Li Sitong's eyes widened as if she had heard something unbelievable. She gasped heavily, her breath ragged with fury to the point of suffocation.
The veins on her forehead bulged, her eyes bloodshot, as she suddenly charged toward Gu Jingxu.
"Slap—" A resounding strike landed hard.
"Gu Jingxu!! How can you say such inhuman things?! Gu Shiyun is young? What about Jiao Jiao?! At such a tender age, she already schemed to harm Jiao Jiao. If Jiao Jiao hadn't been lucky back then, what kind of state would she be in now?!"
Her shouts grew more furious, punctuated by kicks and sobs.
Gu Jingxu stood rigidly in place, enduring her blows and curses.
What else could he do?
He was the father of both children!
"Gu Shiyun... do you admit your wrongdoing?" Gu Jingxu's voice was cold and detached, as if a mere breeze could scatter his words away.
Gu Shiyun looked at him, gritting her teeth. "I'm sorry. I was wrong."
Gu Jingxu's gaze shifted from Li Sitong, who was being held back by Cheng Shuo, to Jiao Jiao.
"I know Gu Shiyun is in the wrong—she's gone too far. But I have two daughters. For the sake of either one, I can't bring myself to punish the other..."
Now, Gu Shiyun was the only child by his side. Xue Jiao was with Li Sitong. If he abandoned Gu Shiyun, in the future... he would have no children left.
"So you can bring yourself to hurt Jiao Jiao instead?!"
Li Sitong's reddened eyes bore into him. "Do you expect Jiao Jiao to forgive Gu Shiyun after everything she's been through?!"
Gu Jingxu fell silent.
Cheng Shuo patted Li Sitong's shoulder, trying to soothe her temper. He took a deep breath himself, struggling to control his own anger. "Gu Jingxu, did you also despise the old Jiao Jiao for being immature? But look now—what caused her immaturity in the first place. You were unfaithful to your family, unworthy as a husband. You married another woman, brought home your illegitimate child, and allowed this viperous mother-daughter pair to harm Jiao Jiao. You're unworthy as a father."
Gu Jingxu hung his head. In that moment, he seemed to have aged years.
Yet he remained standing beside Gu Shiyun. Even now, he would protect her!
Cheng Shuo said coldly, "I won't waste words on you. What Gu Shiyun did will absolutely not go unpunished!"
He wrapped an arm around Li Sitong and turned to Jiao Jiao. "Let's go home."
Li Sitong turned back, staring straight at Gu Jingxu—
"During the divorce, I didn't hit you or hate you. I only felt disgust, only wanted to break free. But now I hate you, I loathe you. You're protecting the person who harmed my daughter—that makes you my enemy! Gu Jingxu, you'll get your retribution!"
With that, she reached out, took Jiao Jiao's hand, and the family left the police station.
Only Gu Jingxu's family remained.
"Jingxu, Jingxu, you must save Shiyun! She's still so young!" Wu Wanjun threw herself at him, clinging to his arm and pleading.
"Slap—" Gu Jingxu struck her across the face.
Then, in a frigid voice, he said, "This is the fine daughter you raised!"
With that, he strode away.
Wu Wanjun, panicked, clutched Gu Shiyun beside her, slapping her in frustration. "How could you do such a thing! And not even cover your tracks properly!"
Gu Shiyun kept her head lowered for a long time before finally looking up. "I was too young. I didn’t expect them to dig up something so old. Yet they uncovered everything!"
She didn’t regret what she had done—only that she hadn’t cleaned up the evidence well enough."What are we going to do now?" Wu Wanjun said blankly.
Gu Shiyun's gaze was vacant as she stared in the direction Gu Jingxu had left. "My dad will protect me—I'm his only daughter now. If I hadn't targeted Gu Xue Jiao, he wouldn't have been so angry. He admires people who use cunning methods to take over his position."
"But you did target Gu Xue Jiao!"
"She's fine, isn't she?" Gu Shiyun raised an eyebrow. "I didn't really harm her. I just wanted to disrupt her studies. It's a matter of mindset, not legality."
Wu Wanjun froze.
Today, she suddenly realized that the daughter she had always thought resembled her was actually more like Gu Jingxu.
