NFBE Chapter 155 Because of love, even a worthless life becomes precious.
Chapter 155 Because of love, even a worthless life becomes precious.
When drunk, Li Xi behaves very well, not making a fuss, but she can be quite annoying than usual.
"Gu Huaizhou, hold my hand and don't let go." Li Xi firmly intertwined her fingers with Gu Huaizhou's, refusing to let him go no matter what.
Gu Huaizhou had never seen Li Xi so clingy.
Originally, Xue Ni and the others wanted to ask Li Xi if she wanted to go sing karaoke, but seeing that she was clinging to Gu Huaizhou's arm and wouldn't let go, and that Gu Huaizhou didn't seem inclined to say anything, they unanimously decided not to include the two of them.
Gu Huaizhou simply pulled Li Xi into his arms and said to Xue Ni, "Li Xi is drunk, so we won't go to karaoke. You guys go have fun. Put all the expenses on my tab tonight. Xue Ni, just give me Chu Xu's phone number later."
"Okay, Brother Zhen, take care with Xixi."
Chu Xu had been waiting by the car for a while. When he saw Gu Huaizhou carrying Li Xi over, he quickly bent down and opened the car door.
Once inside the car, Li Xi clung to Gu Huaizhou like an octopus.
Chu Xu was too embarrassed to look at him any longer.
Because he was holding Li Xi, Gu Huaizhou couldn't fasten his seatbelt, so Chu Xu deliberately drove slower.
But Li Xi couldn't fall asleep, and she felt uncomfortable if she didn't sleep, so she twisted and turned on Gu Huaizhou.
Gu Huaizhou leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and urged Chu Xu, "How much longer until we arrive?"
Gu Huaizhou's voice sounded calm, but Chu Xu, who had been around him for years, could naturally hear the suppressed unbearable pain in his tone.
They're both men, how could Chu Xu not understand?
"Boss, it will take another twenty minutes."
Chu Xu sped up as much as possible, and while ensuring safety, took them back to the apartment in the shortest possible time.
Gu Huaizhou took Li Xi directly back to 2301 and served her wholeheartedly on his king-size bed in the master bedroom.
He was very patient, calm and unhurried, coaxing Li Xi to keep up with his pace and helping her reach the summit...
When I opened my eyes again, it was already broad daylight.
Li Xi lay on Gu Huaizhou's bed, covering her eyes with her hands, recalling over and over the flirtatious words she had said to Gu Huaizhou in the private room last night.
She felt so embarrassed...
After getting up, Li Xi walked around the room but did not find Gu Huaizhou.
However, there was a breakfast set on the table.
Li Xi picked up a fruit salad and called Gu Huaizhou while eating, but then heard the phone ringing from inside the study.
Ok?
Li Xi rushed to the study, only to find it empty.
Li Xi turned her gaze to the tightly closed keypad door.
Click.
Gu Huaizhou happened to open the door and walk out from inside.
Suddenly, his eyes met Li Xi's. Gu Huaizhou's eyes flickered slightly, and he subconsciously reached out to close the door behind him.
Li Xi rushed over and blocked the door, standing on tiptoe to peek inside. What she saw immediately stunned her.
The entire wall facing Li Xi was covered with Gu Huaizhou's paintings, each one depicting a bleeding left hand.
To be honest, this scene looks a bit creepy.
But Li Xi easily recognized that it was her hand.
To be precise, it was her hand when she was a child.
The hand was injured, the back of the hand and fingers were covered in blood, but the small red mole on the middle finger was unique and eye-catching.
With his secret exposed, Gu Huaizhou's handsome face tightened.
"Xixi, do you think I'm a pervert?" Gu Huaizhou's voice was hoarse and trembling, tense and fearful.
This was his delusion over the years, and he was afraid of frightening Li Xi.
Sensing Gu Huaizhou's unease, Li Xi deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Gu Huaizhou, you're too..."
abnormal?
fear?
horrible?
Gu Huaizhou thought of many words, each one negative and derogatory.
