Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lin Zhixia sat in the corner of the coffee shop, her gaze sharp as a blade, watching Gu Lan walk in without any attempt to hide her scrutiny. The aroma of coffee drifted through the air, and sunlight spilled across the table in front of her through the floor-to-ceiling windows, yet her heart was shrouded in gloom. This scheduled meeting with Gu Lan was exceptionally important; it felt as though a true confrontation was about to unfold.

As Gu Lan approached, a strained smile hung on her face, unable to mask the tension and unease in her eyes. When she sat down, she instinctively placed her hands on the table, repeatedly tugging at the zipper of her bag as if searching for some sense of security.

“Zhixia,” Gu Lan called out tentatively, “Can we… can we talk?”

“You know why I asked you here,” Lin Zhixia interrupted, pressing her directly. “It’s about your relationship with my father, and your deal with my mother.”

Gu Lan’s expression shifted. Her clenched hands suddenly loosened, only to grip her bag again unconsciously. She looked dazed for a moment before looking up to meet Lin Zhixia’s eyes. “I knew you would demand an explanation. But… I have my reasons.”

“Reasons? Are your ‘reasons’ about how you used my identity and status to protect yourself?” Lin Zhixia’s tone was icy, mercilessly exposing Gu Lan’s true intentions. She knew what Gu Lan was thinking; it was nothing more than a self-serving excuse.

Gu Lan’s pale face trembled slightly, her eyes reflecting a mix of anger and faint regret. “I originally just wanted to get close to you. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I had to follow my mother’s arrangements. She always told me that only by being close to you and your family would I have a chance at a secure life.”

“So you think utilizing me is a justifiable method? Between someone who has lived in resentment and shadows since childhood and someone you used as a tool, there can be no trust at all,” Lin Zhixia questioned. The fire in her heart was difficult to suppress as she confronted Gu Lan.

After a moment of silence, Gu Lan finally lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes. “I… I didn’t want it to be like this. I know I was wrong. I’ve lived under my mother’s resentment since I was a child. She made me hate your father and made me feel like you were an obstacle that had to be removed. She increasingly felt that I should rely on you and your father to obtain everything.”

Her voice trembled, seemingly desperate to hide her own cowardice. “I once tried to talk my mother out of it, to get her to give up on these ideas, but every time, she tore into me with her words until I was left utterly crushed. Her shadow looms over my entire life; I don’t know how to break free.”

“So you chose to use the trust I placed in you to get what you wanted?” Lin Zhixia was incensed, her tone devoid of mercy.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Gu Lan pleaded, her voice growing weaker and weaker. Finally, she spoke in a nearly begging tone, “Zhixia, I’m struggling. I really want to escape all of this.”

“But you were completely unscrupulous in how you approached me,” Lin Zhixia sighed deeply, a flicker of disappointment crossing her heart. She couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted. She had already been broken by the impact of the betrayal and had no strength left to pity Gu Lan.

“Please, let me explain from the beginning,” Gu Lan said, nearing a breakdown. Her hands were interlaced tightly as she forced the words out. “I promised my mother I wouldn’t become that humiliated child again. But… you were a friend. I found warmth and hope in you, and it was that moment that made me start going against my mother’s expectations.”

Lin Zhixia felt a sharp pang in her heart. Her emotions, which had briefly settled, began to churn at Gu Lan’s words. She couldn’t deny that Gu Lan’s presence had struck the softest and most vulnerable parts of her soul like a flood. But what could that change?

“I’ll ask you one more time. Did you hide the deal between your mother and my father from me? And did you ever participate in their schemes?” Lin Zhixia looked her straight in the eye.

“Yes, I can’t deny it,” Gu Lan finally confessed, her voice low like the silence when the tide recedes. “My mother had a deal with your father, and I was indeed her pawn. Initially, I used you to please my mother and achieve her goals, but eventually, I found myself sinking deeper and deeper. I didn’t want to be that kind of tool anymore.”
She took a deep breath, her eyes rimmed with red. “I know it was He Xingchuan’s scheme to have you return to the Zhou Family under the guise of an ‘affair’ after that, and I didn’t see it coming either. But… I never betrayed you. I… I really didn’t want it to be like this.”

This promise carried an unspeakable weight of attachment and heartache, forcing Lin Zhixia to listen intently, even as suspicion coiled like a venomous snake in the depths of her heart.

“He Xingchuan has had his eye on the Zhou Family for a long time. He even has evidence of every transaction between your mother and Zhou Qi’an. Why he hasn’t acted yet, I don’t know-perhaps he’s waiting for a more opportune moment.” There was a hint of helplessness in Gu Lan’s voice.

“He Xingchuan?” Lin Zhixia felt a jolt in her heart. The name echoed in her ears like a familiar whisper. Her feelings of mystery and disdain toward He Xingchuan surged like a tide, accompanied by a sharp pang of unease.

“What exactly is your relationship with him?” Lin Zhixia asked, her tone betraying her agitation.

Gu Lan looked up at her, her eyes filled with a heavy, undeniable sorrow. “I don’t know his secrets or his plans, but I know he is by no means the ‘good man’ you might think. You must be careful of him.”

“Has he told you anything?” A flicker of anxiety crossed Lin Zhixia’s voice. “Is he using you? Have you walked into a trap he set without even realizing it?”

Gu Lan nodded sadly. “He told me to get close to you to steal information, but in the end, I chose you. I believe in you! I want… I want to protect you, even if I’m just a pawn myself.”

The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy as their gazes locked. A wave of emotion crashed through Lin Zhixia’s heart. However, this delicate mix of sentiment and sympathy only deepened her unease. She suddenly felt that the burden Gu Lan carried was likely no different from her own.

“I will start rebuilding my life on my own terms,” Lin Zhixia replied firmly and fearlessly. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll forgive you. I will continue to investigate the truth, especially the part where your mother’s interests intersected with my father’s. Everything will have its reckoning.”

She stood up to leave, giving Gu Lan nothing but a cold shoulder. Although this meeting had unraveled part of the truth, she had also sensed the crushing weight Gu Lan was under.

“Be careful of He Xingchuan,” Gu Lan’s voice called out again, filled with concern. “He won’t let us go easily.”

Lin Zhixia’s heart was already brimming with doubts about He Xingchuan. As the truth continued to surface, she realized she was being pulled into a deeper struggle-one where human nature clashed with cold interests.

“I will,” she responded with a low farewell. She walked out of the coffee shop, the sound of Gu Lan’s despairing sigh seemingly echoing in her ears.

The moment she stepped out the door, sunlight washed over her, seemingly brightening her heart a little. But she knew that the light before her was dangerous; it was the very challenge she was about to face.

Now, her fate was inextricably intertwined with He Xingchuan, Gu Lan, and even her own family. A contest of trust and betrayal was quietly unfolding.

“I must become stronger,” Lin Zhixia whispered to herself as she began her walk home, determined to uncover the truth and challenge the forces lurking in the shadows. She felt as though a pair of eyes were watching her every move on the journey ahead.

In her mind, He Xingchuan’s silhouette blurred and sharpened in turn. His entanglement with the Zhou Family, this complex whirlpool, and everything she was about to face became increasingly unpredictable.