Chapter 19: The Collapse of the Deception

Chapter 19: The Deception Falls Apart

On the morning of the trip to Inner Mongolia, Zhao Yu went home to pack. As soon as they boarded the plane, Chen Li would transfer Chen Xitong to another hospital. But Zhao Yu had a bad feeling about this; he double-checked Chen Xitong's ID before tucking it into his wallet.

Zhou Lan sent a message: Paperwork's done, transfer's all set. Everything's smooth—go enjoy your trip, don't worry.

Zhao Yu relaxed a bit, but staring at his suitcase, he couldn't muster any excitement for the trip. He had to be extra careful not to catch Gu Hansheng's attention again—every word, every move, everything had to be handled with extreme care. Gu Hansheng hadn't been home for two days, so that conversation hadn't come back up, but Zhao Yu knew he couldn't dodge those questions forever.

He'd gone over that conversation with Zhou Lan and talked through how to handle it. Whether or not Gu Hansheng pushed him about his twin brother, he'd bring it up himself during the trip and cover every loose end from that day. He'd come up with a full story for exactly this.

Lying wasn't the hard part; the hard part was the psychological pressure of facing Gu Hansheng. Gu Hansheng's face was often unreadable, so Zhao Yu could never tell if what he said landed well. Zhao Yu took a deep breath and told himself, "Keep it together."

Gu Hansheng stared out the window at the passing streets, spinning his phone in his hand, his expression dark and unreadable.

Investigating someone wasn't hard—birth date, address, phone number, family ties, even medical records. Peel back the layers one by one, and a person stands there completely exposed—nothing private stays private.

His phone lit up, messages flooding in—photos, images, texts, numbers... With Gu Hansheng's brain, one glance was enough to pull out the key details, but he read each message carefully, over and over, for a full hour, until he pulled up outside Chen Xitong's building.

When the doorbell rang, Zhao Yu quickly shifted gears, put on a smile, and opened the door: "Bro, you're here early. I'm still packing—come on in."

Gu Hansheng loved Chen Xitong—loved that sunny personality most of all. Every time he saw him, his mood lifted like the sun breaking through clouds. Zhao Yu had practiced Chen Xitong's bright smile the longest and nailed it best, which was how he'd gotten away with every slip-up so far. Gu Hansheng's affection made him forgiving—he was almost willing to be fooled.

Gu Hansheng came in, watched him pack for a moment, then said out of nowhere, "We're not going to Inner Mongolia."

Zhao Yu froze, looked up. "We're not?"

Gu Hansheng strolled over to the Steinway, pulled off the dust cover and lifted the lid, then casually pressed a key. The jarring note echoed through the big living room.

He said slowly, "Xitong, you still owe me a piano piece. Play it for me now."

Zhao Yu's fingers, pressed against the edge of the suitcase, slowly tightened as he stared at Gu Hansheng's back, frozen.

Gu Hansheng turned to look at him. "Play the first piece you played at the concert where we met."

At that first concert, Chen Xitong had played Mendelssohn's *Rondo Capriccioso in E major*. Zhao Yu had tried to learn it, but there was no way to master a piece that hard in a short time.

"Isn't this your signature piece? Even if you haven't practiced for a few days, you wouldn't forget it," Gu Hansheng said.

"I... I don't feel well."

"Feeling sick means you can't play?"

Zhao Yu met Gu Hansheng's eyes and felt his heart lurch. He'd seen that look before—the one Gu Hansheng used on other people, cold and condescending, full of judgment.

He went quiet, then got up stiffly and walked to the piano. Staring at the black-and-white keys, he felt like he was walking to the guillotine.

*Rondo Capriccioso in E major* was light, bright, and full of life—just like Chen Xitong. It was the piece that got him into the conservatory. Anyone who knew him knew he could play it in his sleep. Even if he hadn't touched it in months, he could play it effortlessly.

Zhao Yu raised his hands, hovered over the keys for a long moment, then slowly let them fall.

He knew the blade had already dropped—no time to prepare, not even a second.

"Why aren't you playing?" Gu Hansheng asked. "Don't want to... or can't you?"

Zhao Yu couldn't bring himself to look up. He opened his mouth, but his throat felt stuffed with cotton. The rows of keys blurred in front of him.

"Xitong." Gu Hansheng tilted his chin up, his icy gaze moving over his face inch by inch, like he was seeing him for the first time—familiar yet foreign. Then he said coldly, "...Zhao Yu."

All the color drained from Zhao Yu's face. Gu Hansheng's grip on his chin tightened, leaving a deep red mark.

Gu Hansheng let out a cold, mocking laugh, then let go and walked away without looking back.

Zhao Yu wanted to call after him, but no sound came out. The lie was already out. Anything he said now would just make him look worse. Even though he could still try to defend himself, he couldn't utter a single word.

How could a ridiculous con like this ever end cleanly?

Zhao Yu had always known this day would come, but the more time he spent with Gu Hansheng, the more he'd let his guard down, convincing himself he was still safe. Now that it was actually here, he realized he wasn't prepared at all—he couldn't even meet Gu Hansheng's eyes.

Somewhere along the way, he'd started fearing that Gu Hansheng would be disappointed in him, maybe even hate him. And now, he felt that fear for real.

