Chapter 258 - 116: Self-Deception

Chapter 258: Chapter 116: Self-Deception

She quickly shouted, "Qiumian, Qiumian, it’s your turn—"

Gu Qiuyan hastily took the microphone, forgetting all about her phone, which was wedged in the sofa cushions.

’Should I look?’ Xu Zhiruo hesitated. Just then, Gu Qiuyan reappeared before her and said gruffly, "If you want to look, then look." With that, she went back to singing.

Only then did she feel at ease enough to read the chat history.

Sure enough, it was that same guy.

This time, however, their conversation was a little different.

Around six-thirty, Qiumian had proactively sent a message:

"Have you eaten?"

He replied quickly, saying he had, and attached a photo of a restaurant’s entrance.

Gu Qiuyan then typed:

"You ate so early."

"I barely ate anything for lunch, so I got hungry again."

"Didn’t Teacher Song take you guys out for a big meal at noon?"

"Yeah, but I was so busy having fun I barely ate. Thanks for the card, by the way."

"I’m the one who should be thanking you. I really appreciate your help yesterday."

"Be careful tonight."

"Okay. You get some rest."

And that’s where the conversation ended.

Compared to their previous question-and-answer style exchange, this one had a few more lines about whether he had eaten.

She understood now. Qiumian didn’t want him to worry. Seeing that the guy was fine and had even had a good time, she didn’t press the matter further.

But it still didn’t feel like a normal chat. It seemed both of them had something on their minds they couldn’t let go of.

She felt that while Qiumian had been partying wildly downstairs, she wasn’t truly carefree. It was more like she was trying to vent all her frustrations.

’As I thought, her heart isn’t in it.’

Xu Zhiruo blinked.

"You’re a great singer, pretty girl, but shrinking back and running away won’t solve anything."

Gu Qiuyan didn’t say a word, just rolled her eyes.

"Don’t think you can forget your troubles just by partying until you’re exhausted and your throat is hoarse. You’re just chickening out. The truth is, you wanted to go out today..."

"No, I didn’t! You’re so annoying."

"I haven’t even said what it was, so why are you denying it? Did my reverse psychology get to you? You’re just deceiving yourself, lying to your own..."

Bickering, they made their way to the first floor. The four of them changed their shoes at the entrance. As soon as they opened the front door, a blast of cold wind rushed in, and Xu Zhiruo instinctively ducked her head.

’So cold.’

Wanting to look good, she had worn a simple padded jacket today. It had been fine when she arrived in the afternoon, but the temperature had dropped at night. Combined with the sweat from all the singing, she now felt a chill all over.

So she asked:

"Qiumian, what about that down jacket you don’t wear? The black one. Can I borrow it? I’ll give it back tomorrow."

"I lent it to someone yesterday. I’ll find you another one."

"Who’d you lend it to?"

Again, Gu Qiuyan said nothing, simply standing on her toes to pull open the closet door.

Xu Zhiruo stared at her back. She could tell Qiumian was holding back, hesitating, but she couldn’t figure out why.

’Does it have to do with that guy?’ 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

’What on earth is going on?’

「...」

Aunt Wu knocked gently on the study door.

"Come in."

A man’s magnetic voice came from inside.

"President Gu, dinner is ready."

The man gave a slight nod, indicating he’d heard.

This big boss, who had made his fortune in real estate, was not the "nouveau riche" or "uncultured tycoon" that outsiders might imagine. Quite the opposite, he was a refined and gentle man.

In his forties, he was still well-preserved, with a handsome face and fair skin. His daughter had inherited her porcelain complexion from him.

But one should never underestimate him based on his appearance. The man was speaking casually into his phone, giving orders:

"Use whatever means you have to. Send that student to a juvenile detention center. As for his family, I don’t want to see them on this island ever again..."

"I know they could be a bargaining chip. Now that the most difficult households are dealt with, the demolition negotiations will be much easier. But I don’t want to ruin my daughter’s mood. An apology? Unnecessary. They’re just flies. Director Yu, it’s winter now. There shouldn’t be any flies in winter... Yes, as long as you understand."

"You guys eat first..." He hung up the phone, sealing the fates of several families with just a few casual words. He started composing a text message, then suddenly sighed. "Forget it. Mianmian will just complain about me later. Let’s go together."

