Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Gu Yihong's gaze darted around, not daring to meet Gu Yubai's eyes directly, while Gu Yubai simply crossed his arms and watched him with an amused half-smile, patient and unbothered.

It had been a long time since Old Master Su had witnessed the childish arguments of teenage boys. This childish scene made Gu Yubai seem entirely different from the mature and composed man he had met days ago, now exuding a youthful liveliness and naivety.

The corners of Old Master Su's lips curled deeper, unconsciously drawn in by the sight before him.

He cleared his throat, his gaze briefly skimming over his sham grandson before settling intently on Gu Yubai.

Recalling his earlier question, he frowned slightly.

"You two... were also called here by the police because of Su Shengli?"

At this, both brothers snapped to attention. Gu Yihong's brows lifted in surprise, and he reflexively countered,

"Was Old Master's family also targeted by that False Young Master Su Shengli? I thought we'd only see the Su family's lawyers here. I didn’t expect both of the Su family’s key figures to be present."

The mirth in Old Master Su's eyes faded. He lowered his gaze, initially unwilling to speak, but when he caught Gu Yubai listening patiently out of the corner of his eye, his tense expression softened slightly. He explained,

"The Su family wasn’t targeted by Su Shengli, but there is an incident from over a decade ago related to his relatives."

"Over ten years ago, my wife, Madame Su, passed away unexpectedly, and the culprit fled that night. Only recently did we learn of his whereabouts, and by chance, we discovered that the gardener responsible for my wife’s death was none other than Su Shengli’s maternal uncle."

Old Master Su lowered his gaze, his tone calm, yet his expression remained inscrutable.

"Given the seriousness of the matter, both I and the current head of the Su family, Su Wanlin, naturally had to come personally."

This served as an explanation for Gu Yihong’s earlier question.

Gu Yihong nodded thoughtfully. He glanced at Gu Yubai and, seeing no objection, explained their reason for being there.

"The police informed us that the car accident that left my uncle, Gu Mingliang, in a coma is connected to a murderer arrested today."

After a pause, he added,

"And now it seems, it’s also connected to your Su family."

Old Master Su: "..."

"The Su family has already disowned Su Shengli as of this morning. He is no longer a member of the Su family," Old Master Su said coldly.

Su Wanlin returned from elsewhere, his gaze first landing on Gu Yubai before calmly shifting away.

He then looked at Gu Yihong, only to immediately return his attention to Gu Yubai.

Su Wanlin spoke politely, "Yubai, the Su family has decided to cut ties with Su Shengli. We were unaware of everything he did to you, but raising such a lawless child ultimately is our responsibility. Whatever you need, just ask. If it’s within our power, we’ll help you."

At this, Gu Yihong’s brows furrowed deeply.

He couldn’t help but ask, "What did Su Shengli do to my brother? Why don’t I know anything about this?"

As if sensing old grievances being brought up, Gu Yubai frowned and interrupted Su Wanlin, his tone icy.

"Mr. Su, your family affairs are not my business. I’m here today only to find out the culprit behind my adoptive father Gu Mingliang’s car accident, and... whether the person who set fire to his rehabilitation center and tried to have a truck crash into me on the highway has been caught."

"Whether these people are connected to the Su family or Su Shengli is irrelevant to me. The law will ensure justice is served. There’s no need for third-party involvement."

Their words were polite, but the emotional distance was clear. It also meant that in any formal setting, Gu Yubai would never assume the role of a Su family member.

Gu Yubai’s attitude satisfied Su Wanlin.

He wasn't genuinely making small talk to begin with.

In his heart, since he had chosen to abandon this biological son he had never formed a relationship with, it was best to maintain no further contact. This was a mutual understanding between them.

Moreover, he didn’t believe the Su family still owed Gu Yubai anything.

Recently, Old Master Su had publicly instructed lawyers to compile assets—a move Su Wanlin had taken note of.

He knew Old Master Su had given Gu Yubai significant assets.

In truth, he didn’t care why Gu Yubai and the others were at the police station.

His real purpose in accompanying Old Master Su today was to personally deliver the blood test results to the police, ensuring they thoroughly investigated the true relationship between Su Shengli and that Liao Anyang—and ultimately, to completely remove the burden that was Su Shengli from the Su family!

As for whether Su Shengli was innocent or not, he didn’t care. A burdensome liability wasn’t worth the Su family’s continued shelter.

He even regretted not cutting ties before the true and false young master scandal erupted, avoiding all this trouble.

A false son?

An adopted son?

Neither was true anymore.

Su Wanlin’s expression relaxed.

No one spoke for a while until a female officer approached to escort Gu Yubai and Gu Yihong. The brothers followed her to a meeting room, where she briefed them on the details of the case.

By the time they finished signing the necessary documents, Su Wanlin and Old Master Su had already left.

Gu Yihong had remained silent throughout the meeting. As the two finally collected themselves and walked out in wordless agreement, someone suddenly appeared in the distance.

