She came from poverty, yet heaven had gifted her a stunning face.
From a young age, she knew how to use her beauty to seize whatever she wanted.
At first, she had to put in effort, paying a price to get what she desired. But later on, she no longer needed to expend much thought—she could hold a man’s heart in the palm of her hand, making him willing to lay down his life for her.
If she were a vampire, then Gu Lianhuai would be her blood servant.
What sense did it make to fall in love with a blood servant?
Keeping him on a leash was simply a means to obtain resources.
After waiting a short while, Gu Lianhuai’s assistant arrived at the hospital entrance. Qiao Shuran put on her sunglasses and walked out.
Passing by a ward, she caught sight of a familiar figure inside.
She paused mid-step, found cover, and quickly snapped a few photos.
Qiao Shuran stared at the photos on her phone, a malicious smile slowly spreading across her face.
The photos were deliberately taken to look ambiguous.
Under the dim lighting, Song Yunyi was feeding porridge to a young man. He leaned against the hospital bed, gazing at her with tender eyes.
Qiao Shuran let out a cold laugh.
Song Yunyi, oh Song Yunyi, what am I supposed to say about you? If you’re going to cheat, at least have the decency to hide it—yet you let me catch you red-handed.
Once in the car, she sent the photos to Su Jingxuan.
At Song Yunyi’s welcome banquet last time, he was the one who led the charge in ostracizing her—arguably the person in this circle most opposed to Song Yunyi.
Su Jingxuan replied quickly: [The woman in the photo is Song Yunyi??]
Qiao Shuran: [It’s Yunyi… Jingxuan, I never imagined she could be this kind of person. Brother Lianhuai treats her so well—how could she betray his sincerity? Jingxuan, I really don’t know what to do.]
Su Jingxuan replied with righteous indignation: [What do you mean what to do? Naturally, we expose that bitch Song Yunyi’s true face! I was strongly against them getting together from the start, but Lianhuai was like he was possessed—it had to be her! Now that she’s cheated, there’s no way we let her keep flaunting the title of Lianhuai’s girlfriend. Shuran, let me handle this. You stay out of it.]
Qiao Shuran sent a few crying emojis, then hesitated: [But what if it’s a misunderstanding? I still think we shouldn’t—Jingxuan, just pretend you never saw these photos, so they don’t end up fighting over it.]
Su Jingxuan replied with frustration: [Shuran, you’re too kind-hearted in how you see people. Even if it’s a misunderstanding, feeding another man is still inappropriate! Alright, don’t worry—if anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility.]
Qiao Shuran tried to dissuade him a few more times, but seeing that Su Jingxuan remained adamant, she stopped.
Turning off her screen, she hummed a tune, feeling quite pleased with herself.
After the drinking session ended, the group moved to a second venue for karaoke. Gu Lianhuai leaned against the black leather sofa with his eyes closed, the cacophony of toasts and drinking games grating on his nerves.
Suddenly, a snippet of conversation caught his ear.
“I’m not lying—the case my company recently handled was taken on by Aurora’s assistant. Yesterday I happened to invite him out for a drink. We’d barely sat down when Aurora called, telling him to go to the police station to bail someone out. Judging from Lin Yan’s reaction at the time, the person he bailed was a woman—something like ‘Yi’.”
An older executive asked with a gossipy look: “Aurora’s been single for years now. Someone he’d send his assistant to bail out—what do you think the relationship is?”
“Then I need to find out quickly, get in good with that girl early—maybe I can use her to connect with Aurora.”
“Tell us more about the scene at the time…”
A clear, mellow voice abruptly cut through their conversation: “The lawyer you mentioned—was her name Yunyi?”
The executives quickly rose to their feet, greeting him: “Mr. Gu.”
“Please think carefully—was the lawyer bailed out of the police station actually named Yunyi?” Gu Lianhuai still wore a polite smile, but a hint of impatience had crept into his brow.
He had been a top student since childhood—refined, clean-cut, from an excellent family yet without any of the typical young master’s arrogance. He was the one elders praised and peers were expected to emulate.
Apart from abandoning all dignity in high school to pursue Qiao Shuran with reckless abandon, he had never done anything unconventional. After graduation, he followed his family’s arrangements, doing everything methodically and properly.
