novelraw Chapter 243 Love Hidden in Every Ray of Light
Chapter 243 Love Hidden in Every Ray of Light
The moment Gu Yanshen stepped onto the stage, the atmosphere in the entire hall seemed to drop.
He didn't smile, didn't wave, and didn't even deliberately quicken or slow his pace. He simply emerged from the side of the stage in a sharply tailored black suit, his steps as steady as if he were treading on his own territory. The spotlight followed his silhouette, illuminating his cold, almost indifferent face with sharp angles. Some people in the audience instinctively sat up straight—his innate aura of pressure acted like an invisible barrier, keeping any attempt to approach him at bay.
He stood in the center of the stage, one hand on the microphone stand, the other casually in his pocket. His posture was relaxed, but when his eyes swept across the audience, there was no smile, no warmth, like a frozen lake in winter—calm, yet unsettling.
Thank you all for attending Ruijing's first anniversary celebration.
The voice wasn't loud, but every word was like an ice bead falling onto a jade plate—clear, clean, and without any unnecessary emotion.
"Among those present are partners, media representatives, and guests who have traveled from afar. Thank you for coming."
A polite round of applause broke out from the audience, the applause carrying a hint of caution—everyone could tell that Mr. Gu wasn't just being polite; he was simply saying what he needed to say.
He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping lightly across the audience below, a single glance that didn't linger, like a cold knife slicing across the water.
"Of course, I also know that not everyone here today is here to participate in the celebration." His tone was flat, as if he were stating a fact that had nothing to do with him. "Some came to watch the excitement, some came to verify the rumors, and some came to wait to see the joke."
A low chuckle rippled through the audience, but it was filled with embarrassment and a guilty conscience that had been seen through.
"I welcome everyone." He said these three words in a tone as flat as plain water. "Guests are always welcome."
He positioned himself firmly in the role of the group's leader. That sense of distance wasn't something he deliberately created; it was something that came from his very being—he was a businessman, and only secondarily a man standing in the spotlight.
He slightly raised his chin, his gaze shifting from the audience to a distant, undefined horizon.
"Over the past period of time, there have been many rumors about me, my family, and my wife." His tone was flat and even. "Some are true, and some are fabricated."
When he said "my wife," his tone finally shifted subtly—not with softness, but with an almost instinctive possessiveness and defense. It was as if he were saying: You are not worthy to discuss these four words.
Then he turned around and reached out his hand to one side of the stage.
The spotlight moved with his movements, illuminating the figure standing at the edge of the curtain. Lu Xiran squinted slightly from the light, momentarily stunned.
Gu Yanshen didn't call her name, didn't say "come up," and didn't even show any other expression. He simply stretched out his hand, looking at her calmly.
But the moment his gaze fell upon her, it finally broke through the ice.
It was a very subtle change, like an undercurrent surging beneath the surface of ice. Others could hardly see it, but only Lu Xiran knew—there was a light in his eyes, a light he would never show to anyone else.
She took a deep breath, lifted her skirt, and walked up into the light.
Gu Yanshen didn't wait for her to reach him. He stepped forward and took her hand.
He led her back to the center of the stage, facing the audience. He didn't look at her, his gaze fixed straight ahead, his face expressionless. But his fingers remained clasped tightly around hers, the grip steady and firm, as if holding a contract never to be revealed to anyone.
The two stood side by side in the center of the stage. Gu Yanshen was more than half a head taller than Lu Xiran, and the lights shone down from above, casting his shadow over hers.
"Taking this opportunity," his voice deepened, abandoning his previous casual politeness and becoming more stern, "I want to respond to all the speculations."
He turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Lu Xiran's face. In those eyes that had always been as cold as ice, a crack finally appeared—something hidden deep within shone through the crack, carrying an undeniable certainty.
"From beginning to end, I've only ever been with one person."
He turned back to look at the audience, his voice returning to its emotionless flatness, yet every word carried immense weight: "From beginning to end, Gu Yanshen's only love has been my wife, Lu Xiran."
Without any cloying embellishment, it's like stating a physical law—the sun rises in the east, water flows downhill, and Gu Yanshen only loves Lu Xiran.
This is the fact.
The hall was silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous applause.
Gu Yanshen stood in the center of the stage, like a silent mountain, silently blocking all the cheers and flashes of light.
Lu Xiran's eyes reddened. She could feel his fingers tighten slightly around hers—just for a moment, then return to normal.
Gu Yanshen did not let go of her hand. He turned to the side, pointing to the dome with his other hand, his movements crisp and decisive, like he was giving a project presentation, without any sentimental embellishment.
"Ruijing was built for her."
Someone in the audience gasped. His tone remained calm, as if he were stating a matter of course.
"Many people ask me, why is it called Ruijing? Why are there traces of light in every corner?" His voice finally showed a very subtle change, like an undercurrent surging beneath the ice. "Because I first met her on a campus in Switzerland. She is like the light in my life. She also sent me her first email because she liked my design of light."
He led Lu Xiran to the front of the stage, pointing to the huge floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall at the entrance of the hall. His movements were clean and efficient, without any superfluous expression.
"Every morning at 7:13, the first ray of sunlight would shine through that pane of glass and fall on that corner. Just like that afternoon when I saw her in the dappled light and shadow of the trees." He paused, his voice as indifferent as if stating an unimportant fact, "It took me forty-three days to find this angle."
Someone in the audience covered their mouth. He ignored them and gestured with his arm toward the Sky Garden.
"She said she wanted a place where she could sit and watch flowers bloom all year round. So the rooftop garden has more than 300 kinds of plants—in spring, summer, autumn and winter, at least 100 kinds are in bloom in each season."
He glanced down at the floor beneath his feet, his voice remaining calm.
"She has a bad back and gets tired if she stands for too long. So, we added three extra layers of shock-absorbing material to all the floors in Ruijing. The corridors, lobby, elevators—anywhere she might be standing and waiting for me—are 40 percent thicker than the national standard."
No one in the audience applauded anymore. Everyone listened quietly, as if listening to a taciturn man expressing his deepest feelings in the most restrained way.
"The handrail of the spiral staircase is three centimeters lower—because her hands are small, and they get tired if she raises them too high. The height of all the light switches in the guest room has been adjusted to the most comfortable position for her to reach. All the lights in the room have a warm yellow color temperature that is most suitable for her eyes—not glaring, not flickering, and she won't get tired even if she looks at them for a long time."
When he said these things, his tone remained flat, even carrying a nonchalant air of "I've said it all, it's over." But every word he uttered was like a nail, driven into the heart of everyone present—this man didn't like to say sweet words, but he had hidden his love in every brick and every ray of light.