Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“I don’t believe it,” Gu Nianzhi blurted then immediately felt guilty as soon as she saw the pain and hurt in He Zhichu’s eyes. She knew she was being too quick to assume and too curt—He Zhichu had gone to such lengths to do all this work, so why did she have to hurt his feelings? From the corner of her eye, she noticed Dr. Douglas curiously glance between her and He Zhichu. She quickly looked down and pursed her lips to whisper, “Professor He, I have something to discuss with you.”
Dr. Douglas understood and quickly said, “I’m going to be off work now. Do you want to go downstairs first?”
He Zhichu nodded, taking the blood samples, dental records, and the day’s lab results from Dr. Douglas. He put them in the briefcase he carried today and walked out with Gu Nianzhi. They got into He Zhichu’s Maserati.
At first, no one said anything, so the silence in the car felt heavier than usual. When the car got on the highway and merged into the throngs of traffic, He Zhichu finally gripped the steering wheel, his eyes looking forward, and coldly spat, “…Say it.”
Gu Nianzhi said nothing.
“Why aren’t you saying it?” He Zhichu glanced at her with a cool expression because his good intentions had not been well received.
Gu Nianzhi composed herself and rubbed her finger on her watch, mentally deciding how to tell He Zhichu—in order to not reveal intelligence Huo Shaoheng had gathered—while still expressing herself. “Professor He, are you certain that I’m Gu Yanran’s younger sister? But why did you, instead of Gu Yanran, take the initiative to investigate our relationship?”
Gu Nianzhi decided to use the Gu Yanran angle. The older woman had seen her and met her, yet had never treated her with a hint of sisterly love. As Gu Nianzhi always said, she was rescued by Huo Shaoheng when she was 12 years old, not two years old. If she was really Gu Yanran’s younger sister, then why didn’t she make a move at all? Other than mentioning that she had a younger sister also named “Gu Nianzhi,” nothing else had come out of it.
The question was fairly sharp. He Zhichu’s mood improved as he glanced at Gu Nianzi and replied casually, “You’re not totally ungrateful since you recognized that I was the one making the effort to investigate.”
Gu Nianzhi was silent. Why couldn’t Professor He stop going in circles! Could they even have a proper conversation?! Gu Nianzhi fiercely turned away to look out the window like she was going to ignore him until he decided to speak properly.
“What? Are you mad now?” He Zhichu turned to glance at her, stroking her hair. “A little girl like you still has such a bad temper…”
“Humph!” Gu Nianzhi shoved He Zhichu’s hand away, puffing out her cheeks angrily. “Professor He, don’t try to muddle your way through this. You still haven’t answered my question.”
He Zhichu smiled, withdrawing his hand and continuing to grip both hands on the steering wheel. He looked at the road ahead. The highways in the Imperial Capital were still congested at this time and didn’t go very fast, so it seemed like they were flowing at a turtle’s pace through the traffic. Rows of headlights sped by to form long lines of light that glowed colorfully and were very beautiful.
“Then I’ll ask you, why didn’t you believe that you’re Gu Yanran’s sister? I had asked Gu Nianzhi, Gu Yanran’s younger sister’s previous family doctor and dentist, for these records. How do you explain how they have your blood samples and dental records? Don’t say I gave it to them. I can swear on my life that I didn’t doctor anything.” He Zhichu replied confidently and was more cautious than ever.
Gu Nianzhi hesitated for a second. She would definitely believe it if Huo Shaoheng was the one to tell her that. But with He Zhichu, she could only half-believe him at this point. She didn’t totally distrust him, since He Zhichu had only recently proven that he was someone she could trust. Trust was not something that was built easily, but just one incident, one sentence, or one opportunity could be enough to ruin it.
“But… But…” Gu Nianzhi began to mumble. She really wanted to say that she was not biologically related to Gu Yanran, but that meant she would betray what Huo Shaoheng’s side had gathered. She must not say it. Her heart turned a thousand times in that one moment. Gu Nianzhi finally found a flawless reason. “But Professor He, why did you test the family doctor and dentists’ records? Why didn’t you directly test if Gu Yanran and I are biologically related? Isn’t that easier and more direct? It’s more convenient, too, since you are very familiar with Gu Yanran and are also my instructor. You’d be able to test our DNA as long as you get Gu Yanran’s blood sample or even a strand of her hair. Isn’t that right?”
She had finally asked the crucial point. He Zhichu glanced at her with pride and gently tapped his finger on the steering wheel before replying, “…Yes, why did I take a longer route instead of directly testing if you and Gu Yanran are biologically related? Why is that?” His voice was normally cold and aloof, but as he spoke slowly now, there was an indescribable discretion.
Gu Nianzhi’s heart trembled, her brain firing up right away as she muttered, “You didn’t test if Gu Yanran and I are biologically related but directly tested if the relationship between me and the Gu family’s Gu Nianzhi. This means… means… I got it!” Gu Nianzhi’s eyes shimmered. She turned around to inch closer to He Zhichu and said hastily, “Is it because the Gu family’s Gu Nianzhi and Gu Yanran are not biologically related at all!”
Only this explanation could serve as the perfect footnote for He Zhichu’s actions. So He Zhichu had always wanted to prove that Gu Nianzhi was the same Gu Nianzhi who had been separated from the Gu family, not that she was biologically related to Gu Yanran. Otherwise, why would He Zhichu take a longer route purposely if there was a shortcut?
