Chapter 19: Holding Her Close

The arm resting loosely on her shoulder wasn’t pressing or holding tightly, just gently encircling her. Gu Yao glanced sideways. The man’s profile was resolute, exuding an indescribable sense of reassurance.

It was a lie to say she wasn’t sad. All along, she and her mother had walked this path of endless quarrels. Each argument wounded them both equally, but Gu Yao had learned to mask it, at least appearing composed on the surface, never looking so disheveled.

“Who are you?” her mother asked sternly, her gaze sweeping over Su Yu’s arm draped around Gu Yao’s.

“Let’s go,” Gu Yao tugged at his arm, unwilling to continue the conversation, and led the way toward the elevator.

A pair of hands reached out to press the button for her, and the doors chimed open. They stepped inside, effectively blocking her mother, who was rushing after them. The smooth elevator walls reflected their shadows. Gu Yao pursed her lips, silent, lost in thought.

Beside her, Su Yu slipped off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

He hadn’t lied earlier; it was indeed a coincidence that the hotel was where he had business that day. This was the oldest hotel in City Y, a place where many foreign dignitaries stayed back in the 1990s. Businesspeople favored it for dinners, considering it prestigious.

The gathering was filled with relentless toasts. Several executives were accompanied by scantily clad young women who flirted lightly, their perfume drifting and giving Gu Yao a headache.

Su Yu frowned, enduring for a while before growing weary. He despised such business socializing and seldom appeared at these events. But recent circumstances forced him to make an appearance.

Stepping out for fresh air, someone approached with a glass of wine. A cold glance from him stunned the person into retreat.

Many said the CEO of Hangsheng was a mere figurehead, rarely showing up and lacking real power. But seeing him now, one realized that was false—the man’s aura was intimidatingly strong.

After dismissing the intruder, Su Yu lit a cigarette by the wall and noticed Gu Yao entering in an evening gown, her arm intimately linked with a tall young man.

Though their similar features made their relationship clear, Su Yu’s brow furrowed slightly in displeasure.

After some thought, he followed them and witnessed the scene before him.

To what extent must one pretend, to be like this woman—so deeply hurt by her closest kin, yet maintaining such calm composure?

His gaze lingered on her slender shoulders, darkening with emotion. The slippery touch he once felt still seemed to linger, yet felt distant.

She was like that feeling—ungraspable yet prickling at the heart, irresistibly addictive.

Outside, Gu Yao inhaled the cool air, adjusted the suit jacket on her shoulders, and waited. Soon, the valet slowly brought her car around.

She took off the jacket and handed it to him, saying calmly, “I’ve had the last one dry-cleaned and sent to your company.”

“Wear it back. Sending both together is more convenient,” he replied, raising an eyebrow. His deep blue shirt was neatly tucked into his trousers, emphasizing broad shoulders and long legs.

“Alright,” Gu Yao agreed after a moment, then looked at him and added, “I know what you want to say, but maybe another time. I’m really not in the mood today.”

“Your mother probably won’t set you up on blind dates anymore.” Su Yu stepped forward, closing her car door. “Go home and rest early.”

“She’ll give you trouble.” Gu Yao lowered her window, annoyed. “Sorry, I want to help explain things to her, but I don’t want to answer her calls right now.”

“I want her to misunderstand,” the man said softly, standing outside the car with one hand in his pocket.

That night, Gu Yao felt feverish as soon as she got home. She collapsed onto the bed, heavy and exhausted, unable to open her eyes. She didn’t even wash up before falling asleep.

Waking in the middle of the night with a throbbing headache, she assumed it was due to emotional strain and ignored it. In the past, she had taken anti-anxiety medication during worse episodes, but she had been well for years.

The next morning, her condition hadn’t improved. Realizing she had a cold, she brewed some ginger tea to soothe herself. It had been a long time since she’d worn such a backless gown, and after standing in the wind all day, it was unsurprising she fell ill.

But her vacation was over, so she didn’t take leave and dressed to go to work.

No sooner had she sat down in the office than Cen Xi burst in, excited. “Guess how much I made on stocks?”

“Quite a bit, I suppose, or you wouldn’t have come to tell me,” Gu Yao replied, leaning back and rubbing her forehead.

“You’re sick,” Cen Xi noticed her pale complexion for the first time.

“I’m okay,” Gu Yao answered, rummaging in her drawer for medicine.

By afternoon, she could barely hold on and went downstairs for an IV drip, which helped somewhat. After work, she headed to the changing room to change clothes and found her locker slightly ajar. A quick tug opened it easily; something felt off.

Checking her clothes carefully, nothing else was missing except for her favorite jacket. She’d taken it off yesterday because of the gown and left it in the locker, but today it had vanished.

