1 – Lest You Not Be in the Grave
There was a hit post on the dark web—
【Target: Gu Yuan】
【Bounty: $100,000,000】
【Other Information: …(too lazy to pad the word count)】
…
Imperial Capital of the Flame Nation, 8:00 PM sharp.
On the road leading to Iris Manor, a villa on the outskirts, the evening wind was chilly, the streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, and the streets were deserted. A sports car sped through the night.
Gu Yuan sat in the passenger seat, the wind whipping through her slightly curled long hair as it flew through the air.
In the darkness-shrouded forest.
A cold gun muzzle lay hidden.
In the scope, she wore a wine-red short cocktail dress, as if she were dressed to attend some grand banquet, a faint smile still playing at her lips.
As if she had no idea danger was approaching.
A hand in the darkness slowly pressed against the trigger of the sniper rifle, cold eyes fixed on her, waiting for the target to enter optimal range.
“Bang—”
The gunshot, muffled by the silencer, was somewhat dull, like the sound of death’s execution. The scent of blood instantly permeated the boundless night.
The smile still lingered on Gu Yuan’s lips.
But the sniper in the darkness had pupils constricting sharply—a bullet had pierced through his skull, his eyes wide open in death.
The sports car slowly pulled over to the side of the road.
The driver got out—it turned out to be a young girl in a pink princess dress. She seemed completely unfazed by the scene, opening the car door for her.
“Sister Yuan, how many waves now?”
Gu Yuan leaned lazily and casually against the car, a handgun in her hand. She blew idly at the scorching muzzle, speaking with an air of nonchalance.
“Nineteen.”
This was the nineteenth wave of assassins she’d taken care of since returning to the country.
The reason? Someone had posted a bounty hit on the dark web, offering ten million dollars for her head.
Ha, that’s it? That’s it?
Only ten million—were they underestimating her, or treating assassins like cheap labor?
Being a woman of justice, she’d helped bump it up to a hundred million.
So now there was some prestige to it, and the naive, adorable assassins came flocking, bringing her plenty of entertainment.
Unfortunately, as one assassin after another met their glorious end, fewer and fewer dared to come.
“Let’s add another hundred million?”
Gu Yuan spoke with a hint of boredom.
Money makes the world go round—the cowardly assassins might need some financial encouragement.
Sigh, the life of the rich was truly simple, unadorned, and dull.
Le Meng swiftly checked the body, tore a ribbon from her own princess dress, tied a bow on the assassin’s head, clapped her hands, and stood up. Hearing her words, she curled her lips in exasperation.
“Sister Yuan, the assassins aren’t stupid. No matter how much you add, they won’t dare come anymore…”
“That’s not necessarily true.”
Gu Yuan pulled out her phone, opened the bounty post, curled her lips into a smile, and showed it to her. “Look here, isn’t another one coming?”
“Which reckless idiot with a death wish…”
Le Meng grumbled as she leaned in for a look, then suddenly froze, grabbing her phone. “Holy crap! Sister Yuan, you’ve messed with the wrong one this time!”
Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
Le Meng spoke with grave urgency. “This reckless idiot—er, I mean, this assassin—it’s Bei Chen! The master of Night Pavilion, the big shot of Bay of Evil, and the top name on the Reaper’s List!”
Gu Yuan remained calm. “Oh.”
Le Meng massaged her forehead in exhaustion, as she always did for her chaos-loving Sister Yuan. “Sister Yuan, do you even realize? You’ve attracted the baddest assassin of them all…”
Gu Yuan had a sudden realization, then said, “So he’s the biggest fish after all.”
Le Meng: “…”
She wanted to say more, but then she heard Gu Yuan ask, “Have you found out who posted the thread?”
Le Meng, though just a young girl, made the expression of an old mother sighing. When her own Sister Yuan was this mischievous, what could she possibly do about it?
All she could do was call in more people to protect her.
And then help the tyrant do evil.
Le Meng checked and replied to Gu Yuan, “The person who posted the bounty was Gu Zhi.”
Gu Yuan smiled. That name was familiar to her!
Wasn’t that her dear Fourth Uncle?
Gu Yuan pulled open the car door and got in, looking in a very good mood, her voice tinged with emotion as she said, “Let’s go. It’s been four years since I’ve seen all my uncles. Today just happens to be the Gu Corporation’s tenth anniversary celebration—time for a good reunion…”
Once they went to hell, it would be hard to reunite again.
