AD Chapter 48
| Previous | Table of Contents | Next |
Gu Lingfeng still couldn’t find Su Ning, so he simply buried himself in work. He practically enslaved himself with an overwhelming workload, leaving not a single moment of free time—because the moment he stopped, he would start thinking about Su Ning. Wondering where he was hiding now, whether he was taking good care of himself, and if there were any aftereffects from the transplant surgery.
More than once, he dreamt of Su Ning lying on a cold operating table, a white cloth covering his pale face. Then he’d wake up from the nightmare, drenched in sweat.
Eventually, it was his friends who couldn’t stand seeing him like that anymore. They dragged him out of the office and took him to a bar.
“He’s just a little fling. Is it really worth all this? With your qualifications, you could find someone even better in minutes. Why hang yourself from one tree?” His friend had helped look for Su Ning and knew the current state Gu Lingfeng was in was all because of that assistant who had worked with him for five years. He had helped, but he didn’t understand why Gu Lingfeng was acting like this. After all, Gu Lingfeng never seemed particularly attached to that assistant before.
Well… maybe the only thing different about Su Ning was how long he had stayed—longer than any of Gu Lingfeng’s previous lovers.
Gu Lingfeng said nothing. Even though he’d tried everything to find Su Ning, he hadn’t explained their relationship to anyone.
One drink after another, Gu Lingfeng quickly got tipsy. His friend’s original intention had been to help him relax and forget about Su Ning, but seeing how recklessly he was drinking, he started to worry and tried to stop him—but it was no use.
Watching Gu Lingfeng drink more and more, the friend had no other option but to call Su Weiwei. Thinking she was his fiancée after all, and right now Gu Lingfeng was at his most vulnerable, who could comfort him better than her?
By the time Su Weiwei arrived, Gu Lingfeng was already so drunk he couldn’t even recognize people. Outwardly, he still looked composed—his hands steady as he held his glass, not reacting to anyone calling him.
Turning down his friend's offer of help, Su Weiwei took the half-conscious Gu Lingfeng into a nearby hotel with the help of the driver.
“Lingfeng, Lingfeng…” Su Weiwei called his name softly, placing a hand on his shoulder and slowly leaning closer. But before she could even touch his clothes, Gu Lingfeng swatted her away. Drunk and unable to control his strength, his hand hit her hard enough to leave a red mark on her skin.
Though completely drunk and unable to recognize anyone, Gu Lingfeng instinctively rejected anyone getting close. He mumbled one name over and over. When Su Weiwei heard what it was, her face darkened immediately.
He was calling for Su Ning.
Su Weiwei stared silently at the seemingly calm but clearly unconscious man for a moment, then picked up the room phone and called the front desk, asking them to send up more alcohol.
While Gu Lingfeng pushed Su Weiwei away, he didn’t resist when she handed him drinks. She poured him glass after glass, and before long, Gu Lingfeng was fully unconscious, passed out on the sofa.
“Lingfeng, Lingfeng.” Su Weiwei called his name a few more times, but the man lying on the sofa didn’t stir. She paused for a moment, then asked the hotel staff to help move him to the bed.
She followed him up, climbed into bed, and looked down at the sleeping man with soft eyes. Slowly, she began to undress.
“Lingfeng, you belong to me. I’m the only one who truly loves you,” she whispered, pressing her naked body against his.
—
The next day, Gu Lingfeng woke up with a pounding headache. His first realization was that he wasn’t in his own bedroom, but in a hotel. His second realization was the naked woman lying beside him. Clothes scattered messily across the floor, like evidence of some wild night.
His face darkened instantly, expression growing ugly.
—
Meanwhile, across the city, in a newly opened café, Su Ning pulled his clothes tighter around him and sneezed. Rubbing his nose, he mumbled, “Someone must be talking about me.”
The young girl cleaning equipment at the counter quickly put down what she was doing and looked at him with concern. “Ning-ge, are you not feeling well? If you’re sick, go home and rest. You don’t need to stay here. I can handle things on my own.”
Su Ning was lying on a lounge chair behind the counter, with a light blanket over his legs. In a season where most people were still in short sleeves, he wore long sleeves, long pants, a somewhat thick jacket, and had a blanket on top. He looked out of place.
In just a short time, he had lost a lot of weight. The oversized jacket made him look like a child. His face was gaunt and pale, almost translucent, lips nearly devoid of color.
“I’m fine. There’s nothing to do at home anyway. Better to be here watching over the place,” Su Ning said breezily. Though he looked sickly, he seemed to be having a good time playing games on his phone, smiling like a carefree kid.
Zhou Mingming pouted. “Ning-ge, you just want to mooch off the café’s Wi-Fi to play games, don’t you? Watching the shop, huh? You can’t even carry a single cup of coffee. What exactly are you watching over?”
Su Ning looked up from his game and chuckled, “Caught red-handed. Ah well, I’m the boss, aren’t I? With staff out front handling everything, of course the boss gets to slack off.”
Zhou Mingming laughed in disbelief. “Fatty would cry if he heard this. Same boss, but you lounge around here all day, sunbathing, gaming, occasionally checking the cameras and counting money. Meanwhile, Fatty has to source supplies, deal with customers, visit other shops to learn from them, and even work the floor—serving customers and cleaning up. Wow, come to think of it, I feel more sympathy for him than myself. He works harder than even the lone employee here.”
Su Ning looked a bit sheepish, tucked his phone away, and smiled awkwardly. “Well then… should I help out?”
He started to get up, but Zhou Mingming panicked and rushed to stop him. “Ning-ge, no! Stay put! I was only joking. Dr. Qin specifically told you to rest. You absolutely mustn’t exert yourself, not even lift a cup.”
“Isn’t that a bit exaggerated?”
Zhou Mingming’s expression turned serious. “Did you forget how bad your last episode was? Your body’s more fragile than porcelain now—you can’t even take a bump. In Fatty’s words, you’re just a store mascot. You don’t need to do anything else.”
Comments
Post a Comment