Chapter 87: Do You Want to Come with Me?

Chapter 87: Do You Want to Come with Me?

In the morning, as Zhao Yu walked out the door, helmet in hand, Zhuang Shubai was already waiting downstairs.

"Morning, Dr. Zhuang," Zhao Yu said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to go upstairs to find you," Zhuang Shubai said. "Heading to work this early?"

"Something came up."

"Got a minute?"

"Yeah."

Zhuang Shubai opened his mouth, seemingly swallowing back the words he originally intended to say. His gaze dropped to a protruding corner in his pocket—a ring box.

"Yingying going to see you was her own idea. She bought the ring herself. And the press release—she arranged that too. I'm sorry."

"That explains the news story," Zhao Yu said, it clicking. He smiled. "It's fine. The photo was just a silhouette; no one around me suspected anything. Since none of it was real, I'll just pretend it never happened. No need to apologize."

"But everything she said—I'd thought all of it myself," Zhuang Shubai said seriously.

When he'd heard Zhuang Peiying say those words, his first reaction was that she was being absurd. Then a sense of relief washed over him. He could never find the right moment to say what he wanted to say. He'd thought he could wait—wait until Zhao Yu was won over, until he developed feelings that went beyond friendship, and then confess his heart solemnly.

But things rarely wait for the perfect moment. People are always changing, but not always in the direction he wanted.

Since Zhao Yu already knew, he didn't want to pretend he hadn't thought about it.

Zhao Yu's grip on his helmet tightened. He knew he'd have to face this question eventually. He'd asked himself: Dr. Zhuang is great—so why not?

But love doesn't always make sense. Even a good person, a suitable person—wealthy, interesting, compatible—if they don't make your heart race, you can't force love.

Zhuang Peiying had said they could get married first and fall in love later, but he couldn't bet his heart on the future.

"Dr. Zhuang, I already told your sister everything I needed to say. I'm sorry."

Zhuang Shubai smiled. "Yeah, I know."

"I've taken up so much of your time..."

"No," Zhuang Shubai interrupted. "Every moment with you meant something. Besides, I got a kiss out of the deal, didn't I?"

Zhao Yu froze, catching a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Aren't you in a hurry? Go ahead." Zhuang Shubai tilted his head toward the bike shed.

"Yeah. Dr. Zhuang, thank you!"

Zhao Yu breathed a sigh of relief, waved at him with a smile, put on his helmet, and disappeared down the tree-lined road on his Kaiyue.

After Zhao Yu left, Zhuang Shubai took out the ring box from his pocket. The ring Zhuang Peiying hadn't been able to give away that day—he still couldn't give it away today.

That night, facing the ring, he'd seriously thought it over and solemnly rejected Zhuang Peiying's proposal. He'd said Dr. Zhuang was wonderful, but he didn't feel love for him yet, so he couldn't marry him.

Zhuang Peiying had told Zhuang Shubai every word of the conversation. Even knowing he'd been rejected, he still wanted to see Zhao Yu's position clearly with his own eyes. Maybe only then could he put an end to this love that had never truly begun.

Regret seems to be a part of life. Zhuang Shubai let out a soft sigh, snapping the ring box shut, along with his disappointment and regret. Maybe these feelings would take a while to fade.

...

A box truck slowly drove up the mountain road and through the estate's gates. Song Wenhao got out of the Ferrari in front, walking toward the butler with a big smile: "This is the big gift I got for Grandpa. Should we put it in the front yard or the back yard?"

The butler said, "Thanks for bringing it. Unload it here—I'll have someone move it."

"You can unload it, but I doubt anyone here can move it." Song Wenhao pulled open the latch on the truck's doors, revealing a sculpture inside the truck. "Two meters wide, four meters tall—a bronze mermaid holding a pearl."

The butler was momentarily stumped looking at the massive bronze sculpture.

Song Wenhao said, "Don't worry about it. I've got a crane and a dozen workers coming. Just tell me where you want it."

"One moment, let me go check."

"Sure, take your time. I'm in no hurry!"

Because Song Wenhao insisted on delivering a giant bronze sculpture, the whole estate was buzzing. Everyone was curious what was so special about it.

The first-floor room was as lifeless as ever. Heavy curtains blocked out the outside world, leaving only a bedside lamp and a mess scattered across the floor.

Suddenly, there was a strange noise behind the curtains. Ten minutes later, a "click" sounded, and the wind lifted the curtain, letting in a sliver of light.

Gu Hansheng turned around and saw the window had been completely removed. A man in gray work clothes and a gray cap climbed in through the opening, bringing fresh air with him.

The man warily gestured for his accomplice to keep watch, then pulled the curtain shut and took off his cap, revealing his face.

The moment he saw that face, Gu Hansheng thought he was hallucinating from lack of sleep. Even in his dreams, he wouldn't have imagined Zhao Yu coming here to find him.

Zhao Yu hadn't planned to come. If Pang Ze hadn't told him what Gu Hansheng had quietly done, and if he hadn't confirmed with Assistant Wu that Gu Hansheng had angered his grandfather by delaying a meeting to help him...

He hadn't planned to come, but it felt like he owed him something again, like something was stirring restlessly in his heart.

