Chapter 101 Prelude
"No, it is."
Chu Yan's low and gentle voice sounded in Gu Xu's ears, like the most intimate whisper between lovers, but the words he uttered made Gu Xu feel like he was falling into an ice cellar.
"No," was this a response to Gu Xu's accusation that "you've been using me from the beginning to the end?" No, it wasn't pure exploitation.
"Yes." This was a straightforward admission that "your goal has always been to let Gu Ye control the Gu family."
Two short sentences answered two questions and completely shattered Gu's self-deceiving fantasy.
Gu Xu's body completely froze, and his blood seemed to have solidified at this moment.
Chu Yan didn't seem to notice his stiffness. Instead, he turned his head and kissed his cheek gently, his tone filled with an almost cruel questioning tone: "Brother, why do you look so sad?"
He seemed genuinely puzzled, and patiently reminded her, "You're no longer a member of the Gu family, are you? You cut off all ties with the Gu family with your own hands. I remember what you said to me before..."
Chu Yan paused slightly, then repeated, word for word, the almost cold judgment Gu Xu had made when analyzing the Gu family's predicament:
"'The current Gu family has long been rotten from within, with factional strife and rigid decision-making. It's only a matter of time before it sinks. And when this broken ship finally sinks, everyone on board will be dragged down with it, and no one will be spared.'"
"Look," Chu Yan's voice was still gentle, "you saw it clearly a long time ago. You even made the most correct choice earlier than anyone else."
Gu Xu listened to Chu Yan repeating his words in this tone. Every word seemed like a cruel mockery of his current state. He fell silent, and all his questions seemed to have lost their power.
"So, baby," Chu Yan's arms loosened, the warm embrace suddenly withdrawing, leaving only the cold air. He stood up, looking down at Gu Xu, who was curled up in the chair, and said lightly, "Now that you've successfully disembarked, don't look back and worry about what will happen on that doomed ship, okay?"
He straightened his collar, which wasn't messy at all. "I have something else to do, so I need to go out for a while. You should have a good rest."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the study door without any hesitation.
Just as his hand was about to touch the door handle, Gu Xu's voice, trembling uncontrollably, came from behind him:
"What if...what if I hadn't chosen to get off the ship?"
What if I hadn't been so "sensible" and didn't take the initiative to cut ties, but instead stubbornly stayed on that "broken ship," dying with the Gu family? What would you have done?
Chu Yan paused. He didn't turn around, but just turned his head and answered casually, his tone relaxed and natural:
"Then of course I will find a way to get you off the boat."
As soon as he finished speaking, the study door was gently opened and then closed.
A silent cry exploded in Gu Xu's heart.
He gripped the mouse tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force, and his body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably. The scene of that night, outside the Gu family villa, when Chu Yan took him away from that suffocating place, flashed repeatedly before his eyes.
At that time, he chose to "get off the boat" of his own accord. But what if he hadn't? What if he had insisted on going his own way?
Chu Yan would never go to "pick him up".
With Chu Yan's means and character, he would just calmly watch himself sink with the broken ship.
To him, from the beginning to the end, I was just a useful chess piece that he happened to like a little. I liked it, but not enough to change the game.
Gu Xu leaned dejectedly against the back of his chair, staring blankly at the cold lights on the ceiling.
He sat in the quiet study, forcing himself to re-examine this relationship that he cherished with an almost masochistic calmness.
From the initial encounter in the bar, the purposeful attraction; to the later ambiguous pull, Chu Yan's ambiguous teasing; to the confession in the secret base, the kiss under the starry sky, the exchange of rings... Every frame of sweet memories, at this moment, has been stripped of the emotional filter, and analyzed from the perspective of an observer, they are all stained with completely different colors.
It turned out that all of Chu Yan's tenderness and promises were ultimately just to make him leave the Gu family willingly and clear the most powerful obstacle for Gu Ye to ascend to the throne.
He subconsciously stroked the delicate butterfly ring on his ring finger. The unique characters on the inside felt a little hot to the touch. Did this so-called "unique mark" represent an inscription of love, or was it simply a mark of mission accomplished?
Does Chu Yan like him? Gu Xu twitched the corner of his mouth bitterly. He probably does. Otherwise, with Chu Yan's ability, he could have defeated him more thoroughly instead of giving him the retreat route of Ruichuang Technology.
However, this love was too shallow. So shallow that it seemed insignificant in the face of Chu Yan's true purpose, and could be sacrificed and used at any time.
Should he be thankful? He should be thankful that Chu Yan at least still had a slight fondness for him, which allowed him to leave the company with dignity and even have a new career, rather than end up in the same hopeless situation as the rest of the Gu family.
Gu Xu let out a very low and hoarse bitter laugh, which echoed in the empty study, filled with endless sadness and self-mockery.
At the same time, in Gu Ye's apartment.
Chu Yan leaned back on the sofa, listening to Gu Ye's clear and coherent report on the final closing plan and personnel arrangements. Everything was proceeding step by step, and they were only one step away from final success.
Gu Ye suddenly stopped talking and looked at Chu Yan with sparkling eyes. His eyes were filled with undisguised expectation and an almost childlike excitement. "Chu Yan, Chu Yan, do you still remember what you promised me a long time ago? When everything is over, you will promise me one thing."
Chu Yan couldn't help but laugh when he saw him like this, and nodded: "Of course I remember. What? Have you figured out what request you want to make so quickly?" He could actually guess what Gu Ye's request was at a glance.
Gu Ye snorted complacently, keeping the secret, his mouth curled up high: "I won't tell you yet, wait until things are completely settled. Anyway, you promised me, you can't go back on your word!"
Chu Yan smiled and indulged him without asking any further questions. At this moment, Gu Ye was filled with the excitement of reaching the summit and the glow of determination to win.
The tranquility before a war is often the most depressing and most easily broken by accidents.
On this seemingly peaceful night, a piece of gossip and entertainment news, like a huge rock dropped into a calm lake, suddenly detonated the entire network, instantly pushing all the undercurrents to the forefront.
BREAKING! Private videos of Gu Hongyuan, head of the Gu family, have leaked! Who says there are no emperors in modern times? His extravagant and promiscuous lifestyle has shocked the internet!
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