The Cold CEO Chases His White Moonlight - Chapter 25.2

Ye Pingsheng and the others were still filming, but the atmosphere on set was gloomy, the footage so bad that Ye Pingsheng openly called it trash.

When she suddenly saw Gu Yunhui, Ye Pingsheng could hardly believe it.

Hadn’t this woman been indifferent to Ji Zhiwei? What was she doing here?

She had plenty of sharp words ready, but given Gu Yunhui’s status, she held back for now.

“You’re still filming?” Gu Yunhui walked straight toward Ye Pingsheng. As the investor, no one dared stop her.

The assistant director called cut. Ye Pingsheng set down her camera and looked up at Gu Yunhui.

“She’s already dead. And you still want to keep filming?” Gu Yunhui stared straight at Ye Pingsheng with an unreadable expression.

Ye Pingsheng couldn’t decipher the look in her eyes. “I can’t afford the losses.”

She didn’t want this either and was still searching for solutions, but this was all she could offer Gu Yunhui.

“She died on your set, and you can still be… so calm?” The anger in her voice was unmistakable.

Yet if one listened closely, there was also guilt and fear mixed in.

So she came here to lay blame. Ye Pingsheng was struggling to hold back her temper.

She had always been hot-headed, and now that Ji Zhiwei was gone, she hadn’t even settled accounts with Gu Yunhui yet. She couldn’t tolerate Gu Yunhui’s attitude.

“How dare you blame us?” Ye Pingsheng took two steps forward, confronting Gu Yunhui directly.

“If not you, then who? She’s just gone! That massive flash flood they couldn’t even find her body! If you hadn’t chosen that location, would this have happened?”

“A-Sheng.” Lu Peijiu, seeing Gu Yunhui’s agitation rising, tugged at Ye Pingsheng’s sleeve.

“Don’t pull me. I’m going to say it.” Ye Pingsheng shook off Lu Peijiu’s hand.

“She died because she went to see you! Because you stood her up, she got lost and wandered into the mountains. It’s you, you killed her! Who do you think you are, toying with her like that and then coming here to blame us? Do you think I wanted her dead? Did I want to see this happen? A-Jiu suggested assigning her a bodyguard, but she refused because she was going to meet you. Did you even know she loved you?”

Finally, someone had said it to Gu Yunhui’s face, the words that had tormented her for two weeks, the guilt that refused to fade.

Yes, she knew. She was the one who had killed Ji Zhiwei.

She had deliberately forgotten their appointment, deliberately stood her up, not even offering a single word of explanation. That was how she always operated.

She had treated that young girl like a pet beneath her, playing with her at will, disregarding her sincerity.

It was all her fault. She was to blame.

She regretted it now. She wanted a chance to make amends.

But who would give it to her?

Gu Yunhui’s eyes were bloodshot. A tear slipped down her cheek.

This cold, indifferent woman, who had always seemed heartless could still shed hot tears.

“I didn’t want this either…” She stood there, her figure suddenly appearing frail.

The usually tall, imposing omega now looked fragile, shattered by the cruel words.

“Then why didn’t you come? If you had just shown up, would she have waited there for three hours? Even a minute earlier, and she wouldn’t have been caught in this!”

Seeing her cry, Ye Pingsheng felt no pity.

Gu Yunhui had brought this upon herself. But what about Ji Zhiwei? What had she done wrong? All she did was find a patron she hadn’t committed any crimes, hadn’t murdered or set fires. Did she deserve to lose her young, vibrant life?

“Look at the surveillance footage yourself! See how she waited, ” Ye Pingsheng pulled a USB drive from her bag and flung it at Gu Yunhui.

“Shut up!” Gu Yunhui cut her off, clutching her head.

Ji Zhiwei had waited for her for three hours. All that time, without a single complaint, without a word of anger.

If only she had sent a message.

No, it was Gu Yunhui who hadn’t explained.

The tears fell like rain, unstoppable now.

“Shut up! I didn’t know. I didn’t know! Stop talking!”

“That’s enough, A-Sheng. You’ve gone too far.” Lu Peijiu pulled Ye Pingsheng away, pressing the USB into Gu Yunhui’s trembling hand.

Gu Yunhui stood frozen, tears still streaming, her body rigid, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

Rumors circulated that the current head of the Gu family, despite her young age and remarkable achievements, had endured a difficult early life, targeted by enemies and subjected to countless acts of private torture. It was said that back then, she never uttered a sound, nor shed a single tear.

Yet today, because of one person, she wept like this. As if all the tears of her lifetime were meant for that person alone.

How deep must the pain be, to surpass the lash of a whip?

Lu Peijiu could see Gu Yunhui’s remorse and agony, yet she also believed… she deserved it.

Had this tragedy not occurred, would Gu Yunhui ever have realized her true feelings for Ji Zhiwei?

Or would she, no matter how much time passed, have continued to wound Ji Zhiwei body and soul before coldly dismissing her to outsiders as “just a plaything”?

