CHAPTER 453: CHAPTER 453: NO EXPLANATION

Gu Qixiao struggled to accept a certain harsh reality in his heart.

"He’s not a substitute? Then what, am I the substitute instead? I will never, under any circumstances, be anyone’s substitute. We knew each other before all of this happened."

If they already knew each other, then this situation shouldn’t be like this.

"That’s right, it’s exactly as you’re thinking. You’re the one who’s the substitute. Otherwise, why do you think we ever crossed paths?"

These words sent Gu Qixiao into a state of frenzy. He couldn’t believe he’d ever serve as someone’s substitute.

"What is so great about him? I refuse to believe that I’m a substitute for someone like him. Tell me what makes him so great, and then maybe I’ll believe you."

He felt as though an arrow had pierced his chest, convinced that something about this situation was fundamentally wrong.

"Gu Qixiao, why do you still insist on staying here? I’ve already told you—there’s nothing between us. I’ve already shown you the person I truly love. Why are you still so stubborn?"

Ji Yu had no interest in bothering with these trivial matters.

From the very beginning, her demeanor was lofty and detached, as though none of this mattered to her.

Gu Qixiao felt like an invisible hand was gripping his chest tight.

For a moment, he struggled to breathe.

Lin Zhao, witnessing the scene, understood immediately—it seemed Ji Yu didn’t want to get entangled with him any longer.

"So, this is the substitute you found? But I have to admit, he does look quite similar to me."

Ji Yu was relatively satisfied with his cooperation, particularly with his sharp sense of timing—the trait she cherished most.

"Gu Qixiao, I truly don’t want to explain anything to you anymore. You’ve seen now who I really love, so just leave already. Stop humiliating yourself here."

He was still in a dazed, unresponsive state, unable to fully process what was happening—or why he hadn’t left already, even after seeing such a gut-wrenching scene.

"Ji Yu, you must be lying to me, right? I don’t believe you’d really treat me this way."

He kept dwelling on what they’d once been, never imagining it would come to this.

"Gu Qixiao, stop being foolish. Stop chasing me, stop trying to be my substitute. I know your heart must hurt, but that’s all in the past. Let it go, and don’t dwell on it anymore."

Gu Qixiao’s expression was fragile, clearly struggling to accept this undeniable truth.

"Ji Yu, why can’t you just treat me kindly? Don’t you know that I love you?"

He kept repeating this sentence, yet the woman he’d desperately longed for refused to spare him even a glance.

Instead, she held hands with another man, their intimacy painting the picture of a love deeply etched into their being.

"Ji Yu, if you treat me this way, you’ll regret it."

"There’s nothing for me to regret. I think this outcome is just fine. We’re lovers finally reunited, and now you don’t need to keep chasing me anymore." Ji Yu’s tone was icy and indifferent, as if there had never been anything between them.

Gu Qixiao had never been so humiliated. He staggered out of the office, looking like he was barely holding himself together.

Hu Jianyu saw him like this from downstairs and couldn’t hide his surprise.

"What happened to you?"

Gu Qixiao ignored him, likely no longer remembering who Jianyu was, which explained his disheveled, desperate departure.

"What’s wrong with this guy? He’s already forgotten the past, so why does he keep coming to the company?" Hu Jianyu muttered inwardly.

Still, he understood it wasn’t a situation to rush into.

"Let’s just hope nothing more happens between them," he thought reluctantly.

After Gu Qixiao left the company, his emotions were complicated.

He finally grasped why everyone avoided telling him about the past.

As it turned out, he had done something this foolish back then. How could he have possibly agreed to become someone’s substitute?

"President Gu..."

"Take me to the bar." His mood was terrible, and he needed an outlet to release the pressure building inside him. He just couldn’t believe it yet.

Assistant Li had no idea what was going on either.

Watching Gu Qixiao and how he was falling apart, even the assistant didn’t know how to respond.

For his health, silence might have been the best approach. But emotionally, this silence was agonizing.

Saying something could hurt him physically, while holding back the truth inflicted a different kind of pain.

Faced with this impossible dilemma, the assistant had little choice but to follow orders.

He watched as Gu Qixiao downed glass after glass of alcohol.

"President Gu, you shouldn’t keep drinking like this. You need to recover, and drinking this much might make your condition even worse."

He had already said these words countless times.

"I’m fine. I just want to release the pressure stuck inside. I can’t understand why this would happen—how could I end up as a substitute for someone else?"

He asked himself over and over how he could ever stoop to doing something so degrading.

But no matter how many times he asked, he found no answers. Perhaps it was because, the moment he laid eyes on Ji Yu, he’d fallen for her completely. Even now, if Ji Yu gave him the chance, he truly might agree to be a substitute again.

"I really am a disgraceful person. For such a thought to even cross my mind... becoming a substitute is far from something worth respecting." As he reached this admission, his expression turned bleak, as though he had touched upon something deeply unsettling.

"President Gu, don’t hold onto this so stubbornly. I know it hurts, but this is merely the beginning." Assistant Li had often debated whether to reveal the truth behind everything, only to hesitate for fear it would cause him even greater agony.

"Assistant Li, you’re the person who’s been with me the longest. Am I really someone else’s substitute? Tell me honestly—is it true? I’m dying to know."

"No." Assistant Li couldn’t lie; he felt that this truth ought to be shared between two people, but never in the form of a deceitful lie.

Gu Qixiao, likely too intoxicated to process anything, seemed dazed and distant—almost disconnected from reality.

"I want to see her. Can you help me see her?" Over and over, he repeated this request, as though meeting her would provide resolution to everything.

Assistant Li didn’t know what to say, helpless in the face of such a precarious situation.

"President Gu, stop thinking about it..."