Since privacy rules forbade surveillance cameras in the changing room, Gu Yao decided to keep calm. Her phone had been ringing all day with her mother’s calls—her usual busy socializing made this barrage unusual, signaling her anger.

Gu Yao chose to ignore them. As she locked her locker, a tall, slender girl entered—the nurse Qin Qing, with straight black hair, similar in stature to Gu Yao.

Gu Yao glanced at her and then at the jacket draped over Qin Qing’s arm.

“Doctor Gu,” the nurse smiled sheepishly, shy by nature, “I’m sorry, it suddenly got cold yesterday, and I didn’t bring a coat. I couldn’t go home after work and saw your locker open with a jacket inside, so I thought I’d borrow it…”

She spoke politely, handing the jacket over. “I’ve already washed it. Really, I’m sorry.”

Gu Yao leaned against the locker, raising an eyebrow without a word. After a moment, she said, “I don’t wear clothes that others have worn.”

“Then…” The nurse looked uncertain, her eyes reddened, as if she’d been wronged.

Gu Yao despised such pitiful acts. Taking the jacket, she walked out and, in front of the nurse, tossed it into the trash bin.

She didn’t think of herself as a saint but disapproved of taking others’ things lightly. If she had encountered such behavior yesterday, she’d rather have shivered on the way home than steal the jacket. That was theft.

The nurse’s eyes filled with tears. “Doctor Gu, what do you mean by this?”

“I don’t mean anything. I’ve already been kind enough,” Gu Yao said, staring at her before turning away.

Thanks to the IV, her cold improved by the next day, though she still had little appetite. She boiled some porridge for breakfast. At work, feeling a bit hungry but with no meal available since it wasn’t mealtime, she borrowed some snacks from Cen Xi and went to the rooftop terrace to eat and enjoy the view.

The rooftop was usually deserted, with only a few sparse plants, mostly neglected.

Today, however, she saw two familiar figures: Director Zhang and the nurse who had stolen her jacket.

They sat closely on a bench, sharing a cup of coffee intimately. Noticing someone approaching, they both hastily turned their heads.

Director Zhang was married with a daughter around five or six years old.

Gu Yao did not shy away; hands in her pockets, she stood calmly and met their gaze. Naturally, the two lowered their heads and slunk away.

Though not old—just in his forties—Director Zhang had risen quickly. His professional skills were mediocre, but his flattery was top-notch, earning the hospital director’s favor. Gu Yao wasn’t close with him; as her superior, he often tried to obstruct her, but she paid no mind.

Cen Xi noticed Gu Yao’s odd expression when she returned and asked, “What did you see?”

“Director Zhang,” Gu Yao replied, unwilling to elaborate.

Cen Xi smirked knowingly. “You saw him with Nurse Qin, didn’t you?”

“You all know?” Gu Yao sat down, surprised.

“Of course. Those two are suspicious. Only you don’t follow gossip, so you didn’t know!” Cen Xi said, then called over a nurse. “Do you know about Qin Qing and Director Zhang?”

“That pair? His wife will find out sooner or later. They’re just showing off now,” the nurse sneered.

The next day, Director Zhang was much more polite with Gu Yao, speaking softly with a forced smile, clearly guilty.

Meanwhile, Su Zhou’s life had become a living hell.

When he studied abroad, he was reckless—only interested in partying. He failed his finals and didn’t bother retaking the exams. He disliked studying and decided to return home to pursue what he wanted.

But reality was harsher than he expected. The family power wasn’t held by his father or mother but by his older brother, who was strict and serious. After the blind date, Su Yu had a conversation with their mother, and the next day Su Zhou was assigned to a small factory under the company.

This factory specialized in manufacturing ship parts for Hangsheng. Conditions weren’t exactly harsh, but there was no downtime. After a few days on the assembly line, Su Zhou complained bitterly and begged to see his brother.

One day, after skipping work, he lingered downstairs at the headquarters building, pestering the front desk clerk until she agreed to call an internal extension. After waiting half an hour, he was grudgingly escorted upstairs by a secretary.

“What do you want?” His brother sat squarely behind the large desk.

“Do you even need to ask? Brother, I don’t want to work there. I want my own career,” Su Zhou said, settling on the sofa.

“What career? Tell me,” Su Yu didn’t look up, flipping through documents.

Unfazed, Su Zhou grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and drank it all in one go. “To be honest, brother, I’m not cut out for business like you. I studied at business school for two years, and all that professional knowledge disgusted me. So I’ve decided I want to be a freelance photographer. Our family’s wealthy, so I don’t need to make money. I just want to be happy.”