Deadly Trap.

Chapter 71. His Self
This chapter can be listened to with The Weeknd's "Die for You".

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"I just need your signature so that my mother can withdraw her housing provident fund."

“If there’s anything wrong, have a lawyer send an official letter. I already have another family. The students are waiting for me outside. What you’re doing is very inappropriate.”

"Dad!" Su Li finally cried out, her voice filled with resentment. "Even if my mother is too stubborn, am I wrong? Am I no longer your biological daughter?"

Su Li choked up, but her gaze refused to leave: "Dad, it's just a signature, I won't let you lose anything."

Before him, the father remained silent for a long time, finally turning his head away in a low voice:
“Su Li, I no longer want to be used by your mother. Besides, you are an adult now. I have done more than enough for you. You can leave.”

"Dad, what did you say?"

"Get out," the man waved his hand impatiently. "Don't let me see your mother's face again."

In an instant, Su Li turned completely pale and was speechless.

Head held high, looking down at her father with an air of superiority that almost seemed to pity him, she forced back tears welling in her eyes. With haughty pride, she slowly slammed the documents in her hand in front of him.

Step by step, she walked out with her head held high, her pride evident. Her father did not try to stop her.

Su Li strode quickly out of the professor's building. As she ran, tears welled up in her eyes and fell uncontrollably. Reflected in her tears, the surrounding scenery began to blur and fade.

This world that has abandoned her.

The sunlight was nearing dusk, and its warmth felt utterly cold against her skin. An indescribable sorrow welled up within her. Her steps were unsteady, the ground seeming to spin. For a moment, she didn't know where to go.

Hastily, she wiped away her tears with her sleeve: although her vision was blurry, she could see students indistinctly along the ginkgo-lined path. She didn't want to embarrass herself.

Until, out of the corner of her eye, a silhouette emerged from the crowd. That thoughtful, steady figure and pace drew closer.

She thought she was hallucinating.

At the same moment, the person who also saw her also froze in place.

is her.

It's him.

Clearly, Gu Mufeng was just as surprised as she was.

What a coincidence that he's back at his alma mater today?

And today, he seems more like a student who has deliberately infiltrated the university: a warm camel cashmere coat covers a pure white V-neck T-shirt, and his neck and scars are hidden in a scarf, clean and simple.

He's probably like he was eight or nine years ago.

Su Li then realized just how unusually haggard Gu Mufeng had become after not seeing him for more than a week.

His face was completely bloodless, and a new fine wound appeared at the corner of his eye, with a scab dangerously flying across his temple and protruding into his dark golden sideburns.

His eyes had always been hard and cold. But now, strangely, they were filled with a deep and complex melancholy.

At the same time, Gu Mufeng was also silently frowning and carefully examining her. His eyes trembled with disbelief as he looked at the fresh tears welling up in her eyes.

Then, his expression shifted as if he had been struck hard by something. His lips tightened.

What decision did he make immediately?

As if to pretend he hadn't been seen at all, he immediately turned around and ran away.

Fine, fine. Here he goes again. Another one of those self-righteous decisions. Why does he always have the nerve to make choices for her?

Su Li suddenly erupted. Taking three steps at a time, she caught up with him in a few strides, raising her hand—

"Snapped!"

The next second, in full view of everyone, a hard slap landed on Gu Mufeng's face.

Surprisingly, this time, he neither blocked nor dodged.

"Now, we're even." After saying this quickly, Su Li turned and left.

Gu Mufeng gently grabbed her hand.

"What are you doing? Let go."

"Su Li".

Why is his voice so hoarse? It sounds so unfamiliar.

"You enjoy manipulating others so much, it disgusts me! I guess old habits die hard. You can't change. Let go!"

He's always been incredibly strong. But this time, Su Li only gave a slight tug, as if burned, and Gu Mufeng obediently let go of her hand.

"Since that's the case." This time, his voice sounded completely different, inexplicably drawing her heart in.

She knew she should resist.

Gu Mufeng pleaded softly, "Just let me waste another thirty minutes of your time. Let me take you somewhere one last time. Okay?"

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The matte night sky blue Panamera turned into a side road through the woods. Under the blood-red sunset, they slowly drove along this familiar riverside route.

The car was completely silent.

When Su Li heard him say that he was going to take her to another place, she didn't expect it to be this place, a place she had revisited.

The dappled shadows of the trees receded, and the Parrot River shimmered with golden light.

Su Li was confused: more than a week had passed, and she dared not recall it. Because every time she did, it still caused her excruciating pain.

But Gu Mufeng insisted on bringing her back here.

That was on the very first night she met him. It was also the first night he loosened his grip, deliberately approached her, and began to gradually take advantage of her.

After that, things were a mix of truth and falsehood, and Su Li couldn't quite figure it out anymore.

Gazing out the car window, Su Li was lost in thought, but just like last time, the car smoothly sank to a stop. The ship dock was wide and flat, submerged in the river; and his car slowly came to a stop facing the flowing water.

He and she got out of the car and stood by the water; a subtle distance separated them. The river breeze was gentle and damp, lightly patting and ruffling their hair. Unlike that night: now, the setting sun cast its golden glow on the shimmering river. In the center of the waves, Minzhou floated on the water, bathed in the vibrant sunset light, appearing clearer and more real than the neon lights of the night they first met.

