mesbooks Chapter 1427 Yunrui's Sincere Devotion: Bai Xiuxian's Confession
Chapter 1427 Yunrui's Sincere Devotion: Bai Xiuxian's Confession
The tea room was so quiet that you could hear the rustling of ivy leaves outside the window. Gu Mingcheng poured tea with focused concentration, the tea slowly flowing into the white porcelain cup through the notch of the tea spoon, its color a clear, bright green, and its aroma filling the small space.
His movements as he poured tea were extremely steady, filling each cup to seven-tenths full, in accordance with the old rule that "a full cup of tea is an insult." But it was precisely this steadiness that made Gu Yunxi's unease grow stronger.
"How's the lab project going?" Gu Mingcheng finally spoke, pushing a cup of tea in front of her, the steam blurring his features.
"It went quite smoothly. The data analysis from last time is finished, and we can enter the clinical simulation phase next week." Gu Yunxi picked up her teacup, her fingertips slightly numb from the warmth of the cup...
Logically speaking, Gu Yunxi should have taken the initiative to speak and ease the tension in this atmosphere, but the inexplicable unease in her heart grew stronger and stronger, making it impossible for her to speak.
Just then, steady footsteps sounded outside the tea room. Gu Yunxi's heart skipped a beat, and she almost dropped the teacup in her hand. She subconsciously looked up at the door, and the coolness of her fingertips instantly spread throughout her body.
Gu Mingcheng remained calm, only putting down his teacup as the wooden door opened. Gu Yunqian walked in first, dressed in a black suit, his face serious, his usually smiling eyes now tense. The person behind him made Gu Yunxi's breath catch in her throat—it was Bai Xiuxian.
She wore a dark dress and her hair was neatly combed, but the newly grown white hairs at the roots and the bloodshot eyes could not be hidden, and the heavy foundation on her face could not conceal her haggard appearance after days of running around.
She walked in with unsteady steps, as if stepping on cotton. Her gaze swept erratically over Gu Mingcheng and Gu Yunxi in the tea room. When she met Gu Mingcheng's deep, calm eyes, she instinctively shrank back. Her resentment was instantly suppressed by fear. Finally, she forced herself to remain calm and lowered her head, staring at the tips of her polished high heels.
Gu Yunxi's gaze was drawn to Bai Xiuxian as if by a magnet.
She first looked at Bai Xiuxian's clenched knuckles, which had turned white—those hands that once wore valuable jade bracelets and elegantly held champagne at a Hong Kong cocktail party, but were now twisted and deformed with tension.
She turned to look at Gu Mingcheng again, only to see that he was still in the posture of pouring tea, the purple clay teapot suspended in mid-air, the tea soup flowing steadily into the cup. He didn't even glance at Bai Xiuxian, but his imposing aura made the air in the tea room freeze.
Finally, she looked at Gu Yunqian. Her brother was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, his suit sleeves rolled up to reveal a watch on his wrist. The ticking of the second hand was the only sound in the deathly silent space. His gaze met hers, and he blinked gently. The reassuring yet heavy look in his eyes made her feel even more uneasy.
Her fingers unconsciously dug into the carvings on the edge of the mahogany table, unaware that a splinter had pierced her fingertip.
The tea smoke had long since dissipated, and the Biluochun tea in the white porcelain cup had cooled completely. Water droplets condensed on the cup wall slid down and dripped onto the tablecloth, spreading out a small dark stain, much like her chaotic thoughts at this moment.
Why Bai Xiuxian? The boss specifically invited her here so that she could see how this once glamorous Hong Kong beauty has become.
Countless possibilities collided in Gu Yunxi's mind, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't utter a sound. She could only let the helplessness overwhelm her like a tide.
Just as her gaze shifted from Bai Xiuxian's back to Gu Mingcheng's face, Gu Yunqian, who had been silent all along, finally moved.
