Chapter 140: "Marry me," Luo Xing said.

"Why couldn't I be here? Is something wrong with your head? You being here is the real issue," Luo Zhou said, sounding somewhat speechless.

"Brother," Luo Xing said, handing him the lunch box. "Go check on Mom first. I have something to take care of."

Luo Zhou refused. "He snatched you away last time, and I still..."

Luo Xing tugged at his sleeve. "He didn't know you were my brother when he took me back."

Gu Shiyan looked at Luo Xing, stunned. "He's your brother?"

His mind went blank for a second, during which he recalled how many poor impressions he must have made in front of this brother.

"Brother, you should go back first," Luo Xing said, pressing the lunch box into Luo Zhou's hands before pulling Gu Shiyan away.

Watching them walk off, Luo Zhou shook his head. From high school until now, their tangled fate still wasn't over.

Luo Xing opened a room and kept a tight grip on his hand all the way to the entryway. She looked back at him.

"Last time, I said you did it on purpose for the family fortune... I'm sorry. I know you aren't that kind of person. I just..."

She had been overwhelmed by his sudden kindness, afraid that it would eventually become a trap she had set for herself.

"I'm sorry," Gu Shiyan said, hugging her and leaning close to her ear. "It's because I didn't give you a sense of security that you were always overthinking things."

Gu Shiyan had seen too much duplicity and backstabbing; he rarely spoke his heart. He also rarely gave firm promises. His silence had made Luo Xing doubt his intentions, but was it not also his own fear? He was afraid that Luo Xing was only loving him for a fleeting moment.

Afraid of falling too deep, he had built walls, yet he couldn't help but stand on his tiptoes to look at the scenery outside. A person can be trapped by walls, but the heart cannot.

Once, he had comforted himself by thinking it was impossible for him to truly like anyone to the point of being unable to extricate himself. Now, he admitted his cowardice; he was just a timid man who, fearing abandonment, had retreated and dared not take a step forward. He had thought he was protecting Luo Xing, but to her, it had been a source of harm.

"I'm sorry," Gu Shiyan said, feeling a sudden sense of relief in his heart. "Luo Xing, I treat you well because I like you. It has nothing to do with anything else. I want to treat you well, to make you happy. I kept things from you because I was afraid you would get hurt."

"How could I be so fragile?" Luo Xing asked. "Maybe in your eyes, I grew up protected by my family, but they never hid anything from me just to keep me at ease. They told me that as a family, we should face whatever happens together. Even if I didn't have the capacity to handle it yet, I still had the right to know."

Luo Xing was tired of trivial troubles, but she was not afraid of conflict. The courage to start over, no matter what, was the first lesson her mother had taught her. She had attended many extracurricular classes, perhaps starting them with a casual attitude, but she would never let the mentality of the previous experience affect the next; she treated each as a fresh encounter.

"Even if it really was to protect me, you should have told me," Luo Xing said, holding his hand. "Didn't you say you wanted to marry me?"

"Yao Xiangming let me see that video on purpose, and he let me know the contents of the second will on purpose," Luo Xing said, taking a deep breath. "They want to drive a wedge between us. They are afraid we will actually get married and that you will take the Kesheng shares."

"Gu Shiyan, you can't avoid this. You have to settle things with them now, or they won't give up."

As their eyes met, it felt as if a thousand words had already been exchanged. She understood him, and she was willing to stand by his side.

"Marry me," Luo Xing said.

Gu Shiyan was stunned.

Luo Xing gripped his hand even tighter, and with her other hand, she pulled something out of her pocket. Gu Shiyan’s pupils deepened.

"Did you bring your ID?"

Gu Shiyan held her hand with both of his, bowing his head. "No..."

He wanted to marry her, but it had to be pure, without anything else mixed in. It had to be solely because he loved her.

"If we don't do this, how many years will it take to defeat that old fox? Ten years or more?"

Luo Xing lowered her eyes. "I'm only staying in Country A for one year. I'm only giving you one year."

Gu Shiyan looked up at her. "You knew?"

Luo Xing pursed her lips, saying nothing.

"Did Assistant Song tell you?" Gu Shiyan felt a prick of irritation; he had told Assistant Song more than once not to involve the Luo family.

"This is helping me, too. I don't believe Grandma's death was an accident. Why should a murderer go unpunished?"

"With the remaining shares, if I give you another year, can you ensure he receives the punishment he deserves?"

Gu Shiyan lowered his head, cupping her face to kiss her. The kiss grew deeper, and he pulled her firmly into his arms, holding her so tightly it felt as if he wanted to embed her into his very bones.

After a short while, he leaned over, naturally embracing her. His cool chin rested behind her ear, hidden from her sight. His dark eyes were cold and heavy, his pupils as deep and still as black water.

"I can. I definitely can." His voice was calm and slow, yet it carried the weight of a sharp blade, gleaming with a cold edge.

Luo Xing hugged him and kissed him once. "Stay with me for two days, then we'll go back."

"I want to go to the hospital and see Aunt Jiang."

"Okay."

"Luo Xing."

"Hmm?"

"The food was brought especially for you."

A light laugh escaped her. "I know."

On the way back to the hospital, Gu Shiyan toyed with the two ID cards in his hand, suddenly remembering something and feeling as if he were facing a great enemy. "Then... what about your family?"

Gu Shiyan could disregard Gu Liang's thoughts, but he could not ignore the opinions of Luo Xing's family. They were the ones who had raised her and loved her.

"Trust me, okay? They will agree."

Gu Shiyan looked at the sincere smile on her face. Having grown up in an environment where he was constantly suppressed and rebuffed, he truly could not imagine to what extent parents had to go to make a child trust them so completely, and to be so calm and brave in facing everything.

"I don't agree!" Luo Zhou looked as if he wanted to splash toilet water on Gu Shiyan!

In just this short amount of time, he had tricked his sister away!

"I can agree to you dating freely, but how can you just go and get a marriage certificate so casually? No matter what the reason is!"

Beyond that, Luo Zhou was even more worried about Luo Xing's safety. After hearing her explanation earlier, he understood how terrifyingly complex Gu Shiyan's family situation was.

The three of them had stepped out to talk so as not to disturb the patient. The hallway was empty, and the three were locked in a stalemate.

"Brother, do you know how Grandma died?"

"What does this have to do with Grandma?"

After Luo Zhou finished speaking, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"At first, I felt that with Grandma's personality, it was impossible for her to commit suicide by taking pills. Later, when it was proven, I remained suspicious. But we are just ordinary people; relying only on ourselves, we will never get to the truth!"