Chapter 30
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Gu Yanqiu tightened her grip on the pen in her hand. It was already Thursday.
Lin Zhi said, “You were ignoring anything that wasn’t work-related back then, weren’t you? So I forgot.”
Gu Yanqiu: “...Fine. You can go back now.”
Lin Zhi looked surprised. “Just like that?” He had thought Gu Yanqiu would at least need some time to prepare. Last time, when she went to deliver a gift, Gu Yanqiu had even gone out and bought a new outfit. Was she really letting it go this easily now?
Gu Yanqiu looked up at him, slightly puzzled. “Then what else should I do?”
“Nothing, nothing.” A boss’s mind was impossible to fathom. Lin Zhi bent at the waist and slipped out.
“I’m off work, Miss Gu. See you.” At six in the evening, Lin Zhi got off half an hour later than his colleagues and came over to say goodbye to Gu Yanqiu, only to find that Gu Yanqiu, who normally sat behind her desk, had stood up and was putting documents into the bag at her side; she looked like she was about to leave too.
“See you.” Gu Yanqiu glanced at him.
Lin Zhi asked, “You’re getting off work?”
“Mm.”
A faint smile appeared on Lin Zhi’s face. Just as he thought; Gu Yanqiu wouldn’t be that casual.
He stood by the door and said, “Then I’ll wait for you for a bit.”
Gu Yanqiu didn’t refuse.
Gu Yanqiu slung her bag over her shoulder and locked her office door. Lin Zhi went out with her; one elevator went to the first floor, the other to the basement. When they reached the first floor, Lin Zhi got off and made a fist toward Gu Yanqiu. Gu Yanqiu curled the corner of her lips faintly and continued down to the garage, then drove out of the company building.
She had gotten off work earlier than usual, but not to buy a new outfit to meet Lin Yuewei. She went back to the Gu residence.
Summer had begun, and dusk was falling later and later. Half the sun still hung on the horizon, blazing like a sea of fire. The Gu residence sat where the sun sank, steeped in a heavy, oppressive twilight.
Unless it was necessary, or Gu Huai called for her, Gu Yanqiu would never take the initiative to come here. Since Lin Yuewei left nearly three months ago, this was only her second visit, aside from the one time they had come together.
Gu Yanqiu stepped through the gate. All the lights in the living room were on; Gu Huai sat in the center of the sofa, his hands resting on his knees, his back straight. From behind, he looked as broad and steady as ever, but he could no longer give Gu Yanqiu any sense of security.
“Dad.” Gu Yanqiu called softly.
Gu Huai did not answer.
When Gu Yanqiu went up to him, she found his eyes were half-lidded and his breathing was even, as if he had fallen asleep sitting up. She didn’t call him again; instead, she sat on the other sofa and studied the man who had once been the most important person in her life, from the crown of his head to his heels, even though he had become so unfamiliar now.
Gu Huai let out a breath through his nose; the fingers resting on his knees trembled, then slowly opened his eyes.
With his brows and eyes lowered, Gu Huai looked weary. “Little Yanqiu?”
Gu Yanqiu’s chest tightened. She nearly reddened at that familiar way of addressing her; her voice softened as she answered, “Dad, it’s me.”
“Come here.” Gu Huai beckoned to her, just as he had in her childhood.
The hatred Gu Yanqiu had held toward Gu Huai collapsed under that small motion. She stood up and sat beside him.
Gu Huai asked, “Do you think Dad is especially bad?”
“Yes.” Gu Yanqiu said gently, “The only thing I can’t understand is why you married another woman. I’m not against you remarrying, but you shouldn’t have done something like that while Mom’s body was barely cold. And Gu Feiquan..."
Gu Huai’s eyelids lowered, making his expression impossible to read. Gu Yanqiu’s gaze dropped to his hand; on his ring finger, he was still wearing the wedding ring he had worn when he married her mother.
A thought flashed through Gu Yanqiu’s mind like lightning. She grabbed Gu Huai’s hand and blurted, “Dad, do you have some kind of difficulty you can’t talk about?”
“Yanqiu’s back, and the moment she does, she’s pulling her father around talking about this and that. You two really do get along.” He Songjun, slim-waisted and dressed in a qipao, came gracefully down the stairs.
