Two years ago, Gu Beixian couldn't stand on his legs, his will was shattered, and he was prone to suicidal thoughts.

Su Hua developed a habit.

Day or night, the moment he vanished, she'd fear the worst and tirelessly search for him until he was found, only then could she rest easy.

Even after his legs healed, the habit persisted.

Su Hua pushed open the door to the guest bedroom next door; the bed was empty.

She then headed to the study, which was also vacant.

She searched the bathroom, the balcony, downstairs, even the kitchen, but Gu Beixian was nowhere to be found.

Her heartbeat was in disarray, thumping wildly.

As if someone was drumming on her heart.

She knew he wouldn't take his life now, but the fear was instinctual.

She pushed open the door and hurried towards the courtyard.

A massive bolt of lightning suddenly streaked overhead, illuminating the pitch-black night as bright as day, followed by a thunderous boom.

Su Hua covered her ears, but her searching steps didn't stop.

In the flickering light, she saw a tall figure approaching her, cold and clear.

A snow-white shirt tucked into black trousers, his waist firm, his posture tall and straight.

His pale face was clear-cut and handsome, his features sharply defined.

Despite the evident weariness in his eyes, his refined and noble aura was undiminished.

It was Gu Beixian.

Su Hua breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against a tree nearby, clutching her chest, panting in short, rough breaths.

Yet her gaze remained fixed on the man.

Upon seeing Su Hua, Gu Beixian quickened his pace towards her.

When he reached her, he took her hand, his cool palm enveloping her fingers completely, and asked, "Why did you come out?"

After sizing him up and seeing he was unharmed, the anxiety in Su Hua's heart finally settled.

With a hint of fear she said, "Where did you go in the middle of the night?"

Her voice trembled slightly with her breaths.

Gu Beixian looked at her, a subtle change in his eyes, and said lightly, "Just stepped out for a smoke. When the thunder started, I worried it might scare you, so I came back."

After speaking, he led her by the hand back towards the house.

As they reached the doorway, the rain began to pour down, splashing up a scent of wet earth.

The rain fell so fiercely, it felt more like a summer downpour than a spring shower.

Once inside, Su Hua smelled the strong scent of smoke on him and chided, "Weren't you supposed to have quit smoking? Sneaking a smoke again, you've been naughty."

Her tone was half-scolding, half-complaining, like she was reprimanding a child.

This amused Gu Beixian, who chuckled, "I won't smoke next time."

"You always promise so earnestly, yet you smoke again next time," Su Hua said, a bit annoyed.

"I was feeling troubled tonight; I'll try to smoke less in the future," he promised.

Remembering what Gu Aoting had said, Su Hua guessed what was troubling him.

Grandmother Gu wouldn't let him divorce, yet his father was pressuring him to do so.

Caught in the middle, he must have been in a difficult position.

Su Hua tentatively asked, "Am I the one bothering you?"

Gu Beixian's gaze faltered slightly, then he ruffled her hair and said softly, "Yes, you silly girl, you're so silly it's annoying."

There was a hint of playful banter.

Su Hua, who had been feeling a bit melancholic, couldn't help but laugh at his "silly girl" comment, and playfully rolled her eyes at him, "You're the silly one."

A smile flickered in Gu Beixian's eyes, "Next time, don't come looking for me; I'll be fine."

Su Hua said softly, "It's a habit."

Gu Beixian paused, his grip on her hand tightening, and he didn't let go for a long time.

The two changed into slippers and went upstairs side by side.

Su Hua said, "You smoked, go brush your teeth."

"I've already brushed them tonight."

Su Hua nudged him gently with her shoulder, her voice soft, "Go brush, will you?"

Gu Beixian smiled, holding her shoulder, "You've been a bit different lately."

"How so?"

"You've become a bit coquettish, and you talk more than before."

Su Hua smiled, "Don't all you men like girls who are a bit coquettish?"

Gu Beixian's lips curved in a smile, "Indeed."

He let go of her and stepped into the bathroom.

Su Hua followed.

His right hand was injured, making it difficult to squeeze the toothpaste, so she did it for him.

Gu Beixian took the toothbrush with his left hand and began brushing in front of the mirror.

Perhaps people are more emotional at night.

Su Hua thought about the limited days she had left with him and felt a touch of sadness.

She couldn't help but wrap her arms around his waist from behind, burying her head in his back.

She said nothing, but her heart was filled with reluctance.

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To be fair, aside from the annoying presence of Chu Suosuo, he was faultless.

After brushing his teeth and rinsing his mouth, Gu Beixian took her hand and said, "Su Hua, you've been rather clingy lately."

Su Hua raised an eyebrow, "Am I bothering you?"

"Not at all."

He laughed and took her hand, heading towards the bedroom.

The wind picked up, rustling the curtains.

