The CEO's Fiery Quest to Win Back Her Heart

Gu Mian's heart ached to the point of suffocation as she clutched at Li Tingshen's trouser leg and pleaded, "Tingshen, I'm begging you to help me negotiate with the prison. My grandmother just passed away, and I need to stay to hold a vigil for her and deal with the aftermath."

Li Tingshen frowned, "A place like prison is not something you can negotiate with using money. I know you're heartbroken, but think before you speak."

"Didn't I think?" Gu Mian looked up at him, "I've been in jail for eleven months, and four times I was taken out of prison to give blood transfusions to Yin Luoxue, wasn't it all because you paid to make it happen? Why can't you now?"

"It's not the same."

"How is it not the same?" Gu Mian continued to plead through her grief, "I know that in your heart, no one is as important as Yin Luoxue, but we must respect the dead. My grandmother raised me. I wasn't by her side to fulfill my filial duties before she died, so holding a vigil is the least I must do. I can't let her depart this world all alone without anyone to see her off, can I? Tingshen, I'm begging you."

"Don't you still have an uncle? I'll also help, and make sure your grandmother leaves this world with dignity."

"This isn't about money." Gu Mian's tears simply would not stop, "The person is gone; spending a fortune on her funeral means nothing. I just want to see her off one last time. Tingshen, as long as you agree, in the future, no matter how much blood you want me to give to Yin Luoxue, I will!"

"You think giving blood is your bargaining chip, to be used as a condition for negotiation?" Li Tingshen looked down on her from his height, his voice cold as eternal snow, "Gu Mian, you owe Luoxue, if it wasn't for you, she wouldn't be in a wheelchair."

Gu Mian closed her eyes in pain.

One year earlier, Yin Luoxue had fallen down the stairs, damaging her spine and ending up paralyzed from the waist down, and falsely accused Gu Mian of pushing her.

No one in the Li Family believed Gu Mian. There was no surveillance footage, no witnesses, and she was unable to prove her innocence.

In the end, her husband Li Tingshen told her, "Gu Mian, Luoxue is so grief-stricken she doesn't want to keep living. If you don't accept the legal punishment, she will never let this go. Causing disability through injury can lead to three to ten years in prison, but Luoxue is merciful, she only asks that you serve one year as a small punishment with a major lesson."

Gu Mian could only laugh at the absurdity.

Of course, she was unwilling and requested the police to investigate.

But at that moment, Yin Luoxue produced a video, which showed Gu Mian pushing Yin Luoxue down the stairs, sealing her fate.

She would never forget the way the Li Family looked at her when the video was played.

Disgust, hatred, as if sharing the same air with her was dirty…

...

In the end, Gu Mian was still taken back to prison by Li Tingshen's bodyguards.

Due to excessive blood loss and extreme grief, she lay in bed for two whole days.

It wasn't until the third day, in the prison's activity room, that she saw a news report on television about Yin Luoxue's birthday party.

The CEO of the Li Corporation spared no expense, spending a billion to celebrate his beloved's birthday.

In the footage, Yin Luoxue, although confined to a wheelchair, couldn't hide her ethereal beauty.

Li Tingshen stood by Yin Luoxue, tenderly looking after her as she ate.

They were indeed a beautifully matched pair of talents.

Gu Mian wept like rain.

Today was her grandmother's funeral, and he had promised to help take care of it. Yet at this moment, he was celebrating the birthday of his beloved.

At this very moment, Gu Mian finally understood.

It turns out that no matter what you do for someone who doesn't love you, it is impossible to elicit even a bit of response.

Gu Mian harbored a secret in her heart—she had loved Li Tingshen for ten years.

He once seemed out of her reach, like a deity, while she was just the most unnoticeable commoner among the masses.

They were two people who, like parallel lines, would never cross paths, but a car accident changed their destinies.

Three years ago, Li Tingshen was severely injured in a car accident and became comatose.

The Li Family searched for renowned doctors to no avail.

