Ever since Gu Beichi had been expelled from the Gu Family, he had been desperate to prove himself to them, which made him easy to trick. Gu Chen understood his father on that point. At the end of the day, he felt it was all the Gu Family's fault.
At that thought, Gu Chen's heart filled with anger.
"How do you know all this?" Still catching his breath, Gu Beichi turned to look at Gu Chen.
"A friend told me, but his identity is rather unusual, so I can't say much." Gu Chen glanced out the window as he spoke.
Outside the car window, the passing scenery unfolded like a series of delicate scroll paintings. Gu Beichen sat in the front passenger seat, paying no attention to the view.
Scene after scene from the Treasure Gathering Studio played through his mind. Frowning, he muttered to himself, "Xu Zhongwen had no reason to cheat me. Who could it have been? The Black Wind Hall?
"My logistics company only started operating recently, so it shouldn't have affected the Black Wind Hall's influence. They had no reason to go after me!"
While Gu Beichi was still lost in thought, Gu Chen interrupted him. "Dad, there's something else." He paused. "I divorced Zhou Xue'er, just two hours ago."
"What?!" Gu Beichi was stunned.
Gu Chen shrugged. "Ever since the Zhou Family learned we'd been driven out of the Gu Family, they've tried every possible way to break off the engagement, so I decided to grant her wish." He paused, then added, "I used to think about Zhou Xue'er all the time. After all, she was my fiancée and the first girl in my life to give me warmth... But now I've seen the light. We must carve out our own paths in life; relying on others is nothing but a coward's excuse. I've always kept Grandpa's final lesson close to my heart: live for yourself. Dad, do you remember?"
Gu Beichi's expression shifted unreadably, and he seemed to age many years in an instant. He let out a long sigh. "How could I forget... Fine, so be it." In truth, he had only wanted to find someone Gu Chen could depend on through the marriage and had never pinned great hopes on it. Since Gu Chen was unwilling, he would let him have his way.
"Thanks, Dad." Gu Chen's voice carried a trace of emotion.
"But breaking off an engagement is different from divorcing a wife. I'm afraid the Zhou Family won't let this go easily," Gu Beichi cautioned after a moment's thought.
"When water comes, we'll dam it with earth; when soldiers come, we'll send generals to stop them. You and I have long been discarded by the family. What can the Zhou Family do to us?" Gu Chen smiled calmly. "Besides, a dragon is still a dragon, whether it's in a mire or a pond! A hidden dragon will one day rise from the depths and make the four seas and eight wastelands bow in submission!"
"We two hidden dragons have lain dormant in Zhou City for half a year. It's time to show our edge!"
As Gu Beichi listened to his son, it was as though a thunderbolt had exploded in his heart.
Boom!
He stared at Gu Chen in a daze. The son before him felt both familiar and unfamiliar. Yet that unfamiliarity filled him with a hint of pride!
Over the past six months, Gu Chen had endured too much pressure, and his personality had changed drastically. He had even seemed somewhat timid. But at this moment, Gu Beichi realized he had worried too much!
"That's my son!" Gu Beichi laughed heartily and declared with soaring spirit, "Don't worry. If the Zhou Family dares come after you, your dad will have your back!"
Gu Chen said nothing. He gave his father an affectionate look, his eyes reddening slightly.
Dad, from now on, I'll protect this family!
When they returned home, Uncle Liu had already prepared tea and desserts. Gu Beichi sampled them as he attended to company affairs. Gu Chen silently returned to his room and began cultivating.
Gu Beichi did not ask much about the broken engagement. He understood that his son had grown up and had ideas of his own. Gu Chen, meanwhile, made no mention of his plan to take a leave of absence from school. Having come from a prominent family, he knew well that some things had to be decided for oneself. Whether he became a dragon or a worm was entirely up to him!
As Gu Chen circulated the Heaven and Earth Creation Art, it felt as though a warm current flowed through his meridians. After it had circulated several times, drowsiness overtook him, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, at the Treasure Gathering Studio.
Night lay like water, and the evening breeze rustled through the pines and cypresses. An elderly man with graying hair slowly emerged from the entrance of the Treasure Gathering Studio, accompanied by two attendants. The owner, Zhao Junchuan, followed close behind, his body bent almost ninety degrees in utter deference.
The elder was a man of distinguished status, and Zhao Junchuan dared not show him the slightest discourtesy. If he offended him even a little today, the Treasure Gathering Studio itself might not survive!
"See me off no farther than this."
The elder stopped and spoke coldly without looking back. "Go back."
Zhao Junchuan trembled all over. "Yes, yes, yes. Take care, Elder Hua!"
"Remember, do business honestly, or you can forget about keeping this shop open!" The young woman beside the elder snorted.
"Yes, yes, yes. I'll remember your lesson, young miss. Tomorrow I'll have someone make a plaque that says 'Honesty' and hang it on the wall!"
"Stop flattering us and get lost!" the young woman shouted.
Zhao Junchuan gave an awkward smile and hurriedly lowered his head, backing away until he returned to the courtyard.
After Zhao Junchuan left, the young woman turned to the elder and pouted. "Grandpa, I knew that painting was real. You actually believed some young brat and even threw it on the ground. What a shame!"
The elder said nothing, merely gazing up at the stars in the night sky. Then he said calmly, "Wang Fu, what do you think?"
"Sir, you invited several appraisal masters to examine it. If there were a problem with the painting, they would certainly have pointed it out. Although Zhao Junchuan doesn't know your true identity, the little pressure you revealed would have been enough to keep him from daring to offend you. A fake painting would be easy to expose; he couldn't have taken that risk," Wang Fu said gravely.
The elder fell silent, seemingly pondering something.
Before they knew it, the three of them had reached the Rolls-Royce. The elder suddenly stopped and said, "Wang Fu, you nearly fell and dropped the painting while getting into the car. With your strength, how could that have happened?"
Wang Fu froze and said awkwardly, "Sir, it was my mistake. My foot slipped just now; it felt as though I'd kicked something. I'm terribly sorry."
"Wang Fu, several of the girls in the Phoenix Group are quite taken with you. Don't lose yourself in their tender embrace and forget your duty to protect Grandpa!" the young woman teased.
Wang Fu hurriedly lowered his head. "I won't, young miss."
Just then, the elder suddenly burst out laughing. "Interesting, interesting..."
The young woman looked at him in confusion. "Grandpa, what are you laughing at? What's interesting?"
"We're not returning to the capital tomorrow." The elder opened the car door and climbed in, his eyes gleaming sharply. "We'll stay in Zhou City a few more days."