Willing to use any means to achieve her goals, with a mind full of schemes and calculations.
——
Uncle Xing was driving again, with Cheng Mingze in the passenger seat, while Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong sat on either side of Xue Jiao.
"Old Cheng, what kind of punishment will Gu Shiyun face?" Li Sitong asked, holding Xue Jiao, who seemed uneasy.
Cheng Shuo remained silent.
"Hmm?" Li Sitong was puzzled.
From the front, Cheng Mingze suddenly spoke up. "Gu Shiyun won't face criminal charges. At most, she'll be reprimanded, fined, or have it noted in her records."
"Why?!" Li Sitong exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes wide.
Cheng Shuo nodded helplessly, frowning. "Her previous actions with Li Wei—corrupting Xue Jiao—aren't legally defined as crimes. The only serious issue was the attempted entrapment, but the other party never explicitly mentioned those words. In her defense, she could claim she was young and didn't understand, that she only wanted Xue Jiao to stay out late and get punished, and that Li Wei acted on her own."
"How is that fair?! How?!" Li Sitong trembled with anger.
How could someone be so shameless?!
Xue Jiao reached out and gently patted her.
"She was indeed young at the time. Even if she was malicious, the law would consider her immature and still a minor. No matter how much evidence we gather, it would likely just lead to a stalemate. It's hard to actually send her to prison." Cheng Shuo was also frustrated. He wished Gu Shiyun could be locked away, but reality was different.
Cheng Mingze turned his head. "Gu Shiyun is far more dangerous than we thought. Even at such a young age, she knew never to mention those words explicitly. Even if we can't send her to prison this time, we must ensure she stays far away from Jiao Jiao's life."
If such a venomous snake isn't defanged or driven far away, who knows what she might do next?
Cheng Shuo nodded.
But Li Sitong was still seething. How could they let her off so easily?!
——
After comforting Xue Jiao, Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong returned to their room to discuss next steps.
Cheng Mingze and Xue Jiao went upstairs. Standing behind her at her door, he said softly, "Jiao Jiao, Gu Shiyun will get the punishment she deserves. What's past is past—don't let the shadows linger in your life now. No matter what, always keep your heart in the sunlight."
Xue Jiao turned back with a smile, her eyes curving.
"I will. I'll live very, very well—far better than her. That will be her punishment."
As long as she lived well, Gu Shiyun would forever be trapped in anger, resentment, and suffering.
Besides, Gu Shiyun had already lost any chance of being with someone as outstanding as Cheng Mingze. That was punishment enough.
Cheng Mingze smiled back, reassured, and returned to his room.
As she closed the door, a message from Lin Zhihua came through—["Can I call you now?"]
Xue Jiao's lips curled slightly as she dialed the number.
She hadn't even noticed how Lin Zhihua had gradually shifted from sending daily messages to making occasional phone calls.
This subtle change had quietly become a habit.
"Hello..."
A light chuckle came from the other end: "Just got back from the police station?"
Xue Jiao shook her head with a smile, turning on speakerphone as she tidied up while talking.
"Are you Zhuge Liang or something? Is there anything you don't know?"
"Hmm... let me think..." Lin Zhihua on the other end seemed to genuinely ponder before replying, "I can generally find out anything I want to know. There's only one thing I can't."
Xue Jiao paused, instinctively asking: "What is it?"
Lin Zhihua raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself—I don't know your heart.
While he could rationally analyze and deduce other people's thoughts, anything concerning Xue Jiao affected him emotionally, making him overthink and feel lost.
Being too close to the mountain, one cannot see its true shape.
With this thought, he simply chuckled: "That I can't tell you."
Xue Jiao laughed too, not pressing further.
Lin Zhihua continued: "Gu Shiyun won't face the punishment she deserves. Does that anger you?"
She hadn't been completely honest with Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong, but with Lin Zhihua, she found herself speaking her true feelings...
"To be honest, a little."
"Just a little?"
"Alright, very angry..."
That girl who was no longer here wouldn't want to see the person who harmed her get off scot-free.
A deep chuckle came through the phone, continuing without pause.
