CHAPTER 295: CHAPTER 275: A THOUGHT TURNS ONE’S HAIR WHITE

The sudden loud noise was especially jarring, causing her heart to tremble in fear.

Gu Qili instinctively wanted to go and see what happened, but then she remembered that their current relationship didn’t even qualify as strangers; so why bother?

With that thought, Gu Qili sat back down.

There were no more sounds from the bedroom after that noise. Although she sat steadily, she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, wondering if he had suddenly fallen and fainted, unable to get up with his leg in plaster.

In the end, Gu Qili cursed her own weakness and still went to knock on his bedroom door. There was no response for a long time, and her intuition told her something was wrong, so she pushed the door open.

Looking around the room, she finally saw Mu Shuoqian sitting in the corner by the bed, his black shirt wrinkled, and his handsome face covered in sweat. He was looking out the window, his gaze fixing on those two grapevines.

At the sound of the door opening, his first impulse was to escape. If possible, he really didn’t want her to see him in such a disheveled state.

Gu Qili said, "Are you okay?"

He gave no response, still gazing outside.

Just as she was about to come over and check, Mu Shuoqian, who had been silent, suddenly spoke coldly: "Get out."

He was sitting on the other side of the bed, hidden from Gu Qili’s view, but she saw the shattered plaster on the floor, likely fallen from his leg. That meant his leg...

Without a word, she turned to leave. Even if he lay crippled here, it had nothing to do with her,

but as she turned around, her gaze accidentally swept over the headboard,

That was... that was the rabbit she had bought at the A City airport, and its matching fox had been taken by her while moving. She thought the rabbit was lost, but unexpectedly, it was sitting there perfectly fine.

A strong surge of emotion rose from the depths of Gu Qili’s heart, rendering her steps somewhat unsteady.

This daring thought jolted her awake.

She had barely stepped out when she heard Mu Shuoqian’s voice behind her: "Today is probably not going to work, wait for my notice."

She knew he was talking about the divorce proceedings.

"Please make it as quick as possible." After saying that, Gu Qili closed the bedroom door.

Though they had clearly severed ties, why did he keep her rabbit?

Something occurred to Gu Qili, and she pushed open the door of the bedroom opposite—where she had once lived.

Indeed, it was clean and tidy. Although she had taken most of her things, some items she did not want were left behind. She had originally planned to throw them away in a bag, but because Mu Shuoqian returned suddenly, she forgot.

The items she had discarded were now back in their original places; a few worn clothes, an almost empty tube of facial cleanser. When she opened the wardrobe, the red dress he had bought for her was hung neatly, with the sandals that hurt her feet placed underneath.

Her bedsheets and covers persisted the same as always, almost as if she still lived there.

Gu Qili didn’t know how to interpret what she saw. If he was eager to get rid of her, why keep these things she didn’t want? Could she interpret it as having nostalgic feelings?

Gu Qili’s heartbeat quickened, and she had to press her hand against her chest. There, she heard her voice trembling with excitement—could it be that Mu Shuoqian’s pushing her away was due to some unspeakable secret?

With this thought, she didn’t continue to linger, fearing that he might discover something. She closed the door as if she had never come in, and as she turned to face his door, she wanted to burst in and question him loudly, but she restrained herself.

If Mu Shuoqian indeed had some secret he couldn’t tell her, no matter how much she argued, he wouldn’t reveal half a word.

The past her would’ve trusted him unconditionally, even knowing he had many secrets from her, she could still resolve to follow him.

But when he laid the brutal facts before her, the foundation of that trust began to waver, even what she saw with her own eyes and heard with her own ears seemed uncertain.

After returning to Perfume Bay, Gu Qili immediately noticed the black sports car parked downstairs. Nan Zhan was sitting inside, smoking. Seeing her, he extinguished the cigarette, opened the car door, and got out.

"Lawyer Nan?" Gu Qili blinked, unsure why Nan Zhan was here, but then she remembered that the lawsuit included her full address and phone number. It wasn’t strange that he knew where she lived.

"Qili, did you have a fight with Shuoqian?" Nan Zhan asked bluntly.

Gu Qili’s gaze dimmed, it seemed that Mu Shuoqian hadn’t told his friends about their situation.

"Let’s be honest, your eyes have already told me that there’s something on your mind." Who is Nan Zhan? His greatest skill is to see into people’s hearts. In front of him, all lies become worthless.

