Long Time No See (GL) - Chapter 35

The room was lit with an aromatherapy candle, its rich fragrance seemingly bringing in the freshness of nature, capable of relaxing every cell in a person and smoothly inducing deep sleep.

A light blue spread lay quietly on the bed. The plain and serious decor exuded a sense of cold, asexual aesthetics, as if proclaiming the owner’s inviolability.

Gu Weirong, like a child who had made a mistake, guiltily slipped into the covers, lying on her side, facing away.

Yun Shu’s gaze fell on the pill bottle. She picked it up, turned it twice in her palm, and put it back.

She knew very well that even if she took the medicine tonight, she would still suffer from insomnia.

Turning on the bedside lamp, the halo of light mixed with the air conditioning’s temperature, suppressing the dense, cold aura.

Yun Shu didn’t go to sleep. Instead, she took out a book from the bedside table and began to read. Opening the pages, her peripheral vision caught Gu Weirong, who was half a bed away from her. Even with her back turned, Yun Shu could sense her inner turmoil.

Gu Weirong was not asleep, Yun Shu knew.

Not only was she not asleep, but she was also experiencing some physiological reactions due to being so close to Yun Shu. Everything and every scent in this room could arouse a person’s greed.

Yun Shu’s body scent stimulated Gu Weirong’s sense of smell. The cells awakened by the scent jumped around inside her body. Gu Weirong buried her head under the blanket, only to find the scent even denser inside. She was almost drowning her rationality.

What a strange reaction this was. Her body seemed to be in a desert, desperate to find an oasis to quench its thirst, but ultimately, only a mirage appeared.

For the first time, Gu Weirong felt her self-control was so poor. Greed was enough to destroy a person. She didn’t want to be controlled by desire. She could only tightly clutch the blanket, trying to dispel the fiery scenes conjured up in her mind.

She covered her ears. A ball of fire seemed to be burning inside her. Yun Shu was within reach. She wanted it. She wanted to glimpse the body beneath the clothes, wanted to delve into Yun Shu’s heart to find out the truth, and wanted to show her everything about herself, releasing all her love without reservation.

The silent room contrasted sharply with the stampede of horses in Gu Weirong’s heart. She curled up, and her slight trembling caught Yun Shu’s attention.

“Weirong, are you okay?”

She vaguely heard Yun Shu’s voice, like a dream.

Yun Shu put down the book, looking at her worriedly, but did not ask further or move closer. Now, with every word she spoke, every action she took, she had to be mindful of boundaries.

Ultimately, it was her fault that led to this result.

Ming Yan was like this, and so was Weirong.

But what did she do wrong? Should she not show concern? Should she not be caring towards them?

Yun Shu turned her gaze to the framed photo, and a sense of guilt, like the blackness of the night, devoured her.

Gu Weirong gradually calmed down. A sense of drowsiness, like a cold wave, extinguished her scorching desire. In a trance, she seemed to hear Yun Shu’s phone ring.

“So late. Do you need something?”

“How dare I not answer Director Shen’s call.”

Every word clearly reached Gu Weirong’s ears. What was the background of this Director Shen? Could it be another of Yun Shu’s romantic interests?

The slight drowsiness she had finally found was instantly awakened by this phone call. Yun Shu did not hide anything during the conversation, perhaps knowing that she wasn’t asleep, or perhaps deliberately letting her hear the content.

“The debriefing meeting is at nine o’clock today. How about changing the time?”

Yun Shu’s tone was as calm as water, like a tranquil lake surface, or the unchanging night sky. It was almost impossible to glimpse the depths.

“If I’m not mistaken, you initiated the debriefing meeting. You’ve been aggressively pushing me, and I couldn’t figure out the reason. In that case, I think we should talk frankly. See you tomorrow.”

The latter part of the conversation seemed confrontational. The eve of a storm is always terribly quiet. After Yun Shu hung up the phone, she calmly turned off the night light. The phone call passed like the wind without a trace, stirring no waves.

