Chapter 387: The Dirt Reaches Gu Zhiyan's Hands

Jiang Lai continued to ask, "Or do you think that after I came back, you can't accept that you're someone who even scolds your own sister?"

"Can't accept that your mother felt so guilty facing me that she needed medication to keep herself under control?"

"Can't accept that Gu Yinxue, who grew up alongside you, has been reduced to a fake sister?"

Gu Zhiyan was momentarily speechless.

"Everything you can't accept is the truth. You can't attack the victim just because your own tolerance is weak." Jiang Lai looked at this blood brother before her, feeling only desolation that her own brother turned out to be this sort of person. "Victim-blaming, Lawyer Gu?"

She reminded him that his profession was a lawyer, yet he insisted on the victim-blaming rhetoric—how ironic.

Even more ironic was that Gu Zhiyan had gone from partner at his law firm to an ordinary lawyer, and ultimately left the firm.

Jiang Lai didn't know about this, but because she had stepped precisely on Gu Zhiyan's sore spot, Gu Zhiyan was so angry he was about to smoke.

"How could I have a sister like you!"

"And how could I have a brother like you." Jiang Lai said it calmly. Though she was smaller in stature than Gu Zhiyan, her composed and steady presence was stronger than his.

Ke Zhongyu had originally wanted to chime in, but seeing his girlfriend go all out against Gu Zhiyan, the corners of his mouth lifted.

A woman fighting for herself was always very attractive.

Li Dan, approaching the pavilion, heard these words. A flash of shock and bewilderment crossed his eyes—he could hardly believe that this cold, harsh man before him was the Gu Zhiyan he had known for years.

Just how many things had happened in the Gu family recently?

He had only lost contact for a while, yet Gu Zhiyan was now like a stressed-out hedgehog.

"Zhi Yan, what's going on with you?" Li Dan stepped forward and tugged Gu Zhiyan's arm, frowning. "What's wrong with you? Saying things like that."

Gu Zhiyan saw Li Dan, then saw Xie Yongsi nearby. With outsiders present, he gradually calmed down and also realized that the last remark shouldn't have been said.

But Jiang Lai was too infuriating, always poking people's sore spots, without the slightest intention of respecting her own brother.

Yin Xue had never dared to speak to him in this tone.

Ke Zhongyu took Jiang Lai's hand, instinctively on guard against Xie Yongsi—this person was Shen Xun's good brother.

Someone like Shen Xun wasn't worth his guard.

But Jiang Lai had loved Shen Xun, and this he had to guard against—guarding against every person around Shen Xun.

Xie Yongsi was just about to open his mouth to call out to Jiang Lai when he saw President Ke pull her aside.

"..."

He really couldn't blame Li Dan for using President Ke as Jiang Lai's watermark—the level of protectiveness was something else.

"President Ke, Jiang Lai, long time no see," Xie Yongsi greeted with a beaming smile.

Jiang Lai wouldn't say she disliked Xie Yongsi, nor would she say she liked him, so she simply gave a flat nod.

Ke Zhongyu cast a sidelong, disdainful glance.

Xie Yongsi quickly withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Gu Zhiyan instead, never forgetting his purpose for coming here. Only after repaying this favor would his heart be at ease; otherwise, because of Brother Xun, he always carried a thread of guilt toward Jiang Lai in his heart.

"I just heard Eldest Young Master Gu say he doesn't seem very welcoming of his own sister Jiang Lai coming home. There must be some misunderstanding here—otherwise, how could Eldest Young Master Gu say such things? He must have had his eyes blinded by someone." Xie Yongsi was accustomed to a life of indulgence, and his speech carried a worldly smoothness that, under normal circumstances, wouldn't make anyone uncomfortable.

He pulled out a stack of documents rolled into a tube from his coat sleeve and handed them to Gu Zhiyan under everyone's curious gazes: "Still warm. Take it, Eldest Young Master Gu. Last time Brother Xun made an even thicker one to give you—right at A City Hospital—but didn't get to. He handed it to your former sister instead."

