Chapter 220: At The Mental Institution
Madame Gu’s heart raced as she hurriedly dialed the family lawyer’s number. She couldn’t shake the feeling of panic that engulfed her. With the family company crumbling and her husband’s potential imprisonment looming, she couldn’t see a way out of this mess. Gu Hua’s suggestion to contact Gu Liang seemed like the only ray of hope in the darkness that surrounded them.
"Mom, I think we really need to contact Gu Liang," Gu Hua urged, his voice tinged with urgency.
Madame Gu nodded frantically, her mind racing with possibilities. "Call her and tell her to come back home this instant," she instructed, her voice trembling with worry.
Gu Hua wasted no time and dialed Gu Liang’s number, his fingers shaking with apprehension. As the call connected, he blurted out, "Sis, you have to come back home. Dad has been arrested."
On the other end of the line, Shan Zitong’s voice sounded hesitant. "Gu Hua, this is Shan Zitong."
"Hey, Shan Zitong," Gu Hua replied, trying to contain his anxiety. "Will you please put Gu Liang on the line?"
Shan Zitong’s words hit Gu Hua like a punch to the gut, leaving him reeling with shock. "What happened, where is Gu Liang?" he demanded, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and confusion.
Madame Gu’s frown deepened, and she gestured for Gu Hua to put the phone on speaker, her heart pounding in her chest.
"You see, a few days ago, Gu Liang started having bad dreams," Shan Zitong began, her voice tinged with sorrow. "She said there were people coming for her. At first, I thought it was just nightmares because of the change in environment, but she started acting very strange. Two days ago, she chased one of the maids with a knife, calling her a ghost."
Madame Gu’s fury erupted like a volcano. "Where is my daughter, Shan Zitong?" she bellowed, her voice echoing with raw emotion.
Shan Zitong hesitated, her words coming out in a rush. "We had no choice," she confessed. "We sent her to a mental institution."
The news hit Madame Gu like a sledgehammer, shattering her world into a million pieces. Gu Liang, her beloved daughter, confined to a mental institution? It was unfathomable. How could this happen? Gu Liang had been fine when she left. How could she lose her mind so suddenly? The questions swirled in Madame Gu’s mind, each one more terrifying than the last.
Madame Gu’s voice trembled with desperation as she pleaded, "Shan Zitong, bring my daughter back to me, do you understand?"
But Shan Zitong’s response was cold and distant. "She’s at the hospital," he said dismissively. "Don’t worry, Madame Gu. I’ll make sure she gets all the help she needs. When you see her again, she’ll be back to her normal self. Got to go."
With that, Shan Zitong hung up, leaving Madame Gu and Gu Hua dumbstruck. The weight of the situation crashed down on Madame Gu, and she let out a shrill scream of frustration and anguish. Gu Liang, her precious daughter, trapped in a nightmare beyond her control.
Gu Hua’s brow furrowed with concern as he watched his mother’s distress. "Mom, something’s not right here," he ventured tentatively.
Madame Gu’s eyes flashed with determination as she clenched her fists. "The Shans did something to my baby girl," she declared, her voice dripping with venom. "I’ll get them, and I’ll make them pay."
With a heavy heart, Madame Gu retreated upstairs to her bedroom, leaving Gu Hua alone with his own swirling thoughts. The air hung heavy with uncertainty and foreboding, a storm brewing on the horizon.
Madame Gu’s voice quivered with anger and desperation as she dialed Li Yanyan’s number. When Li Yanyan picked up, her tone was mocking and condescending. "Oh, Rumeng, what do I owe this pleasure?" she sneered.
Cutting straight to the chase, Madame Gu didn’t mince words. "Cut it out," she snapped. "I know you did this. I know you’re the one behind everything my family is going through. What did you do to my daughter?"
Li Yanyan’s laughter was like ice, sending shivers down Madame Gu’s spine. "Rumeng, last time I checked, your daughter was in Beijing with her fiancé," she retorted coolly. "I’m still in Shanghai. You give me too much credit."
Madame Gu’s voice trembled with fury. "I know you very well," she spat. "You worked with the Shans, didn’t you? This is your way of getting revenge."
Li Yanyan’s response was chilling. "My revenge will be colder than what you are going through, Rumeng," she declared ominously before hanging up, leaving Madame Gu to grapple with her own fears and suspicions.
Madame Gu’s heart sank as she absorbed the news. Her carefully constructed world was crumbling around her. Li Yanyan’s revenge had struck harder than she ever could have imagined. With her daughter in a mental hospital in a far away city and her husband being arrested, Madame Gu felt like she was being suffocated by the weight of her troubles.
She dialed another number, hoping for a glimmer of hope, but the response dashed her last shred of optimism. "I can’t do it," the man’s voice crackled over the line. "Everything under your name has been frozen. All your assets. I can’t move the money for you."
"What did you say?" Madame Gu’s voice trembled with disbelief. The reality of their situation was sinking in fast. Her once powerful position now rendered impotent by Li Yanyan’s calculated moves.
As she hung up the phone, Madame Gu felt the world spin around her. She collapsed onto her bed, overwhelmed by despair and uncertainty. The future that once seemed so secure now lay in ruins before her, and she had no idea how to pick up the pieces.
Madame Gu sat on the edge of her bed, feeling the weight of the world bearing down on her. The walls of her once formidable fortress seemed to be closing in, suffocating her with their oppressive presence. She couldn’t shake the feeling that everything she had built was crumbling to dust right before her eyes.
With a heavy heart, she reflected on the choices that had brought her to this point. If only she could turn back time and rewrite the past. If only she could undo the damage caused by her family’s mistreatment of Li Chen, and mend the rift with Li Yanyan before it grew into a chasm of vengeance.
But time was a cruel master, and regrets were a burden she could ill afford. Madame Gu knew she had to face the consequences of her actions, no matter how painful they might be. She had to find a way to navigate the stormy seas ahead, to salvage what she could from the wreckage of her life.
As she sat there in the silence of her room, Madame Gu made a silent vow to herself. She would not let this defeat break her. She would find a way to rise from the ashes, to rebuild her shattered dreams, and to emerge stronger than ever before. For herself, for her family, and for the legacy she hoped to leave behind.
Gu Hua paced the living room, his mind buzzing with anxiety and determination. He dialed one number after another, desperately seeking anyone who could offer a glimmer of hope in their dire situation. With each unanswered call, the weight of their predicament pressed down on him like a suffocating blanket.
Despite his playful demeanor, Gu Hua could see through the facade of optimism that he often wore. He knew that their family was teetering on the brink of disaster, and he refused to stand idly by as their world crumbled around them. With steely resolve, he slipped on his coat and headed out into the chilly night.
The streets were deserted, bathed in the eerie glow of streetlights that flickered ominously in the darkness. But Gu Hua paid no heed to the eerie atmosphere; his focus was singular and unwavering. He had a meeting with Lawyer Si at the police station, and he was determined to do whatever it took to secure his father’s freedom.
As the car moved forward, Gu Hua couldn’t help but feel the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders. He knew that the road ahead would be fraught with challenges and obstacles, but he refused to be deterred.
