Chapter 23: One Person's Pain
Bai Shan's only remaining family was Bai Shenggu. If Gu Xicheng truly managed to get Bai Shenggu out of prison, what reason would she have to seek him out ever again?
With a wave of her hand, Bai Shan said in Japanese, "Sayonara."
Goodbye.
But perhaps it would be best never to meet again.
After sleeping with him once, Bai Shan had no desire to do it a second time.
Though the man was certainly excellent in bed, his cold, dark aura made her instinctively wary.
Someone like that was best left alone.
Thus, after a single night, Bai Shan didn't even say her name.
She slipped away without a second thought.
Standing by the window of the Gu Family Estate, Gu Xicheng watched her departing figure with narrowed eyes.
He wanted that woman.
And once he decided he wanted something, he would have it at all costs.
He pressed the internal line and told Gu Nan to come in. His voice was calm, cold, but irresistibly alluring—deep and seductive, even when indifferent. No one could ignore the force behind his words.
"I want that woman," he ordered. "And I want her to beg me to take her."
Gu Nan bowed respectfully. "Yes, sir."
By the time Bai Shan walked out of the Gu Family Estate, the taxi she had called was already waiting. She got in and immediately phoned Bai Shenggu.
She was only calling on the off chance, never expecting him to actually pick up. But to her surprise, he did.
"Dad, you're out? How did this happen?" Bai Shan asked, not wanting him to know she'd spent the night with Gu Xicheng, so she kept her question vague.
Bai Shenggu was equally puzzled. "Shan-Shan, I was sure you… But let's not talk about that. I was released last night. They said the case had nothing to do with me anymore. Apparently, someone found proof that Gan Qingyun was actually the one embezzling, and it turns out I was framed. The prosecutor's office is still investigating him, and I might be called as a witness. But for now, everything's fine. Tomorrow, I can even return to the construction company. It all feels a bit strange, though."
Bai Shan was stunned. Gu Xicheng… Just how powerful was this man?
One phone call and the nearly ironclad charges against Bai Shenggu—embezzlement, bribery—were suddenly wiped clean. Gan Qingyun was the one in jail now.
She knew tomorrow's news would surely cover it in detail.
Gu Xicheng…
That silent, ruthless man…
He was terrifyingly capable.
Bai Shan pressed a hand to her chest, as though trying to calm her frightened heart. She vowed to stay far, far away from him in the future.
To be close to a king is to be close to a tiger.
Back at the small apartment she rented with Xu Liunian, Bai Shan changed out of the clothes she'd worn the night before, then returned to her father's home.
She found Bai Shenggu busying himself with his beloved orchids. While he'd been in prison, no one had been there to care for them, so the moment he got home, he went straight to tending his plants.
Seeing him in such good spirits, Bai Shan felt that all her sacrifices had been worth it. Although he looked thinner from his time in prison, his eyes were bright, full of life and relief at his newfound freedom.
"Dad…" Bai Shan called softly. She walked over and hugged him, noticing the white strands in his hair. Emotions welled up inside her.
He had gone gray.
She, such an unfilial daughter, had let him worry about her for so long during her college years. But she promised herself she would change and take good care of him from now on.
"My silly girl."
Bai Shenggu gently ruffled her hair, his gaze brimming with fatherly affection.
Bai Shan laughed. "I'll go make you something to eat! It's been ages since I've cooked. You'll finally get to taste my cooking again."
Bai Shenggu smiled too, his eyes proud and joyful, as though thinking, "My little girl has grown up."
"That sounds great. Aunt Chen's cooking is pretty good, but I'll always prefer yours."
Bai Shan grinned mischievously and opened the fridge to plan a four-dish-and-one-soup dinner. Just then, her phone rang. Seeing that it was Kaka, she immediately picked up, "Kaka, my dad's out of prison now!"
But instead of Kaka, an anxious woman's voice came through the receiver. "Kaka… She's been arrested by the police! I have her phone. Can you help her?"
Bai Shan's face turned pale. "What happened?"
The caller explained, voice trembling, "Kaka was overseeing the floor at Dark Desire Bar when suddenly a bunch of officers came in with police dogs. They searched her and found a huge bag of cocaine—over a pound! This is terrible. What should we do…? Kaka would never touch drugs; she doesn't allow them. She doesn't care if the girls sell themselves, but she draws the line at drugs. How could something like this happen…?"
The woman broke down in sobs.
Bai Shan's chest tightened painfully. Over a pound of cocaine… That was definitely serious. If Kaka were charged with trafficking, the sentence would be severe.
Bai Shenggu noticed something off in Bai Shan's expression. "Shan-Shan, what's wrong?"
She immediately lied, "Nothing. My friend just got drunk at a bar. I'm going to pick her up."
He studied her face for a moment. A father knows his daughter best, and Bai Shenggu could sense she was hiding something. Still, he assumed it couldn't be anything too grave, so he simply said, "Go quickly and be safe."
