"good."
"That's all for now." Liang Feifan waved his hand, wanting to be alone for a while.
"That's it?" Chen Yubai didn't leave, but instead took a step closer.
"That's it? Brother, aren't you going to send someone to take care of Fang Yicheng? Maybe Gu Yan will come back when she hears the news. Or, she might lose all hope and give up on the rest of her life after hearing this news. That's fine too, even if she's dead, we'll at least find her body."
Liang Feifan's eyes sharpened instantly as he looked up coldly at Chen Yubai. Chen Yubai forced himself to appear fearless, squatting down to be level with the seated Liang Feifan. "If Gu Yan can disappear, she can never come back."
"The six of us have been through so many dangers together, but never before have I felt so helpless. Now you should know that you, Liang Feifan, are not omnipotent."
"Brother, do you want to lose Gu Yan for the rest of your life?"
Liang Feifan's eyes blazed with overwhelming fury, pressing down on Chen Yubai. He clutched his shoulders, his knuckles turning blue from the effort. Clearly, he was restraining himself. His gaze was sharp and fierce, and Chen Yubai met his eyes with a steely resolve, cold sweat pouring down his back, even bracing himself for the possibility of his elder brother's gun pointing at his forehead at any moment. But he was still going to take the gamble.
Sometimes, good and evil, success and failure are just a matter of being pushed back by a single straw. If he wasn't mistaken, besides pain and anger, there was also a hint of hesitation in Liang Feifan's eyes.
"You should go back first."
After a long while, the murderous aura around Liang Feifan gradually faded. He stood up, walked to the bed where Gu Yan often slept, lay down, closed his eyes, and whispered to Chen Yubai.
Chen Yu nodded and, lifting his limp legs, walked out step by step.
"Put aside what I just told you. I need to think about it carefully." Liang Feifan's deep, resonant command came from behind.
Chen Yubai finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Liang Feifan turned over and buried his head in her pillow, the scent of her hair filling his nostrils, and a wave of melancholy washed over him.
How could he sleep alone on such a dark night?
...
A fierce battle that would be talked about by the elderly in City C for years to come suddenly lost its initial intensity. Hongye's stock price gradually stabilized, and the Liang family quietly sold off the shares they had previously purchased at high prices. With the injection of funds from Hongye, Hongji restructured and relisted.
Fang Yicheng's appointment letter was held up at the last hurdle and changed to a transfer order. He was hired by the US FBI and the Chinese military's friendly cooperation unit as the chief instructor. Two weeks later, one morning, he headed to the United States.
Jason's men passed through City C for the last time, and Liang Feifan politely saw them off, effectively closing the door on City C to them. However, having made a considerable profit this time, he was quite satisfied and bid them farewell.
However, in just over half a month, City C returned to a state of calm and prosperity.
Rong Yan sat in Liang Feifan's office, sprawled out in Liang Feifan's CEO seat, exuding an imposing aura. Li Weiran and Qin Song were playing rock-paper-scissors on the sofa when Qin Song's cloth was cut by Li Weiran's scissors. Qin Song let out a groan, obediently got up, walked towards Rong Yan, pounced on him, grabbed his waist, and dragged him down.
"Damn it! Xiao Liu, are you asking for a beating?! Let go of me, do you hear me?!" Rong Yan struggled for a moment, but Qin Song dragged him down by his feet and slid him off the chair. Li Weiran took the opportunity to grab his upper body, and the two of them swung like on a swing, throwing Rong Er onto the sofa.
Liang Feifan stood by the window admiring the scenery. Turning around and seeing an empty seat, he walked over and sat down. Rong Yan, looking disheveled, stood up and yelled at Chen Yubai and Li Weiran, "We agreed that whoever finds Sister Yan will be the CEO! Don't you have any integrity?!"
Chen Yubai smiled gently, walked to the sofa, and plopped down heavily on Rong Yan's stomach. Rong Yan screamed repeatedly, his head and feet were being pressed down by Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, and Chen Laosan was sitting on top of him, making it hard for him to breathe.
Ji Nan arrived late and immediately saw a group of figures looming on the sofa. Her second brother had been tricked by the three of them again. She yelled and rushed forward, sweeping away the fifth and sixth brothers with a single kick, then turned and pounced on Chen Yubai. Chen Yubai quickly stood up, dodging a left hook from the fourth brother, and the cunning third brother began to change the subject, "Your second brother has done a great service, we're celebrating for him."
Ji Nan snorted coldly. Qin Song got up from the ground and grinned, "It's true, your second brother found that runaway bride."
