At the hospital.

  Gu Si hugged Tang Yi as they looked at the person lying on the bed through the door’s small glass window.

  “Brother Gu Si, he looks exactly like you. It’s like a mirror reflection.” Tang Yi looked curiously at Gu Hui before looking at Gu Si again.

  Yun Ling, who was standing next to Gu Si, did the same as well. “Why isn’t he waking up? What have you done to him?”?

  “I…” Gu Si frowned regretfully. “I didn’t control my strength well when we were fighting. I stabbed him so hard with the acupuncture needle that it broke!”


  While holding Tang Yi, he took out a broken needle from his pocket with his other hand.

  As soon as he entered the guest room back at the President’s House, he had noticed the strange smell in the room, so he pretended to sleep.

  Not long after, Gu Hui appeared in the exact same outfit.

  As the room was dark, it was hard to tell who was who when they fought. With just a needle, Gu Si made Gu Hui pass out. He decided to play along and pretended to be Gu Hui instead.

  The people of Jijing Island had unique constitutions and were immune to many drugs. However, they weren’t immune to acupuncture. Hence, acupuncture worked better than drugs.

  Gu Si had to thank his sister for making him learn traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture from an early age, although his skills still weren’t too good as it hadn’t been long since he started learning acupuncture.

  Yun Ling was speechless as he looked at the broken needle in Gu Si’s hand.

  Qin Fang cupped his hands in obeisance at Gu Si. “Impressive.”


  “Well, just so so.” Gu Si habitually waved his hand out of modesty, only to realize a second later that he was being kind to his own brother. He started feeling bad again. “Sis has already checked on him and said that he’s fine. But he’s still not waking up. Is he pretending to be unconscious…?”


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  Just then, the door of the suite was pushed open.

  Lin Shuang and He Yidu walked in, followed by a doctor.

  The doctor greeted everyone before handing Gu Mang an envelope. “Young Madam Lu, the result is out.”


  “Mm.” Gu Mang thanked him as she took the envelope, tore the seal off, and took out the report.

  It was a report for a DNA test between Gu Si and Gu Hui.

  Gu Mang’s gaze landed on the result.

  Their DNAs matched almost perfectly.

  Gu Mang slipped the report back into the envelope.

  Lin Shuang sat next to Gu Mang. “I saw a shocking scene just now. Lu Chengzhou and Huo Zhi were smoking and chatting happily on the balcony.”


  Gu Mang was speechless.

  Gu Mang didn’t say anything

  “What?” Qin Fang’s eyes bulged. “Brother Cheng and Huo Zhi?”


  Even Yun Ling suspected that he had hearing problems when he heard this.

  He Yidu nodded affirmatively. “That’s right. It’s rather… bizarre…”


  “I’m going to take a look.” Qin Fang excitedly moved to leave the room, but just as he walked up to the doorway, Lu Chengzhou pushed the door open and walked in.

  “What do you want to look at?” Lu Chengzhou asked.

  Qin Fang looked out of the room. “Where’s Huo Zhi?”


  Lu Chengzhou raised his eyebrows. “He left.”


  “Huh?” Qin Fang couldn’t quite understand him. “What do you mean by ‘he left’”? Where did he go?”


  “If you’re so curious, go after him and ask.”


  All of a sudden, Gu Si released Tang Yi and ran toward the door while saying, “Sis, Tangtang, I’ll go get milk tea for you.”


  Lu Chengzhou sat on the other side of Gu Mang and held her hand.

  “You smoked?” Gu Mang stared into his eyes.

  “I didn’t.” Lu Chengzhou lifted his hand to her nose. “Smell it if you don’t believe me. All I did was hold onto the cigarette Huo Zhi gave me.”


  He had quit smoking for some time, and he didn’t even drink alcohol now.

  Everyone else was speechless when they saw this side of Lu Chengzhou.

  …


  Huo Zhi walked to the hospital parking lot, where his bald subordinate opened the car door for him. “Where are we going, sir?”


  Huo Zhi had grown up on Jijing Island, but he was homeless now that he had left the place. He couldn’t even bother to manage his own properties anymore.

  Huo Zhi paused and thought about it for a moment. “Gu Si has already sent people to take down the spy network as well as clear the remaining forces outside Jijing Island. I don’t have to worry about the way he works. Since we’re free now, let’s go on a vacation.”?

  Thinking about it, Huo Zhi rarely got a break all these years he was trying to manage the various forces on Jijing Island. We’ll just take it as we’re going on a long break. He grinned and replied, “Okay.”


