Gong Chengjue remained silent.
As Old Master Gong looked at Gong Chengjue, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, but he still had things to say. There wasn't much time left; if he didn't speak now, he might never have the chance to say them again in his lifetime.
"There's something Grandpa has always regretted over the years." Proud as he is, he didn't want to admit it was something he regretted until the very last moment.
Gong Chengjue's heart tightened; he roughly guessed what had happened.
As expected, Old Master Gong continued, "Back then, your father and mother were in love, and your father overcame the family's obstacles to marry your mother and have you. However, the family will not accept your mother just because of this."
"I know." Gong Chengjue's face remained expressionless; he was already used to hiding his true feelings.
"My father eventually succumbed to family pressure, divorced my mother, and married..." his current stepmother.
Moreover, they didn't even have time to heal; they were practically getting divorced and remarried at the same time.
A purely political marriage.
When you get ruthless, you can even hurt yourself.
“I know you’ve resented your father all these years, but as the eldest son, he has his responsibilities. He can’t be willful, especially when the Gong family was facing… cough cough.” Old Master Gong’s throat was very uncomfortable after saying so much.
"Grandpa, it's all in the past." He had no interest in knowing about the previous generation's affairs, not to mention that his father had already passed away.
“I quite like Miss Su.” Old Master Gong held Gong Chengjue’s hand. “It’s rare that you like her too…”
"We broke up."
"Then let's get back together." Old Master Gong didn't take the word "breakup" seriously at all. His grandson was so outstanding, how could Su Ziqing not like him?
But he was exhausted, and his mind seemed to have shut down. Something would flash through his mind, but he just couldn't grasp it.
They were also too weak to try to catch it again.
"Go and pursue Miss Su." Old Master Gong loosened his grip, his voice weary. "I'm going to sleep."
Looking at Grandpa Gong with his eyes closed, Gong Chengjue asked softly, "Grandpa, where is my mother...?"
Grandpa Gong did not answer, as if he had already fallen asleep.
Gong Chengjue did not disturb them further and quietly walked out of the room.
He did not heed Grandpa Gong's advice to pursue Su Ziqing. Although he really wanted to, reason told him that he could not pursue Su Ziqing now.
"Is the old man asleep?" Gong Changhong changed into casual clothes, his brows furrowed.
"Hmm," Gong Chengjue responded in a deep voice.
"Let's go for a walk in the garden. I have something to tell you." Gong Changhong didn't care whether Gong Chengjue agreed or not, and went downstairs on his own after saying this.
Gong Chengjue had no choice but to go along.
In the entire Gong family, besides Old Master Gong, Gong Changhong was the second person who treated Gong Chengjue with special regard.
It's been like this since I was little.
Because of his awkward status, although he held the title of eldest son, Gong Chengjue's existence seemed to be telling everyone, "Look, the result of being willful is a joke."
It's also telling Gong Changzhou, "Look, your persistence has turned into a joke in the end. You've slapped yourself in the face, and now your face hurts, doesn't it?"
Gong Changhong joined the army and rarely returned to the Gong family, but that did not stop him from liking his nephew.
Gong Chengjue followed slowly behind Gong Changhong, like an obedient junior, but everyone knew that he was not an obedient junior.
Gong Changhong, who treated him like his own son, walked halfway around the artificial lake before stopping. "How much longer are you going to keep this from me?"
Gong Chengjue also stopped walking alongside him.
This location offers a wide view, and there are no servants hiding here, making it a perfect place to have a private conversation.
"What is Uncle talking about?" Gong Chengjue pretended to be stupid and looked at Gong Changhong with confusion.
"How long do you think you can keep this a secret?" Gong Changhong looked at Gong Chengjue with a serious expression. "You were stabbed in City A, and someone even openly attempted to assassinate you in the capital, Chengjue! Do you think you can hide this from me?"
"I didn't intend to hide it from you, Uncle. It's just that Grandpa is seriously ill, and I didn't want him to worry at this time," Gong Chengjue said calmly.
"Where are you injured?" Gong Changhong's expression softened slightly as he looked at him with concern.
"My arm. It's fine," Gong Chengjue said honestly.
“You’ve always been mature for your age, and you always think about solving things on your own. But can you solve this problem by yourself?” Gong Changhong was busy with military affairs and didn’t have much time to deal with the Gong family’s affairs.
However, no matter how busy he was, when he heard that his nephew had been assassinated, he still made time to ask about the situation.
Gong Chengjue looked at Gong Changhong. His uncle was more like a father than a father. Seeing the worry in his eyes, Gong Chengjue could only explain, "This matter is a bit complicated, but it's the same old problem. My existence seriously affects someone's interests."
Gong Changhong frowned. "Do you know who did it?"
"It could be the older man, or it could be the third uncle." But it doesn't really matter, since these two are on the same side anyway.
Upon hearing this, Gong Changhong's face turned cold. "What kind of foolish thing is Gong Changming doing!" The family head has already decided on Gong Changfan, so why is he taking action against Gong Chengjue?
“He didn’t make a mistake, he just overthought things.” Gong Chengjue no longer hid anything and told Gong Changhong about the incident in N City involving his company’s project, and then brought up the drug-related matter at the port.
"Uncle, do you think this is a coincidence?" Gong Chengjue looked at the calm artificial lake, the water without even a ripple, like a mirror.
However, this does not affect the fish playing at the bottom of the lake; it's just that you can't see them from here.
"He's gone mad!!" Hearing about the drug involvement, Gong Changhong was shocked, but he still managed to remain composed. "Is he that desperate for money?!"
"Perhaps he was thinking of giving the old man a satisfactory report card, perhaps... he wanted to kill two birds with one stone and also smear me with ink, but he didn't expect that the old man would eventually give the position of heir to my uncle."
This was unexpected.
Gong Changhong pursed his lips and pondered, "He... could do it."
“That’s right. If this matter hadn’t been exposed, but instead had been secretly reported to Grandpa to frame me, I would have been tainted by this stain and would have been ineligible for the position of heir.” Gong Chengjue bent down, picked up a small stone, and threw it into the lake.
With a sharp "thump," the calm lake surface was rippled, and the tranquility was shattered.
"Uncle, someone internationally has offered a hundred million to kill me." Gong Chengjue said calmly, watching the ripples spread outwards, as if he were talking about someone else's business.
Gong Changhong's face was as dark as ink. "Where did Gong Changming learn such ruthlessness!"
Gong Chengjue turned his head to look at Gong Changhong, "It's not easy for him to give up something that's within his reach."
"This matter must not be known to the old man." If the old man finds out, he will probably be so angry that he will vomit blood and will also deal with Gong Changming.
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