Back Then, I Adored You

Zhou Jing knew that Gu Yusheng didn’t care about her, so she continued without hesitation. “The balloons outside the window were just bait—they weren’t really intended to surprise Old Master Gu; they were meant to lure everyone to that room… Xiaokou had already shut the door. You were the one who sent someone to crack it open, am I correct?”

Gu Yusheng turned around to glance at the hotel entrance and saw that Qin Zhi’ai had already exited the restroom and was waiting in the lobby. He snuffed his cigarette between his fingers and casually tossed it into the trash can beside him. Then, he stood up straight and made his way toward the hotel.

Zhou Jing slowly turned around in tune with his pace and, gazing at his back, said, “You can choose not to respond, of course, to anything I just said, but I want to ask you one question: How did you know about the plans I made with Xiaokou? Who told you?”

Gu Yusheng initially intended to disregard Zhou Jing and continue walking away, but he stopped after two steps. With his back still facing Zhou Jing and no effort made to turn around and look at her, he responded with a seemingly irrelevant statement: “Two hours ago, all related personnel at the Li Bar suspected of possessing drugs were taken away for investigation.”

The Li Bar… Brother Li’s bar? Suspected of possessing drugs?

Zhou Jing’s eyebrows twitched and, as if she had been jolted awake, she lifted her head to look at Gu Yusheng, who had already reached Qin Zhi’ai’s side.

No wonder I haven’t succeeded no matter how much planning I do. It’s because there’s a traitor on Brother Li’s side. Someone’s been reporting our every move to Gu Yusheng.

And this means that Gu Yusheng might have been aware of all the plans Liang Doukou and I have made in the past; he’s just never revealed it. He’s been waiting for the right time to launch a fatal attack on us!

For a very long time, the methods I’ve been racking my brains over were doomed to be futile from the start.

Now, Brother Li, my biggest backer, is no more… Gu Yusheng has resorted to such extremes and shows no mercy…

Zhou Jing curled her lips and started laughing out loud. As she laughed, tears started falling from the corners of her eyes, flowing down her face and into her mouth. The salty taste made her stop laughing, and she raised her hand to wipe her face, as the dampness was distracting.

I’m crying? I’m actually crying!

When she was 13, she had watched her mother die before her eyes due to their poverty and inability to afford medical treatment. At that time, she had sworn that she would earn a lot of money when she grew up and never again cry helplessly, but now, here she was, actually crying after so many years?

……

At the Jiuyi Teahouse, the person Old Master Gu had arranged to meet had already come and gone. Old Master Gu remained seated at the table and showed no signs of wanting to leave. Nanny Zhang could only stand by his side in silent solidarity.

On the table, the hot water in the teapot gradually cooled. The sun outside the window set, the lights were lit, and the troupe on the first floor sang song after song until they had finished their performance. The number of people in the teahouse gradually decreased, and it was only then that Old Master Gu cleared his throat and gestured for Nanny Zhang to help him up.