Chapter 625: Chapter 625: Black Rose
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "My father was executed. Just like that. They called it justice. But it was not justice. It was murder."
Gu Jin’s eyes darkened. Her heart grew heavy, but she kept her face calm, letting Liang Bao finish.
"My mother," Liang Bao whispered, her voice trembling, "she was not spared either. They came for her too. If not for the secret identity she prepared for me... I would have died with them. She risked everything to make sure I could escape. She told me to live, no matter what. And so, I lived... but I lived alone."
Her words broke into sobs.
Gu Jin’s gaze turned cold. "Who were these enemies?" she asked in a low voice.
Liang Bao shook her head slowly.
"I do not know their names. I only know one thing. From my investigation these past two years, I learned they were not from China at all. They were from outside. That is why I left and went to Country R. I swore I would take revenge for my parents. I swore I would not rest until those people paid."
Gu Jin’s hand tightened slightly on her shoulder.
"Then listen to me, Bao. Once I make sure the international law regarding necromancy is passed, I will demand compensation for every family that was destroyed. Every life taken unfairly will be accounted for. Your parents will not be forgotten. None of them will."
Liang Bao’s body shook harder. Tears fell freely as she suddenly leaned forward and hugged Gu Jin tightly.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" she cried over and over again.
"Of course," Gu Jin said quietly. "You are my friend. And I always protect my friends."
Hearing that, Liang Bao sobbed harder, burying her face into Gu Jin’s shoulder.
Lu Siyao, who had been watching silently, finally sniffled.
She rubbed at her own eyes, her voice wobbling.
"Ah... this is making me emotional too. I feel like crying. Maybe I should drink some alcohol to let go of all this sorrow."
Both Gu Jin and Liang Bao froze. Slowly, they turned their heads toward Lu Xiao with matching expressions of disbelief.
"...Really?" Gu Jin asked flatly.
Liang Bao sniffed, tears still running down her cheeks.
"You want to drink at a time like this? We are crying our hearts out, and that is what you think about?"
Lu Siyao raised both hands quickly, laughing weakly. "I was just suggesting it! I am not actually going to drink! It was only a thought."
Gu Jin shook her head, speechless. Liang Bao wiped her tears, clearly annoyed, and ignored her. Instead, she hugged Gu Jin even tighter.
But before she could say anything more, Lu Siyao suddenly moved forward. With a quick step, she threw her arms around Gu Jin as well, squishing herself into the hug.
"Hey!" she complained loudly. "You are giving all your attention to Bao! What about me? Do I not matter to you? Hug me too!"
Gu Jin’s eyes widened in surprise. Liang Bao pulled back slightly, her tears replaced by sudden anger.
"You... you live in the same city as her!" Liang Bao shouted at Lu Siyao. "If you want to see Gu Jin, you can just walk here anytime! I live in a completely different country. I do not get to see her often. Why can you not be generous and let me stay close for once?"
Lu Siyao rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. If that is the case, then you should stop whining altogether and just move back here! That would solve your problem. Why cry like this?"
With that, she hugged Gu Jin even tighter, as if to prove a point.
Liang Bao’s jaw dropped. "You... you shameless girl!" she snapped. "Let go of her!"
"No way," Lu Siyao said stubbornly, pressing her cheek against Gu Jin’s shoulder. "She is mine too."
Gu Jin stood there in the middle, caught between both of them.
For a moment, Gu Jin wondered if she should just smack them both and push them away.
But as she looked at their faces, so filled with desperation and emotion, she sighed softly.
"You two..." she muttered.
Then, instead of pushing them away, she raised her arms and hugged them both. Her voice was calm but warm.
"Do not fight so much," she said gently. "I am not running away. I am here. You are both my friends, and I will not abandon either of you."
Liang Bao sniffed again, her grip tightening. "Then promise me you will not disappear like my parents. Promise me you will stay."
Gu Jin nodded firmly. "I promise."
