That night.
The atmosphere in the villa’s study was tense.
“Who let her in?” Gu Heng swept an intimidating gaze over Secretary Pei and Sister Wang, each word as sharp and cold as an ice-tempered blade.
The one thing Gu Heng couldn’t bear was for Ai Xuan to remember her time in the entertainment industry. Those memories were closely tied to Jin Yan, and they were the ones she most wanted to avoid.
They must have made her unhappy. Why else would she resist remembering them?
Sister Wang kept her head down, her face deathly pale. She apologized over and over in a trembling voice. “I’m sorry, Third Young Master. It was my fault.”
Secretary Pei wasn’t surprised by the fury on Gu Heng’s face. He was just deeply worried and afraid. “Miss Ai probably didn’t notice anything amiss. We’ve already got the maid under control.”
Nothing he said now would help. Ai Xuan’s face was far too recognizable. Sister Wang had come from the Gu household, but because everything had been arranged in a hurry, many of the maids had been hired locally. It was exactly the kind of oversight Gu Heng couldn’t tolerate.
Gu Heng fixed them both with a sharp, icy stare, his expression cold.
The air in the study seemed to freeze. Sister Wang didn’t dare lift her head or breathe too loudly.
After a long silence, Gu Heng spoke from across the room, his voice flat. “If this makes her remember anything that upsets her, I’ll hold both of you responsible.”
Secretary Pei pressed his lips together and stood ramrod straight without arguing. Sister Wang’s lips went white, and her arms and legs began to give way.
“Deal with her,” Gu Heng said coldly.
Secretary Pei was about to answer when the study door opened from outside, abruptly breaking the tension in the room.
Ai Xuan stood in the doorway. At the sight of Gu Heng’s dark expression and the fury radiating from him, she went rigid for several seconds. Then her gaze fell on Sister Wang, who couldn’t stop trembling.
Broken pieces of porcelain lay scattered across the floor, with tea spilled everywhere. It was hard to reconcile the scene with the Gu Heng she knew, who was gentle and kind and had always been patient with her. She’d never expected to see him act like this.
Gu Heng froze when he saw her. Flustered, he pulled his hand off the desk and let it fall to his side. His eyes were full of panic and fear, and his throat was so dry he couldn’t bring himself to say a word.
She’d caught him at his worst. He must have looked disgraceful.
Ai Xuan turned her lovely almond-shaped eyes back to him. Her voice was soft and gentle as she asked, “The weather’s supposed to be nice tomorrow. I’d like to go out fishing. Are you free?”
“I’ll take you tomorrow,” Gu Heng said at once.
Ai Xuan’s eyes curved into a smile. Then she turned to Sister Wang. “Those coconut rice noodles we had for breakfast were good. I’d like to have them again tomorrow.”
“Yes, Miss Ai.” Sister Wang kept her head lowered and nodded repeatedly.
“It’s getting late,” Ai Xuan said. “Get some sleep as soon as you’re done. See you tomorrow.”
Gu Heng couldn’t help reminding her, “It gets cold at night. Make sure you close the windows and keep the covers over you.”
She sounded just as she always did. “I know.”
…
After Ai Xuan went back to her room, Gu Heng glanced at Secretary Pei and strode out.
Once Gu Heng was out of sight, Secretary Pei closed his eyes and rubbed the spot between his brows. It was a while before he lowered his hand, opened his eyes, and looked at Sister Wang. “Clean this up. You can stay for now. Tomorrow, make a few more of Miss Ai’s favorite breakfast dishes.”
He’d been Gu Heng’s personal secretary for six years and had been by his side through it all. He’d seen Gu Heng turn vicious and ruthless more times than he could count, though more often he was indifferent and cold-blooded. Whenever Ai Xuan was involved, however, he made exceptions.
Ai Xuan was both a forbidden subject and the one person who could soothe him.
At the floor-to-ceiling windows in her bedroom.
Ai Xuan listened to the sea wind howl as she gazed at the distant stars. All she could think about was what she’d just seen in the study.
She hadn’t meant to barge in. She’d been standing outside the door for quite some time, listening to what was being said inside. What she’d heard had helped more of her memories fall into place.
Every time she’d met Gu Heng, he’d struck her as a gentle, refined young gentleman with impeccable manners. They seemed to keep crossing paths, and he’d helped her a few times, so she had a very good impression of him.
In the novel, however, the author described him as having paranoid personality disorder. Put simply, he was extreme and disturbed. For the second male lead to stay in second place, he had to fall short of the male lead in some way. Perhaps this was the flaw the author had given him.
The novel didn’t go into much detail about him. It only said he was vicious and ruthless, obsessive and stubborn. The only interesting thing about him was how he protected the heroine.