He Songjun said, “Old Gu, Feiquan ran into some trouble at work; he wanted to know whether he could ask you for guidance.”
Gu Huai said, “Tell him to come over.”
He Songjun immediately smiled. “Oh, that silly boy Feiquan. He said he was afraid you’d think he was useless and didn’t dare ask you. You’re his father; how could you possibly mind such a small thing? Don’t you think so?”
Gu Huai gave a low, restrained “Mm.”
Gu Yanqiu’s question had been interrupted by He Songjun. Annoyance rose in her chest. Gu Huai moved the hand Gu Yanqiu was holding and pulled it back. “You’ve been working all day; you must be tired. Dinner will still take a while. Let Auntie serve you a bowl of chilled lotus seed soup first.”
Then he added, “Songjun, tell Feiquan to come down and have a bowl too. I saw he had dark circles this morning when he left; he shouldn’t push himself too hard. His health is what matters.”
The man displayed concern he had never shown before. For more than twenty years, He Songjun had been chasing after just this bit of warmth, and yet she had never gotten it. Her eyes nearly filled with tears. “I’ll go upstairs and call him right now.”
Gu Huai sighed inwardly.
After He Songjun left, Gu Yanqiu brought it up again. “Dad...”
Gu Huai cut her off. “Go drink the lotus seed soup.”
Then he closed his eyes, no matter what Gu Yanqiu said after that, pretending not to hear a word.
Gu Feiquan was working in his room. Gu Huai had promoted him last time, making him general manager of a subsidiary; now he was a full-fledged man in power. He was ambitious, young, and vigorous, able to keep going at a nonstop pace and still remain full of energy. It wasn’t only to show Gu Huai; it was for himself as well.
“Feiquan.” He Songjun raised a hand and knocked on the door, speaking through the crack.
“Come in, Mom. It’s not locked.”
As soon as Gu Feiquan looked up, he saw the obvious smile on his mother’s face and couldn’t help but smile too. “What’s got you so happy?”
He Songjun looked at him. Gu Feiquan took after Gu Huai, with high brows and broad eyes, a full forehead, and a refined, scholarly air. Dressed in a custom white shirt, he looked very much like an elite professional. The more He Songjun looked at this son, the more pleased she felt.
Gu Feiquan felt awkward under her gaze and said, “What is it, really? Don’t just smile and not tell me.”
He Songjun said, “Your dad told you to go downstairs and drink lotus seed soup.”
Gu Feiquan said, “That’s it?” What was there to be happy about?
He Songjun added, “Your dad said he saw your dark circles this morning when you left and told you not to push yourself too hard. Your health is what matters. Your father still cares about you.”
For a moment, Gu Feiquan was speechless. He gave a vague “Mm,” his handsome features quiet and carrying a trace of confusion. Would those really be words Gu Huai would say? He didn’t believe it.
He Songjun said, “So as long as you behave well, your father will notice. You’re no worse than anyone else, especially that Gu Yanqiu. This Gu family will belong to the two of us, mother and son, sooner or later.”
She opened the window in Gu Feiquan’s room. From here, the entire Gu residence was in view; her gaze moved greedily over every inch of land.
But her son behind her still gave her no response.
He Songjun turned back. Gu Feiquan was typing on his laptop again.
He Songjun: “..."
“What’s the point of working so hard in here? Your father can’t even see it,” she said angrily, disappointed beyond words. “Go downstairs. Even a little presence counts.”
Gu Feiquan was too proud to bother flattering Gu Huai; he said perfunctorily, “I’ll go after I finish this paragraph.”
He Songjun said, “Gu Yanqiu is back; she’s downstairs.”
The moment he heard that, Gu Feiquan moved. He Songjun followed behind him, thinking that this trump card really did work. Her son’s attitude toward Gu Huai had always been lukewarm, and only under He Songjun’s urging and pushing would he do things that might make Gu Huai happy. But toward Gu Yanqiu, he was thoroughly at odds with her; if it would make Gu Yanqiu annoyed, Gu Feiquan was happy to do anything.
