11 – Sister, what happened back then?
Chi Yu withdrew his gaze upon hearing the sound.
He looked at Gu Yuan’s deep gaze and gave her a bright smile. “I think this photo turned out quite well.”
Gu Zhi’s black-and-white photo looked better than he did in life.
“It really did turn out well.”
Gu Yuan couldn’t help but smile, nodding in approval as she looked at Gu Zhi’s black-and-white photo, adding, “And this wreath is also very beautiful.”
Everyone: “…”
You might as well just say Gu Zhi died beautifully.
Gu Yuan had a servant bring over a stick of incense. She walked up to the black-and-white photo, bowed, and inserted it, then said, “Fourth Uncle, may you rest in peace. Your niece will take good care of your assets for you—I won’t go back on my word…”
Everyone: “…”
That’s right—she said she’d see him off, and she did.
Yesterday she said Gu Zhi would have no worries, and today Gu Zhi died without a worry.
If there weren’t no evidence,
they would have suspected she was the mastermind behind it all.
Gu Yuan’s youngest uncle, Gu Xin, came over. Noticing her figure, he quickly walked up to her and gave her a somewhat simple, honest smile. “Yuan Yuan is so responsible—Fourth Brother would be very comforted to hear this…”
Everyone: “…”
Comforted enough to flip open his coffin lid?
Gu Yuan returned a smile. “Uncle, you’ve worked hard. Leave the rest to me—your niece will make sure Fourth Uncle’s funeral is held with great fanfare.”
—As lively as a party.
Gu Xin felt something was off about her words, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He waved his hand and said, “No trouble at all, no trouble at all. Leave it all to your uncle. Yuan Yuan, go rest over there…”
“Oh, right.”
Gu Xin noticed a young woman walking over from not far away, and a loving smile immediately spread across his face. He beckoned to her. “Qing Qing, come over here—your cousin is here.”
Gu Qing glanced over.
Her eyes seemed slightly reddened. Noticing Gu Yuan’s gaze, she quickly lowered her head, her fair hands clasped together as she slowly walked over.
“Cousin…”
Gu Qing stood before Gu Yuan and spoke in a low voice.
“Mhm.”
Gu Yuan nodded casually.
Gu Xin smiled with satisfaction. “You two sisters haven’t seen each other in a long time—have a good chat. Uncle will go attend to the guests and won’t disturb you.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Uncle.”
Gu Yuan smiled politely. Gu Xin repeatedly said “No trouble at all,” and when someone greeted him, he would bow and scrape with flattered humility.
His demeanor was rather petty and timid.
But everyone knew well that Gu Xin had no proper standing in the family, and he was used to living in the Gu household with his head bowed.
Not many people took him seriously.
Seeing this, Gu Qing clenched the hem of her skirt.
Gu Yuan glanced at her with interest. “Speaking of which, you and Fourth Uncle never had a good relationship. So why is it that today, at Fourth Uncle’s funeral, your eyes are swollen from crying?”
“Could it be that something else happened?”
“I—I…”
Gu Qing’s eyes grew redder, tears sliding down from the corners of her eyes—a pitiful sight like pear blossoms in the rain. Her voice choked with emotion. “I’m sorry, Cousin…”
“Oh? What exactly are you sorry to me for?”
Gu Yuan asked casually, walking out of the hall without much concern. Chi Yu quietly followed at her side.
Gu Qing hurried after her in small steps, grabbing her wrist, seeming somewhat flustered. “Cousin, please don’t be angry. I heard that this morning you had a fight with Brother Lin…”
Gu Yuan looked at her faintly and curled her lips.
“You’re quite well-informed.”
Gu Qing lowered her head. “Cousin, it’s all my fault. I’m the one who caused the misunderstanding between you two, but there’s really nothing going on between Brother Lin and me. I only see him as a brother-in-law. Please don’t be angry with him…”
“Is that so?”
Gu Yuan smiled lightly, her gaze landing on the blue-purple marks “accidentally” exposed on her neck. “What happened to you, cousin? Did a dog bite you?”
Le Meng clapped her hands. “Good bite!”
Gu Qing stumbled back in panic, covering her collar in a futile attempt to hide the marks, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “No, it was mosquitoes—mosquito bites…”
Gu Yuan looked at her, smiling without a word.
Either Lin Bo had just left her villa and gone straight to Gu Qing for a quick tryst, or Gu Qing wanted her to misunderstand.
To Gu Yuan, the two possibilities made no difference.
The fact that they were sleeping together was confirmed.
“Why are you flustered, cousin?”
Gu Yuan walked toward her with a bright smile, gently lifting her chin, examining the marks on her neck with amusement, her voice laden with meaning. “Your cousin doesn’t care what bit you…”
Gu Qing tried to struggle, but only felt a sharp pain in her jaw, as if it had been dislocated. She could only hear Gu Yuan’s eerie words echoing in her ears.
“Your cousin only wants to know—which mosquito sent that text message four years ago…”
Four years ago, she had received a text message.
The number was Lin Bo’s.
But at the time, Lin Bo and Gu Qing had been together, so who actually sent it was unknown. The content was an invitation to meet her alone, claiming that her parents’ deaths were suspicious and that the sender would secretly reveal the truth to her.
In the past, she had been extremely sheltered by her parents. At sixteen or seventeen, she was still naive, and having just suffered the blow of losing both parents, how could she have thought that far ahead?
She went. What she met was not Lin Bo, but international human traffickers who drugged her and sold her to the Bay of Evil.
The nightmare began there…
Gu Qing endured the sharp pain in her jaw, her face somewhat pale, looking at her with a bewildered expression. “What is cousin talking about? Your little sister doesn’t quite understand. How could mosquitoes send text messages…”
“Best that you don’t understand.”
Gu Yuan looked at her with a cold, thin smile. “Your cousin just wants to tell you, little sister—mosquitoes that lurk in the gutter waiting to suck blood will eventually be crushed under someone’s foot…”
Her eyes were dark and deep as she gripped Gu Qing’s chin, forcing her to turn and look toward the direction of the memorial hall, where Gu Zhi’s black-and-white photo came into view.
“Do you see that, little sister?”
Gu Yuan’s voice was slow and gentle.
As if it had drifted up from the underworld.
Gu Qing felt a chill surge through her, as though the person before her was a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell. A wave of terror swept over her entire body.
She instinctively stepped back.
Gu Yuan released her hand, and Gu Qing stumbled, falling to the ground, pale-faced and breathing rapidly.
“What’s wrong, little sister?”
Gu Yuan looked at her with a smile, extending her hand with sisterly affection. “Why do you look so frightened? Could it be a guilty conscience?”
“No—stay away…”
Gu Qing shrank back in fear, scrambling to her feet. “I’m sorry, I—I’m not feeling well. I can’t keep you company, cousin…”
Gu Qing practically fled, stumbling and crawling.
“Tsk, so easily scared.”
Gu Yuan shook her head in mild boredom.
Le Meng had somehow found a handful of melon seeds to snack on, flashing a sweet smile while speaking words full of malice. “Scare her a few more times and she’ll be fine.”
No telling what kind of trouble she was plotting next.
Chi Yu watched Gu Qing’s retreating figure, his slightly lowered lashes concealing a cold, sharp gaze. No one knew what he was thinking. Then he gently tugged at Gu Yuan’s sleeve.
“Sister, what happened back then?”
The young man’s gaze was clear and pure, as if he were merely worried or curious.
Gu Yuan’s fingertips brushed across his cheek, then she teasingly tilted his chin up with a playful gesture, smiling with an unreadable expression. “You seem quite fond of prying into my affairs…”