Chapter 134: Simply Because He Didn’t Want to Marry Someone He Didn’t Love

He watched Gu Ming’s image broadcast on the large LED screen outside, showing him presiding over a major meeting.

Assistant Song and Attorney Huo were also among those present.

Gu Shiyan appeared sluggish; if anyone were beside him at that moment, they might have mistaken him for someone dull and dim-witted.

This was a critical juncture for Kesheng. Gu Shiyan should have been swamped with tasks—preparing for media inquiries, drafting statements, and formulating strategies to counter Gu Ming.

He should have been preparing...

As he pondered, Gu Shiyan’s mind drifted again.

He pressed his temples. Rongxin... Kesheng, and Gu Ming. Gu Xiang would likely choose to cooperate with Gu Ming...

And the Luo family...

Gu Shiyan picked up his phone and made a call. "Help me keep a close eye on Luo Xingqi from the Cross-Border Trade Department at Kesheng, and pay special attention to anyone associated with Gu Ming."

"Luo Xingqi? The one who just transferred? Why would Gu Ming target him?"

"I’ll explain later. Just keep watch for now and try to ensure he isn’t left alone."

Gu Shiyan hung up.

Perhaps he truly had to submit to the old man’s wishes. Some things could not simply be discarded just because he didn't want them; they were shoved into his palms, coated in a layer of glue, binding everything together.

Gu Shiyan placed a call to Assistant Song.

...

Throughout the entire semester, Luo Xing never saw Gu Shiyan again. He, like the harsh winter of Beicheng, had become a thing of the past.

Luo Xing won the grand prize in the individual competition she had entered, while simultaneously keeping busy with her thesis and various professional certifications.

Even Ming An, who rarely involved herself in gossip, asked Luo Xing during a chance roadside encounter if something had happened between her and Shen Que.

Luo Xing was taken aback by the question. It seemed that since their last visit to the hospital, Shen Que had vanished from her sight. Even during the holidays, he no longer came to the Luo residence as he once had.

At first, Luo Xing had tried to probe by calling him, but Shen Que would respond with flawless, superficial excuses, never truly appearing before her.

It wasn't just Ming An; her parents and Luo Zhou had also asked. Family grudges shouldn't last overnight; if something had happened, it should be addressed openly and honestly.

Yet, every time Luo Xing tried to arrange a meeting, Shen Que would only claim he was too busy.

Gradually, Luo Xing became occupied with her own affairs and grew to neglect these matters.

"I tried asking Shen Que, too, but he won't tell me anything..." Ming An lowered her head, looking troubled.

Luo Xing looked at Ming An, who had also changed quite a bit. She had undergone LASIK surgery and removed her black-rimmed glasses. Her hair was no longer tied into two cute pigtails but was left loose, growing longer with a slight, wavy perm.

She wore a bright yellow long-sleeved sweatshirt paired with a white lace-trimmed skirt.

Luo Xing’s heart skipped a beat. She suddenly realized something, though she couldn't articulate the feeling. She replied quite earnestly, "Perhaps he’s just too busy. Haven’t you and I also gone a long time without sitting down for a good chat?"

Ming An, slightly shorter than Luo Xing, looked up. "Is that so..."

Along the path, the bauhinia flowers were in full bloom, their branches and leaves forming a lush canopy. A slow, creeping sense of loss and emptiness began to grow in Luo Xing’s mind.

It seemed few people could truly stay by one's side forever.

She relaxed and offered a faint smile. "Want to grab a meal together after finals? The five of us?"

Ming An shifted on her toes, hesitating. "I have other plans."

Luo Xing smiled it off, nodding as she looked at the materials in Ming An’s arms. "Alright, then you go on and get busy."

The two went their separate ways.

In August, Luo Xing received news of Gu Shiyan once again through a financial news report.

His voice had taken on a new sense of composure, and his tone during the interview was indifferent—a stark contrast to the stern demeanor of Gu Ming.

Only then did she realize what Gu Shiyan had been doing during his absence.

He clearly had a shortcut to everything: if he had followed Gu Taihua’s will and married Luo Xing, he could have bypassed Gu Ming and taken over Kesheng. Yet, he chose not to. Instead, he relied on his own efforts, step by step, to stand on equal footing with Gu Ming.

A reporter asked a question: "Years ago, Mr. Gu Taihua left a will stating that if you married Ms. Luo, you could avoid many unnecessary detours. Why did you choose a more difficult path? Was it simply because you didn't want to marry someone you didn't love?"

The last part was mere rumor; after all, if it were someone he loved and wanted to marry, he wouldn't have resisted.

Gu Shiyan’s voice turned cold, sounding as if he were laughing or perhaps mocking. "One step at a time makes the path more solid."

It was a standard, flawless response—as if he had answered, yet he had revealed nothing.

The segment followed with an interview with Gu Ming.

The controversy surrounding the will had caused Gu Ming’s reputation to plummet repeatedly. It was only after he returned the shares to Gu Shiyan and arranged for him to take a position at Kesheng that the negative feedback was barely suppressed.

The broadcast ended abruptly.

Luo Xing’s long lashes fluttered. Looking ahead, the driver, seemingly uninterested, switched the radio to a station playing sentimental music.

Luo Xing looked out the window. The weather in Beicheng this summer was bizarre.

One moment it was scorching, the next it was a torrential downpour.

Ten minutes ago, the setting sun, filtered through the shadows of the trees, had brushed against her face; now, it was overcast and gloomy.

Rain began to patter against the window. Luo Xing sat in the taxi, holding a thermos of bone soup prepared by the housekeeper.

These days, the hospital was busy, and Ms. Jiang often forgot to eat. Since Luo Xing had little to do during the summer break, she would have the housekeeper make extra portions every day for her to deliver to her mother.

Her phone chimed—the weather bureau had issued an orange alert for heavy rain.

Luo Xing looked out at the sky. Dark clouds had gathered, and the horizon had turned a hazy, oppressive gray that made one feel inexplicably tense.

A message pinged on her phone.

Mother:
[Xingxing, Mom was too busy and forgot. I’ve been sent on an assignment to Haishi today and I’m already on the highway. Don't bother bringing me the food.]

Luo Xing didn't feel much, only thinking that her mother had been too exhausted lately. She whispered to the driver, asking him to take her back.

"Gurgle..."

Luo Xing looked up.

The driver smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, I haven't had lunch yet. This..."

Luo Xing smiled faintly and handed him the thermos. "It’s perfect. Please, take this. I was going to deliver it to my mother, but she had to go on a sudden business trip. Please don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind! Well, thank you very much." The driver laughed. After all, a meal saved him ten or twenty yuan, and he wouldn't have to rush to pick up as many fares.

"It's no trouble at all."

BOOM—

A deafening roar erupted.

Luo Xing was startled, frozen in place. She looked out the window into the distance, unaware of what had happened.

"We are now interrupting with a live report: a major multi-vehicle collision has occurred on the Nanhua Expressway in downtown Beicheng..."

"Oh my, this... how terrifying. My last passenger just passed through there. Thank goodness for the Bodhisattva's protection..." The driver, while waiting at a red light, pressed his palms together and whispered a prayer.

Only then did the information, which felt like it was going to shatter her skull, penetrate Luo Xing’s suddenly blank mind.

"The highway..."

Luo Xing tried her best to calm her racing heart, her hands trembling as she reached for her phone to make a call.

It couldn't be. There were so many highways; it didn't have to be that one.

But... she was heading to Haishi, wasn't she?