Deep Fog Kiss

He glanced upstairs and ordered, "Prepare some food, and some hangover soup."

Finally, he added, "She's afraid of the dark, so don't turn off the lights outside the courtyard at night."

Chung Chau-man immediately understood who "she" referred to.

"Yes, Mr. Gu."

Gu Zhishen stepped out of the gate, and Yin Ming had already opened the car door.

He lit a cigarette, the crimson glow of his fingertips flickering, and leaned over to sit in the back seat.

In the quiet carriage, his faint chuckle could be heard.

Which uncle slept with his niece?

What she said makes sense.

He took a deep breath and leaned back in the seat.

Its superior silhouette was faintly visible in the smoke.

He not only slept, but slept for two years.

What kind of elder is he?

......

At 11 p.m., the dark sky was dotted with stars, their light flickering on and off.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, across the wide river, the dazzling lights on the opposite bank faintly blend into the starlight.

Jiang Li took a shower and skillfully took a warm pink bathrobe from the bathroom wardrobe and put it on.

The bathrobe fit her perfectly and smelled of her favorite fragrance.

Two years later, everything seems the same as before.

But the reality is, everything has changed.

Her hair was half-dry, and her thick, long curly hair fell down, making her already small oval face even more exquisite.

Her breath, mostly sober, faded as she stood before the clean, bright mirror, gazing at the young girl in it—her skin fair and radiant, her cheeks flushed from a recent shower. Her almond-shaped eyes were moist and affectionate, her lips red and luscious like rose petals, exquisitely beautiful.

Jiang Li silently examined herself in the mirror, her eyes and brows gradually dimming.

When she was little, someone told her that she looked a lot like her mother. Their eyebrows, eyes, and facial features were extremely similar, as if they were carved from the same mold.

Some people say that her mother is even more beautiful, like a fairy who doesn't eat the food of this world.

These compliments were things Jiang Li heard from others when she was young.

She had never met her mother.

There wasn't even a trace of "mother" in her memory.

She only knew her mother's name—Xiang Anhe.

I saw these three words on my mother's cold tombstone.

She once asked her father if her mother was really like a fairy, as others said.

Her father simply told her, "Yes, Mom is beautiful."

But Dad doesn't even have a single picture of Mom.

Now, she doesn't even have a picture of her father anymore.

That man with a rugged face and a towering, mountain-like figure will forever remain in her memory from when she was eight years old.

Fourteen years have passed, and her father's appearance has gradually become blurred in her memory.

Jiang Li tilted her head slightly, suppressing the tears in her eyes.

His clear eyes were filled with determination.

She was determined to get what Xiang Yaojie had, and she had to find that person!

......

After leaving the bathroom and returning to the walk-in closet, Jiang Li wanted to find some pajamas, but she was slightly taken aback when she saw the clothes neatly arranged in the closet.

When she lived here before, most of her clothes were custom-made, and the rest were new styles for the next season sent in advance by luxury brands.

Her food, clothing, and daily necessities were all of the highest quality.

In terms of daily life, Gu Zhishen never mistreated her.

Two years ago, Jiang Li unilaterally ended her ambiguous relationship with Gu Zhishen and left the country with only a few simple bags.

Just like when she was ten years old and Gu Zhishen took her back to his family, she had only a few pieces of luggage and she was very frail.

Jiang Li was surprised to find that the clothes in the dressing room were still the same as when she left.

Everything was complete and neatly arranged.

She thought that to accommodate Zhi Shen's temper, he would throw away all her things.

Does the fact that his things were kept intact mean that he didn't dislike her that much?

Jiang Li smiled slightly, her mood suddenly improving a little.

She found a set of cotton pajamas to wear, walked briskly back to the bedroom, picked up the black suit jacket that she had stepped on barefoot several times, carefully straightened the wrinkles in the fabric, and hurried downstairs.

The living room downstairs was brightly lit. Jiang Li, with a shallow dimple on her lips, walked down the stairs, but there was no man in sight.

