Chapter 5
1556 Words
Having grown accustomed to Su Hua's gentle and serene demeanor, it was the first time Gu Beixian saw her in such a flustered state, resembling a frightened kitten.
Gu Beixian found it intriguing.
He curled his lips into a smile and teased, "You climbed in yourself, I couldn’t push you away."
Su Hua's ears turned red, "Impossible."
His smile widened, "Next time, I'll record it with my phone so you can’t deny it."
Su Hua was mortified.
She quickly turned away, grabbing her shirt from the nightstand and hurriedly putting it on.
In her haste, she didn’t even notice that she had misbuttoned it.
As he watched her slender figure fumbling to dress, Gu Beixian’s mind drifted back to the night before.
He recalled how she had curled up in her sleep, trembling as if caught in a nightmare.
He had held her close, soothing her, but even in her dreams, she murmured, "Brother A Yao."
He had lost count of how many times this had happened.
How deep must her love be, to remember him so persistently?
He had sent people to investigate A Yao, but to no avail.
When he asked her about it, she evaded the question.
Not saying anything was an insult to him; saying it would be an even greater insult.
The smile faded from his face. Gu Beixian put on his watch and casually said, "I might be home late tonight. Please find an excuse for Grandma."
Su Hua paused in buttoning her shirt.
She knew his late nights meant he was at the hospital with Chu Luoluo.
Humiliation and pain pierced her heart like needles.
After a long silence, she spoke, "I'll talk to Grandma about the divorce. Sorry for the trouble."
Gu Beixian gave her a meaningful look, "It's been hard on you, too."
After breakfast, the family driver took Su Hua to Gu Bao Zhai.
She busied herself throughout the day.
By the end of the workday, she received a call from the driver, "Young Madam, my car was hit by a drunk driver. I have to wait for the traffic police. Could you take a taxi home?"
"Okay."
Su Hua shouldered her bag and walked out of the antique street.
Turning a corner, two men caught up to her, blocking her path.
The taller, thinner one spoke, "Su Hua, right? Please come with us."
Su Hua eyed them warily.
They were in their late twenties, wearing sunglasses at night, suspicious in appearance, and exuding a faint, earthy odor.
Her heart raced, "Where to?"
The thin man said, "We need your help restoring an ancient painting. Don't worry, we mean no harm and will pay the market price."
Su Hua relaxed slightly, "Bring the painting to my workplace."
The bald man scowled, "Why waste time talking? Just take her."
At his words, Su Hua turned to run.
But she was quickly grabbed by the bald man and dragged into a waiting black car.
The car started moving.
The thin man rummaged through her bag, taking out her phone, "Call your family and tell them you're going out with friends for a few days."
Instinctively, Su Hua wanted to call Gu Beixian, but then she remembered he was likely at the hospital with Chu Luoluo.
Better to call her mother.
She had the thin man find her mother’s number.
When the call connected, Su Hua said, "Mom, I’m going out with friends for a few days. Remember to take your diabetes medication..."
Before she could finish, the thin man took the phone and turned it off.
He then blindfolded her with a black cloth.
The car seemed to drive for a long time before finally stopping.
Su Hua was led into an old building.
They climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Inside, there was a large red table with a safe on it.
The thin man opened the safe and took out a painting.
It was about one and a half meters long, very old, and severely damaged, with many missing details.
Su Hua examined the painting closely, noting the somber yet elegant style, the majestic peaks, and dense forests, the hidden cottages in the mountain valleys, and the solitary figure within.
She recognized it as a work by Wang Meng, one of the "Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty."
One of Wang Meng's paintings had sold for four hundred million yuan at auction.
If restored, this painting could fetch tens of millions.
No wonder these men went to such lengths to bring her here.
The painting was either stolen or unearthed from an ancient tomb.
The thin man asked, "Miss Su, how long will it take to restore this painting?"
"It’s quite large and severely damaged. At least half a month."
"Fine. Write down the tools and materials you need, and we’ll get them."
