The next morning, Gu Chengyu stood by the window in his robe, a deep frown on his face as he held his phone.
News about his arranged marriage with Song Qingwan was still flooding the screen. Annoyed beyond measure, he dismissed all the notifications, not even bothering to open Weibo.
He glanced at the time. It was already nine in the morning.
There was still no movement from his mother's side.
Gu Chengyu's patience had completely run out.
He directly dialed the private number of the head of the Gu Group's public relations department. The call was answered almost instantly.
"Young Master Gu." The voice on the other end was tense, clearly aware that the crown prince of the Gu family was in a foul mood lately.
In the past, if they made a mistake, he would only deliver a few cold, cutting remarks. Recently, he had started cursing impatiently.
"Immediately, draft a statement in the official name of the Group," Gu Chengyu's voice was cold and hard.
"All reports yesterday regarding an arranged marriage between myself and Song Qingwan are false rumors."
"The Gu and Song families have no such plans. This is a formal clarification."
The person on the phone was clearly stunned, sucking in a sharp breath. "Young Master Gu, does Madam know about this? The initial news came from the old residence..."
"Do as I say," Gu Chengyu cut him off, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"I want to see the statement published within half an hour. I will bear the consequences."
"Yes, Young Master Gu. I'll handle it right away!"
After hanging up, Gu Chengyu tossed his phone onto the desk in frustration.
He felt his mother was handling this far too slowly, so slow it made him suspect she was deliberately stalling.
He had already clearly expressed his intention to cancel the engagement, yet she still let these irritating news articles hang around, letting that little girl hiding in the bedroom see them and feel hurt.
It's already nine. Should he call her for breakfast? Did she even eat last night?
Meanwhile, at the Gu family old residence.
Madam Gu had not slept all night.
She sat in the chair of her small study, several documents and a tablet computer spread out on the desk before her.
Last night, after hearing the objective report from Assistant Zhao, she had a faint, uneasy premonition.
She immediately looked up Su Qianqian's detailed information.
Beyond what she had seen online before, she discovered that before her debut, Su Qianqian was originally Lin Shu's assistant.
The electronic copy of the unfair artist contract Su Qianqian had signed was also transmitted to Madam Gu's computer.
What stung Madam Gu's eyes even more were the remaining photos and video screenshots.
At the entrance of Galaxy Academy, her son, who usually looked down on everyone, personally got out of the car to smooth the wind-tousled hair of that girl. The focus and tenderness in his eyes as he looked down at her were something she had never seen before?
At South Bay Resort, by the sea, the girl in a soft green dress looked up at him with a smile that curved her eyes, while her son held her hand, his face relaxed and joyful in a way she had never witnessed?
There were more. An embrace outside an apartment building, the closeness as he leaned over to fasten her seatbelt in the car...
In every photo, every clip, her son's gaze seemed glued to the girl named Su Qianqian, unable to look away.
She finally understood just how euphemistic Assistant Zhao's phrase "somewhat doted on" had been.
Madam Gu took a deep breath, her fingertips lightly tracing the girl's pure yet charming face on the screen.
What should she do?
9:30 AM, Cloud Heights Apartments.
After much hesitation, Gu Chengyu gently pushed open the door to the guest bedroom and saw the little lump under the covers stir.
He walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently gathered both her and the blanket into his arms.
"Qianqian," his voice was low, carrying a hint of appeasement.
"Get up and eat something, alright? Auntie Zhang made shredded chicken congee."
There was no movement from under the blanket.
Gu Chengyu waited patiently, his hand gently patting her back through the covers.
He knew she must be hungry by now.
After a long while, a muffled voice came from under the blanket, "...Alright then..."
Gu Chengyu felt a wave of relief. He quickly pulled the blanket back a little, revealing her head with its sleep-mussed, fluffy hair.
Her little face was still somewhat pale, her eyes a bit red, looking utterly pitiful.
"If you're hungry, get up. I'll carry you," his tone softened even more as he reached out to pick her up.
Su Qianqian, however, sat up by herself, avoiding his embrace. She kept her head down and whispered, "I can walk myself."
After a night of thinking, she had come to a realization.
Even if the mission failed a little over a year from now and she faced the death penalty, that was a problem for the future.
For now, she needed to live each day well. She couldn't worry herself to death over an ending that hadn't even happened yet.
