Mu Cheng turned to look at Gu Yunche. The collar of his white shirt fluttered gently in the breeze, strands of hair had fallen over his forehead from running, and beads of sweat dotted his handsome nose bridge.
He appeared slightly disheveled, yet his tense emotions made his facial expression rigid.
It was that fragile vulnerability!
A stern and upright heroic man actually displayed fragility due to panic.
Mu Cheng suddenly had a clear mental image of women who'd want to cherish such a fragile man—herself included. After all, Gu Yunche looking like this was truly quite endearing.
But precisely because he was so appealing, he had attracted Bai Lin and Zhang Qingqing's hostility toward her. In an instant, she sobered up.
Mu Cheng bit her lip, her voice hoarse. "Eldest Brother Gu, if I die, will all problems be solved?"
Gu Yunche watched the teetering Mu Cheng as if bound by invisible ropes, his movements becoming gentle and sluggish.
His voice caught in his throat, even his breathing became as light as a feather. He was truly afraid Mu Cheng would turn around and disappear over the edge of the rooftop.
"Mu Cheng, come over here. There's no problem that can't be solved!"
Gu Yunche slowly approached Mu Cheng, extending his hand. "Have you forgotten what I told you yesterday? Your name is Mu Cheng. You'll register under this name, and 'Mu Cheng' will appear in my family's household register."
Hearing this, Mu Cheng glanced at the people who had followed them up, especially Zhang Qingqing, whose face was pale.
Zhang Qingqing was terrified by the scene before her. She never expected Mu Cheng would try to jump off the building.
Mu Cheng murmured, "Eldest Brother Gu, you won't look down on me, will you? I really didn't ask Qi Heng to come find me. I'm not shameless!"
Qi Heng was horrified. He never imagined Mu Cheng was such a resolute woman—completely different from the temperament Zhang Qingqing had described. She was strong-willed, chaste, and pure.
He loudly urged Mu Cheng, "Comrade Mu, come down quickly. You're a good girl. I didn't mean to offend you; I was deceived by Zhang Qingqing too."
Qi Heng turned to look at the onlookers.
Whether they were colleagues from the guesthouse or residents staying there, everyone now understood the whole story. They all knew Mu Cheng and Qi Heng had been framed and wronged by Zhang Qingqing.
They all spoke up, urging Mu Cheng to come down and not do anything foolish.
The desired effect was achieved!
Mu Cheng tilted her head to glance at Zhang Qingqing, who sat collapsed on the ground with a ashen face, her hands tightly clutching the straps of her army-green backpack.
Seeing that Mu Cheng showed no intention of coming down, Gu Yunche grew increasingly anxious yet became more composed and steady.
He cautiously moved toward Mu Cheng and said softly, "Look, everyone believes you. What you're worried about will never happen."
Mu Cheng gazed at the man full of concern in the night. His profound eyes concealed a man's panic and restraint, and his deep, magnetic voice carried a plea that was deeply moving and intoxicating.
Noticing Mu Cheng staring at him transfixed, Gu Yunche seized the opportunity. He stepped forward swiftly, grabbing Mu Cheng's wrist and pulling her away from the rooftop edge.
Mu Cheng lost her balance and fell into Gu Yunche's embrace, her face colliding with his solid chest.
She felt the flesh on her cheek sting from the impact, but his powerful heartbeat also reached her ears, and the faint scent of soap from him wafted into her nostrils.
Mu Cheng, who wasn't afraid of heights and had been standing steadily on the rooftop, hadn't felt anything amiss before, but now she felt slightly dizzy.
She discovered that Gu Yunche wasn't rough at all—he smelled fragrant, exuding a wild and robust masculinity that was quite sexy.
Unfortunately, Mu Cheng didn't get to linger long in that broad, secure embrace before Gu Yunche pushed her away, his voice erupting in fury.
"Mu Cheng, are you an idiot? Over something this trivial, you'd jump off a building? Is your life really that worthless?"
