chapter 3 ：storm Eye

Time crawls hard in the busyness deliberately created by Gu Qing. Fu Chengyu's sentence "I'll talk to you when I come back" was like the sword of Damocles hanging above her head, which made her feel uneasy. She devoted all her energy to her work, filling every minute with tough cases one by one, trying to squeeze the figure of the man and the damn order out of her mind.

However, the collapse in the kitchen, Shen Yi's puncture analysis, was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, and the ripples did not disperse for a long time. She began to examine herself with a near-morbid alertness: is every heartbeat related to him? Is every unconscious absent-mindedness thinking of him? She desperately strengthened the dike of reason, but desperately found that the "out-of-control" factor named Fu Chengyu had quietly penetrated.

The bruises on the wrist have long faded, leaving only a faint and almost invisible trace. But whenever she was alone, her fingertips brushed the skin. That morning, his hot clamping feeling, his burning breath, the darkness in his eyes... All the details came back with amazing clarity, making her fingertips tremble slightly and her breathed.

In the evening three days later, a long-standing rainstorm finally poured down.

The bean-sized rain violently knocked on the huge glass curtain wall of the law firm, making a dense and dull sound, blurring the bright city lights outside the window, leaving only a watery chaotic light and shadow. The office was brightly lit. Gu Qing was frowning at a complex cross-border tax structure diagram on the computer screen, and his fingers quickly tapped the key points on the keyboard. Xiao Zhao knocked on the door and put down several documents that needed to be signed.

"Lawyer Gu, these are urgent." Xiao Zhao's voice was a little vague against the background of the rain. "In addition, the front desk said that Mr. Shen came to you without an appointment and waited for a while in the reception area downstairs."

Shen Yi? Gu Qing's finger tapped on the keyboard. Why did he suddenly come to the law firm? She subconsciously glanced at the pouring rain outside the window.

"Okay, put the file here. Tell Mr. Shen..." Gu Qing wanted to refuse, but thinking of Shen Yi's words on the last phone call that exposed her disguise, and the indescribable loneliness amplified by the sound of rain at this moment, she changed her words, "Let him wait for ten minutes, and I'll deal with this point."

"OK." Xiao Zhao responded and left.

Ten minutes later, Gu Qing closed the computer and picked up the windbreaker on the back of the chair. Down the elevator, she looked at the beating numbers and tried to sort out Shen Yi's expression - calm, professional and impeccable.

The guest area of the law firm is on the high floor, with excellent visibility. At this moment, outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window is the light and shadow of the city distorted in the rainstorm, and the rain line is like a waterfall. Shen Yi did not sit on the sofa, but leaned against the bar by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of water in his hand, and was looking at the chaotic rain outside. He was wearing a soft gray cashmere shirt, and his profile was a little blurred against the water outside the window. He was less cynical and a little more rare and quiet.

"Shen Yi." Gu Qing walked over, his voice was a little hoarse after work.

Shen Yi turned around when he heard the sound and saw Gu Qing. He immediately put on his familiar and mocking smile on his face, but his eyes quickly swept around her face: "Yo, Lawyer Gu, are you finally willing to show your face? I thought you were going to let me down. He put down the water glass and said, "Your face is still not good. Hasn't your Mr. Fu come back yet? Leave you here alone to work overtime?"

It's Fu Chengyu again. Gu Qing's heart was slightly stinging, but his face was motionless. He sat down on the high stool opposite him: "What's the matter with me?"

"If you have nothing to do, can't you come and see the old classmates who have been squeezed by work?" Shen Yi raised his eyebrows and waved to the waiter, "Two cups of hot American, thank you." He turned around and looked at Gu Qing in a casual tone, but his eyes were inquiring. "Why, Mr. Fu is not here, so you treat yourself as an iron man? Are you really going to do your best for the Fu family?"

Gu Qing picked up the hot coffee just sent by the waiter, and the strong bitter aroma temporarily dispelled the fishy smell from the tip of his nose. The law firm is not Fu's. She corrected it indifferently, avoiding the test in his words.

Shen Yi looked at her drooping eyebrows and slightly tight jawline, and said softly, "The mouth is hard. Gu Qing, you are good at everything, but you are too good at carrying. What should I do if I can't bear it? Just like last time..." He paused meaningfully and didn't say the word "collapse". Instead, he turned to say, "Co out and take a breath. It's raining so hard that I can't leave anyway. Let's talk for a while?"

The sound of rain outside the window was deafening, as if it was going to wash away the whole world. There were only two of them under the soft light in the meeting area. This relatively private space isolated by the rainstorm, coupled with Shen Yi, a knowledgeable and keen old friend, made Gu Qing's tense nerves uncontrollably loosen a gap.