Gu Qili sighed lightly, her hand grabbing and twisting her lapel: "To be precise, we broke up."

Nan Zhan frowned with disbelief, his deep and narrow eyes squinting with a scrutinizing arc: "Was it his idea?"

Gu Qili murmured an affirmation.

Nan Zhan fell silent for a moment: "Did he say he’s fallen for that Zhou Xiaoyu?"

"How did you know?" Gu Qili looked up at him in surprise.

Mu Shuoqian had not even shared the news of their breakup with Nan Zhan, let alone the matter about Zhou Xiaoyu.

Nan Zhan leisurely took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, flicked the bottom of the pack with his fingers, and put the cigarette that popped out into his mouth: "The credibility of this matter is one percent."

"Lawyer Nan, I don’t understand what you mean."

"Have you ever looked into Zhou Xiaoyu?" Nan Zhan asked nonchalantly, leaning against the car and starting to smoke.

Gu Qili shook her head. Her understanding of Zhou Xiaoyu was firstly through Mu Shuoqian, and secondly through advertisements and rumors. The only real contact she had with Zhou was that time in the restaurant, a brief exchange that didn’t reveal much depth.

"If you have time, investigate Zhou Xiaoyu. You might discover something." After saying this, Nan Zhan got into his car. Before starting the engine, he turned to the dazed Gu Qili, very seriously saying: "Based on my understanding of Shuoqian, if he likes someone, it will be for a lifetime."

A lifetime commitment?

Gu Qili watched as Nan Zhan’s car drove away, murmuring these four words to herself.

But she wasn’t sure whether Mu Shuoqian’s lifetime commitment was to her or Zhou Xiaoyu.

Unable to find information online, Gu Qili thought of Zhou Xiaoyu’s agency, Bai Chengxi’s Xingdong Film Company. As the boss, he must know some insider news.

She quickly found Bai Chengxi’s number in her contacts, and as soon as the call connected, as Bai Chengxi said "Hello," there was an old lady’s voice on the other end: "I don’t care, if you don’t bring me a daughter-in-law by the end of the year, I’ll just crash my head into that crooked-neck tree at the door."

Gu Qili was shocked. This old lady seemed to be forcing a marriage with a threat of death. Bai Chengxi was in control of half of Aus City’s entertainment circle, handsome and wealthy. Could it be that he was struggling to find a wife? Suddenly, she thought of Tang Tianyou, who seemed to be also coerced into marriage.

"Qili, sorry about that." Bai Chengxi seemed to have moved to a more secluded place with his phone, "What do you need?"

"Mr. Bai, do you know there’s an artist called Zhou Xiaoyu in your company?"

Upon mentioning Zhou Xiaoyu,

"Do you have her information? Could you send it to me?" After saying this, Gu Qili felt she might be too abrupt and quickly raised her hand, promising, "I guarantee I’ll only look at it myself, burn it immediately after reading, and absolutely not leak any of your company’s artist information."

Bai Chengxi laughed lightly, unconcerned: "You’re too polite, Qili. It’s just some information, no big deal, no need to swear with your hand raised."

Gu Qili: "..."

How did he know she raised her hand? They weren’t on a video call.

"I’ll send the information to your WeChat in a moment."

"Thank you, Mr. Bai." After hanging up, Gu Qili waited for the information from Bai Chengxi. About ten minutes later, he sent a document over WeChat. Gu Qili eagerly opened it only to be quickly disappointed; the document was basically the same as the online rumors, even mentioning a past incident of amnesia, which matched exactly what Mu Shuoqian had told her.

After reading the document, the hope that had risen in Gu Qili’s heart slowly turned into foam. It seems that Nan Zhan overthought it; there was nothing wrong with Zhou Xiaoyu’s resume.

After sending the information, Bai Chengxi immediately called Mu Shuoqian.

The phone rang for a long time before being picked up. Mu Shuoqian still maintained the same position he had when Gu Qili left, silently staring out of the window in a daze.

This fall had sobered him up. He had almost impulsively told her everything, wanting desperately to ask her, Gu Qili, I am willing to be with you, even if it costs me my life, I don’t care. How about you? If being with me means facing danger and uncertainty every day, would you be willing? And would you forgive me, the one indirectly responsible for your father’s death?