Gu Beixian walked to the window and closed it.

They lay down on the bed.

Another thunderclap, louder than before, nearly deafening.

Su Hua shivered instinctively.

Gu Beixian pulled her into his arms, covering her ears with his hands, kissed her forehead, and whispered, "Don't be scared, I'm here, go to sleep."

Su Hua hummed in response, snuggling into his embrace.

She found a comfortable position and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

A week later.

After breakfast with Gu Beixian, Su Hua took the driver's car to visit her grandmother at the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital and getting out of the car, she received a call from an unknown number, a young man claiming to be Gu Aoting's assistant, who politely said, "Miss Su, our chairman would like to meet with you."

Remembering the words Gu Aoting had said to Gu Beixian on Qin Shu's birthday night.

Su Hua felt a heavy weight in her heart, as if she was undergoing a slow torture.

But Gu Aoting was an elder.

She had no reason not to meet him.

They agreed to meet at ten o'clock at a café near the hospital.

Su Hua arrived ten minutes early.

Ten minutes later, Gu Aoting arrived on the dot.

He had an imposing appearance, a solemn expression, and an overwhelming presence that was intimidating even without speaking.

Su Hua was slightly nervous but stood up and politely called out, "Dad."

Gu Aoting nodded and gestured for her to sit.

Once seated, he ordered a black coffee, glanced at his watch, and said, "I'm very busy and don't have time to beat around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point."

Su Hua's heart pounded, but she maintained a polite smile, "Please speak."

Gu Aoting took a sip of his coffee and said, "You know I have two sons, Gu Lin and Beixian. Although Beixian is the younger, he's more talented, and I value him more. Three years ago, when he first joined the company, it didn't take long for him to stand out and excel. Unfortunately, he had a car accident later. If it weren't for the accident, given your status, you would never have crossed the class divide to marry him. You two are from completely different worlds."

Such words were deeply hurtful.

It was as if he was pointing at her nose, calling her low-class, accusing her of reaching above her station.

Su Hua's smile froze.

Her fingers clenched tightly around the cup handle.

Gu Aoting's gaze was probing as he looked at her, "The Gu and Chu families have been in business for many years, and Beixian and Suosuo have been childhood sweethearts. We've always seen Suosuo as the future daughter-in-law. The reason we chose you for Beixian was because Suosuo went abroad, and you resemble her. Beixian needed someone to accompany him, and that person could have been you or any other girl who looked like Suosuo."

Su Hua always thought she had a good psychological resilience.

But at this moment, she was struggling to hold on.

Her lips were tightly pressed, and she said nothing.

Her hands gripped the cup, her head bowed.

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any second.

Gu Aoting's merciless voice continued, "You've given three years of your youth and helped Beixian a lot, but he has also helped you. Not to mention anything else, just the money you've received from Beixian is more than many people could earn in a lifetime. It's wise to know when to stop, Miss Su. You're smart; you should know what to do, right?"

After a long silence, Su Hua hummed a low acknowledgment.

Seeing her agreement, a smile appeared on Gu Aoting's face, "Let's keep our meeting a secret from Beixian. You're a reasonable girl; you wouldn't want to see a rift between him and me over such a trivial matter, would you?"

A trivial matter?

Su Hua laughed mockingly to herself.

To her, it was a matter of a lifetime.

To him, it was a triviality.

She forced back her tears, slowly raised her head to look at him, and said calmly, "I understand."

Gu Aoting's smile deepened, "You're a good girl, and I actually quite like you, it's just your family... As a businessman, the most important thing to me is the company, the culmination of several generations of the Gu family's efforts. Don't blame me for being practical; that's just how the world is."

The term "uncle" made Su Hua laugh.

He probably never considered her part of the family.

"I understand, uncle. Goodbye." With that, Su Hua grabbed her bag, stood up, and left.

Since she was prepared, Su Hua didn't feel too upset.

When she left the café, her expression was quite calm, as if nothing had happened, her back straight.

She didn't cry, not a single tear.

But once back at the hospital, she sat in the small garden for the entire morning.

There was a wisteria tree in the garden.

She sat on the bench under the wisteria, quietly admiring the flowers.

The wisteria bloomed splendidly, with clusters hanging thickly on the branches, the small flowers crowded together.

She had always thought it was a lively flower.

Today, she realized how sorrowful it bloomed, the dense clusters filled with inconsolable sadness, almost overflowing.

She was so engrossed in the flowers that she didn't notice someone watching her from afar.

It was a tall man, with long, powerful legs, dressed in high-quality black casual wear, his face masked.

He had beautiful eyes, dark and deep, with long, black lashes.

Those eyes were cold when looking at others, but warm and bright with moisture when looking at Su Hua.

As long as Su Hua sat there, he watched her silently.

Only after Su Hua left safely did he completely disappear into the crowd.