Chapter 20: Cornered Beast

Chapter 20: The Cornered Beast

Zhao Yu waited at home for news from Chen Li. Though he wasn't holding out much hope, if Chen Li had a sudden change of heart and paid him the final installment, that'd be great.

If not, he'd have to find other ways to make money. Odd jobs wouldn't cover Guo Lin's treatment costs, and no matter how hard he racked his brain, he was completely stuck.

He tipped his chair back, tossing an egg into the air, catching it, tossing it again, his eyes following it up and down. On this sunny afternoon, he had no clue what to do with himself. Those guys' deals were worth tens of millions, and Chen Li's properties were surely worth several million too. He wasn't greedy—he just wanted two hundred grand to keep the most important person in his life alive, yet it was so damn hard.

Before, he'd spent every day figuring out how to get close to Gu Hansheng. Now that the goal was suddenly gone, he felt empty inside, listless and unmotivated. He decided to change his shoes and head downstairs for a walk, grabbing a two-yuan popsicle from the convenience store. He'd just taken a bite when he spotted Zhou Lan coming over with a big bag of snacks.

"Assistant Zhou here to warm me up?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Figured you'd be bored at home, so I grabbed some snacks," Zhou Lan said. "Isn't it a little early for popsicles?"

"Popsicles are for whenever you feel like them. If I can't even have two yuan of freedom, life ain't worth living." Zhao Yu dug into the bag without ceremony, grabbing a pack of fruit candies with lukewarm interest.

They sat down on a bench outside. After finishing his popsicle, Zhao Yu shuddered, and Zhou Lan said, "You're wearing slippers and eating something cold. You'll catch a cold."

"I won't catch a cold." Zhao Yu tossed the popsicle stick cleanly into the trash can, amusing himself: "Three points."

He tore open the fruit candy wrapper, picked out a lemon one, and popped it in his mouth. His face instantly scrunched up: "Damn, that's sour."

"Sour?" Zhou Lan also took a lemon one.

Zhao Yu crunched down on the lemon candy: "Sour enough to kill me."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Seriously, my throat's killing me."

Zhao Yu pulled at his collar. Zhou Lan looked and immediately laughed: "Your shirt's on backwards. No wonder it's uncomfortable."

Zhao Yu looked down, then pulled the back hem around to the front, realizing it was indeed on backwards. He slipped his arms out, turned the shirt around, and put it back on properly. The choking feeling around his neck went away.

Zhou Lan said, "You've been wearing it like that all day. Didn't you notice how uncomfortable it was?"

Zhao Yu didn't answer. Ever since Gu Hansheng had called him out that day, he'd felt off every single day—takeout too spicy or too sour felt off, shower water too cold or too hot felt off, wearing too many or too few clothes felt off. He thought he was getting too sensitive, and he was trying hard to get back to his normal self, which was why he hadn't made a fuss about the collar strangling him.

Physical sensations are the most direct reflection of one's inner state. Unfortunately, he couldn't understand why his body felt uncomfortable, and he couldn't figure out his own heart either. He just lay awake night after night, his chest tight and his breath short every time he thought about the piano piece he'd never gotten to play that day. The bruise from Gu Hansheng's fingers gripping his chin took two days to fade, and every time he washed his face it hurt. At times like that, he'd mock himself, thinking it was better than getting slapped.

Outside the apartment building, a man stood holding a bouquet of flowers. A few minutes later, a woman came down, her face lighting up at the flowers as she threw herself into the man's arms.

Zhao Yu watched the woman kiss the man's cheek and asked Zhou Lan, "Assistant Zhou, you married?"

Zhou Lan said, "No."

"You seeing anyone?"

"I had a girlfriend back in college."

"Did you like her?"

"Of course. She was my senior. I had a crush on her for a whole year and only worked up the courage to confess in my sophomore year."

"What did liking her feel like?"

"It's been a while, I've almost forgotten. We'd chat every day, and if she didn't text me back, I'd feel really down."

"You're such a romantic."

"Of course—she was my first love. Why, wasn't it like that for you when you first liked someone?"

Zhao Yu tried to think, but Gu Hansheng's eyes suddenly flashed through his mind. They weren't pure black—only when you looked really close did you notice they were slightly brown. He'd noticed this while kissing Gu Hansheng.

Gu Hansheng was an incredible kisser and incredibly patient. Every time they kissed, he'd gently guide Zhao Yu into it. Zhao Yu had never once been grossed out by Gu Hansheng's kisses.

Zhou Lan snapped him out of it: "I heard about Wang Xiaochen. It caused a big stir. He can't survive in the industry anymore."

"He did it to himself."

"I'm not talking about him—I'm talking about you. You tailed Wang Xiaochen?"

"Yeah, I saw him and just followed."

"Did you know half of Rongchuang Center belongs to Gu Hansheng's third uncle?"

"No, I didn't."

"Ignorance really is bliss." Zhou Lan sighed. "Gu Hansheng's family drama has nothing to do with Chen Li or you. Why'd you get involved?"

"He was going through a rough patch those days. I wanted to do something for him."

"Did he pay you for it?"

"No."

"You're not catching feelings for him, are you?"

Zhao Yu froze, then said without thinking, "How could that be..."

"Good, that's good to hear." Zhou Lan said. "He likes Xitong. If you get too invested, you'll only get hurt."

Zhao Yu was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Has he gone to see Chen Xitong?"

"Just once that day. He hasn't been back since, and he won't pick up Chen Li's calls either. No idea what he's thinking. Chen Li's freaking out."