But then he heard Li Xi say, "You break my heart so much."
Gu Huaizhou's anxious heart finally relaxed.
In just a few seconds, Gu Huaizhou's emotions fluctuated wildly, more intense than riding a roller coaster.
Noticing Gu Huaizhou's nervousness, Li Xi felt a pang of heartache. "Gu Huaizhou, let me ask you, what will you do if you don't find me?"
Without hesitation, Gu Huaizhou replied, "I will keep looking."
Li Xi put it another way: "So, what would you do if I died in an accident right after you found me?"
Gu Huaizhou's eyes suddenly became unfathomable.
Unable to withstand his gaze, Li Xi tried to lighten the mood, saying, "Don't take it seriously, I was just joking."
Li Xi turned to leave.
Gu Huaizhou suddenly hugged her from behind, rested his chin on the top of her head, and said in a deep voice, "Are you talking about the life that happened in your dream?"
Li Xi was astonished. "You still remember the dream I told you about?"
A long time ago, Gu Huaizhou's true colors were exposed. In order to beg for Li Xi's forgiveness, he knelt outside her apartment for several days and then fainted.
When Li Xi visited him after waking up, she mentioned the 'dream' from her previous life.
Gu Huaizhou always remembered the dream that Li Xi had mentioned, and he guessed that it might be more than just a dream.
"You just asked me what I would do if I had just met you and you died in an accident."
Li Xi couldn't help but ask again, "...What would you do?"
Gu Huaizhou smiled before speaking, "Don't worry, I won't do anything foolish."
"I will help you find out the truth about the car accident, avenge you, and make those who bullied you pay the price they deserve."
"Then, I will explain to my grandfather my decision never to marry in this lifetime."
"After my grandfather passes away, I will continue to lead the Gu Group forward."
Upon hearing this, Li Xi felt relieved.
But she was too relieved too soon, because she heard Gu Huaizhou say again: "But all of this is based on the premise that you are just the benefactor who saved me when I was young, and that we did not know each other, get to know each other, or fall in love."
"Li Xi".
"In your dream, we had just met, and hadn't even had a chance to truly love each other."
"But in this life, I am already obsessed with loving you."
"So, I can't imagine what I would do if I lost you." Just thinking about that possibility made Gu Huaizhou feel suffocated.
Li Xi was terrified.
As an orphan, no one cared whether she lived or died before.
Now, some people even regard her as the oxygen that keeps them alive.
She lives, and so does he.
She's dead; he probably won't be able to go on living either.
Li Xi had never felt that his life was so valuable.
Because I am loved, this lowly life becomes incredibly precious.
"Gu Huaizhou, thank you for your words. They made me realize how important it is that I am alive and healthy."
Gu Huaizhou tightened his arms, holding Li Xi even closer in his embrace. "Then please live well."
"it is good."
*
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the film crew officially resumed work, and Li Xi threw herself back into the busy and intense work of being on set.
Meetings every day, readings with the actors, revising the script...
It wasn't until the Lantern Festival that I had the chance to meet Gu Huaizhou and go back to Xiangyang Mountain with him to spend the Lantern Festival with Grandpa Gu.
Ying Chengfeng is going to Kyoto to attend a medical seminar on behalf of St. An Neurosurgery these days. Since there is no one at home to spend the festival with Ying Li, Ying Chengfeng asked Gu Huaizhou to take Ying Li to celebrate the Lantern Festival together.
Ying Li is in the second grade at a high-end private elementary school. Gu Huaizhou and Li Xi were waiting outside the school gate early in the morning.
Ying Li had already received a text message from her father, knowing that it wasn't the family housekeeper who was picking her up today, but her brother Huai Zhou and her sister Li Xi.
She was so happy that she couldn't help but share the good news with her best friend in class.
From afar, Li Xi recognized Ying Li among a group of children dressed in British-style school uniforms. Her delicate mixed-race features and chestnut-colored curly hair were simply too eye-catching.
"Li Li!"