Xue Jiao sighed helplessly: "Stop laughing!"
Lin Zhihua quieted down, though his voice remained light and relaxed: "Alright, I'll stop."
After a pause, he added: "Actually, if it were me, I wouldn't insist on having her imprisoned."
"Hmm?" Xue Jiao was surprised.
"It's too troublesome." Lin Zhihua said softly. "She's already emboldened, and indeed, her being a minor is her protective umbrella. Plus, she's been careful not to directly state her intentions—there's no way to jail her."
Xue Jiao's brows drooped slightly. She'd long known that the world held many frustrating things, many instances of "unfairness" and "injustice"—but what could be done?
She shrugged: "If she can't be jailed, then so be it. As long as I live well, she certainly won't be happy."
Lin Zhihua chuckled: "Right. As long as you're doing well, she'll be miserable."
After another pause, he continued: "While we can't have her imprisoned, that doesn't mean we can't strike back in other ways. As long as the outcome is good, the method doesn't matter."
"What?" Xue Jiao was puzzled. What other way could there be to punish her?
Lin Zhihua's voice remained calm as he explained: "You can't send her to jail, but you can negotiate terms—have this incident recorded in her file and send her abroad."
"Abroad?" Xue Jiao was still confused. Her life experience across two lifetimes was limited, and she couldn't see how sending Gu Shiyun abroad would help.
Would it keep her out of sight?
"Exactly. With this on her record, she won't be able to take the college entrance exams. Having her go abroad might actually align with her own wishes. When she returns, it'll be to a completely different situation—no money, no respectable skills. Gu Shiyun's future life will become exactly what she originally wanted for Gu Xue Jiao."
Lin Zhihua tapped his fingers on the desk, his expression cold. For Gu Shiyun, he felt not an ounce of sympathy.Xue Jiao was young and didn't fully understand the extent of damage this could cause someone. Gu Shiyun would have a permanent mark on her academic record, making further education difficult domestically. But that wouldn't matter—she'd convince herself she didn't need those diplomas anyway, comfortably going abroad to gild her credentials.
But what if studying abroad wasn't about gilding? What if she had to return in disgrace, with nothing left, destined for lifelong poverty? Living a life of hardship she'd never dared imagine.
Gu Shiyun was cunning, but when she schemed for survival, her life had already taken a turn—one she'd never willingly accept, one... they could control.
That future would be agonizing to contemplate.
This was true revenge.
Indeed, Xue Jiao asked confusedly: "Why would her return change everything? Gu... Gu Jingxu left her a company..."
Her life couldn't possibly be that bad.
"Your stepfather will handle that. Don't worry about it. Just relay what I've said to him. Gu Jingxu's company was never built to last—it's already on the verge of collapse. Would you care if he went bankrupt?"
Xue Jiao shook her head: "No. We were never close, and now... even less so."
Especially after he'd openly defended Gu Shiyun's actions by saying she was "still young" during such circumstances...
But she remained puzzled: "Gu Jingxu's company is failing? Why hasn't he mentioned it?"
Lin Zhihua replied calmly, "Perhaps he thinks there's still hope."
Xue Jiao immediately believed him. Lin Zhihua was a highly respected business leader—his commercial judgment had to be accurate!
The voice on the phone continued: "Some people don't deserve your affection. He chose Gu Shiyun and should be prepared to lose you. Don't feel guilty."
"Okay..."
——
The next morning.
Xue Jiao relayed Lin Zhihua's words but didn't mention him.
As expected, Cheng Shuo agreed immediately.
"Jiao Jiao, this is an excellent solution. As long as Gu Shiyun faces appropriate consequences, imprisonment isn't necessary."
Xue Jiao hesitated: "Dad... are you sure you can manage this?"
Cheng Shuo nodded with a smile: "Yes, I can. Gu Jingxu's company is already a hollow shell. If I expose Gu Shiyun's actions, his remaining business partners will abandon him. Soon, even that empty shell will disappear!"
"Will this affect Pengcheng?" Xue Jiao frowned. If this harmed her stepfather's interests...
Cheng Shuo firmly shook his head: "No, don't worry. I never fight battles I can't win."
