Chapter 88 Crisis (Part 1)

  The night is like a spider's web.

  Gu Huanli sat by the window, slightly furrowing her brow as if she had an unsolvable problem in her mind. The streetlights suddenly lit up, and she was slightly startled. When she looked up, she saw Katie kissing Richie, the only quarterback in the community, at the corner of the street.

  The streetlights stretched far away, bright and distant, shining on the neon sign of the motel. She smiled slightly, casually pulling up the curtains to separate the warmth inside from the ambiguity outside. Returning to the second-floor music room, Gu Huanli randomly pressed a few keys on the piano, and then a beautiful melody floated gently in the room.

  After the music ended, she let out a slight sigh. The time spent practicing piano hadn't even passed half yet, and it was normal for her fingers to become somewhat stiff. It's really unknown how those ancient talented women who were proficient in all four arts - qin (zither), qi (chess), shu (calligraphy) and hua (painting) - were actually trained...

  Some people say that if they had the chance to choose again, half of them would become great men. However, Gu Huanli is now discovering that it's not easy to be a great man, but even being someone with just a bit of talent is also not an easy thing.

  "Miss, are you regretting giving up easily?" Cassidy said in a low voice, leaning against the door with a steaming cup of red tea, his uncut flaxen hair tied back lightly, his tall stature looking particularly handsome and elegant despite wearing simple sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. His bright blue eyes stared at her unwaveringly, sparkling with amusement, his refined face warm as spring breeze.

  "If you turn your hobby into a task, no matter how much you like it, you will eventually lose the original intention." Gu Huan's slender fingers danced on the piano keys again, as if chasing after the deep and persistent dreams of the past that she had easily abandoned. "I've been forced to give up before, so I know how hard it is to regain what's lost." Her voice was light, but still caught by Cassidy's ears amidst the melodious music.

  "Miss, Yingzi has arrived in the United States and would like to meet with you before school starts."

  She raised her eyes, and her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings as she fell silent for a moment. Then, in a low voice, she said, "Tell her that only when she gets the full score will she have the qualification to request a meeting." During this period, she had already fully understood Zheng Xiaoying's tenacity and ability, so applying a little pressure would not only do no harm but also allow her to focus all her energy on her studies and reduce her homesickness. "Counting down the days, it's almost Chinese New Year. Since you can't reunite with your loved ones in a foreign land, why don't you personally go over there and deliver a gift to her on my behalf? Also, I think you've already fully grasped the curriculum of Nanzhou, so when you see her, please give her a little lesson. After all, there are still many things waiting for her to do."

  "Yes." Cassidy looked at Gu Huanli with a thoughtful expression, hesitated for a moment, and still reminded in a low voice, "If Miss wants to maintain an ordinary relationship with Anton, then the simplest way is to treat him equally."

  Gu Huanli's face immediately turned bright red, "Cassidy, don't you get tired of listening to my nonsense every day? If I were you, I would think that my guardian is a chatterbox."

  "Every soul has its own thoughts." Cassidy walked behind Gu Huanli, took out a score from the bookshelf on one side and unfolded it on the music stand. His voice was low, his long fingers gently following her hair, as if he were the most gentle teacher in the world. "No German lesson today, please practice this concerto, miss."

  Gu Huanli gazed at the notes dancing on the staff, her lips trembling slightly, like a little girl who had done something wrong and was waiting to be punished. In fact, she didn't dislike Antonio, nor did she intentionally conceal her discovery. She just liked their current relationship of being both teacher and friend, so she didn't want it to break because of her excessive attention.

  She never thought she should be a child in the palm of everyone's hand, and instead of sweet words, she would rather spend a lot of time practicing privately to improve her ability.

  This approach is indeed correct, but the result is always not as expected. Perhaps Cassie said it was extremely right, only by treating him equally can Antonio realize that she has known him for many years and naturally knows his preferences and temperament.

  The two of them were talking when Nan Xing suddenly knocked on the door of the music room and said in a low voice, "Miss, Ye has arrived."

  Gu Huanli's first reaction was not a smile, but to get up and try to hide somewhere. But as soon as she stood up, she realized there was nowhere to escape to. Moreover, Ye had already walked into the piano room and nodded slightly at Cassidy.