  Huo Zhi patted him on the shoulder and bent down to get into the car.

  “Wait!”


  The bald man was just about to close the door when he heard Gu Si’s voice from behind. He turned his head and saw the little guy running over.

  “Young Master Gu,” he greeted. “Is anything the matter?”


  Gu Si pressed a hand on the car door and bent to look at Huo Zhi, who was sitting inside. “I’ll treat you to milk tea. Are you up to it?”


  …


  Eventually, Huo Zhi looked up a Chinese restaurant online and bought two mala skewers and freshly squeezed juice from there.

  Huo Zhi and Gu Si carried the food and drinks out.

  The bald man had parked the car in a less crowded area and brought the rest of his subordinates to eat.

  Gu Si sat cross-legged on the hood of the Maybach, while Huo Zhi leaned against the car hood holding a cigarette in one hand and a spicy skewer in the other. He seemed hesitant to eat such cheap food.

  Gu Si silently sucked a mouthful of juice and then took a bite of the skewer.

  Nobody talked, so it was very quiet.

  “Why did you look for me?” Huo Zhi finally broke the silence and looked at Gu Si with his head tilted.

  Gu Si met his gaze with his clear and black eyes. His acting skills sure are good.”


  “Huo Zhi.” Gu Si paused and then said, “Brother Huo, go back to Jijing Island with me, okay?”


  Huo Zhi chuckled as this was the first time Gu Si was addressing him as such. “You want to take me in?”


  “What do you mean by “take you in”? Jijing Island is your home in the first place.” Gu Si didn’t like what Huo Zhi said, for it made the latter seem really pitiful.

  Hearing that, Huo Zhi cocked an eyebrow. “Won’t my return to Jijing Island ruin your appetite?”


  “Uh…”


  “Don’t you loathe me?” Huo Zhi flicked off the ashes on his cigarette and added, “You even shun me.”


  “When did I do that?” Gu Si denied it. “I was just angry and disappointed at you! You’re always asking my sister to behave and not go against the Gu family and the Elders’ Association. But if she really did that, she would’ve died.”


  “But now, I know that my sister is the last person you’d hurt,” said Gu Si while looking at Huo Zhi. He didn’t really know what kind of relationship Gu Mang actually had with Huo Zhi, but she had never tried to kill him. The latter had never done anything that would really hurt her either.

  They were both silent.

  Huo Zhi exhaled a mouthful of smoke and slowly said, “If I had chosen to stand on your sister’s side back then, would I be the one at her side now?”


  “Huh?” Gu Si widened his eyes in surprise. “You haven’t given up yet?”


  Huo Zhi was rendered speechless.?

  “Don’t blame me for saying this, but… if my sister likes you, she’ll like you no matter which side you’re on. For your sake, she might even listen to the Elders’ Association… Hm…” Gu Si didn’t seem to know how to explain it. “I can’t really express what I’m saying, but you know what I mean, right?”


  As he was still young, he didn’t know how he should explain it to Huo Zhi since this was something between adults.

  Huo Zhi nodded and looked down silently for a while before breaking into a smile. “Yes.”


  It was just like how Gu Mang was willing to face Jijing Island for Lu Chengzhou’s sake, although she had been reluctant to do so in the past.

  All of a sudden, there was an answer to the question that Huo Zhi couldn’t figure out for the past few months, and it had come from a child at that. He felt like he was mentally regressing.

  “He’s quite good.” That was all Huo Zhi said. He had finally given up and let go of all of his feelings for Gu Mang.

  “My brother-in-law is obviously good! He’s the person my sister likes after all!” Gu Si said proudly.

  Huo Zhi coolly looked over and ruffled Gu Si’s hair. “Stop rubbing salt into my wound if you want me to return to Jijing Island.”


  Gu Si raised his eyebrows, held up his cup of juice, and then lifted his chin.

  After looking at him for several seconds, Huo Zhi held up his cup of juice as well and knocked it against Gu Si’s.

  “By the way, can you tell me about Gu Hui?” Gu Si wanted to know more about his twin brother.

  Huo Zhi nodded.

  …


  At the hospital.

  Inside the VIP ward.

  He Yidu followed Lin Shuang wherever she went.

  “Stay away from me!” Lin Shuang tried to push him away, but he just wouldn’t budge.

  Instead, he grabbed her hands and said in a gentle and soft voice, “There’s no need for us to keep a distance between each other since we’re engaged to one another.”


  He then asked, “Where do you want to hold our wedding?”


