Chapter 14

Zijun Villa.

Jiang Mei didn’t die, but she hadn’t woken up either.

Fu Yu had been staying in Yun Courtyard for two days. Refusing to eat or drink, he stayed by Jiang Mei’s side.

Yun Courtyard was heavily guarded outside. Gu Ming had been cursing furiously outside for two days, but Fu Yu kept the doors shut. Gu Ming hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Jiang Mei; he only knew she was still alive.

Holding Jiang Mei’s hand and looking at her pale face, Fu Yu thought of everything she had endured, his heart twisting like it was being sliced by knives.

On the fourth day, Jiang Mei woke up.

Opening her eyes, she saw Fu Yu, his face covered in stubble, his eyes bloodshot, and his complexion pallid.

Fu Yu looked at her and broke into a wide grin. “You’re finally awake!”

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“I’m fine, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Where is Gu Ming?” she followed up.

“He’s not dead either!” Fu Yu said grumpily.

“You haven’t eaten in a long time! Let’s get you some food first.” Fu Yu personally helped her sit up and fed her plain porridge.

Jiang Mei obediently listened to him.

After drinking the porridge and eating some minced meat, her strength began to return.

The sound of Gu Ming’s angry curses drifted in again. Fu Yu hurried out, whispered something in Liu Hao’s ear, and Liu Hao grimaced before heading out.

Jiang Mei stayed awake for a little while before falling asleep again.

When she woke up that night, she saw Fu Yu was still there.

“Don’t you have work to do? You must have so many matters waiting for you right now. I’m already better, go tend to your business,” she said softly.

“I finished my work while you were sleeping. My job right now is to keep you company.” Fu Yu peeled an apple, blanched it in boiling water, cut it into small slices, and fed it to her.

Jiang Mei accepted it silently.

“I’ve become the Military Governor of Haidong. Liu Hao is the Garrison Commander of Fancheng, Zhan Yong is the Garrison Commander of Yucheng, Jiang Yuanqi is the Garrison Commander of Haidong, and the Garrison Commander of Zhaishan is Gu Ming.”

Fu Yu quietly told her about his personnel arrangements.

“Did he agree?” she asked.

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen him yet. But this is the best arrangement for him. He can’t be a bandit forever.”

“I want to see Gu Ming,” Jiang Mei finally said.

Fu Yu’s face darkened. “Jiang Mei, don’t leave me.” Fu Yu had never acted so subserviently before.

“Fu Yu, it’s impossible for us anymore. I already promised Gu Ming!”

“Do you really want to see Gu Ming that much? What’s so good about him?”

“There’s nothing good about him, but I just want to see him.”

When Jiang Mei saw Gu Ming, he was drinking in a Huajian—a place equivalent to a traditional brothel, though a Huajian was more refined, and the people inside were more elegant.

Gu Ming was already drunk, his face flushed red. When he was brought out, he had a woman in each arm. When Jiang Mei saw him, he was busy chewing on one of the women, not even bothering to look at Jiang Mei.

Sitting in the car, Jiang Mei’s face flushed with anger. Fu Yu watched her, while Liu Hao stood behind him, head bowed. All of this had been arranged by Liu Hao.

“You did this, didn’t you?” Jiang Mei glared at Fu Yu angrily.

“What do you mean? What do you mean I did this? This is exactly what Gu Ming is into! He has more women than you can count! Have you ever heard the story? When Gu Ming takes a fancy to a woman, he hangs a plaque outside her door, and no one dares to marry her ever again. That woman becomes his!”

“No matter what he’s like, he is still my Brother Gu. I don’t care if he’s a good person or not, I only know he treats me well, and that is enough!”

Jiang Mei’s anger caused her wound to ache severely. Fu Yu sat beside her and supported her. “Let’s go back.”

Jiang Mei still hadn’t actually spoken to Gu Ming. She knew his current state was inextricably linked to Fu Yu.

The smile vanished entirely from Jiang Mei’s face. “Fu Yu, I want to see Gu Ming!”

Whenever she saw Fu Yu, this was the only sentence she spoke.

“Gu Ming has a mission, he can’t see you. We’ll talk about it when you’re fully recovered.” No matter how angry Jiang Mei got, Fu Yu never lost his temper. He treated her gently, giving her the best of everything, wishing he could pluck the stars from the sky for her!

Without the sound of Gu Ming’s cursing these past few days, Jiang Mei’s heart grew increasingly uneasy.

She had long since witnessed Fu Yu’s ruthlessness. His relationship with Gu Ming was one of mutual exploitation; Gu Ming wasn’t a brother who had grown up following him.

At this thought, Jiang Mei’s panic intensified.

In a flash, ten days passed, and Jiang Mei was able to get out of bed.

One day, taking advantage of Fu Yu’s absence, Jiang Mei wanted to go for a walk by herself. She found a servant she knew from before, Ah Hu, and quietly asked him about the whereabouts of a man named Gu Ming.

Ah Hu shook his head in confusion. “I don’t know anyone named Gu Ming. It’s just that the day before yesterday, someone caused a disturbance and was apparently captured and locked in the basement.”

Jiang Mei was certain that person was Gu Ming.

That night, when Fu Yu arrived, Jiang Mei sat up. Her health had improved significantly today, and her mood was better too. She still wanted to see Gu Ming. Fu Yu smiled and said, “Gu Ming accepted my suggestion and has already gone to take up his post in Zhaishan!”

