Chapter 71: Reminiscence

Chen Ge collapsed in front of the Yu Lou Chun Gate.

At the early hours of four or five in the morning, there were hardly any patrons left at the entrance of the Yu Lou Chun Gate.

A security guard, dozing off, was startled by this scene and hastily went inside to call for help.

When Aunt Mei, dressed in a floral-patterned tight vintage qipao and holding a Chinese-style round fan adorned with tassels, emerged from inside, Qian Hui knelt beside Chen Ge and distinctly saw his heart still beating.

Tears instantly welled up in Qian Hui's eyes as she knelt on the ground, leaning down to listen to Chen Ge's heartbeat, to feel his breath. Chen Ge's blood smeared across her face.

Aunt Mei witnessed this scene without a flicker of expression on her face, merely a slight furrowing of her brows, indicative of disdain.

Sensing someone coming out, Qian Hui pleaded, cradling Chen Ge's body, "Please, take him to the hospital. He's still alive, still breathing," Qian Hui pressed her ear against Chen Ge's chest, "Listen, he still has a heartbeat."

Aunt Mei used the fan to cover her nose as she glanced at the man. Her delicately drawn willow eyebrows furrowed tightly. She observed the man, entirely covered in blood, appearing utterly lifeless.

She said, "Since there's still a heartbeat, then take him away from here, far away. Don't let him die here."

Qian Hui's tears blurred her entire face, her vision a haze, unable to even clearly see Aunt Mei's face anymore. "Please, take him to the hospital. He's truly alive. We're in dire straits. He hasn't even found his younger brother yet. He hasn't even met his brother once. Please, don't be so cruel."

But her pleas were in vain.

This area was notorious as a gray zone of Yucheng, let alone considering the social circumstances of years past when the place was even more chaotic.

The group that had just dispersed quickly found their way here.

They had no fear whatsoever, as Yucheng's authorities paid no attention to this place.

Not to mention, this incident occurred in the dead of night.

Aunt Mei probably anticipated this. She looked at Qian Hui's face and said, "I can save you, but this man is beyond hope. He would only be a burden and possibly pose a threat to me. Think carefully."

Qian Hui remained silent, only clinging to Chen Ge and crying incessantly.

Aunt Mei's patience wore thin. "You have one minute to consider, otherwise, I'll have the gates closed, and you and your little boyfriend will be together forever."

One minute later, the gates of Yu Lou Chun closed slowly.

She remembered Chen Ge's words, "Huihui, you must live well."

When Qian Hui was caught by those people, she desperately pounded on the door of Yu Lou Chun. She watched helplessly as Chen Ge was dragged away by those people, and then the door behind her opened.

The gate opened only a crack, and then a hand reached out from inside and pulled her in.

After she was cleaned up, she was taken to see Aunt Mei. Aunt Mei asked her, "Are you of legal age?"

Qian Hui replied, "I'll be nineteen soon."

From that day on, the old Qian Hui disappeared.

Only the Qian Hui of Yu Lou Chun remained.

Aunt Mei trained her well, and Qian Hui worked harder than any other girl of her generation. Coupled with her exceptional looks and figure, she encountered Su Qiping when she turned twenty.

Su Qiping was the second person in her life to pull her out of the mire.

Aunt Mei was the first.

But Aunt Mei could only save her body, not her rotting heart day and night.

Su Qiping was the one who slowly stitched up the wounds on her heart.

Yes, merely stitching them up, not healing them.

The wounds on her heart were ones that could never heal.

Because there would never be another Chen Ge in this world.

Su Qiping was genuinely good to her. Apart from the need to conceal their relationship, there was nothing Su Qiping did that wasn't good for her.

In their second year together, Su Qiping had already risen to his current position.

Then, Su Qiping took care of those people who had caused her trouble initially.

That balding old man and her stepmother, who were now living a good life.

Qian Hui didn't know what method Su Qiping used on the old man.

But regarding the stepmother, Qian Hui knew.

