Gu Beixian's complexion darkened even further. He picked up his phone and called the bodyguard protecting Su Huan, 'Why isn't Su Huan here?' The bodyguard replied respectfully, 'The young madam said that we've been guarding her for so many days and were tired, so she gave us a two-day leave to rest, claiming it was your wish.' Gu Beixian's lips twitched as if he wanted to smile but didn't; the usually docile and well-behaved woman had actually started to falsify orders. He asked coldly, 'Where did she go?' Sensing his displeasure, the bodyguard cautiously replied, 'The young madam didn't say.' Gu Beixian hung up and dialed the number for Auntie Liu, only to find her phone was also off. Frowning, he instructed his assistant, 'Go check the surveillance.' 'Okay, President Gu,' the assistant immediately led people to the hospital's surveillance room. Ten minutes later, the assistant called back, 'President Gu, all surveillance footage that could show the young madam has been deliberately deleted.' Gu Beixian's grip on the phone tightened, almost deforming it. After pondering for a moment, he stood up and headed to the Department of Nephrology. He arrived at the ward of Su Huan's grandmother, knocked on the door, and entered. Su Peilan was just pulling the blanket over the old lady. Seeing Gu Beixian, she lifted her eyelids and asked indifferently, 'What do you need?' Gu Beixian said calmly, 'Mother, Su Huan has been discharged from the hospital. Do you know where she went?' Su Peilan just laughed, 'You're her husband, and you don't know where she is, so how would I?' 'She has misunderstood me and ran off in a huff. It's dangerous for a young girl with injuries to wander around. Please tell me where she is, and I'll go find her.'

His words were polite, yet there was an undertone of command in his tone. That kind of superior attitude was innate. Su Peilan, though seemingly rough, was perceptive and picked up on it. She pulled up a chair to sit down, crossed her legs, and started cracking sunflower seeds, her demeanor a mix of indifference and perfunctory, as she said, 'You were in poor health and had a bad temper those two years, so difficult to attend to. Even my daughter didn't run away. She worked for you day and night, wholeheartedly. And now she's gone. She must have suffered a great deal to leave.' Gu Beixian's gaze was profound, his lips pressed shut in silence. Su Peilan laughed at herself, 'Indeed, in your eyes, my daughter is just a nanny. Now that your leg is better and you don't need a nanny anymore, naturally, you don't want her.' Gu Beixian's lips curved slightly, 'I never treated her as a nanny.' Su Peilan gave him a look, 'Don't just say nice things. If you want her, be faithful to her; if not, divorce her cleanly. My girl is beautiful, good-tempered, smart, and has excellent skills. She's only twenty-three after the divorce, what kind of young man can't she find? There are plenty of divorces nowadays, it's no big deal at all.' Gu Beixian's mouth was raised in a smile, but the humor didn't reach his eyes as he said coolly and indifferently, 'You're busy, I'll go look for her again.' He turned and left. The door closed with a loud noise. Su Peilan clicked her tongue twice and said to the old lady dozing off in the hospital bed, 'Mom, look at his temper. I just said a few words to him, and he got angry and slammed the door. Xiaohuan must have suffered a lot of grievances behind his back.'

The old lady stirred her eyelids but didn't speak. 'Back when she got married, those relatives all laughed at me behind my back, saying I sold my daughter to a cripple for money. Finally, when he was able to stand up, I thought Xiaohuan's good days had come, but unexpectedly, he became restless again. A marriage between unequal social statuses is looked down upon, open to being bullied and degraded at will.' Su Peilan turned her back and secretly wiped the corner of her eye. The old lady sighed and said slowly, 'It's my fault that I've held her back.' 'Mom, don't say that, it's all my fault for not being capable,' Su Peilan's throat felt sore. Next, Gu Beixian led people to search every place that Su Huan could have gone to, but they found nothing even into the deep night. In the middle of the night, lying on the bed in the bedroom, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. After much thought, he suddenly thought of a place. He immediately got dressed, took people with him, and rushed there overnight, heading to Su Village. Su Village was located at the foot of Su Mountain, the hometown of Su Huan's maternal grandfather. Su Huan grew up there since she was a child. After a long journey, they arrived at Su Village in the early morning, around three or four o'clock. Gu Beixian got out of the car, pushed the courtyard gate, but it didn't budge. Su Huan should be asleep at this time, and he didn't want to wake her, so he opened the car door, reclined the seat, lay down in the car, and closed his eyes for a nap. After all the turmoil, he was extremely tired, and once he closed his eyes, he fell asleep. When he opened his eyes again, it was already daylight. Gu Beixian opened the car door and got out. The bodyguard hurried over and said, 'President Gu, there are people talking in the yard, and it sounds very much like the young mistress's voice.'

