Chapter 62: Awakening Sometimes Comes Too Late

Chapter 62: Sometimes Awakening Comes Too Late

It took two tries to get the key into the lock. Zhao Yu pushed the door open and entered, slumping against the door and sliding down to the floor, like every ounce of strength had been drained out of him.

The room was dead quiet. The curtains drifted in the gentle breeze, sunlight spilled across the tile floor, and the place was spotless. Yet he sat in the shadow by the wall, drawing his knees up to prop his arm as he rubbed his exhausted eyes.

Whether it was from lack of sleep or not, his chest ached and felt numb. The wrist that Gu Hansheng had grabbed still burned with the heat of his grip.

At the moment when he was in the most pain, desperate for even a shred of care and love, Gu Hansheng had told him to get lost—and in that instant, he finally saw things clearly.

After countless nights of needing alcohol or sleeping pills just to fall asleep, he had crawled his way out of the loneliness of feeling abandoned by the world, clenching his jaw and steeling himself for what lay ahead.

After everything he'd been through, how could he possibly go back and risk getting hurt again?

Ridiculous. Gu Hansheng didn't even know what love was, yet he could say something like that without a second thought.

Zhao Yu wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but couldn't. He stared blankly at the shadow where the sunlight met the window frame on the floor, and finally stood up and walked into the light.

Compared to Gu Hansheng's cluelessness, Zhuang Shubai's confession—though sudden—was clean, pure, and easy to hear. He curled up on the couch and mulled it over, not sure how to respond to Zhuang Shubai.

...

Lin Su was throwing a beach wedding and had rented out the whole island for it. Guests had started arriving two days before the wedding.

The waves lapped against the silver-white sand. A party was in full swing on a yacht out in the distance, but Gu Hansheng wasn't joining in any of it. He just sat on a bench by the water, smoking.

Tree shadows swayed above his head. The Davidoff tobacco was clean and lingering, with a richness like aged whiskey. The sea breeze carried off the ash, and the smoke vanished in an instant.

It wasn't until the ember burned his fingers that he realized the cigarette had burned down to the filter.

The partiers on the yacht were whooping and diving into the water one by one, sending up huge splashes. But the energy didn't touch Gu Hansheng at all.

Lin Su and Song Wenhao were walking over, chatting as they went, originally headed for the yacht together. When they spotted Gu Hansheng sitting by the water, they both stopped.

"What are you doing sitting here by yourself, Old Gu?" Song Wenhao leaned over the back of the bench, pulled a cigarette from Gu Hansheng's pack, and stuck it between his lips, then turned to ask Lin Su if he wanted one. Lin Su waved him off.

Lin Su set an unopened bottle of ice water next to Gu Hansheng and asked, "Is that cold of yours still not better?"

Gu Hansheng tossed the lighter to Song Wenhao. "Almost."

Technically, a cold should clear up in a week, but in reality the symptoms just drag on and on. Gu Hansheng didn't know how long he'd been sick—irritable, exhausted, constantly replaying what Zhao Yu had said that day, unable to focus on anything.

Song Wenhao said, "Oh right, didn't you ask me to look into some doctor? Zhuang Shubai... did I get the name right? You know Zhuang Peiying? That's his real sister. Technically, they're both heirs to the Yikang Group."

Gu Hansheng's brow furrowed. "Isn't Zhuang Peiying an only child?"

Their circle wasn't huge, but in the same province, all the family conglomerates knew each other's business inside and out. Gu Hansheng had met Zhuang Peiying a few times and even talked cooperation, but he'd never known she had a brother.

Song Wenhao said, "This Zhuang Shubai has been abroad this whole time and doesn't really get involved in family business. You think maybe he lost a power struggle with Zhuang Peiying, couldn't become the heir, and got kicked out?"

Gu Hansheng didn't say either way.

Regardless of whether Zhuang Shubai had inheritance rights, he had the Yikang Group behind him—someone had his back. Yikang Hospital was a genuine century-old institution, and the power behind the group ran deep.

Gu Hansheng flipped the cigarette pack open and shut, mulling over how to handle this wildcard named Zhuang Shubai.

"Why are you suddenly looking into him?" Song Wenhao asked. "Did he provoke you?"

Provoke him? That wasn't even the half of it. Gu Hansheng ground his back teeth, crushing the cigarette pack slightly in his grip.

Plenty of people coveted what was his. Money and companies were one thing—those fights were almost entertaining—but wanting Zhao Yu? That he couldn't stand.

Should he go after Zhuang Shubai?

Song Wenhao saw the dark look on his face and figured he probably hated Zhuang Shubai, so he suggested, "How about we get a few guys to throw a hood over his head and scare him a little?"

For someone as cunning as Song Wenhao, that was about the extent of the petty tricks he could come up with. If Gu Hansheng made a move, he'd find the weak spot and strike where it hurt most—going all out, as ruthless as possible, even if it meant pissing off the Yikang Group.

But then Zhao Yu's cold, furious expression flashed through his mind.

Zhao Yu genuinely saw Zhuang Shubai as a friend, which put Gu Hansheng in a tough spot. He couldn't just hurt someone Zhao Yu cared about—with Zhao Yu's temper, he'd fight back to the bitter end.

Zhao Yu hadn't accepted Zhuang Shubai's confession. If he was just a friend, then Gu Hansheng could tolerate it.

Gu Hansheng thought for a moment and, against his nature, swallowed his disgust and said, "No need. Don't touch him for now."

Song Wenhao and Lin Su exchanged a look, unable to believe Gu Hansheng was actually showing mercy.