Xie Yongsi left the rest unsaid; otherwise, it would seem like he was directly targeting Gu Yinxue, which wouldn't be nice.

Jiang Lai looked at that roll of documents and seemed to understand something.

Lin Shutong's dirt had already reached the point of a copy in everyone's hands.

But she was a bit puzzled—was Xie Yongsi helping her?

Why?

Gu Zhiyan reached out to take it and asked with a frown, "What do you mean by that, Young Master Xie? What materials did Shen Xun have? He gave them to Yin Xue?"

Xie Yongsi nodded: "See for yourself what kind of materials they are. Solid stuff. The things about my Brother Xun's white moonlight, the things about your sweetheart—one person fooled you both so thoroughly you lost everything, turned against your own family..."

"Xie Yongsi." Li Dan stopped him with a look—not to fan the flames any further, that was enough. The materials had been delivered anyway; at least give people some time to process it.

Xie Yongsi was not only grateful to Li Dan for bringing him to the Gu family; after spending time together recently, he also felt that once he got to know Li Dan, the man was actually quite suited to be a brother, so he held his tongue.

He had never been bad to his brothers.

Gu Zhiyan gripped the rolled-up documents in his hand, having a rough idea of what they were. His brow furrowed and furrowed again, but he didn't open them for a long time.

"Could anything Shen Xun sent be any good?"

"That depends on whose perspective you take. For Lin Shutong, it's certainly not anything good. For someone who wants to turn back from the wrong path, it is a good thing." Xie Yongsi lifted his chin slightly. "Do you know under what circumstances my Brother Xun wanted to give this to you? It was when he discovered that Lin Shutong had taken abortion medication herself and framed it on him."

Gu Zhiyan couldn't believe it: "Shutong's child was clearly gotten rid of by Shen Xun."

"See for yourselves," Xie Yongsi said, sweeping his gaze over everyone. "Eldest Young Master Gu only says things that make people angry because he's had his eyes blinded."

"That was deliberate. She took the abortion medication first, then deliberately staged an accident in front of Brother Xun. I know you definitely won't believe it."

Gu Zhiyan indeed didn't believe it: "She has no reason to harm her own child."

Xie Yongsi looked at Li Dan and said earnestly, "Your brother and my brother are sick in almost the same way."

Li Dan: "..."

"That child of hers couldn't have been born. She's sick." Xie Yongsi felt the last part sounded like calling someone crazy, so he pointed at the documents in Gu Zhiyan's hand and said, "Just look and you'll know. Looking won't kill you."

Li Dan also said, "Zhi Yan, just take a look. We really can't be willfully blind."

Gu Zhiyan looked at Li Dan: "You brought him to my home? You teamed up with him?"

Li Dan parted his lips and gave a helpless nod: "Yes, you can think whatever you want. But I'm asking you to open your eyes and look carefully at what's on here—something that should have been delivered to you long ago but never was. Please, truly, don't be harsh to the people around you over people who aren't worth it."

He deliberately glanced in Jiang Lai's direction.

Li Dan could barely count as someone who grew up with Gu Zhiyan, and he had a certain understanding of him. The reasons Gu Zhiyan was so unwelcoming of his sister's return were, first, Lin Shutong, and second, Gu Yinxue.

Of course there were other reasons too, which he wasn't very clear on yet, but those first two points alone were enough to make Gu Zhiyan feel deep rejection toward Jiang Lai.

Every step Gu Zhiyan took in life had been strictly arranged. Lin Shutong was the woman he fell in love with at first sight, and Gu Yinxue was his only source of tender companionship under the Gu family's strict doctrines. Both women possessed the freedom from family constraints that Gu Zhiyan yearned for.

