Three nights later, at Cloud Pavilion.
Shen Que and Qin Yu had arranged a gathering, saying they'd opened a few bottles of fine wine and invited Gu Chengyu over for a casual chat.
The lighting in the private room was dim and hazy.
Gu Chengyu was wearing a black shirt today, with several buttons at the collar undone, revealing his firm chest.
He barely spoke, just leaned back in the sofa, one arm casually draped over the back of the seat, the other hand holding a glass, periodically tilting his head back to down large gulps of strong liquor.
Even in this state of decadent indulgence, he still carried an imposing air of nobility and arrogance.
Shen Que and Qin Yu watched Gu Chengyu drink glass after glass, exchanging glances. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
They had heard about the news, almost a falling-out between the Zhou Family and the Gu Family for some inexplicable reason, and knew a bit more than outsiders.
But they were also surprised that it was all over a woman, that seemingly delicate and fragile Su Qianqian.
Swaying his glass, Shen Que tentatively began, "Chengyu, regarding the Zhou Family side, didn't you go a bit too far this time? That kid Yu An was out of line, but after so many years as brothers..."
Before he could finish, Gu Chengyu let out a scornful laugh. He raised his eyes, sweeping them over Shen Que and Qin Yu. "Brothers? Do you have any idea what he's been scheming behind my back? Did he ever really consider me a brother?"
He slammed his glass down on the table and leaned forward slightly.
"He's had his eye on Qianqian for a long time! Getting close to her again and again! He even secretly helped that woman Lin Shu sneak into Qianqian's birthday party to cause trouble, to make Qianqian break up with me! You call that being a brother?"
Qin Yu was startled by his anger and quickly tried to lighten the mood with a laugh. "Hey, Chengyu, calm down!"
"Yu An probably just has that base male instinct, you know, sees a woman he likes and wants to flirt. Besides, Qianqian is really quite captivating..."
"But no matter what, he surely knows his limits. How could it escalate to the families? It's just about women..."
"Shut up!" Gu Chengyu roared in a low voice, his gaze terrifying as he stared at Qin Yu.
"She's not for playing with! Qin Yu, watch your mouth!"
Qin Yu instantly fell silent at his roar, shrinking his neck, not daring to speak another word.
Understanding flashed in Shen Que's eyes, knowing they had touched a nerve. He immediately smoothed things over. "Alright, alright, we spoke out of turn."
"Let's not talk about those annoying things tonight. We're just here to drink. We'll drink with you."
He shot Qin Yu a look, and the two picked up their glasses, drinking glass after glass with Gu Chengyu.
Gu Chengyu was deeply troubled, unable to figure out Qianqian's thoughts, and could only temporarily numb himself with alcohol.
He drank fiercely and rapidly, the expensive liquor going down like water, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.
After who knows how long, he was finally somewhat drunk. He leaned his head back against the sofa, eyes closed, his brow tightly furrowed, his breath heavy with the smell of alcohol.
Seeing him like this, Shen Que hesitated.
For the latter part of the evening, he had indeed harbored another idea.
Seeing Gu Chengyu so tormented by love, he had privately had someone find a clean, pure-looking girl of Su Qianqian's type, originally intending to let Gu Chengyu distract himself and vent a little.
But seeing Gu Chengyu's current state and the madness in him when he mentioned Su Qianqian earlier, he was momentarily unsure.
However, Qin Yu beside him didn't overthink it. He felt it was perfectly natural for a brother feeling down to have a beauty to cheer him up. Seeing that Gu Chengyu seemed heavily intoxicated, he took it upon himself to send a message to have the girl come in.
The private room door was gently pushed open, and a girl in a white dress walked in.
She had long hair cascading over her shoulders, delicate features, and eyes that were clear yet held a hint of timid shyness. Under the lights, she really did bear some resemblance to Su Qianqian's type of pure yet alluring temperament.
She walked slowly up to Gu Chengyu, her voice soft. "Young Master Gu..."
Hearing the voice, Gu Chengyu opened his eyes dazedly.
In his blurred vision, that figure in white, with a somewhat familiar soft voice and outline... caused a momentary confusion and daze in him.
Qianqian?
But the next second, he blinked and saw the face clearly. Though somewhat similar, it was absolutely not her.
The deliberate imitation and flattery in her eyes filled him with disgust and rage.
"Get out!" He grabbed a bottle from the table and smashed it violently at the girl's feet.
Glass shards and liquor splattered everywhere.
The girl let out a frightened scream, her face turning deathly pale, tears welling up, standing there trembling and at a loss.
"I told you to get out! Don't you understand?!" Gu Chengyu stood up, his tall frame swaying slightly from the alcohol, but his eyes were terrifyingly fierce.
Shen Que inwardly cursed, knowing it had gone wrong. He immediately stood up and signaled for the terrified girl to leave quickly.
The girl ran out crying.
The atmosphere in the room plummeted to freezing point, becoming suffocating.
Shen Que and Qin Yu looked at each other, both knowing they had misjudged the situation terribly this time.
Gu Chengyu was breathing heavily, his gaze icy as it swept over the two of them, his voice hoarse from drink and anger. "Whose idea was this?"
Qin Yu was too scared to speak.
Shen Que sighed and stepped forward. "My idea."
"Chengyu, I'm sorry. I saw you were in too much pain. I just wanted to..."
Before he could finish, Gu Chengyu suddenly snatched the ashtray from the table and hurled it hard at Shen Que!
Shen Que didn't dodge, taking the hit squarely.
The ashtray struck his shoulder with a heavy thud, the pain making him grunt.
Gu Chengyu stared at him, the madness and coldness in his eyes making one's blood run cold. "Shen Que, you should be glad my alcohol tolerance is good enough and my mind is still clear."
He walked step by step up to Shen Que, his tall figure exuding a strong sense of oppression. Word by word, with not a hint of jest, he said:
"If tonight, that woman had succeeded in crawling into my bed."
"I would have killed you."
With that, he no longer looked at the pale-faced Shen Que or the petrified Qin Yu. He turned and, radiating hostility, stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Inside the private room, only the scene of chaos and deathly silence remained.
Shen Que clutched his painfully throbbing shoulder, slowly leaning back against the sofa with a bitter laugh.
Qin Yu finally snapped out of it, asking in a trembling voice, "Shen Que, are you okay? How could Chengyu act like that? Over just a pretty plaything?"
Closing his eyes, Shen Que hadn't expected that Su Qianqian could drive Chengyu to such madness either.
His voice was bitter. "It seems this time, he's truly serious."
“And it looks like calling that woman his Achilles' heel is not an exaggeration.”
From now on, they, his brothers, would all have to take a step back in her presence.
