Chapter 426: Chapter 381: Why Didn’t He Come Himself?
Gu Qili was led by Qiu Yufei all the way to a secluded building area that still retained the architecture from thirty years ago, emitting an air of aged decay.
Although Gu Qili’s strength had recovered a bit, the doors and windows of the room she was confined in were nailed shut, making escape virtually impossible. After several attempts, she gave up.
The room was dead quiet, and she could not tell the current time, be it afternoon or night, like a lone boat lost in the middle of the sea without any sense of direction.
It was not until the sound of a door opening from outside that she vigilantly stood up. Lacking any means of self-defense, she could only tightly clench her fists, uncertain of how the deranged Qiu Yufei might handle her.
Indeed, it was Qiu Yufei who entered, her smile carrying a few traces of sinister coldness, a stark contrast to the lively and cheerful girl seen at the airport. It appeared a person could indeed have two sides, both angel and devil.
"How do you like it here?," Qiu Yufei walked up to Gu Qili, "But don’t worry, you won’t be staying here for long because..." Suddenly, she pulled out a knife from her body and pressed the blade against Gu Qili’s face, the cold metal reflecting a somewhat ferocious glint in Qiu Yufei’s eyes, "I will first scar your face then throw you into the ocean to see how you would still allure Brother Shuoqian."
"Qiu Yufei, have you gone mad? If Mu Shuoqian liked you, would he have waited until now?" Gu Qili lowered her gaze to the knife’s blade, knowing full well that Qiu Yufei was insane enough to slash without a second thought.
"Now sending Gu Yunxi to be by Mu Shuoqian’s side is your real folly. They are together now while you are here threatening me with a knife. Remember - you’ve already been replaced by her. You should be threatening her instead. With this time, you should be keeping an eye on Gu Yunxi. Once she speaks to your Brother Shuoqian and leads him here, you’ll be doomed. Aren’t you the most familiar with setting someone up?"
Gu Qili looked at her coldly, just like when she once used Qiu Lan’s hand to eliminate Niannian. Back then, Qiu Yufei was fully manipulative, but now, she was being used by Gu Yunxi too.
Gu Qili’s words seemed to take effect. Qiu Yufei’s eyeballs shifted, finding the rationale in her words unavoidable. Now accompanying Brother Shuoqian was Gu Yunxi. By driving away one Gu Qili, another Gu Yunxi arrived, and the outcome for her was unchanged, everything remained the same.
She should expose Gu Yunxi’s true nature so that Brother Shuoqian would be grateful to her and then... she could let Xu Tong silently throw Gu Qili into the sea. By that time, she would truly be without future troubles.
Upon thinking this, Qiu Yufei sheathed her dagger and sneered, "I’ll be back soon. Neither of you sisters will succeed. Brother Shuoqian is mine, and no one can take him away."
It was only after Qiu Yufei left that Gu Qili relaxed, somewhat exhaustedly sitting on the bed, apart from trusting Mu Shuoqian, she didn’t know what to expect next.
The door opened again and Gu Qili immediately stood up, thinking it was Qiu Yufei’s accomplice, but instead it was Yuan Yi. Seeing him, Gu Qili was both shocked and delighted – indeed, trusting Mu Shuoqian was not wrong. He would never be deceived by Gu Yunxi or Qiu Yufei, that man always had discerning eyes.
"Madam, are you alright?" Yuan Yi approached with concern.
"I’m fine, Big Brother Yuan, how did you find this place?"
Yuan Yi opened his palm, inside which lay a small child’s wristwatch, a gift Gu Qili had once given to Mu Qinian.
"Also, they have another person," Gu Qili said nervously looking towards the door, "It’s a man, probably not an easy fellow to deal with."
"Madam, rest assured, all the people outside are ours, that man has fled, and I have sent someone to chase him," Yuan Yi handed her a coat, "Madam, let me take you away first."
"Okay."
Gu Qili got into the vehicle Yuan Yi had parked outside, only to notice that the dilapidated building was surrounded by black sedans. As Yuan Yi’s car started, the others followed suit. Mu Shuoqian never acted without assurance, thus, it wasn’t possible he sent only Yuan Yi to rescue her.
However, she was curious, when precisely did he realize Gu Yunxi was an imposter, considering her appearance could indeed deceive anyone.
Leaning back in her seat, Gu Qili suddenly leaned forward and said, "Big Brother Yuan, please lend me your phone, I need to call Mu Shuoqian."
Yuan Yi did not immediately hand over the phone, instead politely declining, "Madam, I have already called Young Master Qian, please be assured."
Unexpectedly, Yuan Yi responded that way, leaving Gu Qili momentarily at a loss for words. His intention was clear, making it inappropriate for her to insist further.
