“Movie Emperor Gu Minghe was involved in a car accident on his way to a filming location and has already been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. His exact condition remains unclear, and both his studio and manager have yet to release a statement.”
Seeing the trending search contents, the world spun before Pei Huaixue’s eyes. His legs grew weak, and he nearly collapsed straight to the floor.
Fortunately, Xu Ran caught him just in time. “Xiaoxue, are you alright?”
Pei Huaixue’s entire body trembled violently. The moment he learned that Gu Minghe had met with an accident, his heart felt as though it were being torn apart by the wind, ripped wide open with a massive, howling, and utterly hollow void.
Disregarding the strange look in Xu Ran’s eyes, he said anxiously, “I’m sorry, something has come up and I need to leave right away. I can’t continue shopping with you.”
Pulling his hand away from Xu Ran’s grip, he stumbled away with unsteady footsteps, his retreating figure looking intensely fragile and helpless.
Xu Ran stood frozen in place. “Is Xiaoxue a fan of Gu Minghe? Why is he reacting so intensely just because Gu Minghe got into a car accident?”
Pei Huaixue had no recollection of how he managed to make it back home. Pulling out his ID card, he packed a few simple changes of clothing without bringing anything else, booked the earliest available flight for himself, and drove straight to the airport.
Gu Minghe had been filming in Yuncheng; flying there from Lancheng still required a good three to four hours.
During those short, agonizing hours, his mind was a mess of tangled thoughts. He worried endlessly about what he would do if something truly happened to Gu Minghe.
Without Gu Minghe, what meaning would there even be in living this life?
Clasping his hands tightly together, Pei Huaixue shivered uncontrollably.
His abnormal reactions eventually drew the attention of a flight attendant. “Sir, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
At that moment, Pei Huaixue’s face was chalk-white, his lips utterly devoid of color, and he trembled without pause, looking as though he had suffered a devastating blow. With a vacant, unfocused gaze, he merely offered a sluggish shake of his head in response to the flight attendant’s inquiry, then resumed staring fixedly at a single spot while murmuring incoherently under his breath.
“Was it me who harmed Minghe?”
“029, tell me, is it because I didn’t finish my tasks on time that Minghe got hurt?”
Yet no matter how frantically he called out, 029 who was usually so chatty and constantly urging him to hurry up with his tasks seemed to have vanished into thin air, refusing to appear.
Pei Huaixue felt a mounting wave of despair.
Forcing himself to calm down, he closed his eyes and tried to stop his wild thoughts, but the moment his lids shut, all he could envision was Gu Minghe lying in a pool of blood with no breath left in him a sight so terrifying and utterly shattering.
Three and a half hours later, the plane touched down on schedule.
Rushing out of the airport in a panic, Pei Huaixue hailed a taxi straight to the hospital.
He had already contacted Gu Minghe’s manager, Cheng Chen, while on his way there, and headed directly for the hospital ward the moment he arrived.
“Mr. Pei, over here!”
Cheng Chen was already waiting for him.
Observing Pei Huaixue, who had rushed over in a breathless panic with a look of utter anxiety, Cheng Chen reassured him, “Don’t worry, Minghe isn’t severely injured; he just suffered a leg fracture and a mild concussion. The staff members were hurt worse than he was, but fortunately, none of them are in any life-threatening danger. I was too busy earlier to update reporters, but I’ll have someone issue an announcement to reassure everyone in a moment.”
Hearing Cheng Chen say this, however, failed to ease Pei Huaixue’s complexion.
Walking past Cheng Chen and entering the hospital room, the moment he laid eyes on Gu Minghe—lying asleep in the bed with bandages wrapped around his head and leg—the taut, rigid tension in his frame finally uncoiled, his legs growing so weak they nearly buckled beneath him.
The tears he had desperately forced himself to hold back finally broke free the instant he saw Gu Minghe safe and sound, his eye rims instantly turning red.
[Beep-beep-beep]
029, which had lost contact for the better part of the day, finally reappeared in his mind.
