Chapter 6: The Crack of Dawn

The night is as deep as thick ink that can't be opened.

There is only one wall lamp left in the master bedroom, and the light is dim and hazy. Fu Chengyu was still asleep, and most of the hot flashes had faded, leaving only his morbid paleness. Although his breathing was heavy, it was no longer as difficult as a broken wind box. The hot hand was still futly on the back of Gu Qing's hand, like an invisible shackle with scorching warmth, nailing her to the square inch of the bed.

Gu Qing maintained that stiff posture, with his back against the hard armrest of the sofa, and the feeling of swelling had already spread to his limbs. But she didn't dare to move. The skin on his wrist, which was attached to his cheeks, seemed to still retain the fragile attachment of the disease, which was intertwined with the weak but stubborn burning heat from his palm, leaving a chaotic mark on her heart.

She lowered her eyes and her eyes fell on their overlapping hands. His fingers are slender and powerful, with a sense of existence that cannot be ignored even in his sleep. This sense of existence is no longer just a cold agreement and strong oppression. It is mixed with the fragility of his illness, his despair when he was angry, the madness of his forced kiss... And the eagerness to interrupt the trip in advance revealed by Zhang Duo's message, and the "information" he prepared for her that she once disdained.

The agreement is dead.

People are alive.

Fu Chengyu, her nominal husband, has long been endowed with flesh and blood and warmth, and with an almost domineering power, he smashed the cold turtle shell she relied on to hide.

The stagnant water in the heart lake that has been forcibly stirred is now surging with unprecedented waves. Anger, resistance, panic, these weapons that had been held tightly by her, became so pale and weak under the impact of the defenseless vulnerability of his illness and the truth brought by that message. Instead, there was a heavy guilt that made her almost unbearable, and a more strange and sharp heartache.

She has been hiding in the position of the "victim", using the agreement as a shield and resistance as a weapon. But I never really understood that when the "boundary" was accidentally broken by her, what kind of huge waves the man who was used to controlling everything and armored with reason set off in his heart. His out of control, his anger, his despair... turned out to be the most direct and painful response to her cold resistance.

This late cognition, with a bitterness that was almost self-loathing, pressed heavily on Gu Qing's heart.

Time flows in silence. The city lights outside the window gradually went out, leaving only sporadic light spots in the distance, like a faint heartbeat in the deepest darkness before dawn. Fu Chengyu's fingers on the back of her hand unconsciously curled up slightly, and the thin cocoon on her fingertips rubbed against her delicate skin, bringing a slight and palpitating itch.

Gu Qing's body trembled violently, as if he was hit by a slight electric current. She almost instinctively, with a hint of haste, wanted to pull back her hand!

However, at the moment when her fingertips moved slightly--

"Don't go..."

An extremely weak, with a heavy nasal and hoarse mur, like a sigh in a dream, gently escaped from Fu Chengyu's cracked lips.

Gu Qing's movements froze in an instant! The blood seemed to freeze at this moment.

She held her breath and looked at the man who was asleep on the bed in disbelief. His eyes were still closed, and his eyebrows were slightly frowned because of nightmares or physical discomfort, casting a thick shadow under the dim yellow light. He didn't wake up. The gutter was as fragile as fragile glazed glass, with a kind of childlike helplessness and... attachment?

"Don't go..."

He repeated it vaguely again, and his voice was so soft that it was almost covered by his breathing. The hand on the back of Gu Qing's hand seemed to be slightly forceful because of the retention in his dream. With a weak but extremely stubborn force in the disease, it wrapped her cold fingers tighter into his hot palm.

The hot temperature, through the skin, along the blood, burned all the way to the depths of Gu Qing's heart! Like a burning red charcoal fire thrown into the ice lake, a hazed and hot fog steamed in an instant.

What did he dream about? Is it the out-of-control confrontation? Or... the back of her turning around and leaving?

Gu Qing's heartbeat was completely disturbed. A strong sourness suddenly rushed to the tip of the nose, and a burst of warmth came out uncontrollably. She looked at his eyebrows, which could not stretch even in a coma, at his bloodless face tormented by illness, and at his hand that gripped herself tightly, as if holding the only driftwood...

All the resistance, all the rational dikes, at this moment, were shaky by this unconscious and extremely fragile gumble.

She slowly and extremely slowly, holding his hot hand with her backhand. It was no longer a stiff bearing, but with a careful response that even she herself had not noticed. Her fingertips gently held him back with a slight force, as if to tell him in this silent way: I'm here. I won't go.

This simple action seemed to exhaust all her strength. She closed her eyes, buried her face in the palm of the other hand, and her shoulders trembled slightly. It's not crying, but a sense of powerlessness completely overwhelmed by a huge mixed heartache, guilt and a strange throbbing emotion.

Where is the boundary?

Between her and him, the Chuhe-Han border delimited by a cold agreement has long been washed away in this high fever, this confrontation, and this unconscious retention, and even... fragmented.

---

Time passed quietly in silent companionship and chaotic mood. The skyline outside the window gradually showed a trace of extremely pale, like diluted pigeon gray.

Fu Chengyu's body temperature finally receded to the range of low fever under the continuous physical cooling of drugs and Gu Qing. Breathing has also become more stable and long, no longer the kind of panicking difficulty. He was still sleeping soundly, but his frowning eyebrows finally relaxed completely, and the disturbing fragility on his face faded a little, revealing the deep outline in his bones.

Gu Qing gently pulled back his numb hand, which was held by him, and moved extremely gently, for fear of waking him up. She stood up and moved her stiff limbs, and there was a clear stuffy pain from the place where her back was hit. She walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the hazy outline of the city waking up before dawn outside the window.

