novelraw Chapter 215 From Beginning to End
Chapter 215 From Beginning to End
"Yan Xu?" Song Zhihe's voice brought him back to reality. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." He lowered his head, avoiding her gaze.
"You've softened your heart?" Gu Yanbo's voice came from the side, tinged with sarcasm. "Think about your mother. Think about how long she was in there. Think about who caused this."
Gu Yanxu clenched his fists. His mother. Lian Bichen. She had done those things, she had harmed Lu Xiran, but she was his mother.
He couldn't bear to watch her die in prison.
"I didn't soften my heart." His voice was firm.
"That's good." Gu Yanbo patted his shoulder. "We're all in the same boat. Your mother's matter, my parents' matter, my matter, and Song Zhihe's matter, all depend on this."
Song Zhihe looked at Gu Yanxu, at his tightly pursed lips and pale knuckles.
"What's next?" she asked.
"Next, just wait." Gu Yanbo stood up and walked to the window. The rain was still falling, and the windowpane was covered in water droplets, making the outside world look like a faded painting. "Wait for the public opinion to ferment, wait for Gu Yanshen to make his move. The more he protects her, the angrier netizens become. The more he explains, the less people believe him. The more he suppresses her, the more guilty he seems. Whatever he does is wrong. That's the internet."
Song Zhihe watched the numbers on the screen jump around constantly—shares, comments, likes—the numbers were increasing every second. Her fans were fighting for her, single-mindedly protecting her.
"Zhihe." Gu Yanbo turned around and looked at her. "Don't forget what you promised me."
"I know." She lowered her head. "After it's done, half of the Gu family's resources will be mine."
"Not only that." Gu Yanbo laughed. "But also everything about Lu Xiran. Her reputation, her child, her man—none of it is hers anymore."
Song Zhihe stared at Lu Xiran's photo on the screen, at the face she had hated for so long. She thought she would be happy. But she wasn't. She just felt tired. That kind of tiredness seeped into her bones, and she couldn't shake it off no matter what she did.
At the same time, at Gu Yanshen's home.
The three sat in the living room, several laptops and phones spread out on the coffee table in front of them, their screens displaying a deluge of insults. Lu Xiran leaned back on the sofa, her hand resting on her lower abdomen, her expression calm beyond what one would expect from someone being attacked by the entire internet. Gu Yanshen sat beside her, his gaze fixed on his phone screen, his brows furrowed in a deep knot. Lin Chen sat opposite them, his fingers flying across the keyboard, his brows unconsciously furrowed as well.
"The online controversy is escalating." Lin Chen turned the computer around, the screen displaying real-time trending search data. "Song Zhihe is probably trying to use this controversy to gain sympathy while diverting attention from her recent reputation for being arrogant, in poor condition, and lacking acting skills. Her team is clever; they've linked the two issues together. Her fans are now both standing up for her and trying to clear her name."
Gu Yanshen didn't speak. His fingers rested on his knees, tapping them repeatedly, as if he were enduring something.
Lu Xiran reached out and placed her hand on the back of his. "Uncle, I don't care." Her voice was very soft, as if she were coaxing a sulking child. "What does this little bit of public opinion matter? I only care about your opinion. I'm happy every day now. What do I care what strangers say about me? As long as you're by my side, that's enough."
Gu Yanshen turned to look at her. Her eyes were bright, without any resentment or anger, only a reassuring certainty.
"Ranran," he called her, his voice slightly hoarse.
"Alright." She released his hand, sat up straight, and looked at Lin Chen. "You two go do what you need to do. As for the online rumors, they'll subside after a while. The more you reply, the more people will slander you. Uncle, you should go home now; you must be tired today."
Lin Chen glanced at the two of them, closed his laptop, and stood up. "Call me anytime if you need anything."
The door closed. Only the two of them remained in the living room. Gu Yanshen reached out and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Ranran, I'm sorry you had to suffer." His voice was muffled above her head, filled with suppressed anger and barely suppressed heartache.
"I'm not wronged." She pressed her face against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. "With you by my side, I feel no resentment whatsoever."
She suddenly looked up at him. Her eyes held tears, a smile, and a solemn firmness he had never seen before.
"Gu Yanshen, I love you." Her voice was soft, but every word was like a vow etched in stone. "Actually, in these three years, I've thought countless times—will there be a day when you suddenly remember how good I am? Will there be a late night when you pick up your phone, wanting to call me? Will there be a street corner where you see someone whose back looks like mine, and your heart skips a beat?"
His fingers tightened.
"Sometimes I get really angry." Her voice was a little hoarse. "I tell myself, Lu Xiran, you can't go back. You have to make him chase you, chase you nine hundred and ninety-nine times. You have to let him know that you're not some piece of luggage he can just throw away, not something he can pick up whenever he wants."
"But I'm also afraid." Her voice faltered. "I'm afraid that if you really call me back and I don't immediately agree, you'll regret it. You'll stop calling. You'll forget about me."
"So, Gu Yanshen, I love you. I love you without any backbone. I love you without any dignity. I love you so much that if you reach out your hand, I'll run back, no matter how many times you push me away, no matter how much you hurt me." She looked at him, her eyes filled with no resentment, no bitterness, only a captivating, unwavering certainty. "As long as you're willing, I'll be by your side. Because I love you. I can't help but love you."
Gu Yanshen looked at her. He looked at the light in her eyes and the smile on her lips.
What did he do to deserve her? He wasn't good enough for her. He pushed her away, hurt her, and left her to endure so many lonely days and nights alone. But she came back. Every single time, she came back.
He kissed her. The kiss was deep, so deep it felt like he wanted to meld her into his very bones. His hands cradled the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair, pulling her close to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, responding gently yet firmly.
I will never let her cry again in this lifetime.
He would protect her with his life for the rest of his life.
The next day, Haicheng had changed.
It didn't change gradually; it happened overnight, as if someone had pressed a switch button.
Whether you're walking in the commercial center and looking up—the largest LED screen in Haicheng, which usually displays luxury brands like GG, is now just a deep blue. It's as blue as the sea at midnight, as blue as a dream sunk into the deep sea, a blue that makes everyone who passes by stop in their tracks.
The image features only one line of text in the center, clean and simple, without a logo, decoration, or even a signature: "From beginning to end, it's just you."
Everyone was wondering which movie trailer it was, or perhaps it was an outdoor installation by some artist.
As I entered the subway station, I noticed that the light boxes on both sides of the passageway had also been changed. The same deep blue color and the same white lettering stretched out in rows, like two silent rivers, enveloping every pedestrian.
Even at the airport, passengers waiting for their luggage looked up and saw that the huge screen contained no flight information, no duty-free shopping information, only that line of text. Some people took out their phones to take pictures, some read it aloud, and some stood there stunned, not even noticing their suitcases being pushed away.
Shopping mall exteriors, bus stop signs, office building lobby screens, even the GG signs along the highway—everywhere in Haicheng that could be lit up was suddenly covered by that deep blue.