novelraw Chapter 221 Must Not Be Revealed
Chapter 221 Must Not Be Revealed
But Song Zhihe's fan base was overwhelming. Those rational voices were like isolated islands, surrounded by an ocean of anger. Fans fabricated all sorts of stories—some said Lu Xiran had deliberately approached Gu Yanshen while abroad, some said Lu Xiran drugged Gu Yanshen to get pregnant, and some said Lu Xiran threatened Gu Yanshen with family interests to force him to divorce her. Each version was more outrageous than the last, and each one had people who believed it.
The hashtag #LuXiranTheMistress# is trending again. She's not in the entertainment industry, but nobody cares. They just need a target. An outlet for their emotions. Lu Xiran is that target.
Lu Xiran nestled in Gu Yanshen's arms, her fingers gently tracing the wrinkle between his brows, slowly smoothing it out beneath her fingertips. The outside world was in turmoil, the curses rising higher and higher, but nestled here, she felt fearless.
"Uncle, it's okay." Her voice was very soft, as soft as if she were comforting a child who had a nightmare.
"Ranran, there's something I want to tell you." His hand tightened around her waist a little.
"Okay, I'm listening."
"Song Zhihe's child... is not mine."
"I know, you told me." Lu Xiran looked up at him, her eyes bright, without surprise or accusation, just quietly looking at him. "But how did you know? Didn't you say before that she took advantage of you while you were drunk..."
"Song Kexin said it."
"Like this." She pouted slightly, pressed her face against his chest, and listened to his strong heartbeat.
Gu Yanshen lowered his head, looking at her eyelashes and the slight curve of her lips, and suddenly felt a little uncertain. So much time had passed that he himself wasn't sure anymore.
All he knew was that Song Kexin said it, and he believed her, but did she believe it?
"You don't believe me?" His voice was a little tense.
"No." She looked up at him, her eyes showing no hesitation, no suspicion, only a reassuring certainty. "Uncle, that's your past. Your past before you knew me. I'm not that domineering. I only want the you of now, the you from the moment I met you."
He froze for a moment.
Why would you care about this?
"Because you're so wonderful." He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin for a moment. "I always feel like... I'm not good enough for you."
Lu Xiran chuckled, her eyes crinkling with laughter, and leaned against his shoulder. "Is this the Mr. Gu I know? The Mr. Gu who dominates the business world and doesn't care about anyone?"
"Yes." He hugged her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "In front of you, I always feel like I'm not good enough."
"Uncle," she whispered in his ear, her warm breath brushing against his earlobe. "In my eyes, you will always be the best."
Moonlight streamed in through the gap in the curtains, a thin line falling between the two of them. The curses were still there, the malice was still there, the overwhelming, murderous words that seemed to want to devour her alive were still there. But in this room, there were only two people, and two hearts intertwined.
"Oh, right." She suddenly sat up, her expression turning serious. "Uncle, you have those videos of Li Fengche, right?"
Gu Yanshen's eyes flickered, and he awkwardly looked away. He knew what those videos meant. Once released, Song Zhihe would have no room for rebuttal. All those carefully crafted stories, all those painstakingly cultivated images, all those tears shed by her fans—they would shatter into dust before the truth. But he couldn't make up his mind. After all, she had saved him.
"Uncle, those things must not be exposed."
Gu Yanshen stared at her in shock. For a moment, he even thought she would be angry, would blame him for not using the evidence to fight back, would question him about why he would rather let her be insulted by the entire internet than hurt someone who had hurt her before. He thought she would feel wronged, would cry, would ask him, "Who is more important to me, her or me?"
"What did you say?" His voice was somewhat hoarse.
"Those videos. Although they were her biggest weakness, they were also her darkest past." Lu Xiran looked at him, her eyes showing no anger, no jealousy, only a tenderness that surprised him. "I always felt that you can't use evidence of a woman being oppressed by a man to deal with her."
Gu Yanshen pulled her into his arms, holding her so tightly that she could barely breathe.
"I thought... I thought you were angry. I thought you would blame me for not using these methods against her."
"Uncle, after all, she saved you once." Her voice was muffled against his chest, soft and gentle. "I know you wouldn't repay kindness with enmity. That's what I like about you."
Gu Yanshen looked at her. He saw the soft light in her eyes, the gentle smile on her lips, and the way she still thought of others despite being misunderstood by the whole world. This was the person he loved so deeply. Far more beautiful than he had imagined. He thought she would blame him, that she would feel wronged, that she would question why he couldn't let go of that debt of gratitude for her sake. But she did nothing. She simply understood him, embraced him, and with a kindness he had never seen before, gently accepted his unspoken hesitation and guilt.
"Ranran." His voice was a little hoarse.
"Um."
You are more wonderful than I thought.
She laughed, her eyes crinkling into two crescent moons. "Uncle, are you praising your good taste?"
He smiled, but as he smiled, his eyes started to sting.
He pulled her into his arms, rested his chin on the top of her head, and closed his eyes.
"Ranran...it's been three months..." His voice was a little hoarse, carrying something she couldn't quite understand, something he had been holding back for a long time.
Lu Xiran looked up, took his hand, and gently placed it on her slightly protruding belly. The moment her palm touched it, his fingers trembled slightly, as if afraid of breaking it with too much force, or as if reluctant to remove it. "Yes, will he say 'Daddy, I love you'?" She smiled, her eyes crinkling, her tone filled with childlike innocence.
Gu Yanshen smiled too, a faint smile, but a deep light in his eyes. He lowered his head, bringing his warm breath close to her ear. "I don't know. It's just..." His voice trailed off, so low it seemed to be grinding from his chest, with a soft yet burning tone at the end.
Lu Xiran looked up at him. In that instant, she met his eyes. There was no restraint, no forbearance in those eyes, only a fire that had burned for a long time and was finally no longer willing to be hidden.