Su Yicheng was dying, her body temperature dwindling rapidly.
"Su Yicheng, you're about to die, aren't you? Haha... So you've seen this day too. I'm elated, to say the least. Always putting on a superior air, who were you trying to impress? I'd love for your grandpa and brothers to see your pitiful deathbed state. Oh, forgot, that old man has probably already crossed the bridge to the netherworld. You might catch up to them if you die soon, hahaha..."
A malicious, manic laugh emerged from the cellphone.
"Let me tell you something out of consideration for your impending death. The one who betrayed you is your delicate best friend, Jiang Yun. She's also the one who stole your design drafts. Shocking, right? If Huai Wen hadn't wanted revenge on your family or plotted to take over your property, and if it wasn't for Gu Tingzhou protecting you, you'd have died five years ago!"
Su Yicheng realized that it was all due to her misplaced feelings and trust that led to the collapse of her family.
She was so full of resentment and hatred. But it was too late. She was dying.
Su Yicheng closed her eyes in despair.
In her dying moments, Su Yicheng thought she heard the sound of a cane hitting the ground.
With great effort, she opened her eyes and saw a tall and upright figure stumbling towards her. Tenderly he picked her up, salty tears dropped on her lips, and then they were kissed away softly.
It was Gu Tingzhou...
With one hand pressing firmly down on Su Yicheng's wound and the other securely holding her, Gu Tingzhou said, "Baby, don't be afraid, I'm here. I will take you back home, don't be afraid."
"Gu... Gu Tingzhou... being able to die... in your arms... I am... already... satisfied. Go on... live a good life with a good girl, forget... forget me..."
"Su Yicheng, Su Yicheng!" The painful shouts of a trapped beast began to fade into the distance. Su Yicheng closed her eyes.
"How can I forget you? I can't forget..." Gu Tingzhou gently stroked Su Yicheng's face. "Baby, can I stay with you? Wait for me, okay?"
Gu Tingzhou...
......
Pain, her whole body ached as if she had been run over by a car.
Struggling, Su Yicheng opened her eyes to a pristine white ceiling.
"Yicheng, you're awake! How do you feel?"
A voice filled with surprise reached her. Su Yicheng stared blankly at Su Zicheng.
Wait, hang on. Wasn't he dead? What is he doing in the hospital? And where's Gu Tingzhou?
"Brother, where's Gu Tingzhou?”
Su Zicheng looked puzzled at his sister. Wasn't she the one who found Gu Tingzhou most annoying, erupting into anger every time his name was mentioned?
"Gu Tingzhou is in the next room, you two were in a car accident together. Tell me what happened? Did he bully you?”
Car accident?
"Brother, what's the date today?" Su Yicheng asked with urgency.
"May 16, 2015. Yicheng, are you alright?" Was her brain damaged? Su Zicheng thought he might need to talk to the doctor later.
May 2015? That's right, she had traveled back five years in time, to the moment of the car accident she had with Gu Tingzhou. How she wished her rebirth could have been earlier. Then Gu Tingzhou's legs wouldn't have been crippled.
"Gu Tingzhou didn't bully me, I was the cause of the accident." Su Yicheng felt a dull pain in her heart. She had been the one lured by Li Juan to ask Gu Tingzhou for a divorce, threw a tantrum and wrestled for the steering wheel that leads to the car accident even after Gu Tingzhou explained that he wouldn't get a divorce.
Luckily, she came back to life, her father, brother, grandfather, all were still here, and the Su family hadn't fallen yet. The tragedies from her past life would absolutely not be repeated again. As for all those who harmed her, she would surely make them pay.
"Ah, Yicheng, if you truly don't like Gu Tingzhou, we should just cancel the wedding," said Su Zicheng, heartbrokenly patting his sister's hair. "I initially thought that Gu Tingzhou wasn't as bad as the rumors made him out to be. After meeting him a few times, he seemed quite steady and reliable. You'll be happy if you marry him."
The union between the two families was a step up for the Su family. Many people wanted to marry into the Gu family, and yet after Lady Gu’s visit to Yulan Temple, the marriage fell onto Su sisters’ shoulders. Now with such a fuss, the marriage might not go through. Gu Tingzhou's right leg being permanently injured only emphasized that he’s the precious grandson of the Gu family. No one knew how things would end.
"Brother, I will not cancel the wedding. I won’t break off the engagement with Gu Tingzhou," said Su Yicheng confidently.
