The dream had driven away Qiao Hua's sleepiness.
She got up and went downstairs. Outside, rain poured down amid flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder. Even the bodyguards had taken shelter under the eaves.
Hearing footsteps, a bodyguard turned around. He looked surprised to see Qiao Hua downstairs. "Miss Qiao, what are you doing down here so late?"
A thin sheen of sweat glistened on Qiao Hua's forehead under the light. She pressed her lips together and said, "I want to call Gu Wenze."
When the bodyguard frowned, looking hesitant, Qiao Hua said, "Gu Wenze only said I couldn't contact anyone else. He never said I couldn't contact him, did he?"
Gu Wenze had indeed never forbidden Qiao Hua from calling him. He had only said she wasn't allowed to contact other people.
With Qiao Hua staring at him, the bodyguard had no choice but to take out his phone and hand it to her.
Qiao Hua took the phone from him and called Gu Wenze.
The thunder outside mingled with the ringing on the phone, like an invisible drum pounding against Qiao Hua's heart. Even time seemed to stretch endlessly.
After what felt like an eternity, the call finally connected, but the voice on the other end wasn't Gu Wenze's.
"Assistant Lin?" Qiao Hua frowned. "Why are you answering his phone? Where's Gu Wenze?"
"Miss Qiao?"
Lin Chao sounded hesitant. "President Gu, he..."
Qiao Hua caught the pause immediately. The unease inside her grew almost imperceptibly. She swallowed. "What happened to him?"
Lin Chao faltered. "President Gu was in a car accident."
Qiao Hua's brow twitched sharply. "A car accident? What happened?"
"President Gu was driving over to see you tonight, but his car skidded and hit a utility pole by the road."
Qiao Hua's heart began to