novelraw Chapter 152 Choice
Chapter 152 Choice
Gu Yanshen finally raised his head.
He looked at Lin Chen.
Finally, something appeared in those eyes—something on the verge of breaking, something that was about to devour him. The breaking was so deep, so deep that it could not be concealed, so deep that even he himself was about to be submerged.
"I know."
His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping his throat, and every word seemed to be squeezed out of his broken chest.
"I knew she would get hurt."
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.
"Lin Chen".
Gu Yanshen's voice was as soft as a sigh, as if it might dissipate into the air at any moment.
"Do you know how I felt when I saw her rush in front of me?"
His eyes reddened.
Those eyes, which were always calm, composed, and strategic, were now bloodshot.
"Do you know what I was thinking when I collapsed in her arms?"
His voice began to tremble, and his whole body trembled.
"I'm going crazy. I want to kill Li Fengche!"
The hatred in Gu Yanshen's eyes finally surged forth without any concealment. The hatred was so intense that it seemed capable of burning the entire world to ashes.
"If she really..."
Gu Yanshen trembled all over, unable to hold back his sobs, and he couldn't even bring himself to say such a possibility.
"I'm losing control of myself! I'm about to lose control! I don't know what I'll do!"
Gu Yanshen took a deep breath and gradually calmed himself down.
"I had all of Li Fengche's materials submitted directly to the highest level. The shady dealings they've been involved in are enough to get him killed several times over."
His voice turned cold.
"But I still don't feel satisfied."
He looked up at Lin Chen, and there was something heartbreaking in his eyes.
"Lin Chen, so what if you win the whole world?"
His voice softened.
"Only a world with her has meaning."
Lin Chen stood there, unable to utter a single word.
Gu Yanshen looked at him.
"Go ahead and hit me."
He spoke those three words very softly, as if he were asking for relief.
"I don't want to have the surname Gu, and I don't want to go back to the Gu family."
His voice began to crack.
"But once I was brought back and embarked on this path, is there any turning back?"
He looked at Lin Chen as if asking a question he already knew the answer to.
"I once thought about giving up everything and going to Switzerland with her."
The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile, a smile more unsightly than a cry.
"But what's the point of giving up everything?"
"Given the personalities of the three brothers, eliminating them completely is the best way to prevent future troubles. I cannot leave the decision to others. If we don't even have the right to defend ourselves, we can only be slaughtered by others."
His voice trailed off.
"Besides, so many people have followed me these past few years. What will happen to them if I give them all up?"
He looked at Lin Chen.
"I had no choice."
Those four words felt like a heavy stone pressing down on him.
"And she—"
His voice trailed off.
"You can choose to leave me."
Lin Chen remained silent.
He knew every word Gu Yanshen said was true. He knew how Gu Yanshen had survived all these years. He knew about the assassinations, the poisonings, the bloodshed. He knew what Gu Yanshen had sacrificed to gain a foothold.
But he still spoke up.
"But you can't hurt her like this."
His voice was filled with weariness, heartache, and an indescribable complexity.
Gu Yanshen closed his eyes.
"That idiot."
The corners of his mouth curved slightly, a curve that held tenderness, bitterness, and a love that could never be dissolved in this lifetime.
"So foolish as to love me without caring about his own life."
A tear slid down.
Silent.
It's piping hot.
"If we don't do it this way, she..."
His voice choked.
"They won't leave."
He opened his eyes and looked at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with fear—the kind of fear of impending loss that could destroy everything.
"How many times have we been in danger over these three years? If she were by my side, she would put herself in danger for me time and time again. I can't bear it."
His voice began to tremble.
"I really can't take it."
He raised his hand and covered his eyes.
"Now, every time I close my eyes, I see the image of her taking a bullet for me!"
The sound was almost a shout, exploding in the empty corridor before dissipating into the night.
"You know what!"
He lowered his hand and looked at Lin Chen, whose eyes were bloodshot.
"I don't even dare to close my eyes now."
Lin Chen saw that he was trembling violently. The man who was decisive in the business world and could not flinch even when facing a gun was now standing in front of him like a leaf in a storm, with nowhere to lean on.
He couldn't bear to criticize him any further.
"I regret getting involved with her."
Gu Yanshen's voice softened.
"But even without you, she wouldn't have escaped Lu Hao's pursuit."
Lin Chen said softly.
Gu Yanshen smiled.
The smile was faint, so faint it seemed as if he were laughing at himself.
"Then I shouldn't go near her now that she's back."
He looked up at Lin Chen.
"Lin Chen, I'm sorry."
That "I'm sorry" made Lin Chen's heart clench painfully.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something.
But he couldn't say anything.
In the end, he just sighed.
"But I won't give you another chance to hurt her."
He looked at Gu Yanshen.
There was a resolute determination in those eyes.
"Gu Yanshen, from now on, since you've decided to leave her, you must have absolutely no further involvement with her."
Gu Yanshen stood there.
a long time.
Then he nodded slightly.
The movement was very gentle.
It was so light, like saying goodbye to something.
Lu Xiran lay in bed for three whole days.
For three days, she drifted in and out of consciousness, as if trapped in an endless, deep sea. Her consciousness would occasionally surface, only to be dragged back down by the deeper darkness.
Every scene since I met Gu Yanshen is replaying in my mind.
But she couldn't speak.
The physical pain had rendered her unconscious. The pain wasn't localized to any one area, but rather spread from the deepest parts of her body, like countless fine needles simultaneously piercing every inch of skin and every bone. She had always been delicate and pampered, never experiencing such torment.
Sometimes she would be jolted awake by the pain for a moment, see the water glass on the bedside table, see the alternating light and dark sky outside the window, and see the nurse occasionally coming in to change her dressings.
But she couldn't see clearly.
I can't explain it.
Then it will sink back into that chaotic darkness.
Lin Chen looked at her like this.
Although he knew why Gu Yanshen did this, he couldn't understand it.
So no matter how many messages Gu Yanshen sent or how many phone calls he made, he didn't reply to a single one.
He just wanted her to get better.
For the past three days, Xin Mubai's phone has been ringing non-stop.
Although Lin Chen had helped Lu Xiran get leave, he was still worried.
On the morning of the third day, he simply went to the Gu Group to confront them.
He waited at the place that Lin Chen of Ruijing was sure to patrol, as he had learned through his inquiries.
I waited for two hours.
Lin Chen didn't come, but Gu Yanshen and a group of people were seen instead.
Gu Yanshen.
Xin Mubai narrowed his eyes.
He stepped forward.
"Mr. Gu."
Gu Yanshen paused when he saw him.
It was just a fleeting moment.
Then he looked away, preparing to walk around it.
"Mr. Gu," Xin Mubai blocked his way, "Where is Lin Chen?"
Gu Yanshen did not answer.
He wanted to keep going.
"Where is Miss Lu?"
Xin Mubai's voice wasn't loud, but it made Gu Yanshen stop in his tracks completely.