Chapter 17

August 27th was Gu Nianxi and Bai Jin's eighteenth birthday, also their coming-of-age ceremony.

The staff at Shengtu Grand Hotel had been busy since the 25th.

The entire hall had been booked by the Gu Family. From the interior to the exterior, from welcoming guests to the dishes and tea, everything had to be perfect, because the most prominent family in the capital circle was holding the ceremony for their only daughter. Unless something unexpected happened, Gu Nianxi would become the heir of the Gu Family, take in a son-in-law, and manage the family business. It was said that this young lady had extremely high standards and a quirky temper—beautiful but uneducated—and her parents showed no intention of grooming her, probably placing all their hopes on a future son-in-law.

Those in the know were already preparing to watch the drama unfold.

Among them was Yue Wenjing.

That day at "Drifting Emerald," Gu Nianxi had hinted that she should make things difficult for Bai Jin, and she did as told. The Yue Family depended on the Gu Family, so she willingly played the role of Gu Nianxi's dog.

But afterward, she learned that Gu Nianxi was not the Gu Family's daughter—Bai Jin was.

Reality was indeed more absurd than fiction. They raised her for eighteen years without even a single paternity test?

It was just a rumor, and no one knew who started it, but Yue Wenjing became more convinced it was true.

If it weren't true, why had Gu Nianxi's attitude changed so drastically that day?

She must have learned something on the way out of "Drifting Emerald," panicked at the thought of being abandoned by the Gu Family, and come to pick up Bai Jin, right?

She had threatened her in the private room back then, humiliating her, and it turned out she was a fraud!

Yue Wenjing felt a surge of anger at the memory, but quickly calmed down. She took a sip of the drink the waiter offered.

It didn't matter. Gu Nianxi would soon be exposed.

Right here, today, at her eighteenth birthday party!

In the lounge.

Gu Nianxi's phone buzzed.

[Have you made up your mind, Miss?]

She pressed her lips together and typed: [Will such a crude method even work?]

An hour ago, she had received another message from the mysterious person.

The message was concise: at 7:30, lure Bai Jin under the chandelier in the center of the banquet hall stage.

After receiving the message, she went to the banquet hall herself to check.

The hotel staff were all busy. The enormous crystal chandelier glittered with colorful light—said to have been purchased from Hong Kong—elegant, grand, and noble. It was two meters in diameter, and every crystal shimmered with a soft glow.

Shengtu Grand Hotel was a renovated old building. Before 1995, it had been a theater. The theater had a main stage and smaller stages; the smaller ones were all demolished, but the main stage had retained its original structure and been converted into a banquet hall.

The chandelier was installed above some mechanism.

The mysterious person's plan was simple: tamper with the mechanism, and at the right moment, let the chandelier fall and crush Bai Jin.

Gu Nianxi was nervous because it was only half an hour until 7:30.

In her previous life, after she blocked the mysterious person, they never contacted her again, and she couldn't recall any such incident at the coming-of-age ceremony.

Her eyes flickered, and she looked up, meeting Bai Jin's gaze as Bai Jin just entered the room.

In an instant, one lowered her eyes, the other turned away, both avoiding each other's gaze.

[The simpler the method, the more effective it is, Miss Gu.]

The phone vibrated.

Gu Nianxi tried to switch it to silent, but her fingers trembled and she didn't move.

Gu Hongzhuo and Jiang Man followed Bai Jin into the lounge. Guests were arriving one after another; the three of them had just gone out to greet them, while Gu Nianxi said she was tired and didn't go.

Her parents didn't say anything. They were exceptionally tolerant of Gu Nianxi, who had agreed to apologize to Cheng Qihang, even appearing somewhat kind and benevolent.

[I'll only try. If it doesn't work, hmph...]

As she typed these words, she felt her heartbeat quicken.

Bai Jin sat down beside her, her fingers brushing lightly against Gu Nianxi's.

That bit of warmth passed through the brief contact and reached Gu Nianxi, calming her heart.

Everything was proceeding according to plan. With Bai Jin here, there was nothing to fear.