  Yun Ling, however, was upset to hear the word ‘wedding.’ “I’m going back to Shadow League. Inform me when you’ve decided on a date.”


  He felt that nobody would be able to understand his feelings.?

  “Yun Ling, you’re leaving so soon?” Qin Fang was reluctant to see Yun Ling leave, as that would mean he would be alone here among the couples.

  After saying goodbye to Gu Mang, Yun Ling waved his hands and left.

  Ghost didn’t leave, though. Instead, she looked at Lin Shuang excitedly and said, “Nine Tails! Nine Tails! I wanna be your bridesmaid!”?

  …


  Over at the sofa.

  Lu Chengzhou looked at the envelope in Gu Mang’s hand. “Leave it to me if you find it difficult to handle this.”


  “I’m just thinking about where I should put him.” Gu Mang pursed her lips slightly.

  It wasn’t easy to handle Gu Hui. No matter what really happened back then, it was true that Gu Hui had been abandoned and that he obviously had a deep hatred for them after hearing what Xu Ying said about them over the years.

  Gu Mang had once asked her mother why only Gu Si was left. Her mother said that she didn’t deserve to be his mother. She couldn’t let him take on their surname if she couldn’t let him see the world. After that, this topic was strictly sealed, and nobody mentioned anything about this matter.

  Nobody knew what was on Gu Hui’s mind as he had been instilled with lies by Xu Ying. Even Gu Hui himself didn’t know what to do, so he kept pretending to be asleep.

  Lu Chengzhou playfully squeezed Gu Mang’s hand and then suddenly looked up at Gu Mang when a thought struck his mind.

  Apparently, Gu Mang had the same thoughts as well, and she met his gaze at almost the same time.

  They knew what each other was thinking even without saying anything.

  Gu Mang smiled. “I’ll go take a look at Gu Hui.”


  Lu Chengzhou nodded. “He’s not stable yet. Be careful.”


  “Okay.” Gu Mang then got up.

  Lu Chengzhou followed her to the entrance of the ward and watched her go in. He, on the other hand, stood guard outside so that he could rush in immediately if anything happened.

  Gu Mang walked to Gu Hui’s bed and placed the DNA test report on the side cabinet. “I made the hospital do a DNA test. You might be young, but you should be able to understand it.”


  Gu Hui quietly lay on the bed as if he wasn’t awake yet.

  Gu Mang leaned against the edge of the bed and lowered her eyes slightly. “I’ve never met you before, so I don’t have any feelings towards you, nor do I know what Xu Ying has said to you. However, Dad and Mom have passed away.”


  Under the covers, Gu Hui curled his fingers.

  Gu Mang didn’t like to waste her time on useless stuff, so she didn’t bother to say more since Gu Hui might not believe her either.

  “I’ll give you a choice. Go back to Jijing Island with Gu Si and go to the Bai family where Grandpa and Uncle will take care of you or I’ll take you back to the capital, where I’ll make other arrangements for you.”


  Gu Hui slowly opened his eyes.

  “Let me know when you’ve made up your mind.” After saying that, Gu Mang left the ward.

  …


  What happened in Country D had come to an end.

  Gu Si and Huo Zhi returned to Jijing Island along with Gu Hui, who didn’t dare to go back to the capital with Gu Mang because he was a bit scared of her.

  Gu Mang and Lu Chengzhou had many other things to settle, so they didn’t plan to stay in Country D either.

  He Yidu, on the other hand, wanted to take Lin Shuang back to the Deiss family as her last visit two days ago wasn’t exactly pleasant, so the two of them would be staying in Country D for the time being.

  They would be seeing each other soon anyway since Lin Shuang would be getting married soon.

  He Yidu and Lin Shuang had decided to hold their wedding back in the capital.

  At the airport.

  Before boarding the private plane, Huo Zhi stopped in front of Gu Mang and said, “Eat well. I’m leaving.”


  Gu Mang nodded and said a moment later, “Thank you.”


  These two words held a different meaning now.

  Huo Zhi, who understood what she meant, smiled. “Why are you thanking me? You protected yourself. I didn’t manage to help much.”?

  The group thus bade each other goodbye at the airport.

  …


  On the private plane back to the capital.

  Gu Mang was so sleepy that she headed straight to the lounge to catch up on her sleep as soon as she got on the plane.

  Lu Chengzhou stayed next to her to accompany her. As he stared at her beautiful face, he was reminded of the conversation he had with Huo Zhi at the hospital.