Only then did Xue Jiao relax and smile.
Gu Xue Jiao, your loving father is avenging you.
But she didn't know that after she went upstairs, Cheng Shuo and Cheng Mingze had a very different conversation.
"Dad..."
"Mingze, if I sacrifice Pengcheng to destroy Gu Jingxu, will you resent me?"
Cheng Mingze shook his head. "No."
Cheng Shuo smiled gratefully: "Pengcheng isn't a major corporation either. Though stronger than Gu Jingxu's business, ruining him would still significantly weaken Pengcheng. You truly don't blame me?"Cheng Mingze smiled: "I was already planning to pursue my own path in computer science. As long as Pengcheng still exists, it doesn't matter if it's not what it used to be."
He didn't need Pengcheng, and neither did Xue Jiao. Even if Cheng Shuo used it to vent his anger, it was fine.
Besides, Pengcheng wouldn't necessarily go bankrupt just because Gu Jingxu's company did—it would just be a shadow of its former self.
Xue Jiao was part of their Cheng family. No one could harm their family and walk away unscathed!
Even if it meant exhausting all their resources, they would make sure the other party faced the consequences they deserved!
However...
Cheng Shuo frowned slightly in confusion: "Why do I feel like this idea didn't come from Xue Jiao? And she seems to think Gu Jingxu's company is already on the verge of collapse? Who told her that?"
Cheng Mingze also furrowed his brows, and after a moment, it seemed like he thought of something.
"She has a secret friend—probably the same person who cleared her name this time. But I couldn't find out who it is."
Cheng Shuo's frown deepened, even more puzzled: "If they’re someone who cares about Xue Jiao, why would they lie to her about Gu Jingxu's company failing? Unless they were certain I’d go all out against Gu Jingxu? Certain that I’d deceive Xue Jiao?"
Cheng Mingze shook his head, equally baffled.
——
"What?! You’re really willing to let Shiyun go?!" Wu Wanjun exclaimed in shock. She, Gu Jingxu, and Gu Shiyun sat on one side, while the four members of the Cheng family sat opposite.
They could technically avoid legal consequences, but it would be complicated. The best and fastest resolution was for the other side to drop the charges.
After all, dragging this out would only worsen Gu Shiyun's reputation. Even if she left the country temporarily, she’d eventually have to return.
Cheng Shuo's expression was cold as he spoke sharply: "But remember our conditions—Gu Shiyun’s actions must be officially documented. Then she must go abroad and never appear in front of Xue Jiao again!"
"Why should my daughter go abroad?!" Wu Wanjun glared.
Before Cheng Shuo or the others could respond, Gu Jingxu snapped at her: "Shut your mouth!"
This incident had made him utterly disgusted with Wu Wanjun.
"Shiyun, you decide," Gu Jingxu said, turning to his daughter. She always had her own ideas.
After a moment of thought, Gu Shiyun nodded. "Fine."
She and Gu Jingxu exchanged a glance, both understanding the other’s reasoning.
If they kept fighting this, more people would learn about what she’d done, further damaging her reputation.
Even if they won in the end, the incident would likely still end up on record sooner or later. There was no difference.
Besides, studying abroad had always been part of the plan. Gu Jingxu had long wanted her to follow in the footsteps of the Lin family’s head—study overseas and return to help manage the company.
If Gu Jingxu had once doubted whether his young daughter could handle running a business, her cunning in this situation had erased those concerns.
Whether she attended university domestically didn’t matter—she could always get a prestigious degree abroad.
"I have one more demand!" Li Sitong suddenly spoke through gritted teeth.
Cheng Shuo and the others turned to her in surprise, unsure what she would ask for.
"What?"
Li Sitong enunciated each word: "You must sever all father-daughter ties with Xue Jiao!"
"Impossible!" Gu Jingxu’s eyes widened in immediate refusal.
"You chose Gu Shiyun—that means you’re no longer Xue Jiao’s father! Her father is Cheng Shuo!" Li Sitong hissed furiously.Gu Jingxu was taken aback and instinctively looked at Xue Jiao, only to meet a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.
Indeed... Xue Jiao was no longer close to him at all...