Bai Xiuxian's shoulders trembled violently, and she lowered her head even further, her dark hair obscuring her face, revealing only her trembling shoulders. "I...I deliberately let Lin Xu get close to you..." her voice was barely audible, trembling noticeably, "I wanted him..."
"What do you want him to do? Keep going!" Gu Yunqian sneered, ignoring Gu Yunxi's shocked expression, and grabbed the woman's wrist!
Bai Xiuxian's wrist ached from being squeezed so hard, and tears finally streamed down her face. After a long while, she finally looked up, her makeup a complete mess, her eyes filled with despair: "Arrange for him... to steal Miss Gu's research results..."
With a loud "boom," Gu Yunxi felt her mind go blank, as if she had been hit hard with a heavy hammer. Her ears were ringing, and she couldn't even hear what Gu Yunqian was saying next.
She sat blankly in the chair, Lin Xu's image flashing before her eyes—his tall, upright figure on Cambridge Bridge, his profile as he patiently explained formulas in the laboratory, and the encrypted data he left behind…
It turns out that none of this was a coincidence, nor fate, but a meticulously planned scam. The obsession I couldn't let go of was just a carefully crafted drama.
"Why..." Gu Yunxi finally found her voice, hoarse and unlike her own, "Why did you do this?"
Bai Xiuxian looked at her, a hint of guilt flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by greed. "Of course it's for money! How could a pampered young lady like you understand how hard it is to earn money these days?"
She suddenly became agitated and struggled to stand up, but Gu Yunqian pressed her back into the chair.
"I signed a performance-based agreement, which should have allowed me to make money, but then the deal collapsed and I lost everything! The company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and the bank is pressing me to repay the loan. I have no choice but to find a way to fill the hole!"
She took a deep breath, as if she were going all out, and said quickly, "I've investigated you and I know that your research results are in high demand internationally. As long as you can get your hands on them and sell them to overseas pharmaceutical companies, you can make a lot of money! I found Lin Xu from the job market. He knows a bit about scientific research and knows how to please girls. I gave him some money to forge an identity to get close to you, with the aim of stealing your research data!"
Gu Mingcheng finally put down the teapot, the teaspoon clattering into the bowl, breaking the eerie silence. "The recent business crisis of the Gu family, was that your doing too?"
Bai Xiuxian's body stiffened, and she dared not look Gu Mingcheng in the eye again. Her voice lowered, "Yes... I sent a corporate spy to infiltrate the company and leak several important project information... I originally wanted to force your Gu family into trouble, so that Yunxi would be eager to monetize her research results, and Lin Xu would have an easier time getting what he wanted..."
"You arranged for Shen Chengyu to kidnap me too?" Gu Yunxi's voice was choked with sobs. She recalled the fear and despair in Black Rock Village, and those cold gun barrels. It turned out that the culprit behind all of this was Aunt Bai, who had once greeted her with a smile.
“It was me who contacted Shen Chengyu…” Bai Xiuxian’s tears fell again. “I told him that as long as I kidnapped you, I could force the Gu family to compromise and get the ransom from Gu Yunqian… I didn’t originally want your life, I just wanted to put pressure on your Gu family so that Lin Xu would have a chance to steal the research data…”
The truth, like sharp knives, pierced Gu Yunxi's heart. Looking at the woman before her, her face contorted with rage, she suddenly felt utterly alienated. All the warmth and kindness she had once received were nothing but sugar-coated greed and malice.
Driven by her own selfish desires, she did not hesitate to ruin other people's lives and use a series of conspiracies to push them into the abyss.
The tea room fell silent again, save for Bai Xiuxian's suppressed sobs and Gu Yunxi's heavy breathing. Gu Yunqian walked to Gu Yunxi's side and gently patted her shoulder, only to find her body as cold as a stone.
He looked at Gu Mingcheng, his eyes filled with worry, but heard him say in a calm yet firm voice, "Yunqian, contact the police and hand over all this evidence."