The butler and Yan Chi had just come out of the elevator when the butler unexpectedly saw a figure rushing straight towards the young lady.
Just when he managed to confirm that there was no danger, he restrained the impulse that he had cultivated as a bodyguard for many years.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that the person who collided with Yan Chi and fell into her arms was actually Miss Gu, the young mistress they were supposed to meet today.
At this moment, the young girl’s disheveled hair was scattered, with strands sticking to her exposed skin. There were bandages wrapped around her forehead, and her patient gown was wrinkled. She pursed her crimson lips, her tear-filled eyes looking up at Yan Chi. It seemed as if she was a distressed princess who had endured endless grievances.
Originally a stunning beauty, she appeared even more delicate and charming when she cried, exuding a variety of charms.
Even though the butler was accustomed to the cold and beautiful appearance of their young lady, who was well-known in the entertainment industry, he was still stunned for a few seconds by the sight of Gu Qingtong.
Regaining his senses, the butler’s gaze passed over the two of them and finally landed on Yan Song behind them.
His condition was far from good either, with a gruesome wound on the back of his right hand covered in blood and flesh. Blood was flowing down his fingers, leaving traces on the ground, which was quite terrifying.
The entire sequence of events was clear at a glance.
The butler never expected that Yan Song would be foolish enough to dig a pit for himself like this. Before the young lady even made a move, the other side had already been defeated.
He used to consider him as an opponent worth guarding against since he had been acting for five years. His existence had always been by the young lady’s side, closely monitoring any potential threats.
Although … it seemed that he had been overly cautious.
It appeared at this time, there was no need for the young lady to set any conditions. As long as she could provide Gu Qingtong with a satisfactory response regarding Yan Song’s disposal, Yan Song could be completely eliminated.
With the butler’s deep understanding of the young lady, Yan Chi’s sudden attempt to sabotage the marriage alliance with her own half-brother seemed difficult to comprehend at first glance. However, it was definitely not a momentary whim or intentional retaliation. It must be a prelude to her imminent return to the Yan family enterprise!
At this realization, the butler became tense all of a sudden, his gaze burning as he stared at Yan Song across from him, not allowing him any chance to harm the young lady in his desperate struggle.
Unlike the butler, who was familiar with both sides, when Yan Song saw Yan Chi’s appearance, he was overjoyed, thinking that she had come to help him after hearing his plea from the butler. He hurriedly called out, “Sister!”
Before the old master granted him this opportunity for the marriage alliance, he had specifically asked for Yan Chi’s opinion.
It was precisely because she did not object and had been indifferent to him for five years that the old master finally agreed, and Yan Song gradually dared to reveal his ambition.
He desperately hoped that Yan Chi would stand on his side.
While others regarded Yan Chi as an aloof and unattainable beauty, Yan Song knew her methods.
As long as she wanted something, there was nothing she couldn’t get.
However, what happened next left both of them astonished.
That woman, who seemed indifferent to everyone else, patiently watched as Gu Qingtong cried in her embrace, her clear and beautiful eyes reflecting only her own figure, shimmering with an unprecedented focus and interest.
Even Yan Chi, who was usually so cold-hearted, was moved by Gu Qingtong’s emotions.
She sighed and her voice carried a subtle mix of pity and reproach, “How did you end up in such a miserable state?”
Yan Chi’s hand moved slightly, and her icy fingertips touched the back of Gu Qingtong’s hand. It was an ambiguous contact that lasted only a moment before continuing upward, gliding along her warm skin until they finally rested on the wrinkled sleeve, gently smoothing it out.
When Gu Qingtong’s gaze gradually cleared from its haze, Yan Chi spoke, “You’re injured again?”
In her current state of turmoil, Gu Qingting was so startled by Yan Chi’s presence that she forgot to feel scared or wronged. Her mind couldn’t even process whether Yan Chi was an enemy or a friend, but she instinctively clung to her, shedding tears of self-pity. Only upon hearing this expression of concern did she remember her grievances.
Therefore, without caring about the presence of so many people, she stepped back from Yan Chi’s embrace and sobbed as she complained, “I disagree with continuing the marriage alliance with Yan Song. He said he would not show mercy to me in combat! He just tried to forcefully control me and had malicious intentions… Look, he almost dislocated my wrist, it hurts so much, wuwu!”
As she spoke, she lifted her hand to show Yan Chi her wound, acting like a victim.
Yan Chi’s gaze fell on the slender wrist exposed under her sleeve, and indeed, she saw a purple-red bruise encircling the delicate and tender skin. It stood out vividly against the surrounding fair skin.
“Scratched as well?”
Gu Qingting was momentarily stunned. Following Yan Chi’s line of sight, she discovered that Yan Chi was referring to a small cut on her hand that she accidentally made with a fruit knife in her panic. It was just a superficial wound, and she had no idea how Yan Chi noticed it with just a glance.
She hesitated for a moment before meekly replying, “Ah, this… I accidentally cut myself.”
Seeing her reaction, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Yan Chi’s lips, a fleeting expression of amusement.
In the next second, she turned to the butler and said, “Uncle Zhang, dislocate his hand.”