The method couldn't have been more straightforward—Su Qiping arranged a car accident. As for what would happen to the stepmother in this accident, it was all up to her own destiny.

Qian Hui thought, this woman had committed so many sins; even if she died, she would go to hell.

The day she returned to that small town, Su Qiping asked her why. Qian Hui said, "The person who gave me a lifetime of psychological shadows, everything about me started because of her. I want to watch her die."

Su Qiping was even more ruthless than Qian Hui.

He chose a place with a large flow of people, right at the school gate, precisely when her sister would be coming out of school.

Qian Hui remembered it vividly. She was wearing sunglasses standing across the road. Through the lenses, she saw her fourteen or fifteen-year-old sister happily walking out of the school gate with her classmates, carrying her backpack.

She made eye contact with the girl for only a brief moment before looking away and turning her back.

Most likely, the girl didn't recognize her.

But Qian Hui didn't know that her sister had happily let go of her classmates' hands, pointing at the tall, sunglass-wearing woman across the street, and said joyfully to her friends, "Did you see? That's my sister. Isn't she beautiful? She's here to see me. You guys go on ahead..."

In less than two minutes, someone tapped Qian Hui on the shoulder.

Qian Hui turned around, and in her line of sight was the girl with her hair tied into a ponytail. Because of her hurried running, the stray hairs in front of her forehead were completely disheveled.

She tugged at Qian Hui's sleeve, her cheeks flushed with the purest smile, "Sister, it's been so long. Why haven't you come to see me? I miss you."

Qian Hui looked down, wanting to remove the girl's hand but hesitated.

She didn't take off her sunglasses or say a word.

The little girl's finger slipped from her sleeve to her wrist, saying, "Sister, Mom is taking me to eat delicious food today. Are you coming? Let's go together. I have so much to tell you..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Qian Hui, looking at the innocent face in front of her, suddenly remembered something.

She hurriedly ran to the nearby phone booth to call Su Qiping. The little girl followed her and said, "Sister, I saw Mom."

Su Qiping answered.

Qian Hui shouted into the phone, "Quick, stop that person. Call the driver, tell him to stop..."

But it was all too late.

Qian Hui held the receiver, her other hand still held by her sister. The tragedy across the street unfolded just like that.

That woman died.

In front of her daughter, she was directly hit by a van, flying several meters away and dying on the spot.

Red blood spread across the ground.

Qian Hui didn't even have time to cover the girl's eyes.

Later on...

Later, she found a family for the girl, giving her a lot of money every year, but she never went to see her again.

The person in charge of the small, unknown company mentioned by Gu Hansheng was Chen Ge's twin brother, Chen Yi, who bore a resemblance to Chen Ge.

Qian Hui said, "I don't know why Gu's Group is competing with him. He's in a tough spot, burdened with debt. If his company can't keep going, it will be ruined. Mr. Gu, Zhen Group probably doesn't lack this project. Please, don't annihilate him. Although Su Qiping has fallen, that piece of land will still be up for bidding. Can you give Chen Yi a way out?"

At this point, Qian Hui suddenly reacted... A chill surged through her back inexplicably, and the fear emanating from her bones enveloped her thickly.

Their plan with Su Qiping was almost flawless; without some serious means, no one would have known about his relationship with Su Qiping.

So why was Ye Lan able to catch her and Su Qiping precisely that night?

And what kind of person was Lin Jingting, to make such a move in just one night... the person behind this made Qian Hui feel a deep sense of dread from the bottom of her heart.

And Gu Hansheng's next words undoubtedly confirmed Qian Hui's speculation.

He sneered, "Gu's Group doesn't lack that project, but some people just don't know when to restrain themselves. They take advantage and don't know when to quit. Always provoking and targeting us. Such a company becomes an easy target in others' eyes."

He hadn't finished speaking yet. "Perhaps... if this didn't happen, your plan would have succeeded."

The man's eyes were indifferent, staring straight at Qian Hui. "Tell me, why does this little-known company keep provoking Gu's Group repeatedly? Don't they know you shouldn't use eggs to hit rocks?"

