Chapter 63: Wen city

Liang Shu fell into silence, closing her eyes and leaning back on the sofa.

Later, she drank the milk and went upstairs.

This time, she didn't dare to go to the master bedroom. The words "Get out" still echoed in her mind, and Liang Shu didn't want to endure it a second time.

After hearing Qu An's words, she also didn't have the courage to leave home late at night.

So, she went to the guest bedroom.

She remade the bed, washed up in the bathroom, but her usual toiletries weren't there. With no other choice, she had to use the backup toiletries from the cabinet.

They were different from her usual brands. Between going back to the master bedroom to get her own toiletries and making do with what was available, Liang Shu hesitated and chose the latter.

At eleven o'clock, Liang Shu went to bed on time.

By the way, she also locked the door to the guest bedroom.

...

After Gu Hansheng finished tidying up, he went downstairs. Qu An was still awake and when she saw him coming downstairs, she asked, "Sir, are you thirsty?"

He shook his head, looking around, "And Madam?"

Qu An was taken aback, looking at him she said, "Madam... didn't she go upstairs to rest long ago?"

From her tone, Qu An understood. Liang Shu must not have returned to the master bedroom.

Gu Hansheng's expression darkened a bit, and he turned to go upstairs.

With almost no hesitation, he went straight to the guest bedroom, but he didn't expect the door to be locked.

The man stood at the door, deep in thought for a moment, then raised his hand and knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.

"Liang Shu..."

Five minutes later.

Gu Hansheng found Qu An downstairs and took the spare key to the guest bedroom. Around eleven forty, he entered the guest bedroom.

At this time, Liang Shu was already asleep. Gu Hansheng stood in the dimly lit room, looking down at her from above. Her profile was covered in shadows, making it difficult to discern his expression.

He carried her back to the master bedroom, but Liang Shu didn't wake up, perhaps because she was too tired from the emotional turmoil of the night.

However, the temperature in the corridor was lower than in the room. Liang Shu curled up in his arms, subconsciously clutching his robe, burying her face into his chest, looking particularly gentle and adorable.

Gu Hansheng paused in his steps, looking down at the person in his arms, a faint coldness curling his lips.

Back in the familiar place, Liang Shu didn't wake up, and Gu Hansheng put her on the bed and she naturally snuggled into the blankets, finding a comfortable position and falling asleep.

At three in the morning, Gu Hansheng was the first to notice something unusual about Liang Shu.

The person in his arms had a high fever, and her breathing was hot.

When he turned on the light, he found Liang Shu's body temperature was scorching, her fair forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat, and her smooth arms were covered in a rash.

At this moment, she was uncomfortably scratching herself, tossing and turning.

This was probably an allergic reaction.

His expression turned chilly, he picked up his robe and prepared to go downstairs.

At this moment, Liang Shu sat up from the bed, awake now. She looked down at the rash on her body, feeling somewhat regretful, and then continued scratching.

Seeing her do this, Gu Hansheng hurried over and grabbed her hand, "I'll call the doctor, but stop scratching for now."

As if being stubborn, even though Gu Hansheng told her not to scratch, she persisted, scratching even harder, and a large red patch spread over her delicate arms.

"Liang Shu!" Gu Hansheng's tone was much colder.

Liang Shu pursed her lips, her voice calm and somewhat aggrieved, "I can't help it."

"Even if you can't help it, you have to endure it. What did you eat tonight? How did you end up like this in just a few hours?"

She withdrew her hand and curled up in the blankets, "The toiletries in your guest bedroom are toxic."

Gu Hansheng suddenly realized that her skin was indeed sensitive and delicate. Usually, even a slightly firmer touch from him left marks on her body that took several days to fade. He meticulously selected cosmetics and skincare products that were most suitable for her.

Every detail was meticulously attended to, but he hadn't expected to overlook the toiletries in the guest bedroom.

But who could have anticipated that this little trickster would run off to the guest bedroom out of spite?

He rose from the bed, looking down at her, and slowly uttered two words, "Deserved it."

Liang Shu remained silent, her thin lips tightly pursed, incessantly scratching the allergic areas on her body.

Wasn't this behavior deliberately defying Gu Hansheng?

