"Gu Yizhou!"
By the time Su Mianmian reacted, Gu Yizhou's eyes were blazing with cold fury; he was just about to swing his fist at Tang Yunzheng once again. Terrified, Su Mianmian hurriedly grabbed his arm. "Gu Yizhou, stop fighting!"
Su Mianmian had never seen this side of Gu Yizhou before—savage, violent, and exuding an aura of pure danger. She couldn't fathom how Gu Yizhou had suddenly burst onto the scene; then, recalling her recent conversation with Tang Yunzheng, a chilling thought struck her: surely he hadn't heard *everything*, had he?
At that moment, Su Mianmian's mind was a chaotic jumble, and her heart pounded wildly in her chest. Beside them, Tang Yunzheng—having taken a severe beating—had a trickle of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. He spat the blood out with a loud *ptui*, then jabbed a finger right at Gu Yizhou's nose. "Hey, Gu! What gives you the right to hit me?
Who the hell do you think you are?!" Gu Yizhou's brows furrowed deeply. He glanced down at the young girl beside him—whose eyes were trembling with fear—and clenched his fists even tighter. He had acted impulsively; he shouldn't have resorted to violence in front of her. "What gives me the right? The fact that I am Su Mianmian's husband."
Gu Yizhou's voice was low, yet every word carried the weight of absolute authority. "I warned you countless times before to stop pestering her. Out of consideration for your ignorance, I refrained from humiliating you back then."
"But now—knowing full well what Su Mianmian is to me, yet still harassing her time and again—don't blame me for showing you no mercy." For all his arrogance, Tang Yunzheng was still just a wealthy young master with scant experience of the real world.
Facing Gu Yizhou—a titan of industry whose very name struck fear into the hearts of even his own father's business rivals—Tang Yunzheng's bravado was instantly crushed. Yet, the thought of Su Mianmian kept him from backing down; he puffed out his chest, his expression laced with biting sarcasm. "Husband?
Heh. You've got some nerve claiming that title for yourself. Why don't you take a good look at how old you are? You actually have the audacity to make a move on a girl who's still just a junior in college!" "Tang Yunzheng! That's enough—don't take things too far!"
Su Mianmian couldn't stand to listen any longer; she glared fiercely at Tang Yunzheng. "It's not your place to comment on what kind of person he is. Besides, he's only twenty-eight—not even thirty yet—so how on earth is that 'getting on in years'?" Tang Yunzheng sneered in disbelief. "Su Mianmian, are you snapping at *me*?
And after I stayed up all night worrying about your business, only to get inexplicably beaten up just now? Do you have any conscience at all?"
Su Mianmian was so furious her eyes turned red. "Who asked you to worry about me? I'll say it again: from now on, my affairs have nothing to do with you. Just leave—and don't come looking for me ever again!"
Hearing this, Tang Yunzheng's already angry face darkened even further; he felt he had completely lost face—both publicly and privately—that day. "Fine. Very well! Su Mianmian, consider me a busybody for getting involved today. You don't want my help? Suit yourself. Then I'll just sit back and wait for the day that old man bullies you until you're sobbing your eyes out!"
Having said his piece, Tang Yunzheng stormed off in a rage. The onlookers gathered around gradually dispersed as well. Not far away, Gao Ze—who had witnessed his boss's violent act of "protecting his wife" from start to finish—wore an expression of utter astonishment.
*He really can't handle a little flattery, can he? The usually cool and composed CEO Gu actually flew into a rage for the sake of a woman. Is this kind of explosive live broadcast really available for free, without a paid subscription?*... Once Tang Yunzheng had left, Su Mianmian finally let go of Gu Yizhou's hand, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
"Um... I'm sorry. Making such a scene first thing in the morning like this..." Gu Yizhou didn't respond; instead, he tugged at the collar of his shirt, which felt tight and constricting. "Mianmian... were you protecting *him*?" Su Mianmian snapped her head up. "What?"
Gu Yizhou lowered his gaze to look at Su Mianmian, his eyes holding a depth of intensity so heavy it seemed they could drip water. "I told you: I'm not him. I don't have a reaction time as slow as his. When you grabbed me and tried to shoo him away just now... you weren't actually trying to protect *me*. You were afraid I'd beat him up again."
Gu Yizhou delivered this as a declarative statement, indicating that he was absolutely convinced of the accuracy of his own judgment. Su Mianmian couldn't find the words to offer a rebuttal; her lips merely parted and fluttered a few times. "Gu Yizhou, I..." Gu Yizhou gazed at the young woman standing before him; her moist eyes were brimming with a mixture of awkwardness and bewilderment. Recalling what Su Mianmian had said just moments ago—that it made no difference whom she married—a sharp, bitter pang surged through his heart.
