Yu Yang couldn’t stand others splashing muddy water on Qu Xiao. He coldly retorted, “Second Young Master Gu, if my master wanted to ruin the Gu family, he would have finished you off long ago. Why would he even consider helping you make a comeback?”
Yu Yang genuinely felt it was unfair to his master, who had done so much for the Gu family behind the scenes. If Gu Yan hadn’t been avoiding him all this time, he wouldn’t have neglected the Gu family for so long, giving others an opportunity to strike.
“Yu Yang, it’s fine.” Qu Xiao turned his head to glance at Yu Yang, signaling him to stop.
Gu Yan also felt the Gu family owed Qu Xiao. She looked seriously at Gu Tingyan and Gu Tingli. “Eldest Brother, Second Brother, when you make mistakes, don’t try to shift the blame onto others. Regardless of whether he did it or not, even if he did, it’s still your own fault for being foolish enough to be tricked.”
“Did anyone hold a gun to your head and force you to gamble? Or threaten you with a weapon to get involved with those substances? Clearly, you couldn’t resist the temptation yourselves, yet now you want to blame others.”
The hall fell into complete silence, with everyone’s eyes fixed on Gu Yan.
No one understood why she had suddenly become so protective of Qu Xiao.
Gu Yan sighed softly. “Eldest Brother, Second Brother, actually, this is my fault. Although I don’t know who took you to the casino, I’m certain that person is connected to Xu Tao. If it really were Qu… Xiao, his people wouldn’t have revealed their identities if they intended to harm you.”
Gu Tingyan and Gu Tingli hung their heads in shame—she was right.
Qu Xiao shifted his gaze to Gu Xianzhe and Li Wenhui. “The bankruptcy of the Gu Corporation has nothing to do with me. I will find the person behind it, and I’ll also investigate where those substances they got addicted to came from.”
His expression turned stern as he continued, “But now that you’re addicted, you must quit.”
The faces of Gu Tingyan and Gu Tingli instantly fell. They had tried before but ultimately couldn’t resist going back.
“We can’t quit,” Gu Tingyan said with difficulty.
Qu Xiao stood up from the sofa. “I have a way to make you quit. You’ll go with Yu Yang later.”
He then looked at Gu Xianzhe. “Let’s talk.”
Gu Xianzhe nodded and led Qu Xiao upstairs. They spoke for nearly an hour before coming down.
Gu Xianzhe’s face was full of gratitude, while Qu Xiao remained expressionless as usual.
Gu Yan also told Li Wenhui and the others that she and Qu Xiao had registered their marriage and would live properly together from now on.
Li Wenhui held her hand, urging her to live well in the future.
They had dinner at the Gu residence. After Gu Tingyan and Gu Tingli packed some belongings, Yu Yang left with them first.
Qu Xiao personally drove Gu Yan back to Rose Garden.
Watching their car depart, Gu Xianzhe sighed. “It’s truly Xiao Yan’s blessing to have met Qu Xiao. He’s a man worth trusting.”
Li Wenhui wiped her tears as Gu Xianzhe comforted her and led her inside.
Southside Villa
Xu Tao hung up the phone with an ugly expression, then violently threw his phone to the ground.
“That bitch Gu Yan actually betrayed me. She deserves to die.”
Qin Yao, standing nearby, frowned deeply. “What’s wrong?”
Xu Tao viciously kicked the phone on the ground and snarled, “They called to say Liang Yan has returned to the country, and the transaction for that batch of goods has been canceled. It must be because Gu Yan just tricked us into talking and told Qu Xiao.”
Qin Yao walked over and picked up the shattered phone he had thrown. Her frown deepened.
She had initially thought Gu Yan was just having another bout of her princess syndrome earlier, but after hearing Xu Tao’s words, she felt something was off.
“Xu Tao, don’t you think Gu Yan has been acting strange ever since she woke up from that fever and coma the other day?”
Xu Tao snorted coldly, “She’s just a bitch. How dare she set me up?”
He suddenly remembered that day when Gu Yan had asked him for the evidence he had gathered. The thought that Qu Xiao might have seen it all made his face instantly darken.
He quickly grabbed Qin Yao’s phone and made a call. The call was answered promptly.
Xu Tao said briefly, “The information we previously gathered might have fallen into Qu Xiao’s hands. What should we do now?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the person on the other end replied, “Xu Tao, you’re truly useless, getting played by a woman like a fool.”
Xu Tao’s fists clenched tightly, but he didn’t retort. “What should we do now?”
After a long silence, a gloomy voice came from the other end, “Stop. Don’t investigate any further.”
With that, the call ended.
Xu Tao’s expression darkened further. He wished he could strangle that bitch Gu Yan right now.
Qin Yao pulled him to sit on the edge of the bed. “I think someone must have said something to Gu Yan. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be acting like this. Let’s visit her in a few days. She’s completely brainless—if you mix soft and hard tactics with her then, I don’t believe she’ll stay this way.”
Hearing this, Xu Tao’s expression improved slightly.
It was true—Gu Yan was obsessed with him. As long as he sweet-talked her and crooked his finger, she would undoubtedly beg for his forgiveness without hesitation.
At this thought, his displeasure faded away.
He turned to look at Qin Yao in her bathrobe and flashed a wicked grin. “You’re really my strategist. Let me show you some affection.”
Qin Yao lightly punched his chest. “You’re so bad. Just a moment ago, you were furious over another woman, and now you want to get intimate with me.”
Xu Tao kissed her cheek. “Isn’t this exactly the me you like?”
As he spoke, he pounced on her.
Rose Garden.
As soon as Qu Xiao and Gu Yan entered, they saw Liang Yan eating a bowl of noodles at the coffee table.
Liang Yueran sat nearby, looking at him with disdain.
“Brother,” he mumbled through a mouthful of noodles, greeting Qu Xiao unclearly.
Qu Xiao nodded and led Gu Yan to sit on the sofa opposite him.
Liang Yan swallowed his noodles and looked in surprise at Gu Yan, who was holding Qu Xiao’s arm and sitting beside him.
“Well, has the sun risen from the west today? How come Miss Gu is sitting so close to my brother?”
Gu Yan pulled the marriage certificate from her coat pocket and waved it. “I’m now the legitimate Mrs. Qu. By rights, you should call me sister-in-law.”
Liang Yan nearly spat out the noodles he had just stuffed into his mouth.
“Sister-in-law?” He turned his gaze to Qu Xiao. “Brother, is she okay? Or has she lost her mind?”
Qu Xiao leaned back on the sofa and glanced at him indifferently. “You really should call her sister-in-law.”
Liang Yan put down his chopsticks, staring intently at Gu Yan without blinking. Then he suddenly laughed.
“Gu Yan, what are you planning to use my brother for this time?”