Tang Yongzi must have learned a lot about his relationship with Gu Chengyuan from You Lin, but You Ran couldn't figure out how much Qu Yun knew.
The only solution is to change the subject.
“Tang Yongzi, so you two are still in contact.” You Ran glanced at him.
"Do you think this move will work?" Qu Yun, who was very strong, big, and occasionally quite lewd, saw through her plan at a glance.
"If you don't trust me, you can leave and find someone better." After saying this, You Ran suddenly felt a sense of relief.
The two were very close, and You Ran looked into Qu Yun's eyes through her clean, non-prescription glasses.
A hint of hatred slowly rose within him, but in the instant it reached the surface of his eyes, it gradually transformed into a sense of helplessness: "If I could control it, I would have done it long ago."
This answer left You Ran speechless.
But she was certain that now was not the time to get entangled with Qu Yun.
Firstly, Gu Chengyuan's emotions were unstable, which was precisely the time when he needed someone to accompany him.
Secondly... faced with Qu Yun like this, You Ran's heart became somewhat confused.
It felt like early autumn rain; the air inside the car was thick, the windows were blurry, and you couldn't see the scenery outside.
So she waved her hand and said, "I don't have time to talk to you about this now. As we agreed, you should go back first... if you're willing to wait."
Just as he was about to leave, Qu Yun's words drifted over: "I won't let you be alone with Gu Chengyuan."
Then, he turned and stood in front of You Ran, his deep, clear eyes locking onto her: "Between me and him, who do you choose?"
"I won't choose any of them."
You Ran disliked Qu Yun's tough attitude and took a step forward, preparing to break through from the side.
But Qu Yun gripped her shoulders and continued to press, "At least give me a straight answer: do you consider him family or a man?"
As time flew by and she realized she had been out for quite some time, You Ran was deeply worried about Gu Chengyuan's condition.
At this moment, she had no time to talk to Qu Yun.
Escaping from the side was indeed difficult. In desperation, You Ran could only grit her teeth, exert force with her legs, and sink her body, trying to pass directly between Qu Yun's legs.
It's not just wishful thinking.
First, Qu Yun's feet were spread apart, giving her enough room to move.
Secondly, Qu Yun's hands gripping her shoulders were firm, providing her with some support.
So, You Ran did just that.
She had planned the beginning, but she hadn't anticipated the ending.
Qu Yun never expected You Ran to use this trick, so when her body suddenly fell, she could only subconsciously bend over to protect her body. This made the gap between her legs bigger, allowing You Ran to pass through more smoothly.
If You Ran's bottom had been on the ground, her head would have narrowly missed Qu Yun's crotch.
Unfortunately, because Qu Yun was strong enough, he was able to keep her body steadily lifted, still twenty centimeters off the ground.
In other words, You Ran's head was a full twenty centimeters taller than originally planned.
So, her face bumped into Qu Yun's little brother.
That hard object hit You Ran's nose and hurt.
While enduring the pain, You Ran comforted herself: Oh well, oh well, consider it as taking advantage of him once.
Force is mutual, and You Ran's face also hurt Qu Yun, who immediately relaxed his grip on You Ran.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, You Ran quickly lowered her body, squeezed between Qu Yun's long legs, and ran towards Gu Chengyuan's ward.
While she was worrying about how to comfort Gu Chengyuan, You Ran realized when she entered the ward that there was no need to worry about it.
Because no one would listen to her comforting words—Gu Chengyuan had vanished without a trace.
You Ran's body felt cold to the bone. With those blows gone, who knows what might happen to Gu Chengyuan.
You Ran immediately notified the hospital, and everyone searched everywhere, looking in every corner, but still couldn't find a trace of Gu Chengyuan.
Finally, it was Qu Yun who suggested checking the surveillance footage, and they discovered that less than two minutes after You Ran left the ward and talked with Qu Yun, Gu Chengyuan put on his coat, left the ward, went down the stairs on the other side of the corridor, and left the hospital.
You Ran quickly informed her parents and explained the situation to them. The three of them then decided to split up and search for the missing person.
You Ran went to all of Gu Chengyuan's houses, his friends' houses, and his business partners' houses, but to no avail.
You Ran knew that Qu Yun had been following her, but she didn't want to pay attention to him.
Disappointed, he emerged from the last place where he thought Gu Chengyuan might be, and his leisurely foot stepped on a pebble, twisting his ankle.
Qu Yun immediately stepped forward to help her up, but You Ran abruptly pushed his hand away.
She got very angry.
This applies not only to Qu Yun, but also to myself.
Why would she leave Gu Chengyuan at that time? She must be crazy.
You Ran thought she was so stupid she should be humanely euthanized.
She tried to persuade Gu Chengyuan to give up his hatred and donate part of his liver to save his father, like a saint. Did she think she was rehearsing a melodramatic soap opera?
