Chapter 32

Chapter 32 (New) Rivals Meet! A Showdown Jiang Shixu didn't even spare Gu Zechuan a glance. Without a single superfluous word, he swung his fist straight at Gu Zechuan's face. The punch carried all the fury burning inside him, delivered with full force. Gu Zechuan winced in pain and instinctively released Ruan Chutang, raising a hand to cover the spot where he'd been hit. "Are you fucking asking for death?" Jiang Shixu pulled Chutang over and shielded her behind him, staring coldly at Gu Zechuan with murderous intent in his eyes. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Stay away from her." Gu Zechuan was already seething from that punch, and now seeing this man shield Ruan Chutang behind him only made the anger in his chest burn even hotter. He suddenly shoved Jiang Shixu hard. "Fuck! She's my woman—don't you fucking touch her!" Jiang Shixu handed the insulated lunch container to Chutang. "Be good, go wait over there." With that, he turned and delivered a vicious kick to Gu Zechuan's body. The kick sent Gu Zechuan sprawling to the ground. Gu Zechuan scrambled up from the ground in disgrace. He was the young master of the Gu family—wherever he went, he was the center of attention, adored by all. In all his years, this was the first time he'd been subjected to such humiliation! This man clearly had an unusual relationship with Ruan Chutang. Had she already found someone new just days after breaking up with him? At that thought, Gu Zechuan's heart ached, and his rage burned ever hotter. He clenched his fist and hurled a heavy punch at Jiang Shixu's face in return. Jiang Shixu dodged by tilting his head, then raised his hand and slammed a punch into Gu Zechuan's nose. Blood immediately gushed out. Chutang wanted to break it up, but there was no way she could stop two furious grown men brawling. To avoid causing Jiang Shixu any trouble, Chutang obediently stepped aside. Blood streamed from Gu Zechuan's nose, and he felt all the blood in his body rushing to his head. His eyes nearly split with rage as he let out a loud curse and kicked at Jiang Shixu. Jiang Shixu let out a muffled grunt but quickly countered, lunging forward to tackle Gu Zechuan to the ground. He pressed his knee against Gu Zechuan's body, one hand clamping down hard on his throat while the other formed a fist and pounded into Gu Zechuan's face again and again. Jiang Shixu had been raised with an elite education that made him always appear calm, restrained, refined, and elegant in front of others. Except for that one time he'd lost control years ago, he had never fought anyone. He never imagined that so many years later, he would once again be fighting for Ruan Chutang. Gu Zechuan was at a disadvantage, taking several punches before finding a chance to fight back. He broke free from Jiang Shixu's grip, veins bulging on his forehead, eyes bloodshot, attacking with both fists and feet, every move using full force—as if he wouldn't stop until he beat this man to death. Jiang Shixu was equally ruthless, fighting as if he intended to kill Gu Zechuan. Ruan Chutang had never seen Gu Zechuan and Jiang Shixu so violent. They seemed to have lost all reason. Watching the fight grow increasingly fierce, Chutang, who had been observing from the sidelines, began to panic. If they kept this up, someone was going to die! She tried shouting "Stop fighting!" several times, but it was useless. Both men had gone bloodthirsty, beating each other until they were bloody and battered. Jiang Shixu's driver came up to break it up and was knocked to the ground by Gu Zechuan. The security guard at the community entrance heard the commotion and rushed over, intending to mediate. But upon seeing the driver sprawled on the ground from trying to intervene, the guard abruptly stopped in his tracks, silently pulled out his phone, and chose to call the police and an ambulance. Passersby, afraid of being caught in the crossfire of these two men fighting for their lives, all kept their distance, hugging the edge of the greenbelt as they hurried past. Even when the ambulance and police arrived, the two were still locked in hand-to-hand combat. The police pulled them apart. In this brawl, neither Gu Zechuan nor Jiang Shixu came out on top. Gu Zechuan's face was swollen like a pig's head, blood smeared all over it—a sight both gruesome and comical. His collar was torn to shreds, his body covered in dust, utterly