Chapter 53: "Save my phone number and keep your phone on twenty-four hours a day."

Luo Xing couldn't understand why Grandpa Gu wanted her to give the bracelet to Grandma, and specifically asked her to wait until she returned to Beicheng. Grandma was right here—why didn't he just give it to her himself?

She took the wooden box back to her room and put it away carefully.

Her phone vibrated with an incoming call. Luo Xing answered.

On the other end, Yun Cai’s indignant voice burst forth, “That awful company! Qi Zhi’s injuries are so obvious, and they’re still insisting it’s just makeup for a role! Do they think fans are idiots?”

Luo Xing was momentarily stunned, not quite following.

Then her phone was flooded with notifications—photos sent by Yun Cai, all from Qi Zhi’s biggest fan accounts.

Qi Zhi was dressed in a simple shirt, yet, in the middle of summer, he wore long sleeves and trousers. His posture was upright, a black baseball cap pressed low over his face, but he was accidentally tripped by his assistant’s suitcase and half-knelt on the ground. The expression beneath the cap was clearly one of stoic endurance.

His shirt had ridden up, revealing extensive bruises and scars.

Even though Qi Zhi quickly regained his composure, pulling his shirt down to cover the wounds, the fans swarming him at the airport had captured everything from every possible angle—this scene was photographed from all sides.

Once the images hit social media, Qi Zhi’s fans ignited the internet. Within just a few hours, the topic of “Qi Zhi’s airport injuries” shot to the trending list. The company’s attempts to suppress the trending topic were obvious, but whenever it started to fall, fans and curious onlookers pushed it right back up.

Luo Xing scrolled through the photos one by one, her gaze lingering on Qi Zhi’s injuries.

In her mind, a smiling image of Lu Yuanyi surfaced.

Yun Cai’s agitated voice continued, “I really want to storm their company and smash it up! By the way, Xingxing, aren’t you in the capital? Qi Zhi is filming there too. Go check on him for us—I want to know if those injuries are real.”

Luo Xing swallowed with difficulty.

She thought back to the day of the bet, to what Gu Shiyan had said to her.

It wasn’t that he looked down on her—he had known all along that if she agreed to let Qi Zhi come to her, Lu Yuanyi would only treat him worse.

Suppressing the heaviness in her heart, Luo Xing replied softly, “I understand.”

On the other end, Yun Cai fell silent for a moment. “Xingxing, is something wrong? Why are you so calm?”

Luo Xing didn’t know how to explain; some things were too complicated to express.

“It’s nothing, just a lot going on lately. My brain’s a bit overloaded. Don’t worry—I’ll definitely go see Qi Zhi.”

After ending the call, Luo Xing started refreshing social media for news about Qi Zhi.

But she was startled to see another trending headline—“Heir of Kesun Group Returns to the Capital, Buys Fiancée’s Family Heirloom at Auction.”

Luo Xing’s finger hovered, and she clicked in.

There were no photos from inside the auction venue.

Instead, the article explained that Gu Shiyan, as Gu Taihua’s grandson, had attended the Kesun TH auction and purchased the Star of Zhaoyi at a high price.

The Star of Zhaoyi was a family heirloom of the Wen family, which had been sold off cheaply after the Wen family’s bankruptcy.

Now it was in Gu Shiyan’s possession.

Luo Xing kept scrolling, reading the reporters’ accounts: Gu Shiyan and the Wen family’s eldest daughter had been engaged as children, but after the Wen family’s bankruptcy, the engagement had been dissolved by Gu Taihua’s son, Gu Liang.

A photo popped up.

Luo Xing’s heart fluttered. The photo was poorly composed, mostly showing a zebra crossing and, across the street, a dense cluster of skyscrapers.

But on the zebra crossing stood Gu Shiyan, resplendent in a luxurious suit, carrying a girl in a red velvet gown in his arms.

The girl was barefoot, her fingertips brushing his face.

Luo Xing forced herself to calm down and scrolled further, reading the writer’s interpretation that the girl was the Wen family’s eldest daughter, and lamenting the star-crossed fate of childhood sweethearts torn apart by family misfortune.

Luo Xing exited the article and opened a search for Wen Nuan, the Wen family’s eldest daughter.

The phone screen remained blank, the loading icon spinning endlessly.

She closed the app and turned off her phone.

Drawing a deep breath.

It had nothing to do with her.

Luo Xing began to check Qi Zhi’s public schedule.

She noted the filming location, set an alarm, and decided to visit him the next day.

At dinnertime, Luo Xing went downstairs.

Gu Shiyan was still wearing the shirt from the auction.

At the stairs, Luo Xing paused.

The people at the table looked up at her casually.

Luo Xing lowered her gaze and continued down.

She had expected Gu Shiyan to disappear for half a month, as he had before, but to her surprise, he was home for dinner.

Gu Shiyan also withdrew his gaze.

“Xingxing, come here,” Gu Yunzhi called, beckoning her over.

Luo Xing sat down beside her.

There was no eye contact or conversation between Gu Shiyan and Luo Xing at the table.

Gu Shiyan finished eating first, set down his utensils, and prepared to leave.

“Gu Shiyan.”

Luo Xing stood up and, with a polite smile, said to Gu Taihua and Gu Yunzhi, “Grandma, Grandpa, take your time. I need to speak with him outside.”

The two elders nodded.

Luo Xing was about to follow Gu Shiyan out.

He glanced at her coldly. “Did I say I wanted to talk to you?”

“Three minutes,” Luo Xing blurted out.

Gu Shiyan tilted his head, a trace of mockery in his voice, “You’re quite quick, aren’t you.”

With that, he strode outside.

Luo Xing followed closely.

They stopped beside the pavilion in the back garden.

Gu Shiyan glanced at his phone. “Speak.”

“Thank you for standing up for me at the auction, but I still think what I said afterwards wasn’t wrong. Why were you angry?”

Luo Xing fixed her gaze on him.

“Which eye of yours saw me angry? What you say has nothing to do with me, does it?” Gu Shiyan stared at the swaying gardenias by the pavilion and let out a soft laugh. “Luo Xing, do you really think I’d get upset over a single word from you?”

His gaze was sharp. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Luo Xing took a deep breath. “Fine, pretend I never asked. Last question—Qi Zhi and…”

“I don’t want to answer.” Gu Shiyan cut her off before she could finish. The moment she mentioned Qi Zhi’s name, his expression turned cold.

“If you want to know, ask him yourself.”

He stood before Luo Xing, blocking the sun halfway down the mountain. Their shadows overlapped and flickered across the stone path.

“Do you remember the terms of the bet?”

Luo Xing nodded. “I remember—two months. What do you want me to do?”

Their tones were both light and sharp, not a word wasted—like two strangers, saving time for each other.

“Save my number. Keep your phone on, twenty-four seven.” Gu Shiyan opened his contacts and showed her his number.

Luo Xing stared at the all-too-familiar digits, resisting as she opened her phone’s notes.

“Why not add it directly to your contacts?” Gu Shiyan remarked, then sneered, “Oh, you don’t want to save me, is that it?”

Luo Xing said nothing.

She was simply afraid—afraid that as soon as she entered that number, his name would appear below it.

“Call me,” Gu Shiyan instructed.

Hearing his commanding tone, Luo Xing pursed her lips. “I’ve already memorized your number.”