"What are you talking about?" She took a sip of coffee, and the hot liquid slid down her throat.

"Let's talk about you." Shen Yi leaned forward slightly, put his elbows on the bar, and looked straight into Gu Qing's eyes. "In the last phone call, your state was not right. What's wrong with Fu Chengyu? Just a few quarrels can make you relentless for days? It's not like you." He lowered his voice, "Isn't it... that layer of window paper is about to be pierced?"

The word "window paper" stuck in Gu Qing's heart like a needle. Her fingers holding the coffee cup tightened in an instant, and her fingertips turned white because of the force. Shen Yi's eyes were so sharp that they almost penetrated the calm appearance she carefully maintained. The sound of rain outside the window seemed to be louder, knocking on her eardrums and her shaky heart defense.

Those chaotic, shameful and panic, those questions about Fu Chengyu's out of control, and the fear of his inner wavering, almost broke his throat in this space isolated by the rainstorm, under Shen Yi's clear gaze.

She opened her mouth, wanted to deny it, and wanted to dodge it with her usual calmness. But when the words came to her mouth, it turned into a whisper with heavy fatigue and confusion: "Shen Yi... I don't know... I really don't know what to do..." The voice was very soft, almost overwhelmed by the sound of rain, but it revealed the great helplessness she had never shown in front of outsiders.

This sentence is tantamous to admitting.

Shen Yi's eyes became complicated in an instant, with surprise, "sure enough" and a trace of worry. Did he... really cross the line?" He asked directly and lowered his voice.

Gu Qing did not answer, but just lowered his head and watched the dark brown liquid in the cup sway slightly. Silence is acquiescence.

"Oh," Shen Yi smiled briefly, with a little helplessness, "I knew it. People like Fu Chengyu, either don't move, or really move their hearts, are absolutely like a landslide. His rational shell is scary when it collapses. He paused and observed Gu Qing's reaction, "How about you? Gu Qing, what are you afraid of? Are you afraid of him? Or are you afraid of... the inexplicable thought in your own heart?"

Shen Yi's question accurately poked Gu Qing's deepest fear. She suddenly raised her head, with a look of being seen through and a trace of panic in her eyes.

"I'm afraid I'm out of control." She finally said it, with a trace of imperceptible trembling, "The agreement... is the safety line I drew for myself. What's on the other side of the line? I don't know. Fu Chengyu... He is too dangerous. She remembered the darkness in his eyes and the aggressiveness that almost swallowed her up, and her body subconsciously tightened. "He can easily disrupt my life and take away my work... If he really... the agreement will be completely waste paper! What can I use to compete with him? I..." She choked up and couldn't say the following words. That is the fear of the unknown, the powerlessness of the power gap, and the panic of the possible sinking.

Shen Yi looked at the struggle and fear intertwined on her pale face, put away the joking look and became serious. Gu Qing," his voice was calm and powerful, trying to penetrate the sound of rain and the waves in her heart. "The agreement is never your armor. It's just an excuse for you to escape. What you are afraid of is not Fu Chengyu. You are afraid of admitting that you will also be out of control, and you are afraid that you will also have unnecessary expectations and... feelings for that 'agreement husband'.

He looked straight into Gu Qing's eyes and said word by word: "What you are afraid of is that once you admit it, you will never return to the absolutely safe and absolutely controlled shore. You have to jump into the water, whether the water is cold or hot, deep or shallow. This is the root of your true fear - the unknown and out of control.

Shen Yi's words, like a sharp scalpel, accurately cut open all of Gu Qing's seemingly strong defenses, exposing the trembling core curled up in the "protocol" turtle shell. Yes, she is scared. Afraid of the feeling of being out of control, afraid of the unknown emotional direction, afraid of completely losing herself in front of Fu Chengyu's powerful aura and unpredictable thoughts, and losing her sense of independence and control on which she survives. This made her panic more than the simple "movement".

The sound of rain outside the window seemed to reach its peak at this moment, and the loud noise hit the eardrums. Gu Qing's face became even paler under the light. The knuckles of her fingers holding the coffee cup were bloodless because of the force, and her lips were tightly pressed, as if she was trying her best to suppress something.

Just then--

"Lawyer Gu, there is your visitor." The reception lady's slightly hesitant voice came through the background music of the reception area.

Gu Qing and Shen Yi followed the reputation at the same time.

At the entrance of the guest area, a tall and upright figure stood silently. The shoulders of the dark gray coat were wet by the rain, and the dark water stains were exposed on the expensive fabric. Obviously, he had just come in from the rainstorm outside, and the tips of his hair were still with undried water vapor, and a few sps of wet hair were messy on the full forehead. He put one hand in his coat pocket and hung the other hand casually on his side, and there seemed to be a cold outside between his fingers.

