Chapter 39
Chapter 39
“I’ll go upstairs first,” Gu Ci said as she hurriedly left the racetrack, leaving behind those words. Lu Zhiyuan’s face turned dark, and Li Jiang walked over, secretly wondering, “That was too intense. Third Young Master’s lips are bitten so hard they’re bleeding and he’s still not satisfied?”
“Third Young Master, why did you tie your jacket around your waist?” Li Jiang asked.
“Where did you come up with so many questions?” Lu Zhiyuan walked briskly towards the rest area and threw out a command, “Turn off that damn music!”
“A sexually frustrated man is indeed not to be trifled with,” Li Jiang shook his head and sighed.
As Gu Ci went upstairs, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was flushed, her lips were bitten, and her hair was in disarray. She had the appearance of someone who had just been kissed passionately. She hurriedly tidied herself up, fearing that she would be seen by Gu Ziyu. She thought he would be in the computer room, but to her surprise, he was cooking.
“Mom, what happened to your mouth?” Gu Ziyu furrowed his small brows.
Gu Ci touched her lip corner. “I got a frostbite eating a popsicle.”
Gu Ziyu, with a serious expression, said, “Mom, be more careful next time.”
Gu Ci thought of their impatient and ravenous devouring of each other with Lu Zhiyuan, and her ears almost dripping with blood. “Oh, okay.”
She was covered in sweat, so she quickly took a shower and changed her clothes. Just as she finished, she received a call from Jiang Junlin. “Gu Ci, how are you and Gu Ziyu doing? Did you encounter any trouble?”
“We’re back home, it was just a minor issue,” Gu Ci didn’t know how to explain the incident with the Ministry of State Security taking them away, but fortunately, Jiang Junlin didn’t inquire further.
“Both Gu Group and Lu Man have sent notifications. If you’re not satisfied, brother will acquire Gu Group and give it to you,” Jiang Junlin casually mentioned, as if asking her if she wanted to have dinner.
Gu Ci calmly replied, “I don’t want Gu Group.”
She wanted to personally seek revenge for her grievances and didn’t need Jiang Junlin to intervene.
“Okay, if you have any needs, let me know,” Jiang Junlin paused for a moment. “Let’s find a time to have a meal at home, alright?”
Gu Ci remembered the attitude of Old Lady Jiang towards Gu Chuyun and herself. “Let’s make another appointment.”
“Sure!” Neither of them was fond of small talk. Jiang Junlin wanted to have a longer conversation with her, but they were still too unfamiliar with each other, and there was nothing to talk about. He reluctantly hung up the phone.
Gu Ci had no interest in reading the statements from Gu Group and Lu Man. Combined with the video of Gu Chuyun, it would surely cause a sensation. She became overnight famous, pitied by countless people, the epitome of a Cinderella. Lu Man even forbade her from playing the violin, so she could only practice secretly. Jiang Junlin hired a talented writer to craft a short story that helped cleanse her reputation and control public opinion.
Zhou Li: Talent cannot be hidden. Despite being forbidden to play the violin from a young age, Gu Ci is still the violin champion, surpassing my abilities.
He spoke out, suspecting him of riding on the trend for attention, but Zhou Li didn’t care. He was a pure musician, unaffected by others’ comments. The one whose image collapsed overnight was Gu Chuyun.
Director Cai also seized this wave of attention and, with Jiang Junlin’s tacit approval, extended another invitation to Gu Ci.
Gu Ci politely declined.
After the incident involving Gu Chuyun, no matter how well she performed, she would be labeled as the little princess of Hualan Bank. Even if she made it to the finals, others would criticize her for being given special treatment, deeming her victory unfair. She didn’t want to wade into that muddy water, and Director Cai had approached her with a trial mentality in the first place. Being rejected didn’t disappoint him; instead, it earned him more respect for Gu Ci.
She had a complex heart which was a rare encounter.
Gu Ci licked the wound on her lip and went to find Gu Ziyu. He was in the study, staring fixedly at the almost overlapping red dots on the screen. Gu Ci entered without him noticing.
“Mom…”
“What are you looking at?”
Gu Ziyu pointed at the red dots on the screen. “Him!”
Gu Ci pulled a chair and sat next to him, gently rubbing her son’s short hair. “Meeting a worthy opponent means there will be plenty of opportunities for you to face him in the future.”
“I’ve been thinking about who he is, and it bothers me,” Gu Ziyu said slowly. His soul was not that of a six-year-old child. Gu Ziyu had a relentless determination to achieve his goals. “Since I haven’t encountered a true rival yet, I must defeat him.”
“Do you want to join the Ministry of State Security because of him?” Gu Ci knew that Gu Ziyu wanted to prove his glory, to show that he was the king in this field.
In Gu Ziyu’s clear eyes, there was a hint of shyness, an unusual sense of embarrassment. “No!”
He wanted to join the Ministry of State Security because he wanted to see the pride in his mother’s eyes. He knew that his mother would be proud of him for becoming a member of the Ministry of State Security. So, for his mother’s gaze, he would become her source of pride.
“He is from Black Hawk. I have always considered Black Hawk as something within my grasp. If they cannot be controlled by me anymore, if they become my enemies, then I will confront them relentlessly,” Gu Ziyu’s eyes flickered with ambition. “Mom, I have realized that being his enemy excites me more than being his teammate.”
Gu Ci remained silent.
I don’t fully understand the ambition you and your father share to conquer the world from a young age. It seems that both of you have always possessed a burning desire for greatness.
As the evening lights cast their gentle glow, upstairs in the study, Lijiang cautiously carried a tray of dinner. Lu Zhiyuan was deeply engrossed in his work, poring over documents and tending to his tasks with unwavering focus. His posture exuded an air of authority, his presence commanding, with only a slight trace of injury on his lip.
“Have you reviewed the dossier on Gu Ziyu?” Lu Zhiyuan suddenly inquired.
“Yes, I have,” responded Lijiang, responsible for conducting investigations and thus familiar with the contents. It was an ordinary document, unremarkable at first glance, but Lu Zhiyuan’s dissatisfaction was palpable.
Lu Zhiyuan tapped his fingers lightly on the file he was perusing, his tone calm but laced with an underlying sense of trepidation. He remarked, “Is this the extent of the information you were able to procure? What purpose do I serve in keeping you around?”
Lijiang felt a cold sweat instantly forming on his forehead. “Lijiang, are you thinking of quitting? It’s becoming your catchphrase,” Lu Zhiyuan’s words seemed to have lost their impact on him. However, if those words were uttered at a different time, by the same person, Lijiang would have almost knelt down in response.
“Sir, we couldn’t find any information on the young master. He seemed to have appeared out of thin air,” Lijiang defended himself. Lu Zhiyuan must have conducted online searches and found no useful information, which led him to involve Lijiang. Even after another thorough investigation, Lijiang couldn’t find any relevant data. “Miss Gu Ci must know who he is. From my observations, the young master only cares about her and no one else. They share a strong bond, almost like a mother-son relationship.”
“If that’s the case, then bring Gu Ci here…”
“Sir?” Lijiang’s face turned red, and he felt on the verge of tears. The implication was that they would bring Gu Ci in for interrogation. “Have you asked Young Master Lu Zhiyuan about it?”
A sharp gaze from Lu Zhiyuan pierced through Lijiang, and he fell to his knees. “Sir, please reconsider.”
If anything were to happen to Miss Gu Ci under your watch, my head would be on the line.
“Sir… I can’t help but notice the striking resemblance between the young master and you,” Lijiang wiped his sweat. “If he were five or six years older, I would suspect that he is your son.”
Truly, their presence and aura are uncannily similar.