Fei Hanzhu nodded. "Yes. My family warned to stay out of it. Later, I found out why. It was… my family who helped with the child swapping years ago."
Gu Jin's eyes widened in disbelief. Long Yifan's brows furrowed sharply beside her.
Fei Hanzhu lowered his head.
"I take full responsibility for what my family did. They helped those organizations back then. If they hadn't, the swap would have never been possible."
He paused, his voice trembling slightly.
"Now I understand why the Gu family never invited us to their gatherings. They must have known. They must have hated us all this ti."
The room fell silent.
Gu Jin looked at him quietly, emotions swirling in her eyes... shock and relief all mixed together. Long Yifan placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, grounding her.
Fei Hanzhu smiled bitterly. "I don't expect forgiveness," he said softly. "I only wanted you to know the truth before my wedding."
Gu Jin nodded slowly. "Thank you," she whispered.
She didn't ask about the Fei family at all.
After all, not a single mber of the Fei family had attended the wedding. Their absence said everything.
It was clear that the Fei family had t a terrible end.
Otherwise, Fei Hanzhu wouldn't have dared to apologize to her with such guilt in his voice.
Gu Jin quietly glanced at Long Yifan. He imdiately understood her unspoken thought. Within seconds, he made a call.
When the call ended, his expression turned solemn.
"The Fei family is gone," he said simply. "Completely."
Gu Jin blinked in surprise. "Gone?"
Long Yifan nodded. "One by one, every mber died in mysterious ways. No traces, no leads. It was chaos from the start. No one could find the killer."
Gu Jin stayed silent, her gaze distant. She didn't know whether to pity or curse them.
What she didn't know was that the killer had been Fei Hanzhu himself.
He hadn't done it purely for her sake, though the guilt of his family's cris haunted him, it was also for his own reasons.
The Fei family had always pressured him to marry into another rich clan, to form alliances he didn't care about. They'd never respected his choices, and most of all, they'd looked down on Lu Siyao.
They called her "unsuitable," "low-born," and "unworthy of their na."
Fei Hanzhu had loved Lu Siyao deeply, but the endless pressure made her want to give up on him.
She had even tried to distance herself, believing he could never escape the Fei family's control.
But he had.
When Fei Hanzhu finally ended his family's toxic grip, he gained not only his freedom but the right to stand beside the woman he loved.
Now, on this bright wedding day, surrounded by laughter and music, there was no one more genuinely happy than Gu Jin and Liang Bao.
Their best friend was finally marrying the person he'd loved for years.
Gu Jin smiled as she watched the ceremony. She glanced to her side and noticed Liang Bao's shy expression as the newlyweds exchanged rings.
Her friend's cheeks were slightly pink, her gaze soft and dreamy.
"Hmm?" Gu Jin tilted her head curiously and leaned closer. "Why are you looking so sentintal? Is there soone you like, Bao?"
Liang Bao nearly jumped. "W-What? No! You're imagining things!" she said quickly, turning her face away.
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then why are you blushing?"
"I'm not!" Liang Bao said, even though her face was turning redder by the second.
Gu Jin found her reaction strange. Liang Bao wasn't the kind of woman who blushed easily. She usually stayed ho with Gu Jin's children or went on small outings with her.
So how could she have ti to fall in love or even et soone?
Just as Gu Jin was about to tease her again, her brother, Gu Jishi, walked over.
He smiled warmly at Gu Jin and asked, "Do you want anything to eat?"
Gu Jin shook her head. "No, I'm fine."
Gu Jishi nodded, then politely turned to Liang Bao. "What about you, Miss Liang? Would you like sothing?"
Liang Bao's eyes widened. "N-no, thank you," she stamred.
Gu Jin froze. Wait a minute.
Her brother's smile, Liang Bao's blush…
Don't tell ...
Before she could say it aloud, Long Yifan, who had been watching from nearby, chuckled softly.
He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You're thinking right. Liang Bao and your brother are dating."
Gu Jin almost choked. "What?!" she hissed under her breath.
She turned to stare at the two of them.
Gu Jishi looked calm and confident, while Liang Bao was fidgeting nervously, her eyes darting everywhere except at Gu Jin.