Ji Nan was now excited. He grabbed the half-dead Rong Yan and shook him violently, "Really?"
Rong Yan was breathless from the ordeal, his head hanging low as he waved his hands, "I really wish I hadn't found you three treacherous villains who attacked meritorious officials! And my brother, that untrustworthy tyrant!"
Chen Yubai and the fifth and sixth brothers burst into laughter.
Ji Nan was overjoyed. They had used almost all their connections to find Gu Yan, and now they had finally found her. But seeing Liang Feifan still sitting there indifferently, without any expression, he was extremely puzzled. Didn't he give up his empire for the sake of beauty? Didn't he even relinquish the Fang family, which he had almost acquired, for her return? Why was everything so calm now that they had found her?
"Brother, aren't you going to bring her back?" Ji Nan jumped onto the desk.
Liang Feifan smiled, picked up a document and began to read. "If she doesn't want to come back, she'll just run away again even if I bring her back." For the past month, without her by his side, he had tossed and turned day and night, thinking about countless things. Li Weiran said he was more mature than before, Chen Yubai said he was more profound. He knew he had matured. Longing can change a person.
"Then let her be?"
“She will come back,” Liang Feifan said calmly, lowering his head to carefully read the documents. “I’ll wait for her to come back on her own.”
"Where is Gu Yan now?" Ji Nan asked the others. This was strange; City C was their territory, who was so powerful that they couldn't find someone hiding there?
Rong Yan glanced at the guilty Li Weiran, then looked smug. He had spent a lot of effort finding it. "It's in a private courtyard in the suburbs. It's Zhou Yanhui's property."
Speaking of this, Qin Song sighed deeply and nudged Li Weiran, "This time, Yan Hui's case is probably not as simple as offsetting his merits and demerits. Fifth Brother, right? Even if he's one of our own, such a serious crime still needs to be punished, right? Right?" Gu Yan couldn't have gone to Zhou Yan Hui's place for no reason; she barely knew Zhou Yan Hui. Yan Hui was shrewd and cold-blooded. There were probably very few people in the world who could order Zhou Yan Hui to oppose Liang Feifan. It was easy to guess that the fifth brother's family member was definitely involved.
Li Weiran, who was trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, angrily slapped Qin Song on the back of the head. Qin Song was hurt and his handsome face turned red with anger. The two of them started punching and kicking each other again.
Liang Feifan seemed to be outside their world, focused on his work. Ji Nan tapped the table and softly defended his friend, "Actually, Gu Yan didn't do much wrong this time, brother, don't blame her."
Liang Feifan grunted and frowned impatiently, "I know what I'm doing. Stop arguing and go do what you need to do. I'm busy."
Chen Yubai and Rong Yan said "Chah!" and each dragged Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu out. Ji Nan whistled and followed them leisurely with her hands in her pockets. As the door closed, she mischievously poked her head in and said, "Hey, bro, you're holding your documents upside down."
The door closed, and Liang Feifan stared blankly at the upside-down document in his hand before laughing.
Time and separation were the best remedies for his calming down. Over the past month, as he cleaned up his mess, he gradually realized how irrational he had been. No wonder that girl said they missed the moment when they were both mature enough. Yes, he now admitted that it was his immaturity that had happened.
Yan'er, I think I've become more sensible lately.
And you?
Deep love
On an early spring afternoon, the wind was still bitingly cold.
The room, decorated in a classic, elegant Eastern traditional style, was filled with the soothing aroma of incense. A Western-style fireplace, carved into the wall, was burning brightly. The warm atmosphere made one feel drowsy.
Zhou Yan sat at the table, drinking cup after cup of tea, occasionally glancing sideways at the woman in the recliner by the fireplace. She had never seen a woman who could eat and sleep so much. She had just gotten up around 10 a.m., eaten two large bowls of rice, burped twice, and then said she wanted to take a nap.
Gu Yan seemed to sense his disdainful gaze, and suddenly removed the book covering her face. "Zhou Yan, return."
"have!"
"At ease! Oh, I want to eat lychees."
Zhou Yan leaned back and said, "Do you think you're Yang Guifei? Where would you get lychees at this time of year? Why do you ask for everything you don't have? You're not happy unless you cause me some trouble every day, are you?"
Frustrated, Gu Yan threw all the books at him. Zhou Yan covered his head and, with practiced ease, nimbly retreated. Gu Yan shouted in a shrill voice, "Don't run! Stand at attention!"
Zhou Yanhui awkwardly lowered his hand, swallowing his anger, his handsome face contorted in pain, "I said, why don't you go back! With Liang Feifan, even if you wanted to eat human flesh char siu buns, he could steam a whole basket for you!"
