The Billionaire's New Wife in Chief
Chapter 189 - 106: Thank You for Not Marrying Me That Day

Chapter 189: Chapter 106: Thank You for Not Marrying Me That Day

Gu Linyuan’s eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing Song Qiao’s words. A myriad of emotions flickered through his gaze, unpredictable and hard to pin down.

Regretful to the point of being inconsolable, despondent, heartbroken, sad, and even perplexed.

Song Qiao faced Gu Linyuan sideways, her gaze drifting to the lotus flowers in the lake before them, oblivious to the turmoil in Gu Linyuan’s eyes. Speaking in an indifferent tone, she said, "I heard you’re preparing for an engagement too, is that right? Congratulations."

There was a sense of resignation and a hint of amusement in the woman’s voice, none of the sorrow that should have been there immediately after a breakup.

Indeed, it had been such a long time since they parted ways, and now that she was married to another man, albeit a lingering sentiment for Gu Linyuan still existed within her.

After all, they had been together for a long time, and this man was her first love.

Everyone says first love is the hardest to forget, the easiest to give your true feelings to, and often, the most hurtful.

This saying couldn’t be more accurate.

The hand holding his jacket unconsciously tightened, hints of veins visible on his hand, his lips tightly pursed and his jaw clenched, as if struggling to suppress the emotions within. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "I’m not preparing to get engaged."

Who said he was getting engaged?

He had never thought about getting engaged to anyone, okay?

Song Qiao suddenly turned around to face Gu Linyuan directly, surprise etched on her face. She awkwardly pulled at her long hair and forced a smile, "It seems I remembered wrong. I thought you were about to get engaged."

Speaking of Song Xi, she hadn’t seen that woman in a long while either.

As her half-sister from the same father but different mothers, Song Qiao always felt that she must have owed that mother and daughter something in her past life, for their lives to be so entangled in this one.

Especially Song Xi, who not only took away her rightful identity but also her father’s love that should have been hers.

As for her father, Song Qiao had long given up any expectations. Too many disappointments meant no longer daring to hold onto hope.

Gu Linyuan stood there, observing the girl within arm’s reach who could easily be touched, yet she seemed so distant to him.

Confusion suddenly took hold of him as he wondered what exactly had led him and Song Qiao to this juncture.

Neither of them said anything for a while, and Song Qiao blinked at the man before her, then smiled, "You were looking for me today because you had something to say, right? Whatever it is, say it quickly. I haven’t had lunch yet, and Jingchen is waiting for me."

’Jingchen’—such an intimate way of addressing someone.

It felt like a jab to his heart, and Gu Linyuan experienced a sharp, prickling pain, his throat going dry. After struggling for a while, he found his voice again, "Xiao Qiao, if I had been honest with you about everything back then, would we still be together?"

In truth, there was nothing between him and Yun Wei.

It was all just an arrangement by the family, what they referred to as a strategic marriage alliance.

Many might have assumed he and Yun Wei were a couple, but that wasn’t the case.

Ever since the incident in the mall parking lot when he ran into Song Qiao and Ning Wan, he had cut off all ties with Yun Wei.

Song Qiao was momentarily stunned by Gu Linyuan’s words, unable to grasp the meaning behind them right away. She blinked and remained silent.

Gu Linyuan took a step forward, reaching out to grasp Song Qiao’s arm. He took a deep breath and continued, "Xiao Qiao, if I hadn’t hidden the truth about Yun Wei from you, would you have stayed with me? And... I’ve never really been with Yun Wei. It was all the family’s planning. I’ve cut off all contact with her now. Xiao Qiao, would you still be with me?"

He felt he had been living in a fog these past days, as if in a chaotic world where the future was obscured and the past out of reach.

His mind was filled with moments from the past when he and Song Qiao were together, only to realize that over the years, this girl had taken over his life without him even noticing.

He had thought about taking this girl back, and hearing that she was already married felt like being struck on the head with a blunt object, the pain nearly knocking him unconscious, almost causing him to lose his sanity.

But if she still had feelings for him, even if she was already married, there was still hope, wasn’t there?

Her arm was gripped by Gu Linyuan, with quite some strength and a bit of pain, which inadvertently made her furrow her brows and speak out directly, "Gu Linyuan, we’re already a thing of the past, I’m married now."

"Song Qiao, do you still like me?" Gu Linyuan, however, looked fixedly at the girl in front of him, his gaze firm, not moving.

