Old Xu walked over and cooperatively held out his hand.
Gu Qingyin flicked the small knife in her hand, slitting his finger. Blood welled up; three or four drops were enough.
After mixing the vermillion evenly, Gu Qingyin picked up the brush, dipped it in the mixture, and drew a rune on Xu Juanjuan’s forehead, each of her palms, and the soles of her feet.
Old Xu and Qin Zhen craned their necks to watch, but unfortunately, they couldn’t understand a thing. They had watched from start to finish, yet once Gu Qingyin was done, they couldn’t for the life of them tell where the first stroke had begun. It was all very mysterious.
"Huh?"
Gu Qingyin stared at Xu Juanjuan, a puzzled look on her face. ’Why isn’t there any reaction at all? This shouldn’t be happening.’
’My formula is definitely correct, and the materials are all top-grade. The only other problem could be...’ Gu Qingyin looked at Old Xu and asked suspiciously, "Are you really Xu Juanjuan’s biological father?"
Old Xu’s expression darkened, but mindful that Gu Qingyin was a Heavenly Master with real abilities, he could only suppress his anger and nod forcefully. "Of course! I may have done some wrong, but my wife would never betray me."
He didn’t see that as soon as Gu Qingyin finished speaking, Qin Zhen’s face had gone pale, his eyes filled with panic.
Gu Qingyin caught Qin Zhen’s expression in her peripheral vision. ’Don’t be so sure,’ she thought. ’Famous last words.’
She sighed loudly and theatrically. "The final step for this vermillion mixture is to add the biological father’s blood to fully activate its yang energy. But why isn’t your blood working? If we don’t save her soon, this girl may never wake up."
Old Xu grew anxious. "I am Juanjuan’s biological father! How can my blood not work?" His expression changed, a hint of panic showing. "Is there... something wrong with my body?"
Qin Zhen was also anxious. He hesitated for two seconds, but the desire to save her won out. He took a step forward and asked in a low voice, "Why don’t... you try mine?"
Old Xu froze. He slowly turned his head, a giant question mark practically appearing over it.
Gu Qingyin’s eyes lit up, but she gave a reserved nod. "That could work."
Old Xu whipped his head back around, his eyes filled with disbelief.
’Work? How could it work? Why would it work? Isn’t only the biological father’s blood supposed to be effective?’
Gu Qingyin deftly mixed another batch of vermillion and ordered, "Wipe the runes off Juanjuan. Make sure you get them clean."
Qin Zhen went to the bathroom, returned with a towel, and carefully wiped her clean. The entire time, he kept his head down and his eyes lowered, terrified of making eye contact with Old Xu.
He looked so guilty that anyone could see it.
With a grim face, Old Xu stared silently as Qin Zhen worked, as if waiting for something. When Qin Zhen dripped his blood into the vermillion, Old Xu’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point. It felt like the calm before a storm.
Gu Qingyin’s expression remained impassive, but inwardly, she was having a field day, alternating between ’Ooh!’ and ’Tsk, tsk.’
This time, just as she finished the last rune, all five runes lit up simultaneously. The dark red, fluorescent glow was faint, but definitely visible to the naked eye.
Following that, some color slowly returned to Xu Juanjuan’s face, and she looked much healthier.
Qin Zhen breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, but Old Xu’s face went completely black. He spoke in a menacing tone, "Old Qin, is there something you’d like to tell me?"
Qin Zhen’s whole body stiffened. He knew there was no getting out of this one. He took several deep breaths, about to confess everything in one go, but froze when he suddenly looked up.
"Jia... Jiaqin..."
Old Xu whipped his head around, and Gu Qingyin followed his gaze. Only then did they realize that Mrs. Xu, on the other side of the bed, had woken up at some point.
Mrs. Xu sat up, her face pale. She first glanced at Xu Juanjuan. Seeing her daughter’s rosy complexion and deep, even breathing, she leaned back against the headboard in relief. Her indifferent gaze swept over Qin Zhen and Old Xu before finally landing on Gu Qingyin. She offered a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Master Gu, for saving my daughter."