Sure enough, as soon as Gu Yanqiu heard footsteps on the stairs, she looked over. Gu Feiquan, with a face three parts similar to Gu Huai’s, strode over and said, “Little sister’s back.”
He deliberately emphasized the words “little sister,” and as expected, Gu Yanqiu frowned ever so slightly. Gu Feiquan felt immensely satisfied and sat down, pulling the bowl of lotus seed soup toward himself.
Gu Yanqiu had been in a bad mood since coming home today and couldn’t be bothered to put on a friendly front. Unfortunately, Gu Feiquan had no intention of letting her off. With a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, he asked, “A few days ago, I saw your sister-in-law’s photo on the ad screen. I heard she’s filming some kind of program and plans to debut as a star in the future?”
Gu Yanqiu’s hand paused around the spoon. “Yes.”
“I’ve heard the entertainment industry is very messy; some things are hard to avoid, especially for female stars. Little sister should watch her closely.” He sounded pointedly suggestive, and rather rude about it too.
Gu Yanqiu set down her spoon. The handle made a soft clink against the rim of the bowl.
“I prefer it when you call me by my name,” Gu Yanqiu said coolly, looking at him. “Also, I’ll naturally take good care of my wife; there’s no need for you to worry. Even if I fall short, the Lin family is not to be trifled with. I’d say Big Brother has been working overtime so much he’s gone muddle-headed; he doesn’t even understand something this basic.”
Gu Feiquan smiled. “I’m just concerned and confused, that’s all.”
Gu Yanqiu looked at him for a long while, then suddenly asked, “Do you have a girlfriend?”
Gu Feiquan: “...”
Gu Yanqiu said, “Worry about your own lifelong matters instead. Don’t make your mother anxious.”
Gu Feiquan: “You—”
“I’m very well; better than could be hoped for. Thank you for your concern.” Gu Yanqiu set down the empty bowl and stood to leave.
He Songjun had been standing nearby and heard the whole exchange between Gu Yanqiu and her son. Gu Feiquan tipped back his head and drank the lotus seed soup in one go, then was about to go back upstairs when He Songjun caught his arm and asked in a low voice, “Do you have a girlfriend or not? Your mother has never even asked you about that.”
Gu Feiquan shook off her hand and said angrily, “Whose side are you on, anyway? Why are you helping her talk?”
He Songjun said, “Of course I’m on your side; that doesn’t conflict with asking whether you have a girlfriend. You’re not exactly young anymore. You’ll be thirty after your birthday. You should be planning for yourself. If you can carry on the Gu family line..."
“I haven’t finished yet.”
A parent’s nagging was always one of life’s heaviest burdens.
Gu Feiquan ran faster than a rabbit and disappeared in two seconds.
He Songjun, left standing there: “..."
She secretly considered that it was probably time to put this matter on the agenda.
Gu Yanqiu had used just a few sentences to make Gu Feiquan’s life miserable for a very long time, to the point where he wanted nothing more than to run away from home. Gu Yanqiu didn’t want to argue with Gu Feiquan; everything in the Gu family had originally been hers, and she wouldn’t yield a single bit.
The family ate their meal in mutual discord. At the table, Gu Yanqiu told Gu Huai about her observations and insights from this period at the company. Gu Huai sat at the head of the table, lifted his eyelids, and said, “So what’s your plan?”
Gu Yanqiu froze. Suddenly, she realized that Gu Huai, sitting there and speaking to her so slowly, gave off an indescribable aura of decay and twilight, almost completely unlike the composed, resourceful man he had once been.
“Mm?”
Gu Yanqiu blinked; the image she had just seen was like an illusion. Gu Huai sat properly, still imposing without needing to raise his voice.
Gu Yanqiu said, “I want to streamline the organization and dismiss the people who can’t be used.”
Before Gu Huai could say anything, He Songjun let out an “oh” and said, “Wouldn’t that offend the people who arranged for them to come in? You just said a lot of these people were placed by higher-ups; what if they target you?”
Gu Yanqiu said unhurriedly, “That’s why I want to ask for Dad’s approval.”
He Songjun was surprised. “You want to announce that you’re the group’s heiress?”
Gu Yanqiu said, “I’ll listen to whatever Dad says.”