Gu Hansheng stood by the bed, almost bursting into laughter from his exasperation. Ten seconds later, he found his tie from somewhere and unhesitatingly pressed Liang Shu down onto the bed.

"Gu Hansheng, what are you doing?" Liang Shu's face was buried in the pillow, her voice muffled.

With one hand, the man effortlessly captured both her wrists, folding them behind her back, while his other hand wrapped his tie around her wrists, his movements brisk and decisive, without hesitation.

In just a few seconds, Liang Shu's hands were completely bound.

She squirmed, attempting to turn over, her movements somewhat comical.

Gu Hansheng stood by the bed, watching her, finding her current state somewhat adorable. The curve of his lips softened slightly, "I'll call the doctor. Stay put and reflect on why you would use those things knowing you're allergic. It's time for you to learn a lesson."

With that, Gu Hansheng turned and walked towards the door.

Finally, Liang Shu managed to turn her body around. She looked at the tall figure retreating from the room with dissatisfaction, "You brought this upon yourself."

However, the man merely paused his steps slightly, didn't even turn back, opened the bedroom door, and left.

Liang Shu suddenly had an allergic reaction in the middle of the night, waking up Qu An. She quickly brought medicine and water, intending to apply some medicine to Liang Shu while waiting for the doctor.

Hearing footsteps, Liang Shu thought it was Gu Hansheng. She immediately lifted her head from the bed, "Gu Hansheng, untie me quickly!"

"Madam..."

Qu An's astonished voice suddenly sounded, as she looked somewhat surprised at the person on the bed while holding a tray, "Madam, why do you look like this?"

Liang Shu raised her eyebrows at Qu An, feeling relieved to see her as if she had found a savior, "Qu An, come and untie me quickly. I'm feeling too uncomfortable like this."

Being tied up was uncomfortable, and the rash on her body made it even worse.

"Ah." Qu An sighed softly, quickly put down what she was holding, and walked to the bedside to untie the tie from Liang Shu's wrist.

She looked at Liang Shu's fair wrists and the red rash on her neck with heartache, "Madam, you should pay more attention to yourself. It's yourself who suffers when you fall ill like this."

At this moment, Liang Shu had no other thoughts to discuss further with Qu An, she just kept nodding, "Mmm, I know."

But...

Five minutes later.

Qu An wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, somewhat at a loss as she looked at Liang Shu, "Madam, I... I seem unable to untie this."

The knot tied by Gu Hansheng was quite sophisticated, beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

In the wee hours of the morning, the doctor was abruptly awakened and then braved the chilly wind to attend to a patient.

Liang Shu watched as the liquid slowly infused into her body, holding the wound with a gauze pad, and smiled up at the doctor, saying, "You've worked hard."

The casually dressed family doctor, Yu Guang, glanced at the imposing man standing nearby, nodding politely. "Madam, you're too kind. It's Mr. Gu who has been tirelessly attending to your needs."

Liang Shu glanced at the cold man beside her but remained silent.

The doctor began to give instructions, concluding, "The marks will fade in a couple of days. During this time, pay attention to a light diet and maintain a cheerful mood."

She nodded in agreement.

Once everything was tidied up, it was nearing five in the morning.

Liang Shu couldn't hold on any longer and sank into a deep sleep under the covers.

Meanwhile, Gu Hansheng went to the study.

At half past six in the morning, Gu Hansheng emerged from the study, returned to the bedroom, took a quick shower in the bathroom, changed into sportswear in the wardrobe, and left the gate of Zero Mansion.

He had a habit of jogging in the morning, not every day, but the frequency was never low per week.

At this hour, the villa area was very quiet, with the gentle orange-yellow glow of streetlights.

Suddenly, someone called out to him from behind, "Mr. Gu."

Gu Hansheng stopped, turned around, and saw a man jogging towards him, also dressed in sportswear, just like him.

Gu Hansheng recognized this man, who lived next door.

He nodded to the man as a courtesy, and then the two of them ran together.

"Mr. Gu, I hope everything went well with the person you were looking for last time?"

"Thank you for your concern, everything is fine."

The man wiped his face with the towel draped over his shoulder and smiled, "No trouble at all."

Then, the man asked another question, "May I ask, what is the relationship between that woman and Mr. Gu?"

