Chapter 152

Chapter 152 Are You Apologizing for Failing to Break Us Apart? Gu Zechuan's expression shifted. Xu Jingxuan had just contacted him, sternly instructing him not to let Ruan Chutang and Jiang Shixu find out about their relationship. Anyway, Sun Licheng had already been arrested, so even if Ruan Chutang found out he was connected to Zhao Licheng, it wouldn't matter much. Gu Zechuan shook his head. "No." Ruan Chutang glared at him and demanded harshly, "Then how did you know? How did you know Fu Yuanzhou kidnapped me to Yuncheng, and how did you know Jiang Shixu's plan? Did you deliberately call the police because you wanted both of us to never come back?" "No, that's not it!" Gu Zechuan's eyes trembled as he hurriedly explained, "It's not like that, Tangtang. I didn't know Jiang Shixu's plan. I only knew you had been kidnapped by Fu Yuanzhou. I called the police to save you—how could I just stand by and watch something happen to you without doing anything?" Ruan Chutang's patience was nearly exhausted. "I'll ask you one last time—how did you know Fu Yuanzhou took me to Yuncheng?" "It was... one of his men who told me..." Gu Zechuan averted his gaze guiltily. Ruan Chutang's eyes locked tightly onto Gu Zechuan as she asked, "Why would one of Fu Yuanzhou's men tell you?" Gu Zechuan said, "Back then, my family's company was on the verge of bankruptcy. I was everywhere looking for investors, but because we had offended the Jiang family, the Su family, and your Ruan family, those companies didn't dare invest in us. Later, a man named Sun Licheng found me. He said he was willing to provide funding to help the Gu Group turn things around, but the precondition was that they would become the controlling shareholder of the Gu Group." Actually, that wasn't true. The person who had approached him back then was Xu Jingxuan. But he couldn't say that. "Sun Licheng?" Ruan Chutang frowned. That name rang a bell. Liu Ming's former boss was one of Sun Licheng's men. If she remembered correctly, this Sun Licheng had considerable influence in Jiangcheng—connected to both the underworld and the legitimate world, ruthless and unscrupulous in his methods. He controlled dozens of companies under his command. In terms of wealth, Sun Licheng was certainly not to be underestimated. Investing in the Gu Group was a piece of cake for him. Not long ago, Sun Licheng had been arrested for illegal activities, and only then did Chutang learn that this Sun Licheng was actually one of Fu Yuanzhou's men. The companies he controlled in China were all operating for Fu Yuanzhou. Logically speaking, there was no reason for Sun Licheng to invest in a company like the Gu Group that was on the verge of bankruptcy. That much money put anywhere else would yield far greater returns than investing in the Gu Group. Once Ruan Chutang figured this out, she cast a suspicious look at Gu Zechuan. She asked coldly, "Why would Sun Licheng invest in your Gu Group? Your company was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time—what benefit was there in investing in you? I've investigated Sun Licheng before. He's driven purely by profit and acts with ruthlessness. Investing in your Gu Group doesn't match his style." "Because I agreed to work for Brother Zhou." Gu Zechuan lowered his gaze, his tone unreadable. "And also..." He paused for a few seconds, then raised his eyes to look steadily at Ruan Chutang. "He investigated my background. He knew I had once dated you, and he knew I had a grudge against the Jiang family. That was exactly what he valued—he wanted to use me to deal with Jiang Shixu..." Ruan Chutang's brows knitted tightly, the fury in her dark pupils deepening. "Deal with Jiang Shixu? With you?" Those words clearly stung Gu Zechuan. The man's gaze dimmed, pain flashing through his eyes. His voice was hoarse as he said, "According to Sun Licheng, Fu Yuanzhou's exact words were: the more Jiang Shixu wants something, the more Fu Yuanzhou wants to take it away from him. Breaking you and Jiang Shixu apart is the simplest way to make Jiang Shixu suffer." "I'm sorry, Tangtang..." Gu Zechuan stepped forward and reached out to touch Ruan Chutang, but she slapped his hand away. Ruan Chutang glared at him fiercely. "Don't touch me!" Gu Zechuan's eyes darkened, pain surfacing in them. "It's my fault for not satisfying Fu Yuanzhou, for not breaking you two apart... If I had broken you and Jiang Shixu up back then, Fu Yuanzhou would have achieved his goal, and he wouldn't have gone after you, or Uncle Ruan and Jiaojiao..." Ruan Chutang: "??" This man was simply beyond reason. Ruan Chutang laughed in anger. "So you're apologizing for failing to break me and Jiang Shixu apart?" "I..." Gu Zechuan's eyes flickered. "That's not what I meant, Tangtang..." Ruan Chutang was visibly agitated, the corners of her eyes turning red as she shouted angrily, "Gu Zechuan, my sister was taken hostage by Fu Yuanzhou's men! We could have saved her, but because you called the police, their arrival disrupted everything. Now she's already been taken to Country A!" Gu Zechuan's eyes flew wide open in shock. "What! Jiaojiao was kidnapped too?" "Are you sure Xu Jingxuan didn't put you up to calling the police?" Ruan Chutang was furious beyond measure. "Do you know what Fu Yuanzhou said to Jiang Shixu on the phone? If the police were called, he would kill the hostage immediately!" "Xu Jingxuan knew about it. She told you to call the police because she wanted Fu Yuanzhou to kill me! You were used by her, do you understand?" Ruan Chutang was burning with rage, glaring at Gu Zechuan with hatred. Gu Zechuan's eyes were full of helplessness. Upon learning that he had nearly caused Ruan Chutang's death, his face turned pale, and the pain in his eyes deepened. "I'm sorry, Tangtang. I didn't know that's how it was. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have chosen to call the police..." "Enough!" Ruan Chutang cut him off sharply. "Gu Zechuan, tell me the truth. Was your decision to call the police really unrelated to Xu Jingxuan?" Gu Zechuan's lips were pressed into a tight line, his hands hanging at his sides, fists clenched. Facing Ruan Chutang's interrogation, he almost couldn't help but tell the truth, but... Although Sun Licheng had been arrested, the nominal controlling shareholder of the Gu Group had not been affected. The Gu Group was now Fu Yuanzhou's toy. Although Fu Yuanzhou had returned to Country A, with just one word from him, the Gu Group could once again be on the brink of bankruptcy. The Gu Group now—though its name hadn't changed—had in reality long since taken on the surname "Fu." Gu Zechuan weighed the pros and cons in his mind. After all, the company was the life's work his father had struggled for. Having it was better than not having it at all. He couldn't expose Xu Jingxuan yet. "She had nothing to do with it." Gu Zechuan spoke, his voice slightly hoarse. Ruan Chutang simply stood there, quietly looking at him. A few seconds later, she let out a soft laugh, said nothing more, and turned to leave. Chen Wan, who had been listening nearby, went to pull Gu Zechuan again. "Zechuan, are you okay? Let me go buy you a medical ice pack to apply to your face." Gu Zechuan ignored Chen Wan. He roughly shoved the woman away, impatience written all over his face. "Get away!" He turned around furiously, pulled out his phone, and lowered his head to make a call. He needed to find out whether Xu Jingxuan had known that Fu Yuanzhou had told Jiang Shixu to kill the hostage if the police were called. If she had known, then her telling him to call the police meant she was using him! Using him to indirectly kill the woman he loved most. If that was really the case, he would never tolerate it.