Gu Yunche's cold, stern features were etched with anger as he gripped her wrist tightly. "Do you even know that the most precious things a person has are life and freedom? If you ever belittle yourself like this again, I'll…"
He hadn't figured out what he could do!
But his current state was somewhat inexplicable—why was he so flustered and enraged?
Mu Cheng knew she had gone too far. The best way to end this was to feign fainting, leaving the messy aftermath for Gu Yunche to handle. With that thought, she rolled her eyes back and collapsed into his arms once more.
A phrase circled in her mind—This young lady is delicate and helpless, fainting when she must; those harem intrigue dramas didn't lie!
Seeing Mu Cheng "scared into unconsciousness," Gu Yunche was both furious and anxious. He carried her straight downstairs to her room, shouting, "Zhang Qingguo, go fetch the on-duty doctor from the infirmary."
The onlookers sighed with pity—a perfectly fine girl nearly driven to jump to prove her innocence because of Zhang Qingguo's daughter. What a tragedy!
They tried to reason kindly with Zhang Qingqing.
"Qingqing, you've gone too far this time. Ah… you've even dragged your father into this. If this gets out, how will he ever show his face at the guesthouse again?"
Qi Heng shot Zhang Qingqing a hateful glare.
"Zhang Qingqing, I won't let this slide. I'm reporting this to your school."
Fearing Zhang Qingqing might cause another scene, the other guesthouse staff directly escorted her downstairs.
In the room, the infirmary doctor examined Mu Cheng.
He set down his stethoscope. "Nothing serious, just a scare. A good night's rest and she'll be fine."
Gu Yunche let out a long sigh of relief.
He glanced at the people around. "Everyone, disperse. I'll keep watch over her tonight."
The guesthouse staff found a camp bed for Gu Yunche, set it up in the room with bedding, while Gu Yunche went to deal with the Zhang Qingqing matter.
When the room quieted down, Mu Cheng opened her eyes.
She pursed her lips. "Tch, trying to play tricks with me? Who isn't a seasoned old fox here?"
Mu Cheng felt that Zhang Qingqing's outburst today surely had Bai Lin's influence. Otherwise, why would Bai Lin coincidentally fall ill with a fever at such a perfect time?
With Zhang Qingqing's commotion, Bai Lin, hospitalized, not only cleared herself but also used Mu Cheng's hand to cut off Zhang Qingqing's path to the capital.
Mu Cheng murmured to herself, "Killing two birds with one stone—Bai Lin really is a master strategist!"
She stared at the ceiling. "Gu Yunche's judgment isn't great. How could he fall for Bai Lin? Is he cursed or possessed?"
Hearing the door open, Mu Cheng quickly shut her eyes.
Gu Yunche walked in and paused by the bed.
Another question crossed Mu Cheng's mind—how did Gu Yunche know Qi Heng was with her? How did he arrive just in time to save her?
Gu Yunche frowned, his gaze fixed on the provincial evening newspaper beside Mu Cheng's pillow, dated today.
He bit his lip, his tone indifferent.
"Mu Cheng, pass me the newspaper by your pillow. I only saw the headline – has that steel plant in the capital undergone technological innovation?"
Mu Cheng's mind was preoccupied with how Gu Yunche had rushed to her rescue, so she didn't think much of it.
She opened her eyes and pulled out the second page of the newspaper, handing it to Gu Yunche.
Gu Yunche's expression froze momentarily as he reached out to take it.
Holding the newspaper, he scanned it briefly before remarking in a mocking tone, "Let me see what's written here?"
Mu Cheng's mind went completely blank at that moment.
How could she have woken up?
How could she have handed him the newspaper?
Then Gu Yunche's clear voice came from behind the newspaper, "So it's actually 'Ode to the Goose' – Goose, goose, goose, curving neck toward sky singing. White feathers float on emerald water, red paddles push clear waves."
Mu Cheng closed her eyes in despair.
Steeling herself, she whispered softly, "Eldest Brother Gu, how did you know this is the only poem I know?"