Qian Hui couldn't answer any of Gu Hansheng's questions. No matter how she turned it over, she only had those few sentences—she wanted to safeguard Chen Yi for Chen Ge's sake, to help him advance in his career. As for anything else, she knew nothing.

You shouldn't use eggs to hit rocks.

But if you must, then the rock behind the eggs must also be a boulder, hidden in the shadows.

And Chen Yi was likely to be the sacrifice of this boulder.

In Qian Hui's view, this question wouldn't yield any results.

She almost bit her lips until they bled, humbly pleading with Gu Hansheng, "Mr. Gu, I beg you to spare Chen Yi."

A cold arc hung on the corner of his mouth, his voice icy, "What qualifications do you have to ask me for anything?"

The man didn't even glance at her, stepping towards the door.

Behind him, disregarding her own physical condition, Qian Hui struggled to climb out of bed, only to fall to the ground, her abdominal wound tearing open. She clutched her stomach in pain, her gaze fixed on his slender figure.

"Mr. Gu—" she called out to him.

The man turned back, his eyes shrouded in mist.

"Even if I let A Shu off this time, it was for a reason. In the past, whenever something happened to her, I was always the first one to stand up for her. Can you please spare Chen Yi for the sake of her being Mrs. Gu now?" 

Gu Hansheng glanced indifferently at her bloodied abdomen. "Everyone in this mundane world has their own struggles."

Qian Hui understood. It meant he wasn't planning to show any mercy to them.

Gritting her teeth, she crawled forward several steps. In her line of sight were the man's dignified black leather shoes. "I don't know how A Shu managed to become your wife. In terms of appearance, there's hardly anyone in Yucheng who can compare to her for now. In terms of character..."

Qian Hui's eyes flickered twice before she continued, "In terms of character, A Shu is strong and resilient. Over the years, she has worked hard to survive. She deserves it. She just lacks the background to stand shoulder to shoulder with you. But Mr. Gu, I'm sure you also know how A Shu has struggled to come this far. One day, you probably won't want to see the Gu Madam, who should have been envied by everyone, become the subject of gossip in Yucheng."

After saying such a long paragraph, she was already feeling exhausted.

Her face was even paler than before, and beads of sweat formed on her temples, wetting the hair near her temples.

Gu Hansheng looked down at her, a hint of mockery in the corners of his eyes and mouth. He chuckled, "Are you changing tactics and threatening me now?"

But what level was Qian Hui, and what level was Gu Hansheng?

A man standing at the pinnacle of Yucheng's pyramid wasn't so easily threatened.

He smirked, "Who believes now that Gu Hansheng of Gu's Group has a Mrs. Gu, or that Mrs. Gu has no background?"

Qian Hui blinked. "What about in the future? Can you guarantee it will be the same?"

At these words, the man suddenly crouched down, and Qian Hui saw several obvious wrinkles forming on the neatly pressed trousers at his knees. He said, "So you can guarantee that A Shu will be Mrs. Gu in the future?"

Just one sentence.

As if draining all the strength from Qian Hui's body.

She closed her eyes, her pale cheek against the cold tiles.

Above her head came the magnetic and gloomy voice of the man, "Even if Mrs. Gu has a million faces that others don't like, that's not something you can disparage. Based on what you just said, I could have you killed on the spot."

Qian Hui trembled all over, and in her ears, the footsteps gradually receded.

Tears slid from her eyes, hitting the tiles.

She chuckled self-mockingly. A Shu, why should your life be so good?

Long after.

At a certain banquet, there were also socialites who looked at Liang Shu with envy on their faces, speaking with a hint of bitterness, "Why should your fate be so favorable? To become the enviable Mrs. Gu."

At that time, Liang Shu smiled mischievously, holding up her skirt and smiling cunningly. She said, "If you all had the ability to let Mr. Gu drain your blood, then your fate could be as good as mine."

The socialites didn't understand her words, thinking she was joking.