Gu Weirong was suffocating from lack of oxygen. She quietly poked her head out and took a few deep breaths of fresh air. Yun Shu was still lying straight on her back, just like before. She rarely turned over and had no habit of hugging or twisting the blanket. Watching her sleep made one forget that time was moving, made one long for the scenes in her dreams, made one want to snuggle beside her, and made one’s defenses be unconsciously touched by her.

She was like the Sleeping Beauty in a fairy tale, radiating an unfathomable mystery yet irresistible.

Knowing she wasn’t asleep, Gu Weirong was cautious even with her breathing, afraid of disturbing her by stirring the airflow.

That night, Lin Yun broke into Yun Shu’s mind, tearing apart the dream, shattering the calm mirror in her heart, allowing her to fall into a daze only as dawn broke.

That night, Gu Weirong tilted her head to peek at Yun Shu’s sleeping face, waking and sleeping, indulging in a whole night of adoration, and ending up with a stiff neck.

She woke up in a painful twist, opening her eyes to find Yun Shu no longer beside her.

The sky was dimly bright. Pulling open the curtains, frost clung to the glass, shrouding her vision in a layer of mist. Gu Weirong looked at the time; it was only half past seven.

Could Yun Shu already be up?

Unable to turn her neck, she stiffly walked out of the bedroom like a robot. The house was quiet. Yun Shu was nowhere to be seen, and Gu Weirong had lost her sleepiness.

She aimlessly walked onto the balcony, doing a few head-turning exercises, trying to relieve the pain of her stiff neck. Then she went to the study, unable to resist looking at the memory wall again. Whether it was her mood acting up or an auditory hallucination, Gu Weirong seemed to hear faint music.

She walked out of the study, following the sound to the closed room. Was the sound coming from inside?

Gu Weirong’s hand involuntarily reached for the doorknob. She wanted to know everything about Yun Shu. Was something hidden in this room?

She bravely opened the door. The music grew louder. Through the gap, Gu Weirong saw her own reflection.

It was a mirror. As the reflection area increased, her vision suddenly cleared. Gu Weirong saw a graceful, nimble figure, like a swimming dragon, moving amidst the melodious music.

Through her slender body, Gu Weirong saw a dancer’s body management and discipline. She was drenched in sweat, immersed in her own world.

She was unrestrained, unbounded, and carefree. It was a confessional, a self-expression. All her movements were done as she pleased, yet seemed completely natural. Every movement projected by the mirror was an expression from the depths of her soul.

She seemed to be speaking her heart, and also enjoying her sorrow. The final gesture of embracing herself was like a curtain call, slowly lowering as the music ended.

This was modern dance, Yun Shu’s forte. Gu Weirong didn’t understand dance, but she knew how much Yun Shu loved it.

In the past, she often danced in front of the mirror at home, sometimes learning from the TV. At that time, Gu Weirong just found it fun, applauding every time and being Yun Shu’s only audience.

How much did she love dance? She would be obsessed with a pair of ballet shoes, she would be captivated by a performance, and she would practice tirelessly for a single imperfect move.

But in the end, she gave it up because of her mother’s death. To support that broken home, she personally clipped the wings of her dream.

How much pain and despair must a person whose dreams were broken feel?

This room held Yun Shu’s lost dream and irretrievable regret. It was her other heart, and it was Gu Weirong’s first step toward getting closer to her.

After the song finished, Yun Shu sat on the floor, breathless and resting, and noticed the teary-eyed Gu Weirong.

This girl, when did she become a crybaby?

“Did I scare you, or did you have a nightmare?” Yun Shu gently wiped the sweat from her forehead, her smile captivating.

Gu Weirong finally felt the warm tears on her cheeks. She wiped her eyes and asked, “You never gave up dancing, did you?”

Yun Shu chuckled softly: “I rarely dance now. I’m rusty. It’s not about giving up or not giving up. Who hasn’t had some impractical dreams in their youth?”

