Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Alright, I’ll be waiting here.”
Gu Beicheng and Jin Qingyan had been arch enemies and rivals in business for years.
Little did he expect that he would one day be so bored as to create a surprise for Jin Qingyan. Pigs were going to fly.
“Young Sir, Mr. Gu is waiting at the entrance. He’d like to see you.”
“Gu Beicheng?” After a moment of hesitation, Jin Qingyan said, “I just happened to have something to tell him too. Allow him in.”
“Alright.”
Fan Shixin turned around to let Gu Beicheng in.
Upon sight of Jin Qingyan, Gu Beicheng said, “I went to look for you at your bridal chamber before coming here. This place is so well renovated, eh? Do you plan to make this the new bridal chamber?”
“You’ve guessed it. I was planning to look you up too, actually,” Jin Qingyan answered with a straight face.
Gu Beicheng raised his brows in surprise. “You were going to look for me?”
“Yes, I have something to tell you. Your family must know about this,” said Jin Qingyan, looking at Gu Beicheng in the eye.
“What is it about?”
“Xiaoning is still alive.”
Staring at him, Gu Beicheng grimaced in bewilderment, momentarily speechless.
Thinking that he must have been shocked, Jin Qingyan said, “She’s upstairs right now. Would you like me to bring her down?”
“She’s upstairs?” Gu Beicheng was dumbfounded. If An Xiaoning was upstairs, then who was the person waiting for him outside?
“Bring her down to let me have a look then.” Gu Beicheng sat down on the couch, maintaining his composure.
Jin Qingyan motioned to Fan Shixin and instructed, “Please ask her to come down.”
“Yes, Young Sir.”
Gu Beicheng did not ask any further questions and continued to wait in puzzlement.
A minute later, footsteps could be heard from the stairs.
Gu Beicheng was overwhelmed with perplexity as he stared at the woman who was making her way down slowly. “Let me make a call.”
Jin Qingyan did not react much, thinking that he was going to call the Gu family.
Gu Beicheng gave An Xiaoning a call and said, “Wait for me for a little while.”
“Alright.”
Gu Beicheng ended the call and stood up to walk towards Gu Xiaoning. Staring at the woman before him who looked exactly like An Xiaoning, he asked, “You’re An Xiaoning?”
“I am Gu Xiaoning. My last name shall be ‘Gu’ from now on,” Gu Xiaoning answered.
Gu Beicheng was appalled and dumbstruck to hear that they even had the same voice.
Just what was going on?
Was this a case of doppelgangers?
However, Gu Beicheng knew clearly which one of them was the real An Xiaoning.
“Why is your last name ‘Gu’? It’s clearly ‘An’.”
“Qingyan wanted me to have that last name.”
“You decided to take up the last name ‘Gu’ just because he wants you to. Are you that obedient and compliant towards him?”
“Of course, he’s the man I love most.”
She had answered without hesitation at all.
If he had not known that the real An Xiaoning was alive beforehand, he would have really taken the imposter for the real deal.
Even if they were identical twins, there was no way their voices would be exactly the same, unless she was a clone.
“Don’t you have any questions?” asked Jin Qingyan, puzzled at Gu Beicheng’s unusually calm reaction.
“Of course I have a lot to ask. Xiaoning clearly stopped breathing and passed away. Could you tell me what happened exactly?” Gu Beicheng answered.
“I used a special method to bring her back to life. Isn’t it wonderful that she’s alive? The other things shouldn’t matter.”
Gu Beicheng rubbed his nose lightly and said, “That’s true. I’m really glad to see that she’s still alive.”
“By the way, why did you come to look for me at such a late hour?”
Gu Beicheng shook his head and said, “Doesn’t matter anymore.”
He then turned around to leave.
Jin Qingyan was ill at ease as he watched Gu Beicheng’s figure recede, thinking that the latter must have had something important to say since he dropped by so suddenly.
Mei Yangyang and An Xiaoning’s spirits were dampened as soon as Gu Beicheng emerged from the entrance.
“Sis, why did Mr. Gu come out alone?”
“I don’t know.”
Gu Beicheng got into the car and turned around to say to An Xiaoning, “I didn’t tell him.”
“Huh?”
“Mr. Gu, why didn’t you tell him?”
“Xiaoning, there’s a woman who looks exactly like you with Jin Qingyan right now. Even her voice is identical to yours. Her name is Gu Xiaoning. I asked her why her last name was ‘Gu’ and she answered that it was Jin Qingyan who gave her that last name. I initially thought that Jin Qingyan knew about what happened when he first mentioned that you were alive. Yet, he actually showed me a replica of you,” Gu Beicheng explained.
An Xiaoning felt her heart sink immediately. “What do you mean? She looks exactly like me?” she asked in puzzlement.
“Yes, entirely identical. Her height, appearance, and even her voice are the same as yours. This is impossible even in the case of twins. I reckon it must be a clone.”
“I know what happened.” Reminded of the time when Xi Bolai extracted her DNA, An Xiaoning explained, “Xi Bolai wanted to create an exact clone of me back then. But he was later killed by Jin Qingyan. I guess the clone must’ve landed in the hands of Jin Qingyan.”
“Besides… this Gu Xiaoning seems to be here as your substitute and to replace all of your positions,” said Gu Beicheng.
“Replace me? Other than the fact that she’s physically identical to me, can she really replace me in other aspects?” An Xiaoning scoffed.
“It’s so infuriating! She’s going to become my sister’s imposter with that face of hers. Sis, let’s go in right now. Mr. Jin will definitely get rid of that clone once he sees you!” Mei Yangyang protested.
“Xiaoning, do you want to go in?” Gu Beicheng asked.
An Xiaoning’s initial excitement and desire to see Jin Qingyan had completely vanished.
She knew that it was not Jin Qingyan’s fault. However, if she had really died, she could not help but feel uneasy and upset at the thought of her clone replacing her and enjoying a blissful life with Jin Qingyan.
It did not matter whether the woman was a clone or not – he wanted someone else to replace An Xiaoning all the same.
“Let’s go home.”
“Sis… as long as you go in now, Mr. Jin will definitely choose you,” Mei Yangyang said, trying to persuade her.
“Why must I make him choose me? Since he already has my replacement with him now, my existence is practically redundant. I thought he would be devastated because of my death, but it seems he can just easily replace me with any woman who resembles me, doesn’t it?”
That was not the kind of man she wanted. In fact, she wanted to be irreplaceable in his heart! His one and only!
“Step on it,” said An Xiaoning as she leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.
Gu Beicheng started the engine and took a glance at her before driving back to the Gu family mansion.
Upon arriving home, they explained the matter to the Gu family, who were greatly taken aback.
“I’ll be wearing this bangle Beicheng had given me every day, from now onwards. I’m leaving tomorrow,” said An Xiaoning, raising her wrist in the air.
“Xiaoning, why don’t you stay home for a few more days?”
“It’s fine, Mother. Although I spend all my time staying in the hospital, I’m actually picking up a foreign language and learning how to take care of babies. I’ll be making full use of my time. The next time I return, I’ll be bringing the child back with me,” An Xiaoning said smilingly.
“Xiaoning, let me go there to accompany you. Mother can’t allow you to be alone abroad,” Mrs. Gu suggested.
