Chapter 279: The Ugly Truth
Gu Yujing’s face turned pale as he heard these words.
Earlier, when the Empress had asked him for a price, he didn’t want to pay, but now the person asking him for it had changed, and it was someone else demanding the same price after her death.
“It seems like you haven’t inquired about what the price really is?” Gu Yujing said.
The Red Dragon King replied casually, “What she wanted couldn’t have been something mundane, likely something that you can afford but are unwilling to give her.”
Gu Yujing’s expression grew even darker.
The Red Dragon King, however, seemed confident of victory and said, “Speaking of which, many years ago, your father received my guidance, which is why he soared to success. Now, as the representative of the Gu family, you’re here to pay the price. I will certainly not disappoint you.”
Gu Yujing forced a smile and said, “I’ve always wondered, why did my father, after making his fortune in Hong Kong, choose to move to the mainland?”
The Red Dragon King, who had been smiling all this time, suddenly darkened at this question. He simply said, “The land nurtures its people. If he left Hong Kong, it must be because the mainland was more prosperous for him.”
Although they had reached an agreement, both of them were holding something back. The Red Dragon King wasn’t willing to discuss the past, and Gu Yujing, when asked about the Empress’s death, deliberately omitted Xu Youyou’s involvement.
“It’s truly a case of the eagle being injured by the very bird it raised. Who would have thought that she would lose her life over such a mundane ritual?” The Red Dragon King sighed softly.
Gu Yujing immediately responded, “After all, she’s a woman—she always lacks a bit of thoroughness in her actions.”
The Red Dragon King agreed, saying, “The things she couldn’t do, I will do for her. But don’t forget the price you still owe.”
Gu Yujing was reminded again, his face growing darker still.
After returning to the hotel, just as Gu Xueying was about to ask about the meeting, Gu Yujing pressed her against the wall.
“Have another child for me,” Gu Yujing said.
Gu Xueying’s face turned pale. She recalled her previous miscarriage and felt as if her body hadn’t fully recovered: “What we’re doing… this isn’t right… You never even thought of marrying me…”
Upon hearing this, Gu Yujing let out a low laugh. “What? Are you afraid of society’s judgment? You want to walk openly under the sun with me? Aren’t you afraid of the gossip from high society?”
Gu Xueying tightly pressed her lips together. Of course, she was afraid. She had just been dumped by Chai Wei, and because of the Star Diamond Group behind him, the entire Gu family had turned their anger toward her. Now, she was desperately trying to cling to something.
“I’m not afraid. I just want to be with you forever…” Gu Xueying looked up at him, her eyes sparkling like scattered stars.
Suddenly, Gu Yujing covered her eyes with his hand, leaned into her ear, and spoke in a low voice, “Little liar, even though I know you don’t have a sincere heart, why do I still want to believe you?”
Gu Xueying didn’t know what to say.
“Give me a child. When the child is born, we’ll get married abroad. I can give you a lifetime of comfort.” Gu Yujing said.
Upon hearing this, Gu Xueying couldn’t help but feel a surge of resentment. She was indeed afraid of living a hard life, but living comfortably abroad, far from her original noble circle—how was that any different from living in obscurity? She couldn’t understand. “Why does it have to be my child?”
Gu Yujing looked at her with a strange expression. “Of course, it’s because the child we have will be very important to them.”
“Who? Who are they?” Gu Xueying didn’t understand.
“Years ago, it was the Empress who wanted it. Now, it’s the Red Dragon King.” Gu Yujing explained openly.
Gu Xueying hadn’t even conceived yet, let alone given birth, and hearing this, a wave of fear surged within her.
These two people wanted her child, and it could only mean something sinister.
“This is our own flesh and blood. Why…” Gu Xueying said with reddened eyes.
Gu Yujing’s face showed a cruel innocence as he casually replied, “We’ll have more children. I never knew you had such a kind side.”
Gu Xueying felt like she no longer recognized the person in front of her. “Why does it have to be my child?”
She increasingly felt like Gu Yujing was a devil in human form.
Gu Yujing was indeed a devil. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Our child, with our relationship, this child will be born with original sin. For them, such a child is no different from a stimulant.”
“What kind of relationship do we have?” Gu Xueying asked, wide-eyed.
Gu Yujing smiled and said, “We are blood relatives.”
Gu Xueying’s eyes widened in shock. She almost thought she had misheard him. She couldn’t understand what Gu Yujing was saying.
“I am… I am your family’s adopted daughter… I… I can’t be your… your real sister…” She stammered, not knowing what to say next, feeling like life had played a cruel joke on her.
But then she realized something: “So, the swap between me and Xu Youyou was… it was intentional?”
Gu Yujing chuckled and said, “Of course. The Gu family gets checked up every year, and both my parents are Type A blood. They can’t produce a child with Type AB blood. Why, after all these years, did my mother only find out that you weren’t her biological child? It’s because someone has deliberately kept it from her.”
Gu Xueying felt like her entire life had been a trap set by others. What was even more terrifying was that she didn’t know what role she played in this trap.
Since she could remember, she had always been with the Gu family, and the Gu family had kept all her baby photos. Her three brothers weren’t much older than her, so it wasn’t hard to figure out who had orchestrated the swap.
“Why did Dad do this? If he liked my mother, he wouldn’t have just watched her go mad. If he didn’t like her, why did he deliberately swap me and Xu Youyou?” Gu Xueying asked.
Gu Yujing shrugged. “Why are you asking me? You should ask Dad.”
Gu Xueying felt like her head was going to explode.
Xu Youyou’s plane had just landed in Shanghai, and Assistant Liu was already waiting at the airport.
“Miss Xu, Mr. Lu has been extremely busy these past few days. He hasn’t had a proper rest for five days in a row. Please forgive him for not being able to pick you up personally,” Assistant Liu said apologetically.
Xu Youyou had originally planned to go home to rest, but hearing this, she paused for a moment and said, “I’m not going back to Tang Chen Yipin. Let’s go straight to his company.”