Su Hua wrote down the materials and handed him the list.
The thin man said, "We’ll go get these. You rest."
Su Hua nodded.
The two men left, locking the door behind them.
Su Hua looked around.
The room had a bathroom, a bed, a table, and chairs, even food. Clearly, they had planned this.
Outside the window, she saw continuous mountains, the landscape desolate and unfamiliar, with scattered lights indicating a remote area.
Her stomach growled with hunger.
She grabbed a packet of instant noodles, ate a few bites, and drank some water.
After washing up, she lay on the bed.
The silence was overwhelming, but she couldn’t sleep.
She wondered if Gu Beixian would worry about her.
Probably not.
He was preoccupied with Chu Luoluo, likely still at the hospital with her.
The thought of him rushing to the hospital for Chu Luoluo’s suicide attempt filled Su Hua with a heavy, stinging pain.
She tossed and turned, unable to sleep until the early hours.
When she finally got up to use the bathroom, she heard faint noises outside.
Pressing her ear to the door, she heard the thin man shout, "Baldy, what are you doing?"
Baldy replied in a low voice, "I couldn’t sleep, just checking if the girl is behaving. Can she really restore our painting? It’s worth tens of millions. If she ruins it, the boss will be furious."
"The boss did his homework. Her grandfather, Su Wenmai, was a master restorer. He taught her everything. It’s rumored that many of his later works were actually done by her."
"Then I’m relieved." Baldy laughed, "But the girl is so pretty. Don’t you have any thoughts?"
The thin man scolded, "Focus on the painting. Once it’s sold, you can have all the women you want."
"Women you pay for are shared by many. How can they compare to her? Can I have her after she finishes the painting? She’s so beautiful, with fair skin and big eyes. She’s driving me crazy."
The thin man was silent for a moment, "Fine. But don’t touch her until the painting is done."
"Got it."
Su Hua felt disgusted.
These men were truly despicable.
As the footsteps receded, she tried to open the door, but it was locked, and there were no tools to break it open.
She looked out the window. The three-story drop to the concrete ground was too dangerous, especially with a large dog in the yard below.
She could only hope for outside help.
When calling her mother earlier, she had mentioned taking diabetes medication, a clue that she was in danger since her mother didn’t have diabetes.
She hoped her mother understood.
The next day, Su Hua began cleaning the painting, carefully removing dirt and grime.
She worked tirelessly for three days.
As the restoration neared completion, she grew increasingly anxious.
She couldn’t sleep well, often hearing Baldy pacing outside her door at night.
Late one night, as she was finally drifting off, she heard the dog barking and hurried footsteps outside.
Su Hua quickly got dressed.
The door burst open, and the thin man rushed in, grabbing her wrist, "Let’s go!" Baldy was packing the painting.
As they reached the door, a group of people stormed up the stairs.
Leading them was a tall, handsome man in black, with deep-set eyes—Gu Beixian.
Behind him was a team of well-equipped police officers.
Su Hua's heart surged with joy.
She could hardly believe her eyes.
She stared at him, her voice trembling, "Is it really you, Beixian?"
"It's me." Gu Beixian strode forward, but the thin man dragged her towards the window.
Before she could react, a knife was pressed against her neck.
The thin man shouted at the police, "Drop your guns! Step back, or I’ll kill her!"
The blade cut into her skin, the pain making Su Hua dizzy.
Gu Beixian’s fists clenched, his eyes red with rage as he struggled to control his anger, "Put your guns down! Everyone, get out!"
The police exchanged glances with him and slowly placed their guns on the ground, stepping back.
Baldy kicked the guns into the corner.
The thin man pushed Su Hua onto the windowsill, "Jump!"
Su Hua clung to the window frame, terrified. It was three stories up—jumping could be fatal.
"Jump! You won’t die!" The thin man lost patience and yanked her arm, forcing her to jump.
In that moment, a gunshot rang out, followed by a scream that pierced the night!
- Writer
