【036】 Suspicious background

In dormitory 303, Zhao Rui was playing on the computer while eating; Liu Hui was also eating. There were two servings of rice and four dishes on the table, and his mouth was full of oil.

Gu Juan climbed onto the bed with his laptop, logged into his email, and opened the email Z sent him.

"Eighteen years ago, at around 5:00 a.m. on June 10th, An Jiaqi was born in Yangzhou First People's Hospital..."

Gu Juan was a little surprised that An Jiaqi's birth time and place were exactly the same as his.

As he continued to read, his expression changed slightly——

That night, a fire broke out in the hospital's data room. Computers weren't common at the time, and all documents were on paper, destroyed in the blaze, including An Jiaqi's birth certificate. After the accident, a cleaner named Wei voluntarily turned himself in, claiming he'd been careless and forgotten to put out his cigarette. However, according to hospital staff, Wei rarely smoked while working. Because no one was injured and Wei had surrendered voluntarily, he was sentenced to three years in prison. He served less than two weeks before dying in a prison brawl. Further investigation revealed that the son of a death row inmate caught in the brawl had gone from penniless to wealthy within days, while the inmate himself was executed the following day. This inevitably led to speculation that this entire series of events was rife with conspiracy...

After reading all the information, Gu Juan looked solemn and had a terrible guess in his mind.

Zhang Cong pushed the door open and came in, putting several disposable lunch boxes on the table.

"Third brother, the meal is here. Why did you end up in bed?"

When he didn't hear the answer, he turned around in confusion, "Third brother?"

Gu Juan came back to his senses and said, "Thanks. I'll eat later." He took out his cell phone, and with his fingers flying, he sent out a text message: "I want a photo of An Jiaqi's family." Thinking that these people would not give up until they saw the rabbit, he added three words at the end: "Money is negotiable."

Less than ten seconds later, a "ding dong" email notification sounded, and an unread email appeared in the mailbox. After clicking it, Gu Juan's face changed drastically.

If this is true, it would explain why An Jiaqi killed him in his previous life.

He turned off the computer, jumped out of bed, put on his shoes, opened the door and strode out.

The sky was overcast and the autumn wind was chilly. Gu Juan calmed down and found that he had walked to the lake unconsciously.

The vast lake reflected the gray sky, making it seem even more profound. The autumn wind carved ripples across the water, as chaotic as the mood of a carefree heart. Withered yellow poplar leaves spun in the air before falling onto the lake, drifting aimlessly. On a bench beneath a willow tree on the shore, a couple leaned head to head, whispering softly, their faces filled with sweetness, their laughter breaking from them from time to time.

Gu Juan sat down on the grass where the dead elephant had been exposed, and saw himself in the water with a blank expression.

He thought back to the day his mother died. After school, he walked home as usual, head bowed. His timid appearance made all his classmates laugh, calling him a fatherless, wild child. When he returned home, his mother came out smiling and, as always, kissed him tenderly on the forehead. These moments were his happiest moments. He had no father, his grades weren't as good as others, and his personality wasn't as likable, but so what? He had the best mother in the world. Then, in a gentle voice, his mother asked him if he was hungry and went to the kitchen to bring out his two favorite dishes, braised pork ribs and steamed fish, still steaming. The aroma of those dishes still seems to linger in his nostrils. But halfway through their meal, his mother suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious. She was rushed to the hospital, but life was in vain. She barely had time to say a few words to him before she passed away. It was then that he learned his mother had breast cancer, already in the advanced stages, which she had kept secret from him.

Since then, he has been immersed in the grief of his mother's death. Even when he died in his previous life, while he was resentful and unwilling, he actually felt a sense of relief, that is, he could finally see his mother.

But now, the evidence showed that he was most likely not his mother's biological son! He was unwilling to accept this for himself, and even more so for his mother. How could An Jiaqi be qualified to be his mother's son!

At this moment, he really wanted someone to be with him. He didn't need to say anything or do anything, just sit with him.

Xi Lang's face appeared in Gu Juan's mind without warning. He took out his cell phone, opened the address book, and found Xi Lang's name.

The call was connected quickly.

"Xi Lang, I want to see you."

Xi Lang's voice was clear and crisp without hesitation, "Where are you?"

"School, by the lake."

The sound of a chair scraping against the ground came from the phone, "I'm coming over now, what happened?"

"Let's talk about it when we meet."

The wind grew stronger, the clouds thickened, and a light drizzle began to fall. The couple on the bench stood up, the man took off his coat and covered the woman's head with it, and they hurried away.

Xi Lang came to the lake and looked around. He saw a tall figure standing on the other side of the lake. He faced the lake with an expressionless face, his hands in his pockets, and was wearing a blue and white plaid long-sleeved shirt. He didn't even wear a jacket, and his sleeves were rolled up.

He took off his coat and walked over quickly.

Gu Juan felt a weight on his head, and someone covered him with a coat. He turned around and looked at Xi Lang with a strange look. He remembered that the boy in the couple had done the same thing as Xi Lang.

Xi Lang scolded him, "Why do you have to think about it in the rain? If you don't take care of your own body, who else can you expect to do so?"

"You." Gu Juan smiled at Xi Lang. The moment she saw him appear, the depression in her heart had dissipated a lot.

