Su Qianqian flinched at his roar, her tears falling even harder, but her focus had shifted oddly.
She defended herself with grievance, "But feeling physically comfortable also counts as being full of energy, right? You misunderstood. I wasn't really lying..."
Gu Chengyu's heart turned cold. Was this an indirect admission?
"Then what am I?" Gu Chengyu was almost roaring. He grabbed her shoulders violently, the force so great it made her cry out in pain.
"And Gu Chengyu the person? What exactly does he count as in your heart?"
"A tool? A tonic that makes you feel good?"
"So you never liked me at all, right? You even think I'm dirty, don't you?"
The last three words were practically bellowed, carrying the despair and fury of having his sincere feelings trampled.
Su Qianqian was shaken until she felt dizzy, her shoulders aching terribly. Seeing his bloodshot eyes, she grew even more frightened.
She cried until she was gasping for breath, her words incoherent:
"That's not it... that's not it..."
"A'Yu, I like you... I really like you..."
"Like?" Gu Chengyu let out a scornful laugh, the smile uglier than a cry. He released her shoulders and used his fingers to wipe the tears from her face.
"What do you like about me, huh? This body of mine that can 'recharge' you? Or do you like that I'm 'dirty'?"
He stared at her, enunciating each word clearly, "Su Qianqian, your 'like' truly disgusts me."
Su Qianqian was mostly sober now and completely stunned.
Looking at this utterly unfamiliar man before her, she was afraid he might abandon her.
She reached out to grab him, "A'Yu, don't be like this, I'm really scared..."
She pulled at him, wanting him to hold her again.
She loved that embrace that made her feel secure.
However, Gu Chengyu abruptly straightened up, staggering back two steps, for the first time not yielding to her coquettish pleas.
The look in his eyes as he gazed at her was filled with despair.
"Su Qianqian, I can't even tell how much of your fear is real and how much is fake anymore."
"You act so well."
"Did you have fun making a fool out of me?"
"No, I didn't..." Su Qianqian shook her head futilely, crying so hard she could barely breathe.
But Gu Chengyu no longer looked at her. He whirled around and slammed his fist fiercely into the nearby wall!
"Bang!" Another loud thud, adding fresh injury to old.
With his back to her, his shoulders trembled slightly, his voice suppressed, "Get out. Go back to your guest room."
"I don't want to see you right now."
...
In the guest room bathroom, steam filled the air as Su Qianqian submerged herself in the warm water.
Her head was muddled, thinking about Gu Chengyu's terrifying, almost murderous expression from earlier. It was truly frightening.
She sniffled quietly.
So what if he's angry...
She didn't wrong him by calling him dirty; he did have many women before!
Besides, her feelings were genuine too...
Wasn't she allowed to have a little complaint once in a while?
...
On the other side, Gu Chengyu stormed out, slamming the door, and got into his car. He took out his phone and opened the long-dormant four-person group chat.
Gu Chengyu: [Come out for drinks.]
Zhou Yu'an replied almost instantly, with a hint of schadenfreude: [Yun Que? The usual spot.]
Yun Que.
That name was like a thorn, piercing Gu Chengyu's heart, making him remember the word "dirty" again.
He frowned irritably.
Gu Chengyu: [Not there. Wu Li.]
...
Wu Li Lounge, private room.
When Gu Chengyu arrived, Zhou Yu'an was already there, leisurely swirling the whiskey in his glass.
Soon, Qin Yu noisily pushed the door open and entered, followed by Shen Que with an inscrutable, dark expression—he hadn't left S City yet.
On the way, Qin Yu and Shen Que had gotten the gist of the situation from Zhou Yu'an.
Qin Yu plopped down, took one look at Gu Chengyu's dejected state and the obvious fresh injury on his hand, and immediately flared up:
"Damn it, Chengyu! If you ask me, just forget that ungrateful woman! I'll find you a better one!"
“Innocent, seductive—what kind don't we have? I guarantee they'll all treat you like their ancestor (king)!”
