only solution. Apart from compensation, there's little else I can offer."

The fact that her watch was lost weighed heavily on Liang Shu's heart like a boulder. Initially, she had been in denial, clinging to hope. But now, she accepted it.

Slowly closing her eyes, she suddenly slumped onto the couch, tears finally streaming down her cheeks, causing her long lashes to glisten with droplets, trembling.

She stopped struggling.

Liang Shu's lips trembled, "Forget it."

The shopkeeper frowned at her, also feeling a twinge of pity, "Although we couldn't retrieve your watch, as long as you have any other reasonable requests, we'll do our best to fulfill them..."

She waved her hand, fingers pressed against her forehead, "You may leave, I'll stay here for a while."

"Alright... I'm truly sorry."

The lounge fell into silence.

Liang Shu could distinctly hear the sound of tears hitting the fabric of the sofa. She opened her eyes, watching the faint blur on the light-colored sofa, gradually becoming obscured in her sight, as another tear fell.

Her gaze shifted to the bracelet on her left wrist...

Suddenly, like a madwoman, Liang Shu attempted to remove the bracelet from her wrist, but it wouldn't budge.

Her fair wrist was rubbed red by the translucent jade bracelet, yet it remained steadfast.

Liang Shu buried her head in her hands, tears flowing through her fingers, tracing down her veins and disappearing into her sleeve.

In a low sob, "A-Sheng, is this fate? Are you blaming me for wearing the jade bracelet someone else gave me, so now there's no place for that watch on this wrist anymore, and thus you've taken it back completely?"

"A-Sheng, I wish it could stay with me. How could you do this?"

Liang Shu laughed amidst her tears, still speaking to herself, "I remember the smile on your lips when you gave me the watch and the sweat on your forehead from running. This was your entire summer's wages."

Her muffled voice emerged, "Look at you, so good at making money. Others can only earn a few thousand yuan in a summer, but you earned tens of thousands."

Jiang Pingsheng had given Liang Shu a Panerai watch back then.

It was a hot summer day, the air scorched by the blazing sun, cicadas buzzing loudly between the leaves.

The last week before the end of summer vacation, Jiang Pingsheng finished his tutoring sessions.

The mistress of the villa reluctantly placed her hand on her child's shoulder, looking at Jiang Pingsheng with regret, "Mr. Jiang, there's still a week before school starts. Our child loves your classes. He has improved a lot this summer. Are you really not considering teaching for one more week?"

Jiang Pingsheng, with his handsome face wearing a sunny and resolute smile, shook his head, "Well, I have some personal matters to attend to in the last week."

The mistress wanted to make a final effort. She knew this young and outstanding teacher was in need of money. So she said, "How about this? I'll pay you double the tuition fee for the last week. Would that be acceptable?"

Even the children couldn't bear to part, saying, "Teacher Jiang, please agree to my mom's request. I love your classes."

But Jiang Pingsheng still shook his head, reaching out to pat the boy's head, "I'm sorry, but I can't. The last week, I need to spend time with my girlfriend."

The mistress smiled, understanding, a hint of envy crossing her face, "I didn't expect Teacher Jiang to be such a perfect person, treating his girlfriend so well." Pausing for a moment, she continued, "I'm sure your girlfriend is also an outstanding person."

Jiang Pingsheng chuckled, "Yes."

But was Liang Shu truly outstanding back then?

She often argued with Aunt Mei over Jiang Jiucheng, smoked when she was in a bad mood, and at under twenty years old, her body often carried the scent of smoke.

Occasionally, when things got really bad, he could be upset with her all day.

But Liang Shu was outstanding in Jiang Pingsheng's eyes.

He ran in the scorching summer of 2008, finally buying the ladies' watch he had long admired at the department store counter.

How much did he spend?

A whopping fifty thousand.

The sales clerk looked at the sweaty young man standing in front of the counter. Even though he looked slightly disheveled, it didn't diminish his aura at all.

He was enthusiastic, sunny, handsome, and exuded a captivating charm that appealed to women.

