Chapter 46: The Rain Curtain Enveloped Her Whole Body
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
She finally came to her senses when Zhao Ling, who was leaving the meeting, heard the noise and came over.
Seeing Gu Xizhi standing alone on the stairs, she took a few puzzled steps forward but quickly furrowed her brow due to the bloodstains in the hallway. "Xiao Jing, are you injured?"
Gu Xizhi glanced at her, then followed her gaze to the blood on the white marble hallway. She suddenly woke up.
She had just injured Qu Xizhi like this. Now was not the time to discuss these matters; if she was seriously hurt, it would be her own deep-seated guilt.
Without time to explain to Zhao Ling, Gu Xizhi simply said, "Let's talk later," and sent her away. Then, she immediately pressed the elevator button and went down to the first-floor garage.
When she reached the garage, Lan Rui's car had just left. Gu Xizhi didn't hesitate and quickly started her car, accelerating to follow.
It was unrealistic for Qu Xizhi to actually show up at a hospital. Sure enough, Gu Xizhi soon discovered that Lan Rui's car had passed the nearest hospital and walked onto the elevated road. Gu Xizhi accelerated to follow without hesitation. She almost bumped into the car in front of her several times.
The road went further and further, and Gu Xizhi soon realized that Lan Rui's route did not look like going to a private clinic, but to a residential area.
After making several turns in a row, Lan Rui's car drove into a private villa. Gu Xizhi couldn't follow her in such a place. After much deliberation, Gu Xizhi parked the car ten meters away outside the villa.
The villa was far away from the neighborhood. Gu Xizhi's car was parked on the roadside for about twenty minutes, but there were no cars or people around. After a while, the phone rang. Gu Xizhi picked it up and answered it, only to find that it was Lili.
"Xiao Jing, didn't we agree that there was another shoot to attend this morning? Why can't I find you anywhere?"
Hearing this, Gu Xizhi finally remembered that there was indeed a shoot scheduled for this morning. However, because of Qu Xizhi's situation, she had completely forgotten about it.
Lifting her wrist and looking at the time on her watch, Gu Xizhi said, "I'm not going. Please apologize for me and find time to make up for it tomorrow."
"But you can still make it if you come now. Where are you? I can pick you up."
Gu Xizhi refused, "Forget it, I have important things to do now and I can't leave. Just do as I say." She then hung up the phone.
The weather was cloudy in mid-October, and the forecast said there would be rain. As expected, there were dark clouds in the sky, and it looked like it was going to rain.
Gu Xizhi waited outside the villa for a long time. At first, she was just worried about whether Qu Xizhi's leg injury was serious and wanted to wait for her to come out quickly. However, as time passed second by second, there was no sign of movement at the villa's entrance. Nearly two hours had gone by, and even if the leg injury was severe, it should have been taken care of by now. Gu Xizhi started to feel anxious and couldn't help but take out her phone to call Qu Xizhi.
The call was answered quickly but it was a mechanical female voice. Gu Xizhi quickly remembered that when she pushed her down the stairs, the golden sachet in her hand was thrown away. She wasn't sure if the phone had been damaged in the fall.
Feeling helpless, Gu Xizhi got out of the car and looked at the villa Lan Rui entered.
Although she didn't know much about this person, based on the general location of this residence and her familiarity when entering and leaving, this seemed to be her house. The villa's gate was locked, making it difficult for strangers to enter. Gu Xizhi hesitated outside the door for a while but ultimately decided to continue waiting in her car.
What Gu Xizhi didn't expect was that it would be dark soon.
From "She will definitely go home for lunch at noon", to "Even if she eats at Lan Rui's house, she will definitely go back in the afternoon", then to "It's almost dark, she should leave soon", the day gradually turned pitch black.
Gu Xizhi never thought that she would do nothing but wait for someone at the door of someone else's house, let alone wait from dawn until nightfall without being able to convince herself to leave.
As evening descended and the sky grew darker, a drizzle began to fall, gradually turning into a persistent heavy rain.
In this sparsely populated area, far from the neighborhood, only the streetlights emitted their dim, yellowish glow. Gu Xizhi sat in her darkened car, listening to the rain tapping on the windows. Her gaze remained fixed on the well-lit villa not far away.
It was already eight o'clock in the evening. If it weren't for some inexplicable determination pushing her, she might have left long ago.
It was like waiting for some sort of verdict, and giving up before the outcome would leave her feeling particularly unwilling. She was certain that she could continue waiting, even until dawn the next day, without batting an eye.
It was half past eight in the evening, and the weather was very cold at night. It still felt chilly even when sitting in the car. Gu Xizhi adjusted her almost stiff posture and was about to continue waiting when the faint sound of the iron door moving amid the sound of rain attracted her attention.
Forgetting about the heavy rain outside, her first instinct upon hearing the sound was to check if it was her. She actually opened the car door and rushed from the car to the front of the villa.
