Chapter 10
Edward Quan ·
Gu Mingzhe immediately covered his face with one hand.
A heavy breath came through the phone.
“Song Ruoxi!”
I jumped.
“Yes!”
“CAN YOU TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY FOR ONCE?”
I immediately sat up straight.
“Yes, sir.”
“…”
“Go ahead.”
The man on the other end was silent for a long time.
Finally, he gritted out:
“Tonight at eight. Warehouse Seven in the western industrial park. Come alone.”
I immediately asked:
“Is there overtime pay?”
Beep.
The call ended.
I looked at my phone.
Then at Gu Mingzhe.
“He hung up again.”
Gu Mingzhe gave me an indescribable look.
Then he said slowly:
“Ms. Song.”
“Yes?”
“I’m beginning to understand why your father wants you to talk less.”
Me: “…”
But just then, the secretary spoke up.
“President Gu, we recorded that call.”
He set a tablet on the desk.
“We also found something else.”
Gu Mingzhe looked at the screen.
“What?”
The secretary took a deep breath.
“This phone number appeared in Chen Kai’s contact records.”
I looked up.
“The former driver?”
“That’s right.”
Gu Mingzhe stood up at once.
“Contact the police.”
I looked at the two of them.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Wait.”
Gu Mingzhe turned around.
“What?”
I asked slowly:
“If Chen Kai wanted to meet me, why didn’t he give his name?”
No one answered.
I continued:
“Was it because he was afraid we’d recognize his voice?”
The secretary paused.
Gu Mingzhe looked at me.
I thought a little more.
“But if he was afraid we’d recognize him, why use a number that had been linked to him before?”
The room fell silent.
After a long while, Gu Mingzhe said slowly:
“Because…”
I finished his thought:
“Someone wants us to think the caller was Chen Kai.”
His eyes changed at once.
And just then—
A message appeared on my phone.
It contained only one sentence:
“Don’t trust Gu Mingzhe.”
Chapter 12: The Person Who Sent the Message Died Three Months Ago
I stared at the words on the screen.
Then at the man standing in front of me.
Gu Mingzhe noticed my strange expression.
“Who sent that?”
I handed him my phone.
After reading the message, his expression darkened at once.
“Check this number.”
The secretary started working quickly.
A few minutes later, he looked up.
“President Gu…”
“You have a result?”
“Yes.”
“Who is it?”
The secretary swallowed.
“The number is registered to a woman.”
I asked:
“Who?”
He looked at Gu Mingzhe.
“Xia Siyu.”
The room fell silent at once.
A chill spread through my whole body.
Xia Siyu.
The woman in a coma at the hospital.
Unable to speak.
Unable to walk.
Unable even to open her eyes by herself.
And yet, a phone number registered in her name had just sent me a text.
Gu Mingzhe snatched up the phone.
“That’s impossible!”
I hurriedly said:
“Calm down! Someone else could be using her number!”
He looked at me.
I continued:
“She’s still alive. There’s nothing strange about someone using her phone.”
The secretary nodded at once.
“Exactly. We need to verify the device and its user.”
Gu Mingzhe took a deep breath.
Then he used his own phone to call the hospital.
“How is Siyu?”
The person on the other end answered.
He listened for a long time.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
“Good. Increase security. Don’t let anyone unauthorized in.”
I looked at him.
“Is she all right?”
He nodded.
“She’s fine.”
I breathed a sigh of relief too.
But just then, my phone vibrated again.
The same number.
This time, it was a picture.
I opened it.
The image showed a silver bracelet.
Beside it was a scrap of paper.
It read:
“If you want the truth, ask your mother.”
I was stunned.
My mother?
Why would the Gu family’s affairs have anything to do with my mother?
I immediately called home.
Mom answered quickly.
“Hello, Ruoxi?”
“Mom!”
“What is it?”
“I need to ask you something.”
There was silence on the other end.
Then my mother sighed.
“What trouble have you gotten into now?”
Me: “…”
“Mom, I’m serious this time!”
“All right. Go ahead.”
I took a deep breath.
“Do you know someone named Xia Siyu?”
There was no answer.
I thought the call had dropped.
“Mom?”
Still silent.
“Can you hear me?”
After a long while, my mother’s voice finally came through.
But this time, she no longer sounded exasperated, as she usually did.
Her voice trembled.
“Ruoxi…”
“Yes?”
“Who did you just mention?”
“Xia Siyu.”
A loud crash came from the other end.
As if something had fallen to the floor.
I panicked.
“Mom!”
My mother was breathing hard.
Then she asked something that left me completely stunned.
“Have you met her?”
I was bewildered.
“You really know her?”
My mother didn’t answer.
She only asked:
“Ruoxi, where are you right now?”
“At the office.”
“Is anyone with you?”
I looked at Gu Mingzhe.
“Yes. The president.”
My mother immediately asked:
“Is his surname Gu?”
A chill ran through me.
“How did you know?”
A choked sob came from the other end.
After a long time, my mother said:
“Ruoxi, listen to me.”
“Don’t trust anyone in the Gu family.”
I looked at Gu Mingzhe.
He was looking at me too.
My mother continued:
“And never let them find out…”
She stopped.
I held my breath.
“Find out what?”
My mother’s voice shook.
“That you’re the one who was supposed to bear the surname Xia.”
Chapter 13: I Suddenly Had Another Identity
I stood motionless.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Then I laughed.
“Mom, are you joking with me?”
There was no laughter in reply.
I immediately sensed something was wrong.
“Mom?”
She spoke hoarsely:
“Come home right now.”
I checked the time.
10:15 a.m.
I’d only been at work for less than two hours.
If I asked for time off now…
I asked weakly:
“Mom, is it urgent?”
My mother practically shouted:
“VERY URGENT!”
I jumped.
“Yes, ma’am!”
After hanging up, I turned to Gu Mingzhe.
He looked at me.
“I heard.”
Me: “…”
I lowered my head.
“President Gu, could I take half a day off?”
He fell silent.
Then nodded.
“I’ll take you home.”
I immediately waved my hands.
“No need! I can go by myself!”
He looked at me.
“This may involve my family.”