Chapter 112

Chapter 112: Did Ruan Chutang Break Up? The call ended abruptly. Don't flatter yourself. These words echoed in her mind like a curse, over and over again. Chutang's heart was filled with desolation. The tenderness and affection that Jiang Shixu had once spoiled her with were now slipping away bit by bit. Outside the window, the snow fell heavier and heavier. The bitter north wind howled, shaking the branches of the trees. Chutang stared blankly at the swirling snow outside the window. Her phone fell silent for a moment, then began ringing relentlessly again. The tear stains on Chutang's face were still fresh. The noisy ringtone suddenly made her feel exhausted. The call was from Ruan Shaodong. "Tangtang, the Jiang family came today to call off the engagement." Her heart was already numb with pain. Chutang responded in a low voice. Ruan Shaodong paused for a moment, as if reluctant to continue. "Jiang Shixu is caught up in a scandal with a female celebrity. Did you see it?" Chutang remained silent and didn't answer. Ruan Shaodong continued, "Tomorrow I'll have someone hold a press conference and announce the dissolution of the engagement with the Jiang family in front of the media. This time, the blame for calling off the engagement falls entirely on the Jiang family. Tangtang, the Jiang family is at fault. Don't put any psychological pressure on yourself. Calling off an engagement isn't shameful. Dad will find you a better young man later. Our Tangtang is so beautiful and accomplished—there's no man she couldn't find." Chutang remained silent. She didn't know how to respond. She hadn't expected the Jiang family to move so quickly. Jiang Shixu had brought up the breakup last night, and today they came to call off the engagement. Were they that eager? Thinking of that seductive, charming female voice on the phone just now, Chutang felt a dull ache in her chest. Could it be that Jiang Shixu was so anxious to sever ties with her because he wanted to give Li Lanxi a proper title as soon as possible? "Tangtang, get some rest. After the press conference tomorrow, Dad will send a car to pick you up and bring you home." After the press conference, the Ruan family would have nothing more to do with the Jiang family. Fu Yuanzhou probably wouldn't think about making a move against the Ruan family anymore. Thinking this way, Ruan Shaodong gave Chutang a few more words of advice, telling her not to grieve too much and harm her health. Chutang responded perfunctorily. In a dimly lit private room at a club. Gu Zechuan sat on the sofa, his entire face hidden in the darkness, his expression unreadable. A group of people were drinking, chatting, and flirting, but Gu Zechuan showed little interest. The liveliness had nothing to do with him. He just wanted to sit alone in the corner and space out. In the past few days, Chutang had gone missing. After being discharged from the hospital, he learned that Chutang had moved. The apartment next door was already empty. He didn't know where she had moved to, and her phone wouldn't go through. It was as if Chutang had suddenly vanished from his world. He had been listless for a while, numbing himself with alcohol every day. Once, after drinking too much, in a daze he thought he saw Chutang come back. She was wearing the dress he had bought for her when they were dating, and she gave him a gentle smile. "Zechuan." He cried tears of joy, holding Chutang as he laughed and cried at the same time. Chutang reached out and gently touched his face, her eyes full of concern. "Don't drink anymore. Drinking too much harms your health. Let me take you to rest." He reached up and covered Chutang's hand with his own, tilting his head to greedily nuzzle against her palm as tears slid down his cheeks. "Tangtang, I really know I was wrong. Will you come back?" Chutang smiled sweetly, her voice soft. "Aren't I back now?" Gu Zechuan asked with reddened eyes, "I swear I'll only love you from now on, only be good to you. Can we start over?" Chutang's gaze was gentle and lingering. "Okay, I won't leave again." "That's wonderful," he murmured. "I thought... I'd never have another chance..." The man could no longer suppress his sobs and began crying in muffled whimpers. It was the emotion of regaining something lost, and also repentance for the mistakes he had once made. How