Chapter 50
Gu Jing returned to his cabin, but didn't rest as he'd been told. He stood in the shadow of the porthole, frozen like a statue, his ears twitching as he picked up every strange vibration from the ship. The rhythm of the engines, the hurried footsteps of the sailors, the faint hum of a distant radio… all coalesced into an invisible picture of the situation in his mind.
It is not a large-scale boarding battle, but a "small group of guests" - they may be infiltrators or they may be negotiators.
After about half an hour, the freighter's speed slowed noticeably, and it finally came to a complete standstill on the sea, gently rising and falling with the waves. An eerie silence descended, even the usual hum of the engine vanished, leaving only the monotonous sound of waves crashing against the hull.
"Knock knock." The knock on the door sounded again, this time with Qin Xiao's unique lazy rhythm.
Gu Jing opened the door. Qin Xiao leaned against the door frame, his face showing no nervousness, but rather a hint of excitement as if he were watching a good show.
"The 'guest' specifically requested to see you." He tilted his head. "You're quite brave, daring to come aboard my ship all by yourself. So, Mr. Gu, are you interested in a meeting?"
Gu Jing's eyes were frozen: "Who?"
"An old friend we both know." Qin Xiao kept it a secret, turning around and motioning him to follow. "Don't worry, he can't do anything in my territory. Besides, I'm also quite curious about what he wants to do by coming here at this time."
Gu Jing followed in silence. The two of them passed through the complex corridors and arrived outside a cabin under the bridge that had been converted into a temporary reception room. Standing at the door were two of Qin Xiao's men, looking alert.
When he pushed open the door, the scene in the room made Gu Jing's pupils shrink slightly.
The visitor stood in the center of the room, his back to the door. He was tall, wearing a well-ironed suit that looked out of place on this freighter, though the hem was slightly damp from the seawater. He turned slowly at the sound, revealing a refined yet deeply exhausted face.
It was Gu Chen, Gu Jing's nominal elder brother and the current head of the Gu Group.
Gu Chen's gaze passed Qin Xiao and fell directly on Gu Jing. His eyes were extremely complicated, with concern, scrutiny, an indescribable heaviness, and even... a hint of imperceptible guilt.
"Xiao Jing." He spoke in a hoarse voice, "I'm glad you're okay."
Qin Xiao scoffed, plopped down on a nearby chair, and crossed his legs. "Boss Gu truly shows deep brotherly love. He chased the murderer across thousands of miles... No, he chased his brother, all the way to the high seas. So, are you here to clean up the mess on behalf of the Gu family, or are you here to lobby on behalf of Qin Zhengfeng?"
Gu Chen ignored Qin Xiao's ridicule and looked at Gu Jing deeply. "I came here alone. Father... Qin Zhengfeng's people are still searching everywhere like headless flies. I found Mr. Qin Xiao's ship through some special channels."
"Purpose." Gu Jing spoke, his voice calm and even colder than the sea water outside the window.
Gu Chen took a deep breath. "Two things. First, the problems within the Gu family are more serious than I imagined. Zhou Liguang is just the tip of the iceberg. Qin Zhengfeng's infiltration of the Gu family far exceeds my expectations. The group is in danger now, and I need... your help."
These words made Qin Xiao raise his eyebrows and show a playful expression.
Gu Jing still had no expression on his face: "The second one?"
Gu Chen pulled out a palm-sized silver metal box sealed in a waterproof bag from his suit's inner pocket. The box was similar in style to the antibody box in Qin Xiao's hand, but more rustic. A vague totem resembling a bird's wings was engraved on it.
"I found this in a secret safe while cleaning out my mother's belongings. The notes she left behind suggested that this thing... might be related to the original backup of 'Archive Zero' that Qin Yu has been looking for." Gu Chen placed the box on the table and pushed it towards Gu Jing. "She said that if one day Qin Zhengfeng's madness gets out of control, perhaps this could be the last bargaining chip to check and balance him."