That evening, the watch was worn on Liang Shu's wrist. The young woman's face carried a mature and sly expression that didn't belong to her age as she gestured to Jiang Pingsheng on the opposite side of the table, lifting her wrist to show off the watch, asking, "How much is this?"

Jiang Pingsheng picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Liang Shu's bowl, "Not much."

Liang Shu didn't inquire further. After they finished eating, Liang Shu waited for Jiang Pingsheng to take out money from his wallet to pay the bill, but Jiang Pingsheng just looked at her.

The clerk held a handwritten bill, glanced at the two of them, and repeated the bill, "One grilled fish, two bottles of beer, a total of 68 yuan."

Later, it was Liang Shu who paid the bill.

She took the remaining 32 yuan and bought two cups of milk tea for them, as well as a small fan. With the last coin, she gave it to a homeless person on the street. She handed the fan to Jiang Pingsheng, "It's hot. Fan me."

Jiang Pingsheng smiled and, as they walked, used the cheap plastic-smelling fan to fan the woman beside him.

Liang Shu suddenly stopped in her tracks, looking at him sideways, "How much was this watch really?"

If it was so cheap, how could Jiang Pingsheng not even afford a meal from a street stall?

He held Liang Shu's shoulders, looking at her intently, his eyes seeming to be filled with the brilliance of the night sky. He said, "Fifty thousand."

In the end, he added, "It used up all my savings and earnings."

Later, Liang Shu pulled him to the mall where the watch was bought. As they walked, she said, "I don't want it. If I wear it, others will think it's fake. Let's return it."

But Jiang Pingsheng held onto Liang Shu's shoulders, his gaze steady, seeming to be filled with the brilliance of the night sky. He said, "Aruru, do you believe it's fake too?"

In 2008, a watch costing fifty thousand yuan could be considered a luxury.

Liang Shu shook her head, tears falling as she lowered her head, "But it's too expensive. I don't want you to be so tired." Then, she raised her head, looking at Jiang Pingsheng, "Or, I can drop out of school. I don't want to study anyway. I can work and support you through school."

Hearing this, Jiang Pingsheng wasn't angry. Instead, he laughed.

He said, "What kind of work?"

Liang Shu pursed her lips, "One of Chen Xian's relatives came to see her a couple of days ago. We had dinner together, and she's going to take the train south. I heard there are factories hiring there, and you can earn several thousand yuan a month."

Jiang Pingsheng ruffled her hair. "I can afford to support you. You should listen to your aunt, focus on your studies. When you graduate from college and I finish my postgraduate studies, I'll save up a lot of money to take you on a trip."

She was successfully distracted by this topic, kicking stones underfoot as she walked alongside him. "Where are we going?"

Jiang Pingsheng thought for a moment before saying, "Budapest."

Liang Shu remembered flipping through a travel magazine while Chen Xian studied across from her at the library. The pictures looked enticing.

So she said, "Let's go to Bora Bora."

"In strict terms, Bora Bora is just an island that's barely visible on the map, almost submerged in the Pacific Ocean, with nothing much to do."

Then Liang Shu changed her mind. "Then let's go to Budapest."

Later, when Liang Shu went to take a shower, her roommate discovered the watch. Roommate A said sourly, "Look at this, how could Liang Shu have such an expensive watch? Must be from some old man."

With that, she tossed the watch heavily back onto Liang Shu's belongings. "She's so pretty, none of us here are even on her radar. Who knows, there might be some man out there fantasizing about her, she must have hooked up with someone long ago."

Roommate B chimed in, "I find it strange too. Her family isn't well-off. I often see her arguing with a man at the school gate, who seems to be her relative or something. But when you see her, she never lacks anything. Doesn't she have a phone? How expensive is a phone? Tingting, who's so wealthy, just begged her dad to buy her one a few days ago."

Chen Xian, who had been sitting quietly reading at her desk, finally couldn't bear it anymore. She put down her pen, turned to look at her two roommates, "That watch was a gift from Aruru's boyfriend. Stop spreading rumors."