  "Little wild cat, what's with this expression when you see me?" Ye sat down on the piano stool, reached out and pulled Gu Huanli into his arms, his eyes cold and sarcastic, making her tremble again, but she didn't dare struggle.

  "Chinese New Year is approaching, I came here to study, arrived at night, shouldn't I spend it with my family..." Gu Huanli's remaining words disappeared on her lips, as Ye took out a silver-plated crystal sugar box from his body and opened a piece of white chocolate, which he fed into her mouth while she was speaking.

  Looking at Gu Huanli, who was narrowing her eyes like a cat, Ye Wan hooked up the corner of his mouth and gently stroked her head with his fingers. "Nan Xing said you've been slacking off lately, so I took the opportunity to come here for business inspection and knock some sense into you."

  Gu Huanli looked at him timidly, her nose inhaling the faint fragrance, which was a memory of when she was "Liu Yue", but this smell that made her remember deeply was now entwining her tightly like a snake.

  "Do you know that you were wrong?" Ye's chest was tightly pressed against Gu Huanli's back, his tall stature giving her an inexplicable sense of oppression.

  Gu Huanli lowered her head, and through the strands of hair, she clearly felt the oppressive feeling brought by Ye's fingers. Her head sank lower and lower, and the force on Ye's fingertips grew stronger and stronger. "Yes, I was wrong."

  Listening to Gu Huanli's answer, Ye's lips curled up into a satisfied smile as he gently tugged on her hair and began stroking it again, "Tell me, what did you do wrong?"

  "Didn't go to Yuishi Villa for training on time..."

  "Honestly speaking." He brushed her long hair behind her ear and said slowly, "What else?"

  "It's all gone."

  Gu Huanli dodged with a tilted head, but was caught by Ye who grasped her hair, "Is it that you don't want to say, or that you don't know?"

  Gu Huanli bit her lip, and tears of pain welled up in her eyes. Although Ye had been hot and cold towards her when they were in Shanjian City, he had never spoken to her so coarsely before. The problem was, she had no idea what she had done wrong this time.

  "Who is that boy? Why are you so concerned about him? You've only just moved here and you're already so close to him, even letting him hold your hand? Have you forgotten that this white chocolate is yours alone, why are you giving it away to someone else?"

  Damn Southern Star, she had no idea he was a big mouth

  "No." Gu Huanli looked at him with some resentment, "Anton and Vanessa are my friends. In such a critical situation, one or two pieces of chocolate might have saved their lives. Should I just stand by and do nothing?" She was almost in tears.

  "Hey, there's a convenience store at the gas station, don't they sell chocolate there?"

  "There's no time." Gu Huanli explained.

  "What does it matter?" Ye coarsely wrapped his arms around her waist, his voice low and husky. "Whether he's dead or alive, what does it have to do with you?" He spoke expressionlessly, but Gu Huanlin saw the hidden storm and killing intent in those eyes.

  She shivered, but still said, "It wasn't him... no, it should be more than just him. At that time, there were four people in distress, and I handed the candy box to Cassidy. Whether or not he needed to eat chocolate was up to him to decide. Moreover, under low temperature and energy exhaustion, chocolate is the best food to supplement heat and physical strength. Not going for training on time was indeed my fault, however... if you think I'm wrong about this person, then you can go kill them."

  Gu Huanli paused for a moment, then continued, "It's just that no matter how many times I encounter such things, I will always lend a helping hand. That's right, I'm like this, if you're not satisfied, it doesn't matter even if you destroy me."

  "Little wild cat, you've been let out for a few days and your guts are getting bigger and bigger." The cold, hard voice was filled with thick dissatisfaction. "It seems that this summer vacation is necessary to take you to the South Pole to experience what real low temperatures and food shortages are like. Without struggling in extremely harsh environments, what qualifications do you have to talk such big talk? If you're starving, it's possible for people to eat each other."

  Gu Huanli looked at Ye, after a long time, she let out a soft sigh, stretched out her hand to encircle his neck, and said in a low voice, "Ye, I promise you, unless it's an extremely special situation, I won't give the white chocolate you gave me to anyone else to eat."

  "How did you know I'd back down?" Ye asked again, his dark eyes pressing down on her gaze.