The two stunned individuals were instantly pulled out of their state of extreme shock, and their hearts were quickly engulfed by waves of astonishment. Was this still the Yan Chi they knew? How could she show such care and concern for Gu Qingtong? Something was not right! The atmosphere between these two had become even stranger…
The butler obviously accepted it faster than Yan Song.
After all, he knew that it was just the young lady’s tactic. Yes, winning over the Gu family was a good move.
So, as he regained his senses, he rushed over a few steps and captured Yan Song, grabbing his arm with one hand and firmly pressing down on his shoulder with the other, forcing him to lean forward.
The sudden turn of events made Yan Song feel like he had gone back five years. He knew that this woman always had the final say, and she could really break his bones. He was so frightened that his voice began to tremble: “Sister, I… I… I haven’t done anything… It was her who stabbed my hand!”
“Wait.”
His eyes instantly lit up, thinking that there might be a turning point in the situation. However, he saw that Yan Chi was only walking in front of Gu Qingtong, blocking her line of sight.
“Dislocate it.”
With Yan Chi’s calm and cold command, the butler brought his arm back with efficiency.
With a crisp sound, Yan Song’s arm was instantly dislocated.
Yan Song’s mouth opened, but his hoarse screams seemed to be stuck in his throat. He couldn’t even produce a complete shout. His entire body went limp like mud, falling to the ground the moment the butler let go.
He didn’t even dare to hold any resentment towards his half-sister. His heart was filled with endless remorse.
It seemed like he had messed with the wrong person…
“Go and bring some medicine to the ward. I’ll take care of Miss Gu’s injury.” Yan Chi didn’t even glance at her half-brother.
Upon hearing her instructions, Gu Qingtong also snapped out of her shock and quickly followed in her footsteps. The two of them walked toward the ward together.
Neither of them spoke, and in the silence, Gu Qingtong couldn’t help but recall Yan Chi’s actions just now.
She never expected Yan Chi to suddenly help her seek justice like this. She blinked in astonishment.
Of course, Gu Qingtong didn’t have an ounce of sympathy for that scum who had just suddenly tried to harm her. It was just that this was the first time she had seen Yan Chi like this, and it seemed different from the rumors of a high and mighty sickly beauty.
It wasn’t until now that Gu Qingtong secretly examined the face she had seen countless times on the screen.
Cold? Noble?
Using simple words to describe Yan Chi seemed inappropriate. Her pale, translucent skin seemed to rid her of any earthly aura. Outside of the performance, her light-colored eyes were empty and clear, making her beauty almost unreal.
It was difficult to see any expression within it; all that was there was the aloofness and desolation isolated at the top of a snowy mountain.
This suddenly brought Gu Qingtong back to her senses.
This was the real Yan Chi. The care she had shown her earlier… was it just to comfort her? Due to Yan Song’s actions, the Yan family nearly committed a grave mistake, and as a result, Yan Chi restored the reputation of Gu Qingtong, a member of the Gu family.
“Th… thank you.”
Sensing the other’s gaze, Gu Qingtong realized that she had been staring at Yan Chi absentmindedly and quickly averted her eyes as if she had been burned.
“Did I startle you?” How could Yan Chi not detect the change in Gu Qingtong’s emotions? Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her tone became somewhat polite and distant. “The Yan family’s upbringing has always been like this. If we owe someone, we must repay it.”
Gu Qingting shook her head repeatedly. “No, it’s not that. I’m not saintly enough to feel sorry for a scumbag who bullies me. I’m just… just curious about Miss Yan…”
She almost slipped up in her words, and she was startled, her whole body shivering. She sneakily glanced at Yan Chi and found that she seemed not to have heard, which relieved her. She continued, “Why did Miss Yan go to such lengths to help me?”
Before Yan Chi could answer, the two of them had already reached the door of the ward, and the scattered bouquets in front blocked their path, forcing them to interrupt their conversation.
Yan Chi stepped to the side, letting Gu Qingtong enter first.
She picked up the bouquet and threw it into the trash bin before entering the room.
As soon as the door closed, she turned around and saw Gu Qingtong still standing at the entrance, silently looking at her.
“Is it because of the marriage alliance?… Are you helping me to continue the alliance between the Yan and Gu families?”
She suddenly asked, her voice somewhat muffled.
Although the message sent by the butler was very clear, in the face of the crisis, Gu Qingtong’s first reaction when she bumped into Yan Chi was a sense of security and dependence.
Gu Qingtong knew that Yan Chi would not stand on the same side as her, but deep inside, she hoped that the person she admired would not be the one who pushed her into the fire pit.
Yan Chi stared at Gu Qingtong’s eyes, which couldn’t hide her concerns. It seemed that the usual boldness was lost due to nervousness and disappointment, as she waited with a lowered gaze for the verdict.
Even she wouldn’t have the heart to disappoint the owner of those eyes.
“I do want to continue the alliance between our families, but the partner is not Yan Song, it’s me.”
Upon hearing these words, Gu Qingtong widened her eyes, feeling a bit stunned by this unexpected statement. “Wha… what?”
A silence filled the narrow entrance, and both of them could even hear each other’s heartbeats, until Yan Chi spoke again
“Gu Qingtong, I want to form a marriage alliance with you.”
