Chapter 5

Having been accustomed to Su Ge's gentle and calm demeanor, this was the first time he saw her in a flustered state, looking like a frightened kitten.

Gu Beixian found it novel, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he teased her, "You came in on your own, I can't push you out."

Su Ge's ears turned red, "Impossible."

He laughed even harder, "Next time I'll record it on my phone, so you can't deny it."

Su Ge was mortified, quickly turning her back and grabbing a shirt from the bedside table to put on.

In her panic, she didn't even notice that she had buttoned it wrong.

Watching her slender figure rustle as she dressed, what came to Gu Beixian's mind was her appearance in her sleep the night before.

She had curled up into a tiny ball, trembling as if she had had a terrifying dream.

He had held her in his arms, patting and soothing her, but she had mumbled "Brother Yao" with her eyes closed.

He couldn't remember how many times this had happened. How much must she love someone to be so unforgettable?

He had sent people to investigate "Brother Yao" for a long time, but found nothing.

When he asked her last time, she had avoided answering.

Not speaking was an insult to him; speaking would be an even greater insult.

The smile on his face disappeared completely. Gu Beixian put on his watch and said casually, "I might be back very late tonight, find an excuse for Grandma."

Su Ge's hand paused as she buttoned her shirt.

She knew he would be going to the hospital to accompany Chu Suosuo.

She felt humiliated, almost to the point of tears, her heart aching as if pierced by needles.

After a long while, she finally spoke, "I'll try to persuade Grandma about the divorce, I'm sorry for the trouble."

Gu Beixian looked at her meaningfully, "You've been troubled too."

After breakfast, the driver from the old house took Su Ge to the antique shop.

She was busy all day.

When it was time to leave, Su Ge received a call from the driver: "Madam, my car was hit by a drunk driver, and I have to wait for the police to handle it. Can you take a taxi back?"

"Sure."

Su Ge, with her bag on her back, walked out of the antique street.

As she turned a corner, two men caught up to her and blocked her path.

One of them, a tall and thin man, spoke, "Are you Su Ge? Please come with us."

Su Ge warily sized up the two men. They were in their late twenties, wearing sunglasses at night, acting suspiciously, and giving off a faint earthy smell.

She panicked and asked, "Where to?"

The tall and thin man said, "We need you to help restore an ancient painting. Don't worry, we have no ill intentions, and we will pay the market price."

Su Ge relaxed a bit, "Bring the painting to my shop."

The other man, a bald one, frowned and said, "Why waste time talking? Just take her."

Hearing this, Su Ge ran.

She didn't get far before the bald man grabbed her arm and dragged her into a black car parked by the roadside.

The car started.

The tall and thin man rummaged through her bag and found her phone, saying, "Call your family and tell them you're going out with friends for a few days, so they don't worry."

Su Ge instinctively wanted to call Gu Beixian, but then thought he would be at the hospital with Chu Suosuo and wouldn't have time for her. She decided to call her mother instead.

She had the tall and thin man find her mother's number.

When the call connected, Su Ge said, "Mom, I'm going out with friends for a few days. You have diabetes, remember to take your medication on time..."

Before she could finish, the tall and thin man took the phone and turned it off.

He took out a black cloth and blindfolded her.

The car seemed to drive for a very long time before finally stopping.

Su Ge was led into an old, small building.

They climbed the stairs to the third floor.

The door opened to reveal a large red table in the middle, with a safe on it.

The tall and thin man opened the safe and took out the painting.

The painting was about one and a half meters long, very old, and severely damaged, with many parts missing and needing restoration.

Su Ge stared at the painting carefully. The style was deep and elegant, rich and vibrant.

The painting depicted towering peaks, majestic and beautiful, with undulating mountains and winding ridges. The forest was dense, and a few thatched cottages were faintly visible in the mountain hollow, with a hermit sitting on a bed inside.

She recognized it as a hermitage painting by Wang Meng, one of the "Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty."

Wang Meng's most expensive painting had once been auctioned for 400 million yuan.

If this painting were restored, it would start at tens of millions, no wonder these two had taken such a risk to bring her here.

They didn't bring it to the shop for restoration but had her come to their place, indicating that the painting was likely stolen or dug up from an ancient tomb.

The tall and thin man asked, "Miss Su, how long will it take to restore this painting?"

