novelraw Chapter 225 Rumors
Chapter 225 Rumors
Gu Yanbo kissed Song Zhihe without warning.
The kiss tasted bloody—she didn't know if it was from her broken lips or his. Gu Yanbo's kiss was rough, less like a kiss and more like a conquest, a declaration of sovereignty. Song Zhihe was breathless from his kiss, her mind blank, but her body instinctively responded to him—she desperately needed to be needed, desperately needed someone to tell her that she wasn't the one who had been abandoned.
When the kiss ended, both of them were panting heavily.
Gu Yanbo's forehead pressed against hers, his hot breath hitting her face. There was a kind of intensity in his eyes that he himself hadn't expected—it wasn't the look of a pure schemer.
He was just using her.
He would exploit her breakdown, her hatred, and use her to deal with Gu Yanshen. Bringing her to his side was merely a move, a pawn in a game.
But the moment he kissed her, he suddenly felt that something was not right.
His heart skipped a beat.
It was just a tap. He quickly suppressed that unfamiliar feeling, and his face regained that calm, almost cold expression.
"From today onwards," his voice returned to its emotionless, deep tone, "you will come with me. What Gu Yanshen cannot give you, I can give you."
Song Zhihe bit her lip, her eyes blurred with tears as she looked at him. She didn't pounce on him as before, but slowly straightened up, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. That action carried an almost cruel clarity.
"Gu Yanbo, do you think I don't know who you are?" Song Zhihe sneered, her voice hoarse yet sharp. "Following you, do you think I'd even survive?"
Gu Yanbo looked at her and suddenly smiled. That smile was devoid of warmth, carrying only a chilling certainty. But if you looked closely, you would notice something flickering slightly in his eyes—a hint of…surprise at the woman before him. He hadn't expected her to say those words.
"You're right," he said, his voice low and guttural, "but we're in the same boat, aren't we?"
He reached out and wiped away the tears on her face with his fingertips. Throughout the process, he showed no extra expression, but his fingertips lingered on her cheek for a moment longer than necessary.
He could have been gentler. But he could have been more cruel.
But he didn't. He chose a lukewarm attitude—as if testing the waters, or as if confirming something.
"So," he moved his thumb away, his gaze remaining fixed on her face, "that's why we're such a perfect match, aren't we?"
Song Zhihe stared at him for a long time. In those red, tear-filled eyes, the sadness was gradually fading, replaced by a coldness that mirrored his own.
"Alright." Song Zhihe finally nodded, her voice hoarse but exceptionally firm. "From now on, I will make them pay the price. Not just through public opinion suppression, but through real, tangible consequences!"
As she spoke, a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes. It wasn't a momentary impulse of hatred, but a deep-seated resentment—she was unwilling to be discarded like trash by Gu Yanshen, unwilling to lose to Lu Xiran, and unwilling to let all her scheming over the years go to waste.
Gu Yanbo looked at the light in her eyes and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
This is the person he needs. Not the pathetic woman who collapsed and cried on the ground, but this woman who rose from the ruins, her eyes burning with hatred.
He took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. His hand lingered on her shoulder for a second—a second longer than necessary—before withdrawing it and turning to walk towards the door.
"Keep up," he said, without turning around.
His steps were steady, exactly the same as when he came. But if someone looked closely, they would notice that his fingers hanging at his sides were slightly curled, as if he were savoring some kind of tactile sensation that he shouldn't be savoring.
Song Zhihe followed behind him, stepping over the mess on the floor, and left the room that she had smashed beyond recognition.
She didn't turn around.
In the days that followed, the storm of public opinion, like a wild beast released from its cage, spiraled completely out of control.
Because of the passage of time, evidence in Lian Bichen's case is extremely difficult to find. Lian Bichen insisted on not pleading guilty, and when she sat in the dock, her expression was so calm that it was almost innocent, like a white lotus flower ravaged by wind and rain.
Gu Yanxu and his team hired Attorney Liu, known for his sophistry, at great expense. This man was nicknamed "Turning Black into White" in the industry; there wasn't a case he couldn't overturn. He used every trick in the book, fabricating stories, manipulating public opinion, and muddying the waters to the extreme.
"My client is just a pitiful woman. She was merely present; why should she take the blame for someone else's crimes?" Attorney Liu declared vehemently in front of the camera. "Gu Yanshen, simply because Lian Bichen is a distant relative of Song Zhihe and spoke a few words in Song Zhihe's defense, was instigated by Lu Xiran to falsely accuse Lian Bichen. This is settling a personal score; this is vigilante justice!"
The three brothers, Gu Qishan, Gu Qisheng, and Gu Qiran, also issued a joint statement accusing Gu Yanshen of seizing the family property. The statement was harshly worded and veiled, as if Gu Yanshen were an ungrateful traitor whom the three brothers had personally supported.
All sorts of fabricated rumors are flying around like snowflakes.
Some say Gu Yanshen schemed to drive Song Zhihe away in order to marry Lu Xiran. Others say Lu Xiran was a cunning and manipulative third party. Still others say Gu Yanshen had long wanted to take over the Gu family business, and Lian Bichen was just an excuse. With truth and falsehood intertwined, no one cared about the real facts anymore—everyone only cared about the version they wanted to believe.
Attorney Liu applied for a live broadcast of the court hearing.
Everyone knew this was a risky move. But Attorney Liu never fought an unprepared battle. He knew all too well how to manipulate people's hearts.
On the day of the trial, millions of people flooded into the live broadcast room.
Lian Bichen delivered a memorable performance. She sat in the defendant's dock, her hands clasped on her knees, her head slightly bowed, her eyes red-rimmed, her voice trembling as she tried to remain calm.
"I really didn't do those things..." Her tears fell at just the right moment, not too many, not too few, just enough to break one's heart. "I'm old now, and I can't remember many things, but I remember I've never hurt anyone. I've never even killed a chicken in my life..."
She choked up for a moment, then looked up at the camera—an angle that Attorney Liu had practiced countless times for her beforehand, just enough to let the audience see the light in her eyes of a "kind person who has been wronged."
"They say I harmed someone, but what's the evidence? Have they produced any evidence?"
She acted her whole life, and her acting skills were superb. Those subtle changes in expression, those perfectly timed pauses, those seemingly unintentional little gestures—all of them silently told the audience: I am innocent, I am the victim.
The live chat exploded instantly.
"My God, she doesn't seem to be lying..."
"To convict someone without evidence? That's unreasonable."
"Yes, who can remember clearly? Maybe it really is a case of injustice."
"Isn't Gu Yanshen too ruthless? To treat someone like this for the sake of a woman?"
"I heard that Lu Xiran was behind it all. That woman is no simpleton."
"The power of capital is terrifying; it can do whatever it wants to anyone."
"Support Lian Bichen! Support Attorney Liu!"
The torrent of public opinion, like a irrational beast, roared and pounced on Gu Yanshen and Lu Xiran.