Old Madam Li, who believed in feng shui, suggested that they marry off Li Tingshen in a rush to turn his luck.

Yin Luoxue, to whom he had been betrothed, was suddenly kidnapped at this juncture.

With the auspicious wedding day fast approaching, Old Madam Li had no choice but to find another girl whose eight-character birthdate matched his, and stumbled upon Gu Mian, who was working part-time as a nurse in the Li household.

As an exchange, Gu Mian's sick grandmother could be admitted into a hospital under the Li Corporation for free treatment.

The Li Family's hospital was among the top in the country, with costs so high that ordinary people could never afford them.

Gu Mian agreed without much hesitation.

But no one knew that she agreed not only for her grandmother but also to fulfill her own love.

Because prior to that, she had already loved Li Tingshen for seven whole years, to the point where even if he never woke up again, she was willing to stay and take care of him.

A month later, Li Tingshen miraculously woke up.

Upon learning that he was married off in a rush, Li Tingshen flew into a rage and immediately proposed divorce.

However, when he accidentally learned that Gu Mian was a rare "Panda Blood" type, he surprisingly stopped mentioning divorce.

From then on, Gu Mian became Yin Luoxue's portable blood bank.

For the sake of Li Tingshen's happiness, Gu Mian never complained.

During those two years, she took good care of him, cared for his family, and strove to be a good wife, until she was framed and imprisoned.

Ten years, a full ten years had passed.

Her purest love and most selfless dedication were all given to Li Tingshen, but what did she get in return?

In his eyes and heart, there was only Yin Luoxue, and he looked down on her with indifference.

Perhaps she was wrong; she shouldn't have been so naïve as to fantasize that one day he would shift his gaze from Yin Luoxue and notice her.

...

On the day Gu Mian was released from prison, it started to rain.

No one came to pick her up, and after switching buses several times to return to Yunyue Bay where Li Tingshen lived, she was soaked through.

She unlocked the fingerprint lock to enter, and was met with the sight of Li Tingshen descending the stairs.

Compared to the impeccably dressed Li Tingshen, Gu Mian was a mess at that moment.

Seeing her, surprise flickered in Li Tingshen's eyes, "Why are you back?"

Gu Mian's fingertips trembled slightly as she spoke softly, "I got released today after serving my time."

"Sorry, I forgot." Li Tingshen paused before her for two seconds, "You should rest well. I'm going out for a bit."

"Tingshen." Gu Mian called out to him, "I have something to say to you."

Li Tingshen glanced at his watch, "I'm in a hurry. Whatever it is, we can talk when I get back."

As they passed by each other, Gu Mian reached out to grab the sleeve of his suit jacket, "Just one sentence."

Li Tingshen stopped walking reluctanly, impatience showing on his strikingly handsome face, "Speak."

Gu Mian looked at his sharply defined perfect profile, a faint smile on her face, yet her voice was remarkably firm, "Tingshen, let's get a divorce."

Li Tingshen was stunned, turned to look at her, and asked in confusion, "Just because I didn't come to fetch you from prison, you want a divorce?"

"It's not for that reason." Gu Mian forced a smile, "I really want to divorce you. Whenever you're free, let's go finalize the divorce procedures."

"Gu Mian, I don't have the time or the mood to deal with your drama right now." The man's expression darkened as he pushed her hand away, "Go take a shower and sober up a bit."

After Li Tingshen left through the door, Gu Mian stood still, absently staring into the void.

Was she not sober enough?

No, she was very sober.

She had never been this clear-headed before.

...

Gu Mian went upstairs to run a bath, and picked up her charged phone to turn it on.

After a month, she received numerous messages on WeChat, but not a single one from Li Tingshen.

Gu Mian casually scrolled through her Moments, her finger suddenly froze on the screen the next second!

Minutes ago, Yin Luoxue had posted a new Moment: "Accompaniment is the longest confession of love."

The photo showed her and Li Tingshen in a selfie, where the man was peeling an apple while looking down, and Yin Luoxue faced the camera, her smile blooming like a flower.