Yet its appearance offered no comfort to Pei Huaixue; instead, it brought him devastating news.
[Host, this is bad! The world consciousness detected that the plot had deviated due to Gu Minghe’s existence, so it issued a warning to him. Today’s car accident wasn’t an accident at all—it was the work of the world consciousness!]
Pei Huaixue’s expression froze. He remained silent, listening quietly as 029 continued.
[Furthermore, the world consciousness almost discovered my existence. Fortunately, I ran fast enough; otherwise, if it had caught me, I wouldn’t have been able to remain bound to you, Host.]
029 radiated lingering terror.
Realization dawned on Pei Huaixue: 029’s unresponsiveness earlier had been due to the world consciousness.
After a long, stunned silence, he asked with a trembling voice, “029, is it true that as long as I properly complete my missions, Minghe won’t get hurt anymore?”
Never before had Pei Huaixue felt such profound regret. He regretted knowing full well that Gu Minghe would be in danger yet arrogantly dismissing 029’s warnings as alarmist nonsense, choosing instead to pay them no heed. He had treated his missions with absolute casualness, dragging his feet whenever possible.
It wasn’t until Gu Minghe actually got hurt that he realized how terribly, catastrophically wrong he had been.
He regretted not completing the tasks properly during that hot spring trip, regretted constantly brushing off 029, and regretted placing Gu Minghe in such a perilous position.
“Is it true that as long as I work hard now, everything can still be saved?”
He asked this question over and over again, desperately yearning for an affirmative reply.
[Host, it’s not too late to start right now!]
[Host, you must believe that you can definitely do it!]
029 continued to cheer him on.
[However, I would advise the Host that it’s probably best to divorce Gu Minghe first. According to the original plot, you and Gu Minghe were only supposed to be friends and never reached the stage of marriage. Your marriage is already the greatest deviation from the plot. Only by getting a divorce can the plot return to its correct track, leaving Gu Minghe with no grounds to obstruct you from doing your tasks. This way is best for everyone.]
“Di-divorce?”
Hearing that word, Pei Huaixue found it completely alien.
From the moment he married Gu Minghe, divorce had never once crossed his mind.
This youth who had accompanied him through thick and thin from childhood had left his mark on every important milestone of his life. Their marriage had also been a natural progression, falling into place like water flowing into a canal. Pei Huaixue had no desire to leave him.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine how he could possibly survive a life without Gu Minghe by his side.
He hated why he had to live inside a novel, and a damned villainous supporting role at that. Why couldn’t he and Gu Minghe be the protagonists? Why was it so impossibly difficult for the two of them to simply stay together?
Tears slipped continuously down his cheeks. Sitting beside the hospital bed, Pei Huaixue gripped Gu Minghe’s hand, letting his tears soak his entire face. The person who usually wiped away his tears for him was currently unconscious and yet to wake up.
“Gu Minghe, when you wake up, don’t blame me, and don’t hate me, okay?” Pressing his little face against Gu Minghe’s large palm, Pei Huaixue cried a pitiful, heart-wrenching stream of tears. “You love me so much, you’ll definitely forgive me… right?”
On the bed, Gu Minghe’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
News of Gu Minghe’s car accident had finally set fans’ minds at ease once his studio published a safety update online.
Meanwhile, Gu Yanchen had also rushed over to Yuncheng that very evening.
Pei Huaixue went downstairs to the hospital entrance to welcome him. The moment their figures appeared side by side, paparazzi staking out the hospital gates grew ecstatic, frantically clicking their camera shutters.
They had originally hoped to snap photos of Gu Minghe, but security around the hospital was too airtight for them to sneak inside.
Instead, they were rewarded with this unexpected windfall.
Before long, a new wave of scandals concerning Gu Yanchen and Pei Huaixue erupted across the internet, stirring up fresh turmoil.
@PaparazziLittleHua: Recently, Movie Emperor Gu Minghe was hospitalized following a car accident. His older brother, Gu Group President Gu Yanchen, rushed over late into the night to visit, accompanied by rumored boyfriend Pei Huaixue.
