Deadly Trap.

Chapter 7. Facing the Blade

Without saying a word, the two breathed into each other's eyes, and Su Li carefully examined Gu Mufei's face once again.

If that night by the riverbank, the scattered light from the snow was too hazy, then this face, so exceptional, remained distant and unreal, elusive yet exuding a certain aloofness.

Now, with blood soaking his shirt, he gripped her calloused wrist, which only highlighted his more stubborn, obstinate, and even reckless and ruthless nature, as if he were willing to abandon everything.

He seemed somewhat tired, or even more weary.

Su Li's peach blossom eyes reddened and shimmered. She then realized that perhaps because she was in danger, Gu Mufeng, who had rushed to her side tonight, hadn't had time to hide it: in his open collar, along with the rise and fall of his breath, was a sharp and hideous scar…

Before Su Li could ask any further questions, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar. Gu Mufeng's phoenix eyes instantly sharpened.

Terrified, Kai crouched low and slipped out the door, wishing he could disappear on the spot. Meanwhile, behind Gu Mufeng, Dai arrived at the scene quickly with his men.

Beneath his suit, the man's long, steady face was calm and cautious: "Mu Fei, the kidnappers escaped into the hospital during the chaos. We can't catch them."

Gu Mufeng's expression was cold and stern. He hadn't intended to ambush anyone in the first place. Saving lives was the top priority in this operation. From the very beginning, when he was giving orders, he had preferred to let the bandits go to ensure safety, adhering to the principle of "leaving an opening when surrounding an enemy." Yet, his face was ashen, as if a private matter had been exposed.

With a flick of his wrist, the blood-soaked, flesh-piercing steel nail brush was carelessly tossed to Dai Ze. Gu Mufeng's voice was calm and decisive: "Clear the area. Leave it to me."

Dai Ze's gaze lingered on the injury on Gu Mufeng's right hand: "Mufeng, the kidnappers are still at large. Your safety—"

"Get out." Gu Mufeng's voice was deep and brooked no argument.

Dai immediately understood. He decisively turned and carried out the order. In the blink of an eye, the entire vast hospital machinery factory area was deserted again. The air was thick with a stifling oppression, with only the low hum of the machinery audible to their heartbeats.

Now, they are so close, only she and he remain.

His grip tightened, causing Su Li excruciating pain from her raw, chafed wrists. Her face paled, and anger flashed in her eyes, turning into a sharp glint: "Gu Mufeng, you're not a student at Minzhou University of Finance and Economics at all, are you?"

He commanded the kidnapping and rescue with composure. She, however, was overwhelmed with worries. Sure enough, Su Li swiftly and decisively resolved the situation:
"Who are you? Why are you... 'Boss'?"

To Su Li's surprise, Gu Mufeng did not feel any surprise, embarrassment or awkwardness at her directness.

Without rushing to answer, Gu Mufeng calmly released her grip. Turning his back to Su Li's questioning gaze, he took one step, then two. His footsteps echoed empty in the vast machinery factory area. He walked alone to the massive, winding network of pipes.

Machinery and pipelines are like blood transfusions in a hospital, unseen by the world; and Minzhou, a place of fame and fortune on the southeast coast, at this moment, is indeed more like a meaningless empty shell to him and her.

“Indeed.” With his back to Su Li, he finally spoke, “I studied at Minsheng University of Finance and Economics. If you ask, yes, Zhou Yi was also my classmate.”

He paused, then gently raised his left hand. As if testing the surface of water, already brimming with tension, his fingertips barely touched the liquid nitrogen tube. A white mist instantly swirled around his fingertips. At first glance, the world seemed cold, hard, and icy.

He let out a deep sigh:

"I am now the leader of Friday Night, a gray organization in Minzhou, and the 'King' of the gray world in Minzhou—if such a title really exists."

Judging from his tone, he was actually quite self-deprecating.

But right now, Su Li couldn't care less about his hidden meaning.

