Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 327 - 328: What a loyal and devoted dog!

Shen Congwen considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I’ll head to Qingcheng tomorrow."

Gu Yuanshan toyed with his teacup, his voice soft. "Remember to keep a low profile. Don’t make a big show of it."

"I understand, Mr. Gu," Shen Congwen replied quietly, respectfully backing out of the room.

Just as he stepped out, he bumped into someone.

It was none other than Gu Changqing.

"Young Master Gu." Shen Congwen took a step back, greeting him.

Gu Changqing, seeing his hurried exit, chuckled. "Assistant Shen, you seem rather flustered. What, are you afraid I’m going to eat you?"

Shen Congwen gave a wry smile. "Not at all, Young Master Gu. I’m just running an errand for Mr. Gu. If you’ll excuse me, I must be going."

Gu Changqing asked one more time, "Where are you going?"

Shen Congwen didn’t reply.

Gu Changqing laughed. "Indeed. My father’s ever-loyal dog."

Shen Congwen felt utterly humiliated, but... he had indeed done some bloody work for Gu Yuanshan.

The Gu family’s business was divination, and they were highly trusted by those in power. However, if their predictions sometimes failed to materialize... they had to be artificially fulfilled. Only Gu Yuanshan himself knew the ins and outs of this.

Seeing Shen Congwen’s reaction, Gu Changqing squinted his narrow eyes and, ignoring him, walked straight into the study.

Shen Congwen straightened his clothes and went home to prepare, planning to set off for Qingcheng immediately.

Just as he had finished packing and was about to take a shower, he found two people sitting on the couch in his living room: Zhou Yunchen and an unfamiliar man.

Shen Congwen was stunned. "Zhou Yunchen, how did you get in?"

"Through the front door, of course," Zhou Yunchen chuckled lightly, pulling a plane ticket from his pocket.

Shen Congwen looked at it. It was the very ticket he had booked; somehow, it had ended up in Zhou Yunchen’s hands.

He gasped. "Who... Who are you? What do you want?"

Even though Zhou Yunchen was a former classmate, the sight of him now terrified Shen Congwen. Shen Congwen’s own hands weren’t entirely clean, and he’d witnessed a great deal, but at this moment, a chill ran down his spine.

Zhou Yunchen just chuckled, casually tearing the plane ticket to pieces. His voice was nonchalant. "I heard you’re going to Qingcheng to investigate me? What about? How I acquired Jing? Or are you planning to dig into my entire family history?"

"Shen Congwen, Shen Congwen... I considered you a friend, yet this is how you repay me. Your intentions are truly vile." Zhou Yunchen tossed the shredded ticket into the trash bin.

Shen Congwen slowly approached. "What exactly do you want?"

"Nothing much. Just for you to stay here for a couple of days. Then, go back and tell Gu Yuanshan you found nothing in Qingcheng. How does that sound?" Zhou Yunchen offered a faint smile.

Shen Congwen looked distressed. "Mr. Gu recognized my worth and gave me a great opportunity."

"And for that, you’d collude with him in his misdeeds? Aren’t you afraid of harming your precious sister?" Zhou Yunchen gently played his trump card.

Shen Congwen’s pupils dilated, and his chest heaved violently. "Zhou Yunchen! We were classmates!"

Zhou Yunchen stood up and patted his shoulder. "We each serve our own master, Congwen. You’re a smart man, aren’t you?"

The color drained from Shen Congwen’s face; he had likely guessed the truth.

Zhou Yunchen lowered his voice. "You’re not the only one who owes a debt of gratitude for being recognized. My benefactor is an upright and noble man, not a despicable character like Gu Yuanshan."

Shen Congwen clenched his fists. "Mr. Gu is not like that!"

"Isn’t he? Which of his deeds are you unaware of? Shen Congwen, can you claim your own hands are clean?" Zhou Yunchen chuckled. "Let’s cooperate. I won’t touch your beloved little sister, and you won’t expose my identity. Gu Yuanshan trusts you implicitly. You’re the perfect person to vouch for me, aren’t you?"

Shen Congwen exploded with anger. "If I don’t cooperate, what will you do to my sister?"

"Toy with her emotions and then vanish, or perhaps simply abduct her and... let’s say, try something a little more unconventional. Which do you think she’d prefer? I’ll respect your choice," Zhou Yunchen said with a gentle, almost scholarly smile.

Veins bulged on Shen Congwen’s forehead. "You wouldn’t dare! Zhou Yunchen, I won’t let you get away with this!"

"But before you can do anything to me, I won’t let your sister go," Zhou Yunchen patted his shoulder. "And if I recall correctly, she quite fancies me."

Shen Congwen gradually calmed himself. "Does Gu Anxi know about this?"

"She doesn’t need to know." Zhou Yunchen sneered. "Like you and your debt of gratitude... I want her hands to remain clean, a thousand, ten thousand times more precious than the ’Mingzhu’ of the Gu family."

Shen Congwen recalled Gu Changqing’s words and said coldly, "So you truly are Gu Anxi’s loyal dog!"

"Likewise!" Zhou Yunchen flashed a charming smile. "Alright then, Assistant Shen. I’ll await your good news."

He added, "Your sister is quite adorable, you know. I’d truly hate to have to harm her."

A refined person like Shen Congwen was rarely provoked to such an extent, but now he was truly furious.

Zhou Yunchen, however, remained unperturbed by Shen Congwen’s fury. He patted Shen Congwen’s shoulder again. "If you persist, you might just end up digging for bones underground. Quite a chilling thought, isn’t it? Better to give up."

Shen Congwen’s eyes were bloodshot as Zhou Yunchen left with his companion.

Once the door closed, Zhou Yunchen’s aide asked softly, "Will it work? Will that intimidate Shen?"

Zhou Yunchen shot him a sidelong glance. "Do you think I’ve known him all these years for nothing? He’s truly loyal to Gu Yuanshan, but that sister of his is his most precious treasure. A betrayal with such blurred lines isn’t beyond him."

The aide asked again in a low voice, "If he refuses to cooperate, Boss Zhou, would you really... harm the young lady?"

Zhou Yunchen sneered. "He’d come begging before I even got halfway."

Indeed, it was best to live in this world without weaknesses, just like him, Zhou Yunchen. His parents were dead, and his relatives had long since disowned him. If not for Gu Yuntian, he would have starved. His ability to attend the best schools, everything he had today, was all thanks to that truly upright man.

He still remembered one Spring Festival when Gu Yuntian had brought little Anxi to his school to visit him.

When others asked who the distinguished-looking man was, Gu Yuntian had simply said he was Zhou Yunchen’s father, and little Anxi was his younger sister. In that moment, for the first time, Zhou Yunchen felt what it was like to be envied.

To him, Gu Yuntian was like a god, and Gu Anxi was the person he was determined to protect with all his heart.

「Two days later.」

Shen Congwen visited the Gu family’s main residence.

Gu Yuanshan met him personally in the study. "Well? Did you find anything?"

Shen Congwen lowered his eyes. "I investigated thoroughly. I found nothing unusual about Zhou Yunchen’s background. I suspect he imported Jing from overseas, likely with backing from some powerful Western magnate."

Gu Yuanshan stood up, a hopeful look on his face. "So, you’re saying we still have a chance, right?"

He paced back and forth a few steps, then waved his hand decisively. "Congwen, here’s the plan. Contact Zhou Yunchen for me. I want to invite him to dinner."