Upon hearing Li Xi's voice, Ying Li looked up and gazed ahead.
After recognizing Li Xi, Ying Li quickly waved goodbye to her friends.
Her friends all complimented her, saying, "Yingli, your sister is so beautiful!"
Upon hearing this, Ying Li couldn't help but grin.
It wasn't until a gust of cold air entered her mouth and she realized that her gap-toothed tooth was showing again that Ying Li managed to suppress the upturned corners of her mouth.
Ying Li hugged Li Xi's waist tightly.
Li Xi took off her schoolbag, took her hand and walked towards the car. "Your brother Huaizhou is waiting for us in the car. The car is parked a bit far away, let's walk over."
Ying Li nodded gently.
Noticing that Ying Li had her hair styled in a cute princess braid today, Li Xi asked her, "Did the housekeeper braid your hair?"
Ying Li shook her head and typed on her phone: "It's Dad."
"Oh, Dr. Ying is so virtuous?"
Ying Li also wrote: "My dad is amazing! Every Halloween, my costume is always the best in our class!"
"Your dad is amazing."
Ying Li stopped walking, took out her phone's photo album, and showed Li Xi the photos she had saved earlier.
"Let me see."
Li Xi bent down to look at the photos with Ying Li. "Last year you played Princess Elsa, and the year before you played Snow White."
"Is this from your kindergarten days? What's this? Hmm... a vampire?"
"Is this a skeleton?"
Just as Ying Li said, her Christmas outfits are always the most outstanding, not only with exquisite dresses and props, but also with professional makeup and styling.
"Did you have this makeup done by a professional makeup artist?"
Ying Li shook her head and typed, "It was my dad and I who did it together."
"Tsk tsk tsk." Li Xi exclaimed, "Dr. Ying is really amazing. Not only can she handle a scalpel, but she can also do makeup."
"Lili." Gu Huaizhou rolled down the car window and greeted Ying Li.
"Get in the car quickly."
Gu Huaizhou handed Ying Li a bowl of freshly cut fruit, saying, "Sister Li Xi brought you some fruit. Have some to tide you over, and we'll have a big meal tonight."
Because he needed to pick up Li, Gu Huaizhou specifically instructed Chu Xu to drive a five-seater car.
Ying Li consciously sat down on the other side by the window, giving the middle seat to Li Xi, determined not to be a third wheel.
*
When we got back to the Gu family manor, it was already past six o'clock.
Dinner was already prepared, and Gu Wentao was sitting in the hall waiting for them.
After a few brief pleasantries, we washed our hands and went straight to dinner.
After dinner, Gu Huaizhou asked Ying Li, "Lili, have you finished your homework?"
Ying Li used sign language to say, "There's only a little bit left."
"Then go do your homework. After you finish, let your older sister Li Xi accompany you to the gym to play squash, okay?"
The estate has a sports hall with complete facilities, where you can play tennis, basketball and squash, as well as a golf simulator.
Li Xi had never been to the sports center before, but upon hearing this, she became interested and quickly took Ying Li to the tea room next door to do her homework.
After Li Xi and the others left, Gu Huaizhou looked at Gu Wentao and said, "Grandpa, let's go to the study to talk about something."
"Ah."
Upon entering the study, Gu Huaizhou first poured Gu Wentao a cup of hot tea and then informed him, "Grandpa, the identities of the 39 recipients have been fully verified."
Gu Wentao asked, "What's the situation now?"
"Besides Chen Cheng, who has already passed away, there are currently 36 people still alive, and all 36 of them have a certain social standing..."
"Chu Xu and Officer Zhou visited this group of people one after the other, but they all behaved normally."
Gu Huaizhou sat on the sofa opposite him.
He leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped together and resting on his stomach, and said thoughtfully, "I think they had long been prepared for the day when the truth might be discovered, and they had coordinated their statements in advance and rehearsed them countless times in their minds."
"That's why I was able to remain calm when Officer Zhou asked me questions."
