Chapter 33

Chapter 33: The Knife Attack Incident A few years ago, he got into a fight and received a beating from the old man as family discipline. Fortunately, no one knew the real reason he had fought that time. This time, he likewise couldn't let his family know that he had gotten into a brawl over Chutang. Otherwise, the engagement would be postponed or even called off. Lin Sen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his spine running cold as he responded repeatedly, "Understood, understood, understood." "Go handle the paperwork." Jiang Shixu instructed in a calm tone. "Yes, Mr. Jiang." Gu Zechuan's hospital bed wasn't far away, and he could hear their conversation clearly. "Ha." He raised an eyebrow, curling his lips in mockery. "A grown man afraid of his family finding out he got into a fight? What a baby." Jiang Shixu smiled, casting a provocative gaze his way. "The rest of my family doesn't need to know. My fiancée knowing is enough." The words "my fiancée" were too sharp—like the most lethal blade, striking precisely into Gu Zechuan's heart. In that instant, Gu Zechuan seemed to lose all his tactics and strength, collapsing onto the bed in defeat, staring hollowly at the IV fluid dripping down drop by drop. The pain in his body was nothing compared to even a fraction of the ache in his heart. He still couldn't believe Ruan Chutang actually had a fiancé. Was it because he had said he could never marry her, so she had casually found some man to spite him? Yes, that had to be it. Ruan Chutang loved him so much—she couldn't leave him. How could she be with another man? How dare she be with another man! Having convinced himself of this, Gu Zechuan turned to look at Jiang Shixu again, a hint of contempt in his eyes. "She found you to make me jealous, didn't she? Isn't renting a boyfriend all the rage online? How much do you charge per hour? I'll pay ten times that. Leave her. Now! Immediately!" Jiang Shixu laughed in exasperation, raising an eyebrow. "If deceiving yourself makes you feel better, I don't mind you thinking that." Ruan Chutang wore a look of utter disbelief as she glared at Gu Zechuan. "Are you insane? Why would I find someone to pretend to be my fiancé just to fool you?" Gu Zechuan seemed possessed, firmly believing that Jiang Shixu was a fake that Ruan Chutang had hired. Chutang snorted coldly. "Delusional!" Lin Sen quickly completed the paperwork for Jiang Shixu, who got up from the bed to transfer to a private room. Chutang voluntarily took on the role of caretaker. Holding Jiang Shixu's IV stand, she carefully walked alongside him toward the door of the ward. Gu Zechuan couldn't bear seeing Ruan Chutang being so attentive to another man. He couldn't help himself—he reached out, trying to grab Ruan Chutang's wrist. The bodyguard was quick to react, slapping Gu Zechuan's hand away. "Sir, please show some respect." Jiang Shixu's gaze swept over Gu Zechuan. "Touch her again, and I'll break your hand!" Gu Zechuan shouted back defiantly, "Come on then! You think I'm scared of you?" Seeing that the two were about to fight again, Chutang quickly intervened: "Alright, alright, both of you calm down. This is a hospital." This time, Jiang Shixu obediently held back and didn't lay a hand on Gu Zechuan, following his assistant out of the ward. ... Chen Wan had also come to Jiangcheng with Gu Zechuan. She had been at a gathering with some girlfriends in Jiangcheng tonight when she heard that Gu Zechuan had been beaten and hospitalized. She rushed to the hospital in a panic. "Zechuan, what happened to you?" Chen Wan burst into tears the moment she saw Gu Zechuan's face swollen like a pig's head. Gu Zechuan stared silently out the window, his eyes filled with desolation. Chen Wan sobbed, "Who did this to you? Did you call the police?" Gu Zechuan still didn't speak. Chen Wan cried and rambled on and on. Annoyed, Gu Zechuan finally couldn't hold back and said, "Can you leave? Let me have some peace and quiet." Chen Wan sniffled. "I... I'll stay here and take care of you." Seeing Gu Zechuan injured like this, she was genuinely heartbroken. "No need." Gu Zechuan dismissed her. "I've hired a nurse. You should go back." He didn't want to see Chen Wan right now. If it weren't for Chen Wan, he and Ruan Chutang wouldn't have ended up like this. After Ruan Chutang left, he thought about her day and night. How ridiculous. It