A speedboat pulled up to the shore to take them out to the yacht. Lin Su said, "Old Gu, don't dwell on the bad stuff. Come on, let's go have some fun."

"You two go on ahead."

Gu Hansheng stood up and walked back.

The villa area was completely empty except for a Filipina maid cleaning. Just then, a young woman holding a box was pacing outside Lin Su's door. Gu Hansheng called out, "What are you up to?"

The young woman smiled and said, "This is something Mingyi asked me to drop off for Lin Su. Looks like he's not here—could you pass it along?"

Gu Hansheng took the box and saw a sticky note on it—*Baby, don't stay out too late. Gotta get up early for the wedding tomorrow. Love you~*

Gu Hansheng went inside, set the box on the table, and sat down on the couch.

Song Mingyi's handwriting was delicate and beautiful—very neat. But he suddenly thought of the notes Zhao Yu used to leave—every stroke all over the place.

That night, Zhao Yu had promised over and over that he'd practice his handwriting and not let Gu Hansheng's teaching go to waste. What happened after that? Did the notes he left get any neater?

Gu Hansheng didn't know, because after that day he went to the hospital every night to check on Chen Xitong's treatment, never going home for dinner again—so he never saw another note from Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu had made a different dinner every day. Gu Hansheng sometimes looked forward to seeing what he'd come up with next.

But he'd never considered that even something as "small" as cooking took real effort and care—and he'd taken it for granted, never treating it as anything important.

Those notes covered in messy handwriting had already been thrown away, never to be found again. The dishes he'd dumped out without a single bite would never come back to the table.

Gu Hansheng's chest suddenly tightened again. He pulled out a cigarette and put it between his lips, only to realize he'd given the lighter to Song Wenhao.

So he sat there with the unlit cigarette between his lips, let out a long, heavy breath, and sank helplessly into the couch. His gaze had nowhere to land, drifting in a void.

Once upon a time, he'd arrogantly thought Zhao Yu was just convenient to have around, which was why he wanted to keep him. It wasn't until he was rejected again and again that he realized Zhao Yu wasn't a replaceable item to him, but a thorny vine rooted in his heart that tore at him painfully when yanked out.

Zhao Yu hadn't burrowed into one corner of his heart—he filled every corner of it. That's why it hurt so much.

Gu Hansheng was always effortless at everything he did. Heaven had given him a privileged upbringing and a calculating mind, so he came out on top in every contest. Only with Zhao Yu was he utterly helpless. When all his tactics failed, he finally tasted the bitterness of defeat.

The whole island was filled with joy, flowers everywhere. At night, fireworks started going off along the shore, streaking up into the sky along the long coastline and lighting up the sea.

The pool party ran late into the night. Lin Su, obedient to Song Mingyi's words, turned in early—no amount of persuasion could keep him up.

Meanwhile, Song Wenhao was still chatting up women, like it was a bachelor party thrown just for him.

Gu Hansheng sat on the rooftop terrace to escape the commotion, listening to the boisterous voices below with no desire to join in. Only after the festivities ended and the crowd gradually dispersed, restoring the deep night to stillness, did the island wind whip wildly at his clothes.

The wedding the next day was nothing short of romantic. Lin Su and Song Mingyi joined hands and recited their vows to never leave each other, gazing into each other's eyes, their looks brimming with love.

They embraced and kissed in the sunlight, on the sandy beach, surrounded by clusters of white flowers, proclaiming to the world that their love would never end.

Song Wenhao couldn't help but say, "I really envy him—being able to end up with true love. Thinking about it now, I really did love my first love, but I got dumped. Old Gu, why is it so hard to love someone?"

Gu Hansheng remained silent.

Lin Su's love story was as beautiful as a fairy tale, but how many fairy tales like that exist in real life?

Gu Hansheng looked at the couple's wedding photo on the display board. When he was a child, his parents' wedding photo had hung in his home, but he never saw it again after his mother passed away.

His mother, Fang Fuyi, was an innocent, carefree young lady who knew nothing of the world's cruelty. Gu Hansheng's maternal grandfather had once tried to stop her from marrying into the Gu family, but she had fallen in love with Gu Hong and plunged in without a second thought.

As far back as Gu Hansheng could remember, Gu Hong was almost never home, always saying he was busy with business and work, flying all over the world, then sending back sweet talk and trinkets from every corner of the globe to Fang Fuyi.

Fang Fuyi never doubted him. Every day, she told Gu Hansheng that Gu Hong was a good husband and father, and that once he was less busy, they would be the happiest family in the world.

To be honest, Gu Hansheng didn't think much of Gu Hong—after all, as a father, he was barely present. And Fang Fuyi spent her days lost in fantasies about her husband, as if stuck in a beautiful dream.

The family was shrouded in an illusory happiness, until Gu Hansheng accidentally discovered proof of Gu Hong's infidelity.

He suddenly realized that a person could fake love so convincingly. Gu Hong would still come home and look at Fang Fuyi with adoring eyes, compliment her new hairstyle, and invite her to dance at parties.

Watching them, Gu Hansheng understood that the essence of love was merely for show. As long as Fang Fuyi was happy, did it matter whether her husband had cheated?

He never told Fang Fuyi about Gu Hong's affair, but she found out on her own.

And so, on a sunny afternoon just like today, she slit her wrists in the bathtub of her room. The blood-red water spilled over and flowed all the way to Gu Hansheng's feet.

The sunlight on the beach was perfect. Gu Hansheng clapped along with the crowd for the newlyweds, but not a trace of joy showed on his face.

People easily mistake the first example they come across for a universal rule, only to realize after stumbling that it isn't so—but sometimes, that realization comes far too late.