Gu Chengyu pushed open the door to the secondary bedroom, his movements carrying a barely suppressed anger.
Su Qianqian was curled up in the single armchair by the window reading a book. Startled by his sudden intrusion, she looked up, somewhat bewildered, watching him stride in with a dark expression, a familiar-looking document clutched in his hand.
"Ah Yu? What are you..." Before she could finish, Gu Chengyu was already standing before her.
He thrust the contract right before her eyes, his voice tight and strained, laced with unmistakable heartache and fury:
"What is the meaning of this contract? Why did you never tell me?"
Su Qianqian's gaze fell on the contract. She froze for a moment, then her eyes began to dart away evasively.
Her reaction only fueled the fire in Gu Chengyu's heart, though the anger wasn't directed at her, but at the person who had made her sign it.
"Speak! Who was it? I'll tear them apart!" His voice rose involuntarily, edged with impatience.
Su Qianqian lifted her watery, almond-shaped eyes to look at him, her voice soft and tinged with grievance: "It was something Sister Shu had me sign before..."
She seemed reluctant to mention the name, her voice growing smaller: "Back then, we had just gotten together, and you two had that history... I didn't want to bring her up in front of you, and I didn't want to badmouth her. It would have seemed like I was deliberately trying to cause trouble..."
"And besides, later on, when I had money, I thought twenty million wasn't that much, so I didn't really mind anymore."
She said it lightly, as if it were just some trivial matter, though she also had her own little schemes.
After all, she had seen from System 007 that both Qiao Xi and Lin Shu were living quite comfortably.
Indeed, every word she spoke felt like a needle piercing Gu Chengyu's heart.
Just because she didn't want him to think she was stirring up trouble, she chose to silently endure this insulting contract?
If he hadn't given her that allowance, and if, as his mother had just implied, he had changed his heart and abandoned her, what would have become of her?
In that moment, he was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of heartache, threatening to drown him.
For the first time, he felt a pang of regret for his past carefree, unrestrained ways.
He abruptly reached out and pulled the foolish, heart-wrenching girl tightly into his arms, his grip so strong it was as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
"Silly girl!"
His voice was terribly hoarse, filled with a belated fear and tenderness. "How could you be so foolish? How could you think that way?"
"Whether it's Lin Shu or Li Shu, I would only ever believe my Qianqian."
He lowered his head, his cheek pressed against the soft crown of her hair, his voice full of remorse. "If only I had met you sooner, if only I had fallen for you earlier."
"Then, what room would there have been for any other woman? I would have been yours alone forever."
Held tightly in his embrace, feeling his frantic heartbeat and hearing the pain and regret in his words, a flicker of cunning gleamed in Su Qianqian's eyes.
She raised her small hands to wrap around his trim waist, nuzzling her face against his chest, her voice soft and sweet as she comforted him instead:
"It's all in the past now. I have you, don't I..."
Hearing her obedient words made Gu Chengyu's heart melt even more.
He loosened his hold slightly, cupping her small face in his hands, his gaze intense. "Don't ever do this again. From now on, if anything happens, if you feel any grievance, you must tell me immediately, understand?"
Seeing his serious expression, Su Qianqian nodded obediently. "Mm, I understand."
"This contract is void." Gu Chengyu picked up the offensive document and tossed it aside.
"Tomorrow, I'll have the Shen Group draft a new one, the best terms possible, and have it sent over to you."
He lowered his head, his forehead resting against hers, his nose brushing against hers, his tone domineering yet doting. "My woman doesn't need to suffer such indignities."
Su Qianqian tilted her head up and gently kissed the corner of his mouth, her smile charming and dependent. "Mm, I'll listen to you."
Once again, she felt that she had successfully completed her strategy.
Yet, the system's notification tone still hadn't sounded.