However, Liang Shu raised an eyebrow, her slender wrists holding up her skirt as she walked towards the center of the hall where the men gathered. In a place where no one could see, there were faint purple needle marks on her wrists.

Of course, that's all a story for another time.

After seeing Qian Hui, Gu Hansheng instructed Ji Chen to handle a matter.

He waited downstairs at the hospital for about half an hour.

Ji Chen responded.

He entrusted the immediate task to Ji Chen, but Gu Hansheng didn't rush to leave. Instead, he sat in the back seat of the car, smoking.

He lowered the window on his side, extending his fingers outside, where sparks flickered and died in the howling cold wind. Occasionally, snowflakes landed perfectly on the burning tip of the cigarette, immediately melting into a small red dot, leaving a distinct black mark in the clear heart of the flame.

One cigarette after another.

The driver in the front seat intentionally advised him, turning around respectfully to ask Gu Hansheng, "Sir, should we return to Zero Mansion now? The snow is getting heavier, and the roads will be difficult to navigate."

After waiting for about thirty seconds, the man tossed the cigarette butt in his hand, exhaling a "hm" from deep within his throat.

The black shadow drove through the snowy streets of Yucheng. Midway, the driver changed direction as per the command.

The destination was Villa Yushan.

...

Late at night.

Jiang Jiucheng wrapped himself tightly in a thin, drafty cotton coat. Due to his injuries, he couldn't straighten his body and began to pant after walking a few steps. Wherever he walked, the footprints in the snow were deep and shallow.

He wasn't walking fast, hands in his pockets, his right hand tightly holding a card in his palm.

He was on his way to deliver money.

This time, Liang Shu sent him life-saving money.

He had spent most of the past month with Aunt Mei, but his restless heart, always in turmoil, could never settle down unless it stopped beating one day.

He had broken up with the woman outside before.

She complained that he had no money.

But later, she came back again. This time, Jiang Jiucheng lost fifty thousand in just one night at the gambling table.

Later, he found out that this woman had colluded with others to cheat him.

But he had no way out. He had put his fingerprint on the paper, agreeing that if he didn't repay the money, his life would be forfeit.

Sunday was the deadline.

He had been beaten to near death today, and if he didn't pay back tomorrow, he would be beaten to death directly by those people.

Pian Pian was heartbroken by him this time.

He knelt outside her room all night, but she refused to see him.

Jiang Jiucheng knew that Aunt Mei still had some money hidden away, in a place he absolutely didn't know about. This money could definitely help in this desperate situation.

Aunt Mei loves him. How could she possibly stand by and watch him die?

Even if she knew he was in trouble again because of another woman.

So Jiang Jiucheng hugged her legs and cried, begging her to save him.

Aunt Mei kept her eyes closed, tears streaming down her face, but she remained unmoved.

Later, she went straight into her room, slamming the door shut with a deafening sound, and locked it behind her.

Jiang Jiucheng knelt outside her room, playing the pity card. His face was pressed against the door, "Pian Pian, save me. You love me the most, how can you bear to see me beaten to death by those people?"

For a full half hour, Jiang Jiucheng uttered such words.

But Aunt Mei ignored him completely.

Later, he directly knocked on the door, "I know you've been saving a sum of private money. What are you saving it for? Are you also keeping a man outside? Are you saving this money for those wild men outside? Your business at Yulou Chun has collapsed, and no one is supporting you anymore, so you've started keeping men?"

Every word Jiang Jiucheng said felt like a stab to Aunt Mei's heart.

The door in front of him suddenly swung open. Jiang Jiucheng disregarded everything and hugged Aunt Mei's legs, "Pian Pian, I know you care about me. Please, give me that money, I beg you, give it to me, it can save my life!"

Tears suddenly poured down Aunt Mei's face, falling on Jiang Jiucheng's short hair.

She choked with pain and sorrow, "Jiang Jiucheng, how have I treated you that you can't see? Must I dig out this heart full of wounds for you to be satisfied?"