He raised a hand to caress Su Mianmian's cheek. "So... will you consider it?" Su Mianmian didn't grasp the meaning behind his words. "Consider what?" Gu Yizhou curled his lips into a smile—though the mirth never reached his eyes. "Consider his suggestion: divorcing me."
So, he really *had* heard those words after all; that was why he had acted so impulsively and struck Tang Yunzheng. Su Mianmian gazed into Gu Yizhou's eyes—dark pools swirling with turbulent emotion—and her heart gave a sudden, sharp wrench of pain.
Sensing Su Mianmian's hesitation, Gu Yizhou slowly lowered the hand that had been caressing her cheek. His voice was low and calm. "Don't forget what you promised me back when we registered our marriage." "I haven't forgotten."
Of course Su Mianmian remembered. Gu Yizhou had told her that, in his view, marriage wasn't merely about finding a roommate to share a life with; it was about committing one's *entire remaining life* to another person. "I promised you that I would spend my whole life with you. I won't go back on my word."
...Gu Yizhou did not get back into the car. After instructing Gao Ze to personally escort her to school, he turned and walked away alone. Su Mianmian entered the school gates, her shoulders slumped in dejection. Clutched in her hand was a box of pastries from Yixin Pavilion—a treat Gu Yizhou had specifically instructed Gao Ze to buy for her that very morning.
The mere thought of the icy, stern expression on Gu Yizhou's face as he walked away filled Su Mianmian with a sense of gloom. He must be furious—furious that he had overheard Tang Yunzheng urging her to divorce him, and furious that she had referred to him as an "old man." Just thinking about it made Su Mianmian's heart ache with a sour, heavy sadness.
Thinking back to how Gu Yizhou had made do in the guest room last night so as not to disturb her rest, and then personally made her breakfast early this morning, Su Mianmian felt even more distressed. It was a new week, but it had gotten off to a rather dismal start.
That evening, as she headed to the cafeteria to eat with Song Zhi, Su Mianmian remained utterly devoid of enthusiasm.
"What's wrong with you? Are you still going to eat the Braised pork belly? If not, give it to me. Look at this, what a nice piece of meat! You're almost turning it into meat paste!"!
"Su Mianmian raised her eyes and glanced at Song Zhi, silently passing the Braised pork belly in her bowl to Song Zhi. 'Eat, it's all yours,' she said. Song Zhi felt that Su Mianmian was a bit too silent today, and after thinking for a moment, she asked, 'Did you quarrel with Mr. Z?'?
"Su Mianmian sighed and briefly recounted the events of this morning to Song Zhi. However, she replaced Gu Yizhou's name with Mr. Z and changed Tang Yunzheng's encouragement for her to divorce Gu Yizhou to a breakup. 'You deserved it! Good for you!
Song Zhi slammed her chopsticks down on the table and exclaimed, "No wonder I couldn't recognize Tang Zha'nan today—his face and nose had changed! He must have been beaten up!"!
"I'm telling you, Su Mianmian, if I were Mr. Z, giving Tang Zha'nan a punch would be the least of it. I'd definitely beat him until he's on his knees begging for mercy!" Su Mianmian frowned and said, "Is it really that exaggerated? A punch isn't even enough to vent your anger.""Of course it is!
"Song Zhi stared at him with her round almond-shaped eyes and said, 'Haven't you heard that it's better to demolish ten temples than to ruin one marriage? Tang Zhan's blatant provocation for you to break up with Mr. Z is simply unbounded and unscrupulous!
"Also, Su Mianmian, you need to learn to put yourself in others' shoes. If Mr. Z were to be seen in a compromising situation with another woman in front of you, and that woman was insistent on asking Mr. Z to break up with you, how would you feel?"?
"Gu Yizhou was entangled with another woman? Su Mianmian rolled her eyes and tried to imagine such a scene. 'It seems like it would be a bit uncomfortable, but it's not enough to make me want to hit someone in anger.' 'How is that possible?
"Song Zhi frowned, 'Unless you don't love him that much!' 'Not that much?' Su Mianmian didn't confirm or deny. They had only been married for a short time, so it was normal not to love. But what about Gu Yizhou? Did he love her very much?
Su Mianmian felt that what Song Zhi said wasn't entirely accurate; she had overlooked one crucial point: men are inherently possessive. Given how furious Gu Yizhou was, it was quite possible that his possessiveness was the real culprit.
Seeing that Su Mianmian remained silent, Song Zhi's frown deepened. "Don't tell me—Su Mianmian, if you don't love 'Mr. Z,' why did you move in with him so quickly?"
"Oh... I get it now. You didn't just do this to spite that scumbag Tang, did you...?" As Song Zhi's speculation began to spiral out of control, Su Mianmian raised a hand to signal her to stop. "Please rein in your imagination. Just tell me: what am I supposed to do now?" "What else *can* you do?
You have to go and smooth things over, of course!"