He Songjun was actually frantic inside. Once Gu Yanqiu publicly announced her identity in the group, leaving aside everything else, it would send a huge signal about which side people should take. Her son was still on the outside and hadn’t managed to get in yet; in the company, there was only Gu Yanqiu. Whatever position she held, even if she was just an ordinary employee, she would be different in those people’s eyes.
He Songjun shot Gu Feiquan a look, but Gu Feiquan kept his head down eating as if he saw nothing. What could he say about the affairs of the headquarters?
He Songjun stomped on Gu Feiquan’s foot under the table in anger; Gu Feiquan didn’t even furrow his brow.
Gu Huai didn’t give his answer at the dinner table. Later, he called Gu Yanqiu into his study.
“When the company was first established, your two uncles and I put in the capital. Over the next thirty years, after several rounds of financing, the composition of the board grew more and more complicated. The faction represented by me and another faction with the surname Wu had disagreements over whether the company should go public.”
This was the first time Gu Yanqiu had heard Gu Huai talk about the company’s upper management. She realized that this glittering, magnificent skyscraper might already have been full of wind and rain long ago on the inside.
“I’m against going public. The economy isn’t doing well right now, and our company’s profits are stable. We’ve been in a period of steady growth all these years; plenty of companies with the same kind of business as ours went public, only to be swept away by the economic tide until there was nothing left. The Wu faction advocated going public. Once the company went public, the shares in their hands could bring in greater profits. They also wanted to bring in fund companies and sign gambling-style financing agreements. If it failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.” Gu Huai coughed once. “Tell me, could I agree to that?”
Gu Yanqiu poured him a glass of water. After taking a sip, Gu Huai said, “Because of the struggle at the top, the people below all started taking sides. Some people exploited the gaps, stoking trouble and stirring everything up until the company was a complete mess. If this goes on, the company will probably be ruined by people like us.”
Gu Huai lowered his head and turned the ring on his ring finger. “So I arranged for you to come into the company.”
Gu Yanqiu suddenly looked up and met Gu Huai’s shrewd, calculating eyes.
Gu Huai looked at her and smiled.
Gu Yanqiu and Gu Huai talked in the study for a long time. Outside, the night was deep and dense, with the occasional cry of summer insects.
That night, Gu Yanqiu lay in bed for a long time and still couldn’t fall asleep.
She realized that many things were not as she had imagined. Gu Huai hadn’t said those things at the dinner table; instead, he had brought her into the study alone, clearly to avoid He Songjun and Gu Feiquan. That meant he was still treating Gu Yanqiu as his only heir in the company.
Why had he been so eager to marry He Songjun, even bringing Gu Feiquan into the house and recognizing him as the eldest son, while putting on the appearance of training him? Why had he changed so drastically, clearing away all traces of his first wife’s belongings while keeping that wedding ring on his ring finger and absentmindedly rubbing it all the time? Why had he fallen silent whenever questions about himself came up?
A heap of whys filled her mind. Gu Yanqiu tossed and turned, then switched on the light and sat up. She took the Buddhist beads her late mother had left her from the bedside table. Each tiny bead was carved with scripture as fine as ant-sized characters. Gu Yanqiu traced them carefully with her fingers, praying that if her mother’s spirit was in heaven, she could give her some hint, so she wouldn’t wander around like a headless fly.
The path she had chosen was shrouded in thick fog, with confusion ahead and behind.
***
“Miss Gu, you’re...” The next morning at work, Lin Zhi took one look at Gu Yanqiu in the office and stepped back.
“Have you never seen someone wearing an eye mask?” Gu Yanqiu leaned back in her office chair, head tilted back. Under each of her eyes was a translucent eye mask. She pinched the bridge of her nose and said, “I couldn’t sleep last night.”
On any ordinary day that would have been one thing, but today was special; she had to present herself properly.
“Got it. Make sure you rest.” Lin Zhi set the coffee in his hand on her desk.
“What time are we going to the broadcasting center?”
“About nine-thirty.”
“You’re sure Lin Yuewei will be there too?”
“Sure.”
After receiving Lin Zhi’s confirmation once again, Gu Yanqiu waved him off.
