The abandoned daughter of the Lu family turns around and marries a celibate tycoon.

Chapter 211 Seizing the Opportunity

The meeting place with Lu Hao was in an inconspicuous office building. The elevator was old, and the numbers on the floor buttons were worn thin and illegible. Gu Yanxu pressed the eighth floor button, and the elevator slowly ascended, the sound of the cable rubbing against each other particularly jarring in the silence.

The door opened, revealing a long, pale corridor. Both doors on either side were closed, except for the one at the far end, which was ajar. He walked over and pushed it open.

Lu Hao sat inside, a thick stack of documents spread out in front of him. He looked much older than he had three years ago; his hair was completely white, and the wrinkles on his face were like knife cuts, but his eyes remained unchanged—sinister, like an eagle, like a snake, like some kind of cold-blooded animal lurking in the shadows, watching its prey.

"Sit down." Lu Hao pointed to the chair opposite him.

Gu Yanxu sat down without exchanging pleasantries or formalities. He picked up the stack of documents and opened it. The first page contained a photo of Lu Xiran, not a recent one, but from several years ago. She was still wearing her school uniform, standing at the school gate, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

He stared at the photo for a few seconds, then flipped it over. Her habits, her whereabouts, her social circle, her weaknesses—everything was detailed.

"You... are you really that cruel to her?" Gu Yanxu's voice was very flat.

"From the day I found out she wasn't my daughter, she's been a thorn in my side." Lu Hao lit a cigarette, the smoke rising and blurring his face. "My greatest strength is that I'm always prepared. When Gu Yanshen kicked me out of Lu's Group, I knew that one day I would need these things."

Gu Yanxu didn't reply. He flipped through the pages, memorizing the information: her prenatal checkup hospital, her travel routes, the places she frequented, and the shift schedules of her bodyguards. Gu Yanshen protected her very well, almost flawlessly. But even the tightest net has its gaps.

"She goes to the new lakeside postpartum care center that Xue Jingyan opened every Wednesday afternoon for her prenatal checkup." Lu Hao flicked his cigarette ash. "Gu Yanshen accompanies her. There's a corridor from the parking lot to the elevator with blind spots in the security cameras."

Gu Yanxu raised his head and looked at Lu Hao.

How did you know?

Lu Hao smiled. "Of course I have my own way."

Gu Yanxu closed the file and stood up.

What do you want?

Lu Hao also stood up, took a contract from his drawer, and pushed it in front of him. "Lu's shares. I want all of them back that Gu Yanshen took from me. Not only that, I also want 10% of the equity in the Ruijing project."

Gu Yanxu looked at the contract but didn't take it.

"What makes you think I can give you these things?"

"Because your older brother cares about that woman." Lu Hao stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, a spark flying before it went out. "You care about your mother, he cares about her. Everyone has a weakness when they have something they care about. Your older brother's weakness is your bargaining chip."

Gu Yanxu remained silent for a long time. Sunlight streamed in through the blinds, falling on the table in streaks like the shadows of a cage.

"Okay," he said.

Seeing the ruthlessness in his eyes, Lu Hao's smile deepened. "Yan Xu, you're smarter than your older brother. He knows how to win, you know how—not to lose."

Gu Yanxu didn't answer. He put the documents away, turned, and left. The corridor was long, and his footsteps echoed in the empty space, one after another, like some kind of countdown.

For the next week, Gu Yanxu didn't contact anyone. He changed his phone number, checked out of the hotel, and completely disappeared from Jin Qiqi's world. He called Jin Qiqi several times, but she didn't answer.

He cannot go back.

He has already embarked on this path.

She already hated him.

He studied those documents every day, over and over again, memorizing Lu Xiran's schedule perfectly. He knew what time she got up, what time she left home, what time she went for her prenatal checkup, and what time she came home. He knew what brand of milk she liked, that she was sensitive to the cold, and that she slept with her rabbit doll. He dared not miss a single word of this information.

He is also waiting.

Waiting for an opportunity, waiting for Gu Yanshen to relax, waiting for Lu Xiran to be alone.

On Wednesday afternoon, Lu Xiran went to the lakeside postpartum care center for a prenatal checkup. Gu Yanshen didn't accompany her—there was a merger and acquisition hearing that day, which he had to attend. The bodyguards were the same, the car was the same, and the route was the same. Everything was as usual. Gu Yanxu followed at a distance in a rented black sedan. He didn't get too close, observing through binoculars from two intersections away. The car entered the postpartum care center's underground parking garage. The bodyguards got out first to clear the area, and then Lu Xiran got out, standing protectively in the middle. She was wearing a loose maternity dress, her belly already slightly showing. She walked slowly, one hand protecting her lower abdomen, the other being supported by a bodyguard.

Gu Yanxu looked at her, at the friend his wife cared about most. His fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly.

She did nothing wrong.

He knew she was not wrong.

She simply loved Gu Yanshen, was pregnant with his child, and wanted to live a good life. None of these things were wrong.

But her very existence is wrong.

Because she is alive, Gu Yanshen will not let his mother go; because she is pregnant, Jin Qiqi will learn the truth; because she came back, his family fell apart.

He silently repeated those reasons to himself over and over again, until his conscience went numb and his hatred burned within him.

He put down his binoculars, started the car, and drove away.

He did not make a move.

It's not that we dare not, it's just that the time is not right.

Lu Hao had said that they had to wait—wait until Gu Yanshen completely lowered his guard, wait until the bodyguards became accustomed to their actions, wait until they thought nothing would happen. That would be the best time.

Gu Yanxu was waiting.

He also went to see Lian Bichen. Through the glass, Lian Bichen looked even thinner than before, her hair was almost completely white, and her eyes were deeply sunken, like two dry wells.

She saw him, but didn't cry. She simply reached out and touched his hand through the glass.

"Yanxu, don't come anymore." Her voice was very soft, as soft as the wind. "Mom doesn't want you to see me like this."

"Mom, wait a little longer." His voice trembled. "You'll be out soon, very soon."

Lian Bichen looked at him for a long time. Her gaze held heartache, worry, and something else he couldn't understand.

He forced a smile. "Don't worry, everything will be alright. Trust me."

Lian Bichen remained silent.

Unbeknownst to Gu Yanxu, a triumphant smile flashed across Lian Bichen's face the moment she turned around.

At night, Gu Yanshen lay in bed, and Lu Xiran leaned against him, her hand resting on his chest.

"Uncle," she called him, not "Uncle," but "Yan Shen."

"Um."

"What do you think Yan Xu will do?"

Gu Yanshen remained silent for a long time. His hand gently stroked her hair, sliding from the top of her head to the ends, one stroke at a time, as if soothing a frightened kitten.

"I don't know," he said in a low voice. "All I know is that he hates me. He hates me for not letting his mother go. He hates me for breaking up his family."

"That wasn't your fault." Lu Xiran looked up and met his eyes. "She did those things. She hurt me. She—killed our child."

Gu Yanshen looked at her, at those eyes that still shone brightly in the darkness. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

"Ranran, no matter what happens, I will protect you." His voice was soft, as soft as a vow. "I will never let you get hurt again."

Lu Xiran buried her face in his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.

"I know," she said. "I'm not afraid."

She wasn't afraid. Because she trusted him.

Little did she know, those eyes lurking in the shadows had been watching her for a long time.