  Gu Huanli shook her head, leaned into his arms and whispered, "It's not easy to meet old friends in a foreign land, I don't want to offend you, nor do I want to quarrel with you."

  "Now she looks a bit 'charming'." Ye picked her up and put her on the piano, then carefully checked the development of her bones and whether each joint had any minor injuries from exercise.

  "Night." Gu Huanli lowered her eyes, and her face quickly turned red.

  "Don't move." Ye said in a low voice, gently rotating Gu Huan's ankle, and after a moment of contemplation, he continued slowly, "When jumping, pay attention to your landing posture. And from today on, after the medicinal bath, you must undergo a full-body massage to relax your tense muscles and tendons."

  "I'm not nervous."

  The dark eyes flashed past, staring at her coldly, "If you want to ruin your figure in the future, then don't bother."

  Is your figure out of shape?

  Gu Huanli hastily shook her head, her eyes wet and shining with a pitiful expression like that of a small deer. "Why hasn't Zero's figure changed? Does she usually get massages from the Night Clan?"

  "In the city of Shan Jian, there is a special masseuse." The bottom of Ye Leng's eyes contained a smile that made people tremble, and those eyes quietly looked at Gu Huanli's body, causing her to shiver slightly. "Moreover, in the entire Tian Li, only 'Mei' has the qualification to be personally taught by 'Di Sha'. How could you have forgotten this?"

  Gu Huanli looked at Ye Bu Yi's displeased gaze and smiled wryly, "Can this good thing be transferred to someone else?"

  "Yu Shi Villa has professional massage therapists, you can move there to live."

  "No, this is the home that my brother chose for me. I won't leave here until I return to my country." Gu Huanli's refusal was faster than Ye thought, without even a hint of hesitation or consideration.

  "You little wild cat, you're really the most infuriating. Night stood up, his slender fingers lightly stroking her smooth cheek, 'Remember, go to training on time and receive massage, if I find out you're slacking off again, I'll pack you up and send you back to Shànjiàn City immediately, please have the 'doting' elder masters personally guide your various skills.'"

  "Huh?!" Gu Huanli stared at him in shock, her fingers tightly grasping his sleeve. "Don't! We have a huge generation gap, and those old-fashioned people will drive me crazy. Out of respect for the elderly and care for the young, you should just leave me here."

  "You still know how to respect the elderly and love the young, huh?" Tonight, Gu Huanli's appearance made him laugh, he reached out and gently scratched her nose, "Do you know that you are the first person to be applauded by everyone for leaving Shensei City? You've only been here for a few days, but you've caused such a commotion that even the security department has been upgraded several levels. From now on, whenever we have a security project, let's just send you as a special investigator."

  "Heh heh......" Gu Huan Lian smiled mischievously and said in a low voice, "Who told you that I could reach the entrance and let me go watch Brother's match? Of course, I have to try all sorts of possibilities."

  "Little wild cat." At night, looking at her face with an angelic smile, he said in a low voice, "Your weakness is too obvious. If you don't want to be taken advantage of, the only way is to make yourself strong, strong enough that no one dares to disobey you." His voice was like a poisonous temptation, quietly infiltrating Gu Huan's heart.

  "I know." Gu Huan Lian's lips curled up slightly as she wrapped her arms around Ye's, smiling brightly. "But, Ye, aren't you worried that I'll reveal the organization's secrets to my brother?"

  "You naturally have a measure of what's important and what's not in your heart. Besides, your brother isn't an idiot either." At night, he gazed at her from under his eyelashes, one long arm tightly wrapped around her slender waist, rendering her immobile. "Speaking of which, that friend of yours and her financial advisor seem to have vanished into thin air, although there were no issues with their business dealings. However, in a few days, there's a small deal with decent profits, and the best part is it has a short cycle - I wonder if she'd be interested in joining in?"

  "If it's safe money, why not earn it, let alone being under the shade of this big tree." Gu Huanli smiled lightly and buried her face in Ye's chest, just like a little girl coquettishly asking for favor from her teacher, "But, thinking about it, what kind of business would make Ye so excited that he'd call her out to play?"

  "Because, lovely Cinderella won't go out anymore, her beautiful shoes will be taken away for testing." Ye whispered in Gu Huanli's ear, his voice softer than ever.