Gu Yan rolled her eyes at him, then said smugly, "It's easy to invite a god but hard to send him away. I'm just going to stay here! I'm not going back! I'm not going back!" As she spoke, she suddenly felt that what he called human flesh char siu buns was disgusting, so disgusting that she wanted to vomit.
Zhou Yan, who had been standing far away, noticed her sudden silence. He came in through the door and approached, only to be shocked by her pale face. He rushed over, picked up the book from the floor, and helped her, who was still standing there with her hands on her hips like a shrew, to lie down. "Gu Yan? Gu Yan?" he called out anxiously, patting her face. "Don't scare me! What's wrong?"
"I'm hungry," Gu Yan said pitifully, sniffling. Suddenly, her expression changed, and she kicked him hard. "If you don't listen to me, I'll tell Liang Feifan that you kidnapped me! That you want to take over the Liang family! I'll also tell Li Weiran that you're still not over Sangsang, that you're deliberately helping her, that you're trying to please her! That your motives aren't pure!"
Zhou Yan stumbled backward, "Fine! Lychees, huh? Oh my god! I'm so damn unlucky! I must have killed your whole family in my past life!" He cursed as he walked out, utterly regretting it. How could he have brought such a jinx here! From the day she moved in, she'd been causing trouble non-stop, demanding this and that. Lately, she'd gone even further, cutting all the internet and electrical cables in the entire courtyard. Heating was done by the stove, relaxation by reading, and lighting by candles. She claimed, with great conviction, that electricity generates magnetism, producing radiation that's bad for the body.
Zhou Yan really wanted to expose her. The day she disappeared, Liang Feifan's men searched the city like a carpet search. These past few days, he's been increasingly worried and has been suspecting that he's being watched.
But since she was Sangsang's friend, he had no choice but to accommodate her and serve her personally. He gave her whatever she wanted, and when she was bored, he would even offer to entertain her.
Actually, Qin Sang's text message that day only had three words: "Help me."
Without thinking, he replied with just one word: "Okay."
Who knew it would involve helping her get Gu Yan out of the Liang residence! The task itself wasn't difficult; he'd lent Liang Feifan a large portion of the patrolmen outside the Liang residence. The problem was, going against Liang Feifan was a terrifying prospect!
However, Zhou Yan still quietly brought Gu Yan from the Liang residence to this remote courtyard. They stayed there for more than a month. With spring in full bloom, Liang Feifan and Fang Yicheng stopped fighting, and everything was peaceful. It seemed like the perfect time for the male and female protagonists to reunite after their ordeal and mend their broken relationship. Unfortunately, the female protagonist just wouldn't move.
As Zhou Yan's footsteps faded into the distance, Gu Yan's lips curved into a smile.
The warm winter sun shone through the window, casting a soft beam over her. She bent her fingers, and a playful shadow appeared on her sweater, nodding like a tiny person.
The surroundings were tranquil. This courtyard was purchased by Zhou Yan Hui a few years ago. It featured a classic Eastern garden design, with bridges over flowing water, pavilions, and winding corridors. The twelve bedrooms each had a different main color scheme, supposedly at the suggestion of a pretentious woman who planned to change rooms each month of the year. It was said that Zhou Yan Hui bought it intending to spend his life with her here. It was also said that Zhou Yan Hui was deeply in love with that pretentious woman. But it was also said that in the end, Zhou Yan Hui was left alone here, facing the garden's beauty with a sense of loss.
Love truly comes in a thousand forms. Even someone as wicked and unruly as Zhou Yan Hui could be manipulated by love.
Gu Yan touched her belly, a strange warmth welling up inside her. A lump formed in her throat. Lately, she'd been crying easily.
She's not a child anymore. Given her unusual emotions, picky appetite, and physical changes these past few days, she guessed that she might have a get-out-of-jail-free card. No matter how angry or resentful Liang Feifan was, he couldn't punish her for anything.
Perhaps it's time to go back.
She really misses him!
...
This was the day Gu Boyun was to go to Europe for surgery.
In the bustling airport, Gu Boyun was followed by a large group of medical staff; the old man looked quite well. Check-in time was approaching, and Gu Mingzhu noticed his reluctance to leave, his eyes constantly darting around. She softly comforted him, "She's always been clever; nothing will happen to her. The place Qin Sang arranged for her to stay is very safe, don't worry. I'll definitely have her pick you up when you return, okay?"
Gu Boyun didn't want to say anything discouraging like "no return," so he smiled and said nothing. Just as he turned to leave, a familiar, clear voice rang out behind him, "Dad!"
