War of Roses: The Proud Tycoon，Please Surrender!-Chapter 275: We Once Loved Each Other

Gu Yan spoke while puffing out her chest, leaving Tang Yuxiu at a loss to laugh or cry.

He unreservedly mocked, "Dry-fried green beans."

Gu Yan, in anger, tapped his head with her chopsticks.

Tang Yuxiu dodged with a smile, "There’s still a method to eating this."

"Just change the chopsticks, don’t you deserve a beating!"

"Alright, alright, I was wrong. Let’s eat properly."

"Who exactly isn’t eating properly anymore."

Young Master Tang helplessly conceded, admitting fault himself, "Alright, it’s all my fault, eating like this and being so lively, aren’t you afraid of indigestion."

"Hmph, and you’re still talking!"

"Okay, I’ll be quiet." Young Master Tang served Gu Yan a bowl of pork bone soup, "You’re still too skinny, drink some soup."

Gu Yan picked it up, nodded, and took a few sips.

Gu Yan glanced at Tang Yuxiu across the table, wearing a satisfied smile, but her heart seemed to be tightly bound by countless vines, suffocating her.

Gu Yan lowered her eyes, clearly knowing this was their last dinner.

This night was also their last night.

Tang Yuxiu glanced at Gu Yan, who had suddenly fallen into silence, and continued eating quietly, without a word.

The atmosphere between the two became inexplicably oppressive.

After dinner, Gu Yan carefully cleaned the kitchen, while Tang Yuxiu remained in the living room watching the business news she found extremely dull.

Gu Yan held a cloth, repeatedly wiping the countertop, her mind drifting far away.

The last night...

She walked into the living room, looked at Tang Yuxiu, hesitated, and spoke, "I’m going up to take a shower. Don’t watch TV too late, come up and rest early."

Tang Yuxiu raised an eyebrow, "Yanyan, are you inviting me indirectly again?"

Gu Yan sneered, "Heh, big brother, you’re overthinking it again."

Gu Yan made a funny face at him and dashed upstairs.

The sound of a door closing came from upstairs, and Tang Yuxiu confirmed Gu Yan had gone into her room.

His gaze turned deep, staring at the box beneath the TV for a while, then got up and walked over to open it. The document folder inside lay quietly.

He reached out, wanting to see what was inside, but the moment he touched it, he abruptly withdrew his hand.

Why was his heart beating so fast? Why was there a sudden fear?

Tang Yuxiu clenched his hand, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and swiftly picked up the folder.

The contents slowly revealed themselves in front of him, those old newspaper clippings, those aging photos, and the detailed records...

Gu Changlin’s death at sea has other truths...

Gu Changlin... with the surname Gu...

The evidence shows that Tang Feng instructed the surviving crew to conspire to push Gu Changlin into the sea, falsely claiming he died in a maritime accident.

...

What do these things represent?

Tang Yuxiu forced himself to read every word.

He remembered when Tang Mubei asked him what he would do if he and Gu Yan became like Tang Mubei and Qiu Ye.

Back then, he thought, how could he and Gu Yan turn out like that?

But now, this documentation detailed exactly how he and Gu Yan became like them!

Lovers, eventually becoming enemies.

What could be more tragic than this?

Fate just loves to toy with people; both Tang Family members suffered the same fate.

Irony, a great irony!

Tang Yuxiu suddenly felt the light in his world, flickering several times, finally extinguished entirely by a heavy downpour.

His whole heart grew cold, chilling to the bone.

No wonder, today felt so off.

No wonder, she wandered to the mountaintop alone, lost in despair.

No wonder, she cried so heartbreakingly in his arms.

Yanyan, are you also mourning this fate of ours?

Yanyan, are you also pained by the truth of this matter? 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Yanyan, what should we do? What should you do?

Tang Yuxiu leaned powerlessly against the sofa, the documents scattered on the coffee table, he covered his eyes with his hand, preventing the tears from spilling out no matter how hard he tried.

...

Gu Yan came out after her shower, and the bedroom was still devoid of Tang Yuxiu, but she didn’t mind, moving to the balcony to lean on the railing, looking at the trees outside shrouded in darkness, starlight sprinkled through the gaps, casting fleeting, dreamlike spots.

This scenery, like her mood, oscillating between light and dark, but the dark had already invaded the light, leaving only a few struggling spots.

They didn’t want to become enemies, yet were not in control.

Gu Yan thought, on this last night, to get along peacefully, to part well.

Because after tonight, they could never return to the past, and the future, even if they could only be strangers, she didn’t want them both to live in the pain of hatred.

But at this moment, who can truly let go and move on?

After who knows how long, Tang Yuxiu gently pushed open the bedroom door and saw Gu Yan standing dazedly on the balcony.