He rose from his executive chair and tidied his desk out of habit.

Aunt Wu waited quietly by the door. She knew he never liked others touching his personal things.

Gu Jianhong asked casually:

"Have Mianmian’s little friends left?"

He could hear the commotion in the living room from his study; he certainly wouldn’t see them off personally.

"They’ve left." Aunt Wu handed him a hot towel.

The man wiped his hands.

"Did she have a good time? Happier than yesterday?"

"She seemed to."

"She’s such a silly girl," the man said with a smile. The aura of a powerful man faded, and he looked more like a white-collar office worker, a financial elite, or even a writer. No one would ever associate him with a top tycoon as he chatted casually with the housekeeper. "Believing whatever people tell her."

"She’s been very rational, actually," Aunt Wu said, also smiling. "I was worried she would just go out with her friends, but in the end, she didn’t let her emotions get the best of her. She knew it was safest to stay home. It shows she trusts you. Otherwise, why would she have called you herself?"

"You think she would have gone out?"

"It was a possibility."

As they spoke, the two walked to the dining table. The housekeeper pulled out a chair for the man, but Gu Qiuyan was already seated.

"Well, look at that. She really did have a good time, the little glutton," Father Gu said to the housekeeper with a smile.

"That’s because Aunt Wu’s cooking is delicious," Gu Qiuyan said, keeping her eyes downcast.

"You really caused quite a stir this time. Your friends meant well, but they were making a mountain out of a molehill... Now, don’t frown. Your father wants to discuss something with you. Tonight, I’ll leave two men to patrol. The rest can return to the villa. We can have Wu get them some floor mats in the living room, but it might get a little noisy during the night."

The man said in a gentle tone:

"You just have to bear with it for two more days. Once this is all dealt with, you can go play in the city or take a few days off, whatever you want. But don’t go anywhere tonight. Just stay in your room and get to bed early. Trust your father, okay?"

Hearing this, Gu Qiuyan subconsciously glanced out the window. The sky was already dark. The weather was good tonight; the moon was out.

A solitary moon hung in the pitch-black sky.

She gave a slight nod.

「...」

Zhang Shutong fought back a wave of dizziness and slowly sat down.

It felt awful being surrounded by people, but he didn’t have the energy to deal with the stares coming from all directions. A staff member came over and berated him for a bit, but he ignored them. Seeing how unresponsive he was, the staff member left.

On the ferry, he had explained the situation with Teacher Song to his parents. At 6:20, the ferry docked.

’Who knew twenty minutes could pass so quickly.’

In what felt like a daze, he had returned from the city to the small island.

But he suddenly had no idea where he should go.

’Home?’

In the end, he went to the hospital.

Of course, before arriving at the hospital, he felt he should eat something first.

He wasn’t hungry, but he felt like a car that needed fuel to keep running.

The smell of greasy food made him want to vomit, however. Finally, he found someone selling steamed buns near the hospital entrance. Fighting back the nausea, he tore off small pieces of the bun and forced them into his mouth, then stood with his lips pressed tightly together for a long while, quelling the churning in his stomach.

Now he was back in the hospital ward on the second floor. It was noisy all around, but surprisingly, there was an empty sofa. Zhang Shutong quickly went over to claim it, thinking he was actually quite lucky.

He had already spoken to a young nurse. She had just sighed when she saw him, probably out of exasperation. After all, this was his third time at the hospital.

As the adrenaline wore off, his condition seemed to have worsened slightly. ’The hardest thing is to give yourself an answer.’ He hadn’t understood the meaning of that phrase before, but now, he was beginning to grasp it.

His mind was a mess, and he had no time for philosophical musings. All he knew was that for tonight, at least—from now until dawn—he didn’t want to go looking for that "fake Lu Qinglian" anymore.

It seemed he was almost at the end of his rope.

And it wasn’t just him who was running on empty; his motorcycle was, too.

The bike only had a quarter tank of fuel left when he got it. He had ridden it to many places over the past two days, and the fuel gauge was nearing empty. There were no gas stations on the island, and during his one trip off-island, he hadn’t had time to refuel. He estimated his remaining range. A trip from here to the villa and back would probably be its last.

He decided to save what little he had left for the early morning hours.