Chapter 87: Contradictions

As a businessman, the expansion of the Gu family to this scale marks the remarkable success of Gu Hansheng, and the Zhen Group has become the industry's benchmark. 

His strategic acumen and ability to control the overall situation are unquestionably top-notch.

In the world of business, where every venture resembles a battlefield, most companies are reluctant to befriend the Gu family. This reluctance stems from Gu Hansheng's effortless ability to minimize your interests.

But one should never become an enemy of the Gu family. A slight misstep could result in a complete loss, leaving one bereft of both wealth and reputation!

As a filial son, who in the circle is unaware that Gu Hansheng is famously devoted to his family?

Madame Gu loves calligraphy and antiques, as well as fine wines.

He rarely attends high-profile social events, not because of his status but because of his understated demeanor. However, many have witnessed Gu Hansheng's presence at certain auctions. He is purposeful and generous, willing to spend lavishly to acquire valuable collectibles.

For instance, there was once a wealthy merchant who competed with him for a painting. Arrogant and disdainful of Gu Hansheng's style, the wealthy merchant drove the bidding for a painting valued at half a million yuan to tens of millions.

Exaggerated, isn't it?

What's even more exaggerated is that the merchant personally bid on the artwork, watching as the value of something worth only hundreds of thousands gradually soared to tens of millions. His initial confidence turned into hesitant indecision as the numbers fluctuated.

And what about Gu Hansheng?

He sat calmly, legs crossed, as his assistant by his side raised the bids every time, without hesitation or delay.

The outcome of the auction was obvious.

The wealthy merchant, feeling aggrieved, happened to encounter Gu Hansheng leaving the hotel surrounded by people. He pushed through the crowd, mocking him sarcastically, "Mr. Gu, with your wealth and power, how could you justify such an inflated price for that item? Your taste is truly unique."

Others overheard the sarcasm, interpreting it as a criticism of Gu Hansheng's ostentatious auction behavior.

At that moment, Gu Hansheng stopped in his tracks, and for the first time that evening, he spoke. With a faint smile, he said, seemingly unaffected by the man's words, "My wealth and power are not the issue here, nor is uniqueness. It's simply that my mother likes it. I yield."

He treated money as mere digits, willing to pay exorbitant prices for items far above their actual value just to indulge his mother's preferences.

Later, those who were fortunate enough to learn of the content of the painting heard the story. They marveled at Gu Hansheng's filial piety, calling him a truly devoted son.

The painting was a calligraphic work by the Northern Song Dynasty master Su Dongpo titled "Memories of the Night at Chengtian Temple." 

The original was worth millions of dollars, but this was a modern replica by a calligraphy master, worth only hundreds of thousands.

Yet Gu Hansheng paid a fortune for it.

All because of a line in the poem: "The courtyard is as clear as water."

Gu Hansheng's mother's name, Wen Mingting, was taken from this line.

Now, as a husband, their marriage is still in its infancy, known to few. Even the beginning of their union was shrouded in conspiracy and calculation. Yet, when has he ever uttered a harsh word against his young wife?

He paid a high price for her freedom. The night she left the villa in Yushan, he gave her two hundred thousand in cash, which she promptly donated to the police station. What happened next?

That two hundred thousand, along with the handbag, is still locked away in a room in this house.

The donated two hundred thousand was additional money he took out.

She gave Jiang Jiucheng a card with fifty thousand on it, and he returned the same amount in cash, retrieving her card.

Oh, and her nearly obsolete watch.

He hid her watch, but he also found a way to have it repaired for her.

A Panerai ladies' watch, produced in the early 2000s and discontinued shortly thereafter. Others couldn't fix it, but he could.

Can you name a task he can't accomplish in this world?

Very few.

She taking contraceptive pills is acceptable to him.

But what he can't accept is that when he talks to her about having a child naturally, something he can afford and raise, she agrees outwardly but secretly continues to take the pills behind his back, reducing the chances of it happening to zero.

He never takes precautions. If the contraceptive fails and she miraculously becomes pregnant, would he dare to accept the child?

A life conceived under the loophole of contraception, often either handicapped or defective, how could he dare to accept it?

And if he doesn't want it, what will become of this life?

Terminate it?

The thought fills Gu Hansheng's chest with continuous anger, the emotions swirling within him, confined to narrow spaces in his body, with the potential to explode at any moment.

But he is Gu Hansheng, a master of emotional control.

Even though the anger in his heart may be surging like a raging river, ready to obliterate everything at any moment, he remains composed on the surface. He merely gazes at her, his eyes seemingly piercing through her, his lips still curled in a smile.

Gu Hansheng asks her if she considers him a joke?

She says no.

Then she asks if she considers "the child" a joke?

Liang Shu falls silent.