Upon hearing this, Gu Wentao also felt that this matter was somewhat tricky. "If a group of people are keeping their mouths shut, it will be difficult to pry them open."
"Besides these 36 people, what's the situation with the rest?"
"Besides the late Chen Cheng, there are two others. One is Min Hanlin. He was a narcotics police officer who died in the line of duty two years ago and was posthumously awarded the title of martyr."
"It is worth noting that this person was working in the anti-drug squad of Dongzhou City 12 years ago."
Upon hearing Officer Min's story, Gu Wentao was momentarily stunned. "He was even a martyr..."
After a moment, he asked in a hoarse voice, "...And the last one?"
“This person seems the cleanest, but we can’t rule out suspicion.” Gu Huaizhou pulled out the information of the donor, number 35, named Chen Feng, and handed it to Gu Wentao.
Gu Wentao took the document, read it carefully, and frowned, saying, "This person died 12 years ago, in May, while the incident in Huai'an happened in September..."
Gu Wentao gripped the documents tightly and voiced his doubts: "What's wrong with this person?"
"It's hard to say whether there's a problem yet, but Li Xi came up with an idea that I found absurd, yet inexplicably couldn't help but believe."
"Oh?"
Gu Wentao asked, "What does Li Xi think?"
"Li Xi thinks that Chen Feng, number 35, may have died in advance, in order to perfectly extricate himself from the kidnapping case five months later."
"His cause of death was being buried in a landslide..."
"This means there are two possibilities: one, he is really buried in the mudslide and can't be dug out; two, he wasn't even in there!"
Gu Wentao looked up abruptly, and said in shock, "So that's how it is."
"As expected of Xi, her thoughts are so varied and unpredictable. I really couldn't have imagined this possibility."
Then, remembering that Li Xi was the creator of Seven Days Nightmare, Gu Wentao no longer found it strange.
The reason he was drawn to the Seven Days of Nightmare was precisely because of its suspenseful story full of twists and turns.
As for his painting style, he's quite old, and it actually looks a bit tiring to look at.
"Did you specifically investigate number 35?"
"researched."
"What did they find out?"
Gu Huaizhou's expression was inscrutable. He said, "This Chen Feng was abandoned at the gate of an orphanage at birth. He was adopted by the orphanage for two years before being adopted by a couple."
"But the couple had a son in the third year after adopting him. Not long after, Chen Feng was abandoned on the streets of Dongzhou City and became a homeless child."
"During his time on the run, Chen Feng was almost abducted by human traffickers, but he was found by a kind citizen and sent back to another orphanage."
After a pause, Gu Huaizhou added, "This kind citizen is none other than Mr. Chen Rudong. The name Chen Feng is also derived from Mr. Chen's surname."
Upon discovering this, Gu Huaizhou became even more suspicious of Chen Feng's death.
Gu Wentao asked absentmindedly, "Do you have any information about this child when he was in the orphanage?"
Gu Huaizhou shook his head with an inscrutable expression. He said, "The orphanage that adopted Chen Feng had a fire eight years ago. Unfortunately, the archives were burned down, and we can no longer find the information on those orphans."
"Chu Xu went to the high school where Chen Feng attended to investigate and learned that Chen Feng was exceptionally intelligent. He skipped grades one after another and went to Germany to study as a senior high school student at the age of 15."
"The school doesn't have much information about him, only his enrollment records and a passport photo from his application to study abroad."
Gu Huaizhou handed the only two documents to Gu Wentao.
Gu Wentao adjusted his glasses, stared at the thin boy in the photo, and said thoughtfully, "This kid is really thin... so thin, he doesn't seem like a murderer."
Gu Huaizhou pondered for a moment and said, "These photos are from when he was 15 years old. When the kidnapping happened, he was already in his early twenties."
"Five years is enough time for him to grow into a mature and mature man."
"Grandpa, my intuition tells me that there's something wrong with this Chen Feng."
Gu Wentao took off his glasses and murmured in distress, "But, if he were still alive, where would he be? And who would he be?"