Although the darkness of the night and the rain obstructed her vision, the presence of streetlights and her previous tracking of Lan Rui in the morning made it easy for Gu Xizhi to recognize her car.
Confident that Qu Xizhi must be inside at this moment, Gu Xizhi decided not to overthink it and simply stood at the intersection to stop the car.
It was cloudy and rainy and it was night, and her vision was already blurry. The black sedan sped past her without any intention to stop. Gu Xizhi didn't expect the car to drive so fast and avoiding it was already a struggle. What was even more unfortunate was that as the car passed through a puddle, it splashed water all over her, leaving her drenched.
The car quickly turned onto a wide asphalt road, its headlights blindingly bright, making the road ahead even hazier. Gu Xizhi hadn't even had a chance to shout, and the car had driven quite far away.
Watching that gradually fading light, until it became indistinct, Gu Xizhi suddenly felt an inexplicable vulnerability and a sense of injustice.
An hour of waiting was already exhausting, and the lack of any result, combined with this terrible weather and environment, made her feel like fate was playing a cruel joke on her. The pouring rain quickly soaked her from head to toe, and she was already covered in mud, not caring about her appearance at all.
The continuous rain curtain enveloped her whole body, but what really hit her heart was the unspeakable feeling of loss.
Lan Rui had already driven the car quite a distance when Qu Xizhi, sitting in the back seat, withdrew her gaze and told her, "Drive the car back."
Lan Rui was confused, "Why?"
"Didn't you see someone outside the car just now?"
"It's so dark, how could I see anyone?"
Qu Xizhi didn't argue with her and just said, "Drive the car back."
Lan Rui looked at her determined expression in the rearview mirror. Although she was reluctant, she slowed down the car and turned around.
The road was wide and flat, and just as they had come here quickly, they returned swiftly.
In less than ten seconds, Lan Rui drove the car back to the villa intersection. Now with the low beam, she could clearly see a person standing in the rain. Glancing at Qu Xizhi in the back seat, she slowly brought the car to a stop.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The rain was so heavy and the sky was so dark that it was impossible to see the person standing in the rain through the rain-washed glass windows. But relying on intuition, Qu Xizhi opened the car door, held an umbrella, and limped out of the car dragging her injured leg.
"Xiao Jing..." Looking at the person in the rain, "Is that you?"
Although she hadn't failed to notice the glaring light that didn't blend with the streetlamp and the sound of the car tires on the road, Gu Xizhi, overwhelmed by her negative emotions, had simply let the terrible feeling envelop her, not wanting to pay attention to anything outside.
Upon hearing Qu Xizhi's voice, she seemed to emerge from another world. At first, she hesitated to believe what she was seeing. She lifted her head, and when she confirmed that the person she saw was indeed Qu Xizhi, she felt like she was in a dream.
After waiting for this person for ten hours, she could no longer suppress her grievance when she saw that face. She immediately walked up to Qu Xizhi and started pounding her, saying, "Bastard, how could you drive the car past me like that?"
After confirming that it was really her, Qu Xizhi suddenly felt a little pain from the raindrops hitting her body.
"It wasn't me driving. I had already seen you," Qu Xizhi said. She was soaked through, and in this cold weather with heavy rain, just seeing her standing in the rain made her heartache. Now, the skin her hands touched was icy, and she could even feel her trembling. Qu Xizhi's heart softened, and her words trembled a bit as she asked, "But... why are you here?"
Obviously Gu Xizhi's mood should have improved after seeing her, but for some reason, when she heard her voice, the feeling of grievance didn't diminish even a little bit. Instead, it surged within her.
"This morning... I was worried about your leg injury, so I followed Lan Rui's car here. "
Without even calculating, the fact that she had come from morning to evening surprised Qu Xizhi and left her feeling somewhat blocked in her heart. She tightly hugged her shoulders and apologized, "I'm sorry. I never thought you would follow me. I thought you were still angry with me. I was planning to talk to you tomorrow..."
"Don't talk so much, I understand everything." Gu Xizhi lowered her head and looked at her legs, "Why aren't you wearing shoes? What happened to your foot?"
"It's okay, just a slight sprain. It'll be fine by tomorrow."
She had been worried that she had injured her in more than one place when she fell down the stairs. Hearing her say this made Gu Xizhi feel even worse.
"I'm sorry." She held onto her shoulders and bowed her head in self-blame. "I don't even know what's wrong with me. I really didn't intend to hurt you. If that's the case, I won't be able to forgive myself."
"No," Qu Xizhi reassured her, patting her shoulder gently. "I already said it's nothing, and it's because of my high heels that I couldn't stand properly. It has nothing to do with you."
Knowing that Qu Xizhi would not blame her, Gu Xizhi could not be comforted by her words, but she just didn't want her to bother to comfort her anymore so she didn't say anything else.
Lan Rui, sitting in the driver's seat, watched the two of them standing in the rain through the rain curtain and couldn't help but honk the horn.