At nine twenty, Lin Zhi came to call Gu Yanqiu. Just as she rose from the office chair, the door to Gu Yanqiu’s office opened. Gu Yanqiu had changed into a linen suit with a fine check pattern; it was fashionable without losing its seriousness. The top button of the blouse underneath had been undone, revealing her straight collarbones and a long, jade-like stretch of neck. Her long hair was tied up, with a few strands left loose at the front; they had even been blow-dried on purpose, soft and fluffy against her full, smooth forehead. With slender brows and long eyes, a high nose bridge, and then the thin, pale pink curve of her lips, lightly pressed together, she gave off a very much keep-your-distance aura.
Lin Zhi: “!!”
He knew it; Gu Yanqiu would definitely sneak off to dress up!
Gu Yanqiu asked, “Are the things ready?”
Lin Zhi replied, “...All ready. We can leave anytime.”
The company leader going with Gu Yanqiu was a man. He also looked visibly stunned when he saw her. He laughed and patted Gu Yanqiu on the shoulder. In this world, beautiful people always got a little more favor; humans were visual animals, and business was no different.
The cooperation with the TV station had begun last year. Now traditional media was declining by the day, so this year’s situation was naturally different. The station’s earnings were going to drop, so of course they wouldn’t be happy; this negotiation was never going to be easy.
Gu Yanqiu and the leader were arguing in the reception room with the people from the TV station when she made a gesture to Lin Zhi, and Lin Zhi found an excuse to slip out.
The broadcasting center building had dozens of floors. Lin Zhi asked someone he ran into on the way which floor XX Magazine was on, but the other person didn’t know either. So Lin Zhi took the elevator down to the first floor and checked the wall display listing the companies on every floor.
He read it word by word and finally found the magazine’s floor: nineteenth.
He went back up to the nineteenth floor and followed the room numbers one by one along the doors. Just then, he happened to run into someone head-on. Lin Zhi stopped the person and asked for the exact location. After memorizing the route from the entrance, he took a photo of the sign above and sent a message to Gu Yanqiu.
“Of course we’re sincere; otherwise we wouldn’t have come running over in this heat..."
Gu Yanqiu’s phone in her pocket vibrated.
She took it out, glanced at it, then put it away again.
According to Gu Yanqiu’s instructions, he wasn’t needed afterward, so Lin Zhi simply stayed on the nineteenth floor and didn’t leave. People passed through the hallway here from time to time; if he stood there, he’d be too conspicuous, so he went over to the elevator entrance. There were two fake rocks there, and whether it was because people had sat on them too often or because they had been designed that way, they looked very much like stools. After asking a staff member, Lin Zhi sat down with relief.
He didn’t wait for Gu Yanqiu; he waited for Lin Yuewei first.
The elevators went up and down. Every time the elevator chimed, Lin Zhi would look up once, then meet a stranger’s eyes and feel awkward; after several rounds of this, he got tired of looking up and just kept his head down, watching people’s feet instead.
At eleven in the morning, an upward-bound elevator dinged and stopped on the nineteenth floor. Lin Zhi used the old method and looked at the feet.
One pair. Two pairs. Three, four, five, six pairs.
Lin Zhi: “!!”
He suddenly looked up.
Lin Yuewei was covered tightly from head to toe with a hat, sunglasses, and mask; her hand was held by someone who looked like an assistant, with two people in front and two behind as she came out of the elevator.
“Lin...” Lin Zhi couldn’t help blurting out a single syllable.
Lin Yuewei had been taking classes and going out for work one after another these past few days. On average, she only slept two hours a day, and by now she had gone a full thirty hours without closing her eyes. Using her sunglasses as cover, she had been standing in the elevator with her eyes shut just now, almost falling asleep.
When Lin Yuewei came out, she hadn’t noticed there was still someone sitting on the stool not far away. Lin Zhi’s one sentence made her turn back. He had her covered so thoroughly and he could still recognize her; he was a genuine fan.
And a genuine fan who was one meter eighty-three, with long arms and long legs, and looked like a fresh, handsome young guy. Amazing; this young guy looked a little familiar.
Lin Yuewei hissed softly and searched her memory for his face.