Later, he paid a steep price to save the heroine and help her get rid of the female supporting character. You could say he gave everything he had and loved her without looking back.
The male lead only showed up to hurt the heroine or share sweet moments with her. The second male lead was left to do the suffering.
As Ai Xuan thought back carefully, her memories of Jin Yan began to return as well. Everything she’d experienced from childhood onward fit the novel perfectly. Had she transmigrated into the novel from the very beginning? Had the author already decided everyone’s fate? And had this car accident somehow awakened her?
The thought sent a wave of unease through Ai Xuan.
She’d gone into the study to get Sister Wang and Secretary Pei out of trouble and to see how she felt about this side of Gu Heng. She found she wasn’t afraid of him. If anything, he was the one who was afraid of her. The way he stood there, too scared to speak and so careful around her, was almost funny.
She knew how good he was to her. She just wondered why he felt so deeply about her.
The next day.
Ai Xuan came downstairs.
She wore a long, printed chiffon dress that accentuated her graceful figure and set off her smooth, fair skin. She’d put on a little makeup, and her lovely face looked radiant.
“Miss Ai,” Sister Wang greeted her with the utmost respect.
Ai Xuan handed her a photograph. “Could you pass this along to her for me? Please thank her for being a fan.”
Sister Wang froze at the sight of the signed photograph, suddenly unsure what to do.
“It’s all right,” Ai Xuan said softly.
Perhaps it was the quiet, reassuring way she said it that finally prompted Sister Wang to reach out and take the photograph.
At the dining table.
Gu Heng had seen the whole exchange. He sat rigid and motionless, his back straight and one hand clenched tightly on his thigh. His breathing quickened, and his eyes reddened.
She knew. She remembered.
He’d lied to her. What would she think of him now? She’d surely think he was sick, two-faced, and utterly vile. She’d be desperate to leave.
“Good morning,” Ai Xuan said in a clear, bright voice as she sat down across from him. Her gaze lingered on his face, and her slender brows drew together slightly. “Did you sleep badly last night?”
There were faint dark circles beneath his eyes. However well he tried to hide it, he looked tired and a little worn down.
“I slept fine. There were a few things at work I had to take care of ahead of time. It’s nothing.” Gu Heng hadn’t slept a wink, but he lied for fear she’d cancel their outing. “We’re leaving at nine. The boat has everything we need, so you don’t have to prepare anything extra.”
“Do you want to get some rest? We can go another day,” Ai Xuan said, her voice full of concern.
Gu Heng smiled, his voice gentle but firm. “I don’t need to rest. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out to sea, too.”
Just seeing her made him feel wide awake. He wasn’t the least bit sleepy.
Ai Xuan’s red lips curved into a slight smile. She nodded and went back to her breakfast, chatting with him from time to time.
Watching her, Gu Heng started on his breakfast as well, keeping her in the corner of his eye the whole time.
Ai Xuan could feel the heat of his gaze, of course. She simply pretended she hadn’t noticed. As far as she was concerned, Gu Heng posed no danger to her. He’d been so good to her. She could never repay him for saving her life.
Whether or not he’d nearly give his life for her as he had in the novel, she thought she’d be better off getting closer to Gu Heng than to Jin Yan. After all, she had no desire to suffer half to death for no good reason.
Of course, she had her own interests in mind. Only a handful of prominent families in City A could match the Jin family. She couldn’t afford to cross the Jin family, but she could stay out of their way. If a day came when she couldn’t avoid them, she wanted to make it out alive.
By the sea.
Ai Xuan looked at the luxurious yacht and couldn’t help marveling at how the rich lived.
She hadn’t had a break in her schedule in years, always rushing from one engagement or film set to the next. She could count the times she’d had off in the past few years on one hand, without exaggerating. Being able to take it this easy lifted her spirits.
The yacht had everything. With its luxurious suites and jetted pool, Ai Xuan felt as if she’d come aboard to throw a party instead of going fishing.
No wonder those rich young men loved taking a group of young models out to live it up at sea. This was luxury at its finest.
At the thought, Ai Xuan glanced at Gu Heng beside her. He was examining the fishing gear, his attention fixed on it. His sharply defined features were every bit as handsome as Jin Yan’s. To her, he looked even more approachable.
Sigh.
She kept thinking that they were both tragic characters in the novel. Neither of them got a good ending.
Ai Xuan knew absolutely nothing about fishing. She’d filmed a fishing scene once, but it had all been staged, and the director had called cut before she’d had a chance to really enjoy it.
Fishing turned out to be different from what she’d imagined. She’d been at it for ages without a single bite.
Gu Heng stood beside her. He hadn’t caught anything either, but he was more patient than she was and never seemed in any hurry.