Su Wanlin seemed to have only just realized Su Shengli had been detained. He hurried past, not even noticing the two familiar figures—Gu Yubai and his supposed younger brother, Gu Yihong—who brushed past him at the door.

Of course, Gu Yubai and Gu Yihong had no interest in engaging with him either. They got into their car, and after a long silence, Gu Yihong finally emerged from his daze.

He couldn’t help but ask, "Why didn’t you ever tell me that Su Shengli had Liao Anyang try to kill you? And what’s this about a charity gala? Why were you even at a Su family charity event? That officer just said Liao Anyang only developed homicidal intent after seeing Su Shengli publicly slighted because of you!"

"Of course, I know those are just stories Su Shengli and that criminal told the police—none of it’s true. But if you don’t want anything to do with the Su family, you should stay far away from them. A wise man avoids danger, and you’re worth far more than them!"

Disapproval was written all over Gu Yihong’s face.

Gu Yubai was momentarily at a loss for words.

That was all water under the bridge.

Besides, the female officer had just explained inside that Liao Anyang and Su Shengli were actually uncle and nephew. They were relatives—it was just that over a decade ago, while working as a gardener for the Su family, Liao Anyang had accidentally killed Madame Su and fled. He had hidden abroad for years, only recently sneaking back now that things had cooled off.

Su Shengli had only provided him shelter under pressure. Liao Anyang had controlled Zhou Jiarou, Su Shengli’s 'mother,' leaving Su Shengli, unaware of the truth, too concerned for her safety to report him.

Gu Yubai: "..."

Without even needing to analyze further, it was obvious Zhou Jiarou, Su Shengli, and the criminal’s accounts would differ.

But Liao Anyang took all the blame upon himself, and Su Shengli put on a convincingly clueless and innocent act. Even if the police had doubts, they had no hard evidence at the moment.

Liao Anyang had already been transferred to the court and would head straight to prison after sentencing.

Although Zhou Jiarou was a victim in this incident, she had previously been involved in multiple crimes such as extortion and wasn’t getting out anytime soon. The police would look into some leads based on her statements.

As for Su Shengli...

With no smoking gun, the police would only slap him with a fine and hold him for a couple days after their investigation. The Su family certainly wouldn’t get involved based on Zhou Jiarou’s unsubstantiated suspicions.

None of them came out unscathed.

Su Shengli might be released, but his reputation was already ruined.

His arrest was trending everywhere online, with every major outlet with clout discussing the matter.

To avoid suspicion, the Su family would undoubtedly refrain from suppressing the rumors. Moreover, it was clear to everyone by now that the Su family intended to cut Su Shengli loose completely.

Just two months ago, the internet was filled with envy for Su Shengli, the so-called "golden child" false young master. Now, no one envied him anymore.

On the student forum of Mingcheng Film Academy, the Su Shengli drama was blowing up with heated debates.

After noticing that Su Shengli had been absent for several days without so much as a leave notice to the academic office, most had concluded that he had indeed been arrested.

"So, Su Shengli was really arrested? Did he actually commit a crime?"

"Doubt it’s a crime, but he’s shady for sure. Ordinary people would be detained for just a few days if no evidence is found, but it’s been almost a week now, and he still hasn’t been released. That says something..."

"What about the school? The internet is dragging our school’s name through the mud. Aren’t they going to issue a statement? Speaking of which, isn’t Su Shengli toast? He probably won’t be able to stay in the entertainment industry anymore."

"Are you seriously still pitying the 'young master'? Tea is—the Su family, to completely cut ties with Su Shengli, has already transferred the film and entertainment company they established just a few months ago to him. They’re also letting him keep the properties and cars they gave him. He’s not that bad off. Spare a thought for us nobodies with no fame or connections in the entertainment industry. At least he still has money and fame!"

"...Wait, you have insider info too? What a coincidence, so do I. Everyone, go check out Zhou Jiarou’s biological mother’s livestream. She’s accusing Su Shengli of dragging her daughter into jail and claiming Zhou Jiarou isn’t even his real mother!"

The drama hunger was real.

Su Shengli’s arrest had unleashed revelations juicier by the minute. Almost everyone was caught up in the drama, with nobody giving a damn about whether he was actually arrested or what his future held.

That’s how heartless the world is.

Coincidentally, Gu Yihong and Gu Yubai cared even less about Su Shengli, an outsider.

Gu Yihong felt like he had forgotten something.

Back in class at school, he suddenly gasped.

His elder brother hadn’t said a damn word about him impersonating someone to play long-lost heir to the Su family!

Not only that, but Old Master Su hadn’t given him any trouble, and even the notoriously petty Su Wanlin had ignored him the entire time.

What did this mean?

It meant his elder brother had known all along about his sneaking around on him in the Su family!

The Su family wasn’t the type to swallow their losses and keep quiet—Gu Yubai must have been smoothing things over for him.

At this moment, Gu Yihong suddenly recalled many overlooked details from the past. His face went through a whole rainbow of shame before his eyes welled up with moved tears.

When... when had he given himself away?!