Volume One, Chapter Nine: Nowhere to Flee

I looked at the woman before me, her face twisted with anger, unsure of what to say. Perhaps, after Huai Jin’s suicide, I shouldn’t have rashly approached Qingya. Nor should I have laid bare all the past events to her. Huai Jin was a complete fraud; my sole intention was to help Qingya escape the trap woven by that deceiver’s death and no longer mourn him. Yet in the end, Qingya turned her hatred toward me!

I sighed. Maybe from the moment Huai Jin impersonated me, I shouldn’t have persisted so stubbornly. Without me, with Qingya’s privileged family background and striking appearance, she could have moved past the grief of Huai Jin’s death over these three years—perhaps even started her own life.

“I thought you were just talking, but I didn’t expect you actually wanted to leave with nothing,” Qingya said, a smile playing on her lips. “Looks like you really want to get rid of me.”

I said nothing, merely gazing calmly at the woman I had loved for over a decade. For a fleeting moment, it seemed the truly ill person wasn’t me. I struggled to speak: “Qingya, then, do you want to be free of me?”

Her eyes flickered with confusion, as if she didn’t quite grasp my meaning. Warily, she asked, “What do you mean?”

“Do you want me to be the one to say we should divorce?” Qingya’s tone was incredulous, followed by mocking laughter. “Are you really crazy?”

I closed my eyes. Qingya didn’t understand my words; to her, all I said was self-inflicted humiliation. Silence fell between us once more.

I lost track of time. Lu Feng hadn’t appeared—perhaps he heard nothing unusual. Qingya stopped insulting me, her slender fingers scrolling through her phone with a triumphant smile. I didn’t know what she was doing. In the rare quiet, my thoughts drifted aimlessly, recalling how anxious and regretful Liu Ying was upon learning of my illness, and how shocked and fearful my good friend Lu Feng looked. There were still people in this world who cared about me.

A smile involuntarily tugged at my lips. If there was even a sliver of hope, I vowed to thank them properly.

As for Qingya… if I can’t confront her, can’t I at least avoid her?

“You look rather happy,” Qingya said, holding up her phone with a gleam in her eyes. “I wonder if this will make you even happier.”

She showed me the screen. The warmth I had just felt instantly plunged into an icy abyss.

“President Gu of Gu Corporation seriously ill—what future awaits the entire group?”

“President Gu’s critical condition threatens the company’s dissolution?”

Large, bold headlines met my eyes. I stared in disbelief at Qingya’s radiant face. This enterprise wasn’t mine alone—my father-in-law held some shares too!

“Gu Ze,” Qingya said with disdain, “I know what you want to say. Your group does have some of our family’s assets, but that’s only a part—just a part.” Her tone was light, as if crushing an ant. “I’ll dismantle you bit by bit, and I’ll start with the company.”

“You’re dying soon; holding such a large company is meaningless,” she leaned closer, her voice dripping with malice. “Do you want to dissolve it outright, or find an heir?”

“Oh, speaking of heirs, I have a perfect candidate!” Qingya clapped her hands loudly. “What about Zixuan? He’s younger than you, full of energy, and quite capable both in and out of bed—ha ha ha…”

Faced with such humiliation, I could only shut my eyes tight.

I wanted to escape, to leave this place.

Seeing my lack of reaction, Qingya shoved me harshly. “Can you hear me when I’m talking to you?”

What did it matter if I heard her or not? I turned my head in despair.

When I ignored her, she grew angry and grabbed my phone. “This big matter calls for a good lawyer—the one who handled your divorce, maybe.”

Though my father-in-law backed the group financially, many key clients were won over by my own efforts. I had spent sleepless nights entertaining, offering guarantees and gifts—pouring my heart into it all. But now that I was dying, there was no point clinging to these worldly possessions, I told myself bitterly.

Suddenly, Qingya’s voice turned cold. “Gu Ze, who is this?”

I opened my eyes to see the name Liu Ying flashing on the screen.

My heart began to race wildly, but to conceal my turmoil, I feigned calmness. “Just my attending physician.”

“Attending physician? Don’t lie to me,” Qingya sneered. “Your chat records with your good friend Lu Feng tell a different story.”

Panic rose within me. “So what? Since being with you, we haven’t contacted each other even once!”

“Just because you say you didn’t contact her doesn’t mean it’s true,” Qingya pressed. “If you’d really cut ties, why would she be so eager to be your doctor?”

“You two are such despicable people!”

“Enough!” I shouted with all my strength. “Isn’t punishing me enough? Why drag others into this?”

“Drag others? You’re the one who’s wrong!” I thought I saw a flicker of hurt in her eyes—was it my imagination?

“Just perfect—a cheating rising star CEO and a world-renowned cancer specialist playing the mistress. Imagine how many people would love to see that story spread!”

“Qingya, have you really gone mad seeking revenge?”

“You’re the one who made the mistake—why blame me?”

Anger overwhelmed me, and suddenly I coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. Through the blood, I murmured, “I was wrong, truly wrong… my greatest mistake was falling in love with you from the start.”

Seeing me bleed, Qingya seemed taken aback. She stepped back, her hand reaching out but grasping at nothing.

At that moment, a commotion arose at the door.

“What are you doing here?”

“The butler said my sister came to the hospital, of course I had to come see her!”

It was Xu Zixuan.

Lu Feng entered carrying porridge, apologizing to me. Before he could finish, I heard the sound of a bowl shattering, followed by his urgent calls for a nurse.

Before me lay vast darkness.

In my fading consciousness, I saw Xu Zixuan and Lu Feng pushing the hospital bed together.

For some reason, my shoulder throbbed with sharp pain. Xu Zixuan’s gaze remained scornful and resentful.

And I wondered… since when had Xu Zixuan begun eavesdropping?