Madam Lu gave him a cool, warning glance.
Lu Jingyan ignored it. "I want to talk to Miss Gu."
Things had already reached this point; what more could Madam Lu say?
She knew what her son was about to say. If only this son of hers were truly that obedient, he would most likely be trying to talk the young woman into backing out.
Sighing heavily, Madam Lu maintained her composure. "It seems Jingyan wants to spend some time getting to know Qing'er better. In-laws, let's step outside first..."
When Ye Zhixue had called Madam Lu an in-law, she had been champing at the bit to climb into a higher social circle. But Madam Lu’s choice of words was a subtle reminder to Lu Jingyan not to harbor any illusions about changing the outcome.
Flattered and surprised, Ye Zhixue hadn't expected that even after Gu Qing told such a massive lie, Madam Lu would still let it slide.
She let out a joyful sound of assent and smiled. "Very well, the two young people certainly need some space to spend together."
She patted Gu Qing’s shoulder, her tone carrying a veiled warning. "Qing'er, remember to take good care of Jingyan. He is your fiancé now, after all."
Gu Qing lowered her head to take a sip of tea, a faint smile touching the corners of her lips.
She despised Ye Zhixue, but hearing that Lu Jingyan was her fiancé made her happy inside.
Once the two of them left, Lu Jingyan finally spoke.
"My legs are ruined. They'll be like this for the rest of my life."
His deep voice was cold, harsh, and raspy, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. The indifferent tone sounded rather merciless.
Yet Gu Qing understood that he was reminding her of the kind of man she was about to marry.
"Is that so? Anything else?" Gu Qing raised her head to look at him, her clear eyes as bright as a mirror.
Lu Jingyan paused.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he thought of those unspeakable matters, the darkness in his eyes nearly drowning him.
Even so, he tore open his own scars and spoke the truth.
"I am no longer a complete man. I cannot give you happiness, nor can I offer you a normal marriage."
His mother wanted to find him a companion not only to quell public opinion, but also to maintain the stability of the company.
Yet none of these reasons should be used to trap a woman in a marriage.
Marrying him was tantamount to ruining her own marriage and happiness.
He was already broken; there was no need to drag someone else down with him.
Gu Qing walked around the round table and stopped right in front of him.
With his current condition, Lu Jingyan had to look up at everyone.
Instead, Gu Qing slowly crouched down in front of him, gazing up into his eyes.
Ever since the car accident, this was the first time Lu Jingyan didn't have to look up at someone.
"May I touch your legs?" Gu Qing asked.
Her question was sincere, her clear eyes pure and simple, untainted by a single speck of dust.
It was as if she were not asking a disabled man paralyzed from the waist down, but simply communicating with a normal person.
She was unlike anyone else, who tiptoed around trying not to touch his scars.
Ever since the car accident, everyone in the family looked at him with eyes full of pity and regret.
Though they said nothing, their gazes constantly reminded him: *Lu Jingyan, you are already a cripple. Aside from being unable to walk, you aren't even a normal man.*
As everyone knew, paraplegia was frequently accompanied by sexual dysfunction, and he was one such case.
Rumors had long been circulating outside, speculating whether he was still capable of performing as a man.
When those kinds of rumors corresponded to a reality, the resulting pain was more suffocating than a sharp blade piercing the heart.
Lu Jingyan’s pitch-black eyes were like an abyss as he stared at Gu Qing. "Do you know what you're saying?"
Gu Qing nodded, her gaze remaining calm. "I do."
Before this, they had never met, yet Lu Jingyan felt a familiar sensation emanating from her.
He couldn't quite put his finger on that feeling.
Subconsciously, he agreed.
"Alright."
Finally receiving his permission, a gentle smile bloomed in the depths of Gu Qing's eyes.
Lu Jingyan momentarily lost his focus.
Gu Qing's fingers had already touched his legs. Lu Jingyan could see it, but his legs possessed no sensation whatsoever.
He watched as her slender fingers started from his knees, inching slowly upward.
To an ordinary person, it might have seemed like she was flirting with him.
Yet Lu Jingyan was no ordinary person; he was a paralyzed cripple devoid of all sensation.
Gu Qing’s fingers lingered on his thigh, tapping lightly, as she looked up and asked, "Can you feel this?"
Lu Jingyan shook his head.
Gu Qing's fingers continued upward. Seeing that they were already reaching the upper part of his thigh, Lu Jingyan instinctively grabbed her hand.
"What are you doing?"
His tone carried a sharp edge.
Gu Qing gave a soft smile and let her hand be pulled away from his thigh in cooperation with his movement.
"Lu Jingyan, I want to help you."
"Help me?" Lu Jingyan gave a cynical laugh. "Help me with what?"
"Help cure your legs."
Those words exploded like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day.
Her expression was far too earnest, making Lu Jingyan feel that while the notion was absurd, a baffling and inexplicable sense of expectation nonetheless stirred within him.
Recovering his senses, Lu Jingyan laughed bitterly at himself.
Countless renowned physicians had examined his condition and declared themselves helpless, yet here he was, harboring expectations toward a woman he had just met.
"Do you have any idea how much damage a joke like this causes to a disabled person?"
Even if she despised him, it would have been gentler than a joke like this.
Lu Jingyan held her hand and slowly pushed it away.
"I am serious." Gu Qing had come to Beicheng entirely for Lu Jingyan's sake; she had no intention of giving up halfway.
Lu Jingyan looked at her coldly. "Then may I know why you want to help me? And on what grounds do you think you can?"
Gu Qing hesitated for a fleeting moment. In truth, she had already realized that Lu Jingyan had forgotten her.
"Do you not remember what happened in American Chinatown?"
Lu Jingyan was certain he had never seen Gu Qing before.
She was very beautiful, the kind of woman whose presence would instantly draw everyone's gaze in a crowd. If he had ever seen her, it was impossible that he wouldn't retain the slightest impression of her.
He slowly shook his head. "I've been to Chinatown many times, but I've never seen you."
So it was indeed like that.
Gu Qing sighed. Perhaps it had something to do with his recent car accident.
Since she didn't know the specifics of his condition yet, she could only make a decision after examining him.
Of course. How else could he have forgotten her?
No matter how forgetful someone was, they wouldn't forget what the person they once pursued looked like—unless they had lost their memories.
And amnesia was currently the most likely explanation for his behavior.
"Lu Jingyan, I'm not certain of your condition right now. Once I've reviewed your medical records, I'll give you a definitive answer. But... can you please not be in such a hurry to push me away?"
Lu Jingyan looked at her, remaining silent for a long time.
Meeting those eyes of hers that seemed capable of peering straight into one's soul, Lu Jingyan—who had always been decisive when rejecting people—hesitated for the very first time.
After a long silence, the words slipped out of his mouth: "Alright."
A moment later, he added, "As long as you cure my legs, I can give the Gu family everything you want. But my condition isn't suitable for marriage. Marrying me will only mean living as a widow in all but name."
Gu Qing froze for a fraction of a second, then, thinking of something, instinctively glanced down toward his trousers. "You..."
That single glance made Lu Jingyan feel wretched and ashamed. Meeting her clear eyes, he even felt an urge to flee in panic.