He Zhichu smiled at her. His shimmering, sultry eyes had an unspeakable elegance in them. “Yeah, I guess you’re smart after all and managed to turn the problem around.”
“But…” Gu Nianzhi hesitated again. “If Gu Nianzhi from the Gu family is not related to Gu Yanran, then how are they sisters?”
“Why does this matter? Who said people can’t be sisters if they aren’t biologically related?” He Zhichu gently tapped his fingers on the steering wheel with a snicker. “Do I even have to teach you this? A family with two sisters that aren’t related but are still legally considered family. That’s not rare at all. Nianzhi, you’d better not tell people you’re my student. How embarrassing.”
Gu Nianzhi’s cheeks flushed. She had backed herself into a corner when it came to her relationship with Gu Yanran. He Zhichu’s words were like doors opening up to a new world for her—her outlook suddenly brightened. Now that she knew she wasn’t related to Gu Yanran, a great burden seemed to be eased from Gu Nianzhi’s mind. As for “legally recognized” sisters who were not biologically related, it could only be the scenario of step-sisters through a second marriage of their parents or adopted children. No matter the reason, these were all sisters who weren’t related by biological means. Gu Nianzhi no longer had to care about what Gu Yanran could do to her.
Propping her chin with her hand, she rested her elbow against the car door and said thoughtfully, “So, Professor He is certain I am the Gu Nianzhi from the Gu family? But then… Why didn’t they ever look for me?”
He Zhichu sighed. “Nianzhi, that’s up to you to figure out. I don’t deal with such pointless things since you wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
Gu Nianzhi knew her choice to blurt out earlier that she didn’t believe He Zhichu had hurt him. Shrinking back her hand, she fiddled her fingers nervously and looked at him with apprehension. “Professor He, I’m sorry…”
She was looking at him to cautiously. He Zhichu’s heart dropped, but he stayed quiet for a long moment. After some time, he replied raspily, “You don’t have to apologize to me. Think about it well and decide what you want to do and whether or not to believe the evidence.”
Gu Nianzhi looked down, her fingers once again rubbing the watch from Huo Shaoheng. She couldn’t come to a conclusion yet because she still needed to seriously discuss it with Huo Shaoheng. It looked like Huo Shaoheng’s previous direction of investigation hadn’t been correct. They had assumed that Gu Nianzhi was not from the Gu family when they tested that Gu Yanran and Gu Nianzhi were not related, so they had stopped investigating Gu Yanran’s trail of clues. But He Zhichu had sensed something more and had started from the angle of Gu Nianzhi’s childhood medical and dental records to confirm that the Gu Nianzhi from the Gu family in Barbados was the same Gu Nianzhi in the Huaxia Empire. But if she was really that Gu Nianzhi, how had she gotten from the tiny country of Barbados in Central America to the Huaxia Empire? Had she come alone or had she come with someone? These thoughts swirled in her mind like tiny dots in the mist. She could only wait until the fog cleared up before she could link them together.
He Zhichu didn’t speak again and was quiet the entire drive back to the university. He drove her directly back to her dorm building.
“Nianzhi, I’ll give you one day off tomorrow so you can carefully read through this information and digest it.” He Zhichu’s tone softened. “But you can’t be sad for more than a day because the past is the past. There’s no need to pursue what happened before. The important thing is what decision you make in the future.”
Gu Nianzhi nodded and carried the things He Zhichi had given her. She desperately wanted to return to her dorm room to get in touch with Huo Shaoheng right away. She had so much to tell him.
Watching Gu Nianzhi’s back rush inside the dorm building, He Zhichu sighed before laying down against the steering wheel. He stared in the direction where Gu Nianzhi had run off in and looked pointedly for a long time before starting his car to leave.
…
Gu Nianzhi threw the dorm room door open with a loud bang and assumed Ma Qiqi had gone to study when she didn’t see her in the room. She sighed in relief because she really didn’t want to talk to anyone except for Huo Shaoheng right now.
Locking the door to her room after she walked in, Gu Nianzhi took out her phone to call Huo Shaoheng’s personal number. It rang for a long time, but no one picked up.
“What’s going on?” Gu Nianzhi said, looking at her watch. It was currently past 7:00 a.m. in Barbados, and according to Huo Shaoheng’s routine, he ought to be up by now. Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to call Zhao Liangze.
Zhao Liangze quickly picked up and asked cheerfully, “Nianzhi, why are you calling your Brother Ze?”
Gu Nianzhi had no time to joke with him and immediately said, “Brother Ze, where’s Huo Shao? I have something important to tell him.”
“Mr. Huo? Mr. Huo had to go out because of something.” Zhao Liangze broke into a wide grin. “What is it? Nianzhi is checking on Mr. Huo’s attendance?”
“Checking what attendance?” Gu Nianzhi grew anxious. “Brother Ze, I really have something important to tell Huo Shao! It’s to do with the Gu family from Barbados.”
“Oh?” Zhao Liangze stopped fooling around. “Really? What news do you have?”
“…I got it from Professor He.” Gu Nianzhi didn’t say much to Zhao Liangze. “Hurry up and have Huo Shao pick up the phone! I called many times, but he didn’t take it.”
