Before Lu Shaoting could finish his sentence, Gu Xia immediately said:
“No way. Unless you follow through on what you promised me, there’s no way I’m going to do as you say and have an abortion right now.”
“Lu Shaoting, I know I’m just a nobody. Even if I’m pregnant, you have plenty of ways to get rid of me. But before I die, I’ll definitely take a few of you down with me.”
Lu Shaoting detested being threatened more than anything.
The expression in his eyes suddenly turned cold and stern.
“Do you think I care about the reputation you’re talking about? Gu Xia, you’re far too naive.”
Gu Xia lifted her head and straightened her back, her face full of defiance and stubbornness.
“Then go ahead and try. I’ve got nothing left—what do I have to fear?”
For some reason, Lu Shaoting saw a steely resolve—as if she were ready to face death—on her youthful face.
She looked just like a young soldier who’d just joined the army, brimming with passion to defend her country.
Come to think of it, Gu Xia was indeed quite young—at an age when one still looks at the world with innocent hope and dreams.
Lu Shaoting softened his tone.
He said quietly, “Get in the car. I’m here to discuss this with you; I’m not forcing you to make a decision.”
“Gu Xia, if I ask you to have an abortion now, I can minimize the risk to your health. You’re still young—if I remember correctly, you just turned eighteen.”
Lu Shaoting remembered this because the Gu family had thrown her a coming-of-age party, and Lu Ye had attended it as well.
As an elder, Lu Shaoting wouldn’t normally celebrate a younger person’s birthday, but he had happened to be back at the time.
He saw Lu Ye heading out, carrying something in his hand, but looking quite unhappy.
He asked and learned that it was the birthday of the second daughter of the Gu family, who lived in the teachers’ residential compound next door.
She had invited some young people she knew to celebrate.
Listening to Lu Shaoting’s words, spoken in the tone of an elder, Gu Xia knew full well that he was just trying to sweet-talk her into having an abortion.
Once she had the abortion, Lu Shaoting would definitely never speak to her again.
Gu Xia pulled open the car door to get into the back seat, but Lu Shaoting told her, “Sit up front.”
Gu Xia opened the front door again and obediently took her seat.
Lu Shaoting glanced at the silent Gu Xia and asked her:
“Is there anything you want to say? Or is there anything I need to do so you’ll go get an abortion now? Gu Xia, you need to be clear about one thing: you’re the one who drugged me; you were the one who made the first move.”
Lu Shaoting also felt that, even though it was Gu Xia who had drugged him, as a man, he certainly hadn’t come out on the losing end.
Gu Xia had also given him her virginity.
Lu Shaoting was very restrained when it came to sexual desire; he usually didn’t engage in such activities, mainly because he found them uninteresting.
But when he touched Gu Xia that night, he couldn’t deny that deep down, he couldn’t resist the urgent urge to take her.
If anyone had truly been at a disadvantage, it was Gu Xia, who had suffered quite a bit that night.
Thinking back to that night, Lu Shaoting immediately felt that even the way he looked at Gu Xia had become awkward.
He had no idea where his gaze should rest on her…
Her smooth forehead, fair, oval face, high, straight nose, and soft, plump, rosy lips…
Lu Shaoting’s gaze betrayed a sense of panic he had never felt before.
Seeing Lu Shaoting staring at her intently, Gu Xia assumed he was waiting for her to speak.
She hesitated for a moment before saying, “You haven’t resolved the job issues for my parents and older sister, so there’s no way I’ll listen to you and have an abortion.”
“My offer still stands: as long as you take care of them, I’ll go with you right away to terminate the pregnancy.”
Lu Shaoting fixed his gaze on Gu Xia’s eyes.
He couldn’t understand why Gu Xia was only asking for job opportunities for her parents and older sister—she had never mentioned what she wanted from him in return.
“Did you drug me and get pregnant just so you could use this child to secure jobs for your parents and older sister?”
Gu Xia raised her eyes to meet his and replied earnestly, “That’s right!”
“You!”
Lu Shaoting was genuinely infuriated by her words.
If Gu Xia had drugged him and intentionally gotten pregnant just so she could return to the city, that would have been understandable.
But she was doing it solely for her family.
“How old are you, anyway? Have you ever thought about the consequences of your actions—that this will ruin your future?”
“Gu Xia, as your elder, I shouldn’t lose my composure like you have, but what you’re doing now is absurd. This is the wrong path. What you need to do most right now is come to your senses.”
Gu Xia: “You’ve said all that, but aren’t you just trying to convince me to have an abortion?”
“I’ll say it again: if you agree to my conditions, I’ll do as you say.”
With that, she fell silent, avoiding Lu Shaoting’s gaze and turning her face to look out the window.
Seeing Gu Xia so stubborn and single-minded, Lu Shaoting was so furious that he started the car and drove off.
Gu Xia didn’t know how Lu Shaoting had managed to book a hotel room, but after he settled her in, he turned to leave.
Seeing him walk away, Gu Xia instinctively felt that Lu Shaoting was about to run off…
Panicked, she immediately stepped forward and grabbed hold of Lu Shaoting’s shirt.
“Where are you going? Are you leaving me here? Are you just going to walk away and not take care of me anymore? Lu Shaoting, if you don’t take care of me, I’ll go cause a scene at your house. After I’m done there, I’ll go to your workplace. I heard what Lu Ye said—you’re about to be transferred. You’re definitely getting a promotion…”
Lu Shaoting looked at Gu Xia with a cold smile.
“Your ears sure are sharp.”
“Stay at a hotel for now. I’ll have someone pick you up in three days. Let me tell you this, Gu Xia: if you stop causing trouble, I might help your family. But if you keep making a scene, you won’t end up happy.”
Gu Xia loosened her grip on Lu Shaoting’s hand slightly.
The tension on her face eased a little.
Her voice no longer carried the aggressive tone it had moments ago.
“All right, I’ll do as you say. But you have to keep your promise and help my family. Lu Shaoting, give me your phone number—I need to be able to reach you. If you really abandon me, I definitely won’t be able to control myself and will go to your house to cause a scene.”
Since she’d put it that way, Lu Shaoting didn’t make things any harder for her.
For Lu Shaoting, the best solution was to handle this absurd situation—which should never have happened in the first place—peacefully, calmly, and quietly.
He borrowed a pen and paper from the front desk and quickly jotted down a string of numbers.
Gu Xia took the piece of paper, and only then did she feel a little more at ease.
But she was still afraid that Lu Shaoting might actually abandon her.
Gu Xia had originally intended to snap back at him with a few harsh words.
But she realized that Lu Shaoting seemed to like it when she was obedient.
So she looked at him meekly, her bright, clear eyes—with their distinct black and white—gazing at him with a glistening look:
“I’ll wait for you forever.”
After stepping out of the hotel and getting into his car, Lu Shaoting didn’t drive off immediately.
Instead, he sat in the car and smoked several cigarettes.
He couldn’t stop thinking about the look in Gu Xia’s eyes as she’d waited for him to speak just moments ago.
How could she pretend to be so innocent and pure, and even say she’d wait for him forever?
If Gu Xia were truly innocent and pure, how could she possibly have drugged a grown man—a man old enough to be her father?