Xi Lang was speechless, unable to deny Gu Juan's words. He looked at Gu Juan with a somewhat helpless expression, but his eyes contained a hint of indulgence.

Gu Juan pulled the coat off his head and put it on. The clothes still had the warmth from Xi Lang on them.

"You don't think I was using the rain to drown my sorrows, do you? That's what young artists do. I was just lost in thought and didn't notice the rain was getting heavier."

Seeing that he was not in a depressed mood, Xi Lang felt relieved and looked at his watch. "It's past one o'clock. Have you had lunch?"

Gu Juan's stomach, showing some consideration for Xi Lang, happened to growl. He rubbed his stomach and said, "I didn't eat."

"Let's go eat first." Xi Lang walked ahead, his attitude not to be denied. "What do you want to eat?"

His white shirt was soon soaked by the rain. Gu Juan returned his coat to him and quickened his pace to pass him. "Eat something spicy to warm you up. The hot pot in the second cafeteria is good. This is not a catwalk, walk faster."

A girl in white holding a flower umbrella walked out of the bamboo forest path in front of them. When she saw Gu Juan and Xi Lang, she was stunned at first, then smiled and walked towards them quickly. Her high heels made a crisp clicking sound on the bluestone brick road.

"Gu Juan, what a coincidence."

Xi Lang guessed the identity of the visitor and pursed his lips.

Gu Juan looked up as if thinking, "Student Lu, since we met until now, we have run into each other at school at least twenty times. It is indeed a coincidence."

Lu Shanshan's smile froze on her face.

Gu Juan nodded to her expressionlessly and walked away with Xi Lang.

"It's better to stay away from such scheming girls." Xi Lang reminded Gu Juan.

Lu Shanshan heard it clearly and her face turned pale.

Gu Juan didn't want to upset Xi Lang, so he smiled and didn't say that it was actually him that Lu Shanshan liked.

Arriving at the cafeteria, Gu Juan asked if there were any private rooms. After receiving a positive answer, he requested one and said very proudly, "What kind of hot pot do you want? It's my treat."

Xi Lang smiled and glanced at the menu. "You want something spicy? How about spicy beef brisket hotpot?"

"Okay." Gu Juan said to the waitress at the food window, "Auntie, give me a spicy beef brisket hotpot and six bowls of rice."

Xi Lang stopped him, "Two bowls. It's cold, eat them first and then fight."

"Two bowls then." Gu Juan punched in and the two of them sat in the private room.

A short while later, the waiter brought in the beef brisket hotpot and rice. Red beef brisket, golden and soft potato cubes, and fresh mushrooms and enoki mushrooms were mixed together, piled high in the pot. Thick, long vermicelli noodles, moistened by the rich broth, swirled in the pot. Sliced ​​red and green bell peppers and chopped green onions were sprinkled on top. The appearance alone was appetizing. The crystal-white rice came in a small white porcelain bowl, the rice-serving lady flattening the surface perfectly.

"Let's eat." Gu Juan turned his boredom into appetite and finished a bowl of rice in less than two minutes. He supported his chin with one arm and looked at Xi Lang quietly.

Xi Lang stood up tactfully and stretched out his hand, "Give me your meal card." Cash is not allowed in the cafeteria, only meal cards are accepted.

There were quite a few students eating at this hour, so Xi Lang waited in line for a while before getting his rice. He also ordered a light soup and used a dinner plate as a serving tray. Returning to the private room, he saw a neat layer of beef brisket atop his bowl of rice. Each piece of beef was adorned with a green pepper ring, and a long piece of vermicelli noodles, twisted into a doughnut shape, sat on top. It was clear how bored Gu Juan must have been while waiting for his meal.

He shook his head and placed both bowls of rice in front of the young man.

"Did calling you here suddenly delay your work?" Gu Juan asked.

Xi Lang said, "No, I received your call just after the meeting and when I was about to go to dinner." He did not immediately ask Gu Juan what happened. He helped him pick up two pieces of beef and lowered his head to eat.

Gu Juan knew very well that he didn't want to affect his mood for eating, so he moved to sit next to him and picked up a piece of beef for him.

It was actually a bit crowded for two grown men to sit on the same bench. Their elbows bumped into each other from time to time, but neither of them asked to sit back down.

The bowls for rice in the cafeteria were really small. Gu Juan ate seven bowls of rice and Xi Lang ate three bowls.

After filling his stomach, Gu Juan stretched out his body with a look of satisfaction on his face.

Xi Lang scooped two bowls of soup and said, "Drink some more soup. Now, can you tell me what happened?"

Gu Juan paused as he picked up the bowl of soup and said lightly, "Nothing, I just suddenly realized that I don't seem to be my parents' biological child."

Xi Lang was shocked. If Gu Juan had learned he wasn't their biological son while both his parents were still alive, the shock might have been less severe. But the problem was that now that both his parents were dead, he had questions in his mind and no one to ask.

Xi Lang's heart ached. The young man sat upright, his arms resting on the table, his long legs naturally crossed. His posture was comfortable, his expression calm, but he could see the confusion and self-mockery in his heart, and he had an urge to pull him into his arms and comfort him.