CHAPTER 248: CHAPTER 233: WHO ELSE HAVE I OFFENDED?

Gu Qili nestled into Mu Shuoqian’s embrace, his steady heartbeat slowly calming her frightened, uneasy heart.

"Are they gone?"

"They’ve left already, the scene has also been cordoned off."

"Don’t make too much noise, it’s not good for the restaurant."

Mu Shuoqian frowned: "Nearly lost half of your life, and you’re still worried about the restaurant? Gu Qili, have you lost your mind?"

Any number of restaurants couldn’t compare to her, no, not even close.

"I’ll go to the station later to give a statement."

"Finish your IV drip first."

She blinked her eyes: "Then don’t leave."

Tang Tianyou finished his examination, and went out to buy a bottle of iced bubble milk tea and red bean pastry, returning cheerfully with the items in hand.

He hadn’t even entered when through the small glass window he saw the man with his back to him, his silhouette somewhat familiar, he could guess who it was.

He hesitated, not pushing the door open.

"Tang sir, finally found you, are you alright?" Xiong Er ran over, panting.

Tang Tianyou’s gaze was slightly scattered as he stared at the wooden door in front of him, seemingly deep in thought, as if he hadn’t heard Xiong Er’s words.

He had been distracted frequently recently.

"Tang sir." Xiong Er called out carefully again.

After a long while, he slowly turned his head, seeing him, his face showing no expression, he tossed the bag he was carrying onto him: "Eat it."

Xiong Er: "..."

He had just had a table full of French cuisine, he really couldn’t eat anymore.

Tang Tianyou had already taken long strides out, Xiong Er caught the items and hurried out after him: "Tang sir, you have a gathering at the Xiangshan Club tonight."

"Not going anymore." Tang Tianyou, clearly impatient, headed straight for the door, but stopped at the doorstep, Xiong Er thought he had changed his mind, but he just stretched his hand out towards him.

Xiong Er hesitated for a moment before reluctantly pulling out the car keys from his pocket, unsure whether to hand them over.

Tang Tianyou snatched them away and quickly walked down the steps, driving off in the car Xiong Er had brought.

Xiong Er stood amidst the wind, somewhat disheveled. He opened the bag, seeing the milk tea and red bean pastry inside, treats girls liked. Were they bought for Miss Gu?

Done for, Tang sir is experiencing unrequited love?

〜

When Gu Qili woke up, it was already dark. She lifted her eyelids and looked around, Mu Shuoqian had one arm around her, the other hand busy with emails on his phone. Sensing she was awake, he put away the phone and gently rubbed his chin against her forehead: "Does it still hurt?"

"Much better."

The needle on the back of her hand had been removed, a white plaster stuck on it.

She looked out the door again, seemingly searching for someone. Mu Shuoqian asked, "Looking for who?"

"Didn’t you see Tang Tianyou?"

"Tang Tianyou?"

"If it weren’t for him today, this hand, or even my life, might have been gone." Gu Qili said, raising her bandaged hand, "He happened to be dining at the restaurant today, he administered first aid after seeing I was bitten by a snake. The doctor said it was thanks to him that we got extra time."

"It’s better that I repay this favor." Mu Shuoqian’s ears kept ringing with the words Tang Tianyou, he found it exceedingly irritating. Although he was grateful to him for saving Gu Qili, that did not mean he would not feel jealous. Gratitude and jealousy are completely different things.

Just as he was about to change the subject, someone knocked on the hospital room door, and soon, two people entered.

Gu Qili had swallowed what she was about to say, looking slightly dazed as the visitors approached.

"Is this Miss Gu Qili?"

Gu Qili instinctively tightened her grip on Mu Shuoqian’s sleeve, nodding slightly.

"We need your cooperation to record a statement about the cobra attack today."

Didn’t we just say we were going to the station to record a statement? Why has Uncle come himself?

She glanced at the man who had remained calm throughout, and she immediately understood — he was afraid that she would overwork herself, so he used his connections to bring her to the hospital.

Feeling warmth in her heart, she gently moved her hand that was clutching his sleeve downwards, her fingers climbing onto his hand, intertwining her fingers with his.

He was always so attentive, how could she not be moved?

Opening the folder in her hand, and taking out a pen, Gu Qili then recounted the events of the day, carefully trying not to omit any details.

"Is there only one key to the locker?"