Sitting back in her seat, Gu Qili felt something was amiss. Indeed, there was something off.
Falling into Qiu Yufei’s hands, given their enmity, she should always be in danger. Shouldn’t Mu Shuoqian himself come to her aid at such a time? Why was it Yuan Yi? Did he trust Yuan Yi that much, or his own judgment?
Gu Qili had yet to think of an answer when she suddenly noticed that the car was не heading back to Jing Hill but to another villa owned by Mu Shuoqian.
"Brother Yuan, why didn’t Mu Shuoqian come?" Gu Qili finally couldn’t help but ask, with numerous questions tangling in her heart like an unsolvable knot.
Yuan Yi seemed to have anticipated her question and replied without hesitation: "Young Master Qian still has some matters to deal with."
What could be more important than her safety?
Yuan Yi hurriedly explained: "Madam, please don’t misunderstand Young Master Qian. He had me follow you from the hotel, during which no one could harm you."
"Then why didn’t you capture Qiu Yufei when she was still here just now?"
"Because Young Master Qian still has use for her," Yuan Yi answered tersely. As soon as he finished speaking, the car stopped in front of the villa, and Yuan Yi got out to open the rear car door: "Madam, please get out of the car."
Gu Qili didn’t understand what Mu Shuoqian was planning, but she couldn’t get any clarity from Yuan Yi’s mouth, so she could only get out of the car and enter the villa.
There were medical personnel in the villa considering her health condition, the doctor conducted a simple physical examination, and Gu Qili, tired out from the journey, simply laid down and cast aside all concerns. Yet, she couldn’t fall asleep no matter how she tried. Her intuition told her that what Mu Shuoqian was doing was something he feared her knowing. But what exactly was it?
~
Gu Yunxi returned to the Jing Mountain house, where the servant respectfully asked, "Madam, I just baked some pastries, would you like to have some?"
Gu Yunxi glanced at him and answered lightly, not understanding why there would be a male chef in the house. Following her, Mu Qinian and Qiu Lan also entered. Qiu Lan said, "Qili, you should go rest in your room first. I’ll take Qinian to a friend’s house tonight."
"Alright, mom," Gu Yunxi replied with a gentle smile, and reminded Mu Qinian, "Niannian, be obedient, and don’t trouble grandma."
Mu Qinian said "Got it" and went to pack his little backpack. In a short while, he ran downstairs with his backpack and his favorite One Piece action figure in his arms.
"Niannian, you haven’t said goodbye to mommy yet." Gu Yunxi stood at the door and waved at him.
"Goodbye." Mu Qinian holding Qiu Lan’s hand, turned back and waved his arms at her before joyfully climbing into Qiu Lan’s car. It wasn’t until the grandmother and grandson had left that the smile on Gu Yunxi’s face gradually faded.
She walked around the house, seeing traces of Qili everywhere – as the mistress of this home, her status was undeniable. She thought about the years spent alongside Mu Shuoqian in luxury and wealth,
Over the years, she was watched by Qiu Lan’s people and wasn’t allowed to contact the outside world. It was only recently that she was granted freedom to move around. She found it odd why she had regained her freedom, only to realize it was because Qiu Lan knew the real Qili was not her – she was just a substitute.
She thought she had gained freedom, but the death of Cheng Menghong struck her unexpectedly. Cheng Jinyang told her the cause of Menghong’s death, which turned out to be the doing of Qili, Mu Shuoqian, and Qiu Lan – they were all murderers.
Thinking of this, Gu Yunxi hastily took a small bottle from her bag. This drug could induce neural anesthesia, needing to be taken over a week, with only one gram needed each day. After a week, the person who took it would be paralyzed and die from nerve failure, and more importantly, it was undetectable medically, essentially an invisible weapon for murder.
With this thought, Gu Yunxi moved gracefully towards the kitchen.
"Madam, is there anything I can do for you?" the servant asked respectfully.
"You can take the week off," Gu Yunxi said after glancing at the freshly baked pastries, "How did you make these pastries? Can you teach me?"
"Of course," said the servant, handing his apron to Gu Yunxi happily, "Madam, it’s messy here, please put on this apron and I’ll teach you."
"And by the way, teach me a few homestyle dishes."
The servant laughed, "Madam, the dishes you cook are already delicious."
Gu Yunxi didn’t expect Qili could cook, thinking about how she was pampered since childhood, and how Gu Dezhong doted on her to no ends. That she could actually cook?
Gu Yunxi chuckled dryly and noticing the servant was a maid, said:
After learning two dishes, Gu Yunxi sent the maid away, closed the kitchen door, and mixed the drug into the ingredients.