Irreversible - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: A Pitiful Scoundrel (Part 5)

Gu Xizhou began to discover that as long as she didn’t focus on how closely Su Zhiyi’s appearance resembled Su Nanfeng’s, she could infinitely magnify her desire after the lights went out. Immersed in the sweet fragrance of the other woman and guided by the mutual pull of their pheromones, she found a way to let go.

She loved Su Zhiyi’s scent—that cherry-like fragrance, the most exquisite garnish on a dessert, always tempting her to pluck and taste it in the night. She loved Su Zhiyi’s body—smooth as white jade, like petals sliding off a branch, overflowing with moisture in her palms with only a little pressure. She loved Su Zhiyi’s voice—melodic as a nightingale, the only gentle call in a desolate wilderness, guiding her toward a way out.

Gu Xizhou felt as if she were being washed clean, transparent from the inside out. By overcoming those unspeakable, heavy shadows of the past, she was finally tasting the “dessert” of her life.

The brief interlude with Ding Yi didn’t bring much change to their lives.

Of course, as Su Nanfeng’s former lackey, Ding Yi still wanted to cling to Su Zhiyi’s coattails. She called once, trying to invite Su Zhiyi out for a meal. She attempted to use the fact that she was a high school classmate of both Su Nanfeng and Gu Xizhou as a breakthrough to maintain contact.

However, the moment Su Zhiyi heard her voice, she blacklisted her immediately, mentally resolving to find an excuse to beat her up the next time they met. When she blacklisted Ding Yi, Gu Xizhou was right beside her. Seeing her biting her lip with a look of indignant fury, Gu Xizhou found it somewhat amusing.

She leaned in close to Su Zhiyi, took her hand, and kissed her cheek, her tone gentle: “She did bad things to me, not to you. Why do you want to hit her?”

Su Zhiyi gritted her teeth, her tone righteous: “I’m angry on your behalf! How could she treat you like that? It’s too much! If I had been at the same school as you, I definitely would have protected you perfectly and never let anyone bully you.”

Gu Xizhou felt a warmth in her heart. Su Zhiyi was usually someone who stood by principle rather than blood, with a clear sense of right and wrong. But when it came to their relationship, she always biased toward her.

She pulled Su Zhiyi into her arms and whispered warmly in her ear, “Yes, yes, I believe you would have protected me very well. But girlfriend, right now you should be accompanying me to sleep!”

She pushed Su Zhiyi down onto the bed, and amidst her soft gasp, “click”—the lights went out, and she pulled her into the darkness.

In a person’s life, happy days are always fleeting; the rest is mostly pain.

In the second semester of her fifth year, Gu Xizhou received her offer for graduate school and was officially brought before Su Tianyu by Su Zhiyi.

It was Su Tianyu’s birthday. As the richest person in Xingcheng, her fiftieth birthday banquet was grand and bustling. Numerous media outlets attended, and amidst the clinking of glasses, Su Zhiyi—dressed in an elegant evening gown—held Gu Xizhou’s arm and brought her before Su Tianyu, introducing her seriously: “Mother, this is my girlfriend, Gu Xizhou.”

Compared to her neglect of Su Nanfeng in previous years, Su Tianyu clearly paid more attention to her Omega daughter. Before Su Zhiyi even brought Gu Xizhou over, Su Tianyu had investigated her thoroughly. Her family background and her history as Su Nanfeng’s lackey in high school were all very clear to her.

In Su Tianyu’s eyes, Gu Xizhou was an ambitious person. Born into an ordinary family, with a mother who married into wealth, she had used her own brains to get into a prestigious university, ranking among the top students and gaining some fame on campus.

If Zhiyi didn’t need to inherit the company, Su Tianyu wouldn’t have minded marrying her off to a surgical resident with a bright future. But that wasn’t the kind of “son-in-law” she needed.

Su Tianyu gave Gu Xizhou a shallow glance and said nonchalantly, “Mhm, quite good. A good child.” She didn’t offer further praise, simply telling Su Zhiyi with a smile, “Go ahead and take her around to enjoy yourself.”

“Okay.”

Su Zhiyi wasn’t actually close to her mother. Since her own mother passed away, her custody had gone to Su Tianyu, and the two maintained only a superficial mother-daughter relationship. Su Zhiyi had never even thought about inheriting the family business. It was only after Su Nanfeng’s incident, which caused Su Tianyu to suffer a stress-induced stroke, that she reluctantly followed her mother’s wishes and was forced into a major she had no interest in.

She was a kind child—kind and filial. Su Tianyu hadn’t been stingy with her child support, so when Su Tianyu faced difficulties, Su Zhiyi chose to help.

Gu Xizhou couldn’t quite understand Su Zhiyi’s benevolence; after all, her own relationship with her mother was shallow, and her mother had no legacy for her to inherit. She couldn’t imagine a reason to give up the things she loved. But today was Su Tianyu’s birthday; for the sake of her girlfriend’s dignity, Gu Xizhou obediently followed Su Zhiyi as she was introduced to many people.