disheveled. Jiang Shixu wasn't much better off. He had bruises at the corner of his eye and on his lip, and the back of his hand was cut by Gu Zechuan's cufflink, blood seeping from the wound. He was covered in dirt and grime, completely unlike his usual elegant young gentleman appearance. After the two were pulled apart, Ruan Chutang immediately rushed to Jiang Shixu's side, her eyes full of heartache, glistening with tears. Her voice trembled with a sob: "Shixu-ge, you're hurt. You need to go to the hospital right away." Seeing Chutang, the ferocity in Jiang Shixu's eyes vanished instantly, his expression softening. "I'm fine." Not far away, Gu Zechuan, held back by the police officer, felt his heart shatter at the sight. Pain was written all over his face, and he looked as pitiful as a stray dog abandoned by its owner. "Chutang, who is he?" Hearing those words, anger rose in Ruan Chutang's eyes. She whipped her head around to meet Gu Zechuan's gaze. The hatred in her eyes was so naked and raw that it pierced Gu Zechuan deeply. The next second, Gu Zechuan heard Ruan Chutang's voice, cold enough to cut to the bone. "Gu Zechuan, I don't want to see you again. Please disappear from my world—forever." She practically spat out those last words through gritted teeth. Gu Zechuan's chest constricted, his heart as if a blade had been driven straight through it, leaving it torn and bloody, the pain stealing his breath. He was injured too, his face covered in blood. But in his eyes, he couldn't see a trace of concern from her. The look she gave him was filled only with coldness and hatred. Was her hatred because he had hurt that man? Back when he'd been injured racing with his friends, she'd been so worried that her eyes had swollen into walnuts from crying, and she'd stayed by his hospital bed day and night, never leaving his side. Even when he caught a minor cold, she'd cry until her eyes turned red, and to make sure he took his medicine on time, she'd always feed it to him with her own hands. But now, with him injured this badly, she remained unmoved, her heart and eyes entirely occupied by another man. Gu Zechuan refused to give up, his lips trembling as he asked again: "Who is he?" Ruan Chutang's lips parted and closed, spitting out three words: "My fiancé." Gu Zechuan's face was filled with disbelief. The corners of his eyes were bloodshot, tears welling up in them, and even his voice trembled as he said, "What... You're lying to me, right?" The medical staff helped the injured Jiang Shixu onto the ambulance. Ruan Chutang no longer paid any attention to Gu Zechuan. She turned and followed Jiang Shixu onto the ambulance. Gu Zechuan wanted to chase after her, but was held back by the medical staff and loaded onto another ambulance. The two ended up in the same hospital. The public hospital had no VIP wards. After their wounds were treated, Gu Zechuan and Jiang Shixu were temporarily placed in the same ward. Gu Zechuan lay on the bed closest to the door. When Chu Tang walked into the ward, the first thing she saw was Gu Zechuan lying on the hospital bed with his head wrapped up like a zongzi, receiving an IV drip. She kept her gaze straight ahead, ignoring Gu Zechuan and walking directly toward Jiang Shixu at the back. She sat down beside his bed, asked about his injuries with concern, and gently fed him water. Meanwhile, Gu Zechuan in the same ward was treated like air in her eyes. Gu Zechuan turned his head to look over, his gaze landing on Chu Tang. He just watched her quietly, radiating an aura of grievance and resentment. Chu Tang seemed not to notice, chatting with Jiang Shixu on her own, not giving Gu Zechuan a single glance from start to finish. Gu Zechuan called out Chu Tang's name a few times, but she pretended not to hear. The police routinely asked about the incident. After both parties truthfully recounted what happened, they agreed to settle privately. The police issued a receipt and left. Not long after, Jiang Shixu's assistant Lin Sen rushed over frantically with bodyguards. "President Jiang, what happened?" Lin Sen had cold sweat beading on his forehead, his face pale—clearly scared out of his wits. How could the CEO end up this injured in just two hours? If the old lady and the madam found out, he'd be skinned alive. Jiang Shixu's lips were set in a cold, hard line. "It's nothing. Don't tell anyone about today's incident, especially my family. Understand?"