Chapter 79 The Truth About the Fake Young Master
The chessboard has been laid out, and the situation is tilting in his favor, but Gu Yunqing knows that the real game is far from over.
He needs to consolidate his advantages, but even more so, he needs to dismantle the luck of the "protagonist" Lin Bufan.
The opportunity soon arrived in an unexpected way.
A few days later, Gu Yunqing received a message from Lin Bufan, asking her to meet him at a quiet coffee shop. The message was politely worded, but it conveyed a complex and indescribable emotion.
Gu Yunqing thought for a moment and then agreed. He was very curious about what this "true protagonist" wanted to do by contacting him at this moment.
In a private room at the coffee shop, Lin Bufan looked at the "brother" in front of him who was completely different from the one he remembered.
Gu Yunqing wore simple yet high-quality clothes. Her demeanor had shed its former impetuousness and gloom, and gained a more composed and mature air. Only her eyes, which still held a hint of complexity when she looked at him, still carried the shadow of the past.
“Brother…” Lin Bufan hesitated for a moment, but still used this form of address, his tone filled with confusion, “You… seem to have changed a lot.”
Gu Yunqing stirred the coffee in her cup, not answering immediately, but letting out a soft sigh, her face revealing a hint of weariness and...relief?
“People always change, Bufan.” He raised his head and looked calmly at Lin Bufan, “especially after seeing some things clearly.”
Lin Bufan frowned: "Is it because of Young Master Jun? You seem to have found a new direction by his side?"
There was no sarcasm in his words, but rather a hint of inquiry, or even a barely perceptible hint of...concern?
As the "protagonist" of this world, he is not inherently bad; he simply has mixed feelings about Gu Yunqing, his "fake brother" who has always been targeting him.
Gu Yunqing's heart stirred, knowing that this was an excellent opportunity to shake Lin Bufan's preconceived notions about him.
He couldn't directly say that he had turned over a new leaf, that would be too fake and would cause his OOC (Out of Character) index to skyrocket. He needed a more roundabout and "reasonable" explanation.
He lowered his eyes, his voice low and tinged with self-mockery and bitterness: "Direction? Perhaps. Back in the Gu family, I always felt like an outsider, desperately trying to grasp at something, to prove myself... but I ended up doing a lot of wrong things, making myself disliked, including towards you."
He admitted to the "mistake," which was a crucial step.
Gu Yunqing paused, raised her eyes, her gaze sincere yet firm after a hint of confusion: "After leaving the Gu family and encountering different people and things, I slowly came to understand that some things cannot be forced."
"Instead of living in jealousy and anxiety and making yourself repulsive, why not... try taking a different path?"
Lin Bufan looked at him, his confusion deepening, but his aloofness and wariness seemed to have indeed loosened slightly.
He was silent for a moment before saying, "...It's good that you think that way. The Gu family... your parents aren't completely indifferent to you."
Gu Yunqing sneered inwardly, but on her face, she revealed a perfectly measured sadness and relief: "It's all in the past. It's fine as it is now."
The viewers in Gu Yunqing's live stream praised his acting skills:
[Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! This self-analysis is absolutely brilliant.]
[It avoided being out of character (OOC) and successfully redeemed itself a little.]
[Lin Bufan seems to be wavering; his OOC has dropped to 29%, it's having an effect.]
The OOC index in the corner of the field of vision, due to this performance of "repentance" and "seeking understanding", has a slight point of convergence with the psychological changes that the original owner may have experienced in the later desperate situation, and has actually dropped slightly to 29%.
Gu Yunqing was secretly delighted, knowing that he had found another direction.
He doesn't miss any opportunity to change other people's opinions, especially the opinion of Lin Bufan, the "original protagonist," which is crucial for him to change his status as cannon fodder.
Gu Yunqing was in a good mood after parting ways with Lin Bufan.
However, this ease did not last long.
Back at Jun Xiangbei's seemingly impregnable villa, Gu Yunqing, with her keen senses and intuition honed in the infinite world, vaguely sensed that something was amiss.
It seemed as if some strange creature was watching him intently.
The malice in these gazes outweighed any probing, and Gu Yunqing was unable to pinpoint their source.
This is even stranger.
That evening, only he and Jun Xiangbei were in the study.
Gu Yunqing was processing some of the project documents that Jun Xiangbei had given him, but he seemed somewhat absent-minded, with a faint layer of worry and fear between his brows.
Jun Xiangbei sensed something was wrong and looked up at him: "What happened these past two days?"
Gu Yunqing lowered her head, concealing the unease in her eyes, her voice trembling slightly: "Brother Bei... lately, I feel like... someone is watching me..."
Jun Xiangbei put down the documents, his gaze falling on the man's slightly pale face, his cold eyes seeming to see through something.
