Gu Nianzhi unceremoniously cut a pincer and placed it in front of her. She used the tool for eating crabs to crush it before she could remove the meat from the pincers.
Huo Shaoheng held a knife and fork in his hand as he quietly waited for Reinitz.
Reinitz took two bites of the crab meat and wiped the corner of his mouth with a Napkin before saying, “It’s a long story. ”
“I’d like to hear the details. ” Unwilling to give up on the topic, Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly. The expression in his eyes was very persistent.
Reinitz gazed at Gu Nianzhi with an ambivalent expression.
” … The person we were looking for was actually Cereus’s father, Gu Xiangwen, not her. ”
“Because our data indicated that the daughter of the Gu family had a serious genetic defect that was difficult to cure. ”
When Gu Nianzhi heard this, the shiny silver tool for eating crabs in her hand dropped onto her silver plate with a clink.
She looked towards Reinitz airily and asked, ” … difficult to cure? ”
Her heart couldn’t help beating wildly.
Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi sat together across from Reinitz.
Huo Shaoheng patted Gu Nianzhi on the back to calm her nerves.
Reinitz’s gaze was fixated on Gu Nianzhi.
He gazed at her silently, then said, “I used to think so too. I’ve told you two before that I worked for the “Angel in the World” charity foundation for a period of time and used that opportunity to look through all of Gu Xiangwen’s manuscripts and data. In reality, Gu Xiangwen turned to the biomedical field because he wanted to cure his beloved daughter, Cereus. ”
Gu Nianzhi: ” … ”
She wondered if her unique physique was due to her identity as the daughter of the Gu family or due to personal reasons?
Huo Shaoheng immediately pulled out his phone and found Xie Dezhao’s contact information. He sent him an encrypted text message asking, “Was there anything abnormal about Gu Tian’s physique?”
Reinitz glanced at Huo Shaoheng’s phone and quietly added, ” … But according to Gu Xiangwen’s manuscripts and letters, something happened before he could find a way to cure Cereus. ”
Gu Nianzhi was bewildered again.
Xie Dezhao had already replied to Huo Shaoheng’s text message: Anything abnormal? Her body was weaker than the average person’s. I knew from the beginning, but does that count as something abnormal?
Huo Shaoheng froze slightly, and the expression in his eyes grew more and more serious.
“Mr. Li Dexi only became interested in Cereus after Gu Xiangwen’s accident. Before that, his knowledge of Cereus completely came from me. ” This aspect was also what confused Reinitz.
He frowned, and his beautiful blue eyes narrowed. “One night four or five years ago, he suddenly ordered me to focus on Cereus, and said that Gu Xiangwen didn’t need to be investigated anymore. He also said, said… ”
Reinitz gazed at Gu Nianzhi as he spoke in a gentle voice, “He said Cereus is perfect, so perfect that everyone else was envious. ”
Gu Nianzhi connected the dots based on Reinitz’s words and asked sharply, “You mean, Li Dexi suddenly had another information source? ”
Reinitz nodded. “I guess so, because I’ve never found evidence of her ‘perfection’ . At least in your father’s manuscript, he was still trying to find a way to cure you, but he also said that hope was very slim. Therefore he doted on you, pampered you, and didn’t want you to be unhappy in the slightest bit.
“He said that Cereus didn’t have much time left, and he only hoped that she could indulge herself while she was alive. The meaning of living wasn’t in its length, but its quality.
“So he spoiled you into an unruly and rebellious little princess, and didn’t allow anyone to criticize you. Whoever dared to do so was fired.
“Judging from Gu Xiangwen’s manuscript, your temper was indeed very bad. Although he was very biased and recorded many things that he personally thought were ‘very interesting’, in my opinion, you seemed completely unruly, willful, and annoying. But everyone around you knew that it was because of your poor health, so they all forgave you and tried their best to indulge you.”
“To be honest, the ‘angel-like daughter’ in Gu Xiangwen’s manuscript is not my cup of tea. I only truly became interested in you after I met you in the Alps.
“You were bubbly, adorable, easy-going and generous. You were kind, but also cautious. When others treated you with compassion, you wished you could return the favor tenfold. However, if others treated you badly, you would immediately put your guard up and return with an eye for an eye. How could a girl with such a personality be a ‘spoiled’ little girl? ”
Reinitz gazed at Gu Nianzhi with fascination. “You’re completely different from how the data I found describes you, but you’re more vivacious and charming. I was subconsciously attracted to you until I couldn’t pull myself away. ”
Huo Shaoheng’s lips twitched. He knocked on the table and warned Reinitz, “Father Reinitz, be mindful of your identity. I’m asking you to tell me what you know about Nianzhi. I’m not asking you to tell me what’s going on in your heart, nor am I asking you to confess your love. ”
Gu Nianzhi glanced at Huo Shaoheng in surprise.
Was Huo Shaoheng… jealous?
How uncharacteristic.
She laughed and patted Huo Shaoheng’s thigh under the table to reassure him.
Huo Shaoheng’s thigh muscles immediately tensed and became as hard as steel.
Reinitz spoke as he continued to unwrap the crab legs. He quickly unwrapped a small plate of sharp crab meat, but he did not eat it himself. Instead, he pushed it in front of Gu Nianzhi and said gently, “Here you go. ”
Then he glanced at Huo Shaoheng. “I’m not confessing. I’ve already confessed. ”
Huo Shaoheng: ” … ”
” … I’m just saying that Li Dexi received news that I didn’t know about. He thought that Cereus’s genetic defect had been cured so he believed her to be even more genetically perfect. It was even said that Cereus had self-healing abilities. That was why he changed his target and resorted to all sorts of means to get his hands on Cereus, so that he could continue the research our ancestors started. ”
Reinitz smiled wryly. “Our ancestors’ genetic optimization plan didn’t succeed. They were still brooding over it. It wasn’t until Li Dexi found out about Cereus’s existance that it became possible that humans had found a solution to the problem. ”
“This conjecture was too outrageous, so he didn’t tell anyone. Even towards his most trusted aide, me, he merely brushed it over because he needed me to marry Cereus and have children with her. ”
Huo Shaoheng felt extremely uncomfortable upon hearing the words “have children” come out of Reinitz’s mouth. He felt like vomiting, but more than that, he could hardly suppress his anger.
It took all the self restraint he could muster to not stab Reinitz in the throat with the knife and fork in his hand..
Gu Nianzhi also felt a little embarrassed, but she felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. She asked with a smile, “Then do you know where Reinitz got the news that I had been cured? It really wasn’t from my father? ”
Thinking about her unique physique and the fact that she had once cured Song Jinning, Gu Nianzhi felt that it was possible her genetic defect had already been cured.
Reinitz was even more confused, and said, “It’s not impossible. After all, Gu Yanran didn’t inherit many of your father’s prized possessions, so it’s possible that the information on the ‘Angel in the world’ foundation is incomplete.”
Gu Nianzhi was even more confident now. She looked at the time displayed on her phone, and said, “In two weeks, the court will announce to the world that my father, Gu Xiangwen, is legally dead, and the six-month statute of limitations will be up. In two weeks, if no one objects, I’ll be able to inherit all of my father’s assets. When that time comes, let’s see if we can uncover anything else.”
If anyone objects, that person must prove that Gu Xiangwen isn’t dead.
So no matter what, the truth was probably waiting for them somewhere not that far away.
