Chapter 44: Threatening – To know the truth, you must do as I demand.
The usually composed Gu Mingxia showed a flustered expression after seeing the photos on Bai Zixuan's phone.
She reached for Bai Zixuan's phone, but Bai Zixuan smiled and turned it off right in front of her, then put it inside the bed.
"Bai Zixuan, how did you get this photo?"
Something inside Gu Mingxia was shattering rapidly. She had once thought that Bai Zixuan was with her because he loved her, but she never expected that he would be hiding such photos! He definitely didn't just get them recently. If that was the case, he had kept them from her for so many years!
"You don't need to know where I got these photos. The most important thing is that these photos are the only clue to finding the truth about your mother and brother's deaths!"
Without even glancing at Gu Mingxia's panicked and angry face, Bai Zixuan spoke calmly. Based on his understanding of Gu Mingxia, this tactic was 100% effective against her, so seeing her panicked and angry expression gave Bai Zixuan a particularly good feeling.
Gu Mingxia looked at him, her hands clenched tightly together, a fierce glint in her eyes, staring intently at Bai Zixuan without blinking. He was doing this on purpose! After this thought flashed through her mind, Gu Mingxia loosened her clenched hands.
The anger and panic on her face disappeared, and she smiled faintly at Bai Zixuan.
"You have these photos, but how can you prove that they truly represent the truth behind my mother and brother's deaths?"
"If there's one conspiracy, there will be another," Gu Mingxia kept reassuring herself. But Bai Zixuan completely ignored her words, got off the bed, walked over to her in a few steps, and smiled.
“Gu Mingxia, you should know in your heart whether it’s true or not! Stop deceiving yourself with such self-deceptive reasons! I’ve said before that if you want to find the truth about your mother and brother’s deaths in this world, you can only come to me for help!”
Bai Zixuan looked at her confidently. A long silence fell over the room. Gu Mingxia didn't speak, and neither did Bai Zixuan, who simply stood before her with a smile. He believed that this was his most powerful bargaining chip, and he was confident that Gu Mingxia would eventually beg him for it!
The only sound in the room was quiet breathing. Gu Mingxia kept thinking about whether those things were true, and whether the person in the photo was really the culprit who caused her mother and brother's deaths.
That's how people are. Once someone plants doubt in them about something they've always believed in, they can no longer be sure of what they think. Gu Mingxia is like that now. For so many years, she has believed that her mother and younger brother died simply from an illness. But now, because of the photos that Bai Zixuan showed her, her heart has begun to waver.
After a long silence, Gu Mingxia exhaled, looked at Bai Zixuan's confident eyes, and raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Bai Zixuan, tell me your terms!"
Upon hearing Gu Mingxia's words, Bai Zixuan's handsome face revealed a smug smile, and he looked at Gu Mingxia as if she were prey he had already captured.
"Go to court to withdraw the divorce petition, destroy all the materials and evidence you've investigated, then come back to the Bai family with me and be my wife, Bai Zixuan, in peace! Don't ever think about divorce again!"
Upon hearing Bai Zixuan's conditions, Gu Mingxia's lips curled into a mocking sneer. She calmly slung her bag over her shoulder, her initial panic and tension gone. She simply stood there quietly, radiating an invisible sense of oppression.
"Bai Zixuan, don't you think you're daydreaming? A man like you who cheated is like a hundred-dollar bill dropped in toilet poop in my eyes, something I can throw away anytime! Do you think I care about a man like you who can already be called a scumbag?"
Gu Mingxia's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and carried an undeniable force. Bai Zixuan's confident smile froze. Why would she react like this? This was completely contrary to his expectations!
Shouldn't she be crying and begging him to give her the clues? Shouldn't she be asking to go back to the Bai family with him after hearing his demands? But Gu Mingxia's reaction right now is completely illogical!
"Gu Mingxia, don't you want those clues anymore? Or do you want your mother and brother to die for no reason?"
Bai Zixuan asked again, unwilling to give up. Gu Mingxia looked at him, smiled faintly, and turned to leave.
"Don't worry, Mr. Bai. I will definitely find out the truth about my mother's and brother's deaths on my own and avenge them!"
As she reached the door, Gu Mingxia opened it and turned to smile at him as she stepped out. "Just a friendly reminder, Mr. Bai, you should really start preparing for your court appearance at the end of the month!"
Hearing the door close, Bai Zixuan angrily swept the teacup on the coffee table onto the carpet. Looking at the closed door, a ruthless glint appeared on his face. This woman has found Xiao Yan as her new backer, hasn't she? Is that why she dares to treat him like this? Before, Gu Mingxia was a gentle, submissive wife in front of him. She wouldn't dare look at him with a ruthless gaze, let alone say a harsh word!
