Gu Mang removed the needle from the marker and wiped them with alcohol. Then, she put them back into the metal box.

  Lu Chengzhou looked at her without blinking.

  After keeping silent for a while, he said helplessly, “Didn’t we agree that I would handle everything?”


  “And?” Gu Mang slanted her body and put the metal box into her backpack. She looked at him. “Should I just watch you pave the way for me and give all your medicine to me?”


  When Lu Chengzhou heard this, his eyes darkened. “Did you meet my Mom?”


  “Yeah,” Gu Mang answered. “I went to the Blood Institute last night.”


  Lu Chengzhou’s jaw tightened slightly and his voice was low and deep. “Did Granny tell you?”


  Gu Mang nodded. “I hacked the Blood Institute’s database and met up with Madam Ye at noon.”


  Lu Chengzhou remembered the glass with the lipstick stain that he saw in the apartment when he arrived for the first time.

  He should have made the connection earlier.

  Suddenly, something flashed in his mind and he gradually understood. “Is this what you were doing instead of contacting me?”


  Gu Mang hummed in acknowledgment. Both of them were very calm.

  Lu Chengzhou suddenly laughed. “Are you returning to Jijing Island because you know that just like you, I need medicine?”


  He had been thinking.

  He had always stayed vigilant and cautious. It was because he was afraid that something might happen if she knew. He did not expect that she would find out from his mother and grandmother.

  Granny must have known about this and used her last words to tell Gu Mang about it. She likely knew that Gu Mang would not allow him to bet everything on her.

  The worst part was that even his family was plotting against her. They even managed to make Gu Mang concede.

  There was silence in the apartment for two minutes. Neither of them spoke.

  Lu Chengzhou’s throat was dry and his voice was deeper when he finally spoke again. “So I have burdened you.”


  “Nah.” Gu Mang shook her head. “You wanted to be absolutely sure that everything would be safe and so do I. So, I have to return.”


  So she was returning for his sake.

  Lu Chengzhou stared at her dark eyes. “Gu Mang, what I want is to solve all of your problems. I don’t care about things in the past. Ever since you appeared in my life, I’ve tried to keep you away from risks. I don’t want you getting hurt, especially not for me.”


  Gu Mang unzipped the inner zipper of her backpack.

  Lu Chengzhou continued, “Don’t do things that you are unwilling to do just for me. My life isn’t that important.”


  “To me, it is.” Gu Mang laughed. She sounded calm. “My parents were killed by the Elders’ Association. They didn’t want me and Gu Si to return but there are some things that you just cannot hide from.”


  Lu Chengzhou pursed his lips.

  Gu Mang took out a bottle of antidote and put it on the coffee table. She softened her voice. “No one can threaten me, so I’m not afraid. I don’t need to weigh the pros and cons. I win so long as I continue to live, whether it be for another few days or a few decades.”


  Lu Chengzhou opened his mouth. “Gu Mang……”


  “Not now.” She cut him off and looked at him. “I want you to live normally. Me, you, and Little Si will live together.”


  Lu Chengzhou swallowed and his voice was very low. “Do you have to go?”


  Gu Mang did not answer. She looked at his face for a few seconds, then she got up and returned to her room to change.

  Lu Chengzhou struggled to get up but his entire body was still numb and did not respond to his commands.

  The blood vessels on his forehead were protruding and the corners of his eyes were tight. His bloodshot eyes were accentuated by the neurotoxin’s effects.

  When Gu Mang came out after changing, Lu Chengzhou had given up on trying to get up.

  Lu Chengzhou looked down, slumped on the couch. His eyes were dead and still.