"The painting is large, severely damaged, and many parts are missing. It will take at least half a month."

"Good. Write down what tools and materials you need, and we'll prepare them."

Su Ge took a pen and wrote down the materials, handing them over.

The tall and thin man took them and said, "We'll go prepare. You rest well."

Su Ge nodded.

The two men left, locking the door from the outside with a "click."

Su Ge looked around the room.

The room had a bathroom, a bed, a table, a chair, and food, clearly prepared in advance.

Outside the window, a continuous range of mountains was visible, the scenery desolate and unfamiliar, with a few scattered lights, indicating they were far from the city.

Her stomach growled with hunger, so Su Ge took a pack of instant noodles, ate a few bites, drank some water, and after washing up, went to bed.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, but she couldn't sleep.

She wondered if Gu Beixian would be worried about her disappearance.

Probably not.

His eyes were only on Chu Suosuo, and he was likely still at the hospital with her.

Thinking of Chu Suosuo's suicide and Gu Beixian's frantic rush to the hospital, Su Ge felt as if her heart was filled with stones, aching painfully.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep until the middle of the night.

She got up to use the bathroom and suddenly heard some commotion outside.

She pressed her ear to the door and heard the tall and thin man shout, "Baldy, what are you doing?"

Baldy lowered his voice, "Can't sleep, came to check if the girl is behaving. Do you think a little girl can restore our painting? We can't afford to ruin a painting worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. The boss will be angry."

"The boss has checked. Her grandfather is the 'Master Restorer' Su Wengmai, who taught her from a young age. There are rumors that many of the paintings he restored later were actually done by her."

"That's a relief." Baldy chuckled, "The girl is so pretty, don't you have any thoughts?"

The tall and thin man scolded, "Put away your dirty thoughts. The painting is more important. Once it's sold, you'll have plenty of money to find women."

"Women you pay for are used by thousands. Can they compare to her? After she finishes the painting, can I have my way with her? She's so beautiful, so white and tender, with big, watery eyes, making me itch all over."

The tall and thin man paused, "Fine. But don't touch her until the painting is finished."

"Got it."

Su Ge was disgusted.

They were truly a bunch of scoundrels!

Listening to them walk away, she tried to pull the door handle, but it was locked, and she had no tools to break it.

She went to the window and looked down. It was the third floor, and the ground below was concrete. Jumping out was not an option.

Besides, there was a large wolf dog in the yard. If she ran, the dog would bark.

She could only hope for help from the outside.

On the way, when the tall and thin man had her call her mother, she had reminded her to take her diabetes medication, a hint that she was in danger, as her mother didn't actually have diabetes.

Would her mother understand?

The next day, Su Ge started cleaning the painting, then removing the backing.

She worked for three days, and as the deadline for finishing the painting approached, she became increasingly anxious.

She couldn't sleep well at night, hearing Baldy's footsteps pacing outside her door several times.

One night, just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a dog barking and hurried footsteps outside.

Su Ge jumped up and started putting on her clothes.

The door creaked open, and the tall and thin man rushed in, grabbing her wrist and pulling her out, while Baldy collected the painting.

Just as they reached the door, a group of people rushed up the stairs.

The leader was a tall, handsome man in black, with deep, intense eyes—Gu Beixian. Behind him were a group of well-equipped police officers.

Su Ge's heart surged with joy, almost unable to believe her eyes. She stared at the man and asked in a trembling voice, "Is it really you? Beixian."

"It's me." Gu Beixian took a big step forward, and the tall and thin man pulled her toward the window.

Before Su Ge could react, a knife was pressed to her neck.

The tall and thin man held the knife to her neck and shouted at the police, "Drop your guns! Back off! Or I'll kill her!"

The knife cut into her skin, causing her to see stars and hear ringing in her ears.

Gu Beixian's fists clenched instantly, his eyes red with anger as he stared at her. "Drop your guns! Everyone out!"

The police exchanged a glance with him, then bent down to put their guns on the ground and step back.

Baldy kicked the guns to the corner.

The tall and thin man pushed Su Ge onto the windowsill, "Jump!"

Su Ge clung to the window frame with both hands, afraid to jump. It was the third floor, and jumping would likely result in serious injury or death.

"Jump! You won't die!" The tall and thin man, losing patience, grabbed her arm and jumped.

In a flash, a gunshot rang out, and a scream echoed through the night!