“President Gu. Ah Sheng only spoke out of turn today because she was overwhelmed by grief over Zhiwei’s accident. We’ve spent over a month with Zhiwei and all came to admire her character, which is why we wanted to speak up for her. I hope you won’t hold it against Ah Sheng.” Lu Peijiu sighed.

She didn’t wish to say more, merely pleading leniency for Ye Pingsheng.

After all, to Gu Yunhui, they were nothing more than strangers with whom she could collaborate. If Gu Yunhui insisted on blaming them for Ji Zhiwei’s death, Ye Pingsheng might never act again.

Gu Yunhui shook her head, tears still unbrushed. “I won’t.” She took the USB drive and left just like that.

Gu Yunhui had come silently, and now she departed the same way.

Lu Peijiu watched her desolate figure, buffeted by the wind, fragile as a kite that might be swept away at any moment, and couldn’t help but sigh.

Had she awakened sooner, perhaps tragedy could have been averted.

But life, unfortunately, had no “what ifs.”

That night, Gu Yunhui played the surveillance footage from the restaurant at normal speed, watching for three hours watching the loneliness in Ji Zhiwei’s eyes, watching her repeatedly check her phone.

Finally, she broke down into silent, heaving sobs.

Gu Yunhui cried half the night and drank the other half.

The next day, and for the two days that followed, she failed to show up for work.

This was unheard of. Employees under Gu Yunhui had once believed that not even a rain of knives could keep their young leader from her duties.

Those familiar with Gu Yunhui within the Gu family found it even more astonishing, what could possibly make this tyrant neglect her work?

After much inquiry, they finally caught a glimpse of the truth on the CEO’s desk.

By then, Gu Yunhui had already had every photo ever taken of Ji Zhiwei developed.

Including those she had taken out of mischief while they were out shopping.

Including the originally covertly captured “sugar baby” photos, initially intended to crush Ji Zhiwei.

Including later, the footage Gu Yunhui had obtained from Ye Pingsheng every scene from Ji Zhiwei’s audition to her final performance.

An entire album’s worth.

Gu Yunhui had a photo frame made, selecting the most genuine smile from Ji Zhiwei’s stills, placing it inside, and then flipping it face-down on the desk.

She didn’t dare look, nor could she bear to put it away.

Left like this, upside-down, it served only as a memorial to her irreparable mistakes.

They also heard that President Gu had recently commissioned replicas of a batch of handmade items.

The originals were crudely made small trinkets like bookmarks, hairpins, and umbrellas. No one understood why she would do such a thing.

But when someone, hoping to curry favor, tried to gift Gu Yunhui similar handmade items, the usually composed CEO nearly roared as she threw them out of her office.

It seemed Gu Yunhui’s absence from work was because of someone.

Recently, President Gu also took action against the Song family. The last time she did something like this, it was aimed at the Yan family.

This time, someone in the know finally brought some insider information.

Rumor had it that President Gu’s fury and her ruthless campaign to crush the Song family stemmed from someone snatching a role meant for the person she loved.

Yet when asked who this beloved person actually was, no one could give an answer.

Those unfamiliar with the Gu family assumed Gu Yunhui was a habitual playgirl, with a string of romantic entanglements long enough to circle the company three times.

Those who knew the Gu family well believed Gu Yunhui couldn’t possibly love a human, only money.

Perhaps some ingot had come to life and stolen her heart. That was the joke they whispered among themselves.

But from that day onward, no more rumors of romantic dalliances surfaced around Gu Yunhui.

A stunning socialite tried to get close to her under the guise of a business project, only to be coldly avoided and left to humiliate herself.

A dashing young heir sought a marriage alliance with the Gu family, only to be surrounded by ten bodyguards and beaten black and blue photos of which were then circulated among high society.

A warning to others. No one dared approach Gu Yunhui recklessly after that.

The following spring, an unseasonable cold snap swept in with a vengeance.

Gu Yunhui took three days off work, packed the belongings she had kept hidden for so long, and set out.

She first went to the small villa, meticulously cleaning every corner before changing the water for the gardenias in the study.

The flowers were greenhouse-grown. Over the past year, a florist had delivered fresh blooms to Gu Yunhui every few days.

The delicate fragrance of gardenias drifted through the air, softening the sharp edges of Gu Yunhui’s expression.

“A year already.” She took out two glasses, one placed before a framed photo, the other held in her hand.

Finally, she dared to look at Ji Zhiwei’s picture. Not because she had moved on, but because she feared forgetting Ji Zhiwei’s face.

For a year, she had only seen this girl in her dreams.

The girl she thought she despised, but had actually loved for so long.

The features of the girl in her dreams were fading. How could Gu Yunhui not be afraid?

She wanted to remember her for the rest of her life.

She also thought their story had no good beginning, and perhaps didn’t deserve a good ending either.

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