A sudden wave of dejection washed over Gu Jingxu as his shoulders slumped slightly—
"Alright."
Since Xue Jiao had grown distant, he couldn't afford to abandon his only remaining daughter! One must make sacrifices to gain—he had to make the right choice!
The matter was settled just like that. Gu Shiyun left quickly, departing on the third day after the decision was made.
Not only was it Cheng Shuo's demand, but Gu Jingxu also felt ashamed and didn't dare let Gu Shiyun stay in the country for long.
Standing at the airport entrance, Gu Shiyun turned back for one last glance.
She couldn't quite understand the purpose behind their demands. After this incident, she could no longer stay in the country anyway and had to go abroad. Yet they had proposed the exact same plan as her own arrangements!
What was their goal?
But soon, the corners of her lips curled slightly. Gu Xue Jiao, you still have no way to touch me.
After a few years abroad, when I return to take over the Gu family company, I’ll settle this score sooner or later!
Gu Shiyun left with confusion and ambition in her heart. However, the moment she stepped onto foreign soil, Cheng Shuo drove to Pengcheng.
He summoned his secretary and gritted his teeth as he issued the order—
"Xiao Jun, starting today, spare no effort to suppress Gu Jingxu's company! Even if Pengcheng suffers heavy losses, crush them!"
The secretary was clearly bewildered by this decision but, after repeated confirmations, finally went out to relay the instructions.
At noon, the secretary hurried back.
"President Cheng!"
"What is it?" Cheng Shuo frowned.
"Someone has already taken action against Gu Jingxu! It looks like they're short-selling his stocks. Gu Jingxu is scrambling right now, trying to figure out who's behind the attack and what their goal is!" The secretary's voice carried a hint of urgency.
Cheng Shuo was shocked and quickly asked, "Who's behind it?"
The secretary shook his head. "We can't trace it. Gu Jingxu's side is also investigating who's targeting them."
That was the most terrifying part!
They couldn’t even find out who was behind the attack!
Suddenly, Cheng Shuo thought of the person who had given Xue Jiao advice...
Could it be related to him?
So when he said Gu Jingxu's company was already on the verge of collapse, did he know something? Or had he done something?
Perhaps that person wasn’t hinting for Cheng Shuo to take action against Gu Jingxu's company but simply wanted Xue Jiao to believe that the resolution came from Cheng Shuo—not him?
Cheng Shuo was puzzled.
Just what kind of person had Xue Jiao gotten involved with?
And what were his intentions?
For now, it seemed everything he did was for Xue Jiao's benefit, and he didn’t even want her to know about his actions...
Cheng Shuo felt that he needed to pay even more attention to Xue Jiao from now on!
That person might not have any ulterior motives now, but who knew about the future?
He absolutely couldn’t let the tragedies of Xue Jiao's past repeat themselves!
The secretary asked again, "President Cheng, then what should we...?"
Cheng Shuo paused for a moment before waving his hand. "Lend them a hand. Don’t miss any opportunity to suppress Gu Jingxu!"
He had originally thought crushing Gu Jingxu would require Pengcheng to fight tooth and nail, but now it seemed—
He might not suffer any losses at all?
Meanwhile, at Dafa Real Estate.
"President Yi, it seems Gu Jingxu has offended someone. His stocks are collapsing, and Pengcheng is biting down hard on him. Gu Jingxu... might not be far from bankruptcy..."
Yi Dafa was stunned, then seemed to realize something.
"Gu Jingxu? That so-called father of Xue Jiao's classmate, who's more like a stepfather? His daughter and that mistress were still scheming against Xue Jiao, right? I remember how frantic my son was about it before."The secretary gave an awkward smile, not daring to respond.
Yi Dafa slapped his hand on the table. "For the sake of my son and his classmate Xue Jiao, let's go lend a hand!"
"What?" The secretary was stunned.
"Crush Gu Jingxu for me!"
Author's note: Lin Zhihua: I'll listen to you all. The weather's getting cold, let's make Gu Jingxu go bankrupt...
Gu Jingxu: ……………………
Lin Zhihua: Am I handsome? Praise me! If you don't, I'll send you ten pounds of the author's fat!
OpenNovel