At the hospital, the ward was quiet. The doctor finished checking on Chen Xitong and left. A few minutes later, the door opened again, and a tall figure stepped in, casting a long shadow across the sunlit room.

He already knew where Chen Xitong was from the report, but seeing the man lying there in the hospital bed with his own eyes, Gu Hansheng felt a wave of absurdity. Two people who looked exactly the same—one spinning sweet talk at his side, the other lying here in a coma, silent.

Gu Hansheng had dealt with plenty of cunning, scheming businessmen, but he never imagined something this low and dirty. He'd noticed red flags again and again, but he never checked any of them—all to protect that so-called pure, untouchable affection. He'd been played, used, made into a fool.

Chen Li pushed the door open and went pale the second she saw Gu Hansheng.

"Mr. Gu...?!"

"So which son is this one?" Gu Hansheng's dark gaze bore into her.

Chen Li forced herself to stay calm. "If you've tracked him to the hospital, you already know the truth. If I told you this is Zhao Yu, would you believe me?"

Gu Hansheng sneered. "What do you think?"

Chen Li moved to the bedside, positioning herself to shield Chen Xitong, like a bird spreading its wings over its chick. She didn't know if Gu Hansheng might do something reckless in his anger, so she was on edge.

"Mr. Gu, whatever Xiao Yu and I did, Xitong had no idea. He's been in a coma for a long time—the doctors say he might never wake up."

"And that's your excuse for lying to me?"

"...I don't think it counts as lying. They're real brothers. Xiao Yu's had a rough life, and I let him use Xitong's identity so he could start fresh. Plus, I couldn't handle the shock of Xitong's coma—I needed Xiao Yu close. As for the relationships tied to the identity, he handled them badly and ended up hurting you, Mr. Gu. I'm truly sorry. There was never any intention to deceive—it was all a misunderstanding."

Gu Hansheng snorted. "You're sure good at covering your own ass. Afraid I'll pull my funding?"

That hit a nerve. "Mr. Gu, Tuotu's already in the project. Pulling out isn't a game. With all those partners watching, wouldn't walking away hurt Tuotu's reputation?"

"Tuotu's reputation can take the hit, and I can afford the penalty." With that, Gu Hansheng turned to leave.

"Mr. Gu!" Chen Li called out desperately. "I know you're angry, but please don't take it out on Xitong. Don't you love him? He didn't lie to you—everything was my fault. Even if it's for Xitong's sake, please don't do anything rash. Once the project gets going, it'll make money for you and Tuotu fast!"

But Gu Hansheng didn't even look back, walking straight out.

Chen Li's chest rose and fell, her heart pounding with panic. She'd thought Gu Hansheng would at least show some softness for Chen Xitong, but he'd barely even looked at him before leaving.

She'd overestimated how much Chen Xitong mattered to him and underestimated how furious Gu Hansheng really was.

Zhou Lan had heard the whole conversation from outside the ward. He only went in after Gu Hansheng left. "Ms. Chen, Mr. Gu..."

Chen Li sat by the bed, head in her hands, her mind a mess. "We're not transferring Xitong for now. Go check on Xiao Yu. I'll go back to the company and try to manage the damage. Hopefully Gu Hansheng is just angry—once he cools down and thinks about the pros and cons, maybe... he won't pull out."

Zhou Lan asked, "What if Zhao Yu wants to leave?"

"He hasn't gotten the money yet, so he probably won't go anywhere. Just keep him calm for now. It's not at the worst point yet—there's still a chance to fix this."

Zhou Lan opened his mouth, then closed it. Gu Hansheng already knew everything—how could there be any chance left?

He drove straight to the apartment and rushed upstairs, but no one was there. Panicking, he was about to go look for Zhao Yu when he ran into him coming up the stairwell.

“Are you okay?!” Zhou Lan rushed over urgently.

“I’m fine.” Zhao Yu held a bowl of noodles in his hand and walked into the room listlessly. “Looks like Gu Hansheng went to see you all. What did Chen Li say?”

Zhao Yu sat cross-legged on the carpet, set the noodle bowl on the coffee table, and cracked open a can of cola.

Seeing that he still had the appetite to eat, Zhou Lan gradually relaxed and asked, “What did Gu tell you? How did he find out about your identity?”

“I don’t know. He was acting weird the day before yesterday. Maybe I slipped up somewhere and he noticed, so he looked into me.” Zhao Yu took a bite of noodles. “The secret’s out now. What’s Chen Li gonna do next?”

“Chen said it’s not the worst-case scenario yet, and she wants you to stay calm and not panic or worry.” Zhou Lan couldn’t help but tell a white lie.

“She told me ‘don’t panic’?” Zhao Yu wasn’t buying it and let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Assistant Zhou, don’t try to comfort me. I’m no use to her anymore, am I? Is she still gonna pay me the rest?”

“Chen said to hold off on leaving for now. She said she’ll probably still pay you.”

“That’s the best-case scenario you’re describing, right?”

“Yeah.”

Zhao Yu quietly finished the bowl of noodles. Now that the worst had happened, he actually felt a weight off his shoulders, and after starving all day, he finally had some appetite.

He no longer had to keep deceiving Gu Hansheng under the weight of guilt, nor deal with one exposure crisis after another, because his relationship with Gu Hansheng was completely over.

Was it over?

Zhao Yu picked at the side dishes in the soup, feeling like there was too much vinegar—it tasted a bit sour.