Gu Beixian nodded slightly and walked to the courtyard gate, pushing it open directly. This time, the door opened. With a glance, he saw that the courtyard was very large. It had been uninhabited for a long time, with weeds growing in the corners. In the eastern corner, there was a pear tree blooming with splendid flowers, and beneath it sat a gentle and serene woman. A white long-knit sweater enveloped her slender figure, her black hair was graceful, her skin was snow-white, her features were delicate, and her lips held a faint smile. As the wind blew, the snow-white pear blossoms fluttered down onto the woman's hair. She was as beautiful as a painting. Next to her, a tall man wearing a light blue shirt was bending down to apply medicine to her hand. The two chatted and laughed softly, unaware that someone had come in. The woman was Su Huan, whom he had been searching for from daylight to darkness. The man was Shen Huai, the young master of the Gu Bao Zhai and a doctor. Gu Beixian's expression changed, a kind of indescribable sternness, with a hint of self-mockery at the corner of his lips, he looked at the two with a cool detachment. After a long while, he suppressed his anger and said, 'Su Huan, why didn't you tell me when you came to Grandpa's house?' Su Huan seemed to notice him for the first time, looking over from a distance, her voice without a ripple said, 'You are too busy, I didn't want to disturb you.' She changed 'you' to 'you', creating distance from him. Shen Huai turned to look, a hint of surprise in his eyes, and smiled, 'Cousin, you're here? Come in.' Gu Beixian swept him a cold glance and walked towards Su Huan. Coming to her, he looked down at her, the corners of his lips curling up, but there was no trace of laughter in his eyes, 'I've been looking for you since noon yesterday, until now.'

“You needn't have gone to such lengths,” Su Huan said with a cold and distant smile, her dark eyes flashing with a stubborn resilience. “That day, Suo Suo got out of bed to go to the bathroom and almost fell when she got off the bed. I helped her up. Her lipstick smeared onto my shirt, but I didn't notice it at the time and only discovered it when I was taking off my clothes in the evening.” “There's no need for you to explain to me,” Su Huan said with a somewhat perfunctory tone. She felt disgusted listening to these details, instinctively resisting them. This time she left without saying goodbye because her emotions had reached a certain level, not just because of the lipstick stain. After three years of marriage, they had treated each other with respect, and she didn't want to argue with him, but she was really annoyed inside, so she had to leave, out of sight, out of mind. Gu Beixian paused for a moment, then said, “Suo Suo's hand was smashed by someone called A Yao with a hammer. She was already severely depressed, and this injury added insult to injury. Fearing that she might commit suicide again, I went to see her several more times.” Su Huan was silent for a long while, then slowly stood up and said, “Please come with me.”

Gu Beixian uttered a faint 'Hmm' and followed. The two left the gate, one after the other, heading towards the back of the village. All along the way were rural dirt roads, and with the strong spring winds, dust swirled in the air. After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at a willow forest. The willow trees were thick and lush, their slender branches swaying chaotically in the wind, and beneath them were dense mounds of graves. Even in broad daylight, this place felt eerily cold, with a temperature noticeably lower than elsewhere. From time to time, one or two crows flew overhead, emitting mournful cries. Su Huan felt no fear at all, winding her way to a small, old grave, standing still, staring at the mound, her gaze gradually becoming as heavy and painful as water. After a long while, she said softly, 'A Yao is here.'