Chapter 354: Chapter 319 Dust-Covered Secret_2
"Sister Kang?" Kang Hongxiu could be considered as half of Gu Qili’s mentor, they worked together when Gu Qili was washing dishes in the French Restaurant, and it was also Kang Hongxiu who recommended her for the sommelier classes. In terms of ability, Kang Hongxiu was indeed outstanding.
"Then help me contact her to see what she thinks. If she can come, that would be best, since we’re all our own people and easy to talk to."
"Okay."
"Right, Zhu Ping, do you have any news on A-V?"
Zhu Ping nodded: "I was just about to talk to you about A-V. Do you know why he stopped winemaking? It was because of his girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Gu Qili had never heard A-V mention her.
Zhu Ping continued: "He was so obsessed with winemaking at that time that he neglected his girlfriend, leading to their breakup. A-V was deeply regretful and has sworn off winemaking ever since. But when A-V resigned, I heard his girlfriend developed cerebellar atrophy and is gradually losing her motor functions. Now he’s by his girlfriend’s side day and night, so he probably won’t be able to come."
"Zhu Ping, can you help me find out which hospital his girlfriend is in?"
"Sure, I’ll go check it out in a bit."
Seeing her determined look, Gu Qili couldn’t help but laugh: "How come I never realized this gossip-loving habit of yours could be so useful before."
Zhu Ping scratched her head in embarrassment: "Don’t make fun of me. I’ve listened to you, and now I only hear the gossip but don’t blindly believe it anymore. By the way, do you really plan to bring A-V over?"
"Yes."
Ever since she decided to restart the vineyard, A-V had been her first choice. No one was more suitable than A-V to be the chief winemaker of the estate.
After a busy day, Gu Qili returned to the winery’s dormitory. Before her return, she had asked someone to clean it up. From now on, this two-story building would serve as both an office and a dormitory, where many staff members who lived far away could rest.
When Gu Dezhong was alive, he had made this two-story building into an European-classic style, standing beside a vineyard, with the white building and warehouse of the winemaking workshop behind it.
Gu Qili took a shower, picked up her phone to glance at it, and then her gaze shifted and spotted the metal box she had brought back during the day. Her hand, which was drying her hair, paused; she had been so busy that she had forgotten about it.
She set the towel aside and placed the metal box on the bedside table. The box had a combination lock, and she knew Gu Dezhong’s code—it was her birthday.
She tried it once and the box opened, releasing a musty smell suggesting it hadn’t been touched in a long time.
The box contained many letters and a diary with yellowed pages.
Gu Qili never knew her father had kept secrets unknown to her, so her hands trembled with nervousness and anticipation as she held the diary.
After taking a deep breath, she opened the first page of the diary. To her surprise, there was a photograph glued to the frontispiece. Apart from Gu Dezhong, the other person she also recognized: it was none other than Mu Shuoqian’s mother Qiu Lan. Why were they together?
In the photo, Gu Dezhong was in his twenties, with his hands behind his back and a nervous and uneasy expression, while Qiu Lan looked dignified with a gentle and soft smile, both of them laughing cheerfully at the camera.
The photo was black and white, but she could instantly see the vibrant violet on Qiu Lan’s cheongsam; she guessed the dress must be violet as well.
No wonder Gu Dezhong adored violets, saying he liked them for their flower language "falling in love with you in a beautiful dream," and she remembered that every time she saw Qiu Lan, she wore purple dresses.
Gu Qili’s heart began to race uncontrollably; she felt that what she was about to read would be secrets she had never imagined. Closing her eyes briefly, she trembled as she turned the photo over only to find another photo on the back—this time of Qiu Lan alone, looking asleep in a chair. Young Qiu Lan was indeed beautiful; with one hand supporting her chin, eyelids slightly closed, she was as elegant as an orchid.
There was a line of small text beside the photo: "Like the tranquil beauty of autumn, serene as the orchid."
It was in Gu Dezhong’s handwriting.
Turning another page, brief texts started appearing in the diary.
"Today I drove Lan’er to a temple fair. She was unhappy and cried in the back seat. I know she’s in great pain, but as just a driver for the Mu Family, there’s nothing I can do—I don’t even dare to reach out and hug her."
"Mu Haotian is a beast. Today he sat in the car calling his wife, claiming that it was Lan’er who seduced him, leading to their affair and the birth of a child. Bastard, Lan’er didn’t even know he was married."
"Lan’er, do you know how heartbroken I am to see you in such pain each day? You will never know how much I love you, with my lowly status, I dare not speak of love, nor let you know of this love."
"Lan’er, I would do anything for you, just say the word, and I, Gu Dezhong, would walk through fire and water."
"I’m so happy today. During the photo shoot, Lan’er actually asked me to take a picture with her."
"Lan’er, I love you, I won’t love anybody else in this life but you."
"Lan’er, I saw Shuoqian today. Although he is so young, he is very sensible and looks just like you, inheriting your beauty."
"Lan’er was hospitalized. It was Miao Yuan, Mu Haotian’s wife who harmed her, she had someone run Lan’er over with a car. If I hadn’t been there to save her at that moment, Lan’er would be dead. It’s terrifying, this woman is too frightening."
"Miao Yuan actually promised me 3% of Muguang Group’s shares and a large sum of money to sell Lan’er and her son to Africa. My God, how could she harbor such a malicious intent, what should I do, what can I do?"