Gu Yan's eyes widened, and a bad premonition arose.
According to Yu He, Qin Meimei had hidden the deaths of Luo Xiaoyao and her daughter from her, and had called her over, intending to frame her for the crime?!
This was a capital offense. Even a tiger wouldn't eat its cubs; how could Qin Meimei do such a thing?!
Even though she had always been disliked by Qin Meimei, she was her daughter!
No, this couldn't be true. It must be Yu He deliberately sowing discord!
Gu Yan suppressed the astonishment on her face and snapped, "Stop talking nonsense and trying to sow discord! Keep an eye on her!"
The last three words were directed at the scar-faced man. After speaking, she turned and left in her high heels.
The scar-faced man quickly closed the wooden door and relocked it.
The moment the door closed, Yu He breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the floor, utterly drained.
After a long while, she began to feel inside her clothes and found only a small packet of black pills.
She tore it open, swallowed the pills, and forced them down without water. Then, she closed her eyes and began to rest.
Outside the woodshed.
The scar-faced man caught up to Gu Yan.
"Young lady, Madam's intention is for you to deal with her," he said, making a throat-slitting gesture towards Gu Yan.
Gu Yan was startled. Did this mean she was supposed to kill Yu He?!
She had never even killed a chicken. Qin Meimei wanted her to kill someone?!
Was this really her own mother?
Gu Yan's mind was in chaos. How many things had Qin Meimei hidden from her?
"Madam said that once you've handled this, she'll promote you to Chief Financial Officer of the group. It's such a good opportunity, don't hesitate," the scar-faced man said, lighting a cigarette and urging her on when he saw her hesitation.
Hearing his casual tone, as if it were a trivial matter of taking a couple of steps faster, not about killing someone, made Gu Yan shiver.
How many cases had this person been involved in to be so cold-blooded?
She couldn't help but shiver and said, "I'll go back and discuss this with Mother first."
After saying that, she boarded the private jet.
Three and a half hours later.
The Gu family residence.
Qin Meimei was enjoying an at-home spa when the door to her room was suddenly pushed open, startling the attendant.
"Why are you back?" Qin Meimei looked up, saw Gu Yan, and frowned slightly.
"Why did you lie to me?" Gu Yan asked, her eyes red.
On the way back, she had found several people who confirmed that the deaths of Luo Xiaoyao and her daughter were indeed true.
Qin Meimei had kept this secret from her very well.
"Lie to you about what?" Qin Meimei sat up, wrapped in a towel, and waved to the attendant, dismissing her.
With only the two of them in the room, Gu Yan spoke directly:
"Luo Xiaoyao and her daughter are clearly dead, yet you lied to me, saying they had escaped, and sent me to deal with the perpetrator who assisted their escape!"
Qin Meimei's expression darkened. "Who told you all this?"
Seeing that she didn't deny it, Gu Yan's heart ached. Tears welled up in her eyes. Mustering all her courage, she asked:
"That's not the point. The point is, you actually wanted me to take the blame, didn't you?"
She had repeatedly told herself not to listen to Yu He's instigation, but her body couldn't help but come back to verify.
If Qin Meimei had denied it, she would have immediately flown back to that small, dilapidated woodshed and dealt with Yu He!
But Qin Meimei did not.
She remained silent!
The tears that had been swirling in Gu Yan's eyes could no longer be held back and began to stream down, wetting her clothes and chilling her heart.
"Yan'er," Qin Meimei said when she saw her crying. She got off the bed, walked up to her, and, with rare patience, affectionately cupped her face, wiping away her tears. She spoke in a gentle tone, "Mommy was also forced into it. For the sake of the Gu family, you'll have to make a sacrifice."
'You'll have to make a sacrifice.'
It was the same commanding tone as always, with no room for negotiation.
This was a capital offense!
It wasn't as simple as giving up playing the piano and choosing accounting!
How could Qin Meimei say it so lightly?
Was she born into the Gu family only to be a tool to follow orders?
Gu Yan's mouth opened, her heart filled with unwillingness, but looking at Qin Meimei's stern face, she couldn't utter a single word.
Her tears flowed uncontrollably, like a breaking dam, soaking her clothes and completely chilling her heart.
"Good girl, don't cry. It's not that big of a deal. Go ahead and do it. Your Aunt Hong and I will protect you," Qin Meimei coaxed softly, patiently wiping her tears with a tissue.
Gu Yan stared blankly at her. At this moment, Qin Meimei was like a gentle mother, bestowing upon her the maternal love she had always yearned for, luring her forward.
And ahead lay a bottomless abyss.
"Knock, knock." At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and the butler's voice could be faintly heard from outside, "Madam, Director Qian is here."
"Let him in," Qin Meimei patted Gu Yan's shoulder, signaling her to relax.
The room door opened, and Gu Yan immediately turned away, not wanting the newcomer to see her in her current state.
"Madam, I've cleared the contents of the memory card," Director Qian said.
Memory card?
Gu Yan slightly turned her body and glanced at Director Qian. She saw him hand Qin Meimei a memory card in a small white envelope.
It was a memory card from an old mobile phone.
She had some recollection of this item. The previous night, before Qin Meimei had sent her to the neighboring county, someone had delivered this item, saying it was found in some woods.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work. You may go now," Qin Meimei took the memory card.
After the person left, she took out the memory card, looked at it for a moment, sneered, and casually tossed it into the trash can. Then, she called back the spa attendant and continued with her spa treatment.
Seeing that Gu Yan had stopped crying, she said, "Yan'er, if you have no more questions, hurry up and go. When you get back, we'll do the spa together."
Gu Yan looked at Qin Meimei lying on the bed with a complex expression for a long time. Finally, she responded with a soft "Okay."
Before leaving, she deliberately passed by the trash can. When she went outside, a memory card was in her palm.
—
On the other side.
In the woodshed.
After taking the small pills, Yu He rested with her eyes closed for two hours. She finally felt better. Her headache had subsided, she was no longer sweating, and her high fever had dropped to a low-grade fever.
However, she was extremely thirsty and hungry.
At this moment, there was a commotion outside the door, followed by the sound of a lock being opened. Yu He immediately resumed her posture of lying on the ground, bound.
The door opened, revealing a man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, buck teeth, and a sallow complexion. Yu He recognized him; it was the man who had knocked her unconscious the previous night.
After entering, the buck-toothed man deliberately left the door ajar and then lecherously approached Yu He with a basin.
"Little beauty, big brother is here to bring you food."
Yu He looked at the buck-toothed man, who was around forty or fifty years old and could be her father, calling himself "big brother." She almost gagged from disgust.
Her peach blossom eyes glanced at the ajar door. She gave the buck-toothed man a seductive smile, then lowered her eyes and said weakly,
"But my hands are tied, and I can't eat. Can you untie me?"