Gu Qingshuang’s room was as dim as ever, the heavy curtains blocking out every possible stray beam of light.
She curled into a corner of the bed, leaning back and staring blankly at the ceiling. Her tears had soaked the sheets, and her eyes stung with a dry, bitter ache, but none of that mattered.
What was truly terrifying was the blood on her hand.
She didn’t even know when she had dug her nails in deep enough to break the skin. The argument had left her so numb that she hadn’t even noticed the pain in her fingers. Compared to the agony inside her, a little physical pain was nothing.
Gu Qingshuang didn’t want to stay in this room anymore. She didn’t want to stay in this house.
This magnificent palace no longer felt like a home; it was a cage that trapped her. Her conversation with Gu Xueqiang had felt like the final, violent severing of a bond, leaving her soul feeling as though it were being torn apart.
The internal bleeding in her heart was far more severe than the scratch on her hand.
That night, Gu Qingshuang walked out of Gu Manor carrying a single small suitcase.
She drove the cheapest car in the garage, circling the desolate suburbs aimlessly before finally stopping outside Ming Li’s apartment complex. She climbed into the backseat alone and fell asleep shortly after.
***
After Ming Li and Lin Xun finished their meal and left the restaurant, Ming Li fixed Lin Xun with a threatening glare.
Lin Xun immediately folded and confessed everything. “It was something President Gu asked me to do on the side. It has nothing to do with the company.”
Ming Li huffed. “Secretary Lin, you are my secretary.”
“President Gu was the one who gave me my big break, after all,” Lin Xun said coaxingly. “Besides, this is for your own good.”
“Whether something is good for me is for me to decide.” Ming Li pointed a finger at her. “If something like this happens again, I’m going to lose my temper right then and there.”
Lin Xun had long since mastered Ming Li’s temperament. Knowing she was dead serious, Lin Xun immediately promised, “Never again! I swear!”
Only then did Ming Li let her off the hook, but she gave her a different task—returning the money for tonight’s dinner to Gu Qingshuang.
Fair is fair. Why on earth should her ex-wife pay for her to take her own secretary out to dinner?
Regarding the meal she’d had previously with Zhu Hanxing and the others, Ming Li had later asked Liu Siwang about it. Liu Siwang had explained that she didn’t want Ming Li to feel awkward, so Siwang had settled the bill herself, treating it as a thank-you dinner for the director.
Ming Li might owe Gu Qingshuang a debt of sentiment, but she had no desire to be entangled in these mundane, everyday expenses.
The total for the two of them came to over three hundred yuan. Lin Xun looked at the transfer request with a long, miserable face.
Being the middleman was truly the most thankless job in the world.
When Ming Li arrived home that evening, Luo Chaoxue’s Samoyed was lying dejectedly in the hallway. Ming Li patted its head, and the dog wagged its tail at her with a look of extreme grievance.
A moment later, Luo Chaoxue’s door opened. Seeing Ming Li comforting her “idiot dog,” she sighed helplessly. “Ignore him. I’m making him reflect on his actions today.”
“What did he do wrong this time?” Ming Li asked.
Luo Chaoxue sighed again. “He nearly dismantled my entire apartment.”
“I thought only Huskies did that?” Ming Li remarked. “Yours does it too?”
“Oh, he does,” Luo Chaoxue said. “I just bought a new Lego set and was halfway through building it when he tore the whole thing apart. It’s like he’s possessed.”
Ming Li: “…”
Given the magnitude of the Samoyed’s crime, Ming Li couldn’t exactly advocate for him. She could only follow the owner’s lead and let him lie there in “reflection.”
Ming Li and Luo Chaoxue chatted for a few more minutes before heading into their respective homes. Once she was back in her room and the world went quiet, Ming Li finally found a moment to rest.
Truthfully, she was still worried about Gu Qingshuang’s self-harming tendencies, yet she hadn’t asked a single question when they met.
That was a door she couldn’t afford to open.
Ming Li knew all too well how much effort it had taken to draw a line between her and Gu Qingshuang. At this stage, a single word of concern could potentially drag their relationship back to square one.
That was not what she wanted.
Earlier, out of the corner of her eye, she had glimpsed Gu Qingshuang’s face. She had lost so much weight that her features looked gaunt, her former beauty replaced by a haggard, almost sickly appearance. Even makeup couldn’t hide that level of exhaustion.
But President Gu is already looking for a way to help her, Ming Li thought. I hope she can overcome her inner demons and move on from this relationship soon.
Ming Li truly wished for that now.
Ming Xi was staying at home that night. Since Ms. Ming’s promotion, she had become increasingly busy, rarely being seen. Despite living under the same roof, Ming Li and her mother both worked day shifts, yet it felt like they were living in different time zones.
However, Ms. Ming finished work early tonight and even brought back roasted sweet potatoes for them.
The three of them sat around the table, digging into the steaming potatoes with spoons, chatting in a harmonious atmosphere. Ming Xi shared stories of her college life, Ms. Ming talked about interesting office politics, and Ming Li listened quietly.
When they finished, they both looked at Ming Li, waiting for her to share.
Ming Li was caught off guard for a moment. “I recently did a cameo in a movie. It’s a project by a world-renowned director.”
“Whoa! Sis, are you going to become a movie star?” Ming Xi asked excitedly. “You’ll definitely be more famous than Star!”
Ming Li shook her head. “I’m not cut out for that life. Better to pin your hopes on your Sister Hanxing.”
Having her little scheme seen through, Ming Xi pouted. “Hey, that’s not what I meant!”
“It’s fine,” Ming Li said. “If there’s an autograph you want in the future, just let me know. I have some very talented artists under my wing now.”
Ming Xi looked at her sister. “Sis, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
Ms. Ming chimed in, “Exactly. You have your second tour coming up, you’re handling business affairs, and now you’re acting. Every single one of those things is exhausting.”
“Doing what I love isn’t exhausting at all,” Ming Li replied. “Besides, I was never meant to be a boss. Fortunately, Father told me long ago to use people according to their talents. I have a very capable team under me now, so the company doesn’t actually take up that much of my time.”
In Ming Li’s mind, she wasn’t nearly as busy as Ms. Ming, and certainly not as busy as Ming Xi, who was trying to pursue a dual degree.
Ms. Ming and Ming Xi both looked skeptical.
Before bed, Ming Xi stood at Ming Li’s door clutching her pillow, using her “cute” tactics to secure a spot in Ming Li’s bed.
Before closing her own door, Ms. Ming warned Ming Li, “Don’t let her in. She’ll keep you up whispering until midnight. She’s a night owl; don’t let her rub off on you.”
