Chapter 62

Chapter 62

“Speak! Who sent you?” Gu Jinyao demanded, his voice fierce as he gripped the man’s throat.

Niu Mang’s rough face was a mask of blood and agony, his body twitching from the pain.

“There… there really isn’t anyone,” he wheezed out. “If there were, I would have confessed long ago. Even if you beat me to death, I… I couldn’t tell you what I don’t know.”

Gu Jinyao saw that no matter how he interrogated him, the man refused to admit to any mastermind.

If he continued, he feared he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from killing the man. Turning to the police officers, he ordered, “Check his call logs. Find out everyone he’s met with recently.”

The officers nodded repeatedly. “Yes, of course. We’ll start the investigation immediately.”

Only after they spoke did they realize-why were they taking orders from him?

Even if he was a veteran of a foreign Special Abilities Team, that was abroad. This was domestic.

The two had nothing to do with each other.

Still, they didn’t dare speak up.

This group of people had a distinct aura about them. They looked like they came from a big city and had significant backing, the kind of people that grassroots law enforcement couldn’t afford to offend.

Gu Jinyao glanced at the clock on the wall and said with a cold expression, “Handle the prisoner as you see fit; we’re leaving. Although it was attempted rape, it has caused severe psychological trauma to the victim. Please ensure he is punished severely. I will be following the progress of this case closely.”

Seeing his firm stance, the police didn’t dare be negligent. “Rest assured, we will handle the case properly. We will never show leniency to a criminal.”

Gu Jinyao gave a cold, detached response and walked out of the interrogation room.

Su Hua met him, her eyes scanning him subtly.

She had heard the loud crashes and screams of pain coming from the room earlier. She had been worried Gu Jinyao might get hurt; after all, this was the local’s home turf, and even a powerful dragon struggles against a local snake.

Seeing him emerge unscathed and unharmed, Su Hua breathed a silent sigh of relief.

The group left the hall and headed toward the parking lot.

Halfway there, the bodyguard’s phone rang.

He pulled it from his pocket, and the moment he saw the caller ID, his face turned ashen. He hesitated to answer, clutching the phone as if it were a hot potato.

After a long moment of hesitation, he turned to Su Hua in a panic. “Young Mistress, today’s incident was my negligence. I was wrong, and I deserve to die for it. But… could you please find it in your heart to overlook this? Please don’t let President Gu know. It’s not easy for us; we have elderly parents and young children to support.”

He knew she had a good temper and a kind heart, so he hoped she would help him keep the matter quiet.

Su Hua remained silent for a moment before replying, “Alright.”

Though she had been frightened, she hadn’t suffered any physical harm. These two bodyguards had followed her all the way to this remote place, protecting her in shifts day and night; it wasn’t an easy job.

Besides, Gu Jinyao had already taught them a lesson. She wasn’t the type of person to be relentless once an apology was made.

The bodyguard clasped his hands and thanked her repeatedly. “Thank you, Young Mistress. Thank you so much.”

Su Hua nodded slightly.

Only then did the bodyguard dare to answer the phone. By then, Gu Beixian had already called three times.

Once the call connected, Gu Beixian’s cold voice came through the line. “Why did it take you so long to answer?”

There was a faint trace of displeasure in his tone.

The bodyguard stopped in his tracks, his voice cautious. “I’m sorry, President Gu. I was afraid of disturbing the Young Mistress, so I put my phone on silent and only just saw it.”

Gu Beixian asked emotionlessly, “Where is Su Hua?”

The bodyguard looked at Su Hua, who was walking further ahead, and lied, “The Young Mistress is staying at the guesthouse arranged by the archaeological team. She’s sleeping.”

Gu Beixian paused, then asked back indifferently, “Is that so?”

The bodyguard felt that his tone was a bit off, but he braced himself and said, “Yes, she’s fast asleep. She was busy all day and is exhausted. Could you please wait until tomorrow to call her?”

Gu Beixian said cryptically, “Are you sure?”

The bodyguard broke into a cold sweat. “I’m sure.”

The line went dead as Gu Beixian hung up.

