Song Er was required to rest at home for a week before she finally returned to school. She was able to walk normally by then, but to avoid affecting future performances, her teachers were very lenient with their requirements for her professional classes for the past week.
Carrie eventually found out about Song Er twisting her ankle. Despite the time difference between the two places, she woke Song Er up in the middle of the night and scolded her over the phone. Sometimes, she really admired Carrie, who always maintained the image of a proper English aristocratic lady, and even when she was privately scolding people, the string of words that she could spew out without thinking was a live textbook on how to scold in a civilized and elegant English way.
Knowing that arguing was useless, Song Er could only assent gloomily and accept Carrie's various criticisms and lessons.
Besides her accidental injury, the entire Gu family also began to get busy preparing for Old Lady Gu's birthday at the end of the month. This was a major event for the Gu family every year. On one hand, most of the guests who came to celebrate were old friends and long-term business partners of the Gu family, and on the other hand, it was also a rare gathering for all the relatives of the Gu family.
However, whenever this time came around, Song Er would start to get a headache. She was not good at giving gifts. The gifts she brought back were a result of her thinking for more than half a year to piece together all sorts of things. As for everyone's birthdays, for the first three years, Gu Lixing helped her with ideas, and for the next three years, when she was abroad, it was basically all Carrie's suggestions.
Now, it was impossible to ask Gu Lixing, and Carrie was far away and still angry. Gu Cheng said that whatever she gave would show her heartfelt intentions, and as for Gu Ye, she herself was worried about this matter.
After her morning class, Song Er came out of the dance studio and ran into Su Xie, who had also just finished classes.
"Are you rested?" Su Xie looked at her ankle.
Song Er nodded. To prove it, she deliberately jumped a few times. "See, I'm perfectly fine."
Su Xie laughed lightly in a helpless manner and told her to stop. "Take it easy. Be careful that Carrie doesn't fly over from England to beat you up."
Song Er stuck out her tongue guiltily and didn't continue. After a while, her mind drifted to the gift again. Su Xie saw that she seemed to be troubled by something, so he asked, "What's wrong? Something on your mind?"
"Huh?" Song Er looked up in surprise and realized what Su Xie was referring to. She didn't hide it. "Great-grandmother is having her birthday soon, but I still haven't figured out what to get her."
Su Xie had heard a little about this but didn't pay much attention to it since it had nothing to do with him. Now that Song Er brought it up, he had some recollection.
"Do you need my help?" Su Xie asked.
Song Er's eyes immediately lit up. "Would you be willing to help me?"
It was obvious that Su Xie couldn't say no now, especially since the other person was looking at him with a face full of anticipation.
"I'll think of something."
With Su Xie's promise, Song Er was so happy that she immediately wanted to rush over and hug him. When she realized it wasn't appropriate, she could only smile and bow deeply. "I don't have enough to repay such a great favor."
Su Xie saw through her little trick and exposed her without being polite. "You clearly just don't want to repay me."
Song Er was about to argue for herself when Gu Cheng's call came, asking her if her classes were over.
The Gu family's house was in the Jingshan Villa area, located halfway up Jingshan. That whole area was basically for wealthy families, so there was no need for buses. When she went to classes, a driver would either take her, or she would hitch a ride with Gu Cheng.
Song Er gave him the address. After she finished her chat with Su Xie and parted ways with him, Gu Cheng's car arrived right after.
"Was Mr. Su just leaving classes?" Gu Cheng glanced in the direction Su Xie left and asked Song Er.
"I think so. Anyway, even if he doesn't have classes, he's basically always at school. The music department is saying that Su Xie's time on campus is completely in an effort to win the 'Most Responsible Teacher' award at the end of the semester."
Song Er shrugged and slightly lowered her seat back, planning to rest for a while. It was impossible not to be tired after a morning of professional classes. Although the teacher had been considerate of her leg, which had just healed, and didn't have too many requirements for her, it didn't mean that she would relax her own requirements.
"Does it really not affect you?" Gu Cheng was still a little worried about her foot.
Song Er heard this question almost every day. Knowing that Gu Cheng was concerned about her, she patiently explained, "Don't worry. I'm a ballet champion. My body isn't that fragile."
