Shallow Bay.
The master bedroom on the second floor.
"Young Madam, President Gu has already decided to divorce you, so stop occupying the master bedroom and move out quickly!"
Footsteps sounded at the doorway. Meng Shu Tang turned her eyes and saw Li Sao leaning against the doorframe, her expression filled with contempt.
By the time Li Sao came over, Meng Shu Tang was already packing.
She was only troubled by the black silk dress with the tag still attached; it was something Gu Yun Ci had bought for her, and she had never worn it once.
Now, she wanted to throw away everything that belonged here, but this one item made her fingertips tighten.
Seeing her hesitate, Li Sao said, "You've lived in this room for three years. Besides fiddling with those worthless broken beads, what else have you left behind?
Oh no... you've left behind a joke about brothers turning against each other and internal strife that the Gu family will be laughed at for a lifetime."
Li Sao was referring to the fallout between Gu Yun Ci and his younger brother, Gu Jin Xing, a storm that started because of her and nearly destroyed the Gu family.
She hung the silk slip dress in the closet and tucked her bank card into her wallet.
After they married, Gu Yun Ci gave her living expenses every month.
Meng Shu Tang usually used her own card for daily expenses. Her daily spending was low, but whenever she went shopping and saw clothes, shoes, ties, or cufflinks that suited him, she would buy them for him.
However, she paid for those with the money on this card.
There wasn't much left on the card, just over a million, enough for one course of treatment for her mother.
She had to take it with her.
Just as Li Sao was about to say something else, Zhang Ma walked past her with light steps and reached out to take the suitcase from Meng Shu Tang's hand.
She didn't look at Li Sao, but whispered to Meng Shu Tang, "Young Madam, I cleaned the attic on the top floor early this morning. It faces the sun and is very bright.
I've already moved the books and beads you usually look at up there for you."
Li Sao curled her lip, "Zhang Ma, you are just too soft-hearted. Some people are just troublemakers..."
"Li Sao," Zhang Ma said without raising her head, her tone gentle but carrying a certain weight, "President Gu asked us to help the Young Madam pack, not for you to gossip here. There is soup simmering in the kitchen. If you don't go watch it, do you want to be scolded when it burns?"
Li Sao was choked up, gave Meng Shu Tang a fierce glare, and left in a huff.
Zhang Ma was kind and warm-hearted, usually quiet and reserved, but for some reason, she was talkative today.
"I am an old servant of the Gu family. I was hired when the Madam was still alive, and I watched President Gu and the Second Young Master grow up.
President Gu... he and the Second Young Master never got along since they were children. Some things were kept in their hearts for too long, and the knots couldn't be untied, so slowly... it turned into hatred."
When they reached the attic on the third floor, Zhang Ma helped Meng Shu Tang put away her clothes, "If you have anything you want to know about the brothers and the Madam's death, just ask me.
I will tell you everything I know."
After Zhang Ma left, Meng Shu Tang sat on the small, simple single bed, slowly rubbing the wedding ring on her finger.
She remembered the day of the engagement banquet, when Gu Yun Ci looked like an Asura from hell, dragging her away from Gu Jin Xing in front of everyone.
"From today on, you are mine."
He snatched her away not because of love, but for revenge.
Now that the revenge was enough, even the master bedroom could no longer accommodate her.
Meng Shu Tang took the divorce agreement out of her bag and flipped to the last page, ready to sign.
But the image of her mother's pale face in the hospital bed and the clause in the agreement stating "divorce means cessation of treatment fees" appeared in her mind, and her hand trembled so much she couldn't sign.
She hurriedly put the divorce agreement into the nightstand, put on her trench coat, and went downstairs with her bag. Zhang Ma saw her and asked, "Young Madam, where are you going?"
Meng Shu Tang replied, "I have something to take care of. You all eat dinner yourselves; don't wait for me."
Jiangcheng Hospital.
The inpatient department corridor.
The young nurse said, "Miss Meng, I was just about to contact you. The Gu Corporation has sent over the payment for this period, but your maternal grandmother decided to transfer your mother to a general ward. How should we proceed with the treatment?"
Meng Shu Tang clutched the card in her hand without any hesitation, "Please help me transfer my mother to the special care ward."
The young nurse said, "But the Old Madam said..."
Meng Shu Tang replied, "Listen to me."
While they were processing the paperwork, Meng Shu Tang asked about the fees.