At this moment, Jiang Jiucheng only had money in his eyes. He shook his head, "Pian Pian, I don't want your heart, I just want the money. Please give it to me..."

Aunt Mei's already shaky body was shaken by him, she closed her eyes, and tears rolled down her cheeks again, no longer as calm as two minutes ago. Her voice trembled, "You're truly rotten to the core, from inside out. That money was meant for Ah Rui's dowry. How could you even consider this?"

Aunt Mei slapped Jiang Jiucheng's right cheek, tears streaming down her face, "A Shu has never had a good day with me. If she gets married one day, do you want her to have no backbone at her parents' house? Do you want to deprive me of the ability to marry her off in style?"

"Jiang Jiucheng, are you still human? Do you still have a heart?"

After saying this, she broke free from Jiang Jiucheng and turned to enter her room.

The door was closed once again.

This time, Jiang Jiucheng knelt outside her door all night, but it was to no avail.

He could only go to Liang Shu.

As long as it was related to Jiang Pingsheng, Liang Shu would definitely find a way to get the money.

At this point, Jiang Jiucheng even felt a bit noble.

If it weren't for him leading Liang Shu to borrow money back then, Jiang Pingsheng might not have been able to hold on for even half a month and would have died directly.

He had been scared by today's beating, so when a group of people suddenly appeared in the silent night, with only the sound of the wind and snow, he knelt on the ground without even seeing clearly who they were. Trembling, he knocked his head on the ground repeatedly, "Brother, spare me, spare me, I've got the money!"

His left hand pressed against the pure, icy snow, making the bloodstains on it particularly vivid.

Holding an umbrella, Jichen looked down at him, his voice devoid of any fluctuation, "The card someone gave you this afternoon? Hand it over."

Hearing this voice, Jiang Jiucheng realized it wasn't those people.

He looked up and saw Jichen's cold, handsome face.

Jiang Jiucheng shook his head, his right hand tightly gripping the card in his palm, "What card? I don't have a card, I don't!"

Jichen tightened his grip on the umbrella handle, pursing his lips, "Are you going to hand it over willingly, or do I have to personally ask you to hand it over?"

Jiang Jiucheng knew that if he handed over the card today, he wouldn't survive tomorrow.

He shook his head desperately, "Brothers, I really don't have any card, please spare me, I'll learn to bark like a dog for you..."

But before he could say anything more, his left hand was stepped on by Jichen's shoe.

With force under his foot, Jichen's brow remained unmoved, as he repeated, "I'll count to three, you have three seconds to consider."

Gasping for breath, Jiang Jiucheng felt snowflakes continuously falling on his eyelashes. In his blurry vision, there was only a dark shadow left, and all the nerves in his body were feeling the pain from where his hand was being pressed.

In the end, Jiang Jiucheng succumbed.

Before Jichen could say '3', he reached into his pocket with his right hand, tremblingly handing over the card stained with his blood.

At the same time, he closed his eyes, a look of despair on his face.

Jichen didn't rush to take it.

One of the bodyguards behind him stepped forward, taking the umbrella from him. In Jiang Jiucheng's line of sight, he only saw those slender fingers pulling out a handkerchief from his coat pocket. Through the handkerchief, he took the bloodstained card and meticulously wiped away the blood stains.

Until the card was wiped clean.

All the blood was transferred onto the pale-colored handkerchief.

Then Jichen threw the handkerchief in front of Jiang Jiucheng, signaling to the bodyguard behind him.

One of the bodyguards stepped forward, bluntly placing the handbag in his hand on the ground, and unzipped it. Inside were neatly stacked bundles of red cash.

Upon Jichen's signal, the bodyguard lifted the bottom of the bag, pouring all the stacks of cash onto Jiang Jiucheng's body.

Jiang Jiucheng was startled by this sudden turn of events, closing his eyes tightly, feeling engulfed in a pile of money.

Jichen turned and left, slightly tilting his head to the two bodyguards behind him, "Keep an eye on him, don't let anyone pick up his money."