Deadly Trap

Chapter 94. Sea Breeze
Early morning. Heavy snow.

Despite suppressing her shyness, Su Li clearly stated her request: "It has to be a luxury car." But it was already late at night, and even if Gu Mufeng wanted to buy another one immediately, it was impossible.

With a hasty phone call, Gu Mufeng borrowed the white Aston Martin from Li Enzuo. But for some reason, Su Li had a feeling that something wasn't right.

She didn't voice this almost subtle unease that lingered in her mind. In the passenger seat, forced to compromise with her armrests, Su Li could only manage a barely comfortable curled-up position.

Their Pear Island slept soundly in the inky night and heavy snow. They roared across the deserted bridge, through the deserted city center, and along the deserted riverbank. The traffic lights flashed silently.

Before dawn, Minzhou was truly a ghost town. Finally, they drove into the darkness of early morning.

They sped along, leaving the bustling Minhang area behind. In Su Li's eyes, all that remained was the hastily rolled-up sleeves, Gu Mufeng's arm easily gripping the steering wheel, and the subtle veins on the back of his hand as he shifted gears, the car gliding lightly across the snow under his control.

On the coastal boulevard late at night, cars wound their way along, their wheels gliding smoothly. Snowflakes fell heavily, the wipers constantly blurring the view. On the winter night radio, someone, unable to sleep, requested "Summer Night Breeze."

Su Li was preoccupied: she shouldn't have let Gu Mufeng do as he pleased.

She mentioned a dream from long ago, hoping to use the opportunity to persuade Gu Mufeng and completely dispel her unease—but now that he has actually fulfilled her dream immediately, how can she speak again?
Su Li was uneasy.

Until, familiar yet long-lost, the uphill road that she had cast aside in the few colorful memories of her childhood appeared before her eyes.

Su Li suddenly looked up; she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

Just as she had imagined a thousand times, the engine roared swiftly, climbing along the coastline. At the summit, a gentle bend revealed the vast ocean stretching out before her.

Gu Mufeng wasn't driving fast. But it was only for a moment.

Then, just as she had passed through countless times in her life, the seaside road was not wide, but meandered down.

At a glance, the mountains and green trees are completely blurred in the darkness. The white bungalows are long gone, replaced by high-rise apartments and detached villas.

Su Li rolled down the car window and turned around. Light chestnut hair slapped haphazardly against her cheeks.

Only the sea breeze remains.

The winter sea breeze was sharp and merciless, like a cold knife slowly tearing her apart, making her shrink back; the pain from her broken ribs was even more intense.

She couldn't help but gasp for breath several times.

Suddenly, Su Li realized: she had been too foolish to see things clearly.

Gu Mufeng carried too heavy a burden in his heart. Only under the influence of alcohol could he allow himself to place his seemingly irresponsible emotional attachment on her: proposing to her and confessing his feelings.

But now, she has already missed her chance.

Gu Mufei glanced at Su Li discreetly, then remained silent, simply closing the car window. The view below the cape was flat; it was low tide, revealing a small patch of white sand.

The reefs were pitch black, abruptly cutting through the waves. On the sea, there were no clouds, no moon, and no shimmering light.

Slowly, close to the side of the road, Gu Mufei stopped the car.

"Su Li," after a long silence, gazing at Su Li's forlorn figure, Gu Mufeng finally spoke, "Listen to me—"

"Don't say it," Su Li interrupted resolutely.

“…March 1st,” Gu Mufeng insisted, as if forcing himself, “I need to settle things.”

Gazing at the dark sea, his tone couldn't have been more flat and indifferent: "I..."

For the first time in his twenty-nine years of life, Gu Mufeng was so unwilling, so conflicted and hesitant:
"I can't leave."

He was a mortal, a human being, and he too clung to life. But Su Li was innocent, yet Tang Quan was willing to stop at nothing to stop her, which made him realize that his decision to withdraw at this moment was nothing short of reckless and childish.

He had long since lost the right to withdraw.

If he leaves, it would be like abandoning Dai Ze in a dilemma, turning his back on all those who once believed in him and depended on this gray world for survival. And this cannot be based solely on his own personal feelings.

He could let go, fly away with Su Li overseas, live as an ordinary person, and be a couple.

But does that mean they'll just run away for the rest of their lives and never come back?
Su Li expressed her dream of seeing the sea. But even if he did everything in his power, he couldn't truly help her realize it: no matter what, even if he held absolute power in Minzhou, he couldn't turn winter into summer night.

A city, a piece of homeland. Clearly, nurtured by the land and water, Su Li harbors a deep attachment to Minzhou.

One day, she will return after completing her studies; perhaps... he will be qualified to form a family with her, to create a true haven to accompany her to the ends of the earth, until their hair turns white.

But would Tang Quan, and the Xinglong Society which had been restored to its former glory, stand idly by?