For a mont, Gu Jin wanted to smack her brother. Out of all the won in the world, he had to fall for her best friend?
But then, she sighed. Her brother was kind, gentle, and dependable. If anyone was worthy of Liang Bao, it was him.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt this was actually… perfect.
By the ti the wedding ceremony ended, Gu Jin was already daydreaming about Liang Bao and Gu Jishi's future wedding. She could practically see their children running around the Gu mansion, laughing.
"Jin?" Long Yifan asked, amused. "You look like you're lost in thought. Don't you have any questions for ?"
"Questions?" she repeated.
He smiled knowingly. "About how they started dating."
Gu Jin blinked, then nodded eagerly. "Of course I do! How did this even happen?"
Long Yifan crossed his arms and explained patiently,
"At first, they weren't close. But after you gave birth, Liang Bao started visiting the mansion more often. Gu Jishi noticed how hardworking and sincere she was. They began talking, going for coffee sotis… and slowly, they fell in love."
Gu Jin's jaw dropped. "Wait, they've been dating all this ti?!"
Long Yifan sighed. "Yes, and you had no idea."
She pouted. "No one told anything!"
He chuckled and patted her head. "You were too focused on everything else to notice."
Later that evening, as the newlyweds, Lu Siyao and Fei Hanzhu, waved goodbye, Gu Jin clapped the loudest. Liang Bao joined her, cheering so enthusiastically that people laughed.
Their cheers were full of warmth, reflecting the deep friendship the three won shared.
Once, they had all struggled to find direction in life. And now, each of them had achieved sothing great.
Lu Siyao was a respected general.
Liang Bao had beco a successful international businesswoman.
And Gu Jin… she was a Divine Rank alchemist.
Watching her friends shine, Gu Jin couldn't help but feel proud.
As the guests began to leave, Gu Jin, Liang Bao, and Gu Jishi shared a car back to the Gu mansion.
The night was calm, filled with the distant sound of laughter and music from the wedding hall.
Gu Jin leaned back against her seat and smiled teasingly. "You know, Bao, you've been single for so long. Maybe it's ti to find soone. What do you think?"
Liang Bao froze. Her hands gripped her dress tightly. "I… um… I'm already seeing soone," she admitted in a small voice.
Gu Jin's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? That's great! Who is he? Tell !"
Liang Bao's gaze flickered nervously toward Gu Jishi, who suddenly sat straighter, puffing out his chest.
Gu Jin noticed. "Co on!"
Liang Bao quickly looked away. "I can't tell you yet. It's… not the right ti."
Gu Jin frowned, pretending to be disappointed.
"Fine. But if you don't tell soon I'll introduce you to soone else. Also brother I'll introduce you to soone else. You have been single forever, and Mother's losing her hair from worry."
Gu Jishi's eyes widened. "Jin, don't you dare!"
But before he could say more, Liang Bao blurted, "No!"
Her protest was louder than his. The car fell silent for a mont.
Both Gu Jin and Gu Jishi turned to look at her.
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow, hiding her smirk. "Oh? Why such a strong reaction, Bao?"
Liang Bao's face turned scarlet. She looked down, refusing to et anyone's gaze.
Gu Jishi, on the other hand, was secretly grinning. Her reaction told him everything he needed to know.
He decided to play along. "Actually, I've been seeing soone too," he said with a sly smile. "If she doesn't agree to et the family soon, I might have to break up."
Gu Jin almost burst out laughing. "Oh, I see what you're doing," she whispered.
But Liang Bao looked panicked. "Break up?" she repeated, her voice trembling.
Gu Jishi shrugged dramatically. "Well, I don't want a one-sided relationship. If she's serious, she should say it clearly."
Liang Bao bit her lip, struggling to stay calm.
Finally, after what felt like forever, she took a deep breath and turned to Gu Jin.
"I need to tell you sothing," she said quietly.
Gu Jin tilted her head. "What is it?"
Liang Bao hesitated for a long ti before finally blurting out, "I'm dating Gu Jishi."
Silence.
The car beca so quiet that even the sound of the road outside seed to fade.
Gu Jin blinked once, twice… then looked from Liang Bao to Gu Jishi and back again.
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