Her body swayed in shock, and she stared in disbelief: when she first met Gu Mufeng, she had considered several possibilities. But his answer far exceeded all her expectations.

He is not an easy-to-please second-generation rich kid, nor an easy-to-control CEO, nor even the heir of one of the four most powerful families.

"Friday Night" is like the last indulgence of the week. Ruling between wealth and power in Minzhou, this name is not openly discussed, and the municipality tacitly acknowledges its existence.

But Su Li could only vaguely recall hearing a certain prince's "friend" say something inadvertently while drunk:

"You want to mess with FN? You want to suffer a fate worse than death?"

At the time, she thought it was just drunken nonsense.

Gray organizations, a gray world—what does that all mean? Having swallowed information far exceeding her twenty-four years of knowledge, Su Li tried to decipher everything Gu Mufeng had just confessed. Instinctively, she steadied herself against the locker.

"so……"

Su Li's arched brows furrowed tightly. Her head throbbed, and her thoughts raced like feathers in a net: "I was ambushed, choked, and kidnapped because of...you?"

“That’s right.” He answered heavily, without uttering another word.

"And you, you knew the danger. So, as a prophet as you are, you sent Kai to secretly watch over me and protect me?"

“Yes.” He looked down and saw that her wrist was covered in blood and flesh.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Anger overwhelmed all reason, and Su Li could barely stand.

To resist the kidnapping, to fight for her life, her wrists were raw and bruised! The bruises turned an unsightly purplish-red. Su Li dared not touch them, a dull pain spreading through her.

She had been patiently waiting for an answer for a long time.

At that moment, she suddenly looked up, her light chestnut hair whipping around in her hair. She stared intently at Gu Mufeng's unwavering back, casting aside all thoughts of fishing, hunting, and pretense. Even as the image of Gu Mufeng's passionate kiss suddenly flashed through her mind…

"So, you come and go as you please, bringing danger into my life, so that I'll be grateful for your help?" Su Li's voice trembled.

"Tell me straight now, did you bite my fingertip that night, deceive my eyes, and just play me from beginning to end?"

"Do you want me to prostrate myself before you? Or do you want me to call you 'Boss,' or even 'Your Majesty'?"

"ridiculous--"

Su Li bit her lower lip, her chest heaving, a misty light rising in her eyes that she refused to acknowledge. With a cold snort, she stormed off in a fit of rage.

Fueled by anger, she walked straight through rows of pipes without looking back: "You've mistaken me for someone else." "I haven't lied to you."

Faced with Su Li's furious accusations, Gu Mufeng could only deny it.

At this moment, Gu Mufeng's cold gaze followed Su Li's brisk strides. He slightly turned his head, his eyes as cold as knives, and the veins on his fingers bulged faintly. Yet he did not move an inch, nor did he utter a word.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay still, biting his tongue hard with his back teeth:
Go after them now, and then what?

His injured hand turned white as he clenched it tightly, the wound bursting open and gushing blood. But it seemed that only such excruciating pain could pull his out-of-control heart back from its slumber.

“Indeed.” His voice remained cold and unwavering. “I used my identity from yesterday to ask my friends from yesterday to invite us to a simple gathering. But that was solely for the purpose of investigating a case.”

"Su Li, you've gone up to me in front of half of Minzhou's business community. Do you think you can turn back now?"

Su Li gritted her teeth. Her true intentions of fishing had been instantly exposed by Gu Mufeng, and her breathing became erratic. To the Crown Prince, words were indeed easy to say. But for her mother's life-saving surgery fee of 120,000, she had no other choice!

Overwhelmed with grief and helplessness, Su Li could no longer suppress her wounded pride and said, both ashamed and angry, "Gu Mufeng, you want to hear my apology? Fine."

"I, Su Li, took your body; you want me to take responsibility? No way!"

"Let me go, let me go, let me get out of here! Are you satisfied? Are you smug?"