  …


  “When Gu Mang returned to Jijing Island, the Elders’ Association hurriedly tested her talent and met up with the Bai family. After that, she was sent to Base 102 and was trained by me.” Huo Zhi rested his arms on the railing as he looked into the distance.

  Lu Chengzhou knew about this too.

  “Gu Si and Gu Hui were born prematurely. On the third night Gu Mang was sent to Base 102, her mother was sent to the hospital, and Gu Hui was diagnosed dead as soon as he was born. The people at Jijing Island are very cruel to people who are useless and dead, and they don’t have any pity for them. Gu Hui was thus put into a garbage bag and thrown out of the hospital.” Huo Zhi took a puff of his cigarette.

  Lu Chengzhou looked at the cigarette in his hand and played with it. He didn’t smoke it, though. “Someone must’ve tampered with his death report.”


  Huo Zhi shook his head at that. “I’m not sure about that. I don’t have much influence at the time, but it’s possible that the Head Elder did that to quietly take Gu Hui away so as to keep a trump card for himself.”


  Huo Zhi then added, “Gu Mang doesn’t like to explain herself, so it’s likely that she’ll just arrange somewhere for Gu Hui to go without giving him any explanations.”


  Lu Chengzhou thought the same thing.

  “I actually regret it a lot that I didn’t completely stand on her side,” Huo Zhi suddenly said.?

  “You might not stand a chance then.” Huo Zhi smiled at Lu Chengzhou.

  Lu Chengzhou, who was slightly taller than Huo Zhi, smiled nonchalantly back at Huo Zhi. “But the reality is that you don’t stand a chance.”


  “I really can’t figure it out.” Huo Zhi had been thinking about this matter for the past few months. “Gu Mang must’ve told you about the time she went into Base 102 to save Gu Si, right?”


  “Yes,” Lu Chengzhou responded.

  “You know very well what kind of place Base 102 is. Do you really think that her younger self could come out unharmed after killing so many people and barging into the core area?” Huo Zhi recalled the murderous look she had on her face at the time.

  Lu Chengzhou didn’t say anything.

  “There were so many security barriers. If it wasn’t for the Head Elder wanting to keep her alive, she surely would’ve died in there. She was almost dying when she killed her way to the biological area and fought with Leng Xuan. She nearly killed her, but at the expense of her own life. When she managed to rescue Gu Si, she couldn’t even stand up straight and was kneeling on the ground looking all bloodied. She begged me to save Gu Si.” Huo Zhi spoke very slowly. Just the mention of this matter was enough to strike fear in him.

  Lu Chengzhou’s fingers trembled slightly. Huo Zhi’s words were akin to sharp needles that poked at his heart.

  “It was probably from then that she knew that she could only rely on herself. Nobody could protect her, and she protected everyone,” Huo Zhi said.

  Before Gu Mang dealt with the Head Elder and Leng Xuan, she had given Lu Chengzhou a long name list. She was doing her best to keep the innocent out of this matter. While she couldn’t control the things that happened, she had the ability to protect everyone when things happened.

  Lu Chengzhou still had that name list with him.

  “I didn’t want to see her pride shatter again. I was afraid that the Head Elder would really kill her. I wanted her to behave a little and live well, but she’s just too proud and doesn’t care to treasure her life. I’d thought that she’d always stay this way, but she wanted to live her life well for your sake. I thought that she would keep making deals with Base 10—supplying her and Gu Si’s blood in exchange for the medicine.”


  What Huo Zhi wanted was very simple. He was scared that Gu Mang Mang would die, and he felt that she was incapable of going against the Head Elder and the Gu family, so he wanted her to do as told so that she could preserve her life.

  “Was what I did wrong?” Huo Zhi turned to face Lu Chengzhou. “I wish you could see how she looked at the time. You’ll know why I was so afraid.”


  Gu Mang could only leave Jijing Island because he had talked terms with the Head Elder and Old Master Gu and made a deal with them.

  Lu Chengzhou was scared too, knowing very well the kind of place Jijing Island was. People around the world were afraid of them after all. It was also why he had arranged everything for Gu Mang back then, although she refused to accept it.

  “I can’t figure out why I lost,” Huo Zhi muttered under his breath.?

  …


  The private plane landed at the Lu Manor’s private airport, but Lu Chengzhou just kept looking at Gu Mang without any intention to wake her up.

  By the time Gu Mang woke up, it was three hours later. She opened her eyes and saw Lu Chengzhou staring at her. “Have we arrived?”