"Yes, and I always carry it with me."

"During this period, has the key ever left you, even for a few minutes?" A serious inquiry from someone experienced with such cases.

"No..." Gu Qili was about to shake her head when suddenly her expression froze.

No, there was one time.

It was before Zhu Ping was fired; she had helped her fetch a USB drive from her bag in the locker room, and that was the only time the key had left her possession, but it was only for a brief few minutes.

A few minutes isn’t enough to go out and duplicate a key.

"There was one time, a colleague took the key to open my locker for me, but it was for a very short time, only about three to four minutes," Gu Qili nervously stared at the elderly man, expressing her doubt from the bottom of her heart, "Three to four minutes isn’t enough to duplicate a key, right?"

"Of course, it is." His unexpected response shattered her assumption, "Just press the key onto a specialized impression tool to leave a mark, and a locksmith can create a duplicate in the time it takes to make an impression, three to four minutes is enough."

"But she’s my friend, she shouldn’t do such a thing. There must be some misunderstanding."

"What’s the name of Miss Gu’s friend?"

"Has Miss Gu offended anyone else at the company? " He seriously added, "This person must have harbored bias or resentment against Miss Gu, to the extent of wanting to take such a cruel revenge."

"If anyone holds a bias or resentment against me, it would only be Luan Yi."

He signaled his colleague to record these details and asked some more questions before the two left.

But Gu Qili’s mood plummeted after the questioning. From the time the incident occurred until now, Luan Yi was the only person she suspected. They had been at loggerheads for so long, and she would have wished for something bad to happen to her, but why involve Zhu Ping? Was she really related to this incident?

"No matter who did this, I won’t let them go." Murderousness tinged Mu Shuoqian’s eyes — it was the first time she saw such a ferocious look in his eyes.

~

Tang Tianyou was called to a card game that evening, a gathering with a few acquaintances he usually got along with.

Originally he was planning to go home, but then he changed his mind halfway.

During the game, he was constantly distracted; at one point he had a winning hand with Thirteen Orphans and needed one more Yaogee, but despite the other three players discarding a Yaogee each, he didn’t realize he had won. What’s worse, he even drew one himself and discarded it as a One Bamboo.

He absentmindedly lost a considerable amount of money.

Among them, someone joked, "Boss Tang, you are supposed to be a master gambler, aren’t you afraid of ruining your reputation playing like this?"

"Clearly, Boss Tang’s mind is elsewhere. Come on, let’s call a few girls in to lift his spirits, lest Boss Tang ends up gambling away his own possessions."

Listening to everyone’s teasing, Tang Tianyou remained unmoved, still lost in his thoughts, sometimes staring blankly at the cards he was about to play, a stare that could last minutes. He seemed to be deaf to others urging him on.

It wasn’t until several beautiful girls entered pushing the door that the atmosphere in the card room instantly heated up. These women were all professionally trained. One girl, dressed innocently, directly sat on Tang Tianyou’s lap, looping her arms around his neck and cooed, "Boss Tang, play a One Bamboo, and you’ll be ready to win."

The girl saw Tang Tianyou’s fingers hesitate over a Four Circles and was truly anxious for him. Wasn’t he supposed to be the King of Gamblers? Maybe it was an undeserved reputation.

Tang Tianyou seemed only then to realize he had a girl in his arms, and although she was dressed innocently, the cloying scent of makeup was undeniable. Normally, he wouldn’t mind, but now, the smell was enough to make him queasy.

Without any courtesy, he yanked the girl out of his embrace and directly played the Four Circles, only to hear someone from the opposite door say, "I win."

"Boss Tang, you see? You didn’t listen to the girl, and you triggered a win for someone else." Tang Tianyou finally glanced at her; he blinked twice and focused hard to see clearly — the girl was quite pretty, especially her eyebrows, which somewhat resembled Gu Qili’s.

But as soon as Tang Tianyou turned his head, he immediately forgot her features.

Indeed, apart from Gu Qili, he still couldn’t remember any unfamiliar face.

Tang Tianyou pulled out a stack of money from his wallet and tossed it to the girl, just about to say ’continue’, when his phone screen suddenly lit up, displaying a message.

He saw the sender’s name, labeled as "Little Qi".

A vivid smile crept up his lips, a thrilling sensation almost leaping out from his abdomen, and he grabbed the phone without hesitation.