On the way back, they drew closer and closer to the Cloudtop Apartments.
The car interior was wrapped in silence.
Su Qianqian was no longer crying. She simply leaned her head against the window, watching the outside world pass by. Her profile, flickering between light and shadow, appeared unusually pale and still.
Gu Chengyu gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white, the veins on his wrists standing out.
He tried several times to speak, but each time his gaze swept over her fragile silhouette, he was silenced by the sight of her like this.
He had never seen Su Qianqian like this before.
This wasn't coquettishness, nor was it a tantrum. It was a cold, detached alienation.
This unsettled him far more than any outburst ever could.
Unconsciously, he pressed harder on the accelerator, almost speeding into the underground garage of the Cloudtop Apartments.
As soon as the car stopped, Gu Chengyu unbuckled his seatbelt and practically leapt out. He opened her door and lifted her out of the car in one swift motion.
Su Qianqian didn't struggle. She didn't even look at him, allowing herself to be carried like a lifeless, exquisite doll.
This compliance agitated him more than resistance ever could.
He strode into the apartment, kicked the door shut with his heel, and walked straight to the living room sofa. He set her down onto it with a bit more force than necessary, then immediately leaned over her, his arms caging her in on either side, his phoenix eyes fixed intently on her.
"Talk to me!" His tone was laced with barely suppressed impatience.
"Su Qianqian, tell me, what's wrong with you?"
Su Qianqian finally lifted her eyelashes. Her beautiful almond eyes were brimming with moisture, yet they held a strange emptiness.
She looked at him, yet it didn't seem like she was truly seeing him. A single tear silently traced its way down from those beautiful eyes.
It felt like a sudden, sharp constriction in Gu Chengyu's chest.
His voice softened involuntarily, taking on a coaxing tone as his thumb brushed away her tear. "If you're jealous, you can tell me."
"Just say the word, and I won't marry anyone else."
For these words to come from Gu Chengyu's mouth was already a huge concession.
He waited for her reaction, hoping for even the slightest crack in her facade.
However, Su Qianqian merely blinked slowly. She still didn't speak.
This silence ignited a nameless fury in the depths of Gu Chengyu's heart.
Gu Chengyu pinched her chin, forcing her head up.
"Talk! Su Qianqian!"
"Just tell me you're jealous."
"Just say it, and I won't marry anyone else."
"Is it really so hard to just... humor me?"
The words escaped him before he could stop them, and even he was taken aback. How fucking pathetic.
The grip on her chin tightened unconsciously.
Su Qianqian winced in pain, her delicate brows furrowing. She finally showed a reaction, but it was only to let the tears flow more violently, her entire being radiating profound fragility.
Seeing her like this, Gu Chengyu released his hold, his heart filled with both remorse and helplessness.
He truly had no idea what to do with her anymore.
In the end, as if conceding defeat, he said hoarsely, "Stop crying."
Then, Gu Chengyu resignedly scooped her up into his arms, carried her to the guest bedroom, laid her on the bed, and tucked her in.
She turned onto her side, her back to him, curling into herself.
Gu Chengyu stood by the bed watching her for a long time. Finally, without a word, he turned and left, his expression stormy, gently closing the door behind him.
...
The living room bar.
Gu Chengyu took several large gulps directly from a bottle of whiskey.
The burn of the liquor did nothing to scorch away the turmoil in his heart.
She had never been like this before.
That indifference, as if nothing mattered and she could walk away at any moment, filled him with an unprecedented sense of panic.
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, pulled out his phone. The screen showed a few notifications about the arranged marriage. He dismissed them without a glance and opened the chat with his mother, typing rapidly:
[Mom, call off the arranged marriage. Inform the Song family immediately.]
Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, Madam Gu's call came through.
Gu Chengyu answered, and was immediately met with his mother's furious reprimand, devoid of her usual elegance:
"Gu Chengyu! Have you lost your mind?"
"You personally agreed to this marriage the day before yesterday. I released the news to the media myself today. Now the entire city knows about the Gu and Song families' alliance."
"Two days! It's only been two days and you're backing out? Do you think this is a game?"
"What about the Gu family's reputation?"
"And you're a man. At worst, people will say you're fickle and frivolous, that you can't settle down."
"But have you thought about Song Qingwan?"
"What has she, a perfectly respectable young lady from a good family, done to deserve such public humiliation from you?"
"How is she supposed to hold her head up in high society after this? How many people will laugh behind her back, saying she was discarded like trash even before the wedding? Do you have any idea how harsh the word 'jilted' is?"
"You're utterly disgraceful!"
Gu Chengyu listened expressionlessly. Only after his mother finished her tirade did he reply indifferently, "I never intended to marry her."
"Then why did you nod your head? Huh? Were you just toying with your parents and the Song family?" Madam Gu's voice trembled with anger.
"Yeah, Mom, you can think of it that way." Gu Chengyu's voice was weary.
"I'll compensate the Song family, but the marriage alliance is absolutely impossible."
With that, ignoring the even more vehement scolding erupting from the other end of the line, he hung up and tossed his phone aside.
He took another large swig of whiskey, the sharp burn rushing to his head.
Yes, he regretted it.
He never should have used this method to test her, to provoke her.
Now, his mind was consumed by a single thought: cancel this damned arranged marriage and coax back that little thing lying inside, silently weeping.
As for what would happen to Song Qingwan? He couldn't care less.
