Gu Mian’s heart ached so intensely she could barely breathe. Clutching the hem of Li Tingshen’s trousers, she pleaded, “Ting Shen, I beg you to pull some strings with the prison. Grandma just passed away—I need to stay to keep vigil for her, handle her funeral arrangements, and see her off properly.”
Li Tingshen frowned. “Prison isn’t something money can easily influence. I know you’re grieving, but you should think before you speak.”
“Did I not think?” Gu Mian looked up at him. “I’ve been imprisoned for eleven months and was taken out four times to donate blood for Yin Luoxue—wasn’t that all arranged through your money and connections? Why can’t you do it now?”
“That was different.”
“How was it different?” Suppressing her sorrow, Gu Mian continued to beg, “I know that in your heart, no one matters more than Yin Luoxue. But the deceased deserves respect. Grandma raised me, and I couldn’t be by her bedside in her final moments because I was in prison. Keeping vigil for her is the least I must do—I can’t let her be all alone with no one to send her off. Ting Shen, I’m begging you.”
“Don’t you have an uncle? I’ll help too, to ensure Grandma has a dignified farewell.”
“This isn’t about money.” Gu Mian’s tears wouldn’t stop falling. “She’s already gone—spending more on funeral arrangements is meaningless. I just want to accompany Grandma on her final journey. Ting Shen, if you agree, I’ll donate as much blood as Yin Luoxue needs in the future!”
“Do you think donating blood is your bargaining chip, a condition for exchange?” Li Tingshen looked down at her, his voice as cold as perennial snow. “Gu Mian, this is what you owe Luoxue. If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be in a wheelchair.”
Gu Mian closed her eyes in agony.
A year ago, Yin Luoxue fell down the stairs, injuring her spine and becoming paralyzed from the waist down. She falsely accused Gu Mian of pushing her.
No one in the Li family believed Gu Mian. With no surveillance footage or witnesses, she couldn’t prove her innocence.
In the end, her husband, Li Tingshen, told her, “Gu Mian, Luoxue is in unbearable pain. If you don’t accept legal punishment, she’ll never find peace. Causing disability carries a sentence of three to ten years, but Luoxue is kind-hearted—she only wants you to serve one year in prison as a minor lesson.”
Gu Mian found it utterly ridiculous.
She refused and demanded a police investigation.
Then, Yin Luoxue produced a video showing Gu Mian pushing her down the stairs, sealing Gu Mian’s guilt.
She would never forget the looks the Li family gave her when the video played.
Disgust, hatred—as if sharing the same air with her was filthy…
…
In the end, Gu Mian was escorted back to prison by Li Tingshen’s bodyguards.
Weakened from excessive blood loss and overwhelming grief, she lay in bed for two full days.
On the third day, in the prison activity room, the television broadcasted news of Yin Luoxue’s birthday celebration.
The CEO of Li’s Group had splurged a hundred million to celebrate his confidante’s birthday.
In the footage, though Yin Luoxue was in a wheelchair, her pure beauty remained undeniable.
Li Tingshen stood by her side, attentively helping her eat, his gaze tender.
They made such a perfect, handsome couple.
Tears streamed down Gu Mian’s face.
Today was Grandma’s burial day. He had promised to help with the funeral arrangements, yet here he was, celebrating his Bai Yueguang’s birthday.
At that moment, Gu Mian finally understood.
When someone doesn’t love you, even if you give them everything, you’ll receive nothing in return.
Gu Mian harbored a secret: she had loved Li Tingshen for ten years.
He was once an unattainable deity, while she was merely the most ordinary of mortals.
Like two parallel lines destined never to intersect, their fates were altered by a car accident.
Three years ago, Li Tingshen was severely injured in a car crash and fell into a vegetative state.
The Li family sought out renowned doctors far and wide, but to no avail.
Madam Li, who believed in feng shui, proposed arranging a marriage for Li Tingshen to ward off bad luck.
