When Jiang Jinyue opened his eyes again, he saw the hospital's deathly pale ceiling.
He tugged at the corners of his mouth. It looked like he had failed again.
Someone was slumped over beside the bed. Jiang Jinyue knew the figure all too well: it was Gu Xingye. He didn't know why Gu Xingye had suddenly come home. If he had been a little later, perhaps Jiang Jinyue would have succeeded.
Gu Xingye was clearly sleeping fitfully. A faint noise outside the room startled him awake, and when he looked up and saw that Jiang Jinyue was awake, he was overjoyed. "A-Yue!"
He took Jiang Jinyue's hand, and only then did Jiang Jinyue realize that Gu Xingye's hand was even colder than his own.
Having just woken up, Jiang Jinyue had no strength in his body. He tried to pull his hand away, and it actually came free.
Gu Xingye looked at him anxiously, afraid that speaking too harshly would disturb him. "A-Yue, you scared me to death."
Jiang Jinyue said nothing. In truth, he was very disappointed.
Gu Xingye knew Jiang Jinyue wouldn't respond to him. He pressed his lips together. "Something came up at the company recently, and I neglected you. But it won't happen again. No matter how busy I am, I'll make time for you."
A mocking smile curved Jiang Jinyue's lips.
Surprisingly, Gu Xingye didn't get angry when he saw it. He was unusually mild-tempered today; perhaps he really had been frightened. He went on talking to himself. "Your stomach was pumped last night. The doctor said you need to rest for a few days."
No matter what Gu Xingye said, Jiang Jinyue didn't react. He was already lost in his own world. Something happened at the company? Could Zhao Pingchuan have struck back? To push Gu Xingye this far, he really must be capable. No wonder Gu Xingye was so wary of him.
Gu Xingye stayed by his side for a whole day, doing everything himself. He was clumsy but attentive. In the past, Jiang Jinyue would have been deeply touched and might even have forgiven him. But now, he felt nothing at all.
In the end, Gu Xingye had to leave. The company was pressing him urgently, and Jiang Jinyue had seen him answer countless phone calls.
Before leaving, Gu Xingye kept glancing back at the person in the hospital bed, worried that the moment he turned around, Jiang Jinyue would be gone again.
Jiang Jinyue only wanted to be alone, so he spoke up. "Don't worry. I won't run away."
Gu Xingye's first reaction to hearing him speak was delight, but his gaze soon turned dejected. A-Yue had finally spoken to him, only because he wanted him to leave.
Back at the company, Gu Xingye threw himself into work at once. There were countless matters waiting for him to handle.
At this point, if he still couldn't tell that Prosperous Age and Hengtu had joined forces to take down Gu, all his years in business would have been for nothing.
With limited time and energy, he could only focus on the big things and let the small ones go, dealing with the more troublesome Prosperous Age first. He held a press conference to manage public opinion, then found ways to stabilize the stock price and minimize losses. After half a month of nonstop work, the situation finally stabilized, but the entire group had suffered a serious blow, and the board had quite a few complaints about him.
Jiang Jinyue had long since been discharged from the hospital. As he had promised, Gu Xingye came home every day to spend time with him. He now spoke gently to Jiang Jinyue and didn't dare lose his temper at all, because the doctor had told him that while the patient had no serious physical problems, his mental condition was grave. He was suffering from severe depression, and they had to be careful in case he tried to take his own life again.
Terrified of upsetting him, Gu Xingye took every care with him and brought him all kinds of nice things, but Jiang Jinyue remained unmoved.
He remembered that Jiang Jinyue liked small things, so one day he brought home a tiny kitten and presented it to Jiang Jinyue like a treasure.
The little creature wasn't shy. It met Jiang Jinyue's eyes and meowed at him affectionately.
Jiang Jinyue stared blankly at the kitten. It was still earnestly licking its paws, its green eyes like gemstones, full of curiosity about the world.
His expression softened slightly.
Gu Xingye held his breath, full of anticipation. "A-Yue, do you like it? How about we keep it?"
As if startled awake, Jiang Jinyue immediately looked away and didn't spare the kitten another glance. "Send it away. I don't like it."
Keeping it would only mean trapping it in this big house with him.
Gu Xingye's enthusiasm was extinguished. He looked at the ball of fur in his hands with a complicated expression, then, after a long while, handed it to the housekeeper. "Send it away."
He glanced again at the figure heading upstairs, his back slumping slightly.
The city's outer ring road was silent at night. Now and then, headlights flashed past, and darkness quickly returned.
