Chapter 247: Chapter 247: “He Dares to Have Designs on Me?

“What do you know… I was wrong… How could I compare myself to you…” Gu Yunjia shook off Xu Su’s hand. She stared at her blankly for a long moment, then a wan smile appeared on her face. “Someone like you, cherished and protected by a man who’s afraid you’ll suffer the slightest grievance, you’ll never understand what I’m going through. You have no idea how terrifying, how disgusting, how despicable men can be…”

Xu Su was a bit dazed. The scene she’d witnessed at the mouth of the alley that afternoon suddenly came to mind…

“To think I’d actually compare myself to you… I was just humiliating myself.” Gu Yunjia leaned dejectedly against the railing, silent for a long time.

Xu Su wanted to offer a few words of comfort but didn’t know what to say, afraid the wrong thing would only upset her more.

’But I can’t just leave her here like this…’

After a moment of silence, Gu Yunjia seemed to have composed herself. “You know about the trouble my family’s been having, right?”

Her tone was as calm as if she were chatting with an old friend.

Xu Su nodded. “I’ve heard a little.”

“My dad was a junior manager at his company and made decent money. But he was supporting another family on the side, so we didn’t have much in savings. His amputation surgery used up everything we had, and we still had to borrow from relatives to make up the difference. Just when we’d barely gotten through my dad’s ordeal, my mom got sick…”

“It’s uremia. She was diagnosed a little over two weeks ago. A single dialysis session costs several thousand… Our family just can’t afford that.” Gu Yunjia spoke as if she had been holding it in for a long time, desperate to tell someone. Her voice was steady as she continued, “That man… he was my dad’s boss. He was very close to our family. I saw him often when I was a kid…”

Xu Su’s heart tightened. She looked at her in disbelief. “…So?”

The thought of her own father’s boss, a man she would have called “uncle”… it was suffocating.

“I had no choice. I couldn’t borrow money anywhere, and I couldn’t just stand by and watch my mom die because we couldn’t afford her treatment. Just when I was at my wit’s end, he showed up. He gave me fifty thousand.”

Gu Yunjia stared ahead, her eyes unfocused. “Do you know what it feels like to have someone you’ve always seen as an elder look at you with that… slimy gaze?”

“…..” Xu Su’s hand trembled as she grabbed her again. “I’ll give you the money. Give his money back to him. I’ll give you however much you need.”

“..Hahaha.” As if amused by Xu Su, Gu Yunjia couldn’t control her laughter. It took her a long while to stop. “It’s too late. Way too late. This is what I am now. So filthy.”

She shook off Xu Su’s hand, wiped away the tears she’d laughed out, and headed for the stairwell.

Xu Su quickly chased after her and grabbed her. “It’s not too late! It’s never too late! Gu Yunjia, don’t think like that. It’s not your fault…”

“It is too late! When I say it’s too late, it’s too late!” Gu Yunjia turned her head, her voice adamant. “Xu Su, I can’t turn back. From the moment I took that first step, there was no turning back for me. Thank you for your kindness, but let go.”

Xu Su refused to let go, her voice urgent. “This is nothing! Don’t treat it as such a big deal. Just think of it as being bitten by a dog. I’ll teach him a lesson for you, okay?”

Gu Yunjia pried Xu Su’s fingers off one by one. “Susu, you’ll never understand what I’ve been through. I chose this path, and I can’t go back. Just think of it as… to each their own. My ambition is money now.”

Hearing the familiar nickname, Xu Su felt a pang of nostalgia…

“So beautiful… You should wear a mask when you go out from now on.” Gu Yunjia reached out and touched Xu Su’s face. “Did you know? Your reputation has spread far and wide. Even that ’uncle’ of mine has heard of you. He once held me, all smug and satisfied, and asked if our school’s campus belle was as divinely beautiful as they say.”

“When he said it, his tone was full of longing.”

Xu Su froze and looked up at her. “He’d dare to come after me?”

“Hard to say.” Gu Yunjia smiled, her composure restored. “I know your boyfriend comes from a powerful background, that he’s a big deal. But you’re so beautiful, isn’t it normal for men to set their sights on you? Like I said, you have yet to see just how disgusting and terrifying men can be.”

“So, take my advice. Wear a mask when you go out from now on.”

Xu Su stood frozen to the spot, watching her leave the rooftop…

After a long while, Xu Su squatted down, hugging her knees. She pulled her phone from her pocket and swiped at the touchscreen a few times.

Her hands were a bit stiff from the cold. After putting the call on speaker, she set the phone on the ground and tucked her hands into her sleeves to warm them.

The call was answered on the second ring. “Susu.”

The rooftop was wide and empty. With the speakerphone on maximum volume, the man’s gentle voice came through clearly. There was some faint noise on his end, but it quickly quieted down.

Xu Su rested her chin on her knees and spoke softly, “Zhou Mochen, I’m going to ask you a question. Don’t lie to me.”

Her tone was so serious that he paused, his own voice growing solemn. “Xu Su, I have never lied to you.”

Xu Su lowered her gaze to the phone screen on the ground. “So, you really didn’t have a hand in what happened to Gu Yunjia’s family, right?”

“It wasn’t me! Why do you keep asking about this over and over? Do you really not trust me?”

Zhou Mochen stood up, grabbed his coat, and headed out the door, his voice calm and low. “I’m coming to find you now. We’ll talk face-to-face. I want to know what happened to make you come and question me like this.”

“Don’t come find me! I’m in class at school,” Xu Su quickly picked up the phone to stop him. “I’m asking you because this whole thing has affected Gu Yunjia so much. I’m a little scared, so I wanted to confirm with you.”

Xu Su was genuinely afraid. If what happened to Gu Yunjia’s family had been set in motion because of her, then…

Zhou Mochen paused, his hand on the door. “Was that Gu Yunjia in the car this afternoon?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t ask about that!” Xu Su cut him off quickly. She glanced toward a figure at the corner and froze for a second. “I have to go.” She hung up abruptly.

“Xi Zirong, when did you get here?”

Xu Su was facing the stairwell. If he had come up the stairs, she definitely would have seen him. The corner he’d emerged from was very secluded…

Realizing this, Xu Su’s face paled. “You’ve been here the whole time?”

Xi Zirong walked over to her side, paused for two seconds, and also squatted down. Now at eye level with her, he nodded gently. “I was here before either of you.”

Xu Su’s voice trembled as she spoke, “You heard everything?”

“Yes, I heard,” Xi Zirong said. “I didn’t mean to listen. I was just over there getting some air. I didn’t even know you two had come up. By the time you started talking, it felt awkward for me to reveal myself.”

’He heard… The boy Gu Yunjia likes so much heard all of it with his own ears…’

Her face was unnaturally pale. Xi Zirong reached out and took her icy fingers, his brow furrowing. “It’s windy up here. Let’s go down.”

The warmth from his hand startled Xu Su for a moment. She immediately squeezed his hand back, urging him desperately, “Then just pretend you didn’t hear anything today. Xi Zirong, you didn’t hear anything today.”

“….Okay. I didn’t hear anything.” Xi Zirong agreed without hesitation and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go back to the classroom. It’s too cold out here.”

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