Roommate A sneered, "Are you sure it's a boyfriend and not an old man who's keeping her?"

Chen Xian fell silent.

Later, when Liang Shu returned and saw Chen Xian carefully placing her watch back in its box, Liang Shu walked over and snatched the watch, tossing it aside with a barely perceptible smirk on her lips. "It's a high-quality imitation I bought for a few bucks at the night market. Why are you handling it so carefully?"

In the middle of the night, lying in bed, Liang Shu looked at the marks on the watch, feeling a small pang of heartache. She sent a text to Jiang Pingsheng: "You shouldn't have given me something so expensive."

He replied quickly: "It's not expensive. There will be even more expensive things in the future."

Liang Shu lay in bed, texting back to Jiang Pingsheng: "I swear, I'll wear it every day from now on, even when I shower and sleep."

Jiang Pingsheng: "Fool."

But now, the watch was broken and lost.

That segment of her past, so deeply ingrained in her, felt like it had been forcefully ripped away with a sharp knife, causing blurry flesh and blood, endless pain, and a wound so deep it revealed bone.

In places where no one could see, a pool of bright red blood flowed.

As she was leaving, Liang Shu saw Mrs. Su's friend getting out of a BMW, taking something and walking into the watch shop.

Liang Shu picked up a stone from the roadside, tightened her clothes around her, her long hair veiling her face tightly, then headed towards Su Lan's car.

...

The next day, as Ye Lan was about to leave, she said to Su Qiping, who was still sitting on the bed tying his tie, "I went out for a stroll last night. My car got scratched over a large area. I don't know if it was intentional."

Su Qiping smiled at the woman still sitting on the bed. "Is that so? What car do you like? Go buy one yourself."

Ye Lan suddenly threw back the covers and got out of bed. Her silk deep purple camisole nightdress wrapped around her faint body contours. The thin straps slid off her shoulders, exposing the roundness of her shoulders and the hollow of her collarbone, with some long hair falling in front of her, adding to the hazy allure.

She suddenly embraced Su Qiping from behind as he was about to leave, pressing her face against his shirt. "Qiping, do you love me?"

Su Qiping looked down at his hands placed at his waist, his eyes showing little emotion but quickly responded, "Lanlan, do you think I love you?"

"Yes." Ye Lan slowly closed her eyes, adding silently in her heart: "I did love you."

She let go of him, smiling as Su Qiping turned around. "Go to work quickly. You've been so busy lately that you hardly have time to spend with me. I almost got sick from accompanying my friend shopping, and I even got into an argument with an ignorant woman yesterday."

Su Qiping leaned down and kissed the corner of her lips. "Were you bullied?"

Ye Lan shook her head. "Not really."

"Good then."

...

Later, Liang Shu hailed a taxi on the roadside. After getting in, the driver asked her where she wanted to go.

She remained silent.

When she left Apartment Zero, Gu Hansheng was very angry.

She begged him, but he didn't say a word, just turned around and went upstairs.

He said: "You'll bear the consequences."

So be it.

Her previous rented apartment was still not fully furnished. The bedding and everything were still there. She could go back and make do for the night.

Upon reaching the midpoint, Qu An called her, "Madam, where are you?"

Liang Shu tilted her head slightly, gazing out of the window with a hollow heart, "What's the matter? Do you need me for something?"

"It's quite late, please come back quickly."

She paused slightly, "And what about the master? Does he agree to my return as well?"

Tonight, the hosts of Villa Zero Mansion had a quarrel, almost everyone in the villa was aware of it.

Qu An pondered for a moment before responding, "The master didn't say, but when he came down for water just now, he glanced at the dishes in the dining room and directly ordered them to be discarded. He himself didn't eat anything tonight. It's better for you to come back quickly, it's too late. Don't stay outside anymore, lest he worries."

It was still the aftermath of Liang Shu's previous disappearance.

Liang Shu narrowed her beautiful eyes and replied, "Alright."

At a quarter past ten, Qu An opened the door of Villa Zero Mansion for Liang Shu.

As soon as she entered, she took off her coat and said to Qu An, "Please find an ice pack for me."

