Clang!
The door was violently kicked open, slammed against the wall, and rebounded hard. Before the man could see who had come, he felt a heavy kick to the abdomen and lost his balance, falling onto the floor.
Then fists rained down on him, each blow carrying tremendous force, as though they meant to take his life.
Chi Xue looked over in panic, and when her gaze touched the man’s profile, turmoil erupted within her.
Gu Cishen’s tall body was bent halfway over. The cuffs of his usually immaculate suit had been rolled up to his forearms. One hand gripped the man by the collar while the other slammed viciously into his face.
The man begged for mercy as he was beaten. Gu Cishen seized him by the collar and threw him aside, his dark eyes sharp. “Tell me. Who ordered you to do this?”
The man’s final answer was: Assistant Director Lü.
Seeing that Gu Cishen remained silent, the man seemed to have received a pardon. He scrambled out of the restroom on hands and knees.
The restroom was not narrow, but his presence suddenly made it feel cramped. Chi Xue had not yet recovered from what had just happened and huddled in the corner, still shaken.
Seeing that she was barely clothed, the man casually removed his jacket and handed it to her.
After a while, Chi Xue steadied herself in her high heels and stood upright. Some color had returned to her expression as she said coolly, “Thank you.”
The man’s dark eyes were unfathomable, and his gaze held a complicated mix of emotions—perhaps hatred, perhaps melancholy, or perhaps the feelings of a long-awaited reunion. In any case, when he looked at her, there was a trace of coldness, a trace of unfamiliarity, and a scrutiny she could not put into words.
Chi Xue felt so oppressed that she could barely breathe. All these years, she had thought that seeing him again would fill her with overwhelming hatred, yet she had never expected it to bring a pain so tangled and complex that it felt as though it would devour her.
In the end, she had still lost. In front of this man, she had never learned how to remain calm and composed.
Chi Xue took a deep breath and lifted her foot to leave, but Gu Cishen suddenly extended an arm and blocked her path.
The familiar yet long-forgotten scent of cologne lingered beneath her nose. Chi Xue’s thoughts churned as his low, husky voice descended from above, excessively clear and cold. “You really don’t want to see me?”
There was a hint of mockery in his tone.
Chi Xue took a step back so she could look up at him. She curved her lips as well and met his gaze without avoidance. “I’m only afraid of offending Mr. Gu’s eyes. From beginning to end, you were the one who didn’t want to see me.”
As she spoke, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, radiating endless allure. “Have you forgotten, Mr. Gu?”
Gu Cishen pressed his thin lips tightly together. His jaw was resolute, while his sword-like brows unconsciously drew together. “Signing with Yu Jinnan was just for Revenge against me?”
His implication could not have been clearer. He evidently believed that she had given herself to Yu Jinnan, who happened to be his mortal enemy.
“Does Mr. Gu think too little of me, or too highly of himself?”
Her eyes held a frivolous glint, without the slightest trace of shame. “Do you think I’m still that little girl who was madly infatuated with you all those years ago? Do you think I’m still that Chi Xue who, even after learning that you deeply loved another woman, still married you without hesitation? Then you really do think too little of me.”
She paused. “When you sent me to prison without being willing to hear a single word of my explanation, when…”
When he had ordered those people to cripple her right hand, when he had said he did not know who the child’s father was, and when she had lost that little life, she had completely given up on him.
As Chi Xue spoke, an almost imperceptible sob caught in her throat, but in the end, she did not say what followed.
She smiled, her brows and features possessing breathtaking beauty. “Mr. Gu, don’t think too highly of yourself. My signing with President Yu has nothing whatsoever to do with Revenge against you, because you aren’t worth it.”
As she spoke each word distinctly, anger and melancholy flashed through Gu Cishen’s dark eyes. Before even he could think about why, a voice suddenly came from outside the half-closed door.
“Let her go.” Lan Bei’s gaze was icy. Having heard about what had happened, he had rushed over at once. “Gu Cishen, don’t you have enough women surrounding you? Why are you pestering Chi Xue now? Have you forgotten how you hurt her?”
As he spoke, Lan Bei extended a hand toward Chi Xue. She immediately went to him, and as soon as she reached his side, he pulled Gu Cishen’s jacket off her.
After draping his own clothes over her, Lan Bei wrapped his long arm around her waist in a naturally intimate gesture. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Though she answered that way, Chi Xue was plainly still trembling all over, so Lan Bei held her a little tighter.
Gu Cishen’s eyes darkened slightly as he watched their tender interaction. Even his brows drew together involuntarily. “I didn’t expect you to be so fond of a woman I’ve used.”
Lan Bei chuckled, unbothered. “I should thank President Gu for being so heartless. Otherwise, Chi Xue would never have noticed how good I am or chosen to be with me. But I have to say, Xiao Xue certainly has a special charm in bed.”
Lan Bei’s words made Chi Xue’s pupils abruptly widen. She wanted to refute him, but upon seeing Gu Cishen’s ugly expression, she swallowed every word.
“Oh? Is that so?”
His thin lips curled faintly, while the chill in his eyes remained hidden from everyone. Then his deep, naked gaze turned toward her, as though it intended to burn her to ashes. “You sold yourself so quickly? Chi Xue, just how worthless is your body? Can anyone buy it?”
Each of his words was vicious, like a sharp sword slowly carving into her heart. That humiliating tone finally made her eyes redden. She clenched her palm, and when she looked at him, her delicate face was cool and composed.
“Mr. Gu is right. My body is worthless. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have shamelessly thrown myself at you and let you sleep with me for so many years.”
Gu Cishen’s body stiffened. The momentary daze vanished and turned into icy severity when his gaze fell upon Lan Bei’s hand around her waist.
“Since that’s the case, name your price. Spend tonight with me.”
As he spoke, he took a card from his suit pocket. His manner was so frivolous that it was outrageous, as though he truly regarded her as a woman who had come out to sell herself.
Chi Xue bit her lip. Something inside her snapped bit by bit, and her heart clenched in pain, yet she still smiled as she said,
“Mr. Gu, I can sell myself to any man in the entire city of A, but you are the one exception. Even if my body is cheap, you still can’t afford it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt Lan Bei’s hand tighten around her waist by another two degrees. His voice was cold, domineering, and menacing. “Chi Xue is my woman now. If you want to buy her, you can forget it.”
Then he lowered his eyes and looked at Chi Xue with deep affection. “Let’s go.”
“Chi Xue, you really are becoming more and more shameless.” Gu Cishen gritted out the words, his face utterly icy.
Chi Xue let out a mocking laugh without looking at him again. “Let’s go.”
Chi Xue no longer looked at the expression on the man’s face as Lan Bei half-dragged her around toward the elevators. She did not know that if looks could kill, she and Lan Bei would have already been reduced to ashes.