Deadly Trap

Chapter 93. Fulfilling a Dream
She was in a daze. She didn't know what time it was. It wasn't until she heard the door being carefully closed and locked that Su Li managed to open her eyes a crack.

Her head felt so heavy, and her eyelids felt so heavy too. In her line of sight, Gu Mufeng quietly approached her bedside, holding his breath.

The night was too dark and thick beside her; she couldn't see his face clearly. After silently gazing at her for a long time, Gu Mufeng quietly sat down.

As black as the night, his black suit jacket draped over his broad, smooth shoulders. With a simple tug of his right hand, he opened the collar of his equally black shirt, revealing a hint of his collarbone.

His fair skin framed his sculpted neck and jawline, which were long and aloof, with a powerful pulse in his veins. The scar on the side of his neck undulated slightly with his breath.

After a long while, he rested his chin on his hand, completely still, gazing out the window into the distance, lost in thought.

Finally, he stretched out his body. His leather shoes braced against the footstool, and he completely relaxed, reclining in the armchair.

As he habitually pressed his left hand against his brow, he pulled out a pen with his right. Only then did Su Li notice the thick stack of documents on the coffee table in the early hours of the morning.

Gu Mufeng began reviewing meeting reports and tax forms. A small reading lamp beside him cast a slanted light, illuminating his handsome profile, with his golden bangs falling loosely across his nose, giving him a remarkably soft appearance.

Letting her vision blur like a dream, Su Li quietly watched his sharp, elegant strokes solidify in the lapis lazuli and blue ink. He wrote as he pleased, the stiff printed font and data tables unable to restrain him. His slender, gold-style running script, like a soul-stirring spirit, spread and expanded with sharpness…

"Mu Fei..." she began, her tone languid, "Did I delay your business?"

"Did I wake you?"

Turning his head, strands of his dark hair fell loose. His gentle smile lingered and melted in Su Li's eyes: "You don't need to worry. Everything is arranged. You are the most important. Go to sleep. I'll stay with you."

Without answering, lying on her back in the warmth of the hospital bed, Su Li felt her body was very heavy.

Like pain being forcibly stripped away, heavy yet with a real shape, it hung directly above her body, ready to fall at any moment.

Listening to Gu Mufeng by her side, as his pen scratched across the paper, Su Li imagined the changing light and shadow on the ceiling: If the conversation she overheard through the door wasn't a dream, then they were probably currently staying at a private hospital under the Yi Group.

As the head of the four major financial groups in Minzhou, the Yi family has always been aloof and independent, indifferent to the competition from all sides and remaining absolutely neutral.

For a moment, Su Li couldn't help but recall the young and beautiful woman in white at the New Year's Eve banquet.

Although Gu Mufeng only vaguely mentioned that he had helped the Yi family with a small favor, it was clear that, both publicly and privately, the Yi family felt indebted to Gu Mufeng.

Gu Mufeng never mentioned this relationship. Now that the incident has happened suddenly and is attracting much attention, Gu Mufeng has moved the entire group into the Yi family's sphere of influence.

Su Li's heart sank: the game was surely over. The players had to take their seats. The Yi family was Gu Mufeng's first trump card.

It felt like a knife piercing deep into her heart, now even slowly twisting like it was cutting flesh. Su Li felt a sharp, urgent pain in her chest.
Tang Quan, unwilling to leave empty-handed, abruptly changed tactics and targeted her. This likely touched a nerve with Gu Mufeng.

Is it possible that she will ultimately be unable to escape what she fears most?

"Mu Fei, I can't sleep." She lied, but still forced herself to stay awake.

"Su Li." Hearing her insistence on speaking, whether it was a report or a tax form, Gu Mufeng simply put down all the group's work on the coffee table beside him, stopped writing, and said, "Tell me what happened."

He sat up straight, looking directly into Su Li's eyes: "Tell me from the beginning."

He had been tormented by these words for a long time, suppressing them only because he feared that they would trigger her emotional trauma and cause her to fluctuate in her emotions.

With some difficulty, Su Li asked Gu Mufeng to help her sit up slightly, nestling comfortably in the soft pillows. She recounted her night's events in detail: how she left the campus, how she encountered the disguised traffic police, how she struggled on the highway, trying to shake off the encirclement...

Su Li spoke plainly, while Gu Mufeng listened attentively in silence.

“Oh, my phone,” she gasped softly, “I left it at Yu He’s house.”

At this crucial point, Su Li felt deeply remorseful. If she hadn't been so careless and carried away by her friends during their get-together, she wouldn't have gotten herself into trouble and fallen into crisis.

As if by magic, Gu Mufeng casually waved his hand over the bedside table: "I had your phone retrieved on Monday. It's too late. Tomorrow, you can call your friends to let them know you're safe. As for the cherry next to you, Lulu washed it for you."

Hearing his calm addition, Su Li was filled with gratitude. During her deep sleep, countless events had unfolded, and countless people had come and gone. She was grateful for Gu Mufeng's thoughtfulness, grateful for life's kindness, and grateful for the genuine love and concern of her friends.

