CHAPTER 294: CHAPTER 274 I NEVER LOVED HER AT ALL

Facing Nan Zhan’s question, Mu Shuoqian merely sipped his wine lightly and answered after a long pause with a cold and indifferent voice, "One Qi Family is not enough to be my concern." He paused then continued, "Past matters should be settled early, I dislike dragging things out."

Gu Qili pretended to nonchalantly pick up dishes, but she failed twice in a row, not knowing whether she was angry at the dishes or herself. She fixated on that piece of shrimp, determined to pick it up.

He was right, past affairs should be settled early and not dragged on.

And now the only connection they had was a marriage that was in name only. She had told him before she left, if he had time, to go and finalize the divorce proceedings. Yet he never contacted her, and she didn’t want to initiate contact, but now, perhaps she should proactively urge him.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom." Gu Qili finally admitted defeat to that piece of shrimp, she put down her chopsticks, smiled elegantly at Nan Zhan, "Excuse me for a moment."

She pulled out her chair, turned around, and left without ever looking at the man next to her.

Upon exiting, there was a wheelchair placed on the left side of the door. To protect privacy, there was a significant distance between private rooms in Xiangshan Club. Since the wheelchair was placed at their doorstep, it implied it belonged to one of them. Nan Zhan’s legs were certainly fine; he was the one driving when they arrived, so that means...

Is it Mu Shuoqian? Is he injured?

Carrying such doubt, Gu Qili hurried to the restroom and then returned. Before entering, she paused for a moment, quickly glancing over Mu Shuoqian. Indeed, his leg was in a cast.

When did he injure his leg? He was fine the last time she saw him.

Just as she was about to enter, suddenly Nan Zhan’s voice came from inside, "What’s going on between you and Qili? What happened?"

Her hand paused on the door handle, her feet rooted to the spot.

After a while, she heard Mu Shuoqian’s voice, still devoid of any emotional fluctuations, "Nothing."

"Ha, don’t lie. You and that young actress Zhou Xiaoyu suddenly became so close, do you think I wouldn’t know? Was it Zhou Xiaoyu that Qili found out about, and now she’s giving you the cold shoulder?"

Gu Qili bitterly smiled. She didn’t even have the right to give him the cold shoulder now, though she wished she could. Even as he hurt her so deeply, she still pitifully clung to a sliver of light, trying to preserve a bit of warmth, even if it would only cause her more pain and a harder fall in the end.

"We have no need to be in a cold war because I never loved her." His casually uttered sentence chilled Gu Qili to the bone, as if she was standing in a thousand-year-old ice cellar.

Step by step, she moved backward until she bumped into the wheelchair at the doorway, causing the chair to slide backward and collide with the wall.

Hearing the loud "bang" of the wheelchair, Gu Qili startled back to reality, lowered her head and quickly walked away.

It wasn’t until she walked out of Xiangshan Club that she lifted her head to look at the overcast sky, with tears streaming down her cheeks.

She was too foolish. Everything had reached this stage today, and yet she still hoped that the love he once showed was real. When he told her he chose Zhou Xiaoyu over her, when he saved Zhou Xiaoyu at that critical moment, she should have given up hope. Why did she still come to hear such heart-wrenchingly cruel words?

Gu Qili, how much longer will you remain foolish? Where is your bottom line?

She fiercely wiped away her tears, took out her phone quickly, and sent a message to Nan Zhan: I’m feeling unwell, I’ve left first, I’ve already settled the bill, thank you.

After sending it, she revisited the cashier to pay the bill, and on leaving, she edited another message, this time the recipient was Mu Shuoqian: Mr. Mu, please take time to finalize the divorce proceedings. Some matters should be settled early, rather than being dragged out.

She sent back his exact words, secured her phone, and hailed a taxi to leave.

After Nan Zhan’s phone rang once, he glanced at it and slowly put it down while addressing the man opposite him who was eating his meal absently, "Qili said she’s not feeling well and has gone home."

While Mu Shuoqian was pouring wine, he didn’t respond, as if he didn’t care, opting for ’water therapy’ instead of taking medicine, always ending up even sicker.

"Hey, you’re spilling your drink." Nan Zhan hurriedly spoke up.

Mu Shuoqian then stopped pouring immediately. The red liquid in his glass had already spilled over, some dripping onto the table. He hastily grabbed a napkin to wipe it clean, burying his head to hide his current disarray.

