Chapter 31: Warmth

“Why has the traffic been backed up this whole time?”

Gao Hongzhi stared at the endless, unmoving stream of cars, his brow furrowing involuntarily.

He had originally planned to drive to the Old Factory District where Gu Yebai lived within thirty minutes.

But not long after the car left the hotel chain, the speed gradually slowed down until it was completely trapped in the congestion.

“Looks like there was a car accident up ahead,” a driver from a large truck next to them shouted as he poked his head out.

“Tsk, isn’t that the truth! A motorcycle was flying down the road. One man and one woman were thrown right off. They were gone on the spot!”

“The scene was truly unbearable to look at. Their faces were shredded by the gravel on the road. It was a hideous way to die…”

“Who told them to ride that motorcycle so fast? I say people like that get what’s coming to them. If nothing happened at noon, it was bound to happen sooner or later!”

“Damn, I thought the traffic was caused by a Levin or a Corolla!”

Fragmented and piercing discussions kept pouring in through the half-open window.

The car moved forward a short distance again.

In the distance, police lights and ambulance lights flashed alternately, looking particularly jarring in the gray, cold winter day.

Gao Hongzhi glanced at the road conditions.

The vehicles were connected bumper to bumper, and the road was completely blocked.

“Let’s take a detour.”

The roads were slippery in winter, and yet they were riding a motorcycle with no regard for their lives.

Two young lives were ruined just like that.

Gao Hongzhi gripped the steering wheel, his heart tightening.

It was a bit of bad luck.

In the future, as Gu Yebai’s father, no matter what, he couldn’t let that child touch such things.

He turned the steering wheel steadily.

The front of the car pivoted.

Gao Hongzhi chose a longer but safer route to Gu Yebai’s home.

“Hongyi, I’m afraid your meeting with Little Gu will have to be postponed for another ten minutes or so.”

“It’s okay, Dad,” Gao Hongyi responded softly.

She lowered her eyelashes, her fingertips tightening unconsciously.

However, her exquisite side profile was illuminated by the cold light outside the window, revealing a distinct flush.

It wasn’t shyness.

It was more like an emotional leak after being pushed to the limit, something she couldn’t hide even if she tried.

She had indeed come dressed in her best today.

It wasn’t just casual refinement.

Rather, it was almost solemn, as if she were about to walk into a ball she had rehearsed countless times in her heart.

Ultimately, Gao Hongyi had chosen a deep red, low-cut evening gown from Versace.

The deep V-neck line was sharp and bold.

The high slit and close-fitting cut outlined her figure without ambiguity.

With every slight breath she took, her womanly chest rose and fell slightly.

The hem of the skirt swayed gently by her knees.

Those long, fair, and beautiful legs flickered in and out of sight beneath the dark red fabric.

On her feet was a pair of silver studded high heels from Valentino.

The hard, cold metal reflected fragmented light inside the car.

It was a stark contrast to her previous style of dressing, which leaned toward being dignified and elegant.

This time, she clearly didn’t intend to just be someone to be admired.

She wanted something deeper.

She had become a beautiful opportunist.

This went far beyond the scope of a typical “first-meeting outfit.”

This was prepared for Gu Yebai.

It was a suit of armor used to declare her sovereignty.

“If it’s you, Hongyi, you can definitely do it.”

Ya Xinyao gently patted her daughter’s slender shoulder.

“Do your best.”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely do my best…”

In her world, only that one person remained.

Closing her eyes, she could see Gu Yebai’s face.

From now on, it was impossible for her to miss him again.

The Volvo continued forward.

Following the navigation’s guidance, it didn’t take long to leave the more prosperous streets.

Gao Hongyi rested her chin on her hand.

This entire journey might have been a path Gu Yebai had walked before.

That supermarket—he must have gone there too.

The snow-covered park not far away might have also held his footprints.

Scenes flashed before her eyes.

She imagined the traces Gu Yebai had left in this city when he was still a child.

Her heart couldn’t help but feel a twinge of bitterness.

‘If only I could have met him earlier. If only I could have been a part of his life. If I could have given him a sufficient sense of security and something to rely on when he was at his most vulnerable… how wonderful would that have been?’

When his parents were diagnosed with terminal illnesses, he must have been so desperate.

Yet, he had never once shown his vulnerability online.

When she urged him to update, he would always brush it off with a simple, “I’ve been busy with work lately.”

He clearly could have told her everything.

He could have told her the pain of parting, his loneliness, and his frustration.

“Cough… cough cough.”

At some point, the air had begun to sting her throat.

Every breath carried a stale, choking smell.

It was like dust that had been repeatedly stained by time, sticking to the lungs and refusing to go away.

This was Wangjiang District.

Local people were more accustomed to calling it the Old Factory District.

Once, this was the most densely populated area for coal processing plants.

Towering chimneys breathed out thick black smoke day and night.

The roar of machines almost drowned out human voices.

Now, the resources had long been exploited to exhaustion.

All that remained was a shell forgotten by the times.

The streets were empty and long.

No pedestrians could be seen on the road.

Along the way, it was rare to see even a decent supermarket.

It was currently 7:00 PM, but there was no bustle of people getting off work, nor were there the lights that should have been present at dinner time.

The residential buildings on both sides were mostly pitch black, making it impossible to tell if the residents had gone to sleep early or if no one lived there at all.

The Volvo moved slowly through this darkness.

Gao Hongyi’s heart sank little by little.

She thought she had been mentally prepared.

But when she actually stepped into this area, she realized that poor conditions on paper and the desolation within reach in reality were not the same thing at all.

This didn’t look like a place where a young person should live.

Even more so, it didn’t look like a place that had been treated kindly by fate.

And Gu Yebai’s home was right in the middle of this cold silence.

As the distance shortened, the emotions in her chest grew heavier.

It wasn’t nervousness, but a kind of heartache that she couldn’t express no matter what.

She had already cried twice for Gu Yebai.

Both times had come without warning, and she hadn’t even had time to react.

She really didn’t want to cry anymore—at least not now.

Especially not at the very moment she was about to see him.

But some thoughts refused to let her go.

It was in a place like this—in such a quiet, dilapidated corner that seemed forgotten by the world—that Gu Yebai sat down alone and wrote those words that had accompanied her out of the darkness.

Those sentences were so gentle they didn’t seem to have grown out of reality.

Those emotions should have been properly cherished.

‘I really… want to hold you so tightly.’

This thought surfaced gently in her heart.

There was no sound, yet it made her chest tighten.

Gao Hongyi subconsciously pulled her shoulders together.

She felt cold.

This evening gown was indeed thin for winter.

But the heater was clearly on in the car, and the temperature was just right.

She suddenly understood.

It wasn’t her body that was cold, but the chill spreading from the bottom of her heart.

No matter how much heat there was, it couldn’t fill the void.

Only the presence of one person could offset all of this.

Only Gu Yebai could truly make her feel warm.

She vowed in her heart that she would definitely become Gu Yebai’s only source of warmth.