Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Gu Yubai looked surprised. "What makes you think that?"

Yu Li finally released his boyfriend, his tone still heavy. "What was that picture you sent me this morning? Have you met this person?"

Gu Yubai instinctively pulled out his phone. He opened it and realized that the sketch he thought hadn't sent earlier had actually gone through.

The timestamp showed it had been sent half an hour ago.

Normally, Yu Li would have already been dressed for work at the company by now. But judging by his attire, it seemed he had just woken up, still in his pajamas, and charged over like a madman to kick down the door.

Gu Yubai smiled. "You recognize the man in this sketch I drew?"

Yu Li’s eyes flashed with surprise. "You drew this? Where did you see him?"

He grabbed Gu Yubai’s arm, his brows furrowing with tension.

Gu Yubai let Yu Li examine him for a moment before speaking. "It’s a funny coincidence. After I left you yesterday, I went to a mall near Mingcheng University and ran into Su Shengli. He had his men corner me in an alley, so I went to warn him. That’s when I saw this man sitting in the car with Su Shengli."

Yu Li let out a breath, processing Gu Yubai’s words, then frowned again.

"He’s causing trouble for you again?"

Gu Yubai chuckled. "The inevitable clash between the impostor and the real heir. Naturally, he can’t stand me."

Yu Li asked pointedly, "Then where did you go this morning? Earlier, Gu Yihong just impatiently snapped you weren’t here and slammed the door on me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone crazy kicking your door like this."

Yu Li looked at Gu Yubai with a hint of grievance, his puppy-dog eyes almost pleading for Gu Yubai to scold his brother on his behalf.

Gu Yubai thought about his morning's plan to smoke them out but shook his head, deciding not to tell Yu Li.

He said offhandedly, "I went out for a bit."

"But who is this middle-aged man? Why are you so nervous about him?"

Yu Li’s face went through several changes.

His face grew serious, and after a long pause, he hesitated before speaking.

"I’m not sure if I should tell you this. It involves something the old Su patriarch has been carrying in his heart for years. If you’re determined to steer clear of the Su family, it’s best not to get involved."

Now that they’d already come after him, Gu Yubai could no longer stay out of it.

After a moment of thought, he said, "I’m curious."

Yu Li’s brows knitted together as he hesitated over his words. Just then, the Gu family door, which he had been kicking for so long, finally swung open.

Gu Yihong stormed out, broom in hand, furious. "Yu Li! What’s wrong with you, disturbing people first thing in the morning? I already told you my brother went out early to go on a date with that Lin Xuyan! Can’t you reflect on why you can’t win my brother’s heart instead of acting like a lunatic?"

The boy lunged forward, swinging the broom like a weapon.

But the next second, his eyes landed on Gu Yubai’s suddenly icy expression. He stumbled, instinctively turning to flee.

"Yihong." Gu Yubai’s voice was dangerously calm. "Who did I go on a date with this morning?"

Gu Yihong froze, the broom clattering to the ground. A second later, he turned back with a buttering-up smile.

"Big brother, you misheard me. I said you went out to handle some business, not on a date."

Yu Li’s eyes gleamed with amusement. "Seems like he thinks I was kicking your door out of madness, not concern for you."

Gu Yihong shot a glare at Yu Li, who just had to mention it.

He hastily explained, "Big brother, you misheard! I didn’t say Yu Li was crazy. I just said he was causing a scene. I don’t know why he came here kicking our door—even the property management almost showed up."

Gu Yubai stepped forward, a wry smile on his lips. As he passed his squirming brother, he gave his shoulder a firm pat.

Slowly, he said, "Your big brother isn’t so old that he’s gone deaf or senile."

He glanced back at Yu Li, whose eyes held a hint of smug satisfaction, and said,

"Yu Li, come inside."

Yu Li straightened his rumpled sleepwear and walked past Gu Yihong without sparing him a glance.

For some reason, Gu Yihong was fuming.

---

"The old Su patriarch suspects that the gardener named Liao sneaked into Madame Su’s room back then because of Su Shengli. He’s always believed the two were connected—even as a child, Su Shengli was suspiciously close to this gardener."

"At first, he paid it no mind. But this year, after learning Su Shengli wasn’t actually of Su blood, many memories resurfaced. The old Su patriarch has too many unresolved doubts about his wife’s death. He wants to uncover the truth before he dies."

The Gu household didn’t have a study, so Gu Yubai ushered Yu Li directly into his bedroom.

Seated on a chair, Gu Yubai asked Yu Li about the connection between the middle-aged man he’d seen yesterday and the Su family. After only a moment's thought, Yu Li checked his phone and relayed the old Su patriarch’s long-held suspicions.

Madame Su’s death… was linked to the middle-aged man by Su Shengli’s side.

And now, after disappearing for years, the man had reappeared—still accompanying Su Shengli. This alone proved their relationship was anything but innocent.

No wonder the old Su patriarch loathed Su Shengli.

From the moment he learned Su Shengli wasn’t his blood, he likely suspected Su Shengli was tied to the gardener who had accidentally killed his wife.

Suddenly, Gu Yubai recalled Su Wanlin’s homicidal rage toward Su Shengli in his past life.