With a nod, she grabbed her purse, hopped into her recently reclaimed Cadillac, and headed for Dark Desire. Normally, if something this big had happened, she would have asked Bai Shenggu to pull some strings. But he'd just gotten out of prison, and any involvement might jeopardize him again. There was no way she was going to risk that.
So Bai Shan called Li Qingshen instead—her attending physician from three years ago. Back then, Bai Shan had been…violated one terrible night, and it was Li Qingshen who rescued her. Later, she enrolled in F University, and so did he. Because of that bond, they grew quite close. They were both campus celebrities—she was the campus beauty, and he was the campus heartthrob—so people often gossiped about them as a couple.
The Li family was a dynasty in the medical field. In A City and even nationwide, they carried significant influence. Bai Shan hoped Li Qingshen might help get Kaka out. But the number she dialed had been disconnected yet again.
Driving along, Bai Shan felt increasingly overwhelmed by recent events. Everything was happening too fast, all piled into the same timeframe, and she struggled to cope.
When she arrived at Dark Desire, the atmosphere was dreary instead of its usual bustling. Bai Shan spoke with the staff to get a clearer picture. Everyone was at a loss. The police had come out of nowhere and found the drugs on Kaka with uncanny precision. She was taken away instantly.
Bai Shan also found it odd. Kaka had always been well-connected, even within the police force. Typically, any inspection was tipped off in advance. How did it come to this?
She only managed to comfort the staff and tell them to look after the place in Kaka's absence. She would visit Kaka in jail the next day.
By the time she got home, it was already deep into the night. Bai Shenggu looked at her anxiously, but Bai Shan brushed off his concerns by playfully acting spoiled and selling a few jokes. Only then did he let it go. She collapsed onto her bed, exhausted.
So many things kept happening, one after another, as though some invisible trap had already been laid out for her.
Who could it be? Did Kaka cross the wrong person? Or was it Bai Shan herself who had offended someone?
The face of Gu Xicheng—cold as a fallen angel—suddenly appeared in her mind.
Was it him?
If so, how terrifying.
That man, so aloof and noble, like an emperor manipulating events from the shadows… He was someone she absolutely couldn't afford to provoke.
Yet the moment she left the Gu Family Estate, Kaka was arrested. The timing fit almost too perfectly, so fast that she hardly had time to catch her breath, let alone react.
The more she thought about it, the more her heart pounded with dread, keeping her awake most of the night.
The following day, she returned to that bleak prison, sporting dark circles under her eyes. The guards recognized her immediately and teased, "You're back again, young lady?"
She could only force a wry smile. This was the last place on earth she ever wanted to be. Yet here she was, visiting people who had ended up behind bars—first her father, now Kaka.
When Kaka finally came out to see her, Bai Shan's heart hurt at the sight. Kaka was born to a single-parent family; her mother passed away while she was still in elementary school. Through sheer grit and determination, she clawed her way up in the underworld, and now this.
As Bai Shan thought of Gu Xicheng, she felt guilt gnaw at her. Kaka had helped her set up the meeting with Gu Xicheng, and now Kaka was in jail because of it. Bai Shan couldn't just do nothing. She grasped Kaka's hand.
"Kaka, don't worry. I promise I'll get you out."
Kaka looked at Bai Shan with a tangle of emotions in her eyes.
Bai Shan was still the same Bai Shan—no matter how she might hurt herself, she'd never betray a friend.
Staring at Bai Shan's clear, beautiful face, Kaka suddenly felt like they were all being slowly tainted by this harsh world. The innocence of their youth had faded away, replaced by the grime of reality.
Kaka closed her eyes briefly. "Go find Liang Yinming. Tell him I accept his offer. He'll get me out."
Bai Shan frowned. "What did you promise him?"
Kaka was the one who had introduced Bai Shan to Liang Yinming's methods. Liang Yinming was almost like a half-mentor to her. But she also knew he was dangerous—he'd honed his charm to a razor's edge, exuding an intoxicating darkness that enthralled everyone around him.
He was ruthless, both to others and to himself. When making deals, he always emerged with the upper hand.
For Kaka to seek him out, what had she agreed to?
Kaka, however, didn't elaborate. "It's nothing, just handing over a few of my venues."
She spoke dismissively, but Bai Shan was sure it couldn't be that simple. Kaka must have struggled a long time with the decision.
Bai Shan's thoughts drifted to Gu Xicheng. If he truly intended to drag her into his game, maybe she didn't have much choice.
But she couldn't just stand by and watch the people around her suffer.
If someone had to be destroyed, let it be her alone. She was already "dirty" enough—ever since the night she was assaulted three years ago, she'd been tainted beyond repair.
On top of that, she had congenital cardiomyopathy, which meant she didn't have long to live anyway.
Rather than having everyone share the misery, it would be better if she alone bore it.
Yes. Far better for one person to suffer alone than to drag everyone else down.