Gu Cheng was finally relieved and then thought of something. "My dad asked me to go to the company for a bit, and I don't know how long it'll take. But Uncle has to go on a last-minute business trip and has to go home to pack his luggage. Can you take his car back later?"
Song Er was already feeling sleepy and assented gloomily without asking any further questions. However, her expression paused for a moment when she heard Gu Lixing's name.
She used to go to the Gu Corporation quite often. At that time, Gu Lixing had just started working at the company. He would almost run to the company whenever he had free time, doing everything himself, big or small. But she had homework and exams to complete, and when she couldn't find Gu Lixing at home, she could only go to the company to look for him. Over time, whenever she went there, even Han Xun's greeting would change to, "Came to hand in your homework again?"
Gu Cheng arranged for her to stay in the lounge, sent someone to notify Gu Lixing, and then went to find Gu Mingjing.
After a while, Han Xun came, holding a cup of coffee, and told her, "Mr. Gu is in a meeting. If you're bored, you can walk around, but don't go too far."
It was a completely formulaic speech, as if she were just a temporary visitor.
Han Xun and Gu Lixing had always had a good relationship, and his relationship with her was not too bad before, but since she returned to the country, Han Xun's attitude towards her had been so cold and distant, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.
"Han Xun..." Song Er subconsciously called out to him.
"Is there anything else?" Han Xun turned back and asked.
On the contrary, Song Er didn't know what to ask for a moment. In the end, she could only shake her head. "No, it's nothing."
When Gu Lixing came over, Song Er was playing "Candy Crush Saga" to p the time. She had already finished the coffee, which was clearly to her liking. She hadn't touched the snacks on the table, which were originally intended for visitors. How could they accurately cater to her preferences?
"Let's go."
Song Er heard the sound and quickly stuffed her phone into her bag, following Gu Lixing.
After getting into the car, she sat properly in the passenger seat, her head down, not daring to make a sound.
"Grandma's birthday is coming up."
Finally, Gu Lixing was the first to break the silence.
"Mhm, at the end of this month." She also tried her best to answer calmly.
"It won't affect your performance then, right?" Gu Lixing's gaze swept over her legs and feet.
So it was about this. When everyone first suggested that Old Lady Gu not go to the theater to watch the performance, Song Er, to coax her, said that she would dance for her alone on her birthday this year. But later, no one was as stubborn as Old Lady Gu, and this matter was forgotten. She didn't expect him to still remember it.
"It won't affect me."
"Can you change the song to 'Jasmine Flower'?" Gu Lixing asked.
"'Jasmine Flower'?"
"I heard it was Grandma's favorite song when she was young."
In this regard, Gu Lixing was always very thoughtful. The gifts he gave to Old Lady Gu were always something he had put a lot of effort into finding. Even if the old lady didn't seem to appreciate it, he would still do it every year.
In that case, Song Er couldn't refuse. However, she would have to put some thought into the choreography. Fortunately, this was not a difficult task for her.
When Gu Lixing saw that she had agreed, he didn't say anything more.
As the birthday approached, after multiple conversations between her and Su Xie, the gift was finally decided on. It was a brooch, unique and delicate, from a well-known designer. When Su Xie showed her many options, she was immediately drawn to this one.
The moment she saw the brooch, she knew Old Lady Gu would love it. Su Xie also told her that he had pushed back the performances he had previously agreed to for her, as he was worried that her foot injury had just healed.
Song Er didn't have much of an opinion on this. The performances were originally just to build good relationships with various theater troupes, and her foot injury was indeed a perfect excuse that couldn't be refuted. She was happy to have a few days off.
However, she wasn't idle during this time. Since she had agreed to the performance for Old Lady Gu, she still had to put some effort into it. Gu Lixing hadn't aasked about it again since he made the suggestion at that time.
Gu Cheng noticed her behavior after a few days. After finding out the reason, he helped her keep it a secret, treating it as a surprise for Old Lady Gu.
Days passed, and on the day of the birthday banquet, Song Er didn't go with the Gu family. Instead, she went with her uncle, Li Chongming. They hadn't seen each other for a while.
