On the other end of the line, Gu Huaiyu remained silent for a long time, as if he were struggling or perhaps organizing his thoughts.
Then, he spoke, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.
“The reason the Gu family acted so ruthlessly against the Su family...”
“There were... extenuating circumstances...”
These words were like a stone cast into stagnant water, stirring up ripples in Su Wan’s heart.
“Extenuating circumstances? What kind of circumstances?”
“What kind of circumstances could possibly justify the Gu family turning their backs on us and driving my family to ruin and death?!” Su Wan gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white.
“Wanwan... I’m sorry. I know you don’t believe me,” Gu Huaiyu’s voice was tinged with bitterness.
“If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t believe it either...”
“But what I’m saying is the truth!”
“The things the Gu family did to the Su family... someone was pulling the strings! As for who exactly, I don’t know. All I know is that everything is related to that project and the Su family’s land.”
Su Wan’s gaze suddenly became sharp.
The project.
That project again!
“I asked my father why he did it.” Gu Huaiyu’s voice grew even lower, carrying a pain that was almost self-flagellating.
“He refused to say anything. Even now, when he’s at death’s door, he still won’t tell me.”
“He only told me to cooperate with everything related to the project’s progress. To do what needs to be done, not to ask questions, and not to think too much.”
“He even said that if a critical moment arrives... I can go find my younger brother, Gu Huaian.”
He spoke those last few words with great difficulty, as if squeezing them out from between his teeth.
Then, his emotions suddenly became volatile.
“Gu Huaian!” His voice rose sharply, filled with uncontrollable resentment and indignation.
“What right does he have?!”
“From childhood until now, in what way have I ever been inferior to him? My grades were better, my abilities are stronger, and I’m the one who has been propping up the Gu Corporation all these years!”
“And him? He’s never done a single thing! Not one thing!”
“Why is it that at the most critical moment, he tells me to go to him?! Why?!”
The sound of a glass being swept off a table and shattering on the floor came from the other end, followed by Gu Huaiyu’s heavy breathing.
Su Wan listened quietly, not interrupting.
However, her attention was no longer on Gu Huaiyu’s emotional venting.
Gu Mingshan was dying, yet he refused to tell Gu Huaiyu the truth, instead telling him to seek out Gu Huaian.
Gu Huaian...
That name pricked at the depths of Su Wan’s memory like a fine needle.
She recalled what Xu Tianlin had said—
“Gu Huaian set the trap!”
“He was the one who called me. He told me that if I went to that room, I could have you.”
The person who had set the trap to ruin her at the hotel back then wasn’t Gu Huaiyu; it was Gu Huaian.
That man who kept such a low profile in the Gu family that he almost had no presence, the man Gu Huaiyu viewed as a “parasite who does nothing”—
He had appeared at the most critical juncture and performed the most critical task.
And now, with Gu Mingshan dying, there were things he was unwilling to tell even Gu Huaiyu...
Su Wan’s brow furrowed slightly.
Clearly, Gu Mingshan and Gu Huaian knew the truth behind certain matters, but Gu Huaiyu was kept in the dark.
Why?
Gu Huaiyu was the eldest son, the actual helmsman of the Gu Corporation, and the heir everyone favored.
Yet, the one who truly touched the core secrets was the marginalized, inconspicuous Gu Huaian.
This defied common sense.
On the other end of the line, Gu Huaiyu was still rambling, his voice full of grievance and indignation.
“Wanwan, do you know? My father is lying in his hospital bed, his face gray. He’s almost gone.”
“I asked him what secret he couldn’t tell me, but he just shook his head and said that knowing too much wouldn’t be good for me.”
“Not good for me? How could it be bad for me?! I’m his son! I’m his chosen heir! He handed the company over to me to manage, yet he hides the secrets away, only telling that useless Gu Huaian...”
“I don’t understand. I really don’t understand...”
The corners of Su Wan’s mouth slowly curled into a cold arc.
You don’t understand, but I do.
Gu Mingshan was dying.
The secrets hidden in his mind—about that project, about that land, and about the truth behind the Su family’s downfall—
They would soon be buried forever in a grave along with his death.
But if she could see Gu Mingshan before he died...
For a Level 3 Mental-type Ability User, reading the memories of a dying old man was not difficult.
The difficulty lay in how to see him.
Where was Gu Mingshan staying?
Which hospital’s VIP ward?
How many people were guarding him? Could she get close to him without alerting anyone?
She knew none of this.
But Gu Huaiyu did.
Moreover, she needed to see someone else.
Gu Huaian.
This second young master of the Gu family, who was so low-profile he was practically transparent, the man who had personally designed the conspiracy at the hotel, the man to whom Gu Mingshan had entrusted the core secrets—
He definitely knew more.
Su Wan lowered her eyes, a plan already forming in her mind.
Use Gu Huaiyu to see Gu Huaian.
Use Gu Huaian to find Gu Mingshan.
Then, dig out the entire truth from Gu Mingshan’s memories.
She took a deep breath and spoke to the still-rambling Gu Huaiyu on the other end.
“Gu Huaiyu.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was like a blade, precisely cutting through all of Gu Huaiyu’s nonsense.
The other end fell silent instantly.
“Wanwan...” Gu Huaiyu clearly hadn’t expected Su Wan’s sudden response. His voice trembled with a hint of incredulous hope.
“Let’s meet.”
Su Wan’s voice was as calm as water, devoid of any emotion.
The other end was silent for five full seconds.
Then, Gu Huaiyu’s voice rang out, filled with uncontrollable ecstasy and excitement.
“Okay! Okay! I... I’ll arrange it right away! When are you free? Tomorrow? Or tonight? I’m available anytime...”
“Right now,” Su Wan interrupted. “Name a place. I’ll head over immediately.”
“Okay! Okay!” Gu Huaiyu agreed repeatedly, his voice cautious as if he were afraid she would back out.
“The Lanting Club, do you remember it? The place we used to go to. Our exclusive private room—I’ve had them keep it reserved all this time.”
Su Wan remembered.
It was a place they had frequented when they were dating. Private, quiet, and the finest private club in all of Jiangcheng.
“Fine.”
The call ended.
Su Wan put away her phone and got up to leave Room 102.
The workers on the construction site had already swapped for the night shift. Old Zheng wasn’t there, but a few young workers were gathered around a temporary light, smoking and chatting.
When they saw Su Wan come out, someone let out a whistle, only to be slapped by the person next to him.
“Miss Su, going out so late?”
“I have some business,” Su Wan replied indifferently, her pace never faltering.
The night wind carried the chill of early autumn, making the withered grass by the roadside rustle.
She hailed a taxi by the road.
“Lanting Club.”
The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror, likely thinking that this young woman in a tracksuit and a bare face didn’t quite fit such a place.
But he didn't ask questions and stepped on the gas.
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