Originally not expecting to get any answer, Gu Hansheng casually replied, "My wife."

"Um..."

The man was shocked by these three words and stood stiff in place. As he watched the tall figure gradually disappear into the distance, he slowly disappeared into a blur between light and fog.

So, Gu Hansheng was married?

One cold morning in early December.

Neighbors were shocked to hear Gu Hansheng utter the words "my wife" with his own mouth.

He had always been the most eligible bachelor in Yucheng, the golden bachelor that countless ladies admired. No one expected him to get married.

But on the same evening, Weibo suddenly exploded with hot searches, with the headline: "Miss Ruan Suspected of Reigniting Old Flames with Gu's Heir."

Below were accompanying images: the background was Gu's underground parking lot, and Gu Hansheng and Ruan Yunyun were walking towards the elevator together in a looping video.

The image was so clear that one could see the perfectly timed smile on Gu Hansheng's lips.

At that time, Liang Shu was in the living room, scrolling through the news on her phone, and coincidentally, Qu An also saw it. She comforted Liang Shu, "These unscrupulous media, always stirring up false rumors to deceive people, it's simply outrageous."

Liang Shu shook her head with a wry smile, feeling peaceful in her heart. It's just a matter of eating a meal, it's not to the point of being outrageously unscrupulous.

At that moment, a call came in from an unknown number.

Liang Shu glanced around and went upstairs with the phone in hand.

Qu An watched Liang Shu's retreating figure, shaking her head. The mistress of Zero Mansion didn't look too pleased when she saw this news, evidently affected by the rumors surrounding Gu Hansheng.

Liang Shu walked all the way to the bedroom, the call had already been disconnected automatically.

She was staring at the string of numbers absentmindedly when suddenly the phone rang again.

Liang Shu was startled, her hand trembled, and she answered the call.

"I have the information you want. Do you have money?" It was Jiang Jiucheng.

Liang Shu's expression remained indifferent. "Get lost."

She hung up the phone.

But he persistently called again, and Liang Shu answered, "I really have it, Jiang Pingsheng, Jiang Pingsheng... Is that the person? I know where his ashes are..."

One sentence shocked Liang Shu to the core.

The phone slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, but Jiang Jiucheng was still talking on the other end, "Why are you silent? Don't you believe me? I really know where his ashes are. You've been looking for them for so long..."

Liang Shu picked up the phone again, her voice filled with anger, "Where are they?"

Jiang Jiucheng chuckled twice, "Do you have money? Give me money, and I'll tell you!"

"I don't."

"No money won't do. Anyway, this time I swear on my life, I definitely won't lie to you." Jiang Jiucheng coughed twice, "I just need money."

Liang Shu closed her eyes, walked to the bedside table on her side, opened the drawer, and said, "How much do you need?"

"Fifty thousand. Do you have it?"

The next moment, the drawer was abruptly closed by Liang Shu. Her pale pink lips moved, "No."

But Jiang Jiucheng insisted, "You can't refuse. Just borrow again. You already owe so much, what's a bit more?"

Her slender fingers gripped the phone tightly, her tone barrenly desolate, "Do you believe I'll kill you?"

Jiang Jiucheng was the epitome of a coward, a true insect. He could never muster any courage. He would harass Liang Shu for money time and time again, but always succumbed to Liang Shu's reckless threats.

So he stammered, "I... I can't just give you this information for nothing. I almost lost half my life finding it out."

Liang Shu sneered, "Do you think I believe you?"

Before the other could speak, Liang Shu was about to hang up, but Jiang Jiucheng suddenly said, "In Wencheng. In Wencheng, Jiang Pingsheng's ashes are in Wencheng!"

...

Liang Shu called Qian Hui.

She picked up quickly on the other end, her voice full of smiles, "Ah Shu."

"Qian Hui, what day is your private banquet?"

"I was just about to call you. Are you short on cash?"

"Yeah, I'm very short." Liang Shu replied casually.

"How much do you need? Let me see if I can scrape some together for you."

"Fifty thousand."

There were a few clicks on the other end, and Qian Hui sighed, "I don't have that much. I could gather a few tens of thousands for you, and when the day comes, I'll introduce you to some wealthy tycoons. Maybe they'd be willing to lend you some."