After cleaning the table, Mu Shuoqian’s phone also buzzed once. Positioned on his left side, he glanced at it. The content on the screen instantly filled his eyes: Mr. Mu, please take time to handle the divorce proceedings.

He couldn’t see the full message on the screen, but Mu Shuoqian had a good idea of what else she said.

He stared at the full glass of red wine in front of him, grabbed it without a word, and tilted his head to pour it down his throat.

Nan Zhan across from him was stunned, and by the time he reacted,

Nan Zhan didn’t say anything, quietly filled his own glass, and took two sips.

The dishes on the table had gone cold, but neither of them had touched their chopsticks.

"Speak up, maybe your buddies could help," Nan Zhan didn’t urge him to stop binge-drinking, but instead opened another bottle for him.

Mu Shuoqian managed a bitter smile, choked by drinking too vigorously, his face turned bright red, and it took a while to recover his natural complexion.

How to help? If he could seek assistance from someone, he would have done it long ago, instead of waiting until now.

He didn’t speak, just lowered his head and kept drinking.

When had Nan Zhan ever seen him like this? He was usually dashing, masterfully strategizing. It seemed there was nothing under heaven he couldn’t handle or difficulties he couldn’t solve. But watching him drink glass after glass, Nan Zhan subconsciously gripped his wine glass tighter. In the end, Mu Shuoqian is just a human, sensitive to human warmth and chill, naturally also facing issues he couldn’t resolve.

It was at this moment he truly felt that he was more human than a god, more real, in fact.

Gu Qili went home to pick up some things then had the driver turn the car around, heading straight for Jing Mountain.

If things shouldn’t be dragged out, then let it be swift. She didn’t want to have the slightest association with him anymore.

Only after the message was sent did Gu Qili realize how ironic that sentence was.

More than two years ago he appeared in front of her like a god, astonished, he said: "I have my household register and ID with me, and the Civil Affairs Bureau happens to be open today."

As a result, she ended up getting their marriage certificate in a daze.

Two years later, she sat at his doorstep, repeating the similar words, only this time marriage had turned into divorce.

Soon, she received Mu Shuoqian’s reply: Fine.

About fifteen minutes later, a black Mercedes came into view; she glanced at the license plate: 1921, it seemed familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen it because it was really too mundane, unlike what such a good car should have.

As the car passed by her, it paused; she glanced subconsciously and saw Yuan Yi driving—Mu Shuoqian’s car? Had he gotten a new car?

The car only slowed down, but soon pulled up at the doorstep. Yuan Yi got out first, followed by him fetching a folded wheelchair from the trunk and placing it next to the rear door. It took a while before Mu Shuoqian himself, leaning on the car window, climbed out, didn’t take Yuan Yi’s support, and somehow managed to stand on his own. He glanced at the wheelchair, didn’t sit, but instead turned around and made his way into the house.

"Young Master Qian, the doctor said that leg shouldn’t bear weight," Yuan Yi hurriedly followed him.

Mu Shuoqian didn’t want her to see him in a wheelchair; even if his leg was broken today, he would walk boldly into their home.

Mu Shuoqian stopped in front of the door, enduring excruciating pain and beading forehead with cold sweat, said to Gu Qili standing not far away, "If you don’t mind, come in and wait for me for a bit."

Gu Qili didn’t immediately respond; at three in the afternoon, it was the hottest time of the day, she didn’t want to be roasted like a slab of meat here.

Only after he had gone inside did she begin to follow, smelling a strong scent of alcohol in the path he walked.

Yuan Yi knew he couldn’t persuade Mu Shuoqian, he gave Gu Qili a respectful greeting then left.

Coming back to this place, Gu Qili was hit by a wave of memories. Even with all the tools bought, they couldn’t pass the level; at such moments, she would recall how Mu Shuoqian would confidently help her through, feeling her intellect was several notches below his, yet foolishly happy nonetheless.

After failing at the final boss again, Gu Qili quit the game, not hesitating to delete the app.

Some things, regardless of how hard she tried, inevitably ended without disease – so why persist?

After deleting the game, Gu Qili sat there quietly waiting, ten minutes, twenty minutes, an hour; she repeatedly checked her watch, growing impatient, just about to get up and ask about it when suddenly a loud noise came from the bedroom.