Chapter 4
A kept woman had no right to ask where the man paying her bills was going.
For three years, I’d behaved impeccably.
Today, however, I kept calling Chi Wang after he left, as though I refused to give up.
He rejected every call.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Excellent. Chi Wang was going to punish me a little.
That meant he wouldn’t answer my calls or visit the villa for at least three days.
Didn’t that make running away much safer?
I hurriedly packed my valuables and secretly moved them somewhere safe.
Late that night, Fang Yun came to see me. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
She didn’t trust me, so she checked everything again.
“Good.” She nodded in satisfaction. “Time to die.”
Gu Bochuan
A great many things happened that day.
First, Gu Bochuan’s men found Shen Mianmian unconscious in an abandoned building.
She was clutching a pearl.
Gu Bochuan’s pupils contracted when he saw it.
He recognized it.
On his wedding anniversary a year earlier, he’d bought Fang Yun a present for the sake of their families.
It was a Chinese-style gown, handmade over three years by an officially recognized master of a traditional craft. Intricate Suzhou embroidery covered it, and every pearl sewn onto it was worth a fortune.
The pearl in Shen Mianmian’s hand had come from that gown.
“Mr. Gu, could your wife really have had someone do this…?” his assistant murmured beside him.
Everyone knew the Gu and Fang families’ union was purely a business arrangement. But Fang Yun was madly in love with Gu Bochuan.
A jealous woman was a frightening thing. Seeing him treat her coldly while being gentle with Shen Mianmian, how could Fang Yun resist striking out at her?
Gu Bochuan closed his eyes briefly. “Hospital first.”
Shen Mianmian woke on the way.
When she realized Gu Bochuan had rescued her, tears streamed down her face, soaking her white dress.
“Mr. Gu,” she said, “I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me. But we shouldn’t see each other anymore.”
“Don’t be afraid,” he said gently. “Who took you there? Did you see the kidnappers’ faces?”
Shen Mianmian hesitated, then shook her head.
“No. I can’t tell you.”
She bit her lip, her eyes misty. “Everyone says you control everything in Jiangcheng, Mr. Gu. Only I know how often your hands are tied.
“I understand how much the Fang family has helped your career, so… you and your wife really mustn’t fight over me again.”
Gu Bochuan’s hand tightened silently.
Fang Yun.
It really had been Fang Yun.
Until then, he’d still held on to a little hope. He’d hoped she hadn’t done this.
Now even that last hope was gone.
Shen Mianmian studied his face.
Through her tears, she said timidly, “Please don’t blame your wife, Mr. Gu. She only did it because she loves you too much…”
Just then, his phone rang.
He could barely contain his anger. “Hello.”