The young nurse muttered while working, "Previously, it was always paid in advance, but for the last few months, I don't know what happened; we have to urge them several times before it gets paid.
Logically speaking, President Gu shouldn't be short of this money..."
Before she finished speaking, she suddenly realized that the person she was complaining to wasn't a colleague, but Meng Shu Tang. She hurriedly covered her mouth, gave Meng Shu Tang an awkward smile, and lowered her head, saying nothing more.
By the time she finished, it was already late at night.
Meng Shu Tang sat by the hospital bed, looking at Zhou Xingfan, whose face looked even paler against the white bedding.
She closed her eyes and lay there quietly, like an ancient bead sealed by time.
Ten years ago, Zhou Xingfan was in a car accident and became a comatose patient.
Three years ago, her condition worsened. If it weren't for Gu Yun Ci paying to have her transferred to the special care ward and feeding her with precious medicine, the grass on her grave would have turned yellow and green several times over.
Meng Shu Tang held Zhou Xingfan's cold hand, a thousand words stuck in her throat, finally turning into one sentence, "Mother, you must wake up."
For the next two days, she stayed in the hospital room.
Because other than here, she didn't know where else she could go.
Go to the studio?
Restoring ancient beads requires patience, care, and focus, none of which she possessed right now.
Go to her maternal grandmother's place?
In her current state, Li Xiu Yun would only worry if she saw her.
On the third day, Meng Shu Tang braced herself and stood up to go to the studio.
She put on a plain-colored gown, wore thin-as-cicada-wings white gloves, walked to the workbench, and began to work.
In the middle of it, her best friend and partner Chen Man called to say that this pregnancy check-up wasn't very good, and the doctor told her to stay in bed for a month, asking her to handle the coordination with the Gu Corporation from now on.
She agreed, telling her to take good care of her health and not to worry about the studio.
During the conversation, she mentioned her husband's promotion, and Chen Man asked her to thank Gu Yun Ci on behalf of both of them.
"To be honest, Tangtang, even now our female classmates still envy you. Your family background is ordinary, and your personality is indifferent, so how did you catch the eye of a heaven-sent talent like Gu Yun Ci?
You have to know that he is the helmsman of the Gu Corporation; he can make the business world tremble just by stomping his foot."
Meng Shu Tang replied, "We are about to divorce. He proposed it."
"What? Why?"
"His ex-girlfriend is back."
Chen Man's voice rose an octave instantly, her admiration for Gu Yun Ci shattered completely, "Is Gu Yun Ci's brain flooded with water? He promised to protect you for a lifetime, how could he dump you halfway?"
She paused, "Since that woman is so good, why did they break up three years ago?"
Because she was too agitated, she started having false contractions.
Meng Shu Tang realized something was wrong, "Don't be angry. I'm not even angry. Didn't you say there's a group? Add me to it, don't let it affect your work.
You should rest more and don't worry about me."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Man added her to the Gu Corporation Cultural Tourism group.
She also sent her a reminder letter from the Gu Corporation Cultural Tourism Department.
She clicked on it and read it once.
"An An, you watch the shop, I'm going out for a while."
She went to the Gu Corporation and met Bai Ci Xian on the seventh floor.
"Miss Meng, hello. I am Bai Ci Xian. Although we haven't officially met, you know who I am, right?"
"Does Miss Bai have something to say?"
This was the first time Meng Shu Tang had looked at Bai Ci Xian from such a close distance.
Their brows and eyes were very similar, not to mention that both of them had dark hair draped over their shoulders, long enough to reach their waists.
Looking at their backs alone, they were practically cut from the same mold.
"Yun Ci said that in the three years he has been married to you, he has never been truly happy.
You are always busy with ancient bead restoration, and you don't even know what he likes or dislikes.
But I am different. I know he doesn't like sugar in his coffee, and I know he doesn't like to turn off the lights when he sleeps."
As she spoke, she slowly walked closer, "He also said that marrying you was just a moment of confusion, and the person he loves is me."
Meng Shu Tang felt a sharp pain in her heart. Her fingers hanging by her side curled slightly, but her gaze remained faint, as calm as a pool of lake water, as if she were listening to something irrelevant.
Seeing this, Bai Ci Xian took a tie out of her bag unhurriedly, pinched the knot with her slender fingertips, and gently rubbed the wrinkles on it.
"Yun Ci left this behind that night. Please help me give it to him."
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