Zhao Yu looked at his bruised face—all trace of elite sophistication gone. He looked like a homeless man who'd lost both his job and his lover. Once meticulous about everything from food to clothing, now he didn't even shave, and his clothes were all wrinkled.

This calculating man—couldn't he have weighed the pros and cons of refusing to marry? And why, after knowing Zhao Yu was already engaged to someone else, did he stubbornly refuse to get married?

Books were scattered everywhere, leaving no place to stand. Zhao Yu stood by the window and said, "Song Wenhao got on his knees, crying and begging me to come."

Hearing Zhao Yu's voice, Gu Hansheng snapped out of it. He stood up, the book on his lap thudding to the floor, staring at Zhao Yu's face, unblinking, in the dim light.

"I don't want to owe you any more favors," Zhao Yu said.

"I know," Gu Hansheng replied, his voice hoarse.

"Since you won't agree to the marriage, what are you still waiting here for?" Zhao Yu glanced around the room, feeling uncomfortable, he pulled the curtain open a crack with the back of his hand.

Just that one gesture, and Gu Hansheng knew he was uncomfortable in this room. He stepped quickly over the books scattered on the floor and yanked the curtains fully open.

Zhao Yu grabbed his arm, glanced out the window, and when he saw no one was watching, ducked back behind the curtain.

"No one's noticed yet. You should leave," Gu Hansheng said.

"I'm not here to chat," Zhao Yu said. "Do you want to get out of here with me?"

Gu Hansheng froze.

Zhao Yu added, "If you'd rather rot here forever, I'll leave right now and never bother you again."

With that, he turned and nimbly climbed back out the window, then reached his hand out to Gu Hansheng one last time: "Decide now!"

Almost without hesitation, Gu Hansheng grabbed his hand and stepped out into the sunlight pouring over him from their clasped hands.

His grip was so tight that Zhao Yu's hand bones ached.

Zhao Yu looked up at him in surprise, whether it was the dazzling sunlight that stung his eyes and made them redden, his pale skin slowly gaining color, as if he'd suddenly come alive.

Gu Hansheng never let go. The two rounded the building and ran straight into a squad of patrolling security guards.

Zhao Yu swore under his breath, grabbed him, and bolted in the other direction.

The head guard yelled, "Stop them!" and took off after them with his team.

The commotion blew up. The two circled to the other side of the building, only to be cut off by bodyguards who'd come running at the noise. Zhao Yu led the charge, and the bodyguard, seeing a stranger, didn't hesitate—he yanked a riot baton from his belt!

Zhao Yu had no time to dodge before a sudden force yanked him into an embrace. The baton whistled through the air and cracked against Gu Hansheng's back, the heavy thud reverberating through his body and into Zhao Yu's ears.

The bodyguard had been aiming at Zhao Yu and hadn't pulled the blow at all—so you can imagine how much that hurt.

Gu Hansheng let out a muffled grunt, and as the bodyguard froze in shock, he gritted his teeth and dragged Zhao Yu forward.

"Are you okay?!" Zhao Yu looked at his suddenly pale face, his heart slamming hard in his chest.

Gu Hansheng's hand around his was trembling. Zhao Yu tightened his grip without thinking, and that faint tremor shot straight through to his heart.

"Hey, hey, hey! What the hell's going on? Stop them!" Song Wenhao appeared out of nowhere, yelling and waving for the nearby workers to help.

But the workers weren't going after Gu Hansheng—they were blocking the bodyguards and security team chasing behind.

In seconds, dozens of people were tangled up in a brawl, total chaos.

Zhao Yu tore through the villa's front hall and dove into the cargo truck parked in the front yard. The black Kaiyue sat there like a beast lying in wait, then suddenly roared to life with a deafening blast.

Zhao Yu spun the bike in place, tires screeching and kicking up white smoke, and tossed a helmet to Gu Hansheng: "Get on!"

The bodyguards had already fought their way out of the crowd and were sprinting over.

Gu Hansheng swung onto the bike and wrapped his arms around Zhao Yu. The next second, the black Kaiyue shot off like an arrow from a bow, tearing down the estate's main road.

The butler shouted anxiously, "Close the gate! Close the gate!"

The estate gates started to close. Zhao Yu twisted the throttle: "Hold on tight!"

Gu Hansheng clung to him, feeling the lean waist under his clothes tense as it wrestled the beast. The speed spiked to nearly two hundred kilometers an hour. As they blew past the flower beds, the wind whipped up a storm of leaves, and just as the gates were about to close, they shot through the gap!

The Kaiyue made it halfway down the mountain and paused briefly to greet Lin Su.

Lin Su, waiting by the roadside, gave him a thumbs-up, swung his Lamborghini across the road, and blocked all the pursuing cars.

The butler looked at Lin Su blocking the road, then ahead—no taillights in sight, not even the sound of the engine.

Through the shaded mountain road, past the suburban highway, as the sun gradually slanted westward, the orange sunset reflected off the black Kaiyue's body like a painting.

Ahead lay the bustling city center, but Zhao Yu stopped at the beach instead.

He parked the bike, took off his helmet, and said, "I'll call you a cab to the hospital. Debt's paid. That's it."

Before he could pull out his phone, he was suddenly embraced head-on by the man, the salty sea breeze filling his senses, choking back all the cold, hurtful words in his throat.