Chapter 44: No Reason to Stay

Chapter 44: No Reason to Stay

The French-made Dassault Falcon 8X private jet crossed over Poland and the Czech Republic, finally entering Austrian airspace before landing at Vienna International Airport.

Gu Hansheng looked out at the scenery—the weather was clear today, and he could see the blue Danube in the distance, but he was in no mood to enjoy the view. He needed time to sort out his feelings, and he wouldn't be leaving Austria until at least next week.

Austria's Spielberg Circuit was Lin Su's lucky track. This F1 Grand Prix had enormous influence back home, and Gu Hansheng naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to bring Tuotu's advertising in front of world-class cameras once again.

Lin Su picked him up by car, the two-seater race car leaving his assistants, secretary, and agent in the dust as it sped off down the highway.

Gu Hansheng's arm rested on the window frame, his expression unreadable.

"Looks like Mr. Gu here is in a bad mood," Lin Su said. "How about we skip the hotel and go somewhere to clear your head?"

"Won't your agent have something to say about you running around?"

"At worst, he'll call and nag me a bit. I've been to Vienna God knows how many times—I'm not a three-year-old, it's not like I'll get lost."

Gu Hansheng smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

He needed something to distract himself, to figure out whether that uncontrollable, can't-let-go feeling would gradually fade once Zhao Yu was no longer a constant presence in his life. When Chen Xitong woke up, he needed to get his emotions in order, clear the obstacles, and go love the person he should love.

Zhao Yu had no idea Gu Hansheng was on a business trip—after all, Gu Hansheng had no obligation to inform him of anything. It was only after not seeing Gu Hansheng for two days straight that he felt something was off.

Maybe Gu Hansheng didn't want to see him at all.

He pulled a plate out of the sink, about to set it aside, when his hand slipped. The plate shattered on the floor with a loud crash, drawing several people's attention.

Che Shijie was the first to show concern: "Are you feeling unwell? You can't even hold a plate—why not take leave and go rest?"

"No, the dish soap was just too slippery." Zhao Yu mentally cursed him for being so nosy. Even if he took leave, it would be from Cao Xu, not something Che Shijie had any right to stick his nose into.

He was completely sick of Che Shijie's constant needling, but since Cao Xu hadn't said anything, he couldn't exactly complain.

"Zhao Yu!" Cao Xu suddenly called out.

"Yes, Master?" Zhao Yu turned around.

Cao Xu walked over, his expression serious. "Don't bring your personal feelings into work."

Zhao Yu lowered his head. "Yes, I won't let it happen again."

He thought Cao Xu was going to scold him, but then Cao Xu said, "I'm giving you the rest of the day off."

"Huh?"

"What are you standing around for? Finish the dishes and get out of here."

Che Shijie hinted that Cao Xu wasn't looking out for his apprentice enough, but Cao Xu didn't take the bait and gave Zhao Yu the time off anyway. Though he seemed stern, he wasn't easily swayed by others' instigations, nor was he sparing in his concern for Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu was grateful to Cao Xu, but half a day off wasn't going to fix his mood.

He didn't know what to make of Gu Hansheng not coming home. He'd never been able to read the man even face to face, and now that he couldn't see him at all, his anxiety about the unknown only grew.

He knew he couldn't keep going like this. On his way home, he hesitated for a long time before finally texting Gu Hansheng: *Mr. Gu, are you coming home today?*

Zhao Yu waited for hours without getting a single word back.

When it came to anything about Chen Xitong, Gu Hansheng always replied right away. But when it came to his own messages, maybe he'd glance at them and forget, or if he was in a bad mood, just pretend he hadn't seen them.

Zhao Yu bought a bottle of cola from a convenience store on the roadside. The ice-cold soda was a small relief. The afternoon sun was blazing, and heat shimmered off the road. A bus wobbled to a stop at the station, cold air spilling out as the doors opened.

This bus went straight to the hospital where Chen Xitong was staying. Watching the doors about to close, Zhao Yu took two steps forward and, on a whim, got on.

As the older brother, since Chen Xitong was improving, he felt he should visit.

If Gu Hansheng happened to be at the hospital...

The cola can in his hand crinkled with a sharp *crack* as he squeezed it. Zhao Yu suddenly felt a wave of cold feet.

He'd never seen Gu Hansheng in Chen Xitong's hospital room before, so he had no idea how Gu Hansheng would react if the stand-in and the real deal showed up at the same time.

But one thing was certain: Gu Hansheng's feelings for Chen Xitong were something he could never hope to compete with. In the end, he was an outsider—the one who would never be loved.

The bus came to a slow stop across the street from the hospital. Zhao Yu crossed the road and walked in, his heart pounding harder with each flight of stairs as he climbed, breathless. He paused on a landing for a moment, his anxiety beyond words.

Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Chen Li took the damp towel from the caregiver and gently wiped Chen Xitong's face. The air conditioning ran all day, leaving his skin a bit dry. After wiping his face, she carefully applied moisturizer to his cheeks and hands.

Chen Xitong's fingernails had grown a bit longer. Chen Li trimmed them for him regularly, never letting anyone else take over, because those piano-playing hands were precious to Chen Xitong.

She stroked Chen Xitong's hand, but her face showed no joy at his improvement. Instead, dark circles shadowed her eyes, and even the most careful makeup couldn't hide how exhausted she was.