With Pei Huaixue accompanying Gu Yanchen to visit his injured brother-in-law, does this mean Pei Huaixue has already won the approval of the Gu family and is on the verge of marrying into high society?
-Good heavens, I honestly thought Pei Huaixue was just throwing himself at Gu Yanchen for malicious clout, but it turns out they’ve already progressed to meeting the family?
-That’s Gu Yanchen’s actual younger brother! When the younger brother gets into an accident, Pei Huaixue is right there accompanying the family to visit—doesn’t that prove his status as the official boyfriend?!
-Gu Yanchen, you scoundrel! Where does that leave Su Jin?!
-Is Pei Huaixue about to become Gu Minghe’s older sister-in-law [older brother’s wife]? I’m so jealous!
-Yuck! Obviously Pei Huaixue is just clingy and forced his way along, even hiring paparazzi to snap ambiguous photos like this. Gu Minghe is still recovering from his injuries, yet he’s out here capitalizing on blood money—how utterly shameless!
-Su Jin, hurry up and come over! If you don’t, your President Gu is going to get snatched away by a little fox spirit!
The internet erupted into chaotic debate, with some spectators simply eating melon seeds while others hurled relentless abuse.
Inside Pei Huaixue’s mind, notifications for points gained from the system rang continuously.
Yet at this moment, he had zero appetite for dealing with any of it.
Holding a damp washcloth, he meticulously helped wipe down Gu Minghe’s body.
Gu Minghe had been unconscious for an entire day, and there was still no telling when he would wake up.
Even after Gu Yanchen stopped by to check on him earlier—leaving in a hurried rush after sitting for a short while—Pei Huaixue remained behind in the hospital room to keep watch over Gu Minghe.
He didn’t feel tired in the least.
When Gu Minghe’s assistant offered to step in and take over the night shift, he firmly refused.
He insisted on handling every single task personally.
His hands—pampered and raised in absolute delicacy were now clumsily stumbling through taking care of someone. His movements were awkward, and he nearly tore the hospital gown open while unfastening it, yet the pressure of his wiping was exceptionally gentle, terrified of causing the slightest pain.
Just as he finished wiping him down and was about to withdraw his hands from that broad chest, a large, strong hand suddenly shot out, gripping his wrist with force and dragging his wet palm downward right against the center of his chest, pinning it over his beating heart—
Pei Huaixue’s eyes widened in shock.
On the hospital bed, Gu Minghe had awakened at some point. Opening his eyes, he offered a teasing smirk: “Wife, why are you taking advantage of me while I’m injured?”
Gu Minghe had simply intended to tease his silly, delicate wife. To his surprise, the moment the words left his lips, Pei Huaixue—who would normally flare up in embarrassed rage and turn red while telling him off—simply stared at him blankly.
Blinking his eyes softly, scorching hot tears broke free like shattered pearls, rolling down one by one.
His eyes were intensely red, as though he had been weeping for a very long time, and his nose was pink as well, making him look exceptionally pitiful.
A sharp pang wrenched at Gu Minghe’s heart. Pulling him instantly into his embrace, he coaxed him in a soft murmur: “Baby, I was wrong. I won’t tease you anymore, don’t cry…”
Instead, Pei Huaixue wept even harder.
Reaching up to cup Pei Huaixue’s chin, Gu Minghe captured his soft lips, sucking on them deeply until he saw the person in his arms flush a soft, delicate pink all over before finally releasing him.
At that moment, Pei Huaixue’s eyes were still swimming with tears, his lips swollen and reddened from the kiss, and his delicate skin sensitive enough to tremble at the slightest brush, as though he had been thoroughly bullied.
A Pei Huaixue looking like this was irresistible.
Gu Minghe’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, eager to bully his pretty wife a little more.
Only to hear Pei Huaixue widen those tear-washed eyes, his voice dropping to a chilling cold: “Gu Minghe, let’s divorce.”