Deep Fog Kiss

"Because of what?" the other person asked casually.

"Because you made her angry." Zhou Yan lay back down, raising his hand to block out the sunlight. "You were angry that she suddenly dumped you and went abroad, and you were angry with her... She didn't even come back to see you once during the year you were dying..."

At this point, Zhou Yan's voice lowered, "Actually, I think Xiao Lili isn't that kind of person."

On the other end of the phone, the man's voice was deep and cold, "You know her very well?"

Zhou Yan knew his bad temper; no matter how nice or unpleasant the words were, he wasn't afraid to say them in front of Gu Zhishen.

"Huo Jinyan always says that Xiao Lili is using you and playing with your feelings. He's a very cunning person. I don't have your kind of businessman's mindset. I've watched Xiao Lili grow up, and I don't think she's the kind of person who is ungrateful."

"You at least raised her, you should still feel indebted to you," Zhou Yan thought for a moment, then asked, "Didn't you ever ask her why she left back then?"

After I finished speaking, there was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

After a long silence, someone spoke up, "Nothing to ask."

"Go deliver your takeout," Gu Zhishen said, hanging up the phone.

......

Tianze Capital, top-floor office.

Gu Zhishen stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, where clouds floated outside and sunlight pierced through them.

Down below, vehicles and pedestrians moved about like ants carrying food, in an endless stream.

In the quiet office, a slender cigarette was lit with a "click," its embers flickering.

Gu Zhi took a deep breath, the smoke swirling around him, blurring the darkness in his eyes and the fleeting sense of loss.

......

Two years ago, Beishan Villa.

As the evening sun sets, its shimmering reflection falls upon the boundless river, creating a breathtaking natural painting.

The luxury car slowly drove into the garage along the parking lane. Gu Zhishen got out of the car, looked around, and frowned slightly.

That human-shaped accessory who would wait for him to come home from get off work on time every day, and would pounce on him and cling to him like a koala, did not appear today.

That's a bit strange.

He stepped into the villa, where the butler, Xu Dong, greeted him with a smile, saying, "Mr. Gu is back. Miss Li is having dinner."

"A meal?"

She didn't wait for him to join her for dinner and ate by herself first, which was even more unusual.

He took off his coat and tie, casually rolled up his sleeves, and walked towards the restaurant.

In the restaurant, the setting sun cast its orange glow upon the girl.

She ate her meal quietly, as if she hadn't heard him come in, or even seen him.

Gu Zhishen walked over, raised his hand and ruffled her hair affectionately, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Li didn't even look up, continuing to eat her meal. "Nothing much."

His tone was neither warm nor cold, which was quite unusual.

She seemed to be sulking about something, and remained silent, feeling wronged.

Gu Zhi stared intently at her profile for a few seconds, but didn't see the faint smile with dimples on her face.

He raised his hand, lifted her chin, and asked with a raised eyebrow, "What's up?"

Normally, she would lean in and kiss him, then pout and tell him about her grievances or complain about what he did to upset her.

This time, the girl tilted her head to avoid his fingers, deliberately keeping her distance.

Gu Zhishen's smile faded, and he didn't ask any more questions.

A moment later, he reached out and ladled her a bowl of soup, then changed the subject, "Did you apply for an exchange program abroad?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li paused in her eating before giving him a response.

"Is that not allowed?"

She glanced sideways and asked, her tone defiant.

Gu Zhishen met her emotionless eyes and nodded, "Of course."

"However, if you want to go abroad, you can tell me, and I can help you make arrangements. You have the potential to go to a better school and a better country."

His expression softened, and he reached out to ruffle her hair. "Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

As soon as his hand reached out and touched her soft hair, the girl instinctively pulled away, like a startled rabbit.

Her eyes were filled with resistance and unfamiliarity towards him.

Gu Zhishen frowned, a hint of impatience creeping into his deep eyes.

"Yes," Jiang Li put down her chopsticks, sat upright, tilted her head, and smiled. "The farther away from you, the better."

After he finished speaking, the restaurant fell into complete silence; you could hear a pin drop.

They could even hear each other breathing.

The stern look on Gu Zhishen's face vanished in an instant. He suppressed the emotions surging in his chest and a smile appeared in his deep, narrow eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Li took a deep breath, looked up to meet the man's cold, smiling eyes, and said in a deep, trembling voice, "It means I regret it."

"Gu Zhishen, I regret it."

Overwhelmed by emotion, she abruptly stood up, looking down at him. "Every single day of these past two years, I've regretted it!"

Gu Zhishen rested one hand on the dining table, the veins on his forearm, with his sleeves rolled up, bulging menacingly. His smile remained undiminished, cold and sarcastic.

He leaned back, looked up at her, and asked with amusement, "Regret what?"

"I regret clinging to you! I regret sleeping with you!" Jiang Li suddenly teared up, glaring at the man and yelling, "I regret every day and night I spent here with you! I regret every intimate encounter with you! I feel disgusted!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her chin was grabbed tightly.

"What did you say? Disgusting?"

Gu Zhishen stood up, his tall figure looming over her, a fierce look appearing on his cold face, his deep eyes as cold as frost.

He pinched her face, his breathing slightly heavy, "Say it again."

Jiang Li stared at him with her red eyes, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm disgusted! Disgusted by you!"

She forcefully pushed his hand away and yelled at him at the top of her lungs, "I hate you! I despise you! Anyway, I'm already over eighteen, so you don't have to take responsibility for me anymore!"

She stubbornly raised her head, "From now on, I just want to stay far away from you! I never want to see you again!"

She roared at him like an angry little lion, her eyes red, and said things she didn't mean.

Without any rationality, hurtful words slipped out, each one piercing his heart.

Gu Zhishen stared intently at her out-of-control state, his chest heaving violently.

A few seconds later, he turned his back, put his hands on his hips, lowered his head, and tried to calm the anger in his chest.

If we keep arguing, it will go on forever, and the words we say will only get uglier.

With a tense expression, he lit a cigarette, walked to the window, and smoked it heavily and rapidly.

After finishing one cigarette, he lit another.

Smoke swirled around him, and his aura was chilling.

After finishing two cigarettes, the anger in his chest subsided somewhat.

He turned around and looked at Jiang Li's tear-streaked face.

She had said some harsh words, yet she cried so pitifully.

"Jiang Li," he called her by her full name, "We'll talk about going abroad later. If you regret it, I'll move out."

"I wouldn't dare trouble you," Jiang Li said coldly. "This is your place; I'm the one who should leave."

She turned her back to him, tears streaming down her face.

"Gu Zhishen," she said, her voice trembling slightly, her hands clenched tightly at her sides, "thank you for these ten years, there's nothing I can do to repay you."

"I've slept with you for two years. Even if I haven't done anything great, I've still put in a lot of effort. Consider this my way of repaying your kindness."

From now on, we owe each other nothing.

She spoke in a way that was both harsh and cold.

The man tightly gripped the unfinished cigarette in his palm and extinguished it. Gu Zhishen felt like killing someone.

His sharp eyes were fixed on that slender figure, and he really wanted to strangle her!

Ten years of raising such a tactless and heartless brat!

But he didn't say those hurtful words in the end. He stared at the girl's back for a long time without saying a word, and strode away with a gloomy face.

He did not return to Beishan Villa for three days after that argument.

Three days later, Xu Dong from Beishan Villa called and said, "Mr. Gu, Miss Li has gone abroad."