His hand trembles, and as the cold wind enters through the window, blowing past them, ash accumulates on the cigarette, blowing onto her face. He leans in to brush the ash off her face.

But as he moves, the cigarette between his fingers shifts slightly, and the barely lit end touches a strand of her hair by her ear. There's a sizzling sound as the hair is singed.

A faint smell of burnt hair mingles with the smoke, wafting between them.

She looks at the burnt strand of hair on the carpet beside her, her eyelashes fluttering, then lifts her gaze to him. "Mr. Gu, I never considered you a joke. Given time, your child would undoubtedly be extraordinary, a dragon or phoenix among men. But I cannot be the mother of this child."

The man's thoughts seem distant, his gaze not meeting hers.

But Liang Shu tightens her grip on her fingers, calmly continuing, "I am self-aware. This marriage was forced by me, and a child should be a product of love, a blessing. We had no feelings between us before, so what is the point of having a child now?"

"Mr. Gu, I never witnessed my parents' affectionate harmony in my childhood. I cannot let my child suffer the same fate."

She finishes, still looking at him.

At this moment, Gu Hansheng finally averts his gaze from the singed black hair by her ear, his eyes coldly scrutinizing her.

"Mr. Gu?"

She starts calling him Mr. Gu at this moment.

His lips twitch slightly as he asks, "Have I ever hit you since we got married?"

"No, you haven't."

"Have I ever bullied you?"

"Never."

"Have I ever neglected you?"

"...No."

He suddenly chuckles, "Then how can you assume it will follow your path?"

As he speaks, he takes a harsh drag on his cigarette, pinching the cigarette butt between his index finger and thumb, snuffing it out forcefully in the ashtray on the desk. His thin lips lift slightly, and he utters, "The child of Gu Hansheng must have a perfect childhood."

Liang Shu quirks her lips, unexpectedly laughing coldly, "There are countless women in Yucheng who want to have children with you. When I free up the position of Mrs. Gu in the future, you can choose whoever you like to give you a child. Whether it's the moonlight in the sky or the mole on the chest, it's entirely up to you."

She finishes, witnessing the man in front of her sneer mockingly.

Then, he lights another cigarette in front of her, the third one he's smoked since she entered the study.

Liang Shu lowers her gaze, suppressing her emotions. He still wants a child?

With his reckless smoking habit, even if she stops taking contraceptive pills and manages to become pregnant through some miracle, the child would probably be flawed.

The sound of the lighter igniting startles Liang Shu's eyelashes to flutter. She holds her breath slightly, then sees him toss the lighter onto the table.

Then, Gu Hansheng looks down at her, "Who said you're not eloquent in front of me? Your little mouth is quite capable, isn't it?"

Moonlight in the sky?

A mole on the chest?

Humph.

With a tense expression, he leans down to look at the petite woman who is almost half a head shorter than him. The fire in his heart continues to rise.

He gets closer to her, then cruelly blows the smoke onto her face again, "What moonlight or mole? I specifically want you to bear my child. In the future, no matter who I marry, any child you give birth to for me will call you mother. How about that?"

Finishing his words, the cold smirk on his lips vanishes instantly, replaced by a cold, hard stare at her.

Liang Shu almost bites her lower lip until it bleeds as she glares at Gu Hansheng, grinding her teeth, "Gu Hansheng, you bastard!"

He took a drag from his cigarette, one hand pinching the cigarette, while the other empty hand immediately pulled her into his embrace, lowering his head to bite her lips.

Then he began his relentless assault, advancing like a conqueror seizing territory.

He was a devil.

Liang Shu had known this long ago.

Just like his kiss at this moment, filled with anger. He didn't hit women, but he had other ways of venting his anger on her.

He kissed her, but it was unlike any kiss before, not gentle or tender.

This kiss was violent, filled with rage, lacking any order.

Once, he used to give her space to breathe.

But now, not long after, Liang Shu felt like she was suffocating, her body weakening. However, his powerful arm tightly wrapped around her waist, forcing her to endure everything he inflicted upon her.

Whether it was good or bad.

Liang Shu reached out to push him away, but she was completely powerless against his strength. Naturally, she couldn't budge him.

And then?

Later, he bit her lips forcefully, causing them to bleed. Liang Shu gasped in pain, a taste of blood spreading in her mouth, a clear sign of his ferocity.

He was a complete chain-smoker, and now, along with the taste of blood, there was also the strong smell of smoke spreading in his mouth.

The kiss, filled with intent and revenge, ended abruptly as he suddenly released his grip on her waist.

Liang Shu, weakened, almost lost her balance when he let go, but fortunately, there was a desk beside her. She managed to steady herself by holding onto it, preventing herself from falling.

Three strikes.

Gu Hansheng tossed away the third cigarette in his hand.