"Yicheng is awake." The door was pushed open and a handsome young man with a clear voice walked in. Su Ziyi walked in behind Su Grandfather and stepmother Li Xiulan into the room.
"Second Brother," Su Yicheng, on seeing Su Ziyi, couldn't help her tears. In her past life, her second brother's career was booming when he was falsely accused of indecent assault on a minor. The ensuing online violence drove him to depression and he committed suicide.
"Alas, my dear Yicheng has suffered." Su Grandfather pushed past his grandsons and sat beside the bed, a face of heartache as he held Su Yicheng's hand, "Tell me where it hurts, oh, my poor little girl."
"Grandpa, I'm fine, please don't worry," said Su Yicheng, smiling at the man who loved her the most.
In her past life, she was blinded by her stepmother Li Xiulan, kept distant from her beloved family, and drawn closer to cruel outsiders.
"Yes, the marriage cannot be cancelled. The Gu family is one of the most prestigious families in both S city and the country. You will enjoy a luxurious life once married into Gu's," Li Xiulan hurriedly replied. A nutcase pairing with a fool - What a perfect match!
Huh, luxurious life? If it’s truly so, why not let her precious daughter marry into it? It's only because she heard of Gu Tingzhou's ill reputation - cruel and careless, not caring for the wellbeing of others, she feared Li Hanya would suffer. Besides, Li Hanya is now so popular her career would be ruined if she got married.
Su Yicheng didn't want to see Li Xiulan's hypocritical face.
"You, get out!" Su Yicheng glared at Li Xiulan, cold and sharp.
"You!" Li Xiulan's face almost twisted with anger, yet she still had to act like a loving mother, though it only worked on deceiving her father.
"Is this child's head damaged? I am your mother. Is that how you speak to your mother?"
"Mother? My mother passed away ten years ago, who are you?"
Li Xiulan clenched her handbag resentfully and left the room.
"Grandpa, big brother, I want to go see Gu Tingzhou. The car accident happened because of my tantrums, I owe him an apology." Su Yicheng lifted the blanket, ready to get out of bed.
"I'll accompany you," Su Ziyuan supported Su Yicheng, intending to go with her.
"Second brother, I want to go by myself."
"......Alright, just take it slow." Faced with his sister's insistence, he found it hard to disagree.
As soon as Su Yicheng walked out the door, she saw four or five bodyguards stationed at the entrance of the room opposite hers. It was so like the Gus style, not even a fly could get through.
"Miss Su, Mr. Gu is resting," Gu Tingzhou's assistant Lin Hong blocked Su Yicheng.
"I just want to see him, I won't wake him up..." Her words were cut short by someone who pushed the door open from inside.
"Su Yicheng, you have the nerve to show up!" Yun Ye angrily glared at Su Yicheng, blaming her for being the cause of his friend's accident.
"How is Gu Tingzhou? I want to see him. I want to apologize to him.”
"He's perfectly fine, and he'll be even better if you just stay away from him." He didn't know what schemes this woman was harboring. If it weren’t for her, Gu Tingzhou's legs wouldn't have been...
Yun Ye's harsh words hit her like a smack in the head. She was well aware of how annoying she used to be; Yun Ye’s attitude towards her was to be expected.
"When he wakes up, tell him that I came to see him," Su Yicheng said, then turned around to leave.
"Why do I feel that this woman has changed a bit? What do you think, Lin Hong?"
"Whether she has changed for better or worse, as long as she no longer poses any harm to Mr. Gu, that’s all we can hope for."
"Right, I'll keep an eye on things here, you head back to the company and make sure those old guys don't take this opportunity to stir up trouble."
...
Gu Tingzhou sat quietly in the wheelchair near the window, turning his head to his friend as he heard the door open. His pale complexion couldn't hide his delicate and handsome face, one that could drive women mad. However, very few people had actually seen Gu Tingzhou.
"Why the look? You heard everything, didn't you? I didn't take advantage of her. The reason you're avoiding her isn't because you're afraid she'll make a scene about the divorce again, is it? I don't know what kind of spell Su Yicheng has cast on you to make you so unyielding!"
Gu Tingzhou did not respond, steering his wheelchair silently towards the window, watching Su Yicheng get into a car under the escort of her family and leave.
Su Yicheng could only belong to him.
A divorce? He would never allow it!