Yet Jiang Lai had grievances with both of these women. The former went to prison, and the latter, after today's welcome-home banquet, would become fodder for everyone's after-dinner gossip—who knows how many people would laugh at this fake heiress.

If Jiang Lai hadn't come back, Gu Yinxue could have continued mingling in B City's circles. Now that Jiang Lai had returned, Gu Yinxue's forehead would forever bear an invisible brand of having occupied someone else's nest for twenty-eight years.

Gu Zhiyan couldn't protect one; at least he had to protect the other.

How could he not speak harshly to Jiang Lai, his own younger sister? How could he welcome Jiang Lai, his own younger sister's arrival?

It shouldn't be this way; the younger sister has been alone and helpless outside for twenty-eight years, and even if he dotes on the adopted sister he watched grow up, he shouldn't turn a blind eye and be cold toward the biological sister.

Gu Zhiyan was about to open when Gu Yinxue walked over, already sensing the atmosphere in the pavilion was off, and for a moment couldn't speak, only able to smile and say: "Brother, Second Grandfather sent you to call Jiang Lai over, why are you still here?"

"Jiang Lai, the guests have already arrived, Chongying and Miss Fu were just looking for you." Gu Yinxue said politely.

Jiang Lai withdrew her gaze, it seemed she could no longer see Gu Zhiyan knowing Lin Shutong's dirt.

"Let's go now." She pulled Ke Zhongyu's hand and walked forward.

Gu Yinxue stared at their clasped hands, gave a faint smile, and said to the others: "Why not go together? Everyone's already here, it's not good for us to stay here."

Xie Yongsi looked at Gu Yinxue; this person clearly sensed the atmosphere was off yet remained calm, even harmless, making it hard to tell good from bad in the short term.

"Go, thanks for the reminder, Miss Gu. By the way, Miss Gu, the materials Xun gave you last time—I thought you'd forgotten to give them to the eldest Gu son, but I already gave them just now, no need to thank me." Xie Yongsi said and then left.

The standing Gu Yinxue's blood instantly froze.

Li Dan looked at Gu Yinxue with a complex gaze: "Yinxue, I remember the day Lin Shutong went to court, you went that day—did you not tell your brother about those matters?"

Gu Yinxue's pupils contracted sharply.

What's going on?

What's going on with Xie Yongsi and Li Dan?

Isn't today a recognition banquet? How could they bring up Lin Shutong, a woman who hasn't appeared in ages, and suddenly throw her a curveball?

Li Dan looked at Gu Zhiyan: "You take your time looking, I'm going ahead—my family only has my mother and me coming, I can't not be there."

Only Gu Zhiyan, full of doubt, and Gu Yinxue, icy cold all over, remained in the pavilion.

Xie Yongsi and Li Dan strode to catch up with Jiang Lai and Ke Zhongyu, who had deliberately slowed their steps ahead.

Jiang Lai looked at Xie Yongsi, about to say something, when Ke Zhongyu suddenly pinched her finger; Jiang Lai helplessly chuckled, gesturing for him to ask.

Ke Zhongyu: "Xie Shao also has moments of eliminating harm for the people."

This kind of unrestrained young master Xie Yongsi actually also has times when Ke Zhongyu praises him, making him feel embarrassed; he humbly said: "Wrong praise, wrong praise—actually I should thank Jiang Lai, who mentioned me a word in front of Xun Brother; Xun Brother listened to Jiang Lai's words, otherwise I would have been doomed in the latter half of my life at Shen Xi's hands."

"Shen Xi?" Jiang Lai glanced at Xie Yongsi, "Does she want to marry you?"

Xie Yongsi: "Haha, you're really tactful."

Everyone knows Shen Xi's nature—she can't endure hardship, all she wants is to catch a golden turtle husband and marry into a wealthy family.

Xie Yongsi explained the whole matter, and Jiang Lai said: "I just mentioned it casually."

Xie Yongsi: "At least your evaluation system of me isn't one-sided; you don't completely deny me because of other aspects."