The two of them met at the agreed-upon dress shop. Song Er had a good figure to begin with, so she didn't have to try too hard. Basically, if she liked it, it was sure to be a good fit. However, Li Chongming had already arranged for someone to notify the shop in advance. The assistant brought them the new arrivals for the season, a pink, short dress that didn't have too many complicated decorations but perfectly complemented Song Er's aura, a blend of gentle and lively.
"How have you and Gu Cheng been getting along lately?"
Li Chongming asked as he tried on his suit, turning to look at Song Er. His tone didn't have much fluctuation, as if he were asking an assistant for a work update.
Song Er was stunned for a moment, and then answered with an expressionless face, "It's fine."
"Then when are you two planning to get engaged?"
Song Er was a little surprised why Li Chongming cared so much about this. She still answered nonchalantly, "Since it's going to happen sooner or later, there's no need to rush."
"Since it's going to happen sooner or later, there's no problem with having a ceremony. It's better to do it sooner rather than later," Li Chongming argued. Song Er had no desire to argue with him about this. The other person was probably worried about some variables. She understood and didn't feel the need to make a big deal out of it. "I know. We'll consider it."
After that, the two of them chatted casually about family matters. It was mostly Li Chongming asking questions, and she honestly answered, all the way to the Gu family's house.
There were many people present at the Gu family's house today. Family friends and relatives were all there. When they arrived, the Gu family's house was already bustling.
Song Er got out of the car and happened to run into Jiang Jingjing. It had to be said that sometimes, meeting an adversary was a kind of destiny, but since it was Old Lady Gu's birthday today, no one had any intention of starting a fight.
However, when she saw Gu Lixing and Jiang Jingjing get out of the same car, she felt a little unpleasant. It seemed that Gu Lixing had specifically gone to pick her up.
She had clearly told herself to try her best not to care about Gu Lixing, but she was still so fragile. These melancholic thoughts seemed to remind her that she had always cared.
Gu Lixing greeted Li Chongming and then took Jiang Jingjing inside. When they parted ways, Li Chongming couldn't help but sigh. "Gu Lixing's methods are truly impressive."
Song Er knew what he was referring to. The two families should have been at each other's throats because of the engagement, but Gu Lixing had mediated between them, not only cleverly resolving the conflict but also making the collaboration between the two families even closer.
Gu Ye stood at the entrance and ran over when she saw her. "Sister Xiao Er, you look so pretty. My brother should hide you." She was wearing a white dress, looking lively and adorable. Even the small hair clips on her head were perfectly arranged. It was obvious that someone had carefully selected them for her.
"You must have honey on your lips to be so sweet," Song Er said, tapping her nose.
After a few sentences, Gu Ye was called away by her friends. Song Er had nothing to do, so she found a seat. However, her gaze couldn't help but fall on Jiang Jingjing and Gu Lixing.
It was no surprise. Jiang Jingjing was wearing a red dress tonight, with her slightly curly hair casually flowing behind her. With her outstanding temperament, she was always the most dazzling one in the crowd.
There was still some time until the banquet. She didn't like to socialize, and with Jiang Jingjing flying around in front of her, she stayed for a while and then, when no one was looking, went to the garden to get some fresh air.
When she got to the garden, she found that there were people there too. Song Er didn't pay much attention to it at first and planned to walk around them. After all, the garden wasn't a forbidden area, and it was not uncommon for one or two people to be there.
But when she heard what they were saying, she couldn't take another step.
"Congratulations, I heard that Mr. Li has closed another big deal recently," it was Gu Mingjing's voice.
"It's not a big deal. It's just something that Mr. Gu wouldn't bother with."
Uncle?
"I knew from the incident six years ago that Mr. Li is a bold person who can see the big picture and is practical."
"That's also because of Mr. Gu's great help back then."
"Mr. Li is truly impressive. But there are some things that, since they have led to a collaboration between the two families, it's a win-win situation."
...
Song Er's expression changed multiple times, and the hand holding the hem of her skirt was clenched tightly. Six years ago, the year her parents died in an accident, had Li Chongming already known Gu Mingjing back then? But if she remembered correctly, Li Chongming and Gu Mingjing only started to have associations after she moved into the Gu family's house.
After these things went through her mind, some terrifying thoughts emerged from her heart.
Was the shipwreck accident back then really just an accident? What was the incident they were talking about?