Standing side by side before the city's evening view, the two were still deeply moved.

"Why?" Su Li murmured, as if asking herself, overwhelmed by the scene.

"I'm sorry, Su Li. I owe you an apology."

The river waves crashed against the shore. After a long pause, Gu Mufeng finally spoke slowly:
“I brought you back here hoping it would end here; perhaps, it can begin again here. That day, after you left…”

Suddenly, he paused, as if he couldn't breathe, or as if he instinctively wanted to withdraw his emotions; but, more afraid of keeping her waiting too long, he continued:

"Do you remember why I brought you here on our first night?"

“You said back then that you thought I would like it here.”

Recalling the past, Su Li's heart tightened fiercely with bitterness. Naturally, for his own purposes, where Gu Mufeng wanted to take her and what excuses he wanted to fabricate were all just made up on the spot.

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell the truth back then."

Gazing at the river, Gu Mufeng's face was bathed in the glow of the sunset. He rarely spoke of himself. Now, his voice was deep and resonant, and a corner of his pent-up emotions finally opened up, flowing calmly with the river:
“Su Li, this pier has a special meaning for me. There was a time when I used to come here often. It was probably more than twelve years ago.”

“I once had a younger sister who was only one year younger than you.”

“Back then, after evening self-study, I would work two jobs every night to support my family, and I would always pass by here every night. Gradually, I started to stop for ten minutes on the shore, right here on this dock.”

"Ten minutes. Only in these mere ten minutes can I be myself for a fleeting moment:"
Before the river, I was neither the brother who had promised my mother's last words, nor the abandoned son of a wealthy family with an uncertain future, nor the stranger who had to deal with the entertainment industry every night.

I stood there, watching only the flowing river, its surface shimmering; thinking of nothing. Day after day. Until—

In an instant, his voice trembled.

"My sister, Xiao Fan, died here."

His tone couldn't be more concise and flat, his lips seeming to be trying to relay someone else's story.

Trying his best to suppress his surging emotions, Gu Mufeng casually waved his hand behind his back.

Following the vague direction of that instant, Su Li turned around. Only then did she notice that beside the dock, amidst the overgrown trees and weeds, the outline of half a dark warehouse could be faintly seen:
The warehouse had endured some kind of scorching fire; now, only half of its charred skeleton remained.

“From then on,” Gu Mufeng clearly did not want to elaborate on the matter:

"I never came back."

"I made a choice, and from then on, my life was completely different."

"I admit, Su Li, my motives weren't pure: from the very beginning, it was indeed me who devised the plan, deliberately inviting you, getting close to you, and trying to win your favor. But that night, when I truly, face to face, and for the first time, saw you with my own eyes—"

Unable to contain himself any longer, Gu Mufeng turned to look at her closely. When their eyes met again, Su Li was surprised:
His gaze was intense.

Every single detail, from beginning to end, the way he looked at her in his eyes never changed: firm, focused, and gentle. Only now, it no longer felt like standing on the edge of an abyss.

Now, she can actually understand it directly.

“I have a feeling,” he began softly.

"We are the same kind of people: no matter what, we will always move forward."

"At that time, it's hard to say whether it was an impulse. I brought you here, wanting to try to be my true self again and get to know you."

"But, Su Li, I dare not."

"This real me isn't any better; perhaps the me I show you day and night is a little better."

"I am the one who schemes every moment; I am the one who puts my own goals above those of others; I am the one who used your mother as bait to try and kill you; and I am the one who loves you—"

He blurted out:

"It is me."

"Su Li, I never dared to hope to love someone, because I didn't know when I would disappear too. But when you actually left... I was so wrong. I thought this feeling of heartbreak would never come again."

"Su Li, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for using my arrogance to manipulate and hurt your feelings; and for using my conceit to deceive myself."

"I do hope I'll have the chance to start over... to cherish you again. But equally, you can never forgive me."

"Today, completely at ease, I place myself gently in your palm. Su Li, to stay or to leave..."

He was actually trembling and taking deep breaths.

"It's all up to you."

Looking back into Gu Mufeng's eyes, Su Li couldn't understand how he could contain all his intense emotions in such a detached tone before pouring them out to her.

Fortunately, the overwhelming enthusiasm in his eyes automatically made up for the shortcomings in his tone.

"My mother..." Su Li finally spoke after a long pause. She still maintained a delicate distance from Gu Mufeng.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, she slowly raised her head and examined his handsome yet unusually haggard face: "Is that new wound at the corner of your eye also related to her death?"

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Next chapter: Her Self
[Author's Note | Chapter 71]

The moment has finally arrived.

Gu Mufeng shattered his heart and laid it all out for him face to face.

He didn't mention his will, his injury, or even his past.

He didn't come to beg for Su Li's pity; he came to place himself completely and peacefully in her palm.

He's cunning, he's controlling, he's despicable—Gu Mufeng frankly admits he's not a good person. Yet, even someone like him can deeply love her.

What do you think of Gu Mufeng's confession?
How do you think Su Li will respond? Will she reject him, retaliate, or—

Tell me your thoughts in the comments section.

Add to your favorites, follow updates, and vote – let readers ditch the angst and embrace the sweetness!
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(End of this chapter)