After a long pause, she finally regained her composure and calmed her heavy emotions. She began to downplay the seriousness of the situation and continued in a gentle, conversational tone, "Later... I remembered the Jiangbin Night Market and tried to blend into the crowd, but suddenly, a car cut in front of me."

"In short, the car skidded and went out of control. I was about to crash into the green belt of the riverside park: a row of bushes and dim lighting."

"I was so scared and panicked. It felt like I was going to never see you again..."

At this point, as if recalling some clear and intense image from that time, her cheeks flushed red, and she smiled shyly. "But no matter what, I thought I had to give it a shot. So, I hurriedly stopped the car, wrapped my coat around myself, and jumped out."

"At first, I didn't feel any pain. Somehow, my leg broke open. When the car burst into flames, everyone rushed to the riverbank. It was so hot..."

She actually sighed. In her eyes, one could almost see thick black smoke and raging flames.

"With my back to the firelight, it was as if I was surrounded by complete darkness. There were branches, soil and wood chips all around me."

"I groped my way, crawling weakly into the shadows. I just wanted to catch a ride back to Pear Island as soon as possible. Luckily, my coat was thick and black, so the bloodstains weren't very noticeable."

"Am I amazing too? Mu Fei. Please... praise me..."

With difficulty, her voice grew increasingly weak. Holding her breath, Su Li finally managed to finish speaking coherently, until even her breathing was exhausted, leaving her weak and listless. Her eyes remained lingering on Gu Mufeng's face, but she wore the most comfortable, soft, and innocent smile.

As Su Li recounted her story, Gu Mufeng's hands had unconsciously tightened around hers. His palms were cold and sweaty. He himself had endured eleven years of hardship and faced death countless times, yet now he too felt tense: the slightest mishap could mean he would never see the person before him again.

What an audacious woman!

Silently gazing at Su Li's sincere face, Gu Mufeng couldn't bring himself to say the words he had prepared.

He had never dared to expect such years of mutual dependence, reliance, and companionship before, nor had he ever imagined that he would cherish them so deeply and be so reluctant to part with them.

Beneath the coat, the fabric clung tightly to his left ribs, its touch cold and stiff, making the pistol seem suddenly heavier. He only wanted... to spend a little more time with her. Just a little more.

After gently washing away the blood and dust, the abrasions on Su Li's body were clearly visible; but fortunately, it was visibly that her complexion had slowly regained its rosy hue, and the look of a frightened bird was no longer in her eyes.

Su Li will be alright. She's already very strong. She doesn't need his praise.

Despite being covered in wounds, Su Li persevered and returned to his side. She hadn't abandoned him or let him down. But this wonderful woman, he wanted to—

Gu Mufeng placed Su Li's hand on his cheek and bowed his head deeply.

"Mu Fei".

Her breathing remained uneven, and sorrow piled up on her pillow. Su Li turned to look out the window. The snow was falling as usual, continuing its gentle descent all night, just like the night they first met. Yet, she spoke first:
"Just now, I had a dream. When I was very young, I had an idea, and I told you, don't laugh at me for being vulgar."

Despite being exhausted, Su Li still smiled slightly, as if to deliberately relax the atmosphere.

"When I was a child, I lived in the suburbs by the sea. At that time, Lanpu had neither high-end residential buildings nor expressways; every day to and from school, I had to walk along that coastal road. The journey always felt long."

"Halfway up the road, there is a headland: the road rises from the coast, turns a graceful bend, and then plunges down. At the very top, the bay unfolds before you, with mountains, green trees, and white bungalows nestled in the waves."

“Every day, I squeeze onto the bus and pass by there. Through the gaps in the crowd, I can only catch a fleeting glimpse. At that moment, I thought—” At this point, her lips hesitated, and Su Li’s cheeks flushed red.

Finally, she swallowed:

"In the future, if one day I have someone who truly loves me by my side, on a summer night, driving a luxury car, I'll pass by that place again and see the sea once more."

Her gaze lingered on the view outside the window.

Years have passed; her life has been like duckweed adrift in the rain. When she is finally able to stand on her own, become an independent architect, be self-sufficient, and buy a luxury car with style.

Will Gu Mufeng be by her side at that time?
“Now,” Gu Mufeng hesitated slightly, his voice softer yet more determined, “we’ll go.”

>>>>>
Next chapter: Sea Breeze
[Author's Note | Chapter 93]

Su Li returned with a belief, while Gu Mufeng waited with a belief.

Su Li had an unfulfilled dream when she was a child. With a blush, she smiled and told Gu Mufeng that her dream was "cliché."

But Gu Mufeng was about to help her realize this dream.

Have the readers discerned the true meaning behind Su Li's dream?
What were Gu Mufeng's feelings as he was eager to fulfill Su Li's dream immediately?

Let the young author know your thoughts in the comments section!

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