Chapter 307: Chapter 285: How to Achieve Emotional Detachment_2
Mu Shuoqian’s heart suddenly lurched, a bad premonition surfacing in his mind. With furrowed brows, he continued to read further, and upon catching the words "surgery procedure," his heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably, a layer of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
His true collapse came upon seeing the three characters "Gu Qili." Not only was her name there, but also her date of birth. At the very bottom were handwritten comments by the doctor, suggesting that the postoperative recovery was very good, with no complications.
Besides this surgery report, there were also the billing and prescription sheets, all bearing her name.
Mu Shuoqian felt wave after wave of darkness before him, his hands trembling so much that he couldn’t even hold the papers.
His body swayed, and he fell backward, sitting unsteadily on the chair, his mind a complete blank.
It took a while before he regained his senses, once again forcing himself to examine the crumpled papers in his hand.
So, that day when she came to see him, what she truly wanted to say was this: she was pregnant, carrying his child. But before he could even begin to experience what it felt like to be a father, the child had already vanished.
She said that since he caused her to lose a family member, she wanted him to feel the same.
She did as she said, the blade fell, and he too tasted what it meant to be in bone-deep pain—pain which the cost of had left him powerless and heart-wrenching.
Mu Shuoqian clutched the papers in his hand, his entire body shivering, his eyes brimming with a ferocious storm.
He once had a chance to be a father, but now there was nothing left, nothing at all.
This child, it was he who had killed with his own hands!
Xiao Ran knocked several times without a response, so he had to enter to remind Mu Shuoqian about the upcoming meeting that was about to start.
He had only taken two steps inside when all his words got stuck in his throat; he saw the man in front of him crumpling up in utter despair, curling into himself, one hand covering his face while glittering tears slowly seeped through his slender fingers.
Xiao Ran’s nose suddenly felt sour. This man, who usually seemed invincible, now appeared extremely fragile, exuding an overwhelming sadness that even affected him deeply.
What kind of matter could have made this man so profoundly sorrowful, and what could easily knock down this seemingly unbeatable man?
He sighed inwardly, closed the door behind him, and a secretary approached to ask, "Assistant Xiao, is the meeting still on?"
Xiao Ran waved his hand: "Tell them the meeting is cancelled for today. The president isn’t feeling well."
"Not feeling well? Does he need a doctor?"
"No need. You can go."
A doctor? What kind of doctor can cure a heartache? Probably such a doctor doesn’t even exist.
In the following days, Mu Shuoqian’s mood remained unstable. He would be distracted during meetings, and whenever people talked to him, he would respond indifferently, catching only bits and pieces of the conversation.
One day, Xiao Ran and he returned from outside, and as a mother walked past them carrying a six or seven-month-old baby, he stood still for a long time, until Xiao Ran couldn’t help calling his name a couple of times before he finally looked away.
He never used to care about the private lives of his subordinates, but one day during a meeting, he suddenly inquired about a department manager’s child, asking if it had just been born. The manager, flattered, hurriedly answered yes.
He asked if it was a boy or a girl, the manager joyfully replied it was a girl, his little sweetheart, and upon seeing the manager’s face filled with happiness, unexpectedly, his own lips lifted into a smile.
Girls are good too, boys are nice as well. As long as it’s a child between her and him, he doesn’t mind whether it’s a boy or a girl.
But there wouldn’t be any, they could never have children again, their only hope had been cruelly snuffed out by his own hands.
"Young Master Qian, Young Master Qian, are you alright?" The manager, having talked to himself for quite some time and receiving no response from Mu Shuoqian, had no choice but to seek assistance from Xiao Ran who was beside him.
Xiao Ran, accustomed to such occurrences lately, waved his hand at the manager, who then left the room, his face full of confusion.
After replacing Mu Shuoqian’s cold coffee with a fresh hot one, Xiao Ran closed the door behind him, thinking that Mu Shuoqian ought to take a long break, but the reality was the exact opposite. Not only did he not rest, but he also took over some tasks that weren’t immediately pressing, keeping himself busy with work all day long apart from eating.
Xiao Ran was afraid that if this continued, Mu Shuoqian’s health would also deteriorate, but his advice fell on deaf ears.
After a meeting with several executives, Xiao Ran entered Mu Shuoqian’s office with a document in hand. Seeing the man working with his head down, Xiao Ran took a deep breath and walked over, placing the file in front of him.
"Young Master Qian."
"Leave it there, I’ll look at it in a moment," Mu Shuoqian said without lifting his head, always open to work.
"Young Master Qian, the madam has resigned," Xiao Ran said, watching his reaction nervously. In these days, he had been numbing himself with work; he seemed calm on the surface, but inside he was already in turmoil.
As expected, upon hearing the news, Mu Shuoqian stopped writing, gripping his pen tightly in his palm. He didn’t look up, but Xiao Ran could see from his tense back how much he cared.
"When did it happen?"
"Yesterday."
"I see, you may leave now."
Xiao Ran stepped back a few paces and turned to leave only upon reaching the door.
Upon hearing the door close, Mu Shuoqian’s forced calm collapsed in an instant. He found a pack of cigarettes in his drawer, lit one, and started smoking as if only the numbness from the tobacco could keep him lucid.
This had been inevitable. If they had separated she might have stayed in Grand Lisboa, but now that she knew he was the culprit behind the bankruptcy of the Gu family, how could she possibly continue to stay?
Once, he liked to casually pass by the French Restaurant each day, just to glimpse her silhouette, but now he didn’t even have that chance anymore.