He casually grabbed the contraceptives, extracting all the white pills wrapped in foil and holding them in his palm, then indifferently remarked, "I don't force women. If you had even half the intention of discussing this matter with me, it wouldn't have escalated to this point today."

The man's large palm tightened around the small pills. "Medicine is toxic, not to mention contraceptive pills, which are harmful to your health. Don't take them anymore. I'll use condoms."

With that, Gu Hansheng didn't look at her anymore as he walked straight to the door.

Then, the door to the study slammed shut behind him.

At the door, Qu An didn't know if she had been waiting here for a while or had just arrived. Seeing the man coming out from inside, she took a step back in fright, then immediately stepped forward, cautiously and respectfully saying, "Sir, the photographers downstairs have been waiting for a while. They're worried that it might snow later, and the light won't be good."

Without stopping his steps, he coldly uttered, "Cancel the shoot. Tell them all to leave."

With his mood already soured, what use was good lighting?

In the bedroom.

Gu Hansheng extracted all the contraceptives, then tossed them all into the toilet. With a flush, they all disappeared, as if they had never existed.

But how could they disappear as if they had never existed?

These inconspicuous things had permeated Liang Shu's body through her stomach, mixing into her bloodstream. Truly malicious.

Was it the medicine's fault?

No, it was the person's.

The routine wedding photoshoot of the day suddenly came to an end. The two photographers, puzzled, left cautiously after inquiring with the mansion's female housekeeper, unsure if it was because they had performed poorly and displeased Mr. Gu, leading to the impromptu cancellation of the shoot.

The kind-hearted housekeeper smiled and explained that Mr. and Mrs. Gu's schedule had changed, and the shoot would be rescheduled for another day.

Relieved to hear it wasn't their fault, the two photographers sighed in relief and bid farewell before leaving.

Qu An stood at the doorway for quite some time before returning.

Entering the living room, he coincidentally encountered Gu Hansheng coming up from downstairs. He had already changed into a sleek and stern business attire, holding his coat in one hand and a phone in the other.

He was in the midst of a phone call.

From his slightly tense tone, Qu An could discern his unfavorable mood, his whole demeanor terrifyingly somber.

A man who usually kept his emotions in check, today, unreservedly displayed his anger in front of others.

Without uttering a word, he walked straight towards the door.

After his figure disappeared, Qu An finally looked up towards the direction of the door and glanced upstairs, sighing softly.

Qi Zhen slowly approached from behind, her disgust and resentment unabashed on her face, still holding onto the words and actions of Liang Shu towards her from some time ago.

Now, in front of Qu An, Qi Zhen didn't hold back at all, coldly snorting, "Madam Gu is quite capable indeed, I wonder what she's done again to provoke Mr. Gu's temper, truly remarkable!"

Qu An, harboring her own concerns, didn't even catch Qi Zhen's words clearly.

Qi Zhen continued, "I'll just wait and see, she herself is unclean, I wonder when she'll be shown the door!"

"Qi Zhen!" Qu An's expression turned serious, glaring at her, "If you don't want to do this job, leave early, there will be plenty to replace you here. Apart from the master and mistress, we are all servants here, bluntly speaking, nothing more than mere maidservants, when will it be your turn to criticize the master?"

"Be careful, if the master finds out, he'll skin you alive!"

Qi Zhen smirked, her tone sarcastic, "What master? Qu An, you might not know, but I do. Madam Gu's background is murky, Mr. Gu doesn't even like her, the person he truly likes hasn't woken up yet. When that person wakes up, I doubt this impostor Madam Gu will stay!"

"Smack!"

Qi Zhen held her face, glaring at Qu An, "Who do you think you are to hit me?"

Qu An pressed her tingling palm, her expression cold, her words heavy, "Mind your words, just because Madam has no temper doesn't mean you can freely gossip, if there's another time, I'll make sure the master dismisses you!"

"What? Can't even speak the truth now? She herself has an unclear background!"

Qu An laughed in anger, "You, I say, are truly blinded by your own desires. Haven't you seen how Mrs. Gu's attitude is when the old lady from the Gu family visited her a few days ago? The old lady is a shrewd and insightful person, her attitude determines Madam Gu's position in the Gu family!"

But Qi Zhen still refused to accept it, she covered her face, holding back tears, and turned to leave.

On December 27th, the weather was clear.

On this day, Gu Hansheng specifically cleared his schedule to take photos of his daily life with Liang Shu.

It was also on this morning that the two parted ways unhappily.

Mr. Gu stormed out.

Today, with Mr. Gu not at the Gu household, Shi Qing and Ji Chen were a bit busier.

At eleven thirty, Shi Qing was spinning like a top, turning around all morning, not even able to take a sip of water, tired, thirsty, and without spirit.