So everyone was accustomed to his easygoing demeanor, and for a moment, they were stunned.
The executive who had started the gossip quickly snapped back to attention, thought carefully, and nodded: “Yes, Mr. Gu. A young woman named Song Yunyi got into trouble, and Lin Yan went to the police station around midnight to bail her out.”
Gu Lianhuai’s expression darkened. He nodded politely, grabbed his coat, and walked out.
The others exchanged bewildered looks.
One sharp-minded man suddenly realized something, slapped his forehead in frustration, and whispered: “Mr. Gu’s girlfriend is Ming Ju’s lawyer—I think her name is Song Yunyi!”
Someone less in the know let out an “ah”: “Since when did Mr. Gu have a girlfriend?”
“They’ve been together for three years now. Apparently she was studying abroad before, and only recently came back.”
The crowd couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. What nonsense were they spouting? If Miss Song really had some connection with Aurora, wouldn’t that mean Gu had been cuckolded?
But just as he was about to leave the private room, Gu Lianhuai suddenly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his voice gentle: “Song Yunyi is one of Ming Ju’s people. If something happens to her, it’s only natural for the boss of Ming Ju to help. Everyone, I don’t want to hear anyone gossiping behind her back again, ruining her reputation.”
The crowd quickly chimed in with promises: “Understood, we understand.”
After getting into the car, Gu Lianhuai gave the driver Song Yunyi’s address.
Outside the window, the neon lights and the myriad lights of the city intertwined, casting a cold, somber glow across his features, while the other half of his face was swallowed by darkness, revealing a chill that didn’t quite match his usual temperament.
He gazed at the scenery outside, his mind inexplicably drifting to a time when he was on a business trip in London and happened to have time to have a meal with her.
She had been so happy to see him, excitedly sharing amusing stories from school.
Even though those stories were utterly boring to him, he patiently listened to the end, occasionally offering a few responses.
He had thought she was always that optimistic and cheerful.
But when he returned from the restroom, he realized he had been wrong.
The young woman sat by the window, her expression as she gazed at the distant lights.
It was a longing tinged with something close to sorrow.
Perhaps it was because she had looked so pitiful in that moment that he remembered it for so long.
Now, in this drunken late night, it came back to him.
What had he said to her back then?
He had said: “When we’re no longer involved in the future, I’ll introduce you to someone suitable for marriage. You’ll have a home of your own someday.”
After that, Song Yunyi rarely troubled him. Except when her family pushed her to the brink and she had no other choice but to turn to him, she never asked anything of him.
Come to think of it, Song Yunyi had never fought for anything for herself.
So even when she ended up in the police station, she still refused to trouble him.
The car stopped outside the old residential area.
The hot summer breeze blew away some of the drunkenness. Leaning against the car, he called Song Yunyi.
It took a moment before the call was answered.
The woman’s voice still carried a hint of a smile, very gentle: “Hello? Hi.”
“Yunyi, it’s me.”
Song Yunyi’s smile faltered. She mouthed something to Feng Qiyue and stepped out of the hospital room.
“Lian Huai ge, is something the matter?”
Gu Lianhuai’s voice carried a note of helplessness: “Yunyi, you’re still my nominal girlfriend. Something this big happened, why didn’t you tell me anything?”
Her lashes trembled slightly: “You know about it?”
“What exactly happened last night? Why did you end up in the police station?”
Perhaps it was because the hospital was so quiet that she could actually hear the gentleness in his voice. Her hand holding the phone unconsciously tightened.
On the other end of the line, only her soft, shallow breathing could be heard.
After a few moments of silence, her light, gentle voice came through: “I was taken. Someone saved me, but the situation is a bit complicated, and the police couldn’t let me go easily, so I had to ask Aurora for help.”
“What?” Gu Lianhuai’s voice instantly tensed up, startling a few elderly women returning home from square dancing. He gave them an apologetic nod, found a quieter spot, and continued: “So the time you were unreachable yesterday, you were unconscious?”
“…Yes.”
“Has the suspect confessed?”
Song Yunyi: “Still being interrogated. The police said he was also hired by someone and doesn’t know much.”
Gu Lianhuai took a few deep breaths and said directly: “I’m downstairs at your place right now. Pack up and come down. I’ll find you a new place to stay.”