She had also doubted the accident back then. Her parents had planned to go out to sea, and if it hadn't been for a last-minute rehearsal, she would have gone with them. The police said that the yacht sank due to a faulty operation, but Song Er knew that her father had specifically learned how to drive a yacht, and it wasn't the first time he had gone out to sea, and it was in a safe area. Even if it had suddenly rained, such an accident shouldn't have happened.
Thinking this, Song Er suddenly felt like her heart was being squeezed into a ball, and she felt a little uncomfortable. The conversation over there had already moved on to other things, but she was frozen in place, not knowing what to do, until her hand was suddenly grabbed by someone.
Song Er looked up in surprise and saw Gu Lixing's cold profile. His tall figure took her away from there without looking back.
"How much did you hear?"
After they avoided the crowd, Gu Lixing finally let go of her hand. His probing eyes stayed on her face, as if he wanted to see through her.
Song Er deliberately fidgeted with her hair and pretended to be calm, but her voice still trembled uncontrollably. "The banquet is about to start, so I'll go change."
Gu Lixing looked at her panicked retreating figure, his expression serious. He finally strode to follow her.
"Are you sure you can do it now?"
Song Er came out after changing her clothes and saw Gu Lixing waiting at the door, his expression looking a little complex.
Song Er nodded. "I can."
"Song Er..." Gu Lixing grabbed her arm. He clearly didn't believe her words.
Song Er stubbornly looked up and met Gu Lixing's gaze. "Today is Great-grandmother's birthday."
This silenced Gu Lixing. But he was still a little worried and didn't know how to comfort her. In the end, he could only say, "After the performance, I'll wait for you in your room."
The performance was a surprise for today's birthday banquet. Aside from them and the relevant staff, no one knew about it in advance. When the lights in the hall suddenly went out, it caused a small commotion until the light on the stage came on, and Song Er appeared.
This was certainly not as good as the effect of a theater, but because it was Song Er, she immediately attracted everyone's attention as soon as she went on stage.
As she had said before, the performance went flawlessly. Every movement, every spin, and every jump was so perfect that no one could tell that she was troubled by something.
Compared to everyone's admiration, only Gu Lixing's face was gloomy. He only finally breathed a sigh of relief when the entire performance was over.
Old Lady Gu obviously loved this surprise. She was helped by Shu Le and went up to Song Er as soon as the performance ended.
Song Er timely took out the gift she had prepared. "Happy birthday, Great-grandmother."
Congratulatory voices arrived one after another. Song Er took the opportunity to leave the crowd. After a moment of hesitation, she finally walked towards her room.
Gu Lixing was indeed waiting for her inside. When he saw her come, he didn't rush to speak. Instead, after a long period of silence, he slowly said, "I knew you would eventually find out."
"You knew a long time ago, right?" Song Er asked.
She remembered how Gu Lixing had made an excuse to ask her out that day, but in the end, he had only inexplicably told her that Gu Cheng and Li Chongming couldn't be trusted. It turned out that he had already intended to mention it.
"Why didn't you say anything in the end?"
"Would you have believed me if I did?" Gu Lixing countered.
That's right. With their relationship at the time, even if Gu Lixing had thrown the evidence in front of her, she would probably have suspected that it was faked. How could she believe such absurd claims?
She agreed with this point.
"How much do you know?" she asked.
"I don't have a lot of information yet, and most of it is just speculation. After all, so many years have psed, and it's difficult to find evidence. But I can confirm that the matter is definitely not as simple as it seems."
He had accidentally stumbled upon the matter years ago and gradually pieced it together. He had been looking for evidence all these years, but there hadn't been much progress. They had cleaned up the aaftermath very well, and after so much time, any evidence that existed had long been erased.
"So my parents' death might not have been an accident, right?" Song Er aasked, clearly mustering all her courage.
Gu Lixing was rarely hesitant. He looked at Song Er and finally nodded. "Yes."
Song Er took a deep breath, trying hard to control her emotions. Finally, she said to Gu Lixing, "Thank you. I want to be alone for a while."
Gu Lixing knew that she needed time to digest this, so he didn't stay. Before leaving, he held her hand and said seriously, "I'll always be here."