was only after she left that he realized the person he loved was Ruan Chutang. Thinking about how he had neglected Ruan Chutang for Chen Wan and said so many hurtful things, Gu Zechuan's heart began to ache again. Suddenly, he remembered that Ruan Chutang had always wanted to marry him. But he had said so many cruel things—he had said he could never marry her. What if he was willing to marry her now? Would Ruan Chutang come back? At this thought, light returned to Gu Zechuan's eyes. If she could marry him and become the young mistress of the Gu family, his Chutang would surely agree to reconcile! ... The next day, Ruan Chutang took her client to the Social Security Bureau early in the morning for a work-related injury determination, and it was nearly noon when she took a taxi back to the law firm. The taxi driver drove to the street where the law firm was located. "What's going on up ahead? Why are there so many people?" The taxi driver muttered to himself, then turned to Ruan Chutang and said, "Miss, we can't get through up ahead. How about you get off here? It's not far anyway—just walk a few more steps." Chu Tang craned her neck, peering through the windshield at the road ahead. Sure enough, the street up ahead was packed with people, completely blocked off. How strange—this street never had much foot traffic. What on earth was happening today? Chu Tang paid the fare and opened the door to get out. The further she walked, the more something felt off. The place those people were gathered around seemed to be Shengke Law Firm. A sense of dread crept into her heart. She quickened her pace toward the firm. Suddenly, a burst of screams erupted from the crowd. The onlookers who had just been watching the commotion scattered in all directions like startled birds, and chaos erupted on the scene. A girl came running straight at her and collided with Chu Tang head-on. "Sorry," the girl said, her face twisted in terror. After a hurried apology, she turned to bolt again. Chu Tang grabbed her arm. "Excuse me—what's happening up ahead?" "Don't go over there! Someone's causing trouble at the law firm—people are going to die! Run!" With that, the girl took off at a sprint. Chu Tang's expression hardened. She turned and ran toward the firm. As she neared the entrance, she could hear someone screaming in fury, someone wailing in anguish, someone shrieking in terror. Men's and women's voices all tangled together. Chu Tang's heart suddenly leaped into her throat. The crowd had long since dispersed. She ran unimpeded to the door, and her heart gave a violent jolt. The scene before her was horrifying, gut-wrenching. Zhang Tianxin, a male lawyer from her own office, lay collapsed in a pool of blood, the wound at his waist still gushing crimson. A man was currently brandishing a dagger, stabbing wildly at anyone in the firm without discrimination. The man howled hysterically: "Fuck your goddamn lawyers! Every last one of you is trying to screw me over! Come on! I'm not afraid of you bastards!" "Since you want to finish me off, then let's all die together! Even in death, I'll drag you all down with me!" "I've got nothing left to lose anyway—what's a few more lives on my hands? I'm going to kill every last one of you today!" "I'll make every goddamn lawyer in here my funeral sacrifice!" the man roared. He spotted a female lawyer in high heels and raised his dagger, charging at her. Chen Yangyang was being chased around by the man. "Help! Someone help me! Don't kill me, please! Your case wasn't handled by me—I had nothing to do with it, big brother, please don't kill me!" The crazed man couldn't hear a word she said. The male lawyer who had handled his case was already stabbed. Now, with bloodlust clouding his eyes, he stabbed at anyone in sight, not caring in the least whether his target had anything to do with his case. Chen Yangyang screamed and rushed toward her other colleagues, trying to divert the attacker's attention. With the precedent of Lawyer Zhang Tianxin being stabbed and collapsing to the ground, the entire firm was gripped by panic—no one dared to fight the attacker. Seeing that Chen Yangyang was about to be caught by the assailant, Ruan Chutang steeled herself. She kicked off her high heels, shrugged off her suit jacket and flung it behind her, then sprinted with all her might toward the attacker—swift as the wind, fast as lightning.