“Are there even any fish here? I’ve seen other people catch a whole bunch in no time,” Ai Xuan said, a little discouraged.
The moment she finished speaking, Gu Heng said, “I’ve got a bite.” Her eyes lit up, and she hurried over to him. Excited, she reached over to help him reel it in, pulling the rod upward.
They were so close that he could breathe in her fresh scent, and his gaze softened further.
The fish was putting up quite a fight. She leaned forward a little, and Gu Heng frowned and quickly reached for her hand.
“Pull harder!” She didn’t have much strength herself and kept urging him on, her face alight with excitement. “It’s going to get away. Hurry up and pull it in!”
She kept her eyes fixed on the water. When she saw a fish break the surface, she grew even more excited and pointed. “There! It’s a big one!”
Gu Heng pulled a little harder, drawing the fish steadily closer.
“What kind of fish is this?” Ai Xuan looked at the fish he’d lifted out of the water. Its body was translucent with a reddish tint. She leaned in for a closer look, but before she’d even finished speaking, the fish began thrashing wildly, spraying water everywhere.
Startled, she slipped and instinctively grabbed his arm with both hands, holding on tight.
The spot where Ai Xuan gripped his arm felt burning hot to Gu Heng.
Ai Xuan’s dark eyes still held a trace of fright. Once she found her footing, she looked at the fish and decided its fate. “I’m grilling you for dinner tonight!”
Gu Heng noticed how annoyed she was, and the faintest hint of amusement came into his eyes.
Fishing had simply been the excuse Ai Xuan had managed to come up with at the time. Before she’d caught anything, she’d taken it seriously and refused to give up. After landing a few fish, though, she was already losing interest. It wasn’t all that exciting after all.
What a fuss.
The sun was blazing, and she’d already worked up quite a sweat. Gu Heng noticed the change in her mood right away and began reeling in his line. “There probably aren’t many fish around here anyway. Let’s call it a day.”
It was such a flimsy excuse that she laughed and called him out on it. “You never really came here to fish, did you?”
Gu Heng didn’t argue.
Ai Xuan walked up to the railing and watched the seabirds circling over the water. She turned to him and asked, “Can we stay here a little longer?”
“We can stay as long as you want.”
“I’ve pretty much recovered. You don’t have to go out of your way to indulge me.” Ai Xuan smiled with her lips pressed together, then added, “Let’s stay one more week. We can’t stay here forever. Once the vacation’s over, we’ll have to go back.”
The light in Gu Heng’s eyes slowly dimmed. He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “How much do you remember?”
He hadn’t expected this day to come so soon.
Then again, she was clever. It probably hadn’t taken much for her to remember most of it. He wondered what she thought of him now.
“A lot.” She looked at him with a gentle smile, looking a little apologetic. “I know you were worried about me and afraid it would be too much of a shock. But I love acting. I’m going to keep acting, and I feel fine now.”
She thought he’d had his reasons for keeping things from her and lying to her. Otherwise, she’d have had to go through hell.
Gu Heng’s heart tightened. For his own sake, he changed the subject. “Do you remember why you got into the accident?”
Ai Xuan had thought back on it, but nothing useful had come to mind. She only knew she’d been deeply shaken at the time and hadn’t been thinking clearly. She and Jin Yan had never really been an official couple. He’d helped her out of a difficult situation at the company, and she’d fallen for him headfirst, letting her feelings do the thinking. The most she could call it was a secret romance.
Everything had gone smoothly for her over the past few years, and she’d hardly faced any setbacks. She’d thrown herself into getting closer to him.
Later, when the Jin family wanted to arrange a marriage with the Xie family, Jin Yan hadn’t even told her. She’d found out from the news. Strictly speaking, they’d probably broken up by then, so she supposed she’d been dealing with a breakup.
Jin Yan had only been toying with her. He probably thought she wasn’t good enough to be the Jin family’s eldest young madam. If that was how he felt, why string her along? He thought her status wasn’t good enough, yet he still had some feelings for her. What did he take her for, some stray cat or dog?
And if she still wanted to become the Jin family’s eldest young madam, next came the miscarriage, the hemorrhaging, the kidnapping…
Ai Xuan let the thought drop and kept her answer vague. “I was upset at the time. That might’ve had something to do with it.”
Stay away from that scumbag Jin Yan and she’d be safe. Long live peace and safety.
She couldn’t just sit back and watch her name get dragged through the mud.
Gu Heng caught the flash of anger in her eyes, and a cold glint passed through his own.
He couldn’t think of anyone besides Jin Yan who could have hurt her so badly that she’d nearly lost her life. The engagement must have hit her hard.