Qin Yu's name was like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of emotion that Gu Jing had tried so hard to freeze. He clenched his hand at his side, and the stinging pain from the wound on his palm helped him maintain his composure.
Qin Xiao's expression completely changed. The cynicism he had previously held was gone, and it became sharp as a hawk. He stared at the silver box and slowly sat up straight.
"Original backup?" Qin Xiao's voice was filled with a hint of disbelief and heat. "Are you sure?"
Gu Chen shook his head. "I'm not sure. Mother didn't say it explicitly, and the notes are vague. But this is all she can offer now... perhaps a belated confession." He looked at Gu Jing, his eyes pleading. "Xiao Jing, I know the Gu family owes you too much, and I... have no right to ask anything of you. But now, we may be in the same boat. If Qin Zhengfeng doesn't fall, the Gu family will completely become his puppet, and you and I will never have peace."
The cabin fell into dead silence.
The salty smell of the sea water seemed to be even stronger.
Gu Jing's gaze fell on the silver box, then slowly raised it and looked into Gu Chen's eyes full of complex emotions. Finally, his eyes swept across Qin Xiao's undisguised gaze full of possessiveness and calculation.
A new, more dangerous vortex has formed.
He is no longer a pawn, nor is he simply an avenger.
Holding the possible key bargaining chip, facing the covetousness from his family, Qin Xiao, and unknown forces, he must become the one playing chess.
Gu Jing slowly stretched out his hand, but did not touch the silver box. Instead, he pressed it on the cold table.
He raised his eyes, and his gaze was like an ice-hardened blade, sweeping over Gu Chen and Qin Xiao in turn.
"Want to cooperate?" His voice was low, but it carried undeniable strength. "Sure. But I'll set the rules."
---
A few months later, in a quiet town in Europe.
In late autumn, the fallen leaves of the sycamore trees covered the ground, forming a golden carpet. In an old house with a small garden, Gu Jing sat by the window, a few simple documents spread out on the table in front of him.
Outside the window, there is no longer a turbulent sea, but a quiet street, with occasional neighbors walking by with their dogs.
Qin Zhengfeng's vast business empire, shattered by the devastating explosion and a series of subsequent precision strikes, crumbled. Gu Jing's coordinates and evidence, Qin Xiao's covert manipulation, Gu Chen's internal and external collusion (mostly for self-protection), and the intervention of international forces uprooted the core of the "Nirvana" plan, exposing the related illegal transactions and infiltration networks to the light of day, triggering a global purge.
It was more like a multi-faceted, "surgical" operation to remove the massive, malignant tumor. The process was thrilling, but the outcome, at least on the surface, was settled.
The Gu Group paid a heavy price, its reputation tarnished and its influence dwindled, but it ultimately avoided a fate of being buried with the family. After cleaning up the mess, Gu Chen struggled to maintain the family's foundation, attempting to embark on a cleaner path. He contacted Gu Jing several times, his words hinting at reconciliation, but Gu Jing only responded indifferently and did not return.
Qin Xiao got what he wanted. He didn't directly step into the spotlight, but instead, by inheriting and integrating some of Qin Zhengfeng's "legacy"—particularly those shady connections and channels—he became a more secretive, yet influential, shadowy figure. He occasionally relayed insignificant news, his tone still casual and playful, as if he had everything under control.
After Hai Dongqing recovered from his injury, he chose to leave, hoping to live a normal life away from the chaos. 739 (he now preferred to be called by his real name, "Ajie") stayed and became Gu Jing's only old friend, responsible for some liaison and security work, but he felt that Mr. Gu seemed to need less and less protection.
At this moment, Gu Jing's fingers gently traced the words on the document, his gaze wandering. The battle was over, and his goal of revenge seemed achieved, but the wasteland in his heart, once burned by the raging fire, had not been revitalized. Instead, he felt a sense of exhaustion and... emptiness after the battle.