At this moment, she finally had some leisure time, she was brewing coffee for herself in the pantry.

The coffee machine made gurgling sounds, Shi Qing held her arms, looking down silently, her mind empty, her eyes unfocused, she was zoning out, a state she found quite comfortable.

She took the coffee, pinched a cube of sugar with a clip and added it to the cup, when the secretary from the next room came in, clacking her heels.

Shi Qing frowned, about to reprimand her, but heard her anxiously exclaim, "Shi Qing, it's not good, Mr. Gu is here."

Mr. Gu's arrival shouldn't spell trouble, why was it not good?

The secretary's startled words made Qu An tremble accidentally, adding too much sugar.

She shook her head, this cup of coffee was ruined.

Originally, Gu Hansheng had cleared his schedule today, but now he suddenly came to the company, Shi Qing had a bad feeling.

She headed out, the secretary following her, nervously saying, "Mr. Gu's mood is not good today, they say he even went to the first-floor lobby, a place he would never go, and immediately fired two employees, the receptionist nearby was scared to tears."

Shi Qing halted, looking at her, then sneered, "I think it's you who's about to cry."

Yet, three minutes later, it was Shi Qing who felt like crying.

As the sternly dressed boss with a tense expression passed by the secretary's office, he glanced at Shi Qing, "Notify the department heads, a meeting in five minutes."

Shi Qing forced a smile on her face, "Yes."

At eleven forty, the meeting was called.

It was clear they wouldn't be having lunch on time.

This meeting at noon lasted until two thirty in the afternoon.

Ji Chen had ordered lunch early, now that the meeting was over, they divided it among themselves.

He knocked and brought the lunch to Gu Hansheng, who was about to start a video conference overseas, Ji Chen walked over and said gently, "Sir, why not have lunch first?"

Without lifting his head, the man spat out two words coldly, "Get out."

Ji Chen sensed trouble and left, closing the door behind him. Shi Qing approached with documents, making a neck-wiping gesture and whispered, "How's Mr. Gu's mood? I have a stack of documents waiting for his signature."

Ji Chen glanced at the documents in her hand, "Good luck."

Five minutes later, Shi Qing emerged from the boss's office.

She returned to her seat with the documents, just in time to overhear some secretaries discussing Gu Hansheng.

"Mr. Gu's temper today is really strange, don't know who upset him, it's terrifying."

"Yeah, heard they had the meeting while hungry at noon. During it, Mr. Gu scolded the director of the branding department mercilessly, his words were ruthless, poor guy, over forty, nearly cried from the scolding."

"So harsh?"

"Yeah, usually Mr. Gu is angry with a smile, although it looks equally menacing, but it's never as straightforward as today..."

Cough.

Shi Qing walked in with the files, giving the two a cold glance, and they quickly dispersed.

Gu Hansheng left the company at three o'clock that day, neither Ji Chen nor Shi Qing knew where he went.

But later, Ji Chen found the lunch he had brought was still untouched, neatly placed where he left it, untouched by anyone.

...

When Su Qin received Gu Hansheng's call, she was alone in a cinema watching an art-house romance.

Seeing the male lead giving up his promising career for the female lead, she sighed inwardly, no longer in the mood to continue watching.

So she quietly left.

Upon exiting, she received Gu Hansheng's call.

Around three forty in the afternoon, Gu Hansheng arrived at the Yushan Villa with Su Qin.

Su Qin got out of the car, her fingers resting on the car door, looking at the villa through the black wrought iron gate. Beneath the light snow, the grand house seemed even more captivating.

Undoubtedly, Yushan Villa was an excellent residential area, with scenic views throughout the year.

Su Qin closed the car door, stepping towards the gate, a faint smile on her lips.

In that smile, there was a hint of bitterness, as she watched the tall figure ahead, she couldn't help but feel desolate, how much did he love this woman?

Even after Su Yan became a vegetable, he still could enjoy such a large villa.

And the path leading to the main house was surrounded by patches of withered irises, covered in snow, looking rather desolate.

But Su Qin knew that next year, there would be a sea of purple irises blooming here.

These were her sister's favorite flowers.

Suddenly, Su Qin didn't want to walk forward anymore, afraid to see everything Gu Hansheng had done to Su Yan.

She was afraid that in this huge house, the decorations were in Su Yan's favorite style, the curtains in the rooms were in Su Yan's favorite colors, the floors were made of Su Yan's favorite material... There were too many things she feared.

Ahead, Gu Hansheng turned back, still holding a cigarette between his fingertips. He had been smoking for who knows how long, he had been smoking since she got in the car, and he was still smoking now.

The man's expression was inscrutable, he casually flicked the cigarette butt into the snow, lips slightly curling, "Not coming?"