But ever since she moved out of the Bai family and into Xiao Yan's villa, Gu Mingxia seems like a completely different person. This... seems a bit off! Bai Zixuan frowned, clenched his fists tightly, thought for a while, and then suddenly slammed his hand hard on the coffee table.
"Gu Mingxia, you want me to leave with nothing? You're dreaming!"
After leaving the hotel, Gu Mingxia suddenly felt completely drained. She hugged her shoulders and squatted down by the roadside, unable to stand up for a long time. She felt that reality was so cruel. How could it give her such a cruel clue fifteen years after her mother's death and five years after her brother's death?
If she had known from the beginning that her mother and younger brother had died at that person's hands, she would have uncovered the whole truth long ago and wouldn't have lived in ignorance for so many years. Now that she suddenly knows this, Gu Mingxia feels a deep pain in her heart; she has let them down so much!
The person who knew those clues was her husband, with whom she had shared a bed for seven years, yet he had kept it from her so tightly! Even now, he's only telling her the truth for the sake of the Bai family's reputation!
Gu Mingxia, Gu Mingxia, how bad was your judgment back then to choose such a scumbag? Hugging her shoulders, Gu Mingxia buried her head between her knees, tears streaming silently down her face.
She was filled with guilt. How could Gu Mingxia forgive herself for letting the most important people in her life die so many years ago?
"Don't be sad. No matter what happens, I'll be by your side and face it with you!"
Xiao Yan's sexy yet caring voice reached Gu Mingxia's ears. She looked up and met a pair of dark eyes that shone with concern. Suddenly, she felt so tired and wanted to stop caring about anything.
"Xiao Yan, my mother and Mingdong... were very likely murdered by someone!"
With trembling hands, Gu Mingxia uttered these words and threw herself into Xiao Yan's arms, hugging his waist tightly, her face pressed against his broad chest as tears silently streamed down her face.
Xiao Yan naturally knew how important Nan Lan and Gu Mingdong were to Gu Mingxia, so when he heard her say such things, he didn't know what to say to comfort her for a moment, and just patted her back.
"Xiaxia, don't be too sad! You know I'm not good at comforting people, but please believe me, no matter what happens, I will always be by your side."
Xiao Yan's words seemed to have a magical power, instantly calming Gu Mingxia in his arms. She sniffed, wiped away her tears, and pulled away from his embrace.
"Yes, I'm sure I'll be able to find out the truth about my mother and brother's deaths!"
"That's good, get in the car!"
Xiao Yan helped Gu Mingxia up, took her arm, and led her to a Maserati. After getting in the car, Xiao Yan immediately drove away. However, neither of them knew that the moment he drove off, Bai Zixuan in the upstairs room saw the car disappear and his expression turned extremely ugly.
No wonder she was in such a hurry to get a divorce; it turns out she really did climb up to Xiao Yan! Gu Mingxia, so you're nothing but a vain, shameless gold digger!
"Where did you get the idea that your aunt and Mingdong were murdered?"
Sitting in the living room of the villa, Xiao Yan looked at Gu Mingxia, who was holding a water glass and staring blankly, and asked her a question cautiously.
"Bai Zixuan, I saw a photo on Bai Zixuan's phone of Mom having her oxygen tube removed!"
Although she couldn't see very clearly, Gu Mingxia was certain that the person lying on the bed with a look of fear on their face was her mother, and she still couldn't believe that the person who pulled out the oxygen tube was her mother!
Upon hearing that the clue came from Bai Zixuan, Xiao Yan frowned. He felt that things were definitely not that simple, and he had to be cautious about any information he got from Bai Zixuan!
"Xiaxia, are you sure that the person in the photo is your aunt? And don't you think it's strange that Bai Zixuan is showing you this photo at this time?"
Xiao Yan carefully chose his words, trying not to say anything that would hurt Gu Mingxia. Gu Mingxia held her water glass. She had considered all of what he said, but since it concerned the truth about her mother and brother's deaths, she felt that she had to be cautious no matter what. For her, it was better to believe it than not to believe it!
"He wants me to withdraw the divorce lawsuit in court, destroy all the information and evidence that I entrusted Zhang Yunyi to investigate, and never mention the divorce again after we return to the Bai family with him!"
She didn't hide what Bai Zixuan had told her; it was just wishful thinking on the part of that scumbag. What was there for her to hide?
"What...do you plan to do?"
Asking this question made Xiao Yan very uneasy. His mother and younger brother held an irreplaceable place in Gu Mingxia's heart. He knew that Gu Mingxia wanted to understand the truth, but he really couldn't bear to watch her return to Bai Zixuan's side and forgive him!
"While it's important whether my mother and Mingdong were murdered, I will never be with a scumbag like him again! I believe that if I'm willing to do it, I can definitely find out how my mother and brother died back then!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com