The pain from her arm made Song Qiao’s brow furrow even deeper. Looking at the handsome face of the man she once liked so much, she bit her lip and shook her head, stating a fact, "I’m married now."

"Heh." Gu Linyuan let out a bitter laugh, but still didn’t let go of her hand, and murmured, "Is it that, if those things hadn’t happened back then, you wouldn’t have married him?"

His voice was very low, as if he were talking to himself. In fact, he didn’t necessarily need to know the answer; he simply wanted to ask the question that had troubled him for a while.

Yet, he still wanted to know if things really were that way, would Song Qiao still be his?

Gu Linyuan suddenly felt a profound regret, wondering why he hadn’t treasured the girl in front of him back then.

"Linyuan," Song Qiao suddenly called out Gu Linyuan’s name, just like they used to when they were dating, only using those two syllables. She lifted her head to look at the man before her and pronounced each word clearly, "What’s between us is really in the past now, there are no ’ifs’ in this world."

"Young Master Gu, what are you doing grabbing my wife’s hand like that?" Just at this moment, a deep voice with a hint of indifference sounded from not far from the two of them.

Song Qiao and Gu Linyuan both looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a tall, handsome man walking straight towards them, a mocking smile on his face, yet somehow cold; his tall figure standing just a few steps away from the two, cast in the shadow of the overhead sun.

"Didn’t you hear what she said? There are no ’ifs’ in this world, Young Master Gu." The deep voice carried a faint mocking tone. In the blink of an eye, the man had already walked right up to them and reached out to pull the girl who Gu Linyuan was holding into his own embrace.

Song Qiao felt herself bump into a broad chest, the close contact allowing her to clearly sense a hint of cold air exuding from the man.

Looking up slightly, she raised her head in surprise to look at that exceptionally handsome face, carved as if by the gods, her voice carrying a hint of warmth and confusion, "How did you come down here?"

With a faint smile on his handsome face, Lu Jingchen looked down at Song Qiao, his voice still relatively gentle, "Yeah, I came down to pick you up for lunch, Shinian is hungry."

At this very moment, sitting obediently in Lu Jingchen’s Bentley Mulsanne, Mu Shinian couldn’t help but sneeze suddenly, rubbing his nose and even wondering if it was because the air conditioning in the car had made him catch a cold, considering whether to turn it off.

Song Qiao responded with an "Oh," a smile also appearing on her face, "Then let’s go, I’m quite hungry too."

"Good." Eventually, a deeply meaningful smile spread across the man’s face. He nodded, reached out to encircle her waist, and the two intimately, with him kissing her forehead, asked, "What do you want to eat?"

Song Qiao thought for a moment, then exhaled two words, "Anything’s fine."

Gu Linyuan watched the two in front of him acting intimately, and in a moment, his heart felt as if it were being pricked by countless needles, so painful that he even started to feel dizzy.

"Young Master Gu." Lu Jingchen glanced up, looking directly at Gu Linyuan before him, whose complexion was turning from pale to ashen. His lips slightly curled, he started to speak indifferently, "Would you like to join us for lunch? Song Qiao and I haven’t been married long, and I haven’t yet thanked Young Master Gu for not choosing to be with Song Qiao back then, allowing me the fortune to have her."

What is meant by killing without seeing blood, Lu Jingchen before him was just that.

Bringing up what shouldn’t be mentioned.

Knowing full well that what hurts Gu Linyuan the most now is not being able to have Song Qiao, yet Lu Jingchen had this air of ’thank you for your grace of not marrying her back then, allowing me to marry such a wonderful girl,’" that arrogant demeanor, just begging to be punched.

The gazes of the two men clashed directly as if sparks were colliding without any noise, a silent battle commenced.

However, Gu Linyuan’s complexion didn’t look so good, as he pursed his lips thinly, "No need."

Then, he looked down at Song Qiao in the man’s arms, a slight smile on his face, whispering, "Song Qiao, I’m heading back first."

Song Qiao blinked and nodded, "Okay."

Song Qiao watched as Gu Linyuan left without turning back, not speaking again.

Until that figure disappeared from view, Lu Jingchen looked down at the girl in his arms who suddenly wore a distressed expression, his face darkened, and the next second, he reached out to grip her chin and, before Song Qiao could react, backed her against a tall tree by the lakeside, bending down to plant a heavy kiss on her lips.

Song Qiao’s eyes widened, trying desperately to struggle free, her voice trembling, indistinct yet very clear, "Lu Jingchen."