Afraid that Liang Shu would change her mind, she added, "Both my benefactor and I will be there that day. They can't turn the sky upside down. By then, even if they only do it for the sake of my benefactor, they'll still have to take care of you."

Liang Shu smiled, "Okay."

Qian Hui hadn't hung up yet, "Ah Shu, I found my true love. I hope you find yours too."

"Best wishes for your happiness."

Liang Shu hung up the phone, and just then, Qu An knocked on the door and entered. She looked at the woman standing by the French window and said, "Madam, it's dinner time."

"Will the master be back today?" She turned around and asked.

Qu An nodded. "This sir didn't say."

Both of them had seen the rumors about Gu Hansheng. Bringing up the topic again at this moment would be too awkward. Liang Shu waved her hand and said, "Forget it, let's eat."

"Okay."

After dinner, Liang Shu wrapped herself in a down jacket and prepared to take a walk in the yard.

She rarely moved around in the courtyard of Zero Mansion, partly because she was lazy, and partly because she was afraid of the cold.

The winter in Yucheng was dry and cold, with low temperatures outside, terribly cold.

She also hated snow.

Liang Shu had a mild form of snow blindness, and on snowy days, she often couldn't see clearly, so she disliked snowy weather.

Because there had never been a precedent of her strolling in the courtyard of Zero Mansion, some people in the villa couldn't help but speak a little more freely.

At this moment, just a few dozen meters away was the yard where A Yun used to stay.

She stood under a bald French plane tree, and the thick trunk of the century-old tree completely obscured her body. A beam of light from a street lamp couldn't penetrate the trunk and extended from Liang Shu's feet.

There were people chatting in the yard.

"Did you see the master's rumors today?"

Liang Shu didn't recognize this voice.

"I saw it. He's with that celebrity, "paused for a moment, "That celebrity doesn't seem to be a good person. Last time, when there were rumors with Mr. Gu, her value soared. Although Mr. Gu had nothing to do with her later, her fans still keep associating Mr. Gu with her online."

This voice belonged to Qi Zhen.

"Now that the master is married, and he's still rumored with a female celebrity, what does Mrs. Gu think?" The young maid sighed softly, "Mrs. Gu is young and beautiful. Her looks and figure are top-notch even in the entertainment industry. I envy her so much."

Qi Zhen snorted, "What's there to envy? She's just pretty. I hate these women who suddenly appear out of nowhere."

Another maid lowered her voice, "Qi Zhen, be quiet. Madam Qu An hates it when we gossip behind her back. If she hears us, we'll get scolded again."

"Don't worry, I'm not saying this lightly. There's a reason behind it."

The maid asked in confusion, "What reason?"

Qi Zhen snorted again, "Although she's Mrs. Gu, who knows besides us? Mr. Gu probably never intended to acknowledge her from the bottom of his heart. Who knows what means this woman used to marry Mr. Gu. And she's so unaware of her place, she'll be kicked out sooner or later."

"Hush..." The maid pulled her clothes, "I see that the master really cares about his wife. Don't say such things."

"I'll say it anyway. I've been taking care of A Yun since I entered the mansion for several years, and nothing happened. But look, since she came, such a big Zero Mansion doesn't even have a place for A Yun."

The maid sighed, "That's true. I heard from the senior servants in the villa that A Yun saved Mr. Gu when she was young, a dog raised from childhood to adulthood, and she was sent away like this, it's really a pity."

"Yeah," Qi Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Besides, the master would never like this Mrs. Gu. She's just occupying the position of a wealthy wife."

"This..." The maid was surprised.

"Hush..." Qi Zhen lowered her voice, "I'm only telling you. Let's forget it after listening. I have a friend working at Yu Shan Villa. Do you know Yu Shan Villa? It's another property of the master's. There's a woman living there, and that's Mr. Gu's favorite."

"Is that true? Why did the master still marry Mrs. Gu then?"

"Even if it's not one hundred percent true, it's ninety percent true. That woman is seriously ill, and Mr. Gu has been waiting for her to recover. And whenever something happens to her, even in the middle of the night, Mr. Gu will rush over."

To prove the truth of what she said, Qi Zhen shook her head, "Just a few days ago, I saw Mr. Gu going out in the middle of the night, and he didn't come back later."