Gu Yunxi would panic precisely because she had been manipulating Qiu Yufei all along.
Qiu Yufei’s goal was to be with Mu Shuoqian, while her goal was to take Mu Shuoqian’s life, hence she couldn’t let Qiu Yufei know her intentions.
But now, Qiu Yufei suddenly showed up at her door, was it to expose her or to check out the situation and gather information?
Whichever it was, it was enough to send chills down Gu Yunxi’s spine; her plan had been in effect up to now and couldn’t be ruined by anyone.
Thinking of the incompatible relationship between Gu Qili and Qiu Yufei, Gu Yunxi immediately rose from her chair and hastened to the door, "I don’t want to see her."
Mu Shuoqian turned to glance at her, his look inscrutable, making Gu Yunxi feel guilty, and she turned her gaze to one side, "I hate her."
"After all, she is my sister." Mu Shuoqian looked at her, "I can’t just leave her standing outside the door, can I?"
Gu Yunxi was momentarily speechless. She didn’t know much about their complex relationship, but Mu Shuoqian’s words were clear, and to persist might be too revealing.
This feeling was incredibly frustrating. Playing a new role required constant vigilance, especially with someone like Mu Shuoqian, whose scheming and foresight she had witnessed firsthand.
Gu Yunxi fell silent, and Mu Shuoqian told the security guard, "Let her in."
"Understood, Mr. Mu." The security guard trotted off, and as Mu Shuoqian turned around, he saw Gu Yunxi heading towards the bedroom. A cold smile appeared on his lips as he called out softly, "Where are you going?"
"I feel unwell, I want to go lie down."
"No." Gu Yunxi turned, flashing him a beaming smile, "I just want to lie down for while."
"My sister has arrived, and you, being her sister-in-law, should be present. If you’re feeling unwell, then sit on the sofa for a while."
Gu Yunxi felt something was off about Mu Shuoqian’s attitude, but couldn’t pinpoint it. Reluctantly, she still sat down on the sofa, appearing composed while her right hand, placed beside her, clenched the cushion tightly.
Soon after, Gu Yunxi heard Qiu Yufei’s voice, "Brother Shuoqian."
Qiu Yufei was ecstatic to find Mu Shuoqian willing to meet her, but seeing Gu Yunxi sitting on the sofa and drinking water, the joy turned to disgust akin to what she felt for Gu Qili. Gu Qili was right, if she stayed with Mu Shuoqian, they would inevitably develop feelings over time, and then she would have to deal with another Gu Qili, in a never-ending cycle.
Thus, her purpose for coming here today was clear; she was determined to expose her, to reveal Gu Yunxi’s true face to Mu Shuoqian.
"Brother Shuoqian, is Qili at home too?" Qiu Yufei peered over Mu Shuoqian’s shoulder and asked.
"What’s it to you?" Mu Shuoqian responded coldly.
"Brother Shuoqian, let me in, I have something very important to tell you." Qiu Yufei said, her gaze settling on Gu Yunxi who pretended to be calm.
Mu Shuoqian unexpectedly stepped back to let Qiu Yufei into the room, "Come in."
To her surprise, Qiu Yufei walked right towards Gu Yunxi, who instantly went on high alert, eyeing her warily.
Qiu Yufei started a conversation as if they were talking about trivial family matters, "Qili, do you remember where we first met?"
"I don’t remember." Gu Yunxi didn’t even glance at her. At that moment, she wasn’t frightened anymore. No matter what Qiu Yufei said, she would staunchly deny everything and see whether Mu Shuoqian would believe her or Qiu Yufei.
"You really do have a poor memory. Brother Shuoqian, is Qili sick? Did her illness also damage her brain?" Qiu Yufei shrugged her shoulders, "Then do you remember in which hospital you gave birth to Niannian? And when was Niannian born?"
Gu Yunxi frowned deeply, finally turning to look at Qiu Yufei, but with Mu Shuoqian present, she couldn’t verbally warn her off, "What business is it of yours?"
Qiu Yufei touched her chin, a look of innocence on her face: "Qili, do you have a bad memory, or... are you not Gu Qili at all?"
These words immediately made Gu Yunxi nervously look towards Mu Shuoqian, meeting his probing gaze, she felt guilty and shifted her eyes, thinking of an excuse to sidestep the issue when suddenly she heard Mu Shuoqian speak: "Niannian’s birthday is on the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, she wouldn’t forget it."
Upon hearing Mu Shuoqian helping her out, Gu Yunxi quickly agreed with joy: "Of course, I remember Niannian’s birthday is on the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, stop asking these pointless questions. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking, if you’re wise, you’ll leave on your own, so Shuoqian doesn’t have to kick you out personally."