Lu Siyao’s lips curved into a smile. "See, Bao? She promised. So stop glaring at me. We can share."
Liang Bao groaned, wiping at her eyes. "You are impossible."
Gu Jin chuckled softly. "Both of you are impossible."
Long Yifan pushed the door open and stepped into the room.
His tall figure attracted everyone’s attention. Liang Bao’s tear-filled eyes instantly sharpened as she glanced at him, then shot a quick look toward Gu Jin.
If her eyes could speak, they would have screamed, ’Your husband is here.’
Gu Jin, however, stayed calm.
She brushed her sleeves neatly and walked over to meet him as if nothing strange had happened.
Long Yifan smiled softly and handed her a thick file.
"I did what you asked for," he said.
Gu Jin nodded and took the file without hesitation. "Good."
She opened it and started flipping through the pages right away.
Her eyes moved quickly, scanning the words with full focus.
Behind her, Liang Bao leaned closer to Lu Siyao, whispering,
"Is it not strange? Once, Gu Jin crushed hard on this guy named Long Yifan. Now look at him. He is like a loyal dog at her beck and call. Truly a strange sight."
Lu Siyao covered her mouth and giggled.
"It is indeed strange. But look at him now. He has become more handsome, more powerful, and even more talented than before. To say that he is a golden bachelor is not wrong at all. If he were not engaged to Gu Jin, he would easily be number one on the bachelor list."
Liang Bao nodded in agreement. But then Lu Siyao’s eyes turned sharp, and she muttered,
"Still, this man gave our Gu Jin so much trouble in the past. He needs to be punished."
Liang Bao raised a brow curiously. "Oh? Do you have an idea?"
Lu Siyao’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Yes. But let us save it for later. We can execute it after the case hearings are over."
Liang Bao chuckled and immediately gave her a thumbs-up. "I like that plan."
Meanwhile, Gu Jin had reached the most important section of the file.
Her eyes stopped at the name of the main attacker group. The letters were written in bold.
"Black Rose," she read under her breath.
It was an internationally known organization. A dangerous one.
Her expression did not change much, but her heart grew colder.
"So it was you," she thought. "Once all of this is over, I will make sure to take revenge on the Black Rose organization."
She closed the file calmly and turned to Long Yifan. "Thank you."
Long Yifan smiled softly. "Your humble thank you cannot repay everything I have done. It feels like nothing."
Gu Jin rolled her eyes a little. "Then what do you want?"
Long Yifan chuckled, his gaze warm. "That is why I love you the most. You are always so sharp and smart. You already know."
Lu Siyao made a face and rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, what is this? Are we sure this guy is really Long Yifan? The Long Yifan we knew before never sounded this sweet."
Liang Bao narrowed her eyes at him too and suddenly raised her voice.
"Wait! Are you really planning to take payment for just doing such a small task?"
Lu Siyao quickly nodded, catching onto her meaning.
"That is so narrow-minded. If my fiancé dared to ask me for rewards every time he did something simple, I would beat him up on the spot."
Liang Bao smirked. "Exactly. If I were in her place, I would do the same."
They both turned toward Gu Jin, clearly ganging up against Long Yifan.
Gu Jin raised one brow, her eyes glinting with a bit of humor.
She looked at Long Yifan calmly.
"They are right. You are already my fiancé. Why are you still asking for benefits at every turn?"
Long Yifan looked genuinely wronged.
His mouth opened slightly, but he quickly saw the mischief in her eyes.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fine. I accept defeat. I will not argue with you."
With that, he turned around and walked out of the room before the teasing could go further.
As soon as he was gone, Liang Bao and Lu Siyao exchanged a glance. Both nodded as if to say,
"Smart man. He knows when to retreat."
Once the laughter settled, Liang Bao walked up behind Gu Jin and hugged her again.
"Do you think the case for the case will really come in our favor?" she asked softly.
Gu Jin chuckled, patting her arm. "You do not need to worry. I will take care of it."