When Gu Lixing went downstairs, he heard Old Lady Gu asking where Song Er had suddenly disappeared to.
"Song Er said she wasn't feeling well and went back to her room," Gu Lixing lied without a change in his expression. This excuse wasn't clever, but there was nothing wrong with it.
Old Lady Gu immediately told Aunt Zhou to go check on her.
Gu Cheng only found out about this when the banquet was almost over. However, he was with Gu Mingjing at the time, greeting a few of Gu Corporation's business partners, and couldn't get away.
He didn't find a chance to look for Song Er until the entire banquet was over.
"What's wrong? Why did you suddenly feel unwell?" Gu Cheng pushed the door open and rushed to Song Er, grabbing her and examining her from head to toe with a worried look.
Song Er was still in the same position as when Gu Lixing left. When she saw Gu Cheng, she slightly raised her head. The cruel reality she had accepted was now being shattered in a different way, which suddenly made her feel a little lost. She even began to doubt what was real.
She collected her thoughts and met Gu Cheng's anxious gaze. To make Gu Lixing's lie believable, she went along with it and explained, "I suddenly got a headache. I came up to rest for a bit, and I'm a lot better now."
"Are you really a lot better?" Gu Cheng clearly didn't believe her.
"I'm probably just hungry. I didn't eat much for dinner," Song Er made up a random excuse. Anyway, she was indeed a little hungry now.
Gu Cheng was finally relieved and immediately went downstairs to tell Aunt Zhou to make some food and bring it up.
Looking at Gu Cheng like this, Song Er felt even more uncomfortable. What she had heard, combined with Gu Lixing's answer, meant that the matter must be related to Gu Mingjing. So what about Gu Cheng? How was she supposed to face him?
She didn't know who to believe. Even though her heart had already leaned towards Gu Lixing, this moment made her a little doubtful.
Thinking back to Gu Lixing's words, it seemed that even Li Chongming was involved. So who could she still trust?
It had been raining continuously in Xuchuan for the past few days, as if it was reflecting Song Er's mood. Although she told herself not to overthink it, she still decided to figure out the reason behind it.
This matter was closely related to her, and she absolutely couldn't let it go without an explanation. Besides, it concerned her parents. How could she stand by and do nothing?
She secretly went to a detective. If the accident back then wasn't an accident, then what exactly happened? Perhaps, she wanted to prove that it was all just them overthinking things.
The person she found clearly didn't have a lot of ability. The things he could investigate were basically what she already knew, except for one thing--
"There's something I think I should tell you. The yacht that was in the accident was manufactured by the Gu Corporation."
"Gu Corporation?" Song Er was also very surprised.
"That's right, the Gu Corporation that everyone in Xuchuan knows."
Song Er suddenly felt a chill all over her body and couldn't react for a moment, until the person on the other end asked if she wanted to continue the investigation.
"No, thank you." After a moment of hesitation, she refused the other party. If even the Gu Corporation was involved, things must be very complicated.
But if the Gu Corporation was really involved, then what should she do? Now, she ate and lived at the Gu family's house. Everything she said and did was related to the Gu family. She was even preparing to get engaged to Gu Cheng.
She remembered very clearly how the Gu family treated her. From the moment she moved in, they had never made her feel uncomfortable. Even during the most difficult time of her life, she was lucky to have them by her side. But now, she was being told that the Gu Corporation might be aasociated with her parents' deaths.
She felt like there was a big net surrounding her, making her unable to move her hands and feet. She didn't even know how to handle the situation herself.
She ran into Su Xie at school just after she had been scolded by her professional teacher. Since she found out about those things, Song Er had been obviously distracted, which of course couldn't escape her teacher's eye.
"Song Er, what's wrong with you lately? You were distracted during a practice that only lasted a few minutes."
Song Er also knew it was her fault. "I'm sorry, Teacher. It won't happen again."
Faced with a student with such a good attitude, the teacher wouldn't scold her too harshly. "Adjust your state as soon as possible. If there's anything, you can also tell me."
"Thank you, Teacher."
After the teacher left, Song Er turned and looked at Su Xie, who had been standing not far away for a while. Su Xie was already walking towards her.
"Are you okay?" Su Xie asked. He had obviously heard everything that was said just now.
