AD Chapter 44
Gu Lingfeng took Chu Zichen to the hospital. After a check-up, it turned out there was nothing serious—just some soft tissue bruises and a minor ankle sprain. A few days of rest would do the trick.
Chu Zichen looked relieved as he gently touched his foot. “Thank goodness it’s not a bone injury. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to keep practicing. We’re right at the most critical stage of rehearsing for the new song.” As he spoke, he looked up at Gu Lingfeng, his expression a mix of lingering fear and pitiful grievance.
“Lingfeng, I really didn’t think Su Ning hated me that much. I just said I wanted to see you, and then he just…” He deliberately paused there, then sighed, half acting spoiled, half pleading on Su Ning’s behalf.
“Maybe he still holds a grudge about being assigned as my assistant before. I was under a lot of pressure during filming, and when I get tired, I do get irritable. Maybe he took it personally. But I’m sure pushing me down the stairs was just a momentary loss of control. So, Lingfeng, can you promise me not to blame him? After all, he’s worked for you for more than four years. I don’t want you to lose a good assistant because of me.”
Gu Lingfeng sat by the bedside while Chu Zichen tugged at his sleeve, tilting his head up to look at him—as if the man before him was his entire world. He knew he looked best from this angle.
Very few men could harden their hearts under a gaze like that. Coupled with Chu Zichen’s soft, slightly coquettish voice, it made one feel like giving him everything he asked for.
Yet Gu Lingfeng looked completely unmoved, his expression calm and unreadable.
“You don’t want me to lose this assistant? Is that really how you feel?” Gu Lingfeng lowered his eyes, glancing at Chu Zichen with a faint smile. He gently removed Chu Zichen’s hand from his sleeve.
Chu Zichen froze, a trace of unease creeping in. Despite his injured foot, he crawled closer, trying to hug Gu Lingfeng. But Gu Lingfeng abruptly stood up, arms behind his back, looking at him with indifference.
“Lingfeng, what’s wrong? Of course, I mean it,” Chu Zichen said, his voice trembling with genuine fear this time, tears brimming in his eyes.
Gu Lingfeng bent down slightly and gently patted his cheek. “If you behaved yourself, I would actually still like that face of yours. But unfortunately, you’re always causing trouble for me. You’re not worth the hassle.”
Tears streamed down Chu Zichen’s face as he desperately clung to Gu Lingfeng’s hand. “Lingfeng, please—I know I was wrong. Don’t do this. I won’t cause you trouble anymore, I swear I’ll behave. Please don’t leave me.”
Gu Lingfeng emotionlessly pulled his hand away, gazing down at the sobbing Chu Zichen with cold, unfeeling eyes.
He didn’t bother saying anything else and turned to leave the hospital room without a trace of reluctance, leaving Chu Zichen behind on the bed, crying in despair.
Just moments ago, he’d thought he had eliminated a rival in love—only to realize the next second, he was the one being dumped.
Falling from heaven into hell—there was no better way to describe the feeling.
—
When Gu Lingfeng returned to the villa, the first thing he saw was Su Ning sitting alone on the stairs. He was curled up tightly, as if trying to keep warm, with his head buried in his arms. He didn’t move, and it looked like he had fallen asleep in that position. Who knew how long he’d been sitting there?
Judging by where he sat, it was exactly the spot where Gu Lingfeng had last stood before leaving. Most likely, Su Ning hadn’t moved since he took Chu Zichen to the hospital.
Gu Lingfeng’s eyes darkened slightly as he walked over.
After a while, Su Ning sensed someone standing in front of him. He slowly lifted his head from his arms. His eyes were red. When he saw Gu Lingfeng, he stared at him blankly, almost as if he couldn’t believe his own eyes.
He stayed frozen in that position, neck tilted up, staring at Gu Lingfeng for a long time without moving.
Gu Lingfeng frowned slightly and gave him a light flick on the forehead. “You’re not that bright to begin with, and you get even dumber at critical moments. Didn’t I tell you to keep your distance from Chu Zichen? And yet you let him drag you into this mess.”
Su Ning cried out in pain and held his head. There was too much information packed in that one sentence. He blinked at Gu Lingfeng, looking confused, his long lashes fluttering like little fans.
Gu Lingfeng’s hand itched. He reached out and tugged lightly at Su Ning’s lashes. Su Ning yelped and tried to stand, but his legs had gone numb from sitting too long. He stumbled forward—only to be caught firmly in Gu Lingfeng’s arms.
“Ow, that hurts. My legs are numb…” Su Ning hissed through his teeth and clutched Gu Lingfeng’s arm to steady himself, unaware of how much it resembled a gesture of affection.
“M-My legs are asleep. I can’t stand up.”
Gu Lingfeng almost sighed, his expression exasperated. “How do I even have an assistant as dumb as you?”
Despite his words, he carried Su Ning downstairs and placed him on the sofa. Then he sat down beside him and pulled Su Ning’s legs onto his lap to massage them.
As he worked on Su Ning’s legs, Gu Lingfeng casually mentioned how he’d dumped Chu Zichen at the hospital. Su Ning listened in disbelief. Just moments ago, he had been worried he’d get fired—now his boss was telling him he’d broken up with his lover?
His job was safe. That alone made Su Ning feel overjoyed. But beneath that was a faint, hidden sweetness he didn’t dare name. Watching the man beside him carefully massaging his legs, Su Ning gathered his courage and asked tentatively:
“President Gu… why didn’t you believe what Mr. Chu said? You didn’t even see it happen with your own eyes. What if I really had pushed him?”
“You think I’m as dumb as you?” Gu Lingfeng gave him a sharp look. Su Ning shrank his neck and gave a sheepish smile. But Gu Lingfeng wasn’t going to let him off that easily. He released Su Ning’s legs, leaned over, and questioned him directly:
“You knew he had bad intentions—so why did you still walk right into his trap? Got so riled up by his words that you fell for it. What’s that thing on your neck for, decoration?”
Su Ning thought back to what Chu Zichen had said. It still made his chest feel tight. Though he felt a bit wronged by Gu Lingfeng’s accusations, he didn’t dare talk back. Instead, he mumbled quietly, “Well, you’re the one who brought him here… that gave him the chance.”
Gu Lingfeng was speechless, staring at the fuzzy head in front of him, unable to form a reply for a moment.
After a long pause, just as Su Ning was getting nervous and about to apologize, a warm palm suddenly landed on his head, gently ruffling his hair.
A faint sigh drifted down from above.
In that instant, Su Ning’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Author’s Note:
Bittersweet turning to sweet—isn’t it? ❤️
Comments
Post a Comment