Gu Xingye casually loosened his collar, gripped the steering wheel with one hand, and pressed the accelerator to the floor. The sports car's engine roared, suddenly tearing through the night sky, and the car shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
80...
120...
150...
200...
The numbers on the dashboard kept climbing, but Gu Xingye merely frowned at the road ahead, showing no intention of slowing down.
He raced around one hair-raising bend after another. The air rushing past at high speed blew his carefully styled hair into disarray. His eyes were bloodshot and his lips pressed tight as he tried to let the cold night wind clear his head.
His phone kept ringing. Perhaps it was his secretary, or perhaps it was a business partner. He ignored it, letting his mind go blank and finding a moment of peace.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally took his foot off the accelerator. The car gradually slowed and stopped by the roadside.
Gu Xingye let out a long breath and leaned back in his seat, tilting his head slightly. His heart, which had been pounding at that extreme speed, gradually settled down.
After a while, he picked up his phone and returned his secretary's call. The secretary reported something, and Gu Xingye said, "No, leave Hengtu alone for now."
"Mm, we'll discuss the rest at the office tomorrow."
He wearily rubbed the space between his brows, tossed his phone onto the passenger seat, and started the car again, heading into the city.
The closer he got to the city center, the more pedestrians appeared on the streets. At this hour, most residents were out walking in twos and threes.
Young couples held hands, their eyes curved with smiles, and even the air around them seemed to grow thick.
There were also families out shopping, carrying bags as they returned home laden with purchases.
Gu Xingye glanced at them silently and continued driving.
The luxury car attracted plenty of attention, but in Li City, it wasn't particularly unusual. People looked once and thought no more of it.
Suddenly, Gu Xingye caught sight of two figures up ahead.
They were two men. The one on the left was slightly taller, and he discreetly kept the other man on the safer inside of the sidewalk.
They were walking so close together that their joined hands weren't very noticeable, but Gu Xingye saw them all the same.
As if possessed, he slowly followed behind them, down one street after another.
It was Zhao Pingchuan and Ji Ran.
They really were in that kind of relationship.
Zhao Pingchuan didn't say much. Ji Ran pointed at the shops by the roadside and said something to him, full of energy. Even from this far away, Gu Xingye could tell he was smiling the whole time.
Zhao Pingchuan tilted his head slightly as he listened, nodding now and then and responding to everything Ji Ran said.
When they reached a corner, Ji Ran pulled Zhao Pingchuan a few steps into an area beyond the streetlights. He looked around to make sure no one else was there, then quickly stood on tiptoe and kissed Zhao Pingchuan on the cheek.
Zhao Pingchuan reached out and stroked his head, then pressed a kiss to his forehead.
It was hard to describe the atmosphere. It was as though they had loved each other like this for a lifetime, sweetness showing in every part of their expressions.
Why could Zhao Pingchuan have so much?
Gu Xingye clenched his hand on the steering wheel into a fist, gripping so hard that his knuckles turned white. How was it fair that Zhao Pingchuan could climb back up even after falling into hell?
His sinister gaze remained fixed on the two men. Up ahead, Zhao Pingchuan, whose back was to him, suddenly turned and warily surveyed the area behind him. He glanced at the sparsely populated street, then his gaze stopped on a sports car, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.
Ji Ran turned around too and asked curiously, "Ge, what's wrong?"
Zhao Pingchuan looked away. "Nothing. I felt like someone was watching us."
Ji Ran's face turned red, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "Did someone notice what we just did?"
He still felt embarrassed doing something so intimate in public.
A chuckle escaped Zhao Pingchuan's throat. "It doesn't matter if they saw."
Ji Ran thought of something and grew a little nervous. "Ge, come to think of it, you're half a public figure. It'll be troublesome if someone recognizes you."
That interview magazine had sold so many copies that a sharp-eyed passerby really might recognize him.
Zhao Pingchuan touched his face, his voice indulgent. "It doesn't matter if they do. I have such a wonderful boyfriend. Why would I be afraid of people knowing?"
Ji Ran had meant to be serious, but he couldn't keep the corners of his mouth down. He knew Zhao Pingchuan knew what he was doing, so he said no more on the subject. "Then let's not worry about it. Whoever wants to look can look."
With that, he deliberately raised their joined hands and swung them as if showing them off.
Zhao Pingchuan smiled, and the two continued on their way, shoulder to shoulder.
In the car, Gu Xingye watched them with a dark expression. After a long while, he suddenly curved his lips, as though something had occurred to him, and spoke in a dangerous voice. "Since you like him so much, let me see just how important he is to you."