[As long as you don't hesitate, Miss Gu, there won't be any problem. Friendly reminder: if you want to get rid of Gu Baijin, this is your last chance—after today, you'll be Mrs. Cheng.]

The ordinary black text didn't hide its malice: [But if you kill her, you'll be the Gu Family's only daughter again. Seize this last chance, Miss Gu.]

Gu Nianxi was disgusted by it and frowned.

After resting for a while, the host came to the lounge to take them to the banquet hall—everything was ready.

Tonight's program was first the opening ceremony, during which Gu Hongzhuo would announce Bai Jin's identity, then declare the coming-of-age of both daughters, and finally, Gu Hongzhuo would announce the marriage between Gu Nianxi and Cheng Qihang.

The last item was something Bai Jin had told Gu Nianxi; Gu Nianxi hadn't known about it.

"Leave everything to me," Bai Jin had said.

At that moment, Bai Jin stood up, and their eyes met again. Bai Jin said, "Sister, come with us."

Gu Nianxi showed a look of annoyance: "Aren't I supposed to apologize to President Cheng? I won't attend. You go ahead."

Gu Hongzhuo started getting angry at her attitude again: "How are you talking? So rude! Today is your coming-of-age ceremony. Your sister is calling you..."

Jiang Man tugged at his sleeve.

Gu Hongzhuo's words were cut short.

Jiang Man said, "Nianxi, if you really don't want to attend, you can rest on the viewing platform on the second floor. No one will disturb you there."

Gu Nianxi's expression softened slightly, and she nodded.

The Gu Family always put on a grand show. The coming-of-age ceremony not only had over a hundred guests but also journalists with cameras on standby.

When Gu Hongzhuo announced that Bai Jin was the child they had accidentally swapped at birth, the entire venue erupted in murmurs of astonishment.

Yue Wenjing felt triumphant, though she was a bit regretful that she didn't see Gu Nianxi look devastated.

Cui Xiaoyue, however, frowned. She had anticipated this development, given the recent gossip about the Gu Family, but she hadn't expected Gu Nianxi to simply not show up.

She sent Gu Nianxi a message, and Gu Nianxi replied:

It's fine.

Bai Jin stood on the stage. The stage, converted from a theater stage, was quite high. Bai Jin wore a crisp white women's suit, a emerald brooch on her chest, and her black hair tied high in a ponytail at the back of her head, bathed in all sorts of gazes.

She picked out the most special one among them and looked in that direction.

The viewing platform on the second floor was once a theater box, enclosed by dark wooden railings and flanked by thick, deep red velvet curtains. And there, among the deep red curtains, Gu Nianxi was raising her glass to her.

She wore a sky-blue strapless long dress, a gauze ribbon tied around her fair swan-like neck, and the blue skirt was layered with a sheer silk tulle that shimmered like stars in the shadows.

Her eyes curved like crescent moons. With her gloved hand pressing against the railing, she leaned out slightly, like a lively, radiant, beautiful flower about to emerge from the shadow of the wall.

From afar, Bai Jin couldn't see clearly, but the blessing had already been conveyed through their brief eye contact.

—"Happy birthday, Bai Jin."

The crowd followed the birthday girl's gaze toward that direction but only saw the swaying red curtains and the empty white railing.

Cui Xiaoyue, who had caught sight of Gu Nianxi, felt a pang of sourness.

When her gaze returned and she saw the smile spreading on Bai Jin's face on stage, Cui Xiaoyue's sourness only deepened.

She typed: [Are you really not coming down? You dressed so beautifully, but didn't come out to show off—was it all for nothing?]

[Or is that dress just for Bai Jin to see? covering mouth laugh.gif sneak peek.gif]

After a while, Gu Nianxi replied:

[sweaty beanie.jpg]

[Don't even mention it. Cheng Qihang came up to me. I still have to apologize to him... I'm so done.]

[angry kitten kicking stool.gif]

Gu Nianxi pouted, put down her phone, and stared coldly at the person before her.