Gu Chengyu ignored him, picked up a bottle, poured a full glass, and downed it in one gulp. The pungent liquid scorched his throat but couldn't suppress the icy coldness in his heart.
Shen Que sat silently in the corner and also started drinking without a word, one glass after another, his pace no slower than Gu Chengyu's.
Zhou Yu'an's words echoed repeatedly in his mind: She said she doesn't like it, thinks Chengyu is dirty.
Then what about himself? In her heart, he was probably the same, right? Maybe even worse.
Gu Chengyu caught sight of Shen Que's similarly drowning-his-sorrows demeanor from the corner of his eye, and the fire in his heart flared up again.
What right did he have to put on this miserable act?
The one she disdained, the one she used as a tool, was him, Gu Chengyu! What was Shen Que doing here, joining in?
"Hah." Gu Chengyu let out a cold, scornful laugh, his gaze sweeping over Shen Que. "Who are you putting on this show for, Young Master Shen?"
Shen Que's hand, pouring wine, paused. He lifted his eyes, filled with a self-destructive mockery. "What? Can Young Master Gu drink, but I can't? Is this bar owned by your Gu family?"
The smell of gunpowder instantly filled the air.
Seeing the situation, Qin Yu quickly tried to mediate, "Hey, hey, hey! Why are we fighting amongst ourselves? It's all because of that Su Qianqian!"
"Chengyu, listen to me. Get yourself a different girl tomorrow."
"Although I can't find one prettier than her right now, I guarantee they won't be far off."
Zhou Yu'an, swirling his glass, chimed in at the right moment, "Qin Yu, don't add to the chaos. What Chengyu needs right now isn't a replacement."
He looked at Gu Chengyu, "He needs to figure out whether he's willing to settle for the current, insincere Su Qianqian, or simply let go and be done with it."
These words were like salt rubbed into Gu Chengyu's bloody wound.
He clenched his glass, knuckles turning white, the wound on the back of his hand oozing fresh blood.
Zhou Yu'an, cut the fucking sarcastic commentary," Gu Chengyu's voice was terribly hoarse, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the man leisurely swirling his glass across from him.
If it weren't for you being suspicious and insisting on starting this... even if she deceived me for a lifetime, I would have accepted it.
"Anything is better than how it is now..."
By the end, his voice even carried a sob.
He abruptly turned his face away, not wanting anyone to see his current wretched state, but his slightly reddened eyes betrayed too much emotion.
Zhou Yu'an, initially rendered speechless by the retort and feeling unappreciated, had been ready to jab back with a few sharp words.
But when he looked up and saw Gu Chengyu like this, the words died on his lips.
He had known Chengyu for over twenty years.
Since childhood, this young master Gu had always been aloof, looking down on everyone. When had he ever been this distraught?
This was the first time.
Zhou Yu'an felt a pang of emotion and silently took a sip of his drink.
Perhaps he had gone a bit too far this time?
But the arrow was already released; there was no turning back. Chengyu could no longer deceive himself.
The private room once again fell into suffocating silence.
Only the sound of glasses being filled and emptied, one after another.
Qin Yu shrank to the side, not daring to make a sound, finally understanding a bit—this Su Qianqian had actually made Chengyu cry. She really was something else.
He looked at this one, then at that one, feeling this drinking session was even more torturous than being lectured by his family's old master.
After who knows how long, Gu Chengyu suddenly let out a low, mirthless laugh tinged with obsession.
"So what if she finds me repulsive?" he muttered to himself.
"Since she, Su Qianqian, provoked me, she shouldn't think she can get away easily."
He threw his head back and drained the remaining liquor in his glass, his Adam's apple bobbing, before slamming the empty glass heavily onto the table.
"Even if it's bitter medicine, she'll have to take it for the rest of her life."
His gaze swept over Zhou Yu'an, over Qin Yu, and finally settled on Shen Que.
"This matter ends here."
As his words fell, silence hung in the private room.
Zhou Yu'an responded with a knowing smile.
Qin Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Que lowered his eyelids, his expression unreadable.