"Miss Gu Xizhi, Xiao Qu has a serious foot injury. The doctor instructed her to rest and not move around. If you care for her, please let me take her home as soon as possible. Is that okay?"
The sound of the horn made Gu Xizhi suddenly realize that there was someone on the roadside. Before she could respond, Qu Xizhi had already grabbed her hand, turned to face Lan Rui, and said, "Thank you for your help today. Xiao Jing and I will go back together. You should go back and rest early."
Lan Rui looked at her in surprise, "Xiao Qu?"
Qu Xizhi ignored her, turned around, pulled Gu Xizhi, and said, "Let's go."
With Qu Xizhi's injured foot, she couldn't drive, so Gu Xizhi took over the wheel on the way back. Despite being soaked through, she was still shivering when she got in the car, and driving wasn't particularly safe.
It took her quite an effort to navigate through the slippery roads, and even when they reached Xuanfen South Road, which was usually bustling, it felt unusually desolate due to the rain. Guided by Qu Xizhi, she found her address and drove the car deep into the villa area before stopping.
"Don't get out of the car." As soon as the car stopped, Gu Xizhi opened her door and said to Qu Xizhi in the passenger seat, "The road is too slippery. Let me help you."
After saying that, she held up an umbrella and walked to the passenger window to help her get out of the car.
The car was parked by the villa, and they had walked a few steps towards the front gate of the house when Gu Xizhi paused in front of the carpet. "You go in. Your foot must have been affected by all this commotion just now. Be careful and take care of it to avoid making it worse."
Seeing that she wanted to leave, Qu Xizhi held her hand tightly and said, "Where are you going?"
Gu Xizhi looked at the time on her watch, "It's only nine o'clock, I'm going back.
"You couldn't even drive the car steadily just now. There are so few people on the road in the rain. It's not safe for you to drive alone. You better not go back."
Gu Xizhi's plan on the way was to send her home safely and then go back home. When she heard her say this, her mind buffered a bit, "Not go back?"
Yes," Qu Xizhi said seriously. "Stay here with me. I'm worried about you going back alone."
The size of the house made Gu Xizhi feel somewhat intimidated. Perhaps to make the rooms appear more lively, the intense lighting was straining her eyes. Gu Xizhi hadn't made up her mind yet, but the interior of the house was already filled with the voice of a middle-aged woman.
Who is mumbling outside?"
Qu Xizhi heard the voice and immediately replied, "Mom, it's me."
She took Gu Xizhi's hand and motioned for her to go in with her.
Gu Xizhi froze and subconsciously retracted her hand.
She didn't know if it was because thieves always felt guilty, but even though she wasn't afraid of other people's mothers, hearing Qu Xizhi call her that, her first reaction was to flee.
Just hearing that voice was enough to make Gu Xizhi nervous, and now that she heard Qu Xizhi's address, she really didn't want to step forward.
Qu Xizhi grabbed her hand, shook her head at her, and motioned for her to come in.
Gu Xizhi made eye contact with her, but still could not overcome her persistence.
Although this felt like a forced situation, it would be really inappropriate not to greet the person when they had already heard the voice.
Qu Xizhi led her into the house and said to her mother, who was trimming flower branches by a potted plant, "Mom, a friend just gave me a ride back. It's late, and the road is slippery. Could you let her stay here for the night?"
When Yin Jun heard this, she stopped pruning the flower branches and slowly turned around.
When Yin Jun turned, Gu Xizhi immediately introduced herself, "Hello, Auntie, I'm Xiao Qu's friend, Gu Xizhi."
Yin Jun didn't speak, her eyes fell directly on her face and lingered on it.
Under normal circumstances, Gu Xizhi, soaked from head to toe in the rain, should look disheveled and wet, and anyone's attention should be drawn to her soaked clothes rather than just her face. Moreover, given Yin Jun's upbringing, she should not engage in such impolite behavior as staring at someone. Nevertheless, Yin Jun kept her gaze fixed on Gu Xizhi for nearly ten seconds without saying a word.
Qu Xizhi raised her eyebrows and reminded her, "Mom?"
Yin Jun's gaze shifted to her, and after locking eyes with her for a moment, she returned her attention to Gu Xizhi. "Okay, it's late. Don't go back. I'll have Xiao Yu prepare a guest room for you."
Even though it was the elder's suggestion, Gu Xizhi still felt awkward about staying. "I..."
"Your clothes are wet." Yin Jun smiled very gently, "Go take a shower first."
Yin Jun's demeanor made it nearly impossible to refuse. After a moment of hesitation, Gu Xizhi chose to comply and smiled. "Thank you, Auntie."
"You're welcome," Yin Jun replied with an unchanged smile. She glanced at the intertwined hands of the two and said, "My good daughter, take our guest upstairs. I'll go call Xiao Yu."
"Okay, mom. "