wonderful. His Tangtang was back. Chutang was gentle as water, gently wiping away his tears before leaning in to kiss his lips. Desire was stirred, and the atmosphere gradually grew heated. That night, he took her many times. Indulging, sinking, lost in ecstasy. However, when he opened his eyes the next morning, the person lying naked beside him was actually Chen Wan! In that instant, he felt like the sky was falling! How could it be Chen Wan? Last night it was clearly Chutang. He was furious and humiliated, and harshly berated Chen Wan. Not only was Chen Wan not angry, she looked at him with tearful eyes, lightly biting her red lips, crying like a pear blossom in the rain. "Zechuan, you like the type that Ruan Chutang is, so I'll imitate her from now on. Didn't you say I look somewhat similar to her? I can imitate her style of dressing, her makeup, and her hairstyle. As long as you like it, I can do anything. Please don't chase me away, okay?" Recalling the scenes from last night, he hesitated. Last night, Chen Wan really had been very much like Chutang! Seeing him silent, Chen Wan took his hand and gently shook it, acting coquettishly in a soft voice. "Zechuan, you enjoyed yourself a lot last night too, didn't you?" "Let me stay by your side. I'm willing to be Ruan Chutang's substitute." Chen Wan pleaded in a low voice. No man could resist a woman begging so humbly. Especially a beautiful woman—a woman who loved only him with all her heart! Gu Zechuan rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh. He missed Chu Tang so desperately that these days without seeing her were driving him to the brink of madness. The moment Chen Wan pressed her body against his and kissed him, Gu Zechuan surrendered to fate. He thought dejectedly, if he couldn't have Chu Tang, a stand-in would have to do. From that day on, Chen Wan stayed by his side. To her credit, she was a very qualified stand-in. As she had promised, she mimicked Chu Tang's outfits and hairstyles, and wore the same perfume Chu Tang always used. Gu Zechuan's favorite thing was to wrap his arms around Chen Wan from behind and breathe in her scent. Their silhouettes were eight or nine parts similar, and the fragrance on their bodies was identical—this sent Gu Zechuan into raptures. And so he deceived himself, sinking deeper and deeper. But a stand-in was, after all, only a stand-in. She could never replace the place Chu Tang held in his heart. She could never become Chu Tang. Gu Zechuan sat on the sofa now, and in this ambiguous atmosphere, his longing for Chu Tang spread like wild vines, uncontrollable and rampant. A dull ache constricted his chest, suffocating him. He could only drink glass after glass of wine, letting the alcohol numb his senses. Someone said, "You guys should check Weibo trending—there's a huge scoop." Gu Zechuan paid no attention at first. He had no interest in gossip. That was until he heard Jiang Shixu's name. He turned his head, his gaze sharp. "What did you just say about Jiang Shixu?" The girl looked up at him. "He's caught up in a scandal with the actress Li Lanxi! Check the trending page—paparazzi photographed them going into a hotel together, and insiders are saying they're dating. Li Lanxi is a top-tier A-list celebrity, so this is a massive scoop!" Su Qiuyi chimed in, "Isn't Jiang Shixu Ruan Chutang's fiancé? How could he—" Su Qiuyi stopped mid-sentence, pausing delicately, then raised her eyes to look at Gu Zechuan with a meaningful gaze. "Brother Zechuan, you're closer to Chu Tang. Did they break up?" Chen Wan's expression stiffened, the dim lighting concealing her paling face. "Impossible!" Chen Wan's voice rose involuntarily. "Those two are so in love—they're getting married soon. You must have misread!" She was so close to succeeding. Gu Zechuan was already addicted to her body. Once she got pregnant with the Gu family's child, she could marry into the family on the strength of bearing a son. At this critical juncture, she absolutely could not allow anything to go wrong! Ruan Chutang and Jiang Shixu could not break up—they couldn't give Gu Zechuan a chance. "Here, Sister Chen Wan, see for yourself. The trending page spells it out clearly—we're not making this up." Su Qiuyi handed her phone over. Chen Wan reached out, but before her fingers could touch it, Gu Zechuan snatched the phone away.