Chapter 164: Thunder of Past Memories: Take Me to a Place

Gu Yeheng's mouth twitched a few times; the dignity and authority he had cultivated for years cracked wide open at that moment.

"From childhood to now, how did I teach you!

You also followed Jin Xing into madness, making a scene here, right?"

Gu Yunci slammed the wine glass on the table, "Tell me, is it or isn't it?"

Gu Yeheng was stunned for a moment.

The murmuring whispers and questioning gazes of the surrounding guests surged like a tide; he could clearly feel the contempt and scrutiny in those looks.

The grand patriarch image he had cultivated for most of his life was being torn apart piece by piece.

A barely perceptible hint of guilt and remorse flashed in his eyes, but at that moment he knew better than anyone that what he had been trying to conceal for years was about to be fully exposed before everyone.

He clenched his hand slightly, "Yes, back then I was at fault to your mother, having an affair with the piano teacher that your mother discovered.

But the many servants in the villa saw it; your mother's fall was an accident, a tragedy, and it had nothing to do with me.

After speaking, he turned and walked toward the exit, "I haven't wronged any of you; if you don't want to celebrate this birthday, then just don't."

Passing the cake, he brushed the delicate silver dinner knife, picked it up briefly and then tossed it away.

Thus, the once proper birthday banquet turned into a farce.

After the quarrel among the three Gu Clan father-and-sons, everyone gradually left Qian Shui Wan.

Gu Yunci sank into immense pain, slumped in his chair, his shoulders trembling slightly, not breaking into a cry, only a near‑collapse of silence.

When he was young, he hated Gu Jin Xing, because after school he returned to the villa and indeed saw the scene Gu Jin Xing described.

The piano teacher, disheveled, ran down from the upper floor; Chu Fu sobbed at the stairwell, and Gu Yeheng had Gu Jin Xing stop Chu Fu.

During their struggle, Chu Fu rolled down from the upper floor.

Only his perspective couldn't see the whole picture; the servants said Gu Jin Xing pushed Chu Fu down, and he was only eight then, lacking judgment, so he believed it.

For a period, he deliberately kept his distance from Gu Jin Xing.

But later, he no longer kept away from him.

Yet Gu Jin Xing began snatching his things, distancing himself.

The two brothers, since Chu Fu's death, have been on opposite channels.

He believes there is brotherly affection between them, but today that bond is so fragile it cannot withstand a blow.

"Zhang Ma, after my mother died back then, did you call the police?"

Zhang Ma knew what he wanted to ask, crouched beside him, "After the incident, your father reported it to the police, but he insisted that your mother lost control of her emotions and slipped, falling down."

She paused, "Your father didn't stand by after your mother fell; he rushed over and took her to the hospital, and the police also deemed that he fulfilled his duty, not abandoning a dying person."

"So, that means we have no way to deal with him."

Gu Yunci stood up and suddenly realized everyone had left.

"Shutang, did she also leave?"

Zhang Ma stood up and nodded, "She was just here with you, seeing you constantly sad, with children at home; she said something and then left."

Meng Shutang drove away from Qian Shui Wan; just as she merged onto the main road, a black compact car cut in from ahead, violently forcing her to pull over to the roadside.

Before she could recover, the car door was knocked, and she saw Gu Jin Xing, rolling down the window.

Gu Jin Xing said nothing, reached in and opened the car door.

The man leaned in, his bony hand gripping her wrist with force enough to almost crush her.

"Jin Xing, what are you doing?"

Gu Jin Xing's eyes swirled with an almost obsessive madness, a sickly smile tugging his lips, his voice low and dangerous, "I endured for seven years, also decided to let go for seven years, but only today did I realize I can't."

Allowing no resistance, the man dragged her out of the car and roughly shoved her into his own vehicle.

The car door slammed shut, cutting off all the outside clamor.

He trapped her between the seat and himself, his breath scorching, his eyes churning with the madness that had just overturned everything.

"My father values reputation above all; over the years, in his words he linked my mother's death to me, simply because he feared outsiders would learn of his affair and damage his name.

Actually, I, too, am someone who cherishes his feathers,"

So seven years ago, inside Shang K, he saw someone trying to pull Meng Shutang away, but he didn't dare to step forward.

"But my brother is different; since he was young, he never cared about reputation, that empty‑headed nonsense.

At the engagement banquet he took you away; many people gaped in shock, but only I know this is the real him."

Speaking thus, Gu Jin Xing's voice was hoarse, trembling with suppressed tears.

His fingertips brushed her cheek lightly, the grip unyielding, yet his tone was pitiful to the point of pleading.

"I won't hurt you; I was also a kind child, not the 'matricide' or 'little beast' they call me."

Meng Shutang was moved by those words, slowly reaching out to hold him, "Jin Xing, you're too agitated; why don't you go home and get some sleep first?"

Gu Jin Xing was stunned for a moment, but quickly shook his head.

He fastened the seatbelt for Meng Shutang and sat back in the driver's seat.

The car started, accelerating quickly.

"Where are you taking me?"

Testing with her mouth, Meng Shutang slipped her hand into her bag, beginning to fumble for her phone.

Gu Jin Xing saw through her little trick; as she pulled out her phone to dial, he snatched it away.

He saw the number she was dialing was Gu Yunci's, let out a light snort, powered it off and tossed the phone out the window.

In that moment, Meng Shutang truly realized the extent of Gu Jin Xing's madness.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I love you, so much that even I don't understand it, so much that I can only use this chaotic way to keep you by my side.

You can call me crazy, you can hate me, but will you go with me there?"

Meng Shutang doesn't want to hear his nagging; watching the unfamiliar scenery outside the window rush backward, she knows that if this continues, she has no idea where Gu Jin Xing will take her.

Rationality cracks in fear.

The black sedan just entered Pan Shan Gonglu; she lost total control, reached for the steering wheel, and slammed her other hand onto the horn.

"Stop—Gu Jin Xing, I'm making you stop!"

In the struggle, the car lurched sideways, the tires scraped the guardrail with a harsh screech, nearly careening off the cliff.

Gu Jin Xing's complexion changed abruptly; both hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and he barked, "Are you mad?!"

"You forced me!"

Meng Shutang can't bother with that any longer; this is the only chance to make him stop.

"Gu Jin Xing, either you stop now and take me home, or we both fall together, perishing!"

The man was stunned for a moment by her reckless words, then a low laugh escaped his throat, laced with madness and a painful, spiteful affection.

He slammed the brakes, and the car halted abruptly on the mountain road.

Inertia sent both of them lurching forward; in the next instant, he seized her slender wrist, pressed it to his chest, leaned in, his breath both coldly hostile and scorching.

"Want to die? Fine. But before that, come with me somewhere."