Song Er shook her head. "I'm fine." She even forced a smile, afraid that Su Xie wouldn't believe her.
Su Xie didn't pry. Instead, he suggested, "Let's walk a bit?"
It was still raining lightly outside. Xuchuan at this time of the year was already showing the cold and dampness of winter. The rain was also coming down without any restraint.
Song Er didn't refuse. Besides, she still had a long time until her aafternoon clases.
"Is the performance in the middle of this month okay?" After they had walked for a while, Su Xie finally spoke. Since it was during clses and it was raining, there weren't many students lingering outside. The entire campus boulevard was empty except for the two of them.
"It's fine. I've already fully recovered. If I wasn't, Carrie would probably really fly to Xuchuan herself."
Su Xie didn't let up at all. Instead, he emphasized, "I'm asking about your state of mind. You have something on your mind."
It was a confident statement without any hesitation, and even his tone was a little forceful. Song Er was slightly stunned and didn't know how to explain for a moment. She could only promise, "I'll handle it as soon as possible. It definitely won't affect the performance."
"You know that's not what I'm talking about," Su Xie said, a little helplessly.
Song Er understood this perfectly well. Su Xie had called her out because he could see that she was troubled, but she wasn't ready to share those things with anyone yet.
"Can I not say anything now?"
Su Xie smiled gently and patted Song Er's head. "Don't make it sound like I'm interrogating you. It's your freedom whether you want to talk or not. It's just that I don't want you to keep it bottled up inside."
Song Er smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
The two of them went to the cafeteria for lunch, and no one brought up those things again. Su Xie knew Song Er's personality. If she didn't want to talk, even if he pried her mouth open, he might not get an answer.
Gu Lixing saw the changes in Song Er's emotions over the past few days but remained silent and did nothing until Song Er came to find him herself.
"Was the yacht that my parents were in during the accident from your Gu Corporation?" She aasked very directly. In other words, it was also a test. She didn't know what exactly had happened and couldn't piece together too many connections from it. If she had to find someone to tell her, she hoped that person would be Gu Lixing.
Gu Lixing hesitated and asked, "Song Er, can you trust me?"
Song Er didn't want to hear this at all. She subconsciously raised her voice a few degrees. "Just tell me, was the Gu Corporation involved?"
Gu Lixing had never seen Song Er like this, so desperate to confirm something, with a never-before-seen resolve. He stared at Song Er in silence and finally nodded. "Yes."
The long-held suspicion was finally confirmed. The moment she heard the answer, her heart felt as if it had been punched. It turned out that it was really like this.
"So many years have psed, and the reason behind it can't be explained in just one or two sentences. But I promise that after everything is handled, I will give you the truth," Gu Lixing tried to explain.
Song Er just stared at him. She finally turned and sat down on a nearby sofa and asked as if she had made up her mind, "How much have you found out now?"
"What do you want to hear?" Since things had progressed to this point, if he didn't say anything, Song Er might ask him even more questions.
"What if I want to hear everything?"
Gu Lixing's expression clearly paused but quickly returned to normal. He tried his best to maintain his usual calmness, turned to get a file from a locked drawer, and when his hand touched one of them, his movement paused slightly. He put it back without a change in his expression.
"This is all the information I've found so far. You can read it here."
Song Er took it and opened it without any hesitation. This was what she was so desperate to know, even if the result might not be friendly to her.
As Gu Lixing said, due to the time that had psed, there was very little information that could be found. They could only start from the problematic places and piece the whole thing together.
The Gu Corporation had intended to collaborate with the Song Corporation, but the collaboration was later unilaterally terminated by the Song Corporation. Out of consideration for their friendship, their relationship didn't change, but the collaboration was never mentioned again. However, what was strange was that aafter the Song couple's accident, Li Chongming took over the Song Corporation, and the first thing he did was to restart the originally abandoned collaboration.
"This is some of the information I've found out from the Gu Corporation. I heard that Gu Mingjing formed a collaboration with Li Chongming under very favorable terms. Since then, the collaboration between the two families has never been broken, and every time, it was personally executed by Li Chongming."
If the other party hadn't insisted, Gu Lixing would never have planned to show her these materials.