However, Yin Luoxue, who had been betrothed to him since birth, was suddenly kidnapped at that very moment.
With the auspicious wedding date fast approaching, Madam Li had no choice but to search for another girl whose birth chart matched his. By chance, she discovered Gu Mian, who was working part-time as a caregiver for the Li family.
In exchange, Gu Mian’s ailing grandmother could receive free treatment at a hospital under Li’s Group.
The Li family’s hospital was among the top in China, with exorbitant costs that ordinary people could never afford.
Gu Mian agreed without much hesitation.
But no one knew that her agreement wasn’t solely for her grandmother’s sake—it was also to fulfill her own unrequited love.
Because long before that, she had already been in love with Li Tingshen for seven whole years. So much so that even if he never woke up, she was willing to stay by his side and care for him.
A month later, Li Tingshen miraculously regained consciousness.
Upon learning about the marriage arranged to ward off bad luck, Li Tingshen was furious and immediately demanded a divorce.
But when he accidentally discovered that Gu Mian had the rare Panda blood type, he abruptly stopped mentioning the divorce.
From then on, Gu Mian became Yin Luoxue’s walking blood bank.
To make Li Tingshen happy, Gu Mian never complained.
For those two years, she devoted herself to caring for him and his family, striving to be a good wife, until she was falsely accused and sent to prison.
Ten years—a full decade.
She had given Li Tingshen her purest love and most selfless devotion. What had she received in return?
His eyes and heart belonged only to Yin Luoxue; he looked down on her and paid her no mind.
Perhaps she was wrong. She shouldn’t have overestimated herself, foolishly hoping that one day he would turn his gaze away from Yin Luoxue and notice her existence.
……
On the day Gu Mian was released from prison, it was raining.
No one came to pick her up. After transferring between several buses, she arrived at Yun Yue Bay, where Li Tingshen lived, drenched from head to toe.
She unlocked the door with her fingerprint and was met with the sight of Li Tingshen descending the stairs.
Compared to Li Tingshen’s immaculate appearance, Gu Mian looked utterly disheveled.
Li Tingshen looked at her in surprise. “Why are you back?”
Gu Mian’s fingers trembled slightly as she replied softly, “I was released today after serving my sentence.”
“Sorry, I forgot.” Li Tingshen paused in front of her for two seconds. “Get some rest. I need to go out.”
“Ting Shen.” Gu Mian stopped him. “I need to talk to you.”
Li Tingshen glanced at his watch. “I’m in a hurry. Whatever it is, we can talk when I get back.”
As he brushed past her, Gu Mian reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his suit. “Just one sentence.”
Forced to stop, Li Tingshen turned his flawlessly handsome face toward her, a trace of impatience in his expression. “Go on.”
Gu Mian looked at his sharply defined profile and offered a faint smile, but her tone was resolute. “Ting Shen, let’s get a divorce.”
Li Tingshen froze, turning to look at her in confusion. “Are you asking for a divorce just because I didn’t pick you up from prison?”
“It’s not because of that reason.” Gu Mian curled her lips slightly. “I truly want a divorce with you. When you have time, let’s go complete the divorce procedures.”
“Gu Mian, I don’t have the time or mood to deal with your tantrums right now.” The man’s expression darkened slightly as he directly pushed her hand away. “Go take a shower and sober up properly.”
Li Tingshen opened the door and left. Gu Mian stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly into empty space.
Was she not sober enough?
No, she was perfectly clear-headed.
Never had she been this clear-headed before.
……
Gu Mian went upstairs to run a bath. She picked up her fully charged phone and turned it on.
After a month, her WeChat had received many messages, but none were from Li Tingshen.
Gu Mian casually scrolled through her friends’ updates when suddenly, her scrolling finger paused!
A few minutes earlier, Yin Luoxue had posted a moment: [“Companionship is the longest confession of love.”]
The accompanying photo showed a selfie of her and Li Tingshen. The man was lowering his head to peel an apple, while Yin Luoxue faced the camera with a radiant, blooming smile.