Chapter 41: Something Going On

Hearing Gu Tingchu shout suddenly, I thought he was just putting on another act of fragility. After all, that was his favorite thing to do. Yet, this time, as he screamed, he was staring directly at me.

"Qiao Yunzhou, why are you here?!"

Qiao Yanxin frowned, then pulled Gu Tingchu into her arms. "What happened? What did you just see, Tingchu? And you just called out to Yunzhou—he’s not here. What are you talking about?"

Gu Tingchu reached out, pointing a trembling finger at the spot where I was standing. "Right there! Qiao Yunzhou was standing right there just a moment ago!"

My heart skipped a beat. Could he actually see me? A surge of joy washed over me. If he could see me, that would be wonderful. Even if I couldn't do anything physical, surely I could at least scare him, right? I was a ghost in every sense of the word now, though I had never seen my own appearance and didn't know if I looked frightening. I decided to give it my all.

I strained to stick my tongue out as far as it would go. When Qiao Yanxin looked over, I rolled my eyes back violently and thrust my tongue forward. I figured I must look terrifying, but Qiao Yanxin simply turned her head back with complete indifference.

"Tingchu, did you see wrong? There's no one here."

Gu Tingchu was still trembling. "I saw someone standing there, I swear! Why have they disappeared now? Yanxin, I’m so scared. Can you stay the night to keep me company?"

Hearing this, Qiao Yanxin shoved him away. "What are you saying? What would it look like if someone found out?"

Listening to her sanctimonious words, I felt like laughing. They had already slept together, yet they were still playing these games? When they were cuddling and kissing in the past, why didn't they worry about what others might think? I felt a deep sense of disappointment. So, they truly couldn't see me after all. My efforts to make a ghost face to scare them had been a total waste.

Qiao Yanxin left the Gu residence without even staying for dinner. Despite the Gu family’s desperate attempts to keep her, she wouldn't budge. Having been busy all day, she slumped into her car seat, her spirit seemingly drained, as if her very essence had been siphoned away.

She sighed softly, turning her gaze toward the window. Secretary Zhang asked cautiously, "Director Qiao, where to?"

Qiao Yanxin pondered for a moment before saying, "Back to the ancestral home."

"Very well, Director Qiao."

As Secretary Zhang prepared to drive, she added, "By the way... help me investigate Qiao Yunzhou and Qiao Zhuxin."

Hearing this, I could only laugh. We had grown up together, childhood sweethearts for so many years, yet she didn't even know what kind of person I was. Our years of history meant less to her than a few words from Gu Tingchu! Just because he said so, she actually believed I was having an affair with Qiao Zhuxin. Did she not know my character after all this time by her side? She was willing to believe an outsider over me.

When she arrived back at the ancestral home through the heavy rain, the old master was playing chess with Qiao Zhuxin in the tea room. The old man lifted his teacup, took a sip, and placed a piece on the board. It was a harmonious scene—one that would have been unthinkable in the past. Qiao Zhuxin had always hated the old man and wouldn't even speak to him, but since returning from abroad, she seemed like a completely different person, even her temper had changed.

Qiao Yanxin stood to the side, but the two of them ignored her, focused entirely on their game. Feeling awkward, she finally broke the silence. "Grandfather, Aunt Zhuxin."

The old master looked up, glancing coldly at Qiao Yanxin. Her clothes and hair were soaked from the rain, her once-immaculate hairstyle now disheveled. He returned his gaze to the board, remarking flatly, "Look at the state of you. Do you look anything like the president of the Qiao Corporation?"

Qiao Yanxin grabbed her hair in embarrassment. Hearing this, Qiao Zhuxin looked up, cast a disdainful glance at Qiao Yanxin, and then turned her gaze away with complete composure.

"You really don't look like a president."

Her words were blunt, but the old master let out a hearty laugh. "Zhuxin, you’re always so straightforward; you never give anyone any face. No wonder those old foxes say you have a sharp tongue but a soft heart."

Qiao Zhuxin smiled without a word.

Qiao Yanxin wanted to say something, but seeing her own disheveled appearance, she decided to go to her room to wash up first. When she returned to the tea room after freshening up, she found the old master gone, leaving only Qiao Zhuxin staring blankly at the chessboard.

Qiao Yanxin took a deep breath, her cheeks flushing slightly as if the words she was about to speak were difficult to utter. "Aunt Zhuxin, come here. I have something to tell you."

Even though Qiao Yanxin was full of questions and had unilaterally decided that there was something between me and Qiao Zhuxin, she still didn't dare to be too presumptuous in front of her. Qiao Zhuxin turned her head and gave her a faint look. "Is there something you can't say here?"

Qiao Yanxin remained silent, her expression filled with stubbornness. Qiao Zhuxin shrugged and rose from the floor cushion. She was tall, having inherited the fine genes of her foreign mother, unlike the generally shorter members of the Qiao family. As she stood, she was a full head taller than Qiao Yanxin. When she looked down at someone, her eyes seemed devoid of emotion.

Qiao Yanxin swallowed reflexively. Not to mention her, even I felt a trace of fear when looking at her. She pursed her lips and spoke with extreme brevity: "Speak."

Qiao Yanxin took a deep breath. "I want to ask, Aunt Zhuxin... when Yunzhou committed suicide in the hospital, why were you there too?"