He didn't press for details, but simply promised clearly in his calm and reassuring tone: "With me here, no one can touch you."
The sentences were still brief, yet they carried immense power.
Gu Yunqing showed a hint of dependence and relief at the right moment, and gently hummed in agreement.
However, the traps of rules are far more ubiquitous than imagined, even infiltrating dreams.
Late at night, Gu Yunqing fell into a bizarre and fantastical dream.
In his dream, he was no longer the Gu Yunqing who was seeking a new life and taking every step with caution, but instead became the "Gu Yunqing" filled with jealousy and malice.
He dreamt that he had meticulously designed a trap, fabricated evidence, and attempted to completely ruin Lin Bufan's reputation and drive him out of the Gu family. In the dream, he let out a twisted, gleeful laugh because he was about to succeed...
"Well!"
Gu Yunqing suddenly woke up from her dream, her forehead covered in cold sweat, her heart pounding wildly.
His first glance was at the OOC index in the corner of his field of vision—
45%, the bright red warning color flashing glaringly.
Gu Yunqing instantly became fully awake, a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
What happened? It was just a dream, so why did the Out-of-Charge (OOC) level spike to such a dangerous level?!
He immediately realized the seriousness of the problem—the rules of this copy monitored not only external behavior, but also subconscious and dream-like thought processes.
That dream perfectly matched the core thought pattern of the "vicious fake young master," but it didn't fit his current, somewhat changed persona.
So the system directly judged him to be out of character, and even... Gu Yunqing suspected that the dream itself was deliberately created by the rules of the instance because they sensed that he was "whitewashing".
It must be suppressed immediately, otherwise the rule monster may appear in the next second.
Gu Yunqing forced herself to calm down, took a deep breath, and tried to focus her mind and banish the lingering images of the dream from her head.
He began to repeatedly recall and reinforce the details of his time with Jun Xiangbei—the warmth of Jun Xiangbei's arm when he protected him, the admiration in Jun Xiangbei's eyes when he tacitly approved of his abilities, the calm yet firm tone in his voice when he promised to protect him...
He used the idea of "seeking true love and a new life," along with his increasingly complex feelings of dependence and scheming towards Jun Xiangbei, to forcefully cover up and wash away the ugly "original owner's" thoughts in his dream.
Gu Yunqing gripped the corner of the blanket tightly, her fingertips turning white from the force, repeatedly telling herself in her heart: "People always change..."
After an unknown amount of time, the bright red OOC index began to slowly, bit by bit, decline... 44%... 42%...
Finally, it stabilized at 38% in the yellow zone, still high risk, but at least it was no longer in danger of immediately triggering the rule monster.
That was too close...
Gu Yunqing stared at the blurry shadows on the ceiling, her eyes becoming incredibly sharp and solemn.
He fully understood the cruelty of this instance. It demanded not only outward performance, but also inner "conversion".
Gu Yunqing must begin to "believe" in the new persona she is creating from the depths of her mind, and internalize the ideas of "seeking change" and "relying on the strong for a new life" into instinct in order to truly deceive the all-pervasive rule monitoring.
Jun Xiangbei was undoubtedly the most powerful and reasonable catalyst and talisman for him to complete this "inner conversion".
He needs to make more thorough use of Jun Xiangbei, not just his power, but also the man himself, to "convince" himself and the rules.
The next morning, Gu Yunqing had faint dark circles under his eyes and his face was paler than usual, but he still appeared at the restaurant on time to prepare breakfast for Jun Xiangbei.
When Jun Xiangbei saw him, his gaze lingered on his face for a moment, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly: "Didn't sleep well?"
Gu Yunqing paused slightly, looked up, and gave him a somewhat forced but well-maintained smile, her voice slightly hoarse: "I had a... not-so-good dream. It's okay, Brother Bei."
He didn't describe the dream in detail, but his fragile yet determined appearance evoked more associations than any words could.
Jun Xiangbei looked at him silently, without asking any further questions. He simply said as he handed him breakfast, "Get some rest early tonight."
Simple concern eased the tension in Gu Yunqing's heart.
He knew that his appearance, "tortured by the rules," would also arouse Jun Xiangbei's protective instincts.
Gu Yunqing lowered her head, sipped her porridge, and concealed the scheming in the depths of her eyes.
The viewers in Gu Yunqing's live stream were also quite surprised:
[Holy crap! Out of character in my dream?! This dungeon is too spooky!]
[It's impossible to guard against, even their dreams need to be controlled?]
[Yun Qing reacted quickly, immediately using Brother Bei to brainwash herself.]
[38% is still very dangerous... Yun Qing, you have to keep going!]
