Chapter 76: Original Version

Among a dazzling array of freshly packaged candies, the one that can attract purchasing power always has a unique brand meaning. When ellato proposed the concept of brand-added value, the domestic jewelry market was still divided between domestic and foreign brands. Compared to deeply rooted foreign brands in history, the relatively new domestic brands in the past few decades, no matter how high their reputation is in diamond polishing and cutting craftsmanship, the lack of positioning and uniqueness easily makes them lose buyers.

Among this pile of candies, the classical Chinese calm and grandiose design sense and the supreme noble concept have made ellato a solemn and elegant first brand for foreign markets. And now, despite numerous choices for the international image endorsement of this brand, it still falls back to its heritage.

Rain wildly baptizes the city that has experienced pain, the deep night sky is like the feathers shaken off by Satan, and the gloom of the earthquake has cast a haze over all visible things. Only the massive poster on the hundreds of floors of ellato's high-rise building still provides clear comfort to the heart.

In such an exaggerated layout, the goddess on the screen casually overlooks any corner of the city. Although she is so solemn and mysterious, the diamond ring shining with fiery colors on her fingertips is like the first ray of light that illuminates hope in a gray kingdom, taking on the same mission as the sunlight in the drizzle.

Under ellato's beautiful handwritten English logo, Qu Xizhi's name appears in the same posture. And just ten minutes ago, in the name of the brand, a donation of 100 million yuan was made to the earthquake-stricken area.

"Miss Qu, Mr. Qu just called and said he can only return to the country tomorrow morning. Take good care of yourself, Ms. Yin is handling the case, so her phone is unreachable."

"Understood. Go and rest, stay safe."

"Goodnight, Miss Qu."

Footsteps faded, and in the living room just a wall away, there was a low cough. Gu Xizhi adjusted the temperature of the ginger tea and carried it out from the kitchen.

Qu Xizhi, who was on the phone immediately hung up when she saw Gu Xizhi place the ginger tea in front of her and sit across from her.

"Drink this before you get busy."

Qu Xizhi lowered her gaze, hesitated, and then picked up the glass with ginger tea.

She was always meticulous when it came to food, but now, as she drank the ginger tea, she held the glass with one hand on the side and the other supporting the bottom, sipping it slowly and elegantly.

Halfway through the drink, Qu Xizhi suddenly put down the cup and ran to the bathroom. Gu Xizhi stared at her figure blankly. She didn't realize that she wanted to vomit until she heard the sound of water rushing.

When Qu Xizhi returned to the living room, Gu Xizhi thought she hated the taste of ginger tea and did not force her to drink it. Instead, she stood up and said, "Now that I sent you back, I can rest assured. Before we left, I told Lili I'd go back immediately. She'll be worried if she doesn't see me for so long.”

"It's still raining outside, and even though we're far from the epicenter, tall buildings can be dangerous. Just stay here." Qu Xizhi held her hand. "Lili was informed about it."

Gu Xizhi shook her head. "Staying here isn't a good idea. Take care of yourself, and rest for a while. It will be dawn soon, and we'll see each other again tomorrow."

Qu Xizhi still held her hand and looked at her for a long time, "Do you regret it?

Gu Xizhi was stunned, raised her head, and looked directly into her eyes.

"No." The voice was sincere, "Don't overthink about it, it's just..."

Her explanation was interrupted by a hug. Qu Xizhi put her arms around her shoulders and pressed her cheek against hers, "Don't go."

With a heart filled with sour feelings, Gu Xizhi slowly raised her hand to encircle Qu Xizhi's waist, hesitating to speak.

"Okay, I'm not leaving."

The rain gently veiled the entire villa, and the city lost its luxurious nighttime colors, shrouded in darkness. Yet, the closeness of the two hearts made everything exceptionally warm. In the distance, the billboard on the ellato building still glowed with neon lights, like a dim firework in the muted night described in the poem.

She is embracing a merciful person who is loved for her generosity and kindness.

Three years had passed since they last embraced each other.

****

In times of trouble, true feelings are revealed, and in today's society, money has become the yardstick for measuring emotions.

Even though the city's disaster wasn't as devastating as the earthquake's epicenter, the generosity of the ellato brand's donation was deeply appreciated by all who empathized with the disaster.

The next day, newspapers were filled with reports about the earthquake. However, during this sorrowful time, the online discussion strangely shifted towards accusing certain celebrities or companies of donating insufficient amounts. During lunch, Gu Xizhi treated Lili and Youyou to a meal, a rare break from filming, but Lili and Youyou continued to argue about the amount of Gu Xizhi's donation.

"Recent A-list celebrities, at the very least, have donated that much. Just look at them."

"Donating is a sincere gesture, why should we compare with them?"

"Didn't you see that everyone is talking about how much Qu Xizhi donated? They are waiting for Sister Xiao Jing's donation amount to find a topic."

"Who is Qu Xizhi? Did her family donate 100 million and ask Xiao Jing to follow her? Besides, there are so many celebrities who can't compete, so why do we have to compete with her?"

"Are you comparing Sister Xiao Jing to her?It's clear that everyone is comparing them. What kind of bad manager are you, making fun of her own talent?"

Lili and Youyou kept arguing. Gu Xizhi, who was immersed in lunch, finally raised her head and said, "Stop arguing, just do what Youyou said."

Lili frowned immediately, "Afraid of being compared?"

Gu Xizhi put down the tableware, "Even if I can't beat her, I can at least narrow the gap."

Lili said nothing but looked at her with a lot of complicated emotions.

Probably sensing the strange look in her eyes, Gu Xizhi asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lili lowered her gaze, picked up her utensils, and after some hesitation as if she needed to get something off her chest, she added, "I've felt really tired over these years. If you continue living in Qu Xizhi's shadow, even if you make up a thousand times, you'll still end up breaking up."

Gu Xizhi blinked quietly and looked at her without speaking.

Youyou immediately turned her body and pinched her face, "Xia Lili's brain must have been shocked. What are you talking about?"

"I'm just telling the truth." Lili removed Youyou's hand and looked at Gu Xizhi seriously. "The reason why you're willing to make up with her now is simply because you still have feelings for her, but that love is torturous. You can't stand that pain, so you temporarily put aside the reasons why you initially decided to separate and bow your head. But your problems were never resolved, and your so-called reconciliation is meaningless. Your relationship is as fragile as a pile of bubbles. You don't even need to poke it, a gust of wind would make it all disappear."

"If Xia Lili says more, I won't let her go home!" Youyou almost blew her top, glaring at her.

"I still have something to say." Lili ignores Youyou at all, "I can completely understand how you felt when you broke up with Qu Xizhi, but I thought going out and having a change of scenery would make things better. I couldn't understand why, if you still liked her, how could you be so resolute in leaving, never to return? How much weight does she hold in your heart? Would you hesitate to exchange her for the achievements of a top-tier superstar?"

Gu Xizhi seemed to be provoked by her last sentence and immediately stood up. She remained silent for a long while before saying, "I'm heading back."

The sound of her high heels clacked on the restaurant's marble floor. Youyou withdrew her gaze from Gu Xizhi's back and turned to relentlessly pummel Lili. "Don't say anything, it's disgusting!"

Lili just tilted her head and said nothing.