The bodyguard wiped the sweat from his forehead, his heart pounding wildly. He felt a lingering sense of dread, as if something ominous was about to happen.

The group got into the cars and returned to the guesthouse.
The member of the archaeological team who had been helping watch the door looked at Su Hua with a slightly strange expression as she returned. He greeted her, “Expert Su, you’re back.”

Hearing such a formal title still felt a bit awkward to Su Hua. She replied politely, “Thank you. You should go get some rest now; sorry for the hard work.”

“It was no trouble. Please get some rest yourself,” the man said before leaving.

Su Hua took her keys out of her bag and was about to open the door when she realized it was already unlocked.

Someone was inside.

Su Hua’s heart sank. Her first instinct was to worry about the silk painting, and she hurriedly pushed the door open.

She froze the moment she looked inside.

Three large men had suddenly appeared in the room.

Sitting on the simple sofa against the wall was an exceptionally handsome, imposing man, flanked by two bodyguards.

Gu Beixian was actually here!

Su Hua could hardly believe her eyes.

She had called him after dinner. At the time, he hadn’t mentioned coming; he had only told her not to work too late and to get some sleep early.

She hadn’t expected him to fly here overnight to find her.

Su Hua was hit by a sudden wave of pleasant surprise, but her heart quickly became a tangled mess of sour, sweet, and bitter emotions. The tension she had been holding tight suddenly went slack.

A flood of grievances rushed to her throat, desperate to be shared with him.

It was that feeling of having suffered mistreatment outside while pretending to be strong, only to have all pretenses vanish the moment you see your loved one, revealing a fragile and soft heart.

Su Hua’s eyes reddened as she walked toward Gu Beixian.

She wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms, to have him hold her, coax her, and comfort her. It was a kind of comfort that no one but him could give.

As Su Hua neared him, Gu Beixian stood up. His gaze swept past her toward Gu Jinyao and the bodyguard outside the door. His eyes were cold and distant, radiating a chilling frost.

Yet, his words were directed at Su Hua. “So, you traveled all this way under the guise of restoring a painting just to have a private tryst with him? You even managed to bribe my bodyguard. You’re quite capable.”

It felt like a bomb went off in her head.

Su Hua stopped in her tracks, staring at Gu Beixian in disbelief.

Her eyes were filled with disappointment and hurt.

Though a thousand words were jammed in her throat, she couldn’t utter a single one.

She and Gu Jinyao were perfectly innocent; how had this become a “private tryst”? She hadn’t bribed the bodyguard either; the man had begged her himself because he was afraid of being punished. She had merely done him a small favor.

Su Hua tried her best to use her dignity to mask the disappointment, sadness, and grievance inside her. The fire in her eyes was quickly covered by a forced display of pride.

With so many emotions crowding her face, her expression trembled slightly. To an outsider, she looked almost helpless.

Watching Su Hua’s helpless state from a distance, Gu Jinyao’s gaze suddenly hardened.

He gave a cold laugh. “She almost had her innocence ruined, and this is your attitude as her husband?”

Gu Beixian’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Gu Jinyao said coldly, “Someone broke in to assault her while the bodyguard was downstairs buying cigarettes. If I hadn’t happened to be passing by, something terrible would have happened!”

Every word of that sentence was like a heavy bombshell exploding in Gu Beixian’s ears.

His brow twitched with rage. His jaw tightened for a moment before releasing. His fists were clenched so hard that the veins on the backs of his hands bulged.

Everyone in the room could feel that his emotions had reached a breaking point. He was a powder keg ready to blow.

After taking several deep breaths, Gu Beixian gritted his teeth and asked in a fierce tone, “Where is he?”

Having regained his composure, Gu Jinyao said calmly, “He’s already been sent to the town’s police station. He’s a local named Niu Mang, a repeat offender. He served three years for rape and was released the year before last. I suspect someone might be pulling his strings from behind the scenes. You have a lot of connections; have your people look into it thoroughly.”

Suppressing his fury, Gu Beixian said, “I will.”

Gu Jinyao gave a nod and turned to leave.

The moment the door closed, Gu Beixian suddenly raised his hand and swung it toward the bodyguard standing behind Su Hua.