SFBF CH103.2

Objectively speaking, evaluated purely on appearance, President Gu’s newlywed spouse was much more delicate, striking, and eye-catching than Film Emperor Xiao, boasting an even superior temperament.

After all, Shen Qing had recently staged a dramatic comeback relying on period dramas and martial arts action roles, having continuously trained his body and posture. Seeing him in the flesh now, people realized he was even taller, slimmer, and more imposing than his on-screen persona of the Immortal Master, perfectly matching contemporary public aesthetic standards.

By comparison, while Film Emperor Xiao was well-maintained, he lacked that youthful vigor entirely, nor did he possess Shen Qing’s stunning visual impact.

That striking aura had nothing to do with age.

If a comparison had to be made, President Gu’s wife simply had brighter, more captivating, and better-looking eyes.

Film Emperor Xiao, being a major film emperor, was aloof and tended to put on airs, making him considerably less endearing.

Having listened to Young Master Shen’s exposé, Shen Qing deduced the exact same conclusion that the surrounding gossiping crowd had arrived at.

—It seemed Film Emperor Xiao had once been involved with the fifth young master, but Gu Huaiying had a crush on Xiao Hangying.

Afterward, the accident happened: the fifth young master became a vegetative state, and Gu Huaiying was paralyzed, prompting Film Emperor Xiao to flee overseas to take care of the vegetative fifth young master.

As a result, a little over a year later, Film Emperor Xiao regretted it—he regretted attaching himself to the fifth young master, yet he didn’t want to return to seek out the sixth young master either, who madly adored him, because the sixth young master was also a dying man confined to a wheelchair.

Finally, with upper-class circles recently buzzing with rumors that Gu Huaiying had recovered his health, followed by a string of terrifying moves that terrified everyone, Xiao Hangying rushed back, united with the Gu family, and confronted him—the wife of President Gu…

Consequently, Shen Qing asked, “Then why didn’t you go directly to President Gu to talk?”

—This was his most direct reaction and question after processing the whole affair.

Before anyone opposite him could speak, Li Hong blurted out, “Madam, you must be joking. Who on earth can just casually see President Gu these days? President Gu isn’t someone anyone can just walk up to!”

Li Hong’s voice was booming, causing the surrounding onlookers to nod in agreement.

Indeed, President Gu had refused guests for years.

Furthermore, as business elites themselves, everyone knew that recently it had gotten even more absurd: even top executives under President Gu’s command couldn’t easily secure an audience with him.

Of course, it was normal for outsiders like them not to see President Gu.

Word had it that even members of the Gu family couldn’t easily see him either.

But Film Emperor Xiao… wasn’t he President Gu’s white moonlight?

“Since you’re the white moonlight, don’t you have some special contact method to reach President Gu?”

Someone in the crowd asked, half-questioning, half-mocking, purely looking to watch the drama unfold without fearing big trouble.

“As everyone knows, President Gu doesn’t even use a cell phone and keeps no private contact numbers,” another person objectively stated facts.

Still, others felt that was no excuse: “If President Gu wanted to see him, Film Emperor Xiao could just send an email and get a meeting… Or maybe he just didn’t want to see him at all.”

“This appetite-whetting behavior is getting a bit ugly.”

A woman with a booming voice expressed her disgust openly: “What white moonlight? Forget unrequited crushes; even if they had dated in the past, the man has already moved on to a new relationship and gotten married, yet you still come to talk to his wife? Isn’t this textbook homewrecker behavior?!”

While nouveau riche aristocrats and entertainment top-tiers grasped the full picture, outsiders didn’t know who President Gu’s husband actually was, but the people right here certainly did.

Yet nobody dared to gossip about President Gu.

Even though Gu Huaiying had been on the verge of death previously, wasn’t he still alive?

No matter how sick President Gu had been before, as long as he was breathing, nobody was stupid enough to court death.

“Mr. Shen, I think there’s a misunderstanding.”