She didn't want to share a room with this man at all, and she didn't hide her disgust: "Uncle Cheng, I'm really sorry for splashing you that day."

Cheng Qihang smiled heartily: "It's nothing, nothing... Miss Gu, it's your birthday. I've prepared a gift for you. Take a look—do you like it?"

He took out a small square black box, which should contain jewelry or something.

Gu Nianxi thought, better yet, give me Cheng Qihang's urn—that she'd definitely like.

The dark box made her a bit uneasy. She glanced at the door of the box—good, it was open—then took the small box from Cheng Qihang and opened it.

A diamond ring lay quietly in the velvet, startling Gu Nianxi.

"President Cheng," she said with a disbelieving laugh, "What do you mean by this?"

Cheng Qihang remained smiling. After navigating the business world for over a decade, his face was as thick as a city wall: "Let's not beat around the bush. I'll be direct: President Gu and President Jiang both hope you'll marry me, and I quite like you too."

Gu Nianxi didn't wait for him to finish; she ran toward the door.

But just as she made that move, a wave of heat surged through her body, making her stagger and nearly fall to her knees.

"Today, we gather here not only for my daughter's birthday but also to announce another matter—"

Outside, Gu Hongzhuo's voice, filled with laughter, echoed through the venue via the microphone.

Inside the box, Gu Nianxi's body burned, but her heart sank like a stone.

Coming to the second-floor box had been Jiang Man's suggestion.

The lychee sparkling water earlier had been brought by a hotel waiter.

Her adoptive mother had betrayed her once again, silently approving or facilitating this shady deal, leaving her drugged daughter alone with a man with ulterior motives.

Meanwhile, they stood in the bright lights, loudly celebrating their biological daughter's return to the Gu Family.

How could reality be so absurd—ugliness and beauty always happening at the same time? Gu Nianxi crouched down, her body hurting, but her heart hurting even more.

She felt nauseous.

Behind her, Cheng Qihang walked over unhurriedly and crouched down beside her: "Why struggle? The more you struggle, the worse it gets. Nianxi, here, only I can save you."

The black-haired girl kept her head down, curled up on the floor, trembling, saying nothing. Her hair hung down, as if, devastated by her wretched circumstances and her family's betrayal, she had given up and accepted her fate.

Her fragile appearance only stirred others' desire to destroy. Cheng Qihang's heart itched with impatience. He reached out a hand toward Gu Nianxi's shoulder.

Outside the box, the loud voice still echoed through the speakers:

"That is, the marriage of the adopted daughter, Gu Nianxi—"

A heavy thud resounded, shattering the word "marriage" into pieces.

Panicked voices and screams rose. The microphone, still connected to the speaker, hit something and emitted a sharp screech.

Cheng Qihang paused at the piercing noise.

At the same moment, Gu Nianxi stood up.

She held her removed high heel in her hand, and the flush on her face wasn't from arousal but from blazing fury. Raising her hand, she stabbed the sharp heel of the shoe viciously toward Cheng Qihang's face.

"Go to hell!"

Cheng Qihang let out a piercing scream.

An eye was a vulnerable spot, and once damaged, there was a high chance of blindness.

That blow almost exhausted all of Gu Nianxi's strength. She had no time to check the "results." While Cheng Qihang clutched his eye, she ran toward the door.

The silver stiletto and her phone were scattered on the stairs. High heels hindered escape, so she had kicked them off, and the dropped phone was still vibrating—someone kept sending messages.

Cheng Qihang was furious. His left eye was in excruciating pain, bleeding and oozing other tissue fluids. He felt certain he had been blinded.

Amid the pain and rising rage, only one thought filled his mind: catch Gu Nianxi and repay her double for the suffering she had caused him.

An adult male, even with one eye blind, still possessed tremendous destructive power—more than Gu Nianxi could contend with, in any case.

He descended the stairs, chasing after the fleeing girl.

Only after he had run down did Gu Nianxi, hidden in the utility room on the second floor, slowly relax.

She leaned her head against the back of the door, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes, and she couldn't help but sob.