“Yes.” Qiao Xin nodded, her heart beating wildly.

  “How old would she be now if she were alive?”


  “Almost twenty-two,” Su Xue said sadly. Then she sighed, looking as if she was feeling sorry for Wang Lin.

  Gu Zhou didn’t speak, but looked meaningfully at Su Xue and Qiao Xin.

  Although Qiao Xin didn’t understand what Su Xue had meant to achieve, or why Gu Zhou was asking more questions, she still put on a broken-hearted facade, even managing to squeeze out a few tears.

  Su Xue brought Qiao Xin out of the room. Just as the two of them reached the living room door, they heard Gu Zhou speak.

  “Butler, don’t let any Tom, Dick, or Harry in here again!”


  “Yes, yes, Second Young Master. There won’t be a next time,” the butler said, his voice tinged with fear.

  Su Xue stopped in her tracks, cold sweat breaking out on her back. She glanced at Qiao Xin, who was standing next to her. She regretted her actions now.

  If Qiao Xin had married into the Gu family as planned, she could visit the Gu villa as and when she pleased. If that happened, Gu Zhou would definitely treat her with utmost respect and hospitality.

  Qiao Nian looked at the two people leaving, then at Gu Zhou and Lu Zhu. She pursed her lips. How could these two men believe Su Xue’s words so easily?

  Oh, right.

  Why had she never heard of the name Wang Lin?

  “Qiao Nian.”


  Qiao Nian came back to her senses. She looked up at Gu Zhou. Meeting those dark eyes, she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

  “Do you think your mother is telling the truth?” Gu Zhou looked at Qiao Nian intently, his voice as deep and pleasant as ever.

  Qiao Nian was stunned. She didn’t understand why Gu Zhou was asking her this. She pretended to think carefully, then shook her head.

  “You don’t believe her?” Gu Zhou studied Qiao Nian’s face, as if he were committing her every expression to memory.

  “I think you don’t believe her yourself. Since you don’t believe her, then go and investigate.” Qiao Nian smiled.

  “If I remember correctly, right after Lu Zhu lost the pendant, you were sent to the mental hospital.”


  As soon as Gu Zhou finished speaking, Qiao Nian’s heart skipped a beat. Her expression faltered slightly.

  Was Gu Zhou suspecting her?

  Qiao Nian lowered her gaze, sighed, and nodded. “Is there any connection between the two events?”


  Gu Zhou didn’t expose Qiao Nian either. Casually, he asked, “Then, do you know Wang Lin?”


  Qiao Nian shook her head and replied impassively, “No.”


  Qiao Nian didn’t want Gu Zhou to continue questioning her. She continued, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll make a trip down to the pharmacy to prepare your medicine.”


  Gu Zhou nodded.

  When Qiao Nian passed by Lu Zhu, she glanced up at him. She still found Lu Zhu familiar, but try as she might, she simply couldn’t recall where she had seen him.

  However, Qiao Nian retracted her gaze very quickly and continued walking out of the room.

  After Qiao Nian left, Lu Zhu sat down lazily on the sofa and asked, “You’ve found the pendant. Ah Zhou, what do you plan to do with it?”


  “It’s just a dirty thing. I’ll throw it away.” Gu Zhou thought of Qiao Xin’s hypocritical face and felt inexplicably disgusted.

  Lu Zhu could understand Gu Zhou’s actions. Someone else had been wearing something that belonged to him for such a long period of time. Even though he had gotten it back, it could no longer be clean now. “Do you believe what they said?”


  Gu Zhou snorted and said, “If it’s false, they’ll give themselves away very quickly.”


  Lu Zhu nodded and stood up. “I should leave. I have other things to do tomorrow.”


  “Visiting your sister again, I assume.”


  “Yes,” Lu Zhu answered. His eyes were a little red as he pursed his lips. “She’s been gone for nearly twenty years now…”


  Gu Zhou recalled that when the daughter of the Lu family had died, her body could not be found. No matter how hard the Lu family tried, they could not find her body.

  Moreover, the daughter of the Lu family had been betrothed to him.

  Gu Zhou placed a hand on Lu Zhu’s shoulder and patted him once. “She will live on forever in everyone’s hearts.”


  Thinking of his younger sister’s photograph, Lu Zhu felt a lump rise up in his throat. He nodded and walked out……