Chapter 355: Chapter 320: You Don’t Need to Follow, Do You?
Gu Qili’s heart rate accelerated as she read on, sensing that what Gu Dezhong was about to reveal must be related to the longstanding grudge between the Gu Family and Mu Shuoqian and his mother.
No wonder Qiu Lan was so cold to her, no wonder Mu Shuoqian managed to bankrupt the Gu Family—all of this had a cause and effect.
Gu Qili closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before she continued to flip through the diary.
"Staring at the share transfer document and the cheque in front of me, I couldn’t sleep all night. The temptation of owning three percent of Muguang Group was immense, and the hefty sum was enough to fund my dream of building a vineyard. However, my love for Lan’er is irreplaceable by any amount of money. I was about to tear up the cheque and transfer document, but then, I realized something—I was the only one who could save them, mother and son."
"Miao Yuan set them up time and again, and Mu Haotian, despite being aware, turned a blind eye. His favorite was always his eldest son, Hewen, and the person he feared the most was his wife, Miao Yuan. The evidence of the car accident was clear, yet he denied everything, fabricating excuses. I saw how distraught and heartbroken Lan’er was, yet I was still powerless to do anything."
"When Miao Yuan asked me again how I’d deliberated, I agreed to her proposal—she would have found someone else had I refused."
"I accepted her transfer document and cheque, hiding them away, then found an accomplice—my good friend and Lan’er’s best friend, Cheng Menghong. I shared my plan with her: we would secretly get the mother and son onto the cargo ship I had arranged in advance, faking a kidnapping scenario, and then leave by plane,"
"Having arranged everything, I tricked them out of their hiding and quietly told Lan’er while boarding them onto the ship that as long as she trusted me, I would ensure their safety. I was relieved that Lan’er believed in me."
"I left the rest to Cheng Menghong, while I distracted the men Miao Yuan dispatched. Everything went smoothly, and with that, I was at peace. Even though I can never be with her in this lifetime, just knowing that she can continue to seek her happiness and seeing them, mother and son, safe and happy, is enough for me."
After this point, the diary has an extended blank period. It seemed that after Lan’er’s departure, there was nothing more Gu Dezhong felt compelled to write about.
The diary resumes a year later.
"Menghong treats me well, dedicating all her attention to me. I told her that I might not be able to love her back. She said she didn’t mind. I know I can’t forget Lan’er; though I can’t marry her, neither can I fall in love with any other woman."
"I married Menghong. After getting drunk one night, we slept together. I suspected she may have doctored the drinks, but out of a sense of responsibility, I agreed to marry her. Lan’er, have you also found the one you truly love, someone who sincerely treats you well? I miss you terribly."
"Menghong became pregnant, but her mood was very volatile. We argued frequently. She said I didn’t love her, that I still loved Lan’er. Indeed, I had already told her this, yet she still refused to give up."
"After a misunderstanding, Menghong finally exploded, and we argued fiercely. The next day, with great effort, I won custody of our little daughter. Lan’er used to enjoy going to a place called Qili Pavilion for coffee, so I named my daughter—Qili."
This is where Gu Dezhong’s diary ends. Beyond a photo of Gu Qili’s birth, the remaining pages were left blank.
Gu Qili also looked through the letters, most of which were declarations of love Gu Dezhong had written to Qiu Lan, yet none were ever sent.
At this point, Gu Qili became confused. She believed firmly that her father’s words were truthful; no one would write so extensively in deceit and keep it hidden only to never reveal it, and both the dates and contents of these letters appeared authentic. She couldn’t discern truth from fabrication, as she was unfamiliar with Qiu Lan’s handwriting and tone.
If her father’s words were true, then Gu Dezhong was Qiu Lan’s lifesaver. Why then, did Mu Shuoqian and Qiu Lan regard him as an enemy? Where exactly did things go wrong in this chain of events?
Mother?
In the diary, aside from Qiu Lan, the name of her mother was also mentioned. Her father said her mother was once best friends with Qiu Lan. The Lan’er he had been longing to see happy all these years might have encountered some great misfortune.
"Ring."
The phone lying on the bed suddenly rang, startling Gu Qili so much she almost jolted, dropping the diary onto the floor.
Her heart pounded anxiously, her complexion turning pale.
"Hello?"
"Ali, what’s wrong? You sound strange," came a crisp child’s voice. Gu Qili then realized even her voice quivered.
"Nothing. Your call just startled me. Are you using Uncle Yu’s phone again?"