The concerns expressed in the comments section perfectly reflected Gu Yunqing's feelings at that moment.
The 38% OOC index was like a Damocles' sword hanging over his head, reminding him that the slightest carelessness could lead to utter ruin.
But he did not back down; instead, he was inspired to fight even harder.
He knew that passive defense would only allow the rules to tighten their grip, so he had to take the initiative and redefine the role of "Gu Yunqing" with stronger "facts".
While Gu Yunqing devoted a great deal of effort behind the scenes, the first phase of the Chengdong New Area project, which she was mainly responsible for promoting, achieved success far exceeding expectations. Not only were the profits considerable, but it also won an excellent social reputation.
Gu Yunqing's vision and skill in key project decisions and risk avoidance were indispensable, a fact that Jun Xiangbei was well aware of.
At the press conference announcing the project's success, Jun Xiangbei made a move that surprised all the media and business people.
Instead of taking all the credit, he deliberately attributed the core factors of the project's success to "my special assistant, Mr. Gu Yunqing's forward-thinking planning and outstanding execution" in his concluding remarks.
He even gestured for the camera to focus on Gu Yunqing, who was sitting in the first row of the audience.
In an instant, all the spotlights and eyes were focused on Gu Yunqing.
Gu Yunqing was wearing a well-tailored dark suit today, which made his handsome face and calm temperament stand out.
Faced with the sudden attention, he remained calm and composed, simply rising to his feet and nodding slightly to the camera and the audience.
When pressed by reporters for details about the project, he answered clearly and concisely, highlighting the key points.
"...The project's success is inseparable from Young Master Jun's trust and the platform he provided, as well as the efforts of the entire team. I only did some of the work that was within my purview." Gu Yunqing's attitude was humble and unassuming, yet his crucial role in the project was undeniable.
The chat in Gu Yunqing's live stream was filled with praise:
Wow, Yun Qing is on stage, he looks so handsome!
[With that aura and that eloquence, who would dare call him a fool?]
[Bei Shen is blatantly paving the way for Yun Qing.]
[Check it out, OOC (Out of Character) has dropped to 35%.]
The following day, in reports from major financial news outlets and online media, the name "Gu Yunqing" appeared for the first time as a positive image of a "young talent" and a "rising star in the business."
The related terms are no longer "Gu family's fake young master" or "usurping the nest", but "Jun's project core" and "outstanding ability".
Public opinion has begun to shift subtly.
As a result, the OOC index in the corner of the field of vision has steadily decreased to 35%.
Gu Yunqing looked at the reports in the newspapers and online, a cold smile curving her lips.
He knew that public opinion was one of the most powerful weapons to reverse public perception.
Every carefully planned step of his exposure was aimed at shedding the "cannon fodder" label and adorning himself with the halo of "protagonist".
However, old marks are not so easy to erase.
The Gu family's counterattack came faster and was more...uglier than he had anticipated.
Shortly after Gu Yunqing rose to fame, his parents went directly to Jun Xiangbei's villa, ostensibly to "visit their son," but in reality to interrogate him.
The atmosphere in the living room was oppressive.
Mr. Gu's face was gloomy, while Mrs. Gu's eyes were red, and she looked heartbroken.
"Yunqing, you've made enough of a scene, it's time to go home." Father Gu's tone was firm, carrying the authority of the head of the family.
"Although you don't have the blood of the Gu family flowing in your veins, the Gu family raised you for twenty years. Have you forgotten that kindness? Now that you've climbed the social ladder, you think you can just kick the Gu family aside? There's no such logic in the world!"
Gu's mother wiped away her tears and played the good cop: "Yunqing, I know I may have neglected you in some ways before, but you can't be so heartless..."
"Look what people outside are saying about the Gu family! They're saying you're ungrateful! Where do you expect us to put our faces? Come back, and bring back the projects you were in charge of at Jun's... We're all family, sharing resources is only right..."
Under the guise of "family interests" and "gratitude for raising him," they actually coveted the power and resources that Gu Yunqing had just acquired, wanting to pull him back into the Gu family's control and squeeze every last drop of value out of him.
If it were the "Gu Yunqing" of the past, she might have been intimidated and filled with fear and unease by this emotional blackmail and moral oppression.
But at this moment, Gu Yunqing simply sat quietly on the sofa, her back straight, watching their performance with calm and unwavering eyes.
He didn't speak until they had finished, his voice low but clear enough to resonate throughout the living room, carrying a cold, unyielding strength unlike anything he had shown before:
"Gratitude?" Gu Yunqing repeated the two words, a faint sarcasm playing on her lips. "Mr. Gu, Mrs. Gu, let's settle this score."
He no longer refers to his parents as "Mom and Dad".
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