Just then, Zhou Lan's phone rang. It was Chen Li, sounding urgent: "Zhou Lan, are you with Xiao Yu? Bring him to my office."

Zhou Lan looked at Zhao Yu, but before he could answer, Zhao Yu was already on his feet: "Let's go, Assistant Zhou. Looks like there's work to do."

After hanging up, Chen Li looked at the empty office in front of her, her anxiety growing. Tuotu's on-site project team hadn't shown up on time, and the planned project funds and all other available resources had been frozen. Gu Hansheng was more ruthless than she'd imagined—willing to lose money just to undo all the work done in the early stages.

When Zhao Yu walked into the office, Chen Li forced a smile. "Xiao Yu, this isn't your first time at Mom's company. What do you think? Mom can set up a position for you. You can learn the ropes and eventually become my right hand."

Zhao Yu shoved his hands in his pockets, sat down on the sofa nearby, and stared at her like she'd grown a second head: "The company's about to go under, and you called me here just to offer me a job? What, are you in debt and need me to take the blame?"

"I'm serious about you working here. I'm the legal rep of the company—even if there's debt, I won't let you take it on." Chen Li sat down beside him. "You'll still get the final payment—double the agreed amount, as promised."

Zhao Yu sat up straight: "For real?"

"But you need to help Mom out with something."

Zhao Yu had just started to think a little better of her, and now he was slapped in the face again. It was always like this—every penny he got from Chen Li came with strings attached.

Despite his disappointment, Zhao Yu stayed patient and asked, "What do you need me to do now?"

Chen Li took his hand: "Mom knows you must have a lot of resentment. Once we get through this, I'll make up for everything I owe you. Gu Hansheng is very likely to pull his investment—he's already started doing it. I've gone to see him many times, but he won't see me. Xiao Yu, you're the only one who can help me now. You spent even more time with him than Xitong. Go see him and convince him not to pull his investment."

Zhao Yu snatched his hand back: "If he won't see you, what makes you think he'd see me? Are you kidding? You know he likes Chen Xitong, not me!"

"But Xitong is still in a coma. I believe he'll see you. Just go try, okay?"

"Don't kid yourself. Gu Hansheng hates my guts. Seeing me will only make him angrier. Forget about him pulling his investment—he might just destroy your company outright!"

"The moment he pulls his investment, I'm finished!" Chen Li shouted. The stress of the past few days had completely messed with her head, but her tone softened right after the outburst, almost pleading: "Xiao Yu, you never know if something will work unless you try. Just give it a shot. What if he's willing to see you? What if he's already got feelings for you? Go own up to your mistake, apologize—maybe you can make things right."

Zhao Yu stared at her: "I own up to my mistake? I apologize? That's the solution you came up with?"

"If he were willing to see me, I'd have already apologized. But I can't—I really can't." Chen Li wiped the tears from her face. "Xiao Yu, I'm begging you, as your mother, help me one more time. After everything we've been through, this company is my life."

"The company is your life?" Zhao Yu laughed at how absurd that was, then felt a wave of sorrow. "What about my life? Who hasn't been through hell and back all these years? Where were you when Zhao Lianfeng beat me half to death? All you ever do is talk about wanting my help, but when have you ever helped me?"

"What's done is done. I promise I'll give you a better life from now on. I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

"I don't need it!"

"Then what about the money? You don't need that either?"

Zhao Yu froze, hearing how suddenly calm her voice was, his heart felt like an ice pick had punched a hole through it, cold wind rushing straight in.

All that emotional stuff was just her playing him. She wasn't really trying to make amends to Zhao Yu—she didn't even feel a shred of sympathy or care. Once the emotional cards were played, she pulled out her ace in the hole, using the thing Zhao Yu needed most as leverage, forcing him into a corner once again.

She let out a soft sigh and continued: "I know what you need the money for. That woman named Guo Lin—she's very ill, isn't she?"

"You investigated me?"

"Yes, but my investigation was out of good intentions. And I'm willing to help cover part of her hospitalization and chemotherapy costs first. So, are you willing to help me now?"

Chen Li had finally seized his greatest weakness, turning what should have been a one-time settlement into a prolonged ordeal.

The anger surging to Zhao Yu's head was doused like a bucket of ice water. He collapsed onto the sofa, the shadow of the window frame like a cage, locking him inside.

Years ago, on an afternoon, Guo Lin was busy in the kitchen, the hired hand off for the day, and the window's shadow stretched just as long as it did today. He hid in the shadows and pulled open the cash register drawer, which held a scattering of bills—taking one wouldn't be noticed.

He had always thought he and Zhao Lianfeng were cut from the same cloth—despicable, ungrateful. Otherwise, he wouldn't have reached into that register that day and stolen that ten-dollar bill.

He forgot what he'd bought with the first stolen money, but in the many times after, countless ten-dollar bills slipped through his hands. Theft was like an addictive habit—as long as he wasn't caught, it kept luring him to take risks.

Until one day, when he came home and opened his backpack, a crisp hundred-dollar bill fell out from between the pages of a book, with a note tucked beside it—Take care of yourself. Tell me if you need anything.

Missing one ten-dollar bill might not be easy to notice, but with so many gone, had she really not noticed?

He had thought his life was a hell with no room for error, but when he went astray, Guo Lin was willing to wait for him on the right path, telling him: You're not the kind of person Zhao Lianfeng is.

Zhao Yu was silent for a long time, then looked at his own shadow and said quietly: "Fine, I'll go see him."