Qiao Yuxian nodded, and after a while said, "What if the other side is very powerful? What if I get you into trouble?"
Gu Yanjing looked at her without saying a word.
Qiao Yuxian met his gaze for a moment, paused, lifted her hand to cradle Gu Yanjing’s face, gently rubbed it and said, "I forgot. Our Mr. Gu is invincible in the world."
Gu Yanjing grasped her hand and kissed her fingertips.
Zhaocai glanced at the two of them, then turned away in the opposite direction, lying down facing away from them.
In that instant when it turned its head, its eyes seemed to say: You annoying couple, don’t show affection in front of me.
Chen Xi spent the night alone in her room.
Sitting on the ground, her head leaning against the screen.
From heart-wrenching cries, to silent tears, until she couldn’t cry any more. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
Sitting in dead, silent stillness on the floor.
The room had no windows, no clocks.
She didn’t know the time, nor did she have the energy or mind to know what time it was.
She felt like a long time had passed, yet it seemed like only a few hours.
Gu Yao opened the door and came in from outside.
Chen Xi leaned against the screen, as if not hearing any sound, motionless, not even blinking an eye.
Gu Yao carried a plate of breakfast in his left hand and a medical kit in his right.
Upon seeing Chen Xi sitting on the floor, his calm eyes trembled violently. But he quickly returned to normal.
He walked over to Chen Xi, placed the breakfast on a low table nearby, squatted in front of her, and set the medical kit on the ground.
Chen Xi kept her gaze lowered, unmoving.
Gu Yao looked at her for a while, grabbed her chin, making her lift her head.
Chen Xi did not resist, letting him lift her head, also looking up at him.
Gu Yao glanced at her pale, bloodless face and her swollen, puffy eyes. Her figure was so thin that her eye sockets were sunken, yet her eyes were swollen.
She looked like a living phantom.
"Chen Xi, do you really have to torture yourself ?"
Chen Xi numbly stared at him.
Gu Yao brushed her pale, cracked lips, softly saying, "Why are you so unwilling to let go? Listen obediently, and you’ll have everything. Why do you insist on torturing yourself ?"
Chen Xi looked at him, as if looking at him, yet as if her gaze passed through him to somewhere else. After a while, she moved her lips, her voice hoarse as she said, "Gu Yao, what will it take for you to let my sister go? What exactly do you want?"
"What I want, you know." Gu Yao replied.
"Why me, why must it be me?" Chen Xi’s voice was hoarse to the point of barely making a sound, she didn’t have the strength to shout, like she was holding on by a thread, "I have nothing. You have power and status, you could have anyone you want. Why must it be me! Why!"
"I don’t know why." Gu Yao looked at her and said, "But it has to be you, it must be you."
"Alright. Then let it be me." Chen Xi lowered her gaze again and said, "I can listen to you, but on the condition that my sister is buried."
Gu Yao wasn’t surprised; it was within his expectation: "Fine. But... baby, you need to show me that you really listen."
Chen Xi looked at him, her gaze finally meeting his eyes. She looked at him for a while, slowly straightening her body. Then she put her hand on the zipper of her jacket.
Lingering on it for a while, her fingers pressed firmly.
The zipper was opened, the jacket taken off.
The heating in the room was robust, Gu Yao was only wearing a single layer inside, with a light jacket thrown over.
But Chen Xi had been wearing her down jacket since last night till now. She didn’t feel any warmth, only bone-chilling cold.
With the jacket off, a sweater was revealed underneath.
Without hesitating, Chen Xi took it off as well.
Only the underclothes remained, and Gu Yao looked at her protruding shoulder bones, collarbones, sternum, and ribs.
The whole person was thin to the point of being skin and bones.
Her skin was an unhealthy white, and possibly because she suddenly took off her clothes and felt cold, or perhaps for other reasons, she was lightly trembling.
He squinted his eyes slightly.
Chen Xi, with trembling fingers, moved her hand to her back to unfasten her bra hook.
Her fingers shaking, touching the bra hook, she closed her eyes, just preparing to undo it, when she suddenly felt a weight on her.
She opened her eyes abruptly.
Seeing Gu Yao had taken off his own coat and draped it over her.
Chen Xi looked at him in a daze.
Gu Yao said nothing, adjusted the coat around her, then lowered his gaze to open the medical kit.
The medical kit only contained alcohol, cotton swabs, and an injection solution.
Gu Yao dipped a cotton swab in alcohol, pulled her arm over, wiped her arm, then tore open the packaging of the injection and injected it into her arm.
Before Chen Xi could react, the injection was finished.
She suddenly looked at him, her eyes filled with fear.
Gu Yao, seeing her expression, smiled and said, "Scared?"
Chen Xi looked at him without speaking.
Gu Yao placed his hand on the back of her head, leading her forward, kissed her eyelid, and said, "Don’t worry, it’s a nutritional shot. You’re too thin."
Chen Xi remained rigid, looking at him as if he were a demon.
Gu Yao adjusted her clothing again and leaned over to carry her to the bed. Then he brought the breakfast over and placed it on the bedside cabinet, saying, "Eat first. Behave well; we have all the time in the future. Focus on getting your body healthy first."
Chen Xi sat on the bed without moving.
Gu Yao patted her head again and said, "I’ll get you some clothes."
Having said that, he turned to leave.
Chen Xi suddenly grasped his clothes.
Gu Yao paused his steps and looked at her.
Chen Xi lowered her gaze and said, "I will listen to you. But I don’t want to be locked here forever."
Gu Yao didn’t make a sound.
Chen Xi continued, "I want a normal life. If you want me to come, then blindfold me and have someone bring me. Afterward, I’ll take down the videos online. I won’t mention you to anyone again."
Gu Yao still said nothing.
Chen Xi finally looked at him and said, "My sister is in your hands."
Gu Yao looked at her and smiled lightly, "Fine. But you must quit your current job. Live well in the future, and stop tormenting yourself."
"Alright," Chen Xi agreed, "My sister..."
Gu Yao leaned over and kissed her again, "Behave, and once I’m satisfied, I’ll ensure she’s properly buried."
Chen Xi didn’t say anything more, lowered her eyes, and released his clothes.
Once Gu Yao left, she looked in the direction of the door, clutching the bed sheets tightly.
She took deep breaths, veins bulging, her whole body trembling.
For a long, long time, she couldn’t calm down...