It's Fu Chengyu.

He came back.

Time seems to have been paused at this moment. The sound of the rainstorm outside the window and the soft background music in the guest area seemed to be gone in an instant, leaving only the man standing at the entrance with a chill in the whole world.

Fu Chengyu's eyes, like two cold searchlights, penetrated not far away and locked Gu Qing's face accurately and firmly. The eyes were bottomless, and there was a dark darkness that Gu Qing was extremely familiar with, but there was a trace of indescribable fatigue and a kind of... almost substantial examination than before leaving. His eyes stayed on her pale and bloody face for a moment, and then slowly moved away, sweeping over Shen Yi, who was sitting opposite her. The temperature in her eyes seemed to drop a little more, with an invisible and heavy sense of oppression.

He didn't say anything, but just stood there, like a silent iceberg, with low pressure around him, making the air in the whole audience area frozen in an instant.

Shen Yi was the first to react, and the solemn smile on his face was instantly replaced by a playful smile. He even raised his hand and waved casually in the direction of Fu Chengyu, with a relaxed tone as if he was saying hello: "Yo, Mr. Fu? It's raining so heavily. Why did you come in person? Are you back from a business trip?"

Gu Qing's heart hit the ribs crazily in his chest, almost breaking out of the chamber! When did Fu Chengyu come? How much did he hear? Did you hear her conversation with Shen Yi? Did you hear the "fear" she admitted? Or did you hear Shen Yi's sentence that broke her heart, "What you are afraid of is that you are out of control"?

The huge panic, like a cold tide, drowned her in an instant. She felt that the blood all over her body rushed to the top of her head, and in the next second it faded cleanly, leaving only the bone-piercing cold. She could even clearly hear the slight trembling of her teeth. She wanted to stand up, explain, and arm herself with her best calmness, but her body was like being nailed to a high stool, so stiff that she couldn't move. She could only open her eyes wide in vain and watch Fu Chengyu walk towards them step by step.

Fu Chengyu's steps were steady, stepping on the thick carpet with almost no sound, but like a heavy hammer, every step knocked on Gu Qing's tense nerves. He ignored Shen Yi's greeting and looked back at him. His eyes were sharp as if he was going to cut her whole body and see all the embarrassments and secrets in the depths of her soul.

He stopped two steps away from Gu Qing. The shadow cast by the tall figure almost completely covered her. The clear smell of aftershave water on his body was mixed with the damp smell of rain and a faint smell of tobacco, forming a very aggressive and unique taste belonging to him, which domineeringly invaded the air around Gu Qing.

"Gu Qing." He opened his mouth with a low and hoarse voice. With the fatigue of the long flight, he still had unquestionable strength. Every word clearly penetrated the sound of rain, "I'm back."

The simple four words sounded like thunder in Gu Qing's ear! He's back! With the sentence "Wait for me to talk about it when I come back"!

Gu Qing's throat was so tight that he couldn't make a sound. She didn't even dare to look into his eyes, and her eyes fell in a panic on her hand holding the coffee cup with white knuckles. She could feel Fu Chengyu's eyes on her face, her chest, which was slightly undulating because of tension, and on her stiff body, with a silent and suffocating oppression.

Shen Yi looked at the scene in front of him with interest, with a smile like watching a play. He didn't have the consciousness of leaving at all. Instead, he said, "Mr. Fu is really fierce. He went straight to the law firm to pick up his wife as soon as he got off the plane? This is a good relationship, tsk tsk."

Fu Chengyu finally turned his eyes to Shen Yi. The eyes were so cold that there was no trace of warmth, with the usual scrupiny of the superiors and an undisguised alienation: "Mr. Shen." He nodded slightly, which was like saying hello, in a plain tone, "Gu Qing and I have some family affairs to deal with. Don't send it."

The order to expel guests is straightforward and strong, and there is no room for turning around at all.

The smile on Shen Yi's face stiffened, and then he shrugged his shoulders and looked at Gu Qing. There was a hint of "you wish for more blessings" in his eyes: "Okay, it seems that my light bulb is a little big. Gu Qing, then I'll withdraw first. Let's talk another day." He got up, patted Gu Qing's tight shoulder, and took a meaningful look at Fu Chengyu before leaving the guest area with a leisurely step.

In the large space, only Gu Qing and Fu Chengyu were left. The air solidified like the substance, and the sound of the rainstorm outside the window became the only background sound, which further set off the dead silence here.