Gu Qingyin smiled. "I was paid to solve a problem. No need to thank me, Mrs. Xu." After speaking, she cleared her throat and proactively added, "The young lady’s condition is still unstable. I should stay here and observe."
’My gossipy heart shouldn’t be this obvious.’
It was unclear if Mrs. Xu saw through her or not. She simply nodded in understanding, then turned her gaze to Old Xu. "If you want to know something, you can ask me."
Old Xu took a deep breath and, with a complicated expression, asked the crucial question directly. "Juanjuan... is she really my daughter?"
Hearing this, Mrs. Xu laughed, the hatred in her eyes erupting like a volcano. She stared daggers at Old Xu and spat out two heavy words. "She’s not." Her voice trembled slightly—not from fear, but from excitement. She had waited for this day for far too long.
Old Xu’s vision went black, and he almost collapsed. He couldn’t help but roar, "Is she Qin Zhen’s?!"
Mrs. Xu burst out laughing. "Haven’t you already guessed?"
Old Xu’s eyes, wide with fury, shot toward Qin Zhen. "I treated you like my best brother, and you fucking slept with my wife and had me raise your child! You bastard!"
Qin Zhen’s face was filled with remorse. "I’m so sorry..."
"No." Mrs. Xu’s laughter came to an abrupt stop. Her voice was unnervingly calm. "It has nothing to do with Qin Zhen. I forced him; he had no other choice."
Old Xu, most likely out of guilt, was like a fire-breathing dragon toward Qin Zhen, but he suddenly lost his fire when facing Mrs. Xu. He choked for several seconds before asking stiffly, "What do you mean?"
Mrs. Xu looked at Old Xu as if he were an idiot. "Isn’t it obvious? I’m getting my revenge on you." Her eyes crinkled with a smile. "You kept a whole string of mistresses outside, and I never said a single word of protest. I only slept with your best friend a few times. You can understand that, can’t you?"
"As for our daughter..." Mrs. Xu paused, feigning distress. "At first, I thought she was yours. I only found out she wasn’t after a paternity test when she was born. But you and Qin Zhen are such good brothers, aren’t you? For you, a dear brother’s child is just like your own, right? No difference."
’Wow,’ Gu Qingyin thought.
The muscles in Old Xu’s face twitched uncontrollably. He opened his mouth several times, but no sound came out.
Before Xu Juanjuan was born, he had adopted a child under the pretext that it was the orphan of a dear, deceased friend. In reality, that child was his own illegitimate son. For all these years, he had the boy raised by Mrs. Xu’s side, thinking his plan was flawless, never imagining he had been found out from the very beginning.
What he expected even less was that Mrs. Xu had, without a single word, launched her revenge.
"Oh, right," Mrs. Xu said with a beaming smile. "You should thank Qin Zhen. If he hadn’t stepped up, you wouldn’t just be raising your brother’s child. I was in a bad mood back then. The men I went out to find were different each time. It’s a shame Qin Zhen always stopped me."
Old Xu’s eyes were bloodshot. He gritted his teeth. "Lin Jiaqin, you are truly vicious."
Cuckolded by his wife and best friend, forced to raise another man’s child. This would be unbearable for any man, let alone a rich, powerful, and successful boss.
Right now, Old Xu wanted nothing more than to strangle Lin Jiaqin and stab Qin Zhen to death.
But he couldn’t, because he had been the one in the wrong first.
Mrs. Xu curved her lips into a smirk and was about to speak when a loud CLANG came from the doorway. Everyone in the bedroom turned to look at the same time.
A tall, thin young man stood at the door, his face ashen. From his expression, he looked as if he were about to shatter.
Panic appeared in Mrs. Xu’s eyes. "Shaocheng!"
Gu Qingyin also looked at the door, but her gaze fell on the person behind the young man.
She blinked, filled with confusion. ’Why is my son here too?’