And at the moment when Gu Chengyuan was so weak, she left the ward without regard for the consequences, completely disregarding his feelings.
Yes, she was so stupid that she despised herself.
"Don't follow me. Seeing you will make me feel even worse." You Ran pushed Qu Yun away.
Then, she hailed a taxi, sped in, closed the door, gave a random place name, and ordered the driver to drive off.
Only after driving a sufficient distance did You Ran dare to look back.
She saw that Qu Yun stood still, like a stone statue, completely motionless.
You Ran curled up.
She really messed everything up.
After getting off the bus, I stood by the roadside, feeling lost and anxious.
We've searched everywhere, but there's still no trace of Gu Chengyuan. What should we do next?
Just then, her phone rang. After ringing four or five times, You Ran seemed to wake from a dream and answered it.
Unexpectedly, it was Gu Chengyuan's voice over there.
“You Ran.” His voice was weak, as if the background noise was about to drown it out.
"Brother, where are you?" You Ran shouted, completely ignoring the stares of passersby.
Gu Chengyuan did not answer; he simply asked in a low voice, "You Ran, I'm very cold right now."
"Brother, please tell me where you are, I'll come right away!" You Ran looked around on the street, her bangs fluttering helplessly.
"It's cold, just like when you left me." Gu Chengyuan's voice was stiff, yet tinged with a hint of etherealness.
It seems that Gu Chengyuan is unwilling to reveal his location.
You Ran was anxious, but she forced herself to calm down and tried to listen to the background noise on the other end of the microphone.
There seemed to be a lot of laughter, mostly from children, and music.
The melodious and cheerful music drifted in faintly, touching a string deep within You Ran's memory.
That's the music from the carousel in the amusement park.
You Ran remembered that on her eighteenth birthday, Gu Chengyuan took her to the amusement park at the northernmost part of the city.
That day, You Ran rode the carousel again and again, and Gu Chengyuan stayed with her the whole time.
The music was exactly the same as what was coming from the other end of the microphone.
Perhaps, Gu Chengyuan is there.
You Ran rushed to the amusement park as quickly as possible, bought her ticket, and headed straight for the carousel.
On a seat next to the steel railing, You Ran saw Gu Chengyuan.
She rushed forward, but stopped a step away from him.
Gu Chengyuan's eyes remained fixed on the spinning carousel and the children sitting on it, but he knew that You Ran was right beside him.
"Do you remember? That afternoon, you were sitting in this. Let me think, you were sitting on that white horse, weren't you?"
"Brother, your injury hasn't healed yet, let's go back to the hospital first," You Ran advised.
“That day, I stood by the fence, watching you. Your face seemed to be filled with all the sunlight. I smiled at you, but my heart was being gnawed by hesitation.” Gu Chengyuan recalled softly, “I was thinking that if I did what I did next, I would never see your smiling face again.”
"But you said something back then: your parents would take you to ride the carousel every week when you were little."
“You know what? Mom used to take me to ride the carousel a lot, just the two of us. Those were my happiest times... but that was before you were born.”
"At that moment, I suddenly felt a lot of hatred for you, so I dragged you down into the abyss."
"You were the only one who loved me, but I pushed you away with my own hands. Just like you said, I will be alone for the rest of my life."
Whether due to weakness or something else, Gu Chengyuan's voice gradually lowered.
"Brother, I just said it without thinking, don't take it seriously," You Ran quickly explained.
“That’s true. Mom let go of my hand, and you let go of mine too. No one will hold on tight anymore. I brought this on myself.” Gu Chengyuan’s smile was thin, like a transparent ice flower.
It will soon melt in the sunlight.
You Ran grasped Gu Chengyuan's shoulder, trying to help him up, but Gu Chengyuan's hand covered hers instead: "You Ran, are you leaving with Qu Yun?"
You Ran didn't have time to answer the question, because she felt that Gu Chengyuan's palm was sticky and moist.
She jerked her hand away and was horrified to see that the back of her hand was covered in blood!
He quickly approached Gu Chengyuan and noticed that blood was slowly flowing from the wound on his abdomen.
You Ran was shocked and took out her phone to call an ambulance, but Gu Chengyuan held her hand tightly.
"Let go! Are you out of your mind?!" You Ran was extremely anxious.
"You Ran, you don't understand. Living such a lonely life is meaningless." The flower at the corner of Gu Chengyuan's mouth grew thinner and thinner.
"I, and Mom and Dad, are all here with you!" You Ran was restrained, because her violent struggles would tear Gu Chengyuan's wounds open even more.
“Those feelings can’t warm me. All I want is you, my wife.” Gu Chengyuan suddenly pulled a diamond ring out of his pocket, his bloodied finger staining the brilliant diamond red. “You Ran, pity me or not, just don’t leave me again. Don’t let go of my hand.”