At this time of day, he would usually be either on the phone in the living room or working in the study; it was definitely not his time to sleep.

Jiang Li ran upstairs again and went straight to Gu Zhishen's study.

The study door was tightly closed, and it was unclear whether anyone was inside or not.

She knocked on the door, "Uncle, I've come to bring you some clothes."

After he finished speaking, there was no sound from inside the room.

She called out again, "Uncle?"

No one answered.

"So I opened the door and came in myself?"

Jiang Li's hand was on the doorknob, just about to push the door open when a voice called out to her from behind.

"Miss Jiang."

Jiang Li turned around and was greeted by an unfamiliar middle-aged woman who looked to be around forty years old.

Zhong Qiuwen said politely and respectfully, "Hello, I am Mr. Gu's housekeeper, my surname is Zhong."

Jiang Li looked at the woman in front of her, and after two seconds she looked around the villa. Only then did she realize that none of the familiar maids from the villa were there.

No wonder the person in front of her addressed her as "Miss Jiang".

The servants who knew her here used to call her "Miss Pear".

She asked, somewhat puzzled, "The housekeeper? Where's Aunt Dong?"

In the past, besides some servants, there was also an aunt named Xu Dong who took care of her daily life.

Jiang Li and Xu Dong have a good relationship, and Jiang Li affectionately calls her "Aunt Dong".

"I'm sorry, Miss Jiang, I don't know this 'Aunt Dong' you're talking about."

Zhong Qiuwen answered politely, glanced at the closed study door behind her, and asked again, "Miss Jiang, are you looking for Mr. Gu?"

"Is he in the study?" Jiang Li asked.

"Mr. Gu has already left."

"Leave?" Jiang Li frowned slightly, then asked, "When will he be back?"

Zhong Qiuwen shook her head.

She had no right to inquire about Mr. Gu's whereabouts, nor did she dare to ask.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Mr. Gu doesn't usually live here."

Jiang Li was somewhat bewildered.

She knew that Gu Zhishen had more than one private residence. It was because she said she liked the river view that they moved here and lived together for two years.

But this "normal" is quite subtle.

"When does he usually stay here?"

Chung Chiu-wen shook her head, indicating she didn't know, and said, "Mr. Gu hasn't stayed here overnight in the past two years."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li's fingertips trembled suddenly.

In the past two years.

In other words, after she left.

Gu Zhishen never lived here.

He replaced all the servants inside and outside the villa, including Aunt Dong.

He was prepared that she would never come back.

Does he think she won't come back, or does he simply not want her to come back at all?

Jiang Li felt a tightness and astringency in her chest; even breathing felt like it was tinged with the sourness of lemons, causing her heart to ache.

He didn't keep those clothes in good condition because he didn't want to throw them away; he simply couldn't be bothered to.

Such a refined and carefree person as him threw away the villa where he had lived with her.

"Miss Jiang?"

Zhong Qiuwen called out twice tentatively, and the girl in front of her finally came to her senses, looking at her with her beautiful eyes.

"Miss Jiang, Mr. Gu said you drank alcohol last night and prepared a hangover soup for you."

The brief mist in Jiang Li's eyes quickly faded, revealing a clear and lucid gaze.

She curled her lips into a distant smile.

"No need, I'm not drunk."

She handed the clothes to Zhong Qiuwen, saying, "Please wash Mr. Gu's clothes and return them to him."

After saying that, she turned and left, returning to her room.

Zhong Qiuwen watched the girl's departing figure, lost in thought.

This young girl was strikingly beautiful, with lovely dimples when she smiled.

She seemed familiar.

It wasn't until she saw the girl's figure disappear between the buildings that she vaguely remembered.

That was less than six months after she arrived here, when Mr. Gu returned late at night.

He drank quite a bit that day. After entering the room, he half-reclined on the sofa, his slender fingers holding a photograph, and calling out a name.

"Pear."