She couldn’t remember the last time she danced. Last night’s dream was filled with past experiences, so real that she almost believed those losses hadn’t happened.

Perhaps Teacher Lin in heaven realized that the feelings between her and Weirong were changing, so she came in a dream to warn her.

“Yun Shu, you must remember your identity. You must take good care of Weirong.”

The warning in the dream was like a huge mountain, suffocating Yun Shu.

She had to be forced to abandon something again, just like abandoning that dream.

Now, only by standing in the dance room could she find her original self.

This mirror wall was Yun Shu’s soul, Yun Shu’s sanctuary, the place where Yun Shu released stress and emotions. Gu Weirong choked up and said, “A dream can become a part of life. Just like this dance room, you can dance whenever you want. We could even open a dance studio and pass on your dream to more people. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Gu Weirong used “we.” Yun Shu caught this detail. She had never thought of it that way. It sounded like a good idea?

“Something to consider.” She smiled and stood up. “I’m going to take a shower. I’m meeting someone today. What about you…”

Before Yun Shu could finish, Gu Weirong interrupted, “Take me with you.”

“They specifically asked to meet with me alone.”

“I’ll stay far away from you both. I absolutely won’t disturb you, I swear!” Gu Weirong raised her hand excitedly, accidentally straining her neck, and couldn’t help but let out a “hiss, hiss, hiss.”

“What’s wrong with your neck?”

“It’s stiff…”

“There’s a massage parlor near where I’m meeting. I’ll have someone give you a massage to ease the pain.”

“Oh…”

The events of last night seemed not to have happened. They were talking just like before. All profound feelings were buried deep in their hearts, too shy to be spoken.

Yun Shu treated her as usual, seemingly unchanged, but that sense of closeness seemed gone.

Their conversation was dull, even pointless, making Gu Weirong feel disposable.

On the way out, the two continued to chat intermittently. Yun Shu was like sand. Gu Weirong tried hard to hold her, but she kept slipping away.

What exactly was she thinking? She hadn’t been as resolute as she was with Ming Yan, nor had she accepted herself.

Gu Weirong didn’t understand. This question kept lingering in her mind.

Yun Shu had scheduled a morning tea appointment and arranged for Gu Weirong to have a massage at the parlor next door. But how could Gu Weirong just obediently wait? As soon as Yun Shu left, she secretly followed her.

Yongchun Teahouse, a century-old house converted into a teahouse, resembled an ancient secluded style, far from the hustle and bustle, with only an atmosphere of tranquility.

The first floor had a Pingtan stage and an antique stage. The public seating on the second floor was limited. Since there was no prior reservation, there were no private rooms left, and Yun Shu casually found an empty seat to wait.

Gu Weirong was very curious about who she was meeting today. To avoid being discovered, she found an inconspicuous seat in the corner.

It was already 10:15, and the person hadn’t arrived yet. Yun Shu calmly scrolled through her phone. Gu Weirong endured the pain in her neck, staring intently at the staircase.

No matter who came up, she would be the first to see them.

Was the person Yun Shu was meeting a man or a woman? Middle-aged or young?

The agreed-upon debriefing meeting was postponed for this person, which showed the importance of the individual. But the conversation last night seemed very intense and confrontational?

Could it be Yun Shu’s rival, her adversary?

Just as she was thinking, a noblewoman came up the stairs. She exuded an innate sense of nobility, looking around with a disdainful gaze. She carried a limited edition, world-famous handbag hooked over her arm. She wore a navy blue English-style coat, paired with knee-high boots, and her steps made a loud, forceful sound. As she passed Gu Weirong, she raised an invisible pressure, somewhat aggressive.

There weren’t many people upstairs. She immediately spotted Yun Shu.

“You arrived very early, President Yun.”

Yun Shu looked up, respectfully stood up, and called out, “Morning, Director Shen.”

This was Shen Hanyue, Executive Director of Mingde Group, the second-largest shareholder, and Ming Shangdong’s lawful wife.