Why had Su Wanlin been so determined to kill Su Shengli? If he suspected Su Shengli was responsible for Su Linyuan’s crippling car accident or feared he was after the Su Group, he could have simply expelled him and called the police.

Yet, based on what had happened in his past life, Su Wanlin had chosen to get his hands dirty.

Setting ethics aside, turning from a law-abiding businessman into a murderer was a losing proposition. Unless driven by deep-seated hatred, someone as calculating and detached as Su Wanlin would never have taken such extreme measures.

Then—a flash of insight struck Gu Yubai. He remembered the old Su patriarch’s death.

What if every tragedy that struck the Su family in his past life had been masterminded by Su Shengli?

Gu Yubai even began to suspect whether Su Wanlin and Song Manman’s plane crash had also been arranged by Su Shengli.

But that didn’t make sense. How could just an adopted heir pull those strings?

Unless… it was tied to the gardener Yu Li had just mentioned? If Su Shengli had an influential protector, that would explain why Su Wanlin hadn’t gone to the police.

Gu Yubai’s scowl darkened. The Su family was way more tangled than he’d ever realized.

And to think—in his past life, he’d managed Su Group for years without ever uncovering the skeletons buried beneath its surface.

But I can't say any of this now.

Because none of it has happened yet.

Gu Yubai weighed his words before raising his head to look at Yu Li.

"You guys haven't found this gardener surnamed Liao all these years, which shows how well he's hidden. So why has he resurfaced now? Is it really just because Su Shengli dislikes me?"

Remembering what happened that morning, a peculiar smile played across Gu Yubai's face.

Yu Li whipped his head around to look at Gu Yubai, immediately realizing something was wrong.

"Why did you go out this morning? Did he attack you?!"

Gu Yubai tilted his head slightly before suddenly laughing.

"They went after my adoptive father. Bait to draw me out, trying to kill me in a car crash on the highway."

At this point, Gu Yubai was done hiding it. He laid out plainly the morning's events. Yu Li's face went dark immediately, a flicker of icy rage crossing his face.

Gu Yubai wasn’t surprised that Su Shengli knew the location of his adoptive father.

Given how long it's been, even if they had to search house by house, they should have found some leads.

Yu Li stared intently at Gu Yubai, his feelings a tangled mess as he looked at the young man who seemed unbothered, even smiling.

Finally, Yu Li lowered his gaze. "I won’t let them get away with this."

Gu Yubai: "Mm. You should warn... Grandpa Su to be careful around Su Shengli. I’m afraid he might resort to murder."

Gu Yubai: "Su Shengli may be timid, but the people around him certainly aren’t."

Yu Li nodded, sighing before suddenly pulling Gu Yubai into a tight embrace.

"I know you don’t want to get involved in the Su family’s affairs. I’ll handle this with the old man. If anything else happens later, cut me some slack."

Gu Yubai found Yu Li’s wording—"cut me some slack"—a little odd.

Just as he was about to say something lighthearted, the sound of urgent pounding erupted at his door, as if the person outside feared those inside wouldn’t hear if they knocked any softer.

Gu Yubai: ".....Is this Gu Yihong’s revenge on you?"

He looked at Yu Li, eyes smiling. Yu Li also looked helpless as he stood from Gu Yubai’s bed, his hand lingering on the sheets, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes.

"Fine, who told me I’m not your brother’s favorite? Besides... who told me I’m not yet Gu Yubai’s rightful boyfriend? Of course, I can’t compare to your brother in your heart."

Yu Li turned to him with a hint of accusation in his gaze.

"Haha."

Gu Yubai turned away, speechless.

Gu Yubai opened his bedroom door, and Gu Yihong almost fell inside.

He announced loudly, "Big bro, I bought a bunch of steamed buns and fried dough downstairs. You haven’t had breakfast yet, right? Let’s go eat."

He quickly glanced at Yu Li, obviously relieved when he saw the two weren’t sitting together—let alone separated only by a bed.

"Yu Li, aren’t you running late? Shouldn’t you be heading to work around this time?"

Yu Li heard the dismissal in Gu Yihong’s words but showed no reaction.

He casually turned to Gu Yubai. "Perfect, I haven’t eaten either. Yubai, do you think Yihong bought enough breakfast?"

Gu Yubai raised an eyebrow, his smile natural, tone light.

"Of course it’s enough. If not, Yihong can always run down again."

Gu Yihong’s eyes widened instantly. He grimaced at Yu Li, mouthing for him to get the message and scram.

Yu Li suddenly smirked, nodding cheerfully as if willfully ignoring Gu Yihong’s hostility.

Yu Li: "Great, then I’ll have breakfast here before heading to work. The company... doesn't exactly need me to clock in anyway."

He shot a challenging look at Gu Yihong, who was already clenching his fists.

Gu Yubai nodded slightly. "Good timing. I’m heading to school after breakfast too."

He glanced at Gu Yihong, who immediately became obedient.

Gu Yihong: "B-Big bro, I’ll go with you."

Gu Yihong followed behind Gu Yubai toward the dining room. Midway, seeing Yu Li brazenly hovering near Gu Yubai, he suddenly let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Ah, we’ve never lived on campus before. Thinking about not coming home tonight, maybe only returning once a week... I’m actually... going to miss Yu Li."

"From now on, seeing Yu Li won’t be so convenient. We might not even meet once a week."