In the following days, he often came to the café at noon, staring blankly out the large window. One day, when Zhao Kai was at the café, I couldn't help but ask him about the girl who used to accompany him.
Zhao Kai looked at me, a bit taken aback. Maybe he found it odd that I was interested in gossip, but my curiosity had taken over. I looked at him expectantly.
Zhao Kai, being well-connected and informed, was similar to Zhang Ying in many ways. They both knew many people, so I hoped he would know something.
He paused, then asked, "Why do you want to know about her?"
"Oh, I just noticed that Mr. Gu used to come with her, but she hasn't been around lately. I was just curious," I said nonchalantly, trying to downplay my interest.
Zhao Kai gave me a strange look but then said, "She's a ballet student at our school, named Bai Xue'er."
Bai Xue'er. I repeated the name in my mind. No wonder he seemed to be lost in thought while watching the snow. Was he thinking of her?
Zhao Kai continued, "The Bai family is quite influential in Shan City. The Bai family and the Gu family are close, so it's not surprising they know each other. But I heard she doesn't have a good relationship with her family. Apparently, she's an illegitimate child who was brought into the family when she was a few years old. There were conflicts about her choice of major, and I heard she recently dropped out. She seems to have given up on ballet, and there hasn't been much news about her since. Mr. Gu is a regular here, so maybe he's coming more often because he's reminded of her."
"Illegitimate child?"
"Yeah, children born out of wedlock. It's quite common in big families around here. There's a lot of wealth to inherit." He said this lightly, almost jokingly. "But…"
"But what?"
"But don't get any ideas about Mr. Gu, okay?"
His words hit me like a splash of cold water. Embarrassed and annoyed, I said, "What are you talking about? Why would I?"
He might have sensed my unease, but he just mumbled, "Just making sure, just making sure."
"But you can think about me instead," he added cheekily.
"Stop it! I won't talk to you if you keep teasing me," I said, pretending to push him away. Over the past few months, we had become familiar with each other. Zhao Kai was cheerful and sometimes annoyingly playful. I often wondered if he had feelings for me, but I couldn't be sure. He was a local, from a good family, so I doubted he'd be interested in someone like me.
Interestingly, while I felt insecure in most aspects of my life, I was irrationally hopeful about Gu Shijie. I longed for something to happen between us, even though it was unrealistic. If I thought logically, I wouldn't expect someone like Zhao Kai to be interested in me, let alone Gu Shijie. But desire often clouds reason.
Knowing the girl in white's identity made me even more curious. According to Zhao Kai, the Bai family and the Gu family were close, so Gu Shijie could visit Bai Xue'er at her home. Why did he come to the café to think about her instead? Did she not want to see him? It didn't make sense. Why would anyone refuse such an outstanding man? And why did she drop out of school?
During the winter break, Zhang Ying returned early. When I asked why, she said she was bored at home and wanted to see the snow. Since her hometown was close to mine, I understood that she, too, didn't get to see snow often.
With the dormitory almost empty, Zhang Ying and I spent our days differently. I stayed at the café during the day, while Zhang Ying explored the city. At night, we lay in bed chatting, enjoying the peaceful time together. I had never imagined that one day, I would leave my abusive home, have friends, earn an income, and lie in a warm, dry room chatting with someone. But in just a few months, all these unimaginable things had happened. I even had some connection with the most powerful person in the city and secretly admired him.
It all happened so quickly that I had no time to process it, just instinctively enjoying and indulging in it.
One day, while chatting with Zhang Ying about class gossip, I suddenly thought of the girl in white. Maybe Zhang Ying knew something. "Hey, do you know a ballet student named Bai Xue'er?"
Zhang Ying looked at me, surprised. "Do you know her?"
Feeling caught, I quickly said, "Oh, no, I don't know her. Zhao Kai mentioned her. You know how Zhao Kai talks. I was just curious if what he said was true."
To my surprise, Zhang Ying didn't answer my question. Instead, she asked, "Zhao Kai? What did Zhao Kai say?"
I had no choice but to repeat Zhao Kai's words.
"Oh, what he said is pretty accurate," she said. "But why are you asking about her?"
I hesitated, then decided to be honest. "I noticed Mr. Gu coming to the café often recently, but he hasn't been with her. I saw them together before, and I was just curious."
Zhang Ying looked thoughtful, her earlier worry seemingly fading. "Zhao Kai was mostly right, but a lot of it is just rumors. No one knows for sure. But it's said that Bai Xue'er is Mr. Gu's mistress."
"Mistress?" I was shocked. "But I thought she was his fiancée?"
"Who told you that?"
"I just assumed…"
"Definitely not! The story goes like this…" Zhang Ying began to recount.
Rumor had it that Mr. Gu's fiancée was from a prominent local family, the Zhao family. This family had its own underworld connections. To strengthen their business ties, they arranged a marriage alliance. The Zhao family's eldest daughter, who was said to be quite burly and liked martial arts, was the chosen bride. The Gu family had three sons, and Gu Shijie, the youngest, was the most accomplished. The eldest son was a scholar with poor health and wasn't expected to inherit the family business. The second son was known for his reckless behavior. Gu Shijie had already made a name for himself abroad and was seen as the default successor.
Initially, the Zhao family had hoped to marry their daughter to the eldest son, thinking a scholar would be easier to control. But surprisingly, the Gu family arranged for Gu Shijie to marry her.
The Zhao family was ecstatic to secure such an advantageous match. As for Gu Shijie's thoughts on the matter, no one knew. Before the engagement, he was low-key, with no rumors of any romantic entanglements. But after the engagement was announced, he was often seen with different girls, though nothing scandalous was ever confirmed.
The Zhao family's eldest daughter was infuriated by these rumors and even caused a scene at Gu Shijie's company. Despite efforts to suppress the gossip, the rumors persisted. Some paparazzi even captured photos of Gu Shijie with a girl believed to be Bai Xue'er.
The Bai family quickly quashed the scandal, but Bai Xue'er transferred to Shan University. Later, someone claimed the girl in the photos wasn't Bai Xue'er. Over time, the rumors faded, and Gu Shijie's public image remained positive.
Bai Xue'er was publicly referred to as Gu Shijie's god-sister. With her status clarified, there was no further gossip. However, recently, Bai Xue'er stopped attending classes, and someone handled her withdrawal from school. Speculation arose about a connection to Gu Shijie or his fiancée, but the Bai family made no public statements. The incident gradually faded from memory, and Bai Xue'er vanished from public view.
Hearing Zhang Ying's account, I felt a chill and shivered involuntarily.