novelraw Chapter 277 - 266: The Waters of a Wealthy Family Run Deep
Chapter 277 - 266: The Waters of a Wealthy Family Run Deep
watched Gu Xi with a complicated expression. Gu Xi remained silent.
Off to the side, Wei Heng gave Liou He a look, signaling for him to take the man to a dilapidated shop nearby for a thorough interrogation.
After Liou He and Lin Jin led the man away, Wei Heng walked over to Gu Xi and silently handed her a roasted sweet potato. "What are you thinking about?"
Gu Xi took the sweet potato and looked up at him. "I’m wondering... what role did the Gu Family play in that incident back then?"
’That glass of wine all those years ago, and my inexplicable thirty-year disappearance... So that’s what was behind it all.’
To be honest, she didn’t completely believe what the man had just said.
’Back then, the Blood-colored Asura was at the zenith of her fame and power. She had demonstrated incredible special abilities and absolute strength. Even if the Gu Family looked down on her mother’s origins, wouldn’t they have tried everything to officially recognize her as their daughter, if only for the benefits she could bring?’
That much was clear from the way Gu Yumin had appeared before her time and again back when she was just beginning to make a name for herself.
’But why did the Gu Family change their minds later on?’
said the Gu Family had plotted against her because they were afraid. They feared that if the truth of what they did ever came out, she would return for revenge. That’s why they did everything they could to erase the Blood-colored Asura’s existence after the fact.
But in the end, that was just 039’s speculation.
Gu Xi didn’t believe the leader of a major family would be so foolish and short-sighted.
After all, the value she had demonstrated back then was enough to elevate the Gu Family to a whole new level.
And it was entirely possible that the Gu Family’s low profile in recent years was due to their lack of a worthy successor.
"What do you all know about the Gu Family?" Gu Xi asked, looking up. Her tone was so casual it was as if she were asking about some other family.
Speaking of the Gu Family, Qi Xiang recalled a piece of gossip:
"I heard the reason the Gu Family agreed to marry their eldest daughter to Mr. Liu, who came from humble origins, wasn’t some epic romance between a delicate young lady and a gruff soldier. It was because the Gu Family had no powerful individuals among their direct descendants and wanted to gain influence in the military. That’s why they set their sights on Liu Feng, who had no significant background but possessed outstanding special abilities and a distinguished military record."
The Gu Family had always been good at making investments.
And after marrying the Gu Family’s eldest daughter, with their secret support, Liu Feng had indeed skyrocketed through the ranks over the years to become a regional commander.
Qin Shi frowned. "But I heard that the Gu Family’s eldest daughter is actually just their adopted daughter." Which meant that, in the end, the relationship between Mr. Liu and the Gu Family was simply one of mutual exploitation.
"It’s not that simple." Wei Heng peeled the skin off the roasted sweet potato for Gu Xi. "The Gu Family has kept a low profile all these years, but according to the information Yang Chi dug up a while ago, there were several girls in that generation of the family. Yet the one who married best was Mrs. Liu..."
’Which child from a great, established family isn’t sharp as a tack? They had several biological daughters, related by blood, but the one who ended up marrying the best was an adopted daughter? Who would believe there wasn’t something fishy going on?!’
Unless...
The word "adopted daughter" also gave Gu Xi pause. She thought of the meaning 039 had hinted at circuitously. "So you’re saying Mrs. Liu isn’t actually the Gu Family’s adopted daughter?"
Then that raised a question:
Under what circumstances would a major family claim their own biological daughter was an adopted one they were raising?
Qi Xiang was all over this question. "I’ve heard that what those great families care about most is their reputation and saving face..."
Qin Yi got it in a second. "An illegitimate daughter?"
"I’m afraid it’s not as simple as just being an illegitimate daughter." Qi Xiang tsked. "There’s probably something questionable about Mrs. Liu’s origins."
"The politics of the elite run deep." Wei Heng thought of the intel Yang Chi had sent over and sighed gloomily.
’None of this was supposed to have anything to do with them, but now... How did Gu Xi get tangled up in such a mess?’
Wei Heng was deeply worried. He looked up at Gu Xi, wanting to say something, but his throat felt tight. He couldn’t get a single word out and just ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
Qin Shi glanced at Gu Xi, who was sitting across from them poking at the fire. Her expression was so serene that Qin Shi had no idea what she could possibly be thinking.
In reality, Gu Xi wasn’t thinking about anything.
She just found it a little funny. Some people really overestimated her.
She had grown up in the darkest, most chaotic environment of the apocalypse. The base and the research institute had always treated her as a human weapon in training, and those people had all but obliterated her emotions long ago.