Though his expression remained grim, Xiao Hangying maintained his composure amidst the pointing fingers of the crowd, explaining, “Hangying and Huaiying were indeed acquainted in the past, but rest assured, I have no intention of interfering in your lives. Coming here today, I simply wanted to take the opportunity of my return to the country to check in on you. After all, having known Huaiying back then, I consider myself somewhat of an older brother to him.”

His calm, open-minded attitude made the gossiping crowd hesitate: “So… maybe it really is just an ‘older brother’?”

“Yeah, homewreckers don’t usually act this brazen and self-righteous, right?”

Standing in the crowd, Xiao Hangying straightened his spine even further.

Some people were claiming he wanted to act as a home-wrecker?

…

Those people really didn’t know the first thing about Xiao Hangying.

At that moment, he wanted to make it crystal clear to everyone that he, Xiao Hangying, disdained lowering his status to be a homewrecker for anyone.

Gu Huaiying might have money and power, but at the end of the day, he was merely a cripple confined to a wheelchair. Meanwhile, plenty of people fancied him, and there were plenty of unmarried wealthy men in this world.

As long as he cut ties with that vegetable, Gu Huaiying…

Xiao Hangying suddenly leaned closer to Shen Qing and asked, “Also, my return this time is primarily to check on how Huaiying is doing—to see if his health has improved at all… Oh? Mr. Shen is attending such an important event, yet Huaiying didn’t come with you? Ah, right, since he’s in a wheelchair, it must be terribly inconvenient for him.”

To prove that he fundamentally looked down on Gu Huaiying and to slap the faces of those accusing him of wanting to be a homewrecker, Film Emperor Xiao’s tone carried not only the accomplishment of his trip’s purpose and a show of pity toward Shen Qing, but also thinly veiled contempt for Gu Huaiying.

Hearing this, Shen Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, suddenly finding that this Film Emperor Xiao was quite crafty—how did someone manage to review another person’s situation in such a lofty, condescending tone while pretending they were exceptionally close with that person?

Xiao Hangying’s words made it sound as though President Gu were merely one of his discarded accessories—someone he didn’t care for, yet understood intimately.

Giving him a sardonic smile, Shen Qing retorted, “I think you must have remembered wrong? Even in important events, back when President Gu didn’t use a wheelchair, he never attended them either.”

Not expecting Shen Qing to be so sharp-tongued, Xiao Hangying paused slightly before recovering: “…Huaiying has always had a cold personality, never liked attending these kinds of gatherings. Ah, my memory must be failing me to have forgotten that.”

While the surrounding crowd was still debating the homewrecker question, Gu Huaiying’s fan-girl and the film emperor’s devoted fan, Gu Huaiying’s younger sister Gu Huaiying, lost her cool. Bursting out, she suddenly yelled, “Stop talking nonsense! Even when my sixth brother was whole and complete, Hangying-gege didn’t choose him. Now that the sixth brother is a crip—how could Hangying-gege possibly eat reclaimed leftovers!”

The moment Gu Huaiying finished her sentence, a wave of uproar erupted around them. Gu Huaixiang immediately grabbed her, her eyes flashing with a mix of threat and disgust.

Gu Huaiying was barely over twenty, even younger than Shen Qing. Her thought process remained immature, which was why her words—specifically “reclaimed leftovers”—were essentially referring to Gu Huaiying.

Putting aside whether President Gu was truly any sort of leftover, just the fact that she, as a member of the Gu family, publicly declared her own sixth brother to be someone who gets eaten as leftovers was enough to prove that internal discord plagued the Gu household.

At the very least, Gu Huaiying’s relations with them were far from harmonious.

…Yet nowadays, several of the Gu family’s major projects relied heavily on Gu Huaiying’s reputation to limp along. Gu Huaixiang couldn’t be sure whether Gu Huaiying broadcasting such family discord to outsiders would negatively impact their projects and stock prices.

Realizing she had slipped up, Gu Huaiying clammed up and didn’t dare utter another word.

