PPS Chapter 144

“Ah Yi, get some sleep.”

Mo Jincheng watched Chu Zhaoyi complete the last stroke, sighing softly. He could sense Chu Zhaoyi’s exhaustion and distraction, but this painting was exceptionally meaningful to him. Even if it was only a formal completion, it gave him a sense of satisfaction.

Mo Jincheng reached out to touch the undried oil paint, his fingertip hovering above the crack that ran through the sea of roses.

The sound of the paintbrush falling to the ground shattered the frozen space. Chu Zhaoyi’s action of rubbing his brow tugged at the purplish-blue veins below his collarbone. Physiological tears formed tiny, fragmented ice crystals between his eyelashes: “It’s finished.”

He stared at the distorted projection on the floor, the lines elongated by the moonlight devouring his shadow.

For the past few days, his nerves had been constantly tense. His physical weakness, coupled with his worry for Gu Yusen, had pushed him to the brink of collapse. He raised his head, his eyes tired as he looked at Mo Jincheng, “The painting is finished. Can you let me go now?”

Mo Jincheng ran his hand, wrapped in a plaster bandage, over the frame, his gaze on the painting filled with deep emotion. In the end, he only nodded, a complicated smile on his face: “I promised to let you go, and I will.”

He carefully placed the painting to dry.

This painting was more than just a piece of work to him; perhaps it was the only and last intersection between him and Chu Zhaoyi.

Chu Zhaoyi breathed a slight sigh of relief, turning to leave.

The subtle fragrance in the room suddenly intensified, becoming almost tangible. Chu Zhaoyi staggered, grabbing onto the Venetian velvet curtains.

The hidden, gold-woven patterns transformed into writhing snakes in his palm, and black spots exploding on his retina were tearing Gu Yusen’s face into fragments. The moment he fell, he felt his body being caught, but it wasn’t Gu Yusen’s familiar embrace.

It felt like scorching tungsten filaments had been implanted in the back of his head, every nerve vibrating at high frequency.

So painful.

Mo Jincheng stood aside, watching Chu Zhaoyi fall with a complicated expression. When he caught that unbelievably frail body, his eyes held a hint of guilt, but also a trace of helplessness.

He sighed softly, stepped forward, and carefully picked Chu Zhaoyi up, carrying him back to the bedroom.

“Ah Yi, get some sleep. Gu Yusen will be here tomorrow.”

*

Madam Gu and Father Gu sat awkwardly in the Xie family’s living room. Zhang Anru, her face cold, didn’t give them a friendly look.

Gu Yusen, Xie Yuyin, and Xie Tingyun were searching separately for the missing Chu Zhaoyi.

Upon hearing the news of Chu Zhaoyi’s disappearance, Zhang Anru couldn’t control her emotions and had a heart attack, landing her in the hospital. Fortunately, it wasn’t serious, and she was discharged at noon today.

She also wanted to find Chu Zhaoyi.

But she understood that her health was a burden and could only wait for news at home.

“Anru, rest at home. Everything will be alright. We’ve found Ah Yi’s trail. Last night, an unlicensed car drove to the neighboring city. Little Gu has already gone there,” Xie Tingyun told Zhang Anru on the phone, his voice revealing a trace of exhaustion.

Since Chu Zhaoyi’s disappearance, none of them had closed their eyes.

Especially Gu Yusen.

For the first three days, he barely ate anything, pushing his already decent physique to its breaking point. Now, he was just holding on, trying to find him.

“Okay, you guys be careful too,” Zhang Anru said, slightly relieved. Having news was better than no news.

Madam Gu and Father Gu exchanged glances, regret spreading in her heart.

She thought the two children’s feelings were new and wanted to cut them off with strong measures at the beginning. But she didn’t expect their relationship to be so deep.

Her actions had only hurt her son and nothing else.

She had been strong her whole life, looked down upon before. Afterward, she wanted to excel at everything, as if she was choking on a breath, wanting to tell the Gu family that she was worthy of the Gu family.

But what was she doing now?

Everything she had experienced had been inflicted on her son.

Clearly, her initial wish and request were just for a healthy and smooth life.