After not sleeping all night, the body was exhausted to the extreme, but the brain was unusually awake, even with an almost excited chaos. Everything that happened last night was like a strange nightmare, but it was extremely really branded in her senses and memory.

She needs to be calm. Space is needed. You need to think carefully about where to go next.

Gu Qing turned around and finally glanced at the sleeping man on the bed. The morning light was faint, and through the thick curtain gap, a soft halo was cast on his quiet and pale side face. At this moment, he converged all the sharpness and coldness, leaving only an almost pure tranquility that belongs to sleep.

She gently took the door of the master bedroom and isolated the space that made her feel surging.

The huge living room is empty and deserted, and there is still a trace of disinfectant smell. Gu Qing did not turn on the light. He just took advantage of the faint light from the window to the bar in the open kitchen and poured himself a cup of cold water. The cold liquid slid through the dry throat, bringing a brief hint of clarity.

She needs a job. Only those familiar case files, cold laws, and strategies that need to rack their brains can temporarily escape from this chaotic emotional quagmire.

Gu Qing went to the study. The study of this duplex apartment on the top floor is Fu Chengyu's exclusive domain. The space is very large. The three walls are covered with dark solid wood bookshelves. All kinds of economic, management and financial books are neatly arranged, as well as some original foreign books that she can't understand. The huge curved desk faces the floor-to-ceiling window, with excellent visibility. Several monitors are placed on it. At this moment, they are all in a dormant state, and the screen is pitch black.

Her own laptop and some common case files are usually placed on a smaller workbench next to her desk. Gu Qing went straight to the workbench and was ready to pick up his notebook.

However, at the moment when her eyes swept over Fu Chengyu's huge desk, her steps suddenly stopped!

The desk is near the corner of her desk, with a stack of spread out documents. On the top page, there are a few bold characters printed on it--

**Hengrui Capital's Letter of Intent on the Equity Acquisition of Ruifeng Law Firm (Draft)**

Ruifeng Law Firm?

That is the law firm where Gu Qing is!

A cold chill rushed up to Gu Qing's head from the soles of his feet in an instant! The blood all over her body seemed to freeze at this moment!

Acquisition? Fu Chengyu wants to acquire her law firm?!

This idea was like thunder, bursting out in her chaotic mind! All the guilt, heartache and chaotic palpitations were replaced by a stronger, deceptive and fooled cold anger at this moment!

She rushed over, not even paying attention to politeness and boundaries, and grabbed the document!

Fingers trembled violently with anger and shock, and the paper rattled in her hand. She scanned those cold and professional terms at a glance:

"...Based on the needs of strategic synergy and resource integration... Hengrui Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fu's Group... intends to acquire 100% of the equity of Ruifeng Law Firm in full cash..."

"...After the acquisition, Ruifeng will operate independently as an internal legal service platform of Fu's Group..."

"...The core management and core personnel shall be retained in principle, and the specific positions and remuneration structure will be re-evaluated and determined according to the integration plan..."

"...The transaction confidentiality period until the agreement is officially signed..."

Black words on white paper, cold and ruthless! Every word was like a poisoned needle, stabbed into Gu Qing's eyeball fiercely!

So that's it!

So that's it!!

No wonder! No wonder he could let Director Wang turn her case away so easily! No wonder Zhang Duo can enter the core layer of the law firm so smoothly! No wonder he dared to use that commanding tone to let her "rest at home"!

Why do you end the trip early? What information specially prepared for her! What "wait for me to come back and talk"!

It's all fake! They are all carefully woven lies!

He has already planned it! He acquired her law firm and completely incorporated her into his business map, turning her into a pawn in his huge empire that can be at will! In this way, she will always be under his control and can no longer break free from the shackles of the agreement! What's out of control? What kind of heart? I'm afraid it's just a more swillful calculation and performance he carried out to achieve his goal!

Last night's fragile attachment, the mumble of "don't go"... Looking back now, it has become a disgusting hypocrisy!

Great disappointment and a completely fooled anger roared in Gu Qing's chest like volcanic lava! She pinched the document's fingers so hard that her knuckles turned white, and the paper was deformed in her hand! The body trembled slightly because of the extreme anger, and his face turned pale, but his lips were abnormally red because of the tightness.

She is really the biggest fool in the world!

She would feel guilty for such a ruthless and calculating businessman! I feel heartbroken!

"Gu Qing?"

A voice with a thick nasal voice, hoarse and tired came from the door of the study without warning.

Gu Qing's body suddenly stiffened! It's like being poured from the head by ice water! She turned around suddenly!

At the door of the study, Fu Chengyu's tall figure leaned against the door frame. He was only wearing a dark gray silk nightgown with a loose belt, revealing a clearly lined collarbone and a small piece of chest. His face was still pale, his lips were dry and cracked, his black hair in front of his forehead was a little messy, and his whole body was weak and a deep fatigue. But those eyes have regained their usual depth and sharpness. At this moment, through the lens (I don't know when he put on his glasses), deeply, with a trace of imperceptible confusion, fell on Gu Qing's face, and... on the document in her hand that had been clensped.

The morning light was faint, and a long shadow was cast behind him through the huge floor-to-ceiling window. The study was dead silent, leaving only Gu Qing's heavy breathing and the slight sound of the paper being clenched.

The air seems to solidify into ice.

Gu Qing looked at him, looking at his face that had not faded but had returned to calmness, looking at his deep and unfathomable eyes behind the lens, an uncontrollable flame mixed with the anger of being deceived, the shame of being fooled and great disappointment, instantly crushed all her reason!

"Fu Chengyu!" Her voice was sharp and trembling because of the extreme anger. With a tearing sound, she hit the weak man at the door fiercely, "Tell me! What is this?!"

She suddenly raised the wrinkled document in her hand, and the paper rattled under her angry shaking, like a broken flag announcing betrayal!