Though in her heart, she still believed her sixth brother was a dying cripple who had dragged down the fifth brother, making her beloved Film Emperor Xiao live like a widow, committing unforgivable sins…

“Homewrecker or primary spouse, my sixth old man’s marriage with the Shen family was just a business alliance without any real affection,” Gu Huaixiang suddenly spoke up, attempting to steer the topic back.

Accustomed to being domineering and self-centered, she liked to dictate when conversations began and ended.

Wearing exquisitely styled eye makeup, Gu Huaixiang narrowed her eyes at Shen Qing with supreme contempt: “Surely Mr. Shen doesn’t think that because you’ve brought up a kid and managed a so-called comeback, you’re actually worthy of Huaiying? A minor celebrity like you—”

“Oh? Am I not worthy?” Blinking his eyes, Shen Qing cut in. “So you all feel Film Emperor Xiao is worthy. Then what exactly is the relationship between Film Emperor Xiao and the fifth young master?”

“What business of yours is their relationship?”

Snatching the conversation back, Gu Huaiyao barked, “Gu Huaiying has always liked Xiao Hangying. You’re an outsider, so it’s not your fault you didn’t know, but now you do.”

Whispers immediately broke out among the bystanders: “What does that mean? The Gu family is essentially confirming that he liked Film Emperor Xiao?”

“Looking closely though, Mr. Shen does look delicate, and his profile really does bear a striking resemblance to Film Emperor Xiao…”

Gu Huaiying chimed in, “Shen-gege, I heard you take very good care of my sixth brother, and we’re all grateful to you for that. But as you know, my sixth brother is rather cold-hearted; he’s only ever loved Hangying-gege alone. So please don’t hold it against him, since you…”

“Actually, I haven’t planned on holding it against him just yet.” Shen Qing smoothly took over the conversation.

Earlier, he had stayed silent because he didn’t know the situation or what their objective was.

That didn’t mean, however, that he was going to sit back and watch these four perform a duet forever.

With a clear, resounding voice, Shen Qing spoke in a firm, powerful tone: “If you have anything to say, go talk to Gu Huaiying first… Oh right, whether you can even find him is your own business. As for matters between Gu Huaiying and me, those should be addressed by him personally to me.”

The subtext was clear: What on earth do you people think you are? You’re not qualified to negotiate with me.

Originally, Shen Qing was nearly the youngest person present, and expressing such subtext using entirely civil language was notoriously difficult.

Yet, speaking with an unruffled, steady pace and unwavering poise, Shen Qing naturally radiated the absolute authority of a head of the household, brutally crushing the opposing group’s momentum right then and there.

This left both the Gu family members and Xiao Hangying stunned.

…Having crossed paths with Shen Qing a few times, Gu Huaixiang sensed a shift in the young man’s aura.

Though the Shen Qing of several months ago had dared to talk back to her, back then the young man lacked this kind of master-of-the-house aura and such overwhelming presence.

Meanwhile, Xiao Hangying—contacting Shen Qing for the first time—found it deeply puzzling. He had heard that Shen Qing was timid, cowardly, and driven purely by profit, assuming someone like that would be easy to manipulate and buy off.

From the looks of it now, however, things weren’t quite as simple as he had imagined…

Having made his stance clear, Shen Qing prepared to leave.

Xiao Hangying was willing to leave it at that for now as well.

After all, with so many people around, he didn’t want to complicate matters and risk his reputation.

Just then, however, someone called out Shen Qing’s name once more.

“Shen Qing.”

The voice was low rather than booming, yet it somehow managed to drift clearly into everyone’s ears.

Everyone turned around in unison.

A tall man in a tailored suit, possessing extraordinary height, appeared amidst the crowd.

Perhaps unaccustomed to sunlight, his complexion was slightly pale, but his facial features were deep-set, sharply defined, and strikingly handsome. A supreme, aristocratic aura clung to him; his strides looked leisurely and unhurried at first glance, yet carried a powerful, wind-swept momentum.

From start to finish, the man’s gaze was fixed solely on Shen Qing.

He walked in a straight line directly toward Shen Qing.

As people recognized the newcomer, everyone in his path instinctively stepped aside.

