The abandoned daughter of the Lu family turns around and marries a celibate tycoon.

"But her happiness also comes from you," Lin Chen said softly.

Gu Yanshen tugged at the corners of his mouth, a smile more painful than a grimace. "Yes, that's why I deserve to die even more. I was too greedy. I coveted her smile, her warm breath as she slept in my arms, the wholehearted dependence she showed when she called me 'Uncle'... I gave her a little sweetness, but she had to pay with her life."

His voice choked, and after a long pause, he continued, "Lin Chen, take her away."

Gu Yanshen closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only a cruel resolve remained: "Lin Chen, take her away. The application to Switzerland hasn't been withdrawn; send her there once she's feeling better."

"She won't leave." Lin Chen looked at her. "She chose you, Gu Yanshen. In her heart, you are her home."

"She has to leave." Gu Yanshen's voice was terrifyingly steady, with only his slightly trembling fingertips betraying his emotions. "Once she can get out of bed, send her to Switzerland. The medical team there has already been contacted, and the house, servants, security... everything has been arranged."

"When did you start making these arrangements?"

"Ever since Grandma was poisoned," Gu Yanshen sighed, "I've always known what this power struggle within the Gu family meant. It's just that I overestimated myself and was too attached to its allure..."

He pulled a black card from his suit pocket and gently placed it on the table; the metal surface gleamed coldly under the light. "This card has no limit. She can buy whatever she likes, go wherever she wants..."

Lin Chen stared at the card, his Adam's apple bobbing: "She'll ask you why you didn't give it to her yourself."

"Because starting tomorrow," Gu Yanshen turned around, the moonlight outlining his taut jawline, "Gu Yanshen will disappear from her world."

He paused for a moment, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the tiny ring mark on his ring finger—the ring had just been taken off and was now lying quietly in the velvet box.

"I will divorce her." His voice was flat as he said this, with only a slight tremor at the end revealing a hint of emotion. "I will make her hate me in the ugliest way possible, so that she never wants to see me again in her life."

"Divorce?" Lin Chen's voice rose. "Gu Yanshen, do you know what you're saying?"

"I know." Gu Yanshen walked to the liquor cabinet and took another swig of whiskey. The strong liquor slid down his throat, burning like swallowing a knife. "Actually, we all know that her danger stems from my concern. So I want the whole world to know—I don't care anymore."

"She'll die from the pain," Lin Chen said, emphasizing each word.

Gu Yanshen slowly turned around, the moonlight casting a deep shadow on his face. His eyes were terribly red, but not a single tear fell. He just stared at Lin Chen quietly for a very long time.

Then, he laughed very softly.

"Then it will hurt." Gu Yanshen turned around, something moist reflecting in his eyes under the light. "Only by experiencing pain can one live. Staying by my side... she might..."

He walked up to Lin Chen, placed his hand on the other's shoulder, and pressed so hard that his knuckles turned white: "Take good care of her for me. If... she hates me..."

The second half of the sentence disappeared into a sob.

Gu Yanshen released his grip and turned his back. Lin Chen saw his broad shoulders trembling slightly and heard his suppressed, broken breathing.

"Lin Chen," Gu Yanshen finally spoke in a hoarse voice after a long silence, "Do you know? For the half hour just now outside the emergency room... I even thought how wonderful it would be if I were the one lying inside."

He covered his eyes with his hands, his voice leaking through his fingers, wet with emotion: "I would give anything for her safety, including leaving her."

"But have you ever considered that she would rather face this with you..."

"I can't gamble!" Gu Yanshen turned around abruptly, his eyes bloodshot. "I can't afford to lose. Lin Chen, just thinking about possibly losing her completely... makes me feel like I can't go on living."

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "So, that's it. Let her hate me, let her live well... As for me..."

He didn't say the second half of the sentence.

But Lin Chen understood.

As for him, he was willing to be condemned to eternal damnation.

As the morning light pierced through the clouds, Gu Yanshen washed his face and changed into a clean suit. His hands were steady as he fastened his tie in front of the mirror, his expression calm and undisturbed.

Only those eyes—those eyes that once held tender smiles—are now as deep as a dry well, all the light sinking to the bottom, never to shine again.

He took one last look at the mess on the floor, then turned and closed the door.

The moment the door lock clicked shut, something inside this man died completely.

In the hospital ward, Lu Xiran woke up in the morning light.

The pain as the anesthesia wore off made her groan softly, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. Instinctively, she reached out and touched the spot beside her—the place where the hand that always held her tightly and stayed by her side all night whenever she was sick or injured.

All my fingertips touched were the cold, empty sheets.

She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling. The ward was quiet, with only the regular beeping of the monitoring equipment.

She blinked, and tears rolled down her cheeks without warning, one after another, disappearing into the hair at her temples, leaving a cold mark.

she knows.

Some things are lost forever.

For the rest of the day, Lu Xiran lay quietly.

When the nurse came to change her dressing, she obediently reached out her hand; when the caregiver brought her meals, she ate them in small bites.

She didn't cry or make a fuss, and she didn't speak; she just kept looking at the doorway.

Every time footsteps echoed down the corridor, her eyelashes would flutter slightly.

Every time the doorknob turns, she instinctively holds her breath.

But the person who comes in is never the one she wants to see.

In the afternoon, she finally pulled her phone out from under her pillow. The screen was clean; there were no missed calls or new messages.

She opened WeChat, and the last sentence in the pinned chat was the one she had sent three hours earlier:

"Uncle, are you busy?"

No reply was received.

Her finger hovered above the screen, wanting to send something more, but she didn't know what to say. In the end, she simply turned off the screen and hugged her phone to her chest.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened.

Lu Xiran knew how much Gu Yanshen cared about this child.

In just a few days, he lost his beloved grandmother and then his most anticipated child. He needs time and space to process these tremendous changes in his life.

Lu Xiran kept telling herself: He must be very busy.

But the longer it went on, the stronger the unease became, like fine vines wrapping around the heart, tightening little by little.

At 8 p.m., Xue Jingyan came to check on the patients.

He checked the IV tubing, reviewed the monitoring data, and made notes in the medical record. Throughout the entire process, Lu Xiran watched him quietly, her fingers unconsciously gripping the bed sheet.

As Xue Jingyan closed the medical record and turned to leave, she finally couldn't help but speak.

"Dr. Xue..."

Xue Jingyan stopped and turned around.

Lu Xiran looked at him, something trembling slightly in her eyes. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, and when she opened it again, her voice was even softer, with a barely perceptible tremor:

"Yan Shen...where is he?"