Chu You noticed Xia Ji’s hand moving to her wrist.
So that’s it… This silly girl recognized the bracelet she’d just given her last night.
Realizing this, Chu You’s heart warmed, a wave of emotion welling up inside.
In this situation, anyone who wasn’t foolish could see that she’d gotten herself into trouble, yet the moment Xia Ji recognized the bracelet, she hadn’t even hesitated before choosing to help her out.
“Mr. Gu…” Chu You gently patted the back of Xia Ji’s hand in reassurance, then lifted her eyes to Gu Qiancheng, who stood a little behind and to the side, his expression somewhat complicated.
With a graceful smile, she spoke naturally: “What an unfortunate coincidence. I’d already agreed with Xia Ji yesterday to go out shopping today. So, you see… what now?”
At that moment, the balance of the situation subtly shifted.
With Xia Ji’s unexpected help, Chu You had made it through; now the pressure was on Gu Qiancheng.
If he chose to leave, it would be much harder for him to probe Chu You later.
But the reason Chu You gave was reasonable, and even Xia Ji was someone he’d personally brought.
For a moment, he couldn’t find any excuse to refute her.
The smile at the corner of Gu Qiancheng’s mouth grew a bit stiff.
He blinked and didn’t immediately respond, putting on a look of innocent confusion as if he understood nothing.
However, Chu You had no intention of giving him the chance to play dumb.
She stepped around Xia Ji, walked straight over, and stood before Gu Qiancheng, her gaze steady as she met his eyes.
“Mr. Gu, are you really Lin Mo’s friend?” she asked, her tone seemingly full of simple doubt.
Gu Qiancheng raised his brows slightly and countered, “Otherwise?”
“But I always find you a bit strange,” Chu You still maintained her smile, her tone so calm it left nothing to be criticized, yet her words were full of sarcasm.
“Brother Lin Mo once said, the weirder a person is, the more perverse they are… ah, ptooey, sorry!”
She feigned embarrassment, lightly covering her mouth, though there wasn’t the slightest regret in her eyes.
“I mean, would you mind if I called Brother Lin Mo now to confirm your identity?”
As soon as she finished, Gu Qiancheng’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
The weirder a person is, the more perverse they are?
This girl might look ordinary, but she sure was sharp-tongued and quick-witted.
Things were getting tricky…
Refusing her suggestion would obviously seem suspicious, but if he let her call Lin Mo, then all his effort today would have been for nothing—and worse, he’d tip his hand.
Gu Qiancheng sighed quietly in his heart, realizing he couldn’t continue to maneuver as a private individual.
“I’m sorry, Miss Chu,” his smile faded a bit, his tone turning more formal, “but I’m afraid you can’t make that call.”
Slowly, he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulled out a black leather credential case, and showed it to Chu You.
On the cover, in gold-stamped vertical characters, were three large words: [Swordbearer].
He opened the document; on the left was his photo, name, rank, unit, and position, on the right, a Swordbearer-exclusive encrypted QR code, anti-forgery steel seal, and headquarters stamp.
[Name: Gu Qiancheng]
[Rank: Golden Crow Level]
[Unit: Northwest Frontline Special Action Squad]
[Position: Action Squad Commander]
Gu Qiancheng held the document steadily before Chu You’s eyes, his voice clear and carrying unmistakable authority: “As head of the Swordbearer Headquarters’ Special Binhai Investigation Group, I hereby formally notify you—”
His gaze was as sharp as a blade, fixed on Chu You’s face.
“You have been listed as a suspect in the Binhai Experimental Middle School high-risk incident… Now, on behalf of the Northern Swordbearer Headquarters, I am conducting a lawful inquiry.”
He finished, closed the credentials unhurriedly, tucked them back into his pocket, and looked at Chu You, composed and unhurried.
“Do you have any questions now?”
Chu You’s pupils shrank imperceptibly.
What had to come, had come at last.
Gu Qiancheng—after all his maneuvering—had finally laid all his cards on the table, revealing his identity and true intent.
She didn’t answer immediately; her mind was racing, rapidly analyzing what Gu Qiancheng’s next move might be.
Seeing her silence, Gu Qiancheng resumed his seemingly relaxed smile, his tone slightly mocking: “Miss Chu, Swordbearer credentials… You shouldn’t be unfamiliar with them, right? No one would dare to forge one of these.”
