NOVEL WEB Vol. 1 - Ch. 389 - The Key
The outskirts of JingDu.
Darkness blanketed the landscape. Aside from a few scattered buildings with dimly glowing lights, the entire area felt cut off from the world.
Inside one such building, Gu ZhaoChuan sat in silence, staring at the elderly man across from him. His emotions were hard to name.
He knew there was no blood relation between them. And yet, even now, he still couldn't bring himself to go through with something truly ruthless.
Perhaps it was the years of being raised and cared for that gave him pause.
Gu ZhouTing calmly sipped his tea, showing no sign of disdain for the modest surroundings.
Though the Gu family had been JingDu's ruling power for as long as he could remember, he himself had lived through far humbler times.
When Gu ZhaoChuan first reappeared, Gu ZhouTing knew—he'd have to go with him. If not, if things came to force, there would be casualties among the Gu family.
Seeing the boy again, Gu ZhouTing couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia.
Two years had passed. Everything felt... different.
The once-respectful child who used to call him "Grandfather" was now someone he barely recognized.
"Grandfather, I'm sorry these days have been hard on you."
The words were polite, but hollow—devoid of emotion.
Gu ZhouTing chuckled softly, not the least bit offended.
He looked into the tea, where the reflection of his aging face rippled faintly on the surface. Somehow, all these years had passed already.
He had hoped to spend his twilight years in peace. But the moment that thought had taken root, the Gu family was already on the edge of collapse.
Even now, he didn't think he was fit to be the head of the Gu family. That role should have gone to his younger brother.
"ZhaoChuan... you must've been through a lot these past years."
"More than you imagine, Grandfather. You have no idea how I lived, walking on eggshells every day in the Gu family. Ever since I learned the truth about myself, I've lived in constant fear that it would be exposed. That everything I had would be stripped away."
He stared into Gu ZhouTing's eyes, waiting for some kind of judgment.
He expected anger. Disappointment. Maybe even a death sentence.
But instead, Gu ZhouTing looked at him calmly—as if nothing he said mattered.
"You don't hate me? I'm the one who turned the Gu family upside down. I destroyed everything you once believed in."
"So you've lived in the Gu family all these years with that burden on your back? Ever since you learned the truth?"
Gu ZhouTing let out a long sigh, his eyes soft.
"I've known about you for a long time. Since the day HuMing returned."
Silence fell between them.
Gu ZhaoChuan stared in disbelief.
If ZhouTing had known, why keep him around? He wasn't family. Was he planning to use him as bait to find the real enemy?
Facing Gu ZhaoChuan's confused gaze, Gu ZhouTing thought back to a conversation they'd once had.
He had warned the boy, tried to guide him away from this path. But clearly, Gu ZhaoChuan hadn't understood his meaning.
"It was the letter HuMing brought back, wasn't it? The one from Gu ZhouXing? That's how you found out. So why didn't you say anything? Why not speak up and end this whole charade?"
"You're right," Gu ZhouTing admitted. "If I'd spoken up, this could've all been resolved. But why would I want to expose you? You've lived with us for over a decade. I watched you grow up. You're part of this family. Keeping your identity secret wasn't a betrayal—it was just the right thing to do. Even if HuMing tried to bring everything to light, no one in the family ever questioned your place here."
His voice grew stern with the last sentence. It was clear he was frustrated Gu ZhaoChuan still refused to accept the truth.
But Gu ZhaoChuan simply shook his head, unconvinced.
He'd seen this play out too many times. Once a fake child's identity was exposed, families like theirs always turned on them.
Big families had no room for sentimentality. The Gu family was no different.
If Gu WeiJun hadn't eliminated every rival relative early on, the Gu family wouldn't even exist today.
He knew what people were capable of.
"My parents were thrown in prison by HuMing," ZhaoChuan said coldly. "They were not good people, and yet their blood runs in me. Maybe from the very beginning, I was never meant to be one of you. Things have gone too far—I can't go back."
His gaze sharpened, his face filled with steely resolve.
He had made his choice. There would be no turning back.
Gu ZhouTing fell silent. He had hoped that by coming here, he could talk some sense into the boy.
But now it was clear—Gu ZhaoChuan had chosen his path. One of no return.
"So you came back to destroy the Gu family? Just like he wanted?"
"Destroy it? No. I won't give him that satisfaction. He wants to use me? Fine. I'll play along. But the final outcome… that's for me to decide."
His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked.
…
At that moment, outside the Xia estate.
Xia GaoWu sat in a parked car, eyes fixed on the house. He really wanted to go in and check on his children.
But he knew—this wasn't the time.
If his guess was correct, the enemy would soon make a move on his daughter.
He wasn't worried about Xia Chen. HuMing was with him.
In the seat beside him sat Liang Feng.
"Shi Zhong's making his move, If we're not careful, something bad is bound to happen."
He remembered HuMing's strict instructions:
No matter what happens, don't let Xia GaoWu intervene.
His presence was too important to the future.
"I get what HuMing told you. But she's still my daughter. As her father, how could I not worry?"
Both men were fathers. They'd had many conversations about family, about parenting.
But Xia XiaoXi and Xia Chen were both grown now. Whatever path they walked from here on would be theirs to choose.
They sat in silence for a moment.
Liang Feng checked his watch—it was past 3 a.m. Normally, he'd be fast asleep by now.
But late nights like this… were when the thieves came out.
"Look," Xia GaoWu said in a low voice, pointing toward a shadow near the house.
A figure was creeping toward the Xia residence.
"You were right, he wasn't going to give up that easily."
He instinctively reached for his seatbelt, but Liang Feng held him back.
"I've got this. Trust me. I won't let anything happen to her."
Xia GaoWu took a deep breath—then nodded heavily.
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