Qiu Yufei coldly smiled, "Shuoqian, don’t you find it strange, she’s Niannian’s real mom and she got Niannian’s birthday wrong."
Mu Shuoqian’s gaze became sharp and frosty, sweeping across Gu Yunxi’s face like a brisk wind: "She’s not wrong, Niannian’s birthday is on the first day of the first lunar month, not the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month."
Gu Yunxi didn’t expect Mu Shuoqian to set a trap for her here, she slightly opened her mouth in astonishment, and it took her a moment to think of a defense: "I, I just remembered it wrong, that’s all."
"Then do you remember the wish you made under those two grapevines outside the window?" Mu Shuoqian’s gaze grew colder.
Gu Yunxi, clueless about any wish, had no choice but to make something up: "Naturally, it’s to hope that the grapes from the grapevine can be made into good wine."
"Huh." Mu Shuoqian chuckled coldly, "But I remember it being, sitting under the grape arbor and enjoying wine and moonlight when the grapes bear fruit."
"Shuoqian," Qiu Yufei suddenly felt greatly satisfied, if she had directly pointed out that Gu Yunxi was a fake, Mu Shuoqian might not have believed her, but now after his own verification, it was clear this woman was a fake, "She is not Gu Qili at all, she’s an impostor."
Caught off guard, Gu Yunxi’s hands tightly entwined, and a thin layer of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
"Gu Yunxi, shouldn’t this act of yours come to an end?" Mu Shuoqian sat down on the other sofa and casually lit a cigarette.
Gu Yunxi looked at him in surprise, the man’s face was expressionless, his eyes unfathomable, making it impossible to see what he was really thinking, suddenly she felt that he had known she was a fake all along, from the very first glance, he always knew who she was.
Hearing Mu Shuoqian say this, Qiu Yufei immediately felt as if someone was backing her up, and she slapped Gu Yunxi in the face: "Shameless woman, you dared to trick my Shuoqian."
Gu Yunxi did not expect Qiu Yufei to suddenly slap her. She was knocked onto the sofa, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
"Shameless woman, why did you deceive Shuoqian?" Qiu Yufei pressed her aggressively, pointing at her, "Speak, what is your agenda?"
Gu Yunxi, withstanding the searing pain on her cheek, slowly got up from the sofa, a cold smile spread across her exquisite face: "Qiu Yufei, what, is our cooperation over just like that? Why I am here, don’t you know very well?"
"Nonsense, I don’t know you at all!" Qiu Yufei glanced at Mu Shuoqian nervously, seeing him still smoking calmly as if watching a show, she immediately straightened her chest, "Don’t think that after showing your true colors you can frame and slander others, Shuoqian will not be swayed by your instigation."
"Is that so?" Mu Shuoqian flicked ash from his cigarette, "If you haven’t colluded with her, how do you know she’s a fake?"
"I?" Qiu Yufei stuttered, her head dropping in panic, "Shuoqian, I know Qili so well, I could tell at first glance."
"Really? You and Qili are very close? How close? If you haven’t colluded, why did you come looking in such a panic, and how do you know an impostor arrived at my house?"
"Mu Shuoqian." Gu Yunxi suddenly glared at him: "Did you know all along? Since you knew I wasn’t Gu Qili, why didn’t you expose me, and why did you pretend to accept me?"
"Why? I just wanted to watch you dogs bite each other, that’s all." Mu Shuoqian leaned forward and extinguished his cigarette in his hand, "Finished biting each other?" Follow current novᴇls on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
"Shuoqian, you... knew everything?" Qiu Yufei looked at him in shock, feeling like she had been plotted against, could it be that her plan with Gu Yunxi was clear to him from the very beginning? So now, Gu Qili should be safe as well?
"Qiu Yufei, I gave you a chance, so now, don’t blame me for not being polite." Mu Shuoqian lifted his gaze, the ruthlessness in his eyes scared Qiu Yufei, who staggered two steps back.
"Shuoqian, I don’t want to go back, I don’t want to go back." In a state of extreme fear, Qiu Yufei kept retreating until she reached the door. She tried to open it to escape in a panic, but two tall and sturdy men coming in blocked her way.
"Shuoqian, please, I don’t want to go back, I don’t want to marry that old man Steve, you don’t know how perverse he is." Unable to escape, Qiu Yufei turned back to plead with Mu Shuoqian, but before she could take a step she was grasped by the two men, who restrained her. No matter how hard she struggled, it was all in vain.