She hadn't slept well in two days. The morning before last, in this very room, Zhou Lan had said to her: "Chairman Chen, I beg you to pay Xiao Yu the final installment. Stop tormenting him. He's been humbling himself in front of Gu Hansheng this whole time, but he doesn't even like men! Isn't what we're doing too cruel to him? These past few months, you've threatened him with money again and again. At this rate, you'll only erode whatever bond you have with him. If you truly feel you owe him, then stop pushing him."

Zhou Lan's eyes had been red when he said those words. Chen Li stared at him blankly, overcome with shame. Her own son, yet it took an outsider to defend him.

And she hadn't known that Zhao Yu wasn't gay.

When she'd first proposed the plan, Zhao Yu had agreed readily enough. Combined with the fact that he'd grown up in America, a society extremely tolerant of sexual orientation, she'd simply assumed Zhao Yu was also attracted to men and that being intimate with one would be acceptable to him.

She had taken everything for granted. If everything developed in her favor, turning a blind eye was the best approach—not thinking about the other, crueler possibility, letting everything proceed so she could profit from it.

She was a businesswoman with the coldest, most calculating business mindset. But as her feelings for Zhao Yu gradually awakened, the mother in her began to take over, and she started to realize she had thrown her own son into the fire with her own hands.

The first time he slept with Gu Hansheng—had he felt sick? Had he been afraid?

During all those days of deceiving Gu Hansheng—had he felt isolated and helpless, wanting to confide in someone but having to bear it all alone?

When the lie was exposed, how had he begged Gu Hansheng without any dignity, just to salvage that completely failed plan?

His beloved Aunt Guo Lin was terminally ill and had become a bargaining chip held over his head. How much anger and pain had he suppressed inside with no outlet?

How on earth had he gotten through it all...

Chen Li lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes.

She hated Zhao Lianfeng so much. After the divorce, she'd fought desperately to prove she could do better on her own, achieve greater success, and never be looked down on by a man like Zhao Lianfeng.

So she worked tirelessly, pouring all her energy into raising Chen Xitong. Her competition with her ex-husband had become a terrifying obsession—she had to prove that her son would turn out more accomplished with her than with his father. That comparison naturally projected onto Chen Xitong and Zhao Yu.

At some point, she had come to see Zhao Yu as the product of her ex-husband's upbringing. When she learned of Zhao Yu's struggles in America, she felt no pity—instead, she secretly gloated: *See? Zhao Lianfeng can't do anything right without me. He can't even raise a child as well as I can.*

But what had Zhao Yu done wrong?

He was just a victim of their broken marriage—not Zhao Lianfeng's spokesperson, and certainly not a tool for comparison.

Chen Li had only realized this after hurting him for so long, and she regretted it deeply.

Guilt kept her up at night. She wanted to apologize to Zhao Yu, but every time they met, they parted on bad terms. She didn't know how to communicate with him. She'd been absent from his life for too long, didn't even understand what kind of person he was.

She regretted not going to pick Zhao Yu up at the airport the night he came back, and even more, not saying a single word of comfort when he was hurting.

The ward door was pushed open gently. Chen Li looked up, and the moment she saw Zhao Yu, she shot to her feet, flustered and awkward, her eyes still red-rimmed.

Zhao Yu noticed Gu Hansheng wasn't in the ward and quietly exhaled in relief. Seeing Chen Li on the verge of tears, he asked, "What's wrong? Isn't Chen Xitong getting better? Did something else happen?"

"No, no." Chen Li pulled over a chair for him. "Have a seat. Want an apple?"

Zhao Yu didn't sit. He wasn't used to Chen Li being so attentive—every time she acted like this, she had an agenda, and it was never anything good.

"No, I just came to see Chen Xitong. Did the doctor say when he might wake up?"

"Not yet, but things look promising. He might wake up before long."

"Oh." Zhao Yu glanced at the manicure set on the table. "Go ahead, then. I won't disturb you."

Seeing him about to leave, Chen Li called out urgently, "Xiao Yu!"

Zhao Yu stopped mid-step and turned back, his eyes wary and full of distrust.

Chen Li's heart stung. She said, "I'll pay you the remaining amount within the next couple of days. You don't have to go to President Gu's anymore."

It was the most fitting thing she could think of—no more holding things over Zhao Yu, giving him the respect and understanding he deserved, and slowly making up for years of neglect in the days ahead.

She thought Zhao Yu would be relieved to hear that. But he froze for a moment, then a bitter smile crept across his face. "So Chen Xitong's about to wake up, and you don't need me anymore."

"That's not what I meant, Xiao Yu..."

"Just pay me the rest. And don't contact me again after this."

He turned and left. Chen Li hurried after him. "Xiao Yu, that's not what I meant! What I did before was wrong. Mom just doesn't want you to suffer anymore! I'll treat you the same as Xitong. Please don't go, okay? Calm down, let's talk this through..."

Zhao Yu strode quickly into the stairwell. Chen Li, in her high heels, couldn't keep up with him on the stairs. She stumbled, twisting her ankle, and could only stare helplessly down the endless steps, calling out, "Xiao Yu! I just want to make your life easier! I don't mean any harm! Please, just trust me once...!"

She wanted to explain, but she had long since used up whatever trust Zhao Yu had in her. Her kindness, to him, was nothing but ruthless exploitation—use him up and toss him aside.

Zhao Yu felt a surge of anger, then his expression went blank. He had thought he could at least spend his final days peacefully by Gu Hansheng's side, holding onto the few good memories to face the inevitable goodbye.

But even that small buffer of time had been taken from him. What reason was there left to stay?

"Author's Note"

The story will be published on Sunday, with two chapters.