  Lu Chengzhou pushed the hair away from her face. “Yes, we’ve arrived.”


  Gu Mang sat up. “Let’s go home then.”


  “Okay.” Lu Chengzhou’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he got up and took the thin windbreaker for her to wear.

  …


  Lin Deng had moved into the President’s House and fetched Lin Shuang’s mother from Nata Nursing Home to take care of her.

  This was the first time Lin Shuang got to eat dinner with her mother ever since the latter was sent to the care facility.

  Lin Deng looked at his aunt and said with a smile, “Auntie, Xixi is getting married soon. Let’s go attend her wedding together on that day.”


  Lin Shuang kept mum, while her mother barely showed any reaction to the news and quietly ate her meal.

  Lin Deng then turned to Lin Shuang. “Xixi, are you going to visit the Deiss family tomorrow to discuss the details of your wedding with Madam André?”


  Lin Shuang gave a vague reply.

  “Alright, rest early tonight,” Lin Deng said. “We’ll go together tomorrow.”


  …


  He Yidu came over to fetch Lin Shuang early the next day. “Is Lin Shuang still asleep?”


  Lin Deng, who was sitting and drinking coffee in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, said, “She’s awake. I heard from the butler that she woke up very early and went out. She probably went out to shop for a gift. She should be back soon since she still has to visit Madam André.”


  He Yidu’s expression suddenly changed. “Where’s Lin Shuang’s room?”


  Lin Deng didn’t know what was going on, although he sensed the shift in He Yidu’s mood. “What’s wrong?”


  He Yidu pursed his lips. “Answer me first. Where’s her room?”


  As things seemed to be rather serious, Lin Deng didn’t ask more questions. He put down his coffee cup and rose to his feet. “I’ll take you there.”


  The two quickly headed upstairs.

  When they pushed open the door of Lin Shuang’s room, they found a messy blanket on top of the bed and nobody in sight. On the table, however, was a piece of A4 paper.

  He Yidu walked over and picked it up.

  With a rather speechless expression, Lin Deng watched He Yidu rip the piece of paper into pieces.

  …


  At Shadow League’s headquarters.

  Yun Ling was handling a few special orders when the office door was suddenly pushed open. Lin Shuang then strode in, tossing her bag on the sofa as she sat down and poured herself a cup of water.

  Yun Ling looked at her in confusion, his voice rising by a few decibels. “What are you doing here?”


  Lin Shuang finished the cup of water and placed it back down on the coffee table before looking up. “Isn’t the special training starting soon? I’m back for training.”


  Shadow League had batches of training every year. Other than Gu Mang, the twelve veteran members would arrange their own time to attend the training.

  “But aren’t you getting married soon? You won’t be able to make it to the training this time.” Yun Ling didn’t quite understand what Lin Shuang was thinking.

  Lin Shuang raised her eyebrows. “Who told you that I’m getting married?”


  Yun Ling’s eyes bulged.

  Lin Shuang walked up to him and said, “Add my name. I’m training with this batch.”


  ?Yun Ling was speechless, and he felt that he couldn’t keep pace with Lin Shuang.

  “Never mind, I’ll do it myself.” Lin Shuang then added her alias to the bottom of the name list.

  After that, she stood up and yawned. “I’m going to bed now.”


  Just like that, Yun Ling watched her leave the office with her bag.

  A notification for an invitation to a video call flickered at the bottom right-hand corner of his computer screen just then. It was from Gu Mang.

  As soon as the call connected, he heard Gu Mang asking, “Is Lin Shuang back at the headquarters?”


  …


  Early next morning.

  The people from the first batch of training started going for their health checkup.

  After her health checkup was done, Lin Shuang returned to her room to sleep as it was almost impossible for her to get proper sleep once the special training started.

  Before dinner, the head of Shadow League’s medical team came stumbling into Yun Ling’s office with a document in hand.

  The medical team was known to be composed, so the people at the headquarters had never seen the head looking so flustered before.

  “What happened? What got you so flustered?” Black Eagle stopped him and asked out of curiosity.

  The head of the medical team appeared conflicted as he didn’t know if he should say it.

  Just then, Yun Ling happened to come out of the office. He was stunned to see this scene. “What’s wrong?”


  The head hurriedly rushed over to him and handed the document to him. “Something big has happened!”


  Yun Ling frowned and opened the envelope in confusion.

  Inside was a document titled “Health Report,” and it had Nine Tails’ name on it.

  However, when he saw the contents of the report, his eyes bulged wide. “W-what the f*ck?!”