Gu Qing felt that he had been stripped of all his disguises and was naked under Fu Chengyu's gaze. She forced herself to raise her head to meet his eyes. His eyes behind the lens were as deep as a cold pool, and there were complicated emotions that she couldn't understand. There were scrutiny, tiredness, repressed undercurrents, and even... there was a trace of betrayal coldness that she dared not investigate?

"Mr. Fu..." She finally found her voice, which was very dry. "When did you... arrive?" She tried to cover up her panic with questions, and also tried to find out how much he had heard.

Fu Chengyu did not answer her question. He leaned slightly and got a little closer. This action made Gu Qing tense up in an instant and almost jumped up. The strong breath and pressure on his body made it difficult for her to breathe.

His eyes fell deeply on her face, as if they were going to penetrate her skin and see deep into her soul. He stretched out his hand with an unquestionable force, but instead of touching her, he gently picked up the dark blue velvet box on the bar in Gu Qing's hand with his slender fingers - the gift sent by Zhang Duo three days ago that she had never opened.

Fu Chengyu's eyes stayed on the unopened velvet box for two seconds, and his fingertips rubbed the smooth velvet surface. Then, he raised his eyes and locked his eyes again on Gu Qing. The last trace of warmth in his eyes completely faded, leaving only the bottomless cold ice and an almost cruel calm.

"It seems," he said in a low voice, but his words were clear, and he hit Gu Qing's heart with a coldness that penetrated the soul. "My gift and what I want to talk about are not as important as Mr. Shen's gossip."

His voice was very calm, without questioning or anger, but it made Gu Qing feel a bone-chilling chill and a kind of panic more than any roaring. He knows it! He must have heard it! He heard her admitting fear, and heard her inner wavering and resistance! He used Shen Yi as an excuse, but in fact he was coldly mocking her escape and rejection of him!

Gu Qing's face instantly turned pale as paper, and his lips trembled slightly. He wanted to explain and refute, but he couldn't say a word. A great sense of shame and a panic that was completely penetrated and had nowhere to hide gripped her tightly.

Fu Chengyu looked at her reaction. He squeezed the cold velvet box, and the knuckles turned slightly white because of the force. Finally, he took a deep look at Gu Qing. His eyes were so complicated that he couldn't say it. Disappointed? Cold? Or something else? Gu Qing couldn't tell the difference. She only felt that the eyes were like ice cones, piercing her heart fiercely.

He didn't say anything more and didn't wait for her to respond. He straightened up and put the dark blue velvet box into his coat pocket casually, with a deliberate indifference. Then, he turned around, spread his long legs, and walked towards the exit of the guest area. His tall back was particularly lonely and cold in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window against the rain curtain.

"Fu Chengyu!" Gu Qing finally found his voice and called him with a trace of broken sound trembling.

Fu Chengyu's steps stopped, but did not look back. The broad shoulders are straight, like a piece of ice that refuses to melt.

Gu Qing looked at his back, and his heart was blocked and panicked. She knew that if he was allowed to leave like this, the crack would no longer be bridged. Shen Yi's words, her own fear, Fu Chengyu's cold disappointment... All emotions turned into an impulse of recklessness at this moment. She can't let him go! At least before he made it clear what he wanted to talk about when he said "I'll talk about it when I come back"!

She suddenly slid down from the high stool, and even staggered because her movements were too urgent. She couldn't care about her demeanor. She rushed behind him a few steps, stretched out her hand, and grabbed his cold wrist with the courage to throw away!

"Fu Chengyu!" Her voice was high because of excitement and tension, with a kind of determination, "Aren't you going to talk?! OK! Then let's talk now! Let's talk clearly here!"

She grabbed it so tightly that her nails even got slightly stuck in the fabric of his coat. She could clearly feel the momentary stiffness and tightness of his wrist muscles, as well as the stronger low pressure and chills emitted by his body.

Fu Chengyu turned around slowly and extremely slowly.

The rainstorm outside the window was like a note, and the light and shadow of the city were distorted in the water curtain. The light of the ceiling light in the guest area fell on his angular face, half bright and half dark. The eyes behind the lens are like the deepest abyss, and there is a cold storm that is enough to destroy everything. He lowered his eyes and looked at Gu Qing's hand holding his wrist tightly. His eyes seemed to be looking at an extremely annoying object.

He didn't shake her off, but with his extremely cold eyes, he scratched her cheeks, which were red because of excitement, inch by inch. Her eyes were full of stubbornness and panic.

"Talk?" He finally opened his mouth, his voice was as low as the echo of the abyss, with a creepy calm and a trace of extremely depressed, on the verge of an outbreak. "Gu Qing, in your heart, between us, is there anything else to talk about?"

His counter-question was smashed fiercely with great strength.