The Gu family members opposite Shen Qing, including Xiao Hangying, froze simultaneously. That was…

How could it possibly be him?!

“G-Gu… President Gu…”

Someone in the crowd let out a squeak.

Without sparing a glance for anyone else, Gu Huaiying strode forward until he stopped right in front of the young man who had called out to Shen Qing.

“Wife,” Gu Huaiying addressed him.

The surroundings fell dead silent.

The Gu siblings felt their eyeballs nearly pop out of their sockets. Watching Gu Huaiying—tall, strong, and walking over under his own power by parting the crowd step by step, looking in fairly decent shape—Gu Huaixiang’s lips twitched as she muttered to herself, “How is that possible…”

She had long since bribed Gu Huaiying’s medical team to confirm that this man would never stand up again and was running out of time.

Therefore, their entire household had operated under the assumption that it was merely a matter of time before Gu Huaiying died…

Yet a Gu Huaiying walking with such steady strides—could he really still be considered a dying man?!

The Gu family members were too shocked to react in any way.

Film Emperor Xiao stared at that tall figure, dumbfounded.

Following a momentary hush, whispers rippled through the crowd.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to chat loudly; they were simply torn between burning curiosity and sheer terror—that was Gu Huaiying!

No matter how one looked at it, this person bore zero resemblance to a sickly invalid, a crippled patient, or someone on the verge of death. He was a remarkably healthy-looking, fine-conditioned Gu Huaiying!

Even Shen Yuan, who had instinctively shielded Shen Qing all this time, froze. He looked at Shen Qing: What’s going on? Didn’t President Gu show up?

Shen Qing: …

Fine, Gu Huaiying actually was attending this banquet today. However, just moments earlier, when Young Master Shen asked why President Gu hadn’t accompanied him, before Shen Qing could answer, Young Master Shen had preemptively made excuses to spare Shen Qing any awkwardness, rambling on about how President Gu never attended these kinds of events anyway.

…Since the other person had already said all that, Shen Qing hadn’t found it convenient to emphasize that his husband was actually here.

After all, according to their original plan, President Gu wasn’t supposed to show his face.

Moreover, Shen Qing hadn’t lied; President Gu really was busy looking after the kid.

—Huacheng Night didn’t only invite adults; it also invited child stars, though with a lower threshold.

This was because some upper-class attendees at the gala liked bringing their own cubs along to play.

As the child star currently being nurtured by Director Xia in the palm of his hand, Ao-zai had received an invitation too.

Only, children didn’t need to walk the red carpet. Since Shen Qing had a red carpet assignment and couldn’t move together with them, Ao-zai had been temporarily placed in Lin Wenjue’s care.

At first, Shen Qing hadn’t been entirely at ease and wanted to handle the kid himself.

Yet President Gu had volunteered, saying he would go as well, and looking after the cub would be a breeze. Plus, he could conveniently pick up his wife after work.

…

Following that, President Gu’s people drove the car straight into the venue. After arriving in secret, President Gu allegedly found a secluded resting spot where he could stay without alarming anyone else.

Shen Qing hadn’t known the subsequent logistics. If he hadn’t bumped into Young Master Shen, around this time he probably would have gone off to rendezvous with President Gu and the others.

As for why the Gu family and Film Emperor Xiao had later hunted him down, Shen Qing still hadn’t mentioned that President Gu was right here.

Mainly because Gu Huaiying’s physical recovery still necessitated keeping a low profile.

It was one thing for him to attend in secret, but right now the outside world was furiously probing President Gu’s physical status; Shen Qing had no desire to leak information, nor did he genuinely want the Gu family and Film Emperor Xiao going off to see Gu Huaiying.

Besides, regarding the stories peddled by the Gu family—the whole “white moonlight” narrative—Shen Qing retained absolute reservations and didn’t believe a single word.

No matter how arrogant the opposite side acted, loose lips sink ships. Based on what they had blurted out, Shen Qing could tell they didn’t truly understand Gu Huaiying at all.

