They had known each other for years. Huo Jinyan only knew that every time Gu Chao came, it was like the Tang Monk stumbling into the Spider Cave—he never saw a woman by his side.
Over time, he grew quite curious about Gu Chao's private life.
Hearing this, he perked up instantly: "Oh? A true love? Spill it."
Sheng Nanzhou held up two fingers. "This price."
"Twenty thousand?"
"Tsk, how can a big shot like Master Huo be so stingy? Two hundred thousand per piece of news."
Huo Jinyan's face darkened. "Are you robbing me!?"
"Want to hear it or not?"
Huo Jinyan was genuinely puzzled by Gu Chao and had always wanted to know his secrets. Two hundred thousand it was—was he the type to be short on cash?
"Have your secretary transfer it to me later. Now, talk."
"To bring this up, we really have to go back many years..." Sheng Nanzhou toyed with his wine glass, his memory slowly receding. "My brother and I used to be orphans. Later, on a winter night, the Mu family took us in as servants. Life back then wasn't as comfortable as it is now. If we did anything wrong, we'd get beaten and scolded. But Miss Mu was kind to us, often letting us tag along when she went out... That's probably when my brother fell for her."
Huo Jinyan caught the key word: "The Mu family?" He frowned slightly. "You mean the Mu family that was wiped out nine years ago?"
"Besides that, are there any other prominent families among the elite?"
As if recalling Mu Yan's radiant smile, Sheng Nanzhou's eyes dimmed slightly.
Over on the other side, Gu Chao had just pushed away a woman throwing herself at him when he vaguely caught the words "Mu family." He abruptly stood up.
Sheng Nanzhou was about to continue when a tall figure approached, casting a massive shadow over him. He looked up to find Gu Chao standing before him with a furrowed brow.
"Bro..."
"Come out with me." Gu Chao grabbed his coat from the sofa and coldly tossed out the words.
Sheng Nanzhou dared not say more. He quickly set his glass down on the table and hurried after him.
"Hey, you didn't finish! Leaving it halfway is such a tease!" Huo Jinyan downed a drink in frustration. "There goes my two hundred thousand!"
...
"Bro..."
Sheng Nanzhou caught up, jogging a bit to finally reach him. "Why are you walking so fast? I just came over for a drink, and I haven't even had my fill yet!"
"Go drink properly at your place." The man's face was grim as he walked ahead.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Otherwise, why would he suddenly get up and leave without any warning, completely out of the blue?
Gu Chao stopped, and Sheng Nanzhou nearly bumped into his back.
"I don't want you revealing to anyone that we were servants in the Mu family."
"Why?" Sheng Nanzhou didn't understand. "It's been so many years..."
"We're working for Master Shen now. I'm the president of Lanzhen, and you're his trusted aide. If our past comes to light, it'll cause trouble for both of us."
"I don't think that's what you're really worried about." Sheng Nanzhou took a deep breath. "You still can't forget Miss, can you?"
Gu Chao stared hard at him.
"You've been running away all these years. She's dead—she died nine years ago—"
Before he could finish, Gu Chao threw a punch at him, grabbed him by the collar, and said coldly, "She's not dead. Don't say that in front of me again!"
Sheng Nanzhou's lip was split, a faint trace of blood seeping out. "I'm trying to wake you up!"
"..."
"Bro, Mu Yan is dead. She died in that fire. It's been nine years. The dead can't come back to life. You're the one clinging to an obsession!"
The two fell silent for a long moment. Gu Chao slowly released him, stepping back like an old man, and walked out of Lanyuan in a daze.
Sheng Nanzhou's eyes reddened slightly. Over the years, he had watched Gu Chao suppress his true nature, searching for Mu Yan while numbing himself with work.
He seemed to live a glamorous life, but often he was just going through the motions. This unrealistic obsession had weighed him down for nine years...
As a brother, Sheng Nanzhou couldn't bear to see him like this.
...
Gu Chao pulled his car over to the side of the road, his mind filled with Sheng Nanzhou's words. Irritated, he loosened his tie, pushed open the door, and got out. He lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
Sheng Nanzhou was right. He was the one who had never been able to move on all these years.
If he had gotten back just a little earlier nine years ago, Mu Yan wouldn't have died. He would have fought with all his might to save her from the fire.
Every time the night grew quiet and he thought of Mu Yan's face, he bitterly hated his own helplessness. Regret and guilt gnawed at his heart like worms.
Tonight was destined to be another sleepless night. Gu Chao decided to go to the supermarket to buy some liquor. Whenever he thought of Mu Yan, he couldn't sleep. Only by getting drunk could he drift off into a hazy slumber.
He rarely went to the convenience store near the residential area because by the time he came back, all the shops on that street were closed.
It had just drizzled, so the store was nearly empty. He walked to a shelf of drinks and casually picked out a few bottles.
As he turned, he accidentally bumped into someone. The items in the other person's hands fell, and he instinctively apologized: "Sorry, let me help you..."
He crouched down to pick them up but realized they were sanitary pads in pink packaging... He felt a bit awkward.
"It's okay, I've got it."
Song Weiwei picked them up before he could. Letting a man touch something like that would be too embarrassing!
Gu Chao cleared his throat and stood up to look at her. Just as Song Weiwei was about to politely greet him and slip away, she froze the moment she saw his face.
Xiao Liuzi...
She was wearing a mask and hat, with a pair of glasses on her nose—fully disguised to the point that even her black fans wouldn't recognize her, let alone Gu Chao.
Song Weiwei's period had come unexpectedly. Neither Qiao Yu nor her assistant was around at this hour, so she had to come downstairs to buy a few packs of sanitary pads. She never expected to run into him.
Gu Chao noticed her staring and raised an eyebrow slightly. "How about... I cover the cost?"
"No need..." Song Weiwei hugged the pads and headed to the counter to pay without a second thought.
Tears welled up in her eyes behind her glasses. She bit her lip hard, forcing herself not to cry at that moment.
A familiar voice came from behind: "Put it on my tab."
The man handed over a few bottles of liquor, and the cashier rang them up together.
Song Weiwei was still in a daze from the unexpected reunion. By the time she snapped out of it, the man had already paid.
"We're not together..."
The cashier blinked. "Huh?"
"I'm sorry for bumping into you earlier. Consider these as my apology to you, miss."
What kind of apology was that?
After saying this, Gu Chao brushed past the girl lightly.
Song Weiwei instinctively wanted to chase after him, but the cashier reminded her, "Miss, you forgot your things."
She turned back to grab her shopping bag and hurried out, only to find that the man had already driven away.
Song Weiwei stood frozen in the cold wind, staring at the taillights fading into the distance. Her gaze was vacant for a long time before she slowly came to her senses.
In her mind, a young boy held her hand as they ran through the fields...
"Xiao Liuzi, will you always stay with me?"
"As long as Miss needs me, no matter where I am, Xiao Liuzi will come at your call."
Nine whole years. She had searched for him for nine years, and finally, today, she had run into him!