Qu An looked at Liang Shu's eyes, which were reddened, and without further inquiry, she fetched one for her.

Then, she was seen lying on the sofa in the living room, slowly applying the ice pack to her eyes.

At twenty-five past ten.

Gu Hansheng received a call in the study, with no caller ID.

The voice on the other end belonged to a man, cautious, "Mr. Gu, everything was said according to your instructions."

The man opened a drawer and took out a black velvet box. With a click, it opened, revealing a watch lying inside.

At first glance, the style was outdated, the dial foggy, and nothing could be discerned.

He tightened his jawline and asked, "Did she cause a scene?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end before the response, "She did, she made a scene, smashing several of the valuable watches in my shop. I endured it all, not saying a word. In the end, she insisted on taking her own watch and almost called the police."

The man looked down at the object in his palm, coldness emanating from his eyes and brows.

Then, Gu Hansheng slowly clenched his fingers around the object, almost wishing he could crush it on the spot.

He tossed the watch into the box, then threw the box deep into the drawer, before leaving the study and heading towards the bedroom.

By the floor-to-ceiling window, Gu Hansheng looked out at the faint night sky, lips pursed, "I will compensate you threefold for your losses. And remember, if you ever slip up, you should understand the consequences."

The other party nodded incessantly, "I understand, I understand."

...

In the living room, Liang Shu glanced at the clock on the wall, feeling that it was about time, so she went upstairs.

Adjusting her mood, she reached for the door handle, pushing open the door to the bedroom.

As she walked in, she saw the tall figure of the man standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a phone in his hand.

Hearing her come in, Gu Hansheng turned around, his gaze cold and piercing, as icy as his current expression. Before Liang Shu could speak, she heard him say, "Get out."

Three words, firm and resolute, without any hesitation.

Liang Shu clenched her teeth together, her cheeks twitched, and she turned and left.

Incidentally, she slammed the bedroom door so loudly that even Qu An downstairs heard it.

Liang Shu took two steps downstairs, feeling somewhat aggrieved, and rubbed her eyes with her hand.

Qu An happened to be bringing a glass of milk over, "Madam, please drink this. It'll help you sleep and is good for your health."

Now was not the mood for that.

Liang Shu sat on the sofa, looking at the pitch-black night outside the window, without saying a word.

Qu An speculated that most likely, the couple had another disagreement.

It was rare to see this. Despite being newlyweds, they would often have minor quarrels every now and then.

In Qu An's impression, Gu Hansheng was an extremely meticulous person. He rarely got angry, and when he did, his anger was almost imperceptible. Occasionally, just a glance could send a chilling message to your bones.

But ever since marrying Mrs. Gu, his temperament had become increasingly unpredictable, yet there was a pattern, and that was Liang Shu.

As long as Liang Shu didn't provoke Mr. Gu too much, their servants' lives would be easier.

Qu An placed the milk on the low table in front of Liang Shu and looked down at her, speaking gently, "Madam, I shouldn't be saying this, but between husband and wife, it's a matter of mutual adjustment and adaptation. How can there not be a bit of friction?"

"Mr. Gu is different from ordinary people. He's more insightful and has experienced more. Sometimes, when he cares about something, the way he handles it might make others uncomfortable. Please bear with him a little more. If there's anything that makes you uncomfortable, you should actively communicate with him to resolve the issue."

Liang Shu understood the words of the housekeeper.

She furrowed her brows and said, "I know, you've been thoughtful, Qu An."

Qu An waved her hand modestly. She intended to ease the relationship between the two, so she continued, "Last time, when you borrowed two thousand yuan from me, compared to how Mr. Gu usually treats us, it's nothing. But that day, Mr. Gu presented me with neatly arranged cash and insisted that I accept it. At first, I refused."

Liang Shu turned her head to look at Qu An, waiting for her to continue.

"Mr. Gu said, since you said you'd repay it, he naturally wanted to respect your wishes. And, on a deeper level, he is Mr. Gu. How could he let Mrs. Gu owe money to others?"