In fact, they understood him not a whit—they didn’t even know the big boss’s actual ongoing physical condition.

So how foolish would Shen Qing have to be to take people like that seriously?

From the moment the opposite party traded barbs introducing Xiao Hangying, Shen Qing had simply treated the whole thing as a theatrical performance.

Until he verified things for himself, he wouldn’t let a single word sink into his mind.

…Though come to think of it, when President Gu arrived earlier, hadn’t he been in a wheelchair?

How come he walked over so briskly just now?

And those steps of his looked remarkably fluid.

If he hadn’t been living with him day in and day out, watching President Gu push through step by step to gradually achieve independent walking, Shen Qing might have mistaken this Gu Huaiying for a completely healthy man…

Yet thinking back to how Film Emperor Xiao and the Gu family had just claimed President Gu was paralyzed and dismissed him as Xiao Hangying’s reclaimed leftover…

Right now, Shen Qing had zero desire to bring up the wheelchair either.

That’s just how sharp and fiercely protective he was.

Consequently, he merely asked Gu Huaiying, “Why did you come over?”

“To bring you something.”

Gu Huaiying’s voice remained cool and detached. As he spoke, he slowly raised the box in his hand, presenting it right in front of Shen Qing.

“This is…”

Instinctively, Shen Qing opened the box.

A dazzling, brilliant radiance flashed from within.

Nearby, someone let out a sharp cry: “…Isn’t that Old Song’s priceless jewelry pendant?!”

The one who gasped was Shen Yuan.

Young Master Shen had just been discussing this jewelry pendant with Shen Qing moments ago. Having a weakness for such items, Young Master Shen had previously seen photographs of it in a book.

A century-old piece of jewelry featuring natural diamonds, worth a king’s ransom.

He had lamented earlier that he wouldn’t get to see Teacher Su, nor would he lay eyes on this pendant.

Yet right now…

“What on earth is going on here?!”

Hearing that it belonged to Old Song, combined with Young Master Shen’s exaggerated reaction, even those who didn’t recognize the pendant instantly put two and two together.

“Old Song’s pendant? That century-old pendant named ‘The Jewel in the Palm’???”

Shen Qing: “…”

His habit of casually opening boxes without looking was truly impossible to break.

By this point, Shen Qing regretted opening the box so rashly, because this jewelry pendant was dazzlingly bright, breathtakingly gorgeous, and supremely noble.

And terribly expensive!

It didn’t look like the kind of thing meant to be opened publicly…

Just as he was thinking that, however, Gu Huaiying’s slender fingers reached over, picked up the pendant, and hung it directly around Shen Qing’s neck.

…

The action was executed in one smooth, flowing motion.

Shen Qing instantly felt the added weight resting against his chest.

…

Ahhhhh!

Lowering his gaze to stare at the sparkling pendant suspended over his chest, Shen Qing froze in his tracks once again.

“…Where on earth did you… get this?”

Lifting a hand to straighten the pendant resting against his wife’s chest, Gu Huaiying tended to him meticulously while answering, “Teacher Song parted with it out of affection.”

His tone remained utterly flat, as though gifting his wife an item like this was completely par for the course.

“…”

All around them, the crowd collectively sucked in a breath, holding it until even their breathing stagnated!

Meanwhile, Shen Qing’s mind drifted off on a distracted tangent: It turns out those hard-to-meet grandmasters and pillars of the industry were all hiding in secluded corners as well…

Did President Gu hide away in secret with them?

Did you guys happen to share a cup of tea together too??

Shen Qing desperately wanted to ask.

The next second, however, Gu Huaiying finished tidying him up and suddenly turned around.

Looking somewhat sinister, cold, and aloof from profile, he cast a freezing glance toward the side, stating abruptly, “When on earth was I ever infatuated with anyone else, let alone experienced a tortured unrequited love?”

The direction of his gaze pointed straight at the Gu family members, as well as Xiao Hangying.

Raising his voice, Gu Huaiying declared, “The only person I have ever loved is Teacher Shen Qing, and no one else.”