Jiang Mei stared into his eyes. “Don’t lie to me. Why would Brother Gu leave without coming to see me one last time?”

“I didn’t want him to see you. I was afraid you’d leave with him! I can’t live without you anymore!”

Jiang Mei looked at him earnestly. “Brother Gu treats me differently than anyone else. If anything happens to him, I won’t live either!”

Fu Yu looked at her, his face darkening.

She cares about Gu Ming that much? Fu Yu’s expression turned icy.

Jiang Mei toasted Fu Yu with wine. He was somewhat surprised, as her wound had just healed and she wasn’t supposed to drink.

“I’ll drink it, I’ll drink your glass too.” Fu Yu was happy, and Jiang Mei continuously toasted him.

Fu Yu eventually drank too much. He lay dazedly on Jiang Mei’s bed, holding her hand, and fell into a satisfied sleep.

Jiang Mei stealthily took the “Yu” command token from his waist and quietly slipped out.

She went to the secret room in the basement. Two guards stood outside the door. Seeing the token in her hand, they let her pass immediately.

Jiang Mei entered the secret room and had the guards open the inner door. Inside, a man lay on the floor, his messy hair covering his face, his body covered in injuries.

Jiang Mei’s heart raced. She stepped forward and pushed his hair aside—it wasn’t Gu Ming.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

In the next secret room, a man was nailed to a torture device, his mouth taped shut. He was a bloody, mangled mess, his features unrecognizable.

Trembling with fear, Jiang Mei mustered her courage and walked over, brushing away the man’s scattered hair. It was Gu Ming!

Jiang Mei stumbled back several steps, refusing to believe it! She ripped the tape off his mouth. “Brother Gu, is that you, Brother Gu!”

Opening his eyes and seeing Jiang Mei, Gu Ming’s eyes grew warm. “You came? Are you better?”

“Yes, I’m better. Brother Gu, why are you here? What is going on?”

“How could Fu Yu let me go back so easily? I still didn’t think things through.”

“No, that can’t be. Brother Gu, you helped him, you saved him! Fu Yu isn’t ungrateful!”

“Is that so? Is that what you think? Fu Yu’s ambition is greater than anyone’s! And he’s highly suspicious! I might have posed a threat to him. He was never going to let me leave.”

“Is it because of me? Is it because I was going to marry you?”

“You’re part of the reason, but he must also covet my army! Or perhaps he’s afraid of me!”

“Brother Gu, it’s my fault! I’ll get you out!”

“How did you get in here?” Gu Ming, his face pale, suddenly asked.

“Fu Yu drank too much and is in my room. I took his ‘Yu’ token. Is there a problem?”

“If I’m not mistaken, if I walk out like this, Fu Yu will be waiting right outside for me! He might just have me shot to pieces!”

“What? You mean he deliberately let me come see you?”

“Yes. Fu Yu annihilated Fan Dalong and appointed himself Military Governor, but the official decree for his appointment still hasn’t arrived. Fu Yu just found out he has another powerful rival.”

“A powerful rival? Who else would fight him for the Governorship?”

“Me!” Gu Ming smiled at Jiang Mei. The scabs on his face split open as he smiled, oozing beads of blood.

“You?”

“Yes, me. My army is hidden deep within Shiyang Mountain, and our numbers far exceed Fu Yu’s. Fan Dalong’s father, Fan Wu, and the Inspecting Commissioner of Haidong, Wang Wei, were political enemies. I killed Fan Wu. So, in reality, I am Inspecting Commissioner Wang Wei’s man.”

“Fu Yu is waiting for Wang Wei to issue his appointment decree, but Wang Wei has been delaying it. Because he’s waiting for me!”

Jiang Mei suddenly felt a wave of disillusionment. The world of men was thousands of miles apart from the world of women.

“But Fu Yu forgot one thing: I have absolutely no desire to fight him for it! I lived a very free life on Shiyang Mountain, and my intention to join him was genuine. Finding a good place for my brothers is better than being bandits. I could gladly give him my troops! I hate war! All I wanted was… was you.”

As Gu Ming finished, he smiled, looking at Jiang Mei with deep affection.

“But he is Fu Yu. He won’t let me go, because he will never believe my words.” Gu Ming sighed.

“Brother Gu, does that mean even though you helped him, he will still kill you?” Jiang Mei couldn’t believe it.

Gu Ming knew Jiang Mei still loved Fu Yu. He looked into her eyes. “Fan Dalong kept ordering him to wipe me out, but he never made a move because even then, he was planning to use me against Fan Dalong. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to wipe out the bandits, the timing just wasn’t right yet!”

“Fu Yu has always had spies in Shiyang Mountain. He knew exactly what I ate for every meal! Haha, so I deliberately lived a life of drunken stupor, seeking out countless women, snatching other people’s things… I thought he would stop watching me, but I didn’t expect him to be so persistent!”

Hearing Gu Ming say these things, Jiang Mei couldn’t help but cry. She didn’t know who she was crying for.

“Xiao Mei, in a woman’s heart, love is everything. But in a man’s heart, there are many other things, so he can never give you all of his love.”

Jiang Mei left the secret room in tears. She understood what Gu Ming meant—he only wanted her.

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