Chapter 112: Keep Me on the Side Part 1

It was rare to see Gu Qingshuang looking so flustered, but Ming Li was in no mood to appreciate the sight.

Inside the cramped cabin, only the overhead light was lit. The heater hummed, blowing warm air into the space while the dark underground garage outside took on a somewhat eerie atmosphere. Ming Li sat in the driver’s seat, while Gu Qingshuang occupied the passenger side.

It had been a long time since they had sat down to talk so calmly.

After a long silence, Ming Li spoke tonelessly. “What was it you wanted to tell me that night?”

Gu Qingshuang’s fever still hadn’t broken. Before leaving the hospital, her temperature had been 100.2 degrees. After being exposed to the cold wind, her head felt dizzy and heavy, yet sitting here brought her an extraordinary sense of peace.

Being asked so abruptly by Ming Li, she realized she had actually forgotten what she had intended to say that night.

It took a while for her thoughts to slowly coalesce. “Are you and Luo Chaoxue… together?”

Whether it was the warm air or the fever, her throat felt incredibly dry and raspy when she spoke, as if it had been scraped by a blade.

Gu Qingshuang didn’t seem to notice the pain. She stared blankly at Ming Li’s profile, catching the faint scent of shampoo.

It was Ming Li’s favorite—a light, fresh scent of jasmine.

Ming Li didn’t look at her. She stared through the windshield, focusing on a single point as she organized the words she needed to say.

She didn’t want a repeat of what happened that night.

That was why she had agreed to sit down and talk properly, but that didn’t mean Gu Qingshuang had the right to pry into her personal life.

“That has nothing to do with you,” Ming Li said coldly. “Is that all you wanted to say?”

Ming Li was better at listening than speaking.

Clearly, Gu Qingshuang wasn’t much of a talker either. During their three-year contract marriage, Ming Li had usually been the one to carry the conversation.

Yet, even then, the things they truly said to each other were few and far between.

Gu Qingshuang shook her head. “No.”

“Whatever else there is, say it all at once,” Ming Li prompted.

Gu Qingshuang noticed the shift in her tone. She lowered her head and muttered, “Are you making a clean break with me today?”

“Wasn’t the break already finalized?” Ming Li asked. “When we got the divorce.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s completely over between us,” Gu Qingshuang insisted.

“Then what do you want?” Ming Li countered. “What is it you’re looking for?”

Silence fell over the car once more.

Gu Qingshuang spoke slowly, without any rush. “I want a chance to start over with you. I didn’t recognize my own feelings before, so I ignored your presence. But now, I want to be with you again.”

“And why should I give you what you want just because you asked for it?” Ming Li looked at her.

Gu Qingshuang’s lips were pale, but her cheeks were flushed—a stark contrast to her usual cold and distant image.

Her eyes looked like those of an abandoned puppy.

Gu Qingshuang’s lips moved, but she couldn’t find a justification for herself.

After a moment, Ming Li let out a deep breath. “If that’s all you have to say, then I’ve heard it. My answer is no. Next, you should—”

“I’m not finished.” Gu Qingshuang suddenly cut her off. Fearing that Ming Li would say something even more cruel, she instinctively leaned closer. Her hot breath fanned against Ming Li’s cheek as her reddened eyes locked onto Ming Li’s. “I still have things to say.”

Ming Li felt uncomfortable and tried to lean back, but the more she retreated, the closer Gu Qingshuang pressed.

“Didn’t you say you liked me? Did you ever like me? Why don’t you like me anymore? Why can you watch me like this and ignore me? Did you really like me before?” Gu Qingshuang threw out one question after another, leaning closer with every word until the tip of her sweat-dampened nose was almost touching Ming Li’s face.

Ming Li could feel her heat; the air in the car felt thin.

In this confined space, Gu Qingshuang’s presence was incredibly aggressive, filling Ming Li’s senses.

Ming Li held her breath, her gaze falling on those bloodshot eyes. Gu Qingshuang looked utterly aggrieved, yet she remained as stubborn and cold as a young wolf charging blindly forward.

“I did like you,” Ming Li said, enduring the pressure. “But what does that matter now? We’re already divorced—”

Before she could finish, Gu Qingshuang growled, “Why doesn’t it matter? How can the fact that you liked me not matter?”

Ming Li froze. The Gu Qingshuang before her was entirely different from the woman she knew. She had torn off her mask of indifference and shredded her civilized veneer, questioning her like a primal beast—Do you like me or not?

Ming Li’s heart wavered. For a moment, she couldn’t find an answer.

Gu Qingshuang wasn’t thinking that far ahead. Ever since she had seen Luo Chaoxue and Ming Li at the movies together, she had been consumed by anxiety and a sense of impending loss. These unfamiliar emotions had tortured her relentlessly in a short span of time.

She had thought of so many ways to handle it, yet nothing had worked.

What else could she do? What was left for her to do?

“Like me,” Gu Qingshuang stared at her intently. “From now on, only like me.”

Ming Li was backed into a corner with nowhere left to retreat. At this moment, that beautiful face possessed a seductive yet desperate beauty—pale lips, scarlet eyes, and falling black hair that seemed to enclose both their faces. The flickering light and shadows reflecting off her skin created a striking visual impact.

Ming Li subconsciously licked her lips, her hand gripping the seatbelt. She felt like she was being cornered, as if she were about to be bullied at any second.

This was nothing like the scenario she had imagined.

Every conversation with Gu Qingshuang seemed to defy her expectations.

Unexpectedly, Ming Li’s heart skipped a beat. She swallowed hard, trying to regain her composure. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“I know.” Gu Qingshuang pressed her nose against Ming Li’s, her words slow but her tone deadly serious. “I wanted to slowly make my presence known to you, to let you see that I can be good to you, so you’d try again with me. But you tried everything to push me away. And yet, you can eat with Luo Chaoxue, you can go home with her… I’m very… jealous.”

Gu Qingshuang bit her lower lip with her upper teeth, bringing a flash of color back to her mouth. “I’m afraid that if I go too slow, you’ll end up with her.”

“What if I’m already with her?” Ming Li met her gaze.

For a split second, the light vanished from those beautiful eyes. Then, Gu Qingshuang slowly shook her head. “No. You can’t.”