Love is a mistake that cannot be escaped

Zhao Lixuan's disappearance was like a depth charge, instantly igniting public opinion.

A deluge of news reports and online comments swept in, thrusting the Gu Group into the eye of the storm.

The police intervened in the investigation, and the media swarmed the company building day and night with their cameras and microphones. Gu Yichen's phone was ringing off the hook.

I watched him rushing back and forth between the study and the office, his already thin face becoming even more angular, and the weariness between his brows becoming more and more obvious.

I looked at him with heartache, but I was powerless to help. I tried to understand those complex business documents, hoping to relieve some of his burden, but those technical terms and charts were like gibberish to me, making my head spin.

I suddenly realized that outside of the world of love, there was an insurmountable chasm between him and me. I could not truly enter his world, nor could I understand the pressure and challenges he faced.

This feeling of powerlessness left me feeling deeply frustrated and uneasy.

All I could do was silently make him coffee, organize his documents, and then sit quietly by his side, watching him busy at work, hoping that my presence would bring him some comfort.

The child's cough hadn't gotten better and had gotten worse in the last two days, even causing him to have difficulty breathing.

Gu Yichen and I rushed him to the hospital. After the doctor examined him, he said that the situation was not optimistic and recommended that he be hospitalized immediately.

Seeing him lying on the hospital bed with an oxygen tube, my heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe.

To make matters worse, his phone suddenly rang, and the screen flashed the words "Lu Mingxuan".

I hesitated for a moment and answered the phone.

"Xiao Yan, go check the school forum. Someone is spreading rumors there, saying that you and Gu Yichen..." Lu Mingxuan hesitated, his tone full of worry.

I hurriedly hung up the phone, opened the school forum, and was instantly overwhelmed by a flood of posts.

Shocking! A graduate student has hooked up with a domineering CEO and appears to have successfully won his heart!

"Fu Yan? That name sounds familiar. Oh, I remember now, isn't she the girl who won the Gu's Scholarship? Sure enough, there's no such thing as a free lunch!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, girls these days, they'll do anything for money! I don't know what kind of spell Mr. Gu was cast on, to actually fall for this kind of slut!"

……

The comment section was filled with all sorts of vile insults and attacks. My photos were maliciously photoshopped, and some people even dug up my home address and ID number, threatening to dox me.

That's when I realized what cyberbullying was. It was like a series of sharp knives, mercilessly stabbing me and trampling all my self-esteem and pride into the ground.

The person who started all of this was Lin Jiaojiao. I looked through those posts and easily found her account. She liked every single post that attacked me, and even personally commented, attacking me with all sorts of vicious language.

My hands and feet were ice cold, my mind went blank, and my vision blurred; I almost fainted.

Just then, a warm, large hand grasped mine, and Gu Yichen's voice rang in my ear: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

His voice seemed to have a magical quality, gradually calming my initially panicked heart.

I took a deep breath, fought back the tears in my eyes, and tried my best to calm myself down.

But before I could even catch my breath, the door to the ward was suddenly pushed open, and a well-dressed middle-aged woman walked in, followed by two bodyguards, exuding an unassailable aura of authority.

"Yichen, is this the girlfriend you found? She has absolutely no manners!" She didn't even look at me, her tone full of disdain and contempt.

"Mom, what brings you here?" Gu Yichen frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure.

"Why can't I come? If I hadn't come, you would have completely disgraced the Gu family!" Du Yue glanced at me coldly. "Look at what's being said online right now! What are you expecting Yi Chen to do? What are you expecting the Gu family to do?"

That's when I realized that Gu Yichen was under far more pressure than I had imagined. He not only had to handle company affairs, but also face the doubts of his family and the pressure of public opinion, and all of this was because of me.

“Auntie, about this matter…” I wanted to explain, but Du Yue ruthlessly interrupted me.

"Shut up! You have no right to speak here!" Du Yue pointed at my nose, her tone sharp and sarcastic. "I don't care what methods you used, you'd better leave Yichen right now! Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Every word she spoke was like a sharp blade, piercing my heart and causing me unbearable pain. I looked at Gu Yichen, hoping he would say something, but he just stared at me silently, his eyes filled with complex and unfathomable emotions.

At that moment, I suddenly realized that there was an insurmountable chasm between us—a difference in status and a difference in our worlds. I was like an ugly duckling who had mistakenly entered a wealthy family; no matter how hard I tried, I could never fit into his world.

At that moment, my heart sank to the bottom.

Tears blurred my vision. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug deep into my flesh, but I felt no pain.

I took a deep breath, forcing back the tears in my eyes, and turned to rush out of the ward. I ran aimlessly down the hospital corridor until I was completely exhausted, then collapsed to my knees, burying my head in my knees and letting the tears flow freely.

I don't know how I got back to the ward. I only remember Gu Yichen's gentle voice ringing in my ears: "Yan Yan, don't be afraid, I'll handle everything." He hugged me tightly, as if he wanted to meld me into his very bones. At that moment, I felt a sense of security I had never felt before.

Over the next few days, Gu Yichen handled company affairs with remarkable efficiency, while simultaneously holding a press conference under immense pressure to publicly announce our relationship. His honesty and determination moved me, and also made my heart ache even more.

However, things took an unexpected turn; the rumors did not subside but instead intensified.

To prove my innocence, Gu Yichen decided to take me to a charity gala to refute those malicious speculations.

I understand his good intentions and want to face the storms with him.

However, fate always seems to love playing tricks; just as we stepped into the banquet hall, an unexpected turn of events occurred...