He then pushed another file in front of Song Er. "I investigated that accident. The yacht was indeed from the Gu Corporation, but just like the police's investigation results, there were no problems with the yacht. Unless something else happened in the middle, but this is just my personal thought, and I haven't found any evidence so far."
After Song Er finished reading, she didn't ask another question, as if she really just wanted to figure out the reason behind it.
"Thank you." She handed the documents back to Gu Lixing, her expression looking very calm.
Gu Lixing knew that she was actually trying hard to restrain herself.
But as she was leaving, Song Er suddenly turned back and asked, "Gu Lixing, you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"
Gu Lixing seamlessly covered up his fleeting panic and then said firmly, "I will never hurt you."
After Song Er left, Gu Lixing sat in the same position for a long time. He finally leaned back on the chair, his face grave and his brows furrowed. Song Er's question as she was leaving seemed to linger in the air. Did she figure something out? Was it because of his deliberate concealment or something else?
The entire matter was too widespread and might even be related to the survival of the entire Gu Corporation. Before he had absolute certainty, he didn't want to involve Song Er and even hoped that she would be better off not knowing anything.
His girl could live without worrying about anything.
Song Er returned to her room and found that Gu Cheng was there. A cup of milk was on the table.
During this time, she had been deliberately aavoiding Gu Cheng. Even when the two of them took the same car to school, she would pretend to be aasleep. Gu Cheng had obviously sensed this.
"Xiao Er, what's wrong with you lately? Is it because of your uncle..."
"No," Song Er quickly interrupted him. "It's not because of that. It's just that I've run into some difficulties with my practice."
She didn't want Gu Cheng to have that kind of misunderstanding. She knew that Gu Cheng had nothing to do with all of this, as he was just a child back then. But when she thought that this matter might be related to the Gu family, she couldn't face Gu Cheng with the same composure anymore, which in turn made Gu Cheng think that she was under pressure from the engagement.
"With your practice? Is your foot injury not fully healed yet?" When he heard about her practice, Gu Cheng became even more worried.
Song Er quickly denied it. "No, it's a professional problem."
"That's good." Gu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief but immediately became troubled again. "Then why are you..."
Song Er pouted a little awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I was just too focused and didn't expect to make you misunderstand."
Gu Cheng was finally relieved and reached out to ruffle Song Er's hair. "I can't do anything with you."
After seeing Gu Cheng off, Song Er looked at the cup of milk on the table and became even more conflicted.
Why did it have to be the Gu family, who treated her so well and even made her think that she could rely on them without any reservations?
She found Su Xie aafter a long time of weighing her options. Gu Lixing had seemed to be completely honest that night, but he was clearly holding back. The information he showed her was also very superficial, as if he was deliberately aavoiding something.
This made her want to know even more what he was hiding.
Su Xie was a little surprised by Song Er's plea for help. Although they had known each other for a few years, besides asking for his help with work matters, she never liked to talk to anyone about anything related to the Gu family.
"I'll try my best to help you, but I can't guarantee that I'll find anything useful," Su Xie said, agreeing to help her directly after listening to Song Er's description without asking any further questions.
Song Er said gratefully, "Thank you for the trouble."
Now that the matter was related to the Gu family, and Gu Lixing was clearly unwilling to say more, the only person she could trust in Xuchuan was Su Xie.
Su Xie seemed to have thought of something. He hesitated for a long time and still decided to ask her, "If I really find some evidence that completely points to the Gu family, what will you do?"
Song Er was silent. She had never thought about what she should do if it was really related to the Gu family, or what she should do with the evidence.
Seeing Song Er's conflict and difficulty, Su Xie aaffectedly patted her shoulder and said aas if in a prayer, "I hope I don't find anything."
Song Er suddenly looked up and said firmly, "Su Xie, all I want to know now is the truth."
That's right. She just wanted to know the truth and figure out what exactly happened back then. As for everything else, that was something she would decide on later.
Since that was the case, Su Xie didn't plan to continue aasking. Song Er had only aasked him to help her investigate the matter from back then. As for what kind of truth awaited her and how she should handle her relationship with the Gu family, those were things Song Er had to face and decide on. And all he could do was try to stand by her side, protect her, and help her.
However, if the truth was cruel, what would Song Er do?
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