Seated at the dining table, Mu Qinian glanced at a certain someone watching a soccer match on the sofa and whispered, "Daddy is so mean, he won’t lend me his phone."
Whenever Mu Shuoqian was mentioned, Gu Qili’s heartbeat would speed up. What exactly had happened to him? No wonder he never wanted to talk about his experiences there in the past, telling her there were some things she didn’t need to know. It must have been a very unbearable and painful past.
Suddenly, a faint ache began to emanate from the tip of her heart. She had felt hatred and resentment, but now there was a feeling of heartache.
"Niannian, tomorrow is the weekend, and I promised to take you to the amusement park..."
Gu Qili hadn’t finished speaking when she was interrupted by Mu Qinian’s excited cheers, "Ali, are you serious? You’re really going to take me to the amusement park?"
After shouting, Mu Qinian lowered his voice and stealthily glanced at the man still watching the game, whispering, "Ali, I need to ask Dad..."
When Mu Shuoqian wasn’t home, it was manageable no matter how Mu Qinian misbehaved. But with Mu Shuoqian sitting there, Mu Qinian didn’t feel as brave. Regardless of his tough talk, he was still very afraid of his often emotionless ’tiger dad’.
Before Gu Qili could speak, the phone was already in the hands of the ’tiger dad’, who coldly uttered, "Hmm?"
Gu Qili felt a tingling on her scalp, but soon put on a composed face. There was nothing wrong with her taking her son out for fun, and he had no right to object: "I’m taking Niannian to play for a couple of days. There’s a new Disney in S city."
Fearing that he would disagree, Gu Qili quickly added, "If you’re worried, we can have Uncle Yu accompany us."
After a while, Mu Shuoqian’s voice came through deep and low: "Tomorrow morning at six, come to Jingshan to pick him up. I’ll arrange the plane tickets."
After saying that, he hung up the call.
Mu Qinian had been eavesdropping with bated breath the whole time, and when he heard that Ali would come to pick him up at six the next day, he was so happy he wanted to run out and set off fireworks. Yet, he wore a disinterested expression on his little face and sullenly said, "I’m going to take a bath now, I really hate getting up early."
After turning the corner at the second floor’s gradual steps, assuming Mu Shuoqian couldn’t see him anymore, Mu Qinian jumped up excitedly, bounding to the door of his own room,
All the kids in his class talked about the Disney in S city these days; many had already visited, even Jin Xiaojun and Chen Zitong were planning to go with their parents.
Once back in his room, Mu Qinian set his little alarm clock and then opened his wardrobe to start packing things into his small suitcase.
～
After sending a message to her uncle, Gu Qili laid down. She couldn’t reach her uncle by phone, so she had no choice but to text him. Probably only her mother could give her the truth about the past events, but her uncle said her mother’s insanity was severe, her lucid moments were few, and moreover, she refused to see her. For the past twenty-six years, she had repeatedly asked to see her mother, but she was always declined.
Even though she was her mother, there had been no contact between them since her birth; in reality, the bond of kinship had grown very weak.
Gu Qili turned over, trying hard not to think about these troubling matters, and instead think about the fun of going to Disney with her son the next day, conveniently putting all her worries aside.
Early the next morning, before dawn, Gu Qili took a car from the manor to the city.
She sat on the bench in Jingshan District, gathered her coat around her, and looked up at the distant horizon, where a greyish light pierced the hazy sky of Aus City.
The sound of a suitcase dragging on the ground, along with Mu Qinian’s excited voice, came from behind: "Ali."
Gu Qili turned around to see two suitcases, large and small. Tracing her gaze up from the suitcases, she saw the father-son duo, both wearing black coats of the same color scheme, black leather shoes, and faces that both seemed cold and distant. The only difference was that Mu Qinian’s mouth was turned up in a broad smile, while Mu Shuoqian’s mouth formed a detached curve downward.
Gu Qili thought Mu Shuoqian was there to see them off and took Mu Qinian’s hand to get into the car he had driven.
But after parking the car at the airport, Mu Qinian stood beside her, pulling his little suitcase, while Mu Shuoqian dragged his black suitcase with one hand in his coat pocket, his gaze fixed ahead, following a path strikingly similar to theirs.
After taking a few steps, Gu Qili couldn’t help but turn around to question: "Niannian and I are going to S city,
Mu Shuoqian didn’t spare her a glance, passing by her, and casually dropped a remark: "I don’t feel safe with my son following you."