She curled her lips, her smile deepening, her gaze dark. “I wonder if they’ve missed me?”
Within her smile lurked a bloodthirsty killing intent.
Le Meng nodded. “They definitely have.”
They thought about her dying every single day.
The sports car started up again, vanishing into the night, heading toward the venue of the Gu Corporation’s tenth anniversary celebration.
…
At the Gu Corporation’s tenth anniversary celebration.
When Gu Zhi learned that Gu Yuan was coming to the celebration, he wore a smile on his face while cursing inwardly. She still wasn’t dead, and not only that, she was coming to the celebration alive and kicking.
If she couldn’t die even after all this, was Gu Yuan a cockroach?!
He noticed someone arriving and immediately put on a smile, looking at the door with a kind and warm expression.
Beneath the dazzling, brilliant lights.
Gu Yuan arrived gracefully, dressed in a short burgundy gown, her steps unhurried, her figure tall and elegant. Meeting countless gazes, she wore a polite and friendly smile.
“Everyone, long time no see.”
The scene fell silent, and the crowd wore varied expressions.
Gu Yuan was a prominent figure in the imperial capital.
Rumor had it she was the only daughter of Gu Li of the third branch of the Gu family and Qin Lanyue, the former singing diva and CEO of Lanyue Media.
However, Gu Li and Qin Lanyue’s marriage had never been approved by Old Master Gu. Conflicts piled up, their relationship with the Gu family grew cold, and they lived abroad for a long time.
Even so, he was still the son Old Master Gu valued most, and there were rumors that before his death, he intended to hand the Gu Corporation over to Gu Li.
Unfortunately, by the time Gu Li and his wife returned, Old Master Gu was already dead. They then died one after another in a series of accidents, and even their only daughter went missing.
For four whole years, there was no news of her at all.
The Gu Corporation fell into the hands of Gu Yuan’s uncles, and the Lanyue Group was taken over by Gu Yi of the second branch.
Everyone thought she was dead.
Yet she had “risen from the dead.”
And she had returned with an internationally renowned team of lawyers, making a big show of suing the Gu family to fight over the estate. If they caught any leverage, they might actually be able to kick the Gu family out of the Gu Corporation.
If she had the luck for it.
“My niece has arrived!”
Gu Zhi hurried over, clasping Gu Yuan’s hand and gazing at her warmly. “Niece, you’ve finally come back. In the four years you were missing, your Fourth Uncle worried about you every single day…”
—Worried that you weren’t dead!
Gu Yuan smiled sweetly and gripped his hand firmly in return, speaking with great emotion. “Fourth Uncle needn’t worry. Your niece is tough as nails. But Fourth Uncle is getting on in years—your niece was afraid that by the time I came back, you might already be gone…”
—Afraid you wouldn’t be in your grave.
“Niece, you worry too much…”
Gu Zhi forced the words out through clenched teeth, his eyes reddened with “emotion.”
The guests around them watched the scene.
And sighed, thinking that rumors truly couldn’t be trusted.
The stories about Gu Yuan fighting her uncles over the family fortune, locked in a life-or-death struggle—all of it was fake. Their relationship was clearly perfectly harmonious. Look, even Gu Zhi, a grown man, was crying tears of joy.
If only he would rein in that murderous aura.
Gu Zhi’s eyes were red, but only he knew the real reason his eyes were always brimming with tears.
Because Gu Yuan’s grip was way too strong!
Gu Zhi stared at the beaming Gu Yuan before him, his expression twisted and flushed, veins bulging on his forehead, feeling like his hand was about to be crushed to powder in her grasp.
“Fourth Uncle, what’s wrong?”
Gu Yuan tightened her hold on Gu Zhi’s hand even more, savoring the pleasant crackling sound of bones grinding together, and asked with the utmost “sincerity” and concern.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Gu Zhi tried to pull his hand free, but it was like being caught in a rat trap—the more he struggled, the more it hurt.
And she just kept looking at him with full concern, saying, “I’ve told you, with your health in this condition, you shouldn’t overwork yourself. Your niece will take care of all the Gu family assets for you, so you can rest easy without a worry in the world…”
—Without a worry in the world, right up until the day you die.