"Mu Fei,"

As Su Li's voice trembled uncontrollably as she called his name, Gu Mufeng quietly pulled his thoughts back. Su Li murmured. Gazing at the end of the ocean, perhaps, there was another shore there too.

She seemed to be talking to herself: "It's okay if I don't come back. Home is where the heart is."

“This is my responsibility,” Gu Mufeng said resolutely. He turned and caught Su Li’s eyes. Su Li quickly looked away. “This is the last time. I must finish this.”

"Why?" Almost a accusation, Su Li finally blurted out. Ambition or responsibility, no more or less emphasized than any other two words. Why couldn't he simply cast them aside?

The pressure on his shoulders was immense, so intense. Su Li was not unaware of this, nor did she fail to empathize.

But I'll be selfish just this once!
The snow is so heavy. It falls on the sea and leaves no trace.

"Why?" Su Li pressed repeatedly.

“Because I want to.” Surprisingly, Gu Mufeng answered calmly, “I want to wait until every early spring in the future, so that I can be with you on Pear Island and see the city full of pear blossoms.”

Unbelievable. Whether naive or not, these words flowed naturally from his mouth, a man whose thoughts and schemes were as vast as an icy ocean.

Su Li turned her head sharply. Her eyes were already brimming with tears. Just then, her eyes met Gu Mufeng's.

The car was so quiet. When the music ended, it was so quiet they could hear each other breathing.

In Su Li's eyes, Gu Mufeng's face, the lips she had passionately kissed, the person she loved, every inch of his skin, every vein, every subtle gesture, every trace of tenderness...

Tell me: What is life? What is the physical body?
Tang Quan is power-hungry and ruthless, determined to eliminate Gu Mufeng; the latter, in turn, is equally merciless. Perhaps, as Gu Mufeng had predicted, he is not a good person. But even so, he yearns for a future where everyone can cherish each other.

Is it really true that deep affection is short-lived in this world?

Su Li shed tears.

Despite the fact that her silent sobbing caused her fractured chest to ache terribly, the pain was excruciating.

But the tears, heavy and scalding, still chased after each other, one after another, and fell down her cheeks no matter what.

"Mufei, I can't. I can't do it. Xinglong would be so ruthless." Ignoring the stiff splint and the pain in her elbow, Su Li stretched out her hands and tightly grabbed Gu Mufei's shirt.

There, the bloodstains from tonight lingered. Between her fingers, she felt only dryness and friction.

Su Li's vision was blurred with tears: "Even if it's just me, it's just me—"

She blurted out, "I don't want you to die!"

"...Don't be silly." Gu Mufeng smiled slightly, his voice extremely soft. "I'm just going to sit down and negotiate, to draft an agreement—"

He didn't finish his sentence. Su Li couldn't care less about anything else. Reaching across the center console, she hugged him tightly with almost uncontrollable force, just like the first time she had tried to hold him back. His breath, his heartbeat, his body temperature—she gripped them all. Their bodies became intertwined. Gu Mufeng seemed to be trying to avoid her.

Su Li's trembling fingertips brushed against the cold, hard metal beneath Gu Mufeng's suit. She suddenly understood everything, and tears finally streamed down her face.

He lied to her. He had clearly made up his mind.

Too proud and too strong-willed, neither of them would allow the other to compromise or yield for their sake, to stay or leave, to face or run away from the situation, or to further humiliate each other's decisions and selfishness. They both knew each other too well and cared too much about one another.

Su Li gave it her all. Pulled back by excruciating pain from her fractured bones, gasping for breath, she grasped Gu Mufeng's silent lips.

Mixed with tears, for the first time, she truly tasted the bitterness of a kiss.

"Mu Fei..."

She cupped his feignedly calm face in her hands, gazing into his beautiful yet naturally aloof eyes. A thousand words remained unspoken, stuck in her throat.

"...I must go. You know that. Self-reliance, applying what I've learned, and not depending on anyone in the future—that's my lifelong ambition. I can't give it up."

"But at the airport, I'll wait for you. I'll wait for you to come with me. Promise me—"

From childhood to adulthood, she had never held a promise in her heart. She understood the impermanence of life and the fickleness of human nature. Yet now, she insisted that Gu Mufeng make a promise. Such a contradiction.

She smiled. Only she knew the taste of the tears hidden beneath that smile. Even if, even if Gu Mufeng were to agree, she knew he would never break his promise.

"Mu Fei," Su Li said, her lips pressed tightly together, "Don't keep me waiting."

Gu Mufeng lingered on the calluses on his fingertips, repeatedly caressing and feeling them, as he gently stroked Su Li's moist lips.

He didn't answer.

After a long while, the car slowly started moving. Once again facing the wind, they drove onto the cape, but it was the road back.

A white sports car plunged into the night, never looking back. Winter snow fell thick and fast…

If the sea breeze rises again, it will surely be on a summer night.

>>>>>
Next chapter: Revisiting Gu Garden
[Author's Note | Chapter 94]

Gu Mufeng had actually made that promise.

He simply didn't answer.

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