The hatred dissipated, because the object of hatred had collapsed. But what about love? What about the shadow that was entangled with hatred, causing him pain and allowing him to truly live?
He took out a well-preserved small sealed bag from the drawer, and inside was the torn piece of paper - "How to Pretend Not to Love You". The bloodstains on the edge of the paper had turned dark brown, like a permanent scar.
"Pretend..." He chewed on the two words silently.
"Mr. Gu," Ajie knocked gently on the door and came in, putting down a package. "There's a letter for you, but it's unsigned."
Gu Jing opened the package. There was no letter paper inside, only a small, old-looking USB flash drive, and... a plain silver ring with a simple design and a tiny, barely noticeable "聿" character engraved on the inside.
His heart skipped a beat, and a mixture of hope and fear, almost absurd, surged into his heart. He forced himself to calm down and connected the USB drive.
There is only one audio file in it.
He clicked on the play button. There was a few seconds of static, and then the deep, slightly hoarse voice he thought he would never hear again began to slowly rise. There was no longer the paranoia and madness of the past, only a calmness bordering on exhaustion, as if the voice was explaining its final wishes, or perhaps mumbling to itself:
"Xiao Jing...if you hear this, it means I probably...really can't come back."
Gu Jing's breathing suddenly stopped, and his fingers tightly clenched the ring. The cold metal hurt his palm.
"Don't look for me. There's nothing in the ruins but ashes."
"Those coordinates are a 'gift' I left for you... and Qin Xiao. They're enough for you to overthrow the old man, and they're also enough for you to check and balance each other. In this world, balance is more important than destruction."
The voice paused, with a very light, almost imperceptible sigh.
"Hate me, that way you'll feel better. Or... forget me. Just pretend Qin Yu never existed."
"But..." Her voice suddenly dropped, with an almost broken honesty, a vulnerability that Gu Jing had never heard before, "I tried... pretending not to love you was the only failed scam in my life."
The recording ends here.
The room was dead silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind outside the window.
Gu Jing held that position for a long, long time. Tears began to flow without warning, not in a burst of grief, but in a quiet, uncontrollable stream. They dripped onto the table, leaving a small wet mark.
It turned out he knew everything. He knew Gu Jing would survive, knew he would get the coordinates, knew how all this would unfold. He used his own death to set up the final game, settle old scores, and also... pave a path for Gu Jing that might lead to a bright future.
The phrase "the only failed scam" completely shattered the last wall of ice in Gu Jing's heart.
There was no grand confession, no lingering farewell. Only a monologue admitting defeat, but it was heavier and more real than any oath.
The hatred dissipated, and the emptiness was replaced by a deep, sharp sadness. This sadness was no longer suffocating, but like a late rainstorm, washing over the wasteland of the heart, revealing the true feelings buried underneath.
He had loved that man. The man who had loved him his entire life, the man who was crazy, paranoid, and in the wrong way. And that man had loved him in the only way he could, the destructive way.
This wasn't forgiveness, but understanding. It was finally understanding the conflicted, struggling chess piece behind that blood-stained chess game, yet it always pointed toward him.
Gu Jing held the ring tightly in his palm, pressing it against his chest, as if he could feel a hint of illusory warmth.
He stood up and walked to the window. The setting sun painted the sky a warm orange. The lights of the small town came on one after another, a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.
The business war ended, at the cost of the fate of countless people and the complete disappearance of one person.
However, his relationship experienced a real turning point at the end - he walked out of hatred and confusion, accepted the heavy and real love, and accepted the fact that that person would never come back.
He will continue to live, carrying this understanding and memory, and move towards the unknown life that belongs to Gu Jing.
There may be more waves in the future, but the core is already different.
He took a deep breath of the cool air, turned around, and began to collect the papers on his desk. Life had to go on. And this time, he would live for himself.
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