Gu Mufeng's expression instantly turned stern with disgust. His voice was icy cold: "Su Li, don't degrade yourself."

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "That night, neither of us lied to the other."

He knew perfectly well that these words were utterly ridiculous.

With a thunderous rage, Su Li gritted her teeth and furiously pressed the button on the heavy roller shutter door. "You're not lying?"
She was about to retort with sharp wit. The moment she stepped out that door, she could sever all ties with him. Her hunt, her 120,000 yuan lifeline, her entire night of painstaking defense of him would vanish into thin air.

A snowy night. By the river. He once said, "Whatever you like." And then he could never turn back.

"Hiss—" Su Li cried out in pain as she pulled her hand back.

A sharp pain pierced her wrist. Tears welled in her eyes, mingling with the taste of blood as they seeped out again. She felt an overwhelming sense of grievance and bitterness in her heart.

In an instant, Gu Mufeng took a step forward from his spot. His eyes suddenly filled with urgency, as if he wanted to rush towards her immediately.

Without saying a word, Su Li stopped.

The roller shutter opened, and moonlight illuminated her. The cold light was indifferent, yet she gently furrowed her brow. Silently wiping away the tears in her peach blossom eyes, she sadly pressed her wrist to her lips.

The sting of pain reminded her that she had no right to be willful. No matter how fierce her anger, her mother's surgery still weighed heavily on her heart: she still had no other choice.

She closed her eyes briefly, calming her breathing, and turned to look at Gu Mufeng again...

In the distance, Gu Mufei stood alone.

In this vast, filthy factory area, like a concrete coffin, which didn't belong to him, he slightly raised his head, proud yet lonely. He was generously prepared to let Su Li vent her anger, curse, and condemn him.

Su Li's gaze fell on his hand that caught the wire brush: the blood was still flowing and had already soaked his sleeve.

Suddenly, Su Li realized that he wasn't so hard to understand after all.

Unable to resist, Su Li turned around and reached out her hand, leaning closer to check his injuries.

But Gu Mufeng quickly avoided her touch, as if he felt no pain: "No need to bother. It's not worth it."

Su Li was slightly taken aback, her eyelashes trembling involuntarily. She hadn't expected Gu Mufeng to still be rejecting her.

She is a beauty, but also a ruthless schemer.

This distance caused the anger that had just subsided in Su Li's heart to reignite: she would never lose her composure again.

Taking a deep breath, Su Li lifted her face again. As if only for him, her voice returned to its gentle, melodious tone: "Mu Fei, thank you for saving me. But do you still remember..."

Softly, the back of her hand pressed against his heart, using his body heat to soothe her injured wrist. It seemed that a mere gesture of pity and a promise would ease her pain: "Back then..."

At that time, Gu Mufeng was infatuated and confused.

You asked me... if I wanted to be your girlfriend?

"I remember," Gu Mufeng answered readily.

Hearing his reply, Su Li's heart trembled slightly. After a moment, she raised her peach blossom eyes, which were filled with tenderness. She gazed intently at him.

"Then, now..." Su Li gently parted her lips, her breath mingling with hers as she patted his neck.

Tonight, she was hastily bound, dressed simply, and even her pale pink lips were unmade-up.

I wonder if this is a coincidence. Everything is her original, purest form.

"You..." Su Li finally blurted out, "...Would you like to be my boyfriend?"

>>>>>
Next chapter: A Necessary Fact
[Author's Note | Chapter Seven]

President Gu had many reasons not to comply. Even though he himself was the one who degraded himself the most throughout the entire book, he didn't want to see Su Li being treated badly.

Tonight, he gave Su Li a small but real shock.

Do you, dear readers, enjoy Su Li's angry outbursts?
Did Mr. Gu's words, "Don't waste your life," resonate with you?
Let me know your thoughts on the future of this interactive platform in the comments section!
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(End of this chapter)