His heart ached as he quickly walked over and embraced her from behind, letting her lean entirely into his arms, and letting the warmth from his body warm her up, as she had grown cold from standing in the cool wind on the balcony for so long.

In the silent night, two hearts that had gradually turned cold warmed each other.

For the last time, they warmed each other.

Tang Yuxiu rested his chin on Gu Yan’s shoulder. It seemed they were in a mutual understanding, with neither willing to break the tranquillity of the moment by speaking.

It was late in the night, and the wind turned colder.

Tang Yuxiu was wearing a bathrobe, his body still warm, while Gu Yan was dressed in thin pajamas. Even in Tang Yuxiu’s embrace, she did not feel very warm.

Tang Yuxiu loosened his hold on her slightly and said, "Let’s go inside."

Gu Yan nodded and followed him inside.

Tang Yuxiu closed the door and drew the curtains.

In the bedroom, Gu Yan had only turned on a bedside lamp. The light was soft.

Gu Yan lay on the bed, and Tang Yuxiu also lifted the covers, wrapping his arm around her neck and drawing her into his embrace.

Gu Yan was unusually compliant, without even a playful remark.

They both stared at a certain point, each with their own thoughts, neither speaking, in quiet, with only their breathing intimately intertwined.

After a long while, Gu Yan broke the silence.

"Tang Yuxiu, I remember the first time we met," Gu Yan’s voice was low, but clear enough for him to hear.

"Hmm?" Tang Yuxiu responded with a single syllable, sounding particularly tender as they lay embracing on the bed.

"I remember being in a hurry, having scheduled lunch with Xiang Lan, I was almost late, and I ran into you."

Back then, she had no idea about Young Master Tang’s widely known germophobia. Unwilling to concede, she forced him to take off his clothes, leaving him bare-chested.

"I’ve always been curious why you’d rather undress in public than put your clothes back on temporarily."

After a moment, Tang Yuxiu replied, "I don’t like settling. It’s better to have nothing than settle. Do you understand?"

Gu Yan was slightly stunned, as if reminded of something, and suddenly became silent.

Tang Yuxiu seemed to feel the change in her emotions and hugged her tighter.

Gu Yan felt a sense of peace, temporarily setting aside the sad and negative feelings inside her.

She slightly lifted her head, only able to see Tang Yuxiu’s chin, and voiced her complaint, "Tang Yuxiu, you actually despised me from the beginning."

The first time, he took off the clothes she had touched. The second time, she merely accidentally dirtied his shoes and socks, and he even took off his pants!

Gu Yan frowned, "You’re so mean and disdainful of me, why do I still like you?"

Hearing this, Tang Yuxiu coughed slightly, holding her calmly, "Yanyan, if I had known you would be mine today, I would have held you tight; I would never have despised you."

I would have found you early on, given you my best love, and ensured your lifelong happiness.

Never would have let you endure so much hardship.

Listening to Tang Yuxiu’s words, Gu Yan felt a warmth in her heart.

With his words, even in the long and lonely life to come without him, she felt comforted.

She would live without resentment, regret, or sorrow.

The love we once had was my greatest joy, my best memory.

Gu Yan wrapped her arms around his strong waist, resting her head on his chest, listening to his powerful heartbeats. Her gaze moved past his shoulder to the ornate door of the bathroom.

She spoke softly, "Tang Yuxiu, no matter where I am, no matter what happened between us, you must believe, I love you."

Very, very much.

Hearing her words, Tang Yuxiu suddenly felt a piercing pain in his heart, as though a massive stone was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe, leaving a sense of suffocation.

It felt like they were drowning, unable to grasp any driftwood, only able to cling tightly to each other to get through the end.

"Yanyan, I love you too."

Tang Yuxiu looked down, slightly pushing her away so their gazes could intertwine.

Tang Yuxiu’s eyes were deep, holding a hint of complexity that Gu Yan couldn’t see through.

Gu Yan realized she had never truly understood Tang Yuxiu.

You look at him, never knowing what he thinks, whether he’s sincere.

But she could feel his affection was real.

Such a wonderful Tang Yuxiu, and yet he fell in love with her.

This might be the greatest misfortune of his life.

If it had to be said who started it, it was undoubtedly she who first entangled him.

Unfortunately, it would still be her to end it.

In a mutual destructive way, as if both jade and stone burned together, ending in complete ruin!

Their eyes locked for a long time; Tang Yuxiu saw guilt and determination in her eyes.

His heart ached deeply, he lowered his head, and kissed her lips.

His kiss was hot and domineering, mixed with a hint of fear and determination.

Gu Yan responded actively, heatedly entangling with him.

Both seemed to have a strong desire to end only in death.

If it could end like this, wouldn’t it prove that they had never been apart?