Su Ye was never his match in matters like this.
Within moments, her waist turned weak, and her head swirled as she clung to his waist.
Not until he was satisfied did he let her go, caressing her swollen lips leisurely and unhurriedly.
"Stay away from Shen Qifeng; he's not as simple as you think," he said.
"Out of the six brothers in Shen Qifeng's generation, he is the only one brought up by Old Master Shen."
"Your plan to marry into the Shen Family and thwart Su He's schemes is good, but Old Master Shen won't allow it."
He casually unveiled her entire strategy.
Su Ye fully regained consciousness, countered by hooking his neck, and blinked.
"Why not marry me instead? After all, we've had a bond for five years..."
Gu Yan paused, scoffing at her mockingly, "Dream on."
"I think so too."
Su Ye slowly let go of him, the smile in her eyes lacking warmth, and her heart felt even more sorrowful.
He knew she was trapped with nowhere to turn, yet he coldly watched on, not content with that, he even wanted to block her way completely.
As if indifferent, Su Ye casually said, "Young Master Gu and Su Qingwan will soon make it official, and sooner or later, I'll have to break ties with Su Qingwan. It's pointless to get entwined in this mess..."
"As for my affair with the Shen Family, Young Master Gu is being too nosy. I think Shen Qifeng is quite nice. Young Master Gu, seeing you like this, I thought..."
With a smile in her eyes and a meaningful tone, Su Ye teased him, "You've fallen for me."
Gu Yan indifferently withdrew his gaze, "Dream on."
As expected.
The sharp pain in Su Ye's heart quickly dissipated, and she said with a smile, "Then let's part on good terms, Mr. Gu, I wish you and Su Qingwan grow old together."
After speaking, she left without looking back.
Behind her, Gu Yan watched her departing figure, and in the depths of his indifferent and somber eyes, there was a rare glimmer of murkiness and gloom.
No sooner had Su Ye left than she bumped into Lin Tang.
"I just saw Gu Yan looking for you," Lin Tang said.
Su Ye nodded, "Yeah."
"Tsk, what's Gu Yan trying to do?" Lin Tang asked.
Su Ye chuckled, "Who knows."
It surely couldn't be that he truly liked her.
She hadn't deluded herself to that extent.
...
The party dispersed around three, and throughout, Su Ye didn't come across Su Qingwan.
It turned out to be a relief.
On their way back, Lin Tang also mentioned Su Qingwan.
"I heard she's here looking for Shen Qifeng too, worried that her post-surgery recovery isn't going well and might leave lasting issues."
Lin Tang pinched her throat and delicately mimicked Su Qingwan's demeanor.
Su Qingwan indeed missed him at the Golf Course.
She waited there for a while but saw no sign of Gu Yan.
When she went looking, she brushed past Su Ye and ran joyfully toward Gu Yan, only to see Gu Yan with a stern face, coldly watching Su Ye's retreating figure.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she bit her lip, pretending to be nonchalant as she called out his name.
"Ah Yan?"
Gu Yan quickly shifted his gaze back to her and lifted his eyes, "What is it?"
As if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
But Su Qingwan couldn't help but see Su Ye's bright, seductive face flash through her mind, casting a shadow over her heart.
"It's nothing; Doctor Shen seems to have left. Let's head back to the hospital first," she said.
"I'll take you home."
Gu Yan spoke in a casual tone, and Su Qingwan smiled and nodded, but the image of Su Ye lingered in her mind, refusing to fade away.
Her fingers clenched tightly at her side.
Su Ye had no idea about any of this, as she was just preparing to go home when she received a call from the hospital.
"Yeye, it's bad, Ah Ming's condition has worsened!"
Su Ye's complexion changed instantly.
By the time she rushed to the hospital, Mother Yan was beside herself with worry at the operating room doors.
Seeing her, Mother Yan clutched at her sleeve, bitter and sorrowful.
"The doctor just came for rounds, and I didn't expect Ah Ming's heartbeat to almost stop. He's in emergency care now. It's all my fault, I'm a terrible mother, I didn't take good care of him."
Su Ye lowered her gaze, comforting her softly, "Don't worry, everything will be alright."
Fortunately, after about two hours of emergency treatment, Yan Ming was out of danger.
Mother Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She leaned over Yan Ming's hospital bed, looking at her son who had been in a coma for five years, and cried a river of tears.
"It's good that you're okay, it's good that you're okay. Mom just wants you to be alright…"
Yan Lan, Yan Ming's sister, quickly arrived and helped her to rest at the side.
After a moment of calm,
Su Ye talked with Mother Yan for a while until she calmed down.
Her eyes were red as she tightly grasped Su Ye's hand.
"Yeye, our Ah Ming almost gave up his life for you. You can't let him down."
Yan Lan, who was standing by, was stunned by Mother Yan's words and immediately stopped her.
"Mom! What are you saying!"
"Be quiet, I heard the Su family found a President Qin for Yeye. What about our Ah Ming then! Have you forgotten what Ah Ming did for her five years ago? He gave her his innocence and his life. Are we just going to watch Yeye run off with another man?!"
Su Ye felt as if her throat was blocked, she lowered her gaze and remained silent, unable to speak.
"Sister Yeye, don't listen to mom's nonsense."
Yan Lan, both angry and anxious, pulled Mother Yan by the arm with shame, "Mom, let's talk outside!"
Yan Lan dragged Mother Yan out of the ward.
Only Su Ye and the comatose Yan Ming were left in the ward.
She sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the man on it, his face handsome but overly pale and frail from years of sleep.
Scenes from five years ago surfaced in her mind.
Vicious malice engulfed her.
Malicious words and curses, every one of them was shocking and suffocating.
Yet the man's expression was gentle and forgiving, the smile in his eyes pallid and powerless, "It's not your fault, Xiao Yeye."
Su Ye silently looked at that face, with bitterness and guilt overwhelming her heart.
Her eyes moistened slightly, and her lips tasted bittersweet.
"If it hadn't been for me, by now you would probably already be a leading architect."
Yan Lan entered the room just in time to witness this scene.
She pursed her lips and spoke in a low voice, "Sister Yeye, it wasn't your fault what happened back then."
Yan Lan, still young, held Su Ye in great affection and was well aware of the guilt Su Ye harbored.
"Sister Yeye, don't listen to my mom. After all these years, my brother wouldn't want you to stop moving forward because of the past. Whatever you decide about getting married, I totally support you…"
She frowned slightly, seeming hesitant to continue, "But that President Qin doesn't seem like good news; he's old and ugly. Sister Yeye, you really should have better options…"
Su Ye chuckled lightly.
Better options?
When did she ever have options?