Su Zhiyi held Gu Xizhou’s arm, leading her through the surging crowds of the venue, greeting people and introducing them to Gu Xizhou. Gu Xizhou responded politely. The other guests were all very interested in Su Tianyu’s only remaining offspring; seeing her holding Gu Xizhou’s arm, they made a mental note of her, wondering which family’s daughter she was to have won the favor of the Su heir.

Su Zhiyi originally intended to do one lap for the sake of appearances and then leave. Her mother’s birthday parties were always just business networking events. She brought Gu Xizhou for two reasons: first, to formally introduce her to the family as the person she loved, and second, to deter those looking to make a match.

Halfway through, however, she was spotted and called out to by Su Wanqing, who was surrounded by a group of young people: “Sister Zhiyi.”

Su Wanqing was Su Zhiyi’s only cousin—the Alpha daughter of Su Haiming. She was studying Business Administration at Yanda and would graduate next year. Although she was required to finish a Master’s degree before being allowed to enter the Su Group, she had been building her network since high school. In the current Su Group, while Su Tianyu held the power, Su Haiming’s ambitions were known to all. As the only adult Alpha among the current younger generation of the Su family, Su Wanqing was reliable and seen as the obvious next heir.

Su Zhiyi understood her ambition and her mother’s wishes, so she rarely interacted with this cousin. But now that Su Wanqing had called her, Su Zhiyi had to respond. She turned, clutching Gu Xizhou’s hand, and met Su Wanqing: “Wanqing…”

Su Wanqing approached with a refined, scholarly female Alpha, saying with a smile, “I’ve been looking for you all night, so this is where you were, Sister.”

Su Zhiyi gave a reserved smile. Su Wanqing pointed to the Alpha beside her: “This is the second daughter of Mingyu Tech, Chen Junjun.”

Chen Junjun adjusted her glasses and smiled. “Hello, Miss Zhiyi.”

Su Zhiyi smiled back. “Hello.” Then, she gestured toward Gu Xizhou, introducing her gracefully: “This is my girlfriend, Gu Xizhou.”

Su Wanqing had noticed Gu Xizhou earlier, but only upon hearing the introduction did she focus her gaze on her, looking quite surprised. “Is Sister in a relationship?”

Su Zhiyi nodded, composed: “Yes, we’re preparing for the wedding.” She was talking nonsense with a straight face, adding with a smile, “Perhaps in a while, you’ll have to start calling her ‘Brother-in-law’.”

Su Wanqing looked very surprised, even momentarily embarrassed. But she was someone who had seen the world; she adjusted her expression in an instant and said with a faint smile, “Then I must congratulate you first, Sister.”

After a few more pleasantries, Su Zhiyi took Gu Xizhou and made an escape, giving the other girl no chance to probe further.

The two ran out of the hotel venue, and Gu Xizhou drove Su Zhiyi back to their small apartment. On the way, Su Zhiyi explained apologetically, “My family situation is just like that—complicated. Because there’s an inheritance involved, there are many conflicts. But in the future, aside from these kinds of events, you won’t have to deal with them. I’ll handle everything.”

Su Zhiyi loved Gu Xizhou—so much that she didn’t hesitate to use the word “wedding.” She firmly believed Gu Xizhou felt the same.

Gu Xizhou drove, her thoughts not on the family drama. She gave a soft “Mhm” and then asked casually, “Was your cousin just trying to introduce that Chen-somebody to you as a potential partner?”

Su Zhiyi paused, sensing a certain tone in the question. In the dim light of the car, she leaned toward Gu Xizhou and asked cautiously, “Xizhou, are you jealous?”

Gu Xizhou nodded frankly. “I am jealous. My girlfriend has such a great family background that she gets introduced to people wherever she goes; of course I’m incredibly sour about it.”

She spoke forcefully, yet her face remained expressionless.

Su Zhiyi burst into a giggle, wrapping her arms around Gu Xizhou’s arm and nuzzling her affectionately. “Alright, alright. Your girlfriend only likes you, so don’t be jealous anymore.”

Gu Xizhou curved her lips, teasing her on purpose: “That depends on how you perform tonight.”

No rift formed between them because of this. After returning home, they spent a pleasant night together.

The next day, when Gu Xizhou went to her internship hospital, she received an unexpected invitation.

Su Tianyu had come knocking.

She didn’t hesitate. Upon receiving the call from the secretary, she took a taxi to the agreed-upon location to officially meet Su Tianyu.

What was meant to come would eventually arrive. Given her own circumstances, it was normal for Su Tianyu to be dissatisfied. But she loved Su Zhiyi and had no intention of giving her up for that reason. In her entire life, aside from her hatred for Su Nanfeng, she had never been this persistent about anything.

Being with Su Zhiyi was what she wanted to do. Whatever price she had to pay next, she was prepared to do so at any cost.