At his words, Chu You seemed to snap back from her thoughts, a fitting look of confusion crossing her face, even tinged with a sense of offended puzzlement: “…Familiar?”
She frowned slightly, her tone uncertain.
“Sorry, Mr. Gu, I… I’ve only seen a Swordbearer’s credentials once, by chance, from Brother Lin Mo. I barely remember what it looked like.”
Chu You wasn’t falling for the trap; she nimbly skirted around his linguistic snare.
Gu Qiancheng nodded with a smile, as if unsurprised.
He hadn’t expected such a shallow test to yield anything in the first place.
“No matter,” Gu Qiancheng said lightly, turning the page. “Let’s talk business, Miss Chu.”
His expression became a touch more formal, but the sharp glint in his eyes never faded.
“Because the Binhai Experimental Middle School high-risk incident involves some more complex factors, and possible risks we haven’t identified,” he spoke with careful words, but in an undeniably commanding tone, “for your safety and the smooth progress of our investigation, I need you to come with me to a location that is absolutely secure and ensures information confidentiality for cooperation.”
He raised his hand, gesturing in reassurance: “As a Swordbearer, I guarantee that during this period, your quality of life will be fully protected, and your personal safety will not be threatened in any way.”
“Only, until everything is thoroughly investigated, you might have to be a little wronged and temporarily lose a few days of your freedom.”
His tone sounded quite reasonable, even a little apologetic, but beneath it was absolute authority, brooking no refusal.
Finally, he looked at Chu You, adding clearly—with a smile still on his lips, but an official coldness in his eyes: “Of course, Miss Chu, I’m not asking.”
“This is a formal notification from the Swordbearer Headquarters Investigation Group.”
With that, Gu Qiancheng took a step forward, a formless aura of command washing out like a tide—though not fully released, it already exerted a heavy pressure.
He still wore that warm smile, but his gaze left no room for resistance: “Come with me, Miss Chu.”
At these words, Chu You instinctively stepped back half a pace, a heavy shadow settling between her brows.
She knew that Gu Qiancheng was done playing around.
Standing behind her and to the side, Xia Ji grew so anxious her eyes turned red, her hands clenched tightly.
She might not understand all the details, but she clearly sensed Chu You was in serious trouble and about to be taken away by this dangerous man.
At this critical moment—
“Click.”
With a soft sound, the tightly shut front door was suddenly opened from outside.
Immediately after, a tall, upright figure, bearing a trace of dust from travel, strode abruptly into everyone’s sight.
It was Lin Mo!
He crossed the threshold without hurry, positioning himself precisely between Gu Qiancheng and Chu You.
Turning slowly, he shielded Chu You firmly behind him, facing Gu Qiancheng whose expression had subtly changed.
Seeing Lin Mo—who was supposed to be at the Sea Hunting Grounds dozens of kilometers away—appear here as if descending from the heavens, Gu Qiancheng’s pupils contracted sharply.
For the first time, a look of undisguised shock and disbelief flashed across his face. “Junior, you…”
Lin Mo’s lips curved in a cold, mocking arc as he interrupted, “Senior, you really haven’t lost your childlike innocence.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but every word rang clearly in the silent living room.
“This trick of switching the real for the fake…”
At this, Lin Mo deliberately paused before slowly enunciating the final words: “Is a little childish.”
The moment he finished, Gu Qiancheng’s smile froze entirely, a flicker of darkness crossing his eyes as his ploy was so openly exposed.
But Lin Mo clearly wasn’t finished.
He continued, his tone steady but carrying the force of seeing through everything, as if reciting a cold dossier: “Gu Qiancheng, male, thirty-four years old, from Dongzhou of Huhan… Due to long-term severe domestic abuse by his birth father in childhood, he developed irreversible psychological trauma.
One notable behavioral marker is a pathological sweet tooth, with an almost dependent preference for carbonated cola drinks.”
At this point, Lin Mo slowly raised his hand, giving Gu Qiancheng’s shoulder a pointed pat. “Senior, you play rough, and you have plenty of tricks.”
He leaned in a bit, lowering his voice, full of unshakable certainty. “But I have plenty of channels, too.”
Then he withdrew his hand, his tone suddenly turning cold and severe, brooking no opposition.
“Chu You is my personal assistant. I’m certain there’s nothing wrong with her, and even if there is, I’ll take full responsibility.”
“What I mean is—Senior, I’m afraid you’ve come all this way for nothing today.”
“She’s not yours to take.”