Gu Mingzhu and Gu Boyun turned around in surprise at the same time.
It really was Gu Yan.
“I overslept, haha,” Gu Yanyi walked over gracefully, took off her gloves and held Gu Boyun’s hand. “Dad, have a safe trip. I’ll be waiting for you to come back here.”
"My child..." Gu Boyun choked up. He hadn't seen his youngest daughter for so long, and this hasty farewell would be the last time he saw her if he didn't make it off the operating table. Saying it wouldn't matter if she didn't come would be a lie to himself and others.
Gu Mingzhu gently comforted her father, telling him not to get agitated. Gu Yan and her sister quickly took turns trying to console him. Gu Boyun's lips trembled as he patted her shoulder. Gu Yan suddenly stepped forward, smiling, and hugged him, whispering something in his ear. Gu Boyun's eyes lit up, and he pushed her away, looking her over with obvious delight.
Gu Mingzhu heard it too, and chuckled, patting Gu Yan's head. "Gu Yan, you've really gotten smarter. Using the emperor to command his father, hmm, not bad, my sister wins this round completely."
Gu Yan smiled radiantly, holding her father and sister's hands, very happy. Gu Mingzhu's eyes darted around and she noticed something. Suddenly, she took a small step back, crossed her arms, stroked her chin, and stared at her younger sister without blinking. "Hmm, are you wearing a bulletproof vest underneath?"
Gu Yan touched her head, smiling foolishly. Lately, she often smiled like this, "Huh? I've gained a lot of weight?"
"No," Gu Mingzhu looked behind her, her eyes even more amused, "I'm just afraid that before you can explain yourself, someone will—BIU." Gu Mingzhu made a gun gesture, then blew on it seriously. Gu Boyun and Gu Yan both laughed at her rare playful behavior.
Gu Yan turned around following her gaze and saw a handsome, tall man standing about ten steps away, staring blankly. He had lost a lot of weight, and his cheeks were slightly sunken. The light in his eyes flickered, and the way he stared at Gu Yan seemed as if he wanted to devour her.
Liang Feifan knew Gu Boyun was leaving today; he was simply seeing off an elder. He was late because of traffic. When he saw her at the airport, he thought he was hallucinating.
The person who had been missing for so long was wearing a bright red down jacket, his hat and scarf wrapped up so tightly he looked like a ball. He turned around looking silly, like a little penguin. Seeing him, I didn't run away or get scared; instead, I laughed so happily.
Liang Feifan's Adam's apple bobbed a few times. He pursed his lips and strode over. Gu Yan involuntarily shrank back, but as he passed by her, he didn't even glance at her. Instead, he nodded to Gu Boyun, "Uncle Gu, have a safe trip. I've contacted my father; he'll pick you up at the airport." Gu Boyun nodded, glancing at his smiling young daughter and Liang Feifan's ashen face. He wanted to say something but couldn't. Finally, he waved his hand, "You're all grown up now. Make your own decisions." He smiled, turned, and entered the gate.
As her father's figure receded into the distance, Gu Mingzhu turned around and let out a long sigh of relief. "Alright, I can say I've accomplished my mission. You can settle your scores now. But, Liang Feifan, I advise you to be careful, lest you hurt innocent people and regret it later." She walked past Liang Feifan, who stood like a stone pillar, and strolled away gracefully.
Gu Yan waved to her sister, then turned and quietly looked at Liang Feifan. His gaze was fixed on a point in the distance, and she couldn't tell what he was looking at. She smiled and tugged at his sleeve, then tugged again when he didn't react.
Liang Feifan glanced at her coldly, then flung her away. Gu Yan stumbled, barely managing to regain her balance. He then turned and left.
"Liang Feifan!" Gu Yan stamped her foot and called his name sweetly. His steps faltered. Gu Yan quickly caught up, wrapping her arms around his and clinging to him playfully. Liang Feifan's body trembled slightly, and his eyes reddened as he looked at her. Gu Yan's heart softened instantly, and she nuzzled his arm with her beanie-covered head, "Liang Feifan..."
"Why... are you holding me?" His voice was harsh, trembling, hoarse, and suppressed.
Gu Yan pouted cutely and rubbed against him again. Liang Feifan's eyes burned even hotter. Remembering the torment of the past few days, he hated the woman in front of him who was rarely acting cute and trying to please him. He gently shook her off twice, but she clung to him tightly and wouldn't let go.
Passengers coming and going in the airport saw the beautiful girl in red entangled with the tall and handsome man, assuming it was another entanglement between a prince and princess, and would smile knowingly and walk away.