“You are...” Lin Yuewei remembered. “Didn’t you go to that XX station event last time?”
Lin Zhi was overjoyed. “Yes, I did.”
So he really was a genuine fan after all. Lin Yuewei stopped walking and asked casually, “Do you work here?”
Lin Zhi said, “No, I came here with my boss to discuss work.”
They couldn’t keep talking; Lin Yuewei didn’t know what to say next and just gave a soft “Mm” before saying, “Good luck.”
Lin Zhi said, “Oh, right, my boss is the one who last time sent—”
The assistant beside Lin Yuewei tugged on her arm, signaling that she couldn’t keep delaying. Lin Yuewei smiled apologetically. “I have to go work too. See you again if fate allows.”
She hurried off.
Lin Zhi: “...Goodbye.”
He sat back down.
An hour later, Gu Yanqiu came down from the nineteenth floor. Seeing the message Lin Zhi had been sending her in real time, she rushed over to him as if she had stepped on two wheels of wind and fire. “Is she still there?”
Lin Zhi nodded quickly. “Yes, I didn’t see her leave.”
He led Gu Yanqiu toward the magazine office inside. The offices on both sides were mostly empty. The farther Gu Yanqiu walked, the less certain she became, and she asked, “You really didn’t see her leave? There were so many people getting off work just now.”
Lin Zhi said, “I swear on both my 1.5-vision eyes; I watched her the whole time, and she definitely didn’t leave.”
Gu Yanqiu still carried her heart in her throat.
“Here it is.” Lin Zhi stopped. Gu Yanqiu saw the sign above; it was indeed XX Magazine.
Lin Zhi immediately took out his phone, switched on the front camera, and held it out in front of Gu Yanqiu.
Gu Yanqiu, who was about to pull out a compact mirror: “..."
Lin Zhi bared his teeth in a grin.
Gu Yanqiu tidied her hair in the front-facing camera, smoothed the edges of her suit jacket, and knocked on the half-closed door.
No one answered.
“Maybe they’ve all gone off work,” Lin Zhi said.
“You wait somewhere where you can see this door.” After saying that, Gu Yanqiu pushed the door open softly. Perhaps because this magazine was very famous, the space inside was extremely large. Gu Yanqiu went around the cubicles in the middle and came to a door. There was a rectangular window above it; standing on tiptoe, she could see inside.
Under the dim light, a person sat in the chair in the room, head bowed deeply. Even from the side, Gu Yanqiu knew she couldn’t be mistaken.
It was Lin Yuewei.
A soft place inside her heart seemed to cave in, as though it had been soaked in honey.
Lin Yuewei had just finished the interview. The magazine staff had already gotten off work, and the employees of the magazine had gone downstairs to eat with the assistants. Lin Yuewei was too sleepy, so she had asked her assistant sister to pack a meal and bring it up; she would doze off in here for a while.
Even while sitting in a chair, unable to stretch out her body, head lowered, Lin Yuewei was still sleeping very soundly, not even noticing when the room door was opened and someone quietly slipped inside.
Gu Yanqiu crouched down in front of her and looked up at her from below.
Lin Yuewei was holding her backpack in her arms. Her curved lashes hung down, and those beautiful eyes that blended sharpness and tenderness were closed softly. Black hair flowed from behind to the front, dark as crow feathers, while her head bobbed down a little, unconsciously, over and over.
Perhaps Gu Yanqiu’s breathing affected her. Lin Yuewei sniffled, making a muffled sound in her nose.
Gu Yanqiu quickly moved a little farther away and silently watched her for a while; then, a little curious, she tentatively reached out and touched the tip of her nose. It was round and slightly lifted, with a delicate texture like silk.
Feeling guilty, Gu Yanqiu closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she secretly looked over; Lin Yuewei had no reaction at all.
After that first touch, Gu Yanqiu didn’t stop. Her slender, soft fingers slowly slid along the philtrum to the full, vivid bead of her lips.
Her gaze remained fixed there.
Her throat rolled downward.
Author